1. Change the way Control Panel applets are displayed by clicking the Category button just to the right the View by: label and select either Small icons or Large icons. This is how I prefer to see Control Panel, but it can be tough to find what you want amongst the 50 or more icons.
2. Another way is to launch Windows Defender directly, click Start; in the search box, type Defender; click Windows Defender to open the program; and then click Scan.

There are some others I usually just access with the search box like Credential Manager, Configuration Manager, Autoplay, and Desktop Gadgets.

Kurt Dillard

kurtdillard.com

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Here’s how to check which updates have been installed on your Windows 7 computer:

• Click Start, type installed updates, and then press Enter.

As shown above, Windows displays all the Microsoft updates that have been installed (including those for Microsoft Office). To check your service pack level, do this:

• Click Start, type winver, and then press Enter.

As shown above, Windows 7 with no service packs is version 6.1 build 7600. If you have a service pack installed, it’ll be shown on this page. As of the time of this writing, however, Service Pack 1 is still being tested by Microsoft.

You could also click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties. The Windows edition group at the top will show you any service packs installed.

Windows 7 let’s you maximize a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, or size a window to half the screen by dragging it to the left or right side of the screen. I hate it–I already know other ways to do it, and sometimes it resizes windows for me when I want to just move them to the edge of the screen.

Disabling it is easy, if you know where to look. Watch the video above, or follow these steps (after the jump):

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Ease Of Access, Ease Of Access Center, and then Make the mouse easier to use (at the bottom of the screen).

3. Clear the Prevent windows from beign automatically arranged when moving to the edge of the screen checkbox.

4. Click OK.

The video above and the article below compare two free virtual machine applications designed for home users: Microsoft Virtual PC and Sun VirtualBox.

What is a Virtual Machine (VM)?

A virtual machine (VM) is a computer that runs inside a window on your host computer. VMs are also great for testing–you can test different operating systems, