NT Tips

ETCopy a vbScript example

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:00:00 CET

ETCopy a vbScript clone of RoboCopy

Do you have a problem copying files and folder in a logon script?

Are you allowed only to use vbScript and did you create a nice command file using RoboCopy?

Here is an example vbScript called ETCopy.vbs that can help you on your way

You can find the script at http://www.nttips.com/ETCopy/

ETCopy

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Will my peripherals (printer, mouse, etc.) work with Windows Vista?

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 00:00:00 CET

Will my peripherals (printer, mouse, etc.) work with Windows Vista?

Most definitely yes. I�ve been testing Windows Vista for three months and it�s recognized three different mice (one with a built-in fingerprint scanner), four printers, a photo scanner, a business card scanner and a shared hard disk�all without asking for additional software. It just saw these devices and installed the drivers all by itself. Don�t worry yourself on this point, but if you�re the worrying kind, just check with your peripheral manufacturer and they�ll announce new Windows Vista drivers on their Web site.

Will Windows Vista run on my existing machine?

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 00:00:00 CET

Will Windows Vista run on my existing machine?

Depends on the machine. If it�s one or two years old, most likely it will. However, Windows Vista definitely wants juicier hardware than Windows XP. All the screenshots you see of Windows Vista use a sexy new graphic interface, popularly known as �Aero.� Aero looks great, but it wants a strong video card�at least a 3D accelerator with 128MB of dedicated RAM on the card. Under XP, that�s a mid-sized gamers card. Under Windows Vista, that�s the minimum to run Aero. If you don�t have that, Windows Vista will still install, but it�ll notice your video weakness during install and it won�t make Aero part of the install. You�ll get Windows Vista, but with a drab user interface intended for light hardware.

Windows Vista also wants more system RAM. Windows XP was happy with 256MB or 512MB of total system RAM. The review systems I�m running with Windows Vista have come with 1GB or 2GB pre-installed, with 2GB being the recommended number for peak performance. Windows Vista also wants a fast CPU. A straight Pentium 4 will do, but if you�re buying a new Windows Vista system, go for the Intel Core 2 Duo, no question.

Your hard disk most likely won�t need an upgrade, though sticking in more gigs while you�ve got the case open to upgrade the RAM is never a bad idea. Not to mention that so far Windows Vista has installed more cleanly for me when it isn�t installed as an upgrade to Windows XP, but merely installed from scratch on an empty hard disk. Last, if your system is older than two years, you can probably get it to run Windows Vista with the above upgrades, but you�re better off spending a little more for a whole new box.

Will my programs work on Windows Vista?

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 00:00:00 CET

Will my programs work on Windows Vista?

So you�ve got a whole bunch of programs on your Windows XP machine�Quicken, Madden NFL 07, Microsoft Office, etc. There weren�t many problems moving software from Windows 2000 to Windows XP because those two versions were pretty similar at the gut level. Windows Vista is a big change in architecture so it�s a bigger question this time. Generally, if the program is a Microsoft program, you shouldn�t have any problems.

For non-Microsoft software, Windows Vista includes a Program Compatibility Wizard. When you try and install software on Windows Vista, you can run this wizard and it�ll tell you whether it runs natively or not. It can also make changes to allow the program to run as it would have run under Windows XP if it can�t run smoothly in Windows Vista�pretty sweet feature, though it may make the software run a little slower. If you�re looking for total native Windows Vista compatibility, just check on the software maker�s Web site. They�ll announce when they�re fully compatible with Windows Vista, don�t you worry.

Some programs definitely will have trouble. Anti-virus, for one. If you�ve got a Windows XP version of Symantec Norton Anti-Virus, for instance, it will definitely not run on Windows Vista. Personal firewall programs, like ZoneAlarm, most likely won�t either. You�ll need to get a Windows Vista compatible upgrade for those�fortunately, most of the premium versions of Windows Vista already have the OneCare anti-virus app and the improved Windows Vista firewall installed, so you�re not defenseless out of the box. Just remember that OneCare isn�t free; you�ll pay an annual subscription cost just like you would any other anti-virus software.

AutoComplete in Explorer

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 CET

Autocomplete in Explorer Address Bar

The other day I somehow lost all autocomplete in Explorer and I was trying to find a setting in Explorer to switch it on again. Ofcourse I couldn't find it in Explorer, it's in Internet Explorer.

Here is where you can find it.

