add more columns to task manager

You can add more column to process page of task manager, this ensures to view more running processes. in this example we gonna show you how to add "virtual memory size" to task manager process page.

• Press alt + ctrl + del to open task manager
• Now click on process tab
• Click on the view menu and click select column
• In the "select column" window select virtual memory size by checking the box
• Click ok
• Now you can see the new column named VM Size , in here you can identify how processes used virtual memory size for each process
  

disable auto reboot when error occured (blue screen)

This will show you how to disable automatic restart option in registry, follow these steps.

• Open registry editor
• Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl
• In the right side double click AutoReboot key
• Change the value to 0 to disable and 1 to enable
• Exit registry editor and restart pc
  

windows low on registry space (win 2000)

The most possible cause for this is errors in windows partition, as a result of this error you cannot change the page file values. the first thing to try is using scandisk.

Solution

• Start command prompt
• Type chkdsk /f and press enter, this will ask to schedule scandisk in next restart, press y
• In the restart system will scan the partition you specified, after login to windows your problem will be fixed.

Verify pagefile in registry

• Start > run
• Type regedit and press enter
• Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
• In the right side open pagingfiles key
• The default registry value described in here, for example if you set initial size of 2046 and maximum size of 4092 for your pagefile, your registry key value should be C:\pagefile.sys 2046 4092
  

reduce the time of operating system selection menu

If your pc in a dual boot mode (such as xp and vista) you notice that every time you restart or switch on pc operating system selection menu is displayed, the default timeout is 30 seconds, if you want you can reduce default timeout. follow these steps.

• Right click on my computer and click properties
• Click on advanced tab
• Under "startup and recovery" click settings tab
• Now reduce the timeout by clicking the down arrow head in "time to display list of operating systems"
• After done click ok
• Then click apply and ok
• Reboot the pc and you can see the changes for default timeout

Also you can change the default highlighted operating system to most you preferred, for example if you use windows xp and vista, the xp will be on the top and vista will be second choice, but it always highlighted default operating system as vista, if no selection been made before timeout, pc loads windows vista. you can change the default highlighted operating system, to do this follow these steps.

• Right click on my computer and click properties
• Click on advanced tab
• Under "startup and recovery" click settings tab
• In here under "default operating system" the first displayed operating system is the default highlighted operating system, to change the order click down arrow head and select the other operating system you prefer, after done click ok
• Reboot the pc to see the changes
  

to view hidden and super hidden files

To view hidden files in you need to deselect some options in folder option. note that most viruses hide itself for further infections and more damaged to your pc, when you enabled view hidden files option, you can safely delete those viruses, some viruses run itself as a active process, there for you may not be able to delete viruses easily. use runscanner utility to kill virus process. to view hidden files

• Start > run
• Type control.exe folders and press enter
• In the folder option window, click on view tab
• Under "advanced settings" select show hidden files and folders also deselect hide protected operating system files (recommend)
• Click apply and ok

After doing this you can see hidden file and folders, for example just go to the root of C: drive, notice that no of hidden files were in the root of drive (such as "ntldr, ntdetect) read this about how to enable hidden files using registry file.

configure schedule smart disk cleanup in xp

This tip will show you how to create smart disk cleanup, to do this we need to create one batch file, please note that this will clear prefetch files also. follow these steps.

• Create new text document
• Type or copy the following inside text document
• c:\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sageset: 1
  c:
  cd \
  cd c:\windows\prefetch
  del *.* /q
• Now save the text file and change the extension of the file from .txt to .bat (ex - cleanup.bat)
• Now open the bat file you created, this will open disk cleanup settings window
• In here select the options (by clicking check box) you want to configure for disk cleanup
• Click ok
• Now open the bat file again for editing (right click the file and click edit)
• Change the first line to c:\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sagerun: 1
• Save the file
• Execute file for disk cleanup

You can also add schedule task for smart disk cleanup

• Open schedule task folder (start > run > type tasks > press enter)
• Double click add schedule task
• Click next
• Click browse button
• Specify the disk cleanup bat file we created
  
• In the name field type anything, and select the action under "perform this task"
• Now proceed with the schedule task, and click finish at the end.
  

how to repair microsoft outlook pst file errors

With the corrupt outlook data file (PST File) the following things can happen.

