Speed Up Windows XP Master Tutorial to Make Windows XP Super FastIf you like this article, please share it with your friends and contacts on Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter using following buttons so that they can also enjoy the article:

This tutorial is meant for increasing the performance of Windows XP, either it can be a fresh installation or an older one. 1. Following is a registry file containing a few registry modifications, which are completely safe and can increase the performance of Windows. Just download the attached ZIP file, extract it and then run the file: Tweak Windows XP Restore Default Settings (Use this file if you want to restore default Windows settings) 2. Right-click on Desktop and select Properties, Now in the new window goto Appearance tab and click on Effects button. Now in the new opened window uncheck the following options:

Use the following transition effect for menus & tooltips. Show shadows under menus.

3. Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Properties (or press key + key), now goto Advanced tab in new window and click on Settings button in Performance section. Now disable all unnecessary options in Visual Effects tab, you can remain following options enabled according to your requirements:

Show window contents while dragging. Smooth edges of screen fonts. Use common tasks in folders (If you use the left side pane in My computer) Use drop shadows on icon labels on the desktop. (to make the desktop icons label transparent.) Use visual styles on windows and buttons. (If you use XP themes.)

4. Open Windows Explorer and click on Tools -> Folder Options. Now go to View tab:

Now uncheck following options:

Automatically search for network folders & printers. Display file size information in folder tips. Display simple folder view in Explorer's Folders list. Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color. Show pop-up description for folder and desktop icons. Use simple file sharing.

Other options don't affect the system performance. You can enable/disable them according to your requirements. 5. Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Manage (You can also open it by typing services.msc in RUN and press Enter). Now goto Services & Applications -> Services. Here you can set a few unnecessary services to Manual, which will not start with windows and will decrease the boot time and will increase system performance. Please follow the following tutorial to know about which services can be safely set to MANUAL: Windows XP Services Configuration: Turn Off / Disable Unnecessary Services to Optimize Performance 6. Type msconfig in RUN and press Enter. Now goto Startup tab and deselect the unnecessary entries, which you don't want to start automatically with Windows, e.g. you can disable VGA driver utility, Sound Card utility, etc to speed up the startup time and to increase system performance.

7. Open Sound & Audio Devices in Control Panel (or type mmsys.cpl in RUN), goto Sounds tab and select No Sounds in Sound Scheme section. Or you can remain some of your favorite sounds but set Exit Windows, Start Windows, Windows Logoff, Windows Logon to (None). 8. Also don't forget to:

Defrag the hard disk regularly Install only necessary software Use the latest device drivers Keep your Windows up-to-date

After following all the above mentioned points, you'll definitely notice major improvements in your Windows XP performance.

Windows XP Services Configuration: Turn Off / Disable Unnecessary Services to Optimize PerformanceIf you like this article, please share it with your friends and contacts on Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter using following buttons so that they can also enjoy the article:

When we install Windows XP, there are many services running in background. Among them many services are not important and can be set manual to make your windows running faster. In this tutorial we'll tell you about the services which can be safely set to MANUAL to speed up Windows XP. 1. Right-click on My Computer icon on desktop and select Manage, it'll open a window, in which goto: Services & Application -> Services. To disable or Set a service to MANUAL, double-click on the service and select the desired option in Startup list box. 2. You can also open the same by going to Administrative Tools and open Computer Management. NOTE: Always set the service to MANUAL, never disable it. So that whenever windows needs to start a service it can easily start and use it. If you set any service to DISABLED, then windows will not be able to start it and will give ERROR. So here is the list of services that can be safely set to MANUAL (Many of them may be disabled automatically on some systems):

Alerter Computer Browser Distributed Link Tracking Client (If you have NTFS partition, then don't disable it) Fast User Switching Capability (removes Switch Users option) Indexing service Internet Connection Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing Messenger Remote Registry (Always disable it for Security purposes) Secondary Logon

Server System Restore (If you don't use System Restore) TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service Uninterruptible Power Supply Upload Manager Wireless Zero Configuration

PS: You can see the details of each service so that you can determine whether it should be disabled or not.

Speed Up Windows 7 Master Tutorial to Make Windows 7 Super FastIf you like this article, please share it with your friends and contacts on Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter using following buttons so that they can also enjoy the article:

This is the 3rd tutorial of our "Master Tutorial" series. We have already posted 2 other tutorials for Windows XP and Windows Vista in past and now its turn of Windows 7. Although Windows 7 is already very fast and reliable but this tutorial will help you in getting the max performance out of your system. So without wasting any time, here we start our tutorial: 1. Registry Tweaks: Following topic contains a few registry tweaks to optimize your system performance and add a few useful extras: Ultimate Collection of Registry Tweaks to Speed Up Windows 7 You just need to download the ZIP file, extract it and run the file. It'll ask for confirmation, accept it. Restart your system to take affect. 2. Right-click on Computer icon on Desktop and select Properties (or press WIN + Pause/Break keys). Now click on Advanced system settings link in left side pane (You can open it directly by giving sysdm.cpl command in RUN or start menu search box). Now click on Settings button in Performance section:

It'll open another window. Disable all unnecessary options in Visual Effects tab, you can leave following options enabled according to your requirements:

Enable Aero Peek (If you want to use Aero Peek feature) Enable desktop composition (If you want to use Windows Aero theme) Enable transparent glass (If you want to use transparency in Windows) Show thumbnails instead of icons (If you want to show thumbnails in Explorer) Show window contents while dragging (If you want windows to show contents while moving them) Smooth edges of screen fonts (If you want to show smooth fonts) Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop (If you want to show shadows under desktop icon labels) Use visual styles on windows and buttons (If you want to use Windows Aero or Basic theme)

3. Open Windows Explorer and go to "Organize -> Folder and Search Options" and click on "View" tab. Now disable following options: Display file size information in folder tips Hide extensions for known file types Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items

4. Right-click on Computer icon on Desktop and select Manage (You can also open it directly by giving services.msc command in RUN or start menu search box). Now go to Services & Applications -> Services. Here you can set a few unnecessary services to Manual, so that these services don't start automatically with Windows and you can get a faster startup.