Open Internet Explorer
Goto Tools / Internet Options
Select the tab Content
Now you see the settings for Autocomplete
These settings are also for the Explorer Address Bar

Not Requiring Ctrl-ALT-DEL at logon

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:00:00 CET

Not Requiring Ctrl-ALT-DEL at logon

As a security feature of Windows NT based operating systems (NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP as a domain member or under certain settings and Windows Server 2003) you are required to press Ctrl-ALT-DEL before being prompted for a user name and password at log-in.
Personally I like the feature but some people do not, so I'll show you how to disable it
Please note: This will not auto-login for you, it will only disable the C-A-D prompt and jump right to the login screen.

Click Start then Run..

In the Run box type "gpedit.msc"

Under Computer Configuration Click the + next to Windows Settings, then Security Settings, Local Policies then click on Security options

Double click Interactive Logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL and set it to Enabled, then press OK

Cannot log on after changing keyboard settings

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:00 CET

Cannot log on after changing keyboard settings

You have configured your U.S. version of Windows XP with a foreign language keyboard layout and you have extended characters in your password. After changing your password, you cannot log on. You can only log on using ALT key combinations to create the extended characters in your password.

Keyboard settings are user specific. Although you may select a foreign language keyboard, at logon time (no user is logged on yet) the default keyboard settings are used. So at logon time no country-specific extended characters are available.

To change the default keyboard at logon:

1. Run Registry Editor (REGEDT32.exe).
2. From the HKEY_USERS subtree, go to the following key:
\.DEFAULT\Keyboard Layout\Preload
3. Change the value for the following entry to contain the keyboard layout that you want to have available at logon.
This example would set the default keyboard layout to US:
\.DEFAULT\Keyboard Layout\Preload
"1" REG_SZ = "0409"

    0000041c = "Albanian"
    0000082c = "Azeri Cyrillic"
    0000042c = "Azeri Latin"
    00000423 = "Belarusian"
    0001080c = "Belgian (Comma)"
    00000813 = "Belgian (Period)"
    0000080c = "Belgian French"
    00010445 = "Bengali (Inscript)"
    00000445 = "Bengali"
    0000141a = "Bosnian"
    00010402 = "Bulgarian (Latin)"
    00000402 = "Bulgarian"
    00000c0c = "Canadian French (Legacy)"
    00001009 = "Canadian French"
    00011009 = "Canadian Multilingual Standard"
    0000041A = "Croatian"
    00010405 = "Czech (QWERTY)"
    00020405 = "Czech Programmers"
    00000405 = "Czech"
    00000406 = "Danish"
    00000413 = "Dutch"
    00000425 = "Estonian"
    0000042f = "FYRO Macedonian"
    00000438 = "Faeroese"
    0001083b = "Finnish with Sami"
    0000040b = "Finnish"
    0000040c = "French"
    00011809 = "Gaelic"
    00010407 = "German (IBM)"
    00000407 = "German"
    00030408 = "Greek (220) Latin"
    00010408 = "Greek (220)"
    00040408 = "Greek (319) Latin"
    00020408 = "Greek (319)"
    00050408 = "Greek Latin"
    00060408 = "Greek Polytonic"
    00000408 = "Greek"
    0001040e = "Hungarian 101-key"
    0000040e = "Hungarian"
    0000040f = "Icelandic"
    00001809 = "Irish"
    00010410 = "Italian (142)"
    00000410 = "Italian"
    0000043f = "Kazakh"
    00000440 = "Kyrgyz Cyrillic"
    0000080a = "Latin American"
    00010426 = "Latvian (QWERTY)"
    00000426 = "Latvian"
    00000427 = "Lithuanian IBM"
    00010427 = "Lithuanian"
    0000044c = "Malayalam"
    0000043a = "Maltese 47-key"
    0001043a = "Maltese 48-key"
    00000481 = "Maori"
    00000450 = "Mongolian Cyrillic"
    0000043b = "Norwegian with Sami"
    00000414 = "Norwegian"
    00010415 = "Polish (214)"
    00000415 = "Polish (Programmers)"
    00000416 = "Portuguese (Brazilian ABNT)"
    00010416 = "Portuguese (Brazilian ABNT2)"
    00000816 = "Portuguese"
    00000418 = "Romanian"
    00010419 = "Russian (Typewriter)"
    00000419 = "Russian"
    0002083b = "Sami Extended Finland-Sweden"
    0001043b = "Sami Extended Norway"
    00000c1a = "Serbian (Cyrillic)"
    0000081a = "Serbian (Latin)"
    0001041b = "Slovak (QWERTY)"
    0000041b = "Slovak"
    00000424 = "Slovenian"
    0001040a = "Spanish Variation"
    0000040a = "Spanish"
    0000083b = "Swedish with Sami"
    0000041d = "Swedish"
    0000100c = "Swiss French"
    00000807 = "Swiss German"
    00000444 = "Tatar"
    0001041f = "Turkish F"
    0000041f = "Turkish Q"
    00000409 = "United States"
    00000422 = "Ukrainian"
    00000452 = "United Kingdom Extended"
    00000809 = "United Kingdom"
    00030409 = "United States-Dvorak for left hand"
    00040409 = "United States-Dvorak for right hand"
    00010409 = "United States-Dvorak"
    00020409 = "United States-International"
    00000843 = "Uzbek Cyrillic"