• Cant open outlook
  
• Can open outlook, but cant open saved mails
• Cant open contacts
• Cant open calender

Your outlook data file can be corrupt in several ways

• Sudden power off while using outlook
• Restart system (reset) while using outlook

The best way to repair damaged PST file is running scanpst.exe utility, the location of scanpst.exe utility is depending the product you using. (office 2003 or office 2007)

• For office 2003 you can find scanpst.exe in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033
• For office 2007 you can find scanpst.exe in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12

Note - in here C: mentioned as your windows installation drive

To start repair process double click scanpst.exe to open"inbox repair tool" click browse button and locate PST file for repair process. after specify PST file click start to begin repair process.

• Default outlook 2003 PST file location is C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
• Default outlook 2007 PST file location is C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

how to solve "invalid operating system" error

While you installing windows xp , after text portion of setup completes you need to restart pc, to go in to graphical user interface (GUI) setup. but when you restart pc after completes text portion of setup and booting from hard disk you notice "invalid operating system" error occurs and you cant proceed with the installation. no matter how many times you start all over again problem still occurs.

This can happen because of hard disk contains invalid master boot record. to fixed this issue you have to rewrite MBR code to hard disk. after you you write new MBR code no more errors, you can complete windows xp installation process.

Find out how to fixed MBR code

disable personalized menus in xp

Note - this one is for those who using classic start menu

When you click on start menu and point to programs you notice that some of your programs not displayed in right away. you have to click down arrow head to see rest of the program. this is happen because of personalized menu options, this is unnecessary and you can you can disable it. follow these steps.

• Right click on your taskbar and click Properties
• Click start menu tab
• Now click customize button at the "classic start menu"
• Now scroll down to the bottom
• Now deselect "use personalized menus"
• Click ok
  
• Then "apply" and "ok" to finish

Note - no need to reboot your pc, you'll see the difference right away

disable new program alert in xp

If you install new program to windows xp, it notify you by displaying new program alert, this is funny and sometimes unnecessary. because you already know that you install new program, then why some alert message, lets disable it (if you want)

Note - this can be done only if you use standard xp start menu, there is nothing to configure in classic menu.

• Right click on taskbar and click properties
• Go to the start menu tab and click customize
  
• Click on the advanced tab
• Deselect "Highlight newly installed programs"
  

clear recent documents using group policy

Instead of editing registry to clear recent documents, you can use group policy to do that. after configuring this you can clear recent documents ever appearing in the start menu, follow these steps.

• Click start and click run
• Type gpedit.msc and press enter to open group policy editor
• Now in the left side navigate to User Configuration - Administrative Templates - Start Menu and Taskbar
• In the right side find "Do not keep history of recently opened documents" and double click to open it
• Now click on "Enabled"
• Then click apply and ok
  

view hidden devices in the "device manager"

There can be no of hidden devices ( installed in the earlier time) under device manager. you can view these items and remove if some problem occur. we strongly recommend don't delete these devices for fun, you have to know what you are doing, then you can delete if you really wanted to. follow these steps.

• Right click on my computer
• Click manage to open computer management console
  
• In the left side under "system tools" click on device manager
• Now in the view menu click on hidden devices to show these devices.
  

add manufacture logo and informations in system properties window

In windows XP, you can set Computer Manufacturer Logo and other information's in system properties.follow these steps to change the default system Properties.