Visit following tutorial to know which services can be set to MANUAL to increase system performance: Windows 7 Services Configuration: Turn Off / Disable Unnecessary Services to Optimize Performance 5. Type msconfig in RUN or Startmenu search box and press Enter. Now go to Startup tab and disable unwanted startup entries. You can disable your graphics card's driver utility, Sound Card utility, etc to speed up the system startup and to increase system performance.

6. Open Sound applet in Control Panel (or type mmsys.cpl in RUN or Startmenu search box and press Enter). Now go to Sounds tab and select No Sounds from Sound Scheme section. You can keep some of your favorite sounds enabled but make sure to set Exit Windows, Windows Log off, Windows Logon and Start Navigation to (None).

Also disable "Play Windows Startup sound" option to disable the sound clip which is played at login screen. 7. Also don't forget to:

Defrag the hard disk regularly Install only necessary software Use the latest device drivers Keep your Windows up-to-date

After following all the above mentioned points, you'll definitely notice major improvements in your Windows 7 performance.

Windows 7 Services Configuration: Turn Off / Disable Unnecessary Services to Optimize PerformanceIf you like this article, please share it with your friends and contacts on Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter using following buttons so that they can also enjoy the article:

We have posted service guides for Windows XP and Vista in past and now its turn of Windows 7. In this tutorial we'll learn about the services which are not essential and can be safely set to MANUAL to speed up your system: 1. Right-click on Computer icon on desktop and select Manage, it'll open a new window. Now go to Services & Applications -> Services. You can also open the same from Administrative Tools -> Computer Management. Or you can directly open "Services" list by providing services.msc command in RUN or Startmenu search box.

2. Now you can set the unnecessary services to DISABLED or MANUAL. Just doubleclick on any service and select the desired option in Startup type list box. NOTE: Always set the service to MANUAL, never disable it, so that whenever Windows needs to start a service it can easily start and use it. If you set any service to DISABLED, Windows will not be able to start it and will give some error messages. Here is a list of services that can be safely set to MANUAL:

Application Experience Computer Browser (If your computer is not connected to any network) Desktop Window Manager Session Manager (If you don't use Aero theme) Diagnostic Policy Service Distributed Link Tracking Client IP Helper Offline Files Portable Device Enumerator Service Print Spooler (If you don't have Printer) Protected Storage Remote Registry (Always disable it for Security purposes) Secondary Logon Security Center Server (If your computer is not connected to any network) Tablet PC Input Service TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Themes ( If you use Windows Classic theme) Windows Error Reporting Service Windows Media Center Service Launcher Windows Search (If you don't use Windows Search feature frequently) Windows Time (If you don't want to update system tray clock time using Internet)

PS: You can see the details of each service to determine whether you should disable it or not.

77 Windows 7 Tips Edited by Keith Ward At a Glance:

Make Windows 7 faster Get more done with Windows 7 The best Windows 7 shortcuts Securing Windows 7

Contents Windows 7 may be Microsofts most anticipated product ever. It builds on Windows Vistas positives, and eliminates many of that OSs negatives. It adds new functionality, tooall in a package that is less resource-hungry than its predecessor. And whether or not you're upgrading from Vista or skipping it altogether and moving up from Windows XP, you'll need to know how to make the most of it in your environment. Here are 77 tips and tricks to get you there. 1. Pick Your Edition. Most business users do not need the more expensive Ultimate Edition; stick with Professional unless you specifically need BitLocker. 2. Upgrading? Go 64-bit. As the second major Windows release to fully support 64-bit, the x64 architecture has definitely arrived on the desktop. Don't buy new 32-bit hardware unless it's a netbook. 3. Use Windows XP Mode. Yes, it's only an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of WinXPbut it's an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of Windows XP! This is the first profoundly intelligent use of desktop virtualization we've seenand a great way to move to Windows 7 without giving up full Windows XP compatibility. 4. Use Windows PowerShell v2. More than just a shell, this is the administration tool you've always wanted: Parallel, distributed processing for administrative tasks! Manage 100 machines literally as easily as you manage one with the new Remoting feature. Windows PowerShell v2 ships for the first time in Windows 7, and within six months will be available for older versions of Windows. 5. Use AppLocker. We've been fans of Software Restriction Policies since Windows XP, and AppLocker finally makes application whitelisting possible. Use it to enhance or even replace your anti-virus software, ensuring that only the software you want to run will run. 6. Shift to and from Explorer and CommandPrompt. The classic Windows power toy Open Command Prompt Here is now an integral part of Windows 7 Explorer. Hold down the shift key then right-click a folder to add this option to the property menu. While you're in a command prompt, if you want to open an Explorer window with the focus of the window on the current directory, enter start. 7. Record Problems. The Problem Steps Recorder (PSR) is a great new feature that helps in troubleshooting a system (see Figure 1). At times, Remote Assistance may not be possible. However, if a person types psr in their Instant Search, it will launch the recorder. Now they can perform the actions needed to recreate the problem and each click will record the screen and the step. They can even add comments. Once complete, the PSR compiles the whole thing into an MHTML file and zips it up so that it can be emailed for analysis to the network admin (or family problem solver, depending on how it's being used).