These can also be seen in the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SY

The new features in Vista

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 CET

New in Microsoft Vista
Aero Glass
This is how Microsoft calls the interface of Vista, Everything that you see on the desktop or in folders has a glow and is half transparent. Aero Glass should help navigate through files and folders.
SuperFetch
SuperFetch keeps track of what you do on your PC. The info is gathered and stored, so your PC is getting quicker and quicker.
Start Menu
The sliding windows in the start menu irritated people. In Vista the starting of an application is made easier.
Media Center
Although known from the special editions of Windows Xp, This is really sharing media files with other equipment.
BreadCrumbs
Hopefully there are no little birds in Vista.
The quickest way to navigate among directories in Explorer is by using the dropdown breadcrumbs in the address bar. (You can also click and then type in the address bar to enter a path name manually.) Alo they leave a trail of folders that you opened previously.
Photo Gallery
Vista comes standard with a program to control, manage, search for and save pictures.
Administrator
Administering Vista is mada lot easier and more intuitive.
Games
Game-fan? All drivers and settings of all major games are embedded in Vista. This will minimise installation time
DVD-maker
In Vista you can directly write your DVD's, the software is already embedded.

Vista for everyone

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 CET

Vista announced
Microsoft Vista was released on November 30, 2006 for manufacturers and MSDN subscribers. Companies, journalists and testers are working with it, the big crowd must be a bit patient. Januari 30, 2007 Microsoft will present the new Windows operating system globally. It took a bit longer then expected, so the fans had a few years to dream about all the new possibilities. Will Microsoft live up to our expectations?.

File Menu in Internet Explorer 7

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:00:00 CET

File Menu in Internet Explorer 7
To maximize website viewing, the File menu is hidden by default. Most menu options can be accessed from the toolbar. To view the File menu simply click on the ALT key.

Tabbed Browsing in Internet Explorer

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:00:00 CET

Tabbed Browsing in Internet Explorer 7
Tabbed browsing allows you to manage multiple websites within one browsing window. To create or open tabs in Internet Explorer 7, click on the empty tab on the Toolbar or right-click on any hyperlink in a webpage and choose New Tab. You also can right-click on a tab to refresh each page as an individual tab or refresh all of them as a group, as well as close individual tabs or the entire group.
Quick Tabs
Internet Explorer 7 helps manage multiple tabs with a feature called Quick Tabs. Quick Tabs enable you to view thumbnail images of all open tabs in one view. By simply clicking the Quick Tab icon just to the right of the Favorites icon, you can view all open tabs. From the Quick Tabs view, you can open any tab by simply clicking anywhere on the tab image and can close any tab by clicking the "X" in the far right corner of the image.
Tab Groups
Managing multiple tabs can be cumbersome. Internet Explorer 7 simplifies the organization of multiple tabs with Tab Groups. Tab Groups enable you to organize multiple tabs in the same category as a single Tab Group that can be saved as a Favorite. Tab Groups can be created for a variety of subjects or categories such as shopping, finance, or news.