• First open new notepad
• Then type the following
• [General]
  Manufacturer="http://nstech-blog.blogspot.com"
  Model="Free Tips and Tricks!"
  [Support Information]
  Line1="Free technical information's,system optimize and more."
  Line2="Visit daily for new tips"
• Note - you can set more Lines as you like
  
• After editing notepad save it in the location of c:/windows/system32 and named the file as OEMINFO.INI
• Now select the picture you want to set as your logo (make sure picture size is 150X150 pixels and BMP format) save it in c:/windows/system32 folder with file name of OEMLOGO.BMP
• Now close all opened windows and restart your pc to changes go into affect
• To check newly created Manufacturer Logo and other information's, right click on my computer and click properties.
• Now in the general tab, verify the system properties with new settings
• Now click on Support Information for more detail

shutdown, restart or logoff pc's from single location

Windows xp has this amazing feature allows you to shutdown, restart or log-off pc's from single location.this tip is very useful for you, if you are a Network Administrator. after configuring this you don't have to shutdown or restart pc's one by one. to perform this make sure computers are connected directly or to network. follow these steps.

• Click start, click run
• Type shutdown -i and press enter
• This will open "Remote Shutdown Dialog" window
• Now click on "Add" button to add computer
• In the "add computers" dialog box type the name or IP address of the computer
• Click ok
• Now in the "Remote Shutdown Dialog" window, select the action under "What do you want these computers to do" (you can also set warning message for users and set the duration of of warning message in seconds)
• Now select the option that describes the reason to shutdown or restart the computer (also you can add comment)
  
• Click ok after you done, then users will see a "System Shutdown Windows" with time and comments that you set.
  

how to backup device drivers

Need to format and install windows, then how about device drivers, you don't have Cd's then what can you do, there is a way to backup device drivers, you need a software called drivermax. with this handy software you can easily backup device drivers that are already installed in your pc. the procedure as follows.

• First download and install drivermax software
• Then launch software
• Point to driver backup and restore, then the sub menu will come under it
• Now click backup drivers and click next
• The drivers will listed in short time
• Now select the drivers you want to backup or click select all button
• Click next
• Now specify a location to backup drivers, and click next
• The backup process will begin (this gonna take several minute)
  

how to unregister and reregister DLL files

For a number of occasions you might want to unregister and reregister DLL files when a problem occur, this post show you how to do it.

To register (or reregister) DLL file

• Click start and run
• Type regsvr32 .dll (for example - regsvr32 zipfldr.dll will register zip folders in windows)
• Or you can use regsvr32 \.dll (where is the path to the file, and is the name of the file)

To unregister DLL file

• Click start and run
• Type regsvr32 -u .dll (for example - regsvr32 -u zipfldr.dll will disable zip folders)
• Or you can use regsvr32 -u \.dll (where is the path to the file, and is the name of the file)
  

add mail contacts to safe senders list in outlook 2003

The safe senders option allows you to create a list of senders that you consider safe to receive e-mails from. we show you how to add contacts to safe senders list. but first keep in mind that when you use the Safe Senders option in Outlook 2003, you can still receive e-mail messages that can do damage to your computer, unsafe emails can damage your system (ex-viruses) or contain unwanted information. so choose wisely. select only the necessary senders.

• Open outlook 2003
• In the menu click on tools and click options
• In the preference tab click Junk E-mail button
• Now click on the safe senders tab
• Click on add button and type the e-mail address of the person who you want to trust, and then click oK
• Repeat the above step to add more safe senders
• After adding senders click apply and ok
  

configure automatic send/receive in outlook 2003

You can configure automatic send/receive in outlook 2003 by the selected minute. for exampale you select 10min, outlook will automatically send/receive in every 10 minutes. lets take a look how to do it.

• Open outlook 2003
• In the menu go to tools and click options
• Now click on mail setup tab
• Click send/receive button
• Under setting for group "all accounts" click schedule automatic send/receive every check box, and specify the minutes
• Click close
• Then click apply and ok
  

configure "desktop alert notifications" in outlook 2003

To configure this follow these steps

• Open outlook 2003
• Go to tools menu and click options
• On preferences tab click E-mail Options
• Now click advanced E-Mail options
• Under "when new items arrive in my inbox" click to select desktop alert settings
• Click ok and ok
• Then apply and ok