Figure 1 The Problem Steps Recorder dramatically speeds up troubleshooting. (Click the image for a larger view) 8. Make Training Videos. Use a tool like Camtasia to record short, two to three minute video tutorials to help your users find relocated features, operate the new Taskbar and so forth. Get them excited about Windows 7and prepared for it. 9. Start Thinking About Windows Server 2008 R2. Some of Windows 7's more compelling features, like BranchCache, work in conjunction with the new server OS. The R2 upgrade path is pretty straightforward, so there's little reason not to take advantage of the synergies if you can afford upgrade licenses. 10. Prepare Those XP Machines. There's no in-place upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, so start planning to migrate user data now, in advance of a Windows 7 upgrade deployment. 11. Consider Clean Installs. Even when upgrading Windows Vista machines, consider a clean install rather than an in-place upgrade. Yes, it's more hassle, but it'll produce a more trouble-free computer in the long run. 12. Consider Upgrade Assurance. Even if you've never bought it before, consider it for your new Windows 7 licenses. Access to the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), which includes App-V, MED-V and other cool technologies, is worth the premium. 13. Find New Tools. Within Control Panel is a single Troubleshooting link that leads you to all of your diagnostic tools on the system. There are additional tools, however, not installed by default. Selecting the "View all" link in the top left-hand corner will help you to see which troubleshooting packs are local and which ones are online. If you find a tool that you don't have, you can grab it from here. 14. Understand Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Windows 7 plays an important role in Microsoft's VDI strategy, where virtualized Windows 7 machines are hosted on a central virtualization server using a special blanket "Enterprise Centralized Desktop" license. Read up and figure out if you can take advantage of this new strategy. 15. Prepare for DirectAccess. DirectAccess makes it easier for users to remotely access their office-based resources, without a VPN. DirectAccess also opens up remote computers more fully to Group Policybut it requires Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2. 16. Employ Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). If you quickly want to list or manage Windows packages, features or drivers, use the command-line utility DISM. The "image" in the name may fool you into thinking that this is solely a deployment tool. An online command-line switch lets you manage the features in the currently loaded OS. To get a list of the loaded Windows features, enter dism /online /get-features /format:table. To enable a feature, enter dism /online /enablefeature /featurename:. 17. Embrace Troubleshooting Packs. Designed to help users troubleshoot and solve problems on their own, you need to update your support procedures to acknowledge these Packs. For example, don't force users to repeat steps the Pack already walked them through, and consider developing your own Packs (in Windows PowerShell) to support in-house systems. 18. Check Reliability. The Reliability Monitor was introduced in Windows Vista as 'The Reliability and Performance Monitor." In Windows 7 it has been separated from Performance Monitor and moved to a new location under the Action Center. You open the Action Center in Control Panel and then look under the Maintenance options for the

"View reliability history" link. You can also just type in Reliability Monitor from the Instant Search (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 The Reliability Monitor has been broken out separately from Performance Monitor. (Click the image for a larger view) 19. Accept Diversity. Not every organization will be ready to move entirely to Windows 7 right away. That's finebut that shouldn't mean the entire organization stays on Windows XP, either. The myths of the cost savings of having only one OS have been largely disproven or downplayed, so use Windows 7 where it makes sense to do so. 20. Get Snippy. The snipping tool has also been around in various incarnations but it's even easier to use in Windows 7. Launch the tool, then drag and drop any part of your screen. The tool will snip the selection. You can save it as a graphic file or annotate with basic drawing tools. Teach your end users how to use this tool so they can grab the snapshots of their problems and send them to the help desk. Or create your own library of visual notes. 21. Presentation Nirvana. Press Windows+P to access the new Presentation mode, and easily turn on your projector and laptop screen at the same time. No more messing with vendor-specific utilities and arcane keystrokes. (Windows+X accesses the Mobility Center, with additional presentation options.) 22. Cut the Clutter. Press Windows+Home to minimize all but the current window, removing background clutter and letting you focus on that report your boss has been bugging you about. 23. Be a Mouse-Click Administrator. Windows 7 makes it easy to gain admin rights with a keyboard shortcut. Click on Ctrl+Shift on a taskbar-locked icon, and voila! You've launched it with appropriate admin rights. 24. Faster Installations. If your computer is capable of booting from USB, try this: XCopy the Windows 7 installation DVD to a sufficiently large USB drive, boot from that drive, and install Windows from there. It's faster than a spinning platter. 25. Burn Discs with a Click. Or two; double-click an ISO file to burn it to your CD or DVD writer. 26. Restore Point Previews Many of us used to shut off System Restore because we were terrified to actually use it; under Windows 7, we can be much calmer. After selecting a Restore Point, Windows will now offer to show you which files and folders will be affected by restoring to that point. 27. Sync Time Zones. If you work with offices in different time zones and frequently find yourself missing meeting times because you are not in sync with their time zone, try the "Additional Clocks" feature that was first introduced in Vista. Within your Date

and Time settings is a tab called Additional Clocks, where you can add two or more clocks to your taskbar time, and set them to provide different time zones from your current time zone. 28. Configure User Account Control (UAC). Even if you're a UAC hater, give it another try. Go to the Control Panel to configure its behavior to something slightly less obnoxious than what Windows Vista had, and see if you can't live with the extra protection it offers (see Figure 3).

Figure 3 User Account Control, the bane of administrators, has been revamped and improved. (Click the image for a larger view) 29. RoboCopyCopyCopy. The always-useful Robocopy.exe can now run multithreaded; run Robocopy /? to review its new parameters (like /MT for multithreading) and make your copies go faster. 30. Remote Desktop Console. Windows 7 Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) does not include a console-based remote desktop utility. And even if it did, the standard remote desktop console has some nagging limitations: It can't move connections around in the list; it can't sort by folders and so forth. If you manage lots of servers from your Windows 7 workstation, try downloading a copy of mRemote from mremote.org. This donation-requested utility allows you to mix together a variety of remote control applications, including Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), Secure Shell (SSH) and rlogin. All host names are displayed in a standard tree control that can be divided into folders, sorted alphabetically, and allow you to assign different logon accounts and secure passwords to each connection. 31. Multiple Monitors. Windows 7 makes working with multiple monitors intuitive and flexible. There are a variety of shortcuts and mouse motions that flick windows from monitor to monitor. To make the most of this, you need lots and lots of screen real estate. Try one of the new QWXGA monitors from Samsung (tinyurl.com/qwxgasamsung) or Dell (tinyurl.com/qwxgadell). These 23-inch monitors have a 2048x1152 resolution, making it possible to put two full-sized pages on the same monitor. Pair them together and you'll get enough space to have all your admin tools open along with Office, Visio, your intranet sites and a little note to your mom in Live Mail. Move your taskbar to the left or right side of the window instead of along the bottom to free up even more real estate. 32. Windows PowerShell Scripting. If you want to make the most of Windows PowerShell on Windows 7, you'll need a quick way to build and debug scripts.

Windows 7 comes with an interactive editor that allows you to try out cmdlets and test functions on the fly. 33. Drag-and-Drop Notification Icons. The redesigned notification area displays only a minimum number of icons; all other notification icons are moved to a side window. Rather than using the Customize option to select icons for the main display, you can drag-and-drop icons from the side window to the notification area. 34. Add Unindexed Shared Folders to Library. You can add UNC paths such as \\servername\sharename to a Library, but the server must index the folder. If you want to add a UNC path to an unindexed server, you can create a symbolic link to the UNC path, then add the link or links to the library. Use the mklink command. For example, mklink HomeFolder \\ServerName\Homefolder. 35. Simplify Cloned Machine Setups. You can't run Sysinternals' newsid utility to change the identity of a cloned Windows 7 machine (either a virtual machine or imaged PC). Instead, create a template installation then run sysprep /oobe /generalize /reboot /shutdown /unattend:scriptfile. Clone or copy this virtual machine file. When it launches, it will get a new SID and you can fill in the name. The reference for building unattended script files is at tinyurl.com/winunattend. 36. Snap That Aero. The Windows key is great for all your shortcuts. Now you can use it to work with the new AeroSnap feature in Windows 7. Select a window, hit the Windows key and a left or right arrow to snap the window to that half of the screen, or use the up arrow to snap it to the top of the screen. 37. Shortcut the Taskbar. The Windows key is great for shortcuts. You can select the Windows key and a number to correspond to items on your taskbar. So, if IE (for example) is the third icon on your taskbar (not counting the Start button), you can hit the Windows key and the number three to launch or open IE. 38. Manage Passwords. Control Panel includes a new application called Credential Manager. This may appear to be a completely new tool that allows you to save your credentials (usernames and passwords) for Web sites you log into and other resources you connect to (such as other systems). Those credentials are saved in the Windows Vault, which can be backed up and restored. However, you might see this as similar to a tool we have in XP and Vista. From the Instant Search, type in control /userpasswords2 and you will be brought to the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel, where you can also manage passwords for your account (see Figure 4).

Figure 4 The Credential Manager provides a handy, secure place to store passwords. (Click the image for a larger view)

39. Trigger Actions. Event Viewer is closely tied into Task Scheduler. You have the ability to take an event (select it in Event Viewer) and then from the Actions pane, select the option "Attach a Task" to have that event, when it appears, trigger an action. That action can be: launch a program; send an e-mail; or display a message. This feature may be very helpful in troubleshooting a problem. 40. Browse InPrivate. A new feature in IE8 is the ability to open the browser in an InPrivate Browsing session that allows you to perform banking and so forth from a public location without fear of leaving behind any residue. IE will not retain anything you do in an InPrivate Browsing session. You can perform this action if you are already within IE by selecting the Safety button and then InPrivate Browsing. This will open another IE window altogether. However, you can save a few steps by using the shortcut. Right-click the desktop IE icon, click InPrivate and the windows will open in an InPrivate session already. 41. Go Live. Many applications installed on past versions of Windows have been removed. Starting with Windows 7, these applications (and a few others not typically installed with Windows) have been moved into the Live Essentials downloadable applications, at download.live.com. These applications include Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety and a few others. 42. Remove Apps. Although some applications have been moved off of Windows to become an optional download, other apps, such as IE8, Media Player, Media Center and DVD Maker are still included. In times past, especially when it came to IE, the applications were tied into the OS. However, in Windows 7 you can easily remove them if desired. Head to the Program and Features applet in Control Panel and select the "Turn Windows features on or off" link in the top left-hand corner. Then you can select the checkbox of the features you want to lose or add for your system (see Figure 5).

Figure 5 Windows 7 unbinds many applications from the OS, making it easy to add and remove them. (Click the image for a larger view) 43. Are You Windows 7 Experienced? System properties has a rating called the Windows Experience Index (WEI). This rating is a collection of five different ratings that are determined by the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT). The highest rating score is 7.9 (compared to 5.9 in Vista), using the categories of Processor, RAM, Graphics, Gaming Graphics and Primary Hard Disk. The final rating is not an average of all the ratings, but the lowest of the subcomponent scores. 44. Analyze Processes. One of the coolest new features in the revamped Resource Monitor (resmon) is the ability to see the "wait chain traversal." An unresponsive process will be shown in red in the Resource Monitor; right-click the process and choose Analyze Process. This will show the threads in the process and see who holds the resources that are holding up the process itself. You can then kill that part of the process if you like. 45. Create Virtual Worlds. Virtualization capability has been added to the Disk Management tools. If you open Computer Management, go to the Disk Manager tool and then click the Action button at top, you will see the options Create VHD and/or Attach VHD. This allows you to create and mount a virtual hard drive directly from within the GUI. Note: With Windows 7 you even have the ability to boot a Windows 7 VHD (see Figure 6).

Figure 6 Windows 7 adds a great deal of virtualization support, including the ability to create and attach virtual hard drives from the GUI. (Click the image for a larger view) 46. Encrypt USB Sticks. Use BitLocker To Go. Maybe you've managed to never misplace or lose a USB key, but for the rest of us mere mortals, it's a fact of life. Most of the time it's no big deal, but what if it contains sensitive data? BitLocker To Go enables you to encrypt data on removable storage devices with a password or a digital certificate stored on a smart card. 47. Lock with Group Policy. Take control through AppLocker application control. AppLocker intercepts kernel calls that try to create new processes or load libraries and ensures the code is allowed to execute. Practically, that means you can eliminate unknown and unwanted software by implementing AppLocker through Group Policy. 48. Be Our Guest. Guest mode proves a convenient method to give a guest or child access to your computer with limits on making system changes, installing software, or writing to the disk outside the user profile. After the user is done and logs off, data saved inside of the user profile is deleted. You cannot use Guest mode in an AD environment. 49. Restore from Backed up Restore Points. You can choose to include restore points in your backups and restore from them when using System Restore. This is convenient if you want to create a baseline of a working configuration and be able to restore to it in the future without overwriting other data on the hard disk. 50. Benefit from BranchCache. BranchCache helps you save on round trips for requested files in remote branch scenarios. If one person requests a file over the WAN, it's cached locally and either distributed across computers at the remote branch or stored on a central server at the remote branch. 51. Disable Search Suggestion Popups. As you type in the Search Box, Windows 7 makes suggestions based on past queries by pulling past queries from the Registry. You can disable this in the Local Group Policy by enabling User Configuration |

Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Windows Explorer | Turn Off Display Of Recent Search Entries In the Windows Explorer. 52. Pin Control Panel to Taskbar. If you use the Control Panel frequently, you may have noticed that you cannot simply right-click the Control Panel and select Pin to Taskbar. Instead, you must first Open Control Panel so its icon appears in the taskbar. From there, you can right-click the icon in the taskbar and select Pin this program to taskbar. 53. Leverage Search Connectors. You can now search the Web using the search functionality. Windows 7 includes Federated Search to increase the search scope beyond the local and network resources. Several search connectors are available, such as for YouTube and Twitter, or you can create custom ones to fit your needs. 54. Use Stickier Notes. Even though this feature has existed in previous versions of Windows in one form or another, it's much easier to use in Windows 7. You can stick a note on your desktop for quick reminders. It's a snap to change the font or note color. If you have a note selected, use Ctrl-N to create a new one. 55. Try out Improved WordPad. You probably haven't given much thought to WordPad lately, but the version shipping with Windows 7 has undergone a major renovation. Think of it as a lite version of Microsoft Word. WordPad sports a spiffy ribbon interface, making it a snap to create well-formatted documents. Plus, you are no longer relegated to saving them as .RTF files. WordPad now supports the Office Open XML document (.DOCX) format. This makes it even easier to open .DOCX files created in Word in WordPad. 56. Calculate. Another basic utility that received a major overhaul is the venerable calculator. In addition to standard and scientific views, there are now programmer and statistic modes. You will also love the conversion and calculation features. Want to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit but can never remember the formula? Use the conversion panel. You'll also enjoy the data calculation extension. Quickly find the difference between two dates or calculate a new date by adding or subtracting years, months or days. 57. Manage Services from Task Manager. The Windows 7 Task Manager now includes a tab to manage services. You can quickly see at a glance the status of all services on your machine. Click a column heading to sort. You can even start and stop services with a simple right-click. If you need full-blown service management, use the Services button to launch the Services management console. You may often have the Task Manager running in the system tray; now, having service management access means one less window to have open. 58. Get Under the Hood. Windows 7 offers more ways to peek under the hood without adding third-party solutions. A terrific example is the Resource Monitor. The performance tab in Windows Task Manager is a good start, but sometimes you need more information. Click the Resource Monitor button to get more detailed information and performance graphs for key subsystems like CPU and Disk. You can also find the Resource Monitor under Accessories | System Tools. 59. Check Vital Signs. Another new system tool you'll enjoy is the System Health report. In the Run dialog box, type perfmon /report, which generates a system health report. This report records details about your computer's performance, resource usage and more. The report also includes diagnostic information about things that aren't working as they should and suggested steps to resolve. The reports are saved and can be accessed with the Performance Monitor management console. You can also save as an HTML file or send via e-mail. 60. Get More Windows PowerShell. Windows PowerShell v2 promises to be a gamechanger for many system administrators. Many will prefer to use the graphical Windows PowerShell console, also known as the Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE). You'll find this in the Windows PowerShell folder under Accessories. Add a

keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+Alt+I to quickly launch it. Run any Windows PowerShell command in the lower panel and see the results in the middle. Create or edit scripts in the top pane. Open multiple Windows PowerShell sessions connected to remote computers. The ISE makes Windows PowerShell v2 easy to use and fun (see Figure 7).

Figure 7 Windows PowerShell has been much more tightly integrated with Windows 7, and adds the Integrated Scripting Environment. (Click the image for a larger view) 61. Put It on Old Stuff. One perhaps-not-so-obvious Windows 7 tip is that you should attempt to install it everywhere. One user has a 6-year-old laptop that originally shipped with Windows XP. He could never get Windows Vista to install on it. But Windows 7 installed without complaint and runs extremely smooth. Granted, there are some Windows 7 features he can't take advantage of because the processor lacks certain features, but these are minor issues considering the laptop now has life again. 62. Improve Security. In Vista it was difficult to manage system protection via restore points. The System Protection tab in Windows 7 is a vast improvement. In one spot you can configure how much space to devote to restore points, delete and create restore points or even turn off system protection altogether. This is very useful on older systems where disk space may be at a premium. 63. Actually Use Help and Support. Much of Vista's clutter has been reduced in Windows 7. For instance, the Help and Support page has three links, a search window and a link back to Microsoft's Windows site. It's much less intimidating for end users, so make sure they know about it. Search is much improved as well, making for a better, faster experience. The 14 Best Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts The Windows key now performs a wide variety of functions. Here are a handful of the most useful ones: 64. Win+h - Move current window to full screen 65. Win+i - Restore current full screen window to normal size or minimize current window if not full screen 66. Win+Shift+arrow - Move current window to alternate screen 67. Win+D - Minimize all windows and show the desktop 68. Win+E - Launch Explorer with Computer as the focus 69. Win+F - Launch a search window 70. Win+G - Cycle through gadgets 71. Win+L - Lock the desktop

72. Win+M - Minimize the current window 73. Win+R - Open the Run window 74. Win+T - Cycle through task bar opening Aero Peek for each running item 75. Win+U - Open the Ease of Use center 76. Win+Space - Aero Peek the desktop 77. Ctrl+Win+Tab - Open persistent task selection window, roll mouse over each icon to preview item and minimize others

Como reparar los archivos de sistema y protegidos de Windows 7 y Vista

Hay muchas formas en que podemos arruinar archivos protegidos de sistema de Windows, desde instalar parches ilegales, modificar el sistema para que permita el uso de estilos visuales, intentar hacer que funcione software no expresamente diseado para su versin de Windows o finalmente por virus que han podido modificar libreras y programas de seguridad de Windows. Una vez daado lo nico que queda es entrar en Modo Seguro [Pulse F8 un momento antes de que aparezca la pantalla de carga de Windows al iniciar el PC] y ejecutar el comando de linea SFC para intentar reparar los archivos originales de Windows. Si instalaron Windows con algn loader o solucin parecida para activar Windows, es necesario removerlo o es altamente probable que en el proceso se destruya el BOOTMGR adulterado por estos programas. Primero Escribimos en Inicio CMD sin pulsar nada ms:

En la lista de resultados aparecer CMD.EXE, damos clic derecho sobre este y seleccionamos Ejecutar como Administrador:

El CMD se abrir con C:\Windows\system32 como root en vez de el nombre del usuario.

Restaurar todos los archivos protegidos de Windows Si buscamos reparar todos los archivos protegidos de Windows podemos empezar escribiendo: SFC /SCANNOW y pulsamos Intro:

/SCANNOW Examina la integridad de todos los archivos protegidos del sistema y repara los archivos con problemas siempre que es posible. Restaurar solamente un archivo Si han daado el explorador de Windows o cualquier archivo de sistema del que estn bien documentados, por ejemplo, si instalan un tema visual a veces reemplazan bibliotecas de sistema y el explorer.exe, en estas situaciones podemos correr el comando para restaurar las versiones originales Para este caso usaremos winhlp32.exe cuya ruta es c:\windows asi que para restaurarlo usaremos el comando /SCANFILE, escribimos SFC /SCANFILE=C:\WINDOWS\WINHLP32.EXE, si entendieron el truco la ruta del archivo va despus del simbolo "=":

Dado que mi archivo no presenta daos aparece un mensaje que indica que no hay problemas. /SCANFILE Examina la integridad del archivo al que se hace referencia y lo repara si se detectan problemas. Debe especificarse la ruta de acceso completa del archivo. Verificar archivos sin modificarlos Usando SFC /VERIFYONLY se examina la integridad de todos los archivos

protegidos del sistema, pero no realiza ninguna reparacin. Usando SFC/VERIFYFILE se comprueba la integridad del archivo con la ruta de acceso completa, pero no realiza ninguna reparacin. No es muy complicado y en el caso de infecciones detectadas y eliminadas del sistema operativo, un paso necesario para restaurar la operatividad normal de Windows.

System Files Los siguientes archivos son componentes bsicos del sistema operativo Windows XP Professional. Los archivos que aparecen en la Tabla A-1 se encuentran en la carpeta Windows\System32. Tabla A-1 archivos esenciales del sistema Nombre del archivo Ntoskrnl.exe Ntkrnlpa.exe Descripcin Nivel ejecutivo y el ncleo. Nivel ejecutivo y el ncleo con soporte para la extensin de direccin fsica (PAE), que permite abordar de ms de 4 gigabytes (GB) de memoria fsica. Capa de abstraccin de hardware. En modo-ncleo parte del subsistema Win32. Funciones de apoyo interno y el servicio de sistema de envo de recibos de las funciones ejecutivas.

Hal.dll Win32k.sys Ntdll.dll Kernel32.dll Advapi32.dll User32.dll Gdi32.dll

Ncleo del subsistema Win32 DLL.

Archivos de inicio Los siguientes archivos son esenciales para el proceso de inicio. Todos los archivos enumerados en la Tabla A-2 se encuentra en el directorio de inicio o (por ejemplo, C: \) de su instalacin de Windows XP Professional. Tabla A-2 archivos de inicio esenciales Nombre de archivo Ntldr Descripcin Lee el archivo Boot.ini, presenta el men de inicio, y carga los controladores Ntoskrnl.exe, Bootvid.dll, Hal.dll e inicia el arranque de dispositivo. Contiene opciones para iniciar la versin de Windows instalada o cualquier otra instalacin anterior que se detecte.

Boot.ini

Despus de seleccionar el sistema que queremos iniciar, se carga Ntldr y se ejecuta este programa de 16 bits en modo real para consultar la informacin bsica para configurar los dispositivos del equipo. Esta informacin incluye lo siguiente: La fecha y la hora almacenadas en la CMOS del sistema (memoria no voltil). Los tipos de buses (por ejemplo, ISA, PCI, EISA, Micro Channel Architecture [MCA]) en el sistema y los identificadores de los dispositivos conectados a los buses. El nmero, tamao y tipo de unidades de disco en el sistema. Los tipos de dispositivos de entrada del ratn conectado al sistema. El nmero y el tipo de puerto paralelo configurado en el sistema.

Ntdetect.com

Pagefile.sys

Contiene datos de la memoria que Windows no es capaz de encajar en la memoria RAM fsica. Durante el inicio, el gestor de memoria virtual mueve datos dentro y fuera del archivo de paginacin para optimizar la cantidad de memoria fsica disponible para el sistema operativo y aplicaciones. Si bien el arranque o unidades del sistema estn basados en SCSI, Ntldr carga el archivo y lo utiliza en lugar de las funciones de cdigo de arranque para el acceso al disco.

Ntbootdd.sys

Carpetas en el disco local El programa de instalacin crea las siguientes carpetas (como se muestra en la Tabla A-3) en el disco local de manera predeterminada al instalar Windows XP Professional. Winnt. Una carpeta de Windows no se crea. A-3 por defecto las carpetas de mesa Disco local Nombre de la carpeta Contenido

Informacin de la cuenta para cada usuario que tiene acceso en el ordenador. Cada cuenta de usuario est representada por una subcarpeta a la que se le asigna Documents and Settings el nombre del usuario y se llama perfil de usuario. Dentro de cada carpeta de la cuenta de usuario se incluyen las siguientes carpetas: Mis Documentos, Escritorio y Men de Inicio.

Program Files WINDOWS

Archivos de programa, contiene las aplicaciones instaladas, como Microsoft Internet Explorer o Microsoft Office. Sistema operativo completo.

Carpeta de Windows La carpeta de Windows y sus subcarpetas contienen los archivos del sistema operativo para la instalacin de Windows XP Professional (como se muestra en la Tabla A-4). Tabla A-4 de Windows carpeta y subcarpetas Nombre de la carpeta Contenido Ficheros varios, tanto de aplicaciones como del sistema operativo (por ejemplo, Control.ini, Desktop.ini, Notepad.exe y System.ini) Controles ActiveX (.ocx) Archivos de compatibilidad entre aplicaciones Archivos de definicin de instrumentos, Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) Los archivos de conexin a Internet que se utiliza cuando un equipo inicia Windows por primera vez Los archivos sin conexin que se utilizan durante el almacenamiento en cach del cliente Cursores e iconos Ficheros de depuracin (log)

WINDOWS or WINNT Addins AppPatch Config Connection Wizard CSC Cursors Debug

Downloaded Program Files Programa de descarga de archivos Driver Cache ehome Fonts Help Ime ime (x86) Archivos de desinstalacin de drivers Usados por Windows Media Center Edition Tipos de letras Ficheros de ayuda Ficheros de lenguajes Ficheros de lenguaje para los sistemas basados en x86

inf Installer Java Media MS

Ficheros INF de los controladores de dispositivos Ficheros de instalacin de Windows Installer (.MSI) Ficheros Java Ficheros de musica y sonidos (por ejemplo: *.wav y *.midi) Carpeta de instalacin del cliente de Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) Archivos Microsoft Agent (Microsoft Agent es un conjunto de servicios de software programables que apoyan la presentacin de caracteres animados interactivos dentro de la interfaz de Microsoft Windows.) Archivos para poder ejecutar aplicaciones de versions anteriores del sistemas anteriores Ficheros de la interfaz multi-usuario Pginas Web descargadas para poder leerlas sin conexin Archivos de ayuda y del Centro de Soporte Archivos MSSL 2.0 Ficheros de informacin de programas (PIF) para los programas basados en MS-DOS Archivos de datos relacionados con la mejora de la velocidad de inicio de las aplicaciones Esquemas para la creacin de perfiles inalmbricos Archivos COM+. (COM+ son ficheros mejorados para el Microsoft Component Object Model [COM].) Archivos de copia del Registro (Estos archivos se actualizan si se utiliza NTBackup y optar por hacer copia de seguridad de estado del sistema.) Ficheros de interfaz del usuario Esquema de la carpeta de cach Ficheros Log, plantillas para los complementos y ficheros de la base de datos de seguridad Almacen de actualizacin dinmica Usado por Actualizaciones automticas

Msagent

Msapps Mui Offline Web Pages PCHEALTH PeerNet PIF Prefetch Provisioning Registration

Repair Resources SchCache Security Setupupd SoftwareDistribution

Srchasst System system32 Tasks Temp twain_32 Web WinSxS Top of page

Ficheros del ayudante de bsquedas Compatibilidad con versiones anteriores que usen una carpeta del sistema (por ejemplo, aplicaciones que busquen una carpeta del sistema) Ficheros del ncleo del sistema operative Archivos de tareas programadas Ficheros temporales Archivos para Imaging (para el escaner) Ficheros de fondo de escritorio y de impresora Side by Side (components compartidos)

Carpeta System32 La carpeta System32 y sus subcarpetas contienen los archivos del ncleo del sistema operativo para la instalacin de Windows XP Professional. Table A-5 System32 Folder and Subfolders Nombre de la carpeta system32 1025, 1028, 1031, 1033, 1037, 1041, 1053, 2052, 3076 CatRoot y CatRoot2 Com Config Dhcp DirectX Dllcache Drivers Export Group Policy Ias Icsxml Contenido Ficheros esenciales del sistema (por ejemplo, Hal.dll y Ntoskrnl.exe) Archivos de idiomas. Archivos de catlogo y archivos de firma. Objetos Component Object Model (COM) Fichero del Registro y de seguimiento. Fichero de almacenamiento de la tabla DHCP. Ficheros DirectX. Archivos de copia del Windows File Protection. Drivers intalados. Ficheros de instalacin del Encryption Pack. Grupo de plantillas de polticas administrativas. Ficheros del Internet Authentication Service. Ficheros del Universal Plug and Play.

Ime Inetsrv Macromed Microsoft MsDtc Mui Npp NtmsData Oobe Ras RemoteStorage Restore Rpcproxy Setup ShellExt Smsmsgs SoftwareDistribution Spool Usmt Wins Top of page

Ficheros de idiomas. Ficheros del Internet Information Services. Ficheros de Macromedia. Archivos de criptografa. Ficheros de Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator. Ficheros de la interfaz multi-usuario. Ficheros del monitor de red. Removable Storage Manager (RSM) database. Ficheros de Windows Welcome. Ficheros encriptados del servidor de acceso remoto. Base de datos del servicio de almacenamiento remoto (RSS) Ficheros del sistema de restauracin. Ficheros del RPC Proxy (RPCProxy.dll). Archivos opcionales de administracin. Extensin de componentes de la Shell. Ficheros de SMS (Site Component Manager) Usado por la actualizaciones automticas. Ficheros en la cola de impresin. Usado por la herramienta State Migration. Ficheros de almacenamiento de WINS.

Extracting Files from the Operating System CD It is usually recommended that you use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel to install and uninstall components, applications, and support software from the Windows XP Professional operating system CD. If system files are missing or damaged, you can run Windows XP Professional Setup from the operating system CD and choose the option to repair your existing installation. In some cases, however, you might need to extract a system or startup file directly from the operating system CD. Warning If you install incorrect versions of system or startup files or if you install files to incorrect locations, your system might not operate as expected or might not start. Use the method described in this section only if your product support representative

indicates that it is necessary to manually retrieve a compressed file from your operating system CD. The /i386 folder on your Windows XP Professional operating system CD contains system and startup files in compressed form. If you need to replace a file in your Windows XP Professional installation, you can use the copy or expand command in Recovery Console to extract the needed file from the operating system CD. Use the copy command unless you are extracting a file from a .cab file, such as Driver.cab. When extracting a file from a .cab file, use the expand command. When you use Recovery Console to extract a compressed file from the operating system CD, you must use exact file names for the compressed and uncompressed files. Table A-6 illustrates compressed and uncompressed file names. Table A-6 Compressed and Uncompressed File Names Compressed File Name Uncompressed File Name Ntoskrnl.ex_ Hal.dl_ Top of page Using the Copy Command in Recovery Console If a file is not within a .cab file, you can use the copy command in Recovery Console to extract the file from the operating system CD and place it on your local disk in a Windows XP Professional installation. When you use the copy command to extract a file to a destination on your local disk, the file is automatically uncompressed. For more information about running Recovery Console, including how to add it to your startup options, see Chapter 29, Troubleshooting the Startup Process. Use the copy command with the following syntax: copy source [destination] Table A-7 describes the parameters that you can use with the copy command. Table A-7 Parameters for the Copy Command Parameter Source Description Specifies the file to be copied Ntoskrnl.exe Hal.dll

Destination Specifies the directory and/or file name for the new file Source can be removable media, any directory within the System32 directory of the current Windows installation, the root of any drive, the local installation sources, or the Cmdcons folder. (The C:\Cmdcons folder is the Recovery Console installation folder.) Destination can be any directory within the System32 directories of the current Windows installation, the root of any drive, the local installation sources, or the Cmdcons folder. If you do not specify a destination, the command defaults to the current directory. The copy command prompts you if the destination file already exists. The destination cannot be removable media. The copy command does not support replaceable parameters (wildcards). Top of page Using the Expand Command in Recovery Console To extract a file from a .cab file on the operating system CD and place it on your local disk in a Windows XP Professional installation, start Recovery Console and use the

expand command. When you use the expand command to extract a file to a destination on your local disk, the file is automatically uncompressed. For more information about running Recovery Console, including how to add it to your startup options, see Chapter 29, Troubleshooting the Startup Process. Use the expand command with the following syntax: expand source [/f:filespec][destination][/y][/d] Tables A-8 describes the parameters that you can use with the expand command. Tables A-8 Parameters for the Expand Command Parameter source Description Specifies the file that you want to expand. Cannot include wildcards.

destination Specifies the directory for the new file; the default is the current directory. /y /f:filespec Suppresses the overwrite prompt when you expand or extract files. If the source contains more than one file, this parameter is required to identify the specific file or files that you want to expand. Can include wildcards. Lists the files contained in the cabinet file without expanding it or extracting from it.

/d

The destination can be any folder within the System32 folder of the current Windows installation, the root of any drive, the local installation sources, or the Cmdcons folder. The destination cannot be removable media. The destination file cannot be read-only. Use the Attrib command to remove the read-only attribute. If the destination file already exists, the expand command prompts you for confirmation to overwrite the file unless you include the /y parameter.