Microsoft Gives the Gift of Vista

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:00:00 CEST
Microsoft Gives the Gift of Vista
On Tuesday, Microsoft announced incentives that it hopes will keep customers buying Windows-based PCs during the 2006 holiday selling season, even though Windows Vista won't ship until January. According to Microsoft, consumers who purchase new PCs preinstalled with Windows XP between October 26, 2006 and March 15, 2007 will be eligible for free or discounted versions of Windows Vista. A similar program is in place for Office 2007 as well.
"Our customers can shop for a new PC with confidence this holiday season because of the Express Upgrade to Windows Vista and Office Technology Guarantee programs," says Microsoft corporate vice president Mike Sievert. "These programs ensure people will have a great experience with their Windows XP-based PCs today, and an even better one when Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office release become available."
The Windows Vista Express Upgrade program is available to PC makers and system builders, and customers who wish to take advantage of this offer will need to ensure that the PC they're buying offers the upgrade through the manufacturer. Confusingly, the offers will vary from country to country. More confusingly, PC makers can set the terms of the upgrade, so the offers will also vary from company to company. Microsoft says only that the Vista upgrade can be offered for "free or at a discounted price (shipping and handling charges may also apply)."
More info ? Click here

Managing Power in Windows Vista

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 00:00:00 CEST
Managing Power in Windows Vista
Windows Vista introduces four main power management improvements:

A new power button that encourages the use of power-saving modes�including sleep (also known as S3 mode) on mobile PCs and a new hybrid mode on desktop PCs called Fast S4, which combines sleep and hibernate
Restrictions on the ability of applications to interrupt sleep transitions
A new user interface for managing situations in which an application has to block shutdown
A simpler presentation of power management options
Turning off a mobile PC
The power button on the Start menu is intended to encourage users to take advantage of power-saving modes on their computers, rather than rely on shutdown. Of course, users can always shut down. By default, the power button puts a mobile PC into sleep (S3). This mode turns off most hardware on the mobile PC but maintains the RAM state. The user can quickly resume from standby with the same desktop configuration.
Desktop PCs use a new power-saving mode called Fast S4. In this mode, the system goes into standby, but RAM contents are written to disk, just as they are in hibernate (S4 mode).
New shutdown process
Application developers need to be aware of changes in the shutdown process in Windows Vista. The net result is that when users want to turn off their computers, they're much more likely to get what they ask for.

Prior to Windows Vista, an application could veto a sleep transition by responding to the PBT_APMQUERYSUSPEND power broadcast. Now, applications cannot veto sleep transitions. (Although this can be changed to the prior behavior through a Group Policy setting.)
Applications can still veto a shutdown by responding to the WM_QUERYENDSESSION message. However, Windows Vista provides a summary screen that makes it easier for the user to close an application that's blocking shutdown.
Applications can provide a descriptive string that explains why they're vetoing shutdown. For more information about the creating the string for the shutdown procedure, see ShutdownBlockReasonCreate()ShutdownBlockReasonCreate().
Applications that don't have a top-level window�or that hang�are automatically closed when the computer is shutting down.
Simplified power management settings
In Power Options in Control Panel, users can choose the power management behavior that they want. Choices are collected into power management plans, each of which has one of the following designated personalities:

Balanced
Power saver
High performance
Besides clarifying options for users, the personalities make it easier to determine the overall intent of each power plan. Many users will use the default Automatic plan, which uses the Balanced personality. However, users can easily switch among plans and also change settings for a plan.
Power management preferences can change during an application session. Your application can be notified when settings change.

Windows Aero

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:00:00 CEST

Windows Aero
Windows Vista is the first Windows operating system that has a user experience that can gracefully scale to the hardware capabilities of the computer it is installed on. All computers that meet minimal hardware requirements will see the Windows Vista Basic user experience, which provides the benefits of the refined interface features already mentioned.
Windows Vista Aero provides spectacular visual effects such as glass-like interface elements that you can see through.
Windows Aero is an environment with an additional level of visual sophistication, one that is even more responsive and manageable, providing a further level of clarity and confidence to Windows users.

What is a Windows Vista Capable PC?

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:00:00 CEST

What is a Windows Vista Capable PC?
A new PC that carries the Windows Vista Capable PC logo can run Windows Vista. All editions of Windows Vista will deliver core experiences such as innovations in organizing and finding information, security, and reliability. All Windows Vista Capable PCs will run these core experiences at a minimum. Some features available in the premium editions of Windows Vista�like the new Windows Aero user experience�may require advanced or additional hardware.
A Windows Vista Capable PC includes at least:

A modern processor (at least 800MHz1).
512 MB of system memory.
A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.
Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs
To get an even better Windows Vista experience, including the Windows Aero user experience, ask for a Windows Vista Capable PC that is designated Premium Ready, or choose a PC that meets or exceeds the Premium Ready requirements described below. Features available in specific premium editions of Windows Vista, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, may require additional hardware.
A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.
1 GB of system memory.
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
DVD-ROM Drive3.
Audio output capability.
Internet access capability.