Note - In the Desktop Alert Settings dialog box, you can configure the duration and the transparency of your Desktop Alert notifications for when a new e-mail message is received

configure "read reciept" for all mails in outlook express

Follow these steps

• Open outlook express
  
• Go to the tools menu and click options
• Click on the Receipts tab
• Click to select the Request a read receipt for all sent messages check box, and then click OK

Note - you can request "read receipt" for a single email instead of all emails

• Click on create mail button to compose new mail
• In the new message window, go to tools menu and click "request read receipt"
• After composing, send the mail

Important - message recipients can choose not to send read receipts even when they are requested. if they ignore, you wont get any read receipts.

configure "mail delivery report & read reciept" in outlook 2003

If you want you can configure mail delivery report and read receipt in outlook 2003 to verify that your mail successfully send to recipient and read. to configure this follow these steps.

• Open outlook 2003
• Go to tools menu and click option
• In the preferences tab, click E-mail options and then click Tracking Options
• Now under "For all messages I send, request" select the Delivery receipt and Read receipt check boxes, and then click OK
• Again click ok
• Then apply and ok
  

how to disable error reporting

If you want you can disable error reporting feature in windows xp , this only appear when critical errors occurred , instead of sending error reports you might want to disable it , here is how to do it.

• Right click on my computer and click properties
  
• Click on advanced tab
• Under "startup and recovery" click error reporting button
• Now click on the "disable error reporting" and click ok
• Click apply and ok

Note - if you want you can disable error reporting service also

• Click start and run
• Type msconfig and click ok
• In the system configuration utility window click services tab
• Find the "error reporting service"
• Deselect it by removing check mark
• Click apply and ok
• Restart pc for changes go into effect
  

how to disable low disk space message

This notification is useful, because it notify the user if one or more disk partitions running out of disk space. perform this task if you really wanted to disable low disk space warning, we leave the choice to you.

• Open registry editor
• Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
• Now right click on the key and add new DWORD value
• Name it as "NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"
  
• Open the key and put 1 in the value data field
• Restart pc for changes to take effect
  

remove password when returning from hibernation

you can disable password feature, when every time you returning from hibernation. follow these steps.

• Go to the control panel
• Double click power options
• Click on advanced tab
• Now deselect "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby"
• Click apply and ok
  

how to change virtual memory location (page file)

If you want you can change the path of virtual memory (page file) location. this is useful when you running out disk space of C: drive (by default page file created in windows partition) imagine you have 2Gb of physical ram, then system automatically allocate disk space, 1.5 of physical ram for a page file, that's a heavy disk cost, in this case you can save disk space in C: drive by changing the page file location. follow these steps.

• Right click on my computer and click properties
• Go to advanced tab
• In there click on the settings button under "performance"
• In performance option window, click advanced tab
• Now click change button under "virtual memory"
• In the virtual memory window, click the partition that has more disk space (ex-D: drive)
• Now in the custom size area set minimum and maximum value for a page file. (for example - 2 Gb of system ram, minimum can set as 2046 and maximum can set as 4092)
• After setting the value click set button. now you are successfully change the page file location to D: drive,
• only thing thing to do is clear page file from C: drive
• In the virtual memory window, click C: drive
• Now click on the No paging file and click set button
• Click ok, then apply and ok
• Again click apply and ok
• Now restart the pc to changes go into effect

Note - after restarting the pc you will notice that there is more space available in C: drive, to gain more space in C: drive read this

disable "drivers not digitally singed" message

In windows xp, when you plug new device (bluetooth device, card reader) and try to install its drivers, sometimes you may see "driver not digitally singed" warning message. however you can continue installing drivers ignoring the warning message. hardware manufacturers provide more stable drivers for your device, there for you dont want to see warning messages evertime you plug a device. in this post we are going to show you how to disable "driver not digitally singed" warning message. you can learn more information's in here about digitally singed drivers.

• Right click on my computer
• Click properties
• Click hardware tab
• In there click the button driver signing under "drivers" section
• In the opened driver singing option window, click "Ignore - install the software anyway and don't ask for my approval"
• Click ok
  
• Then apply and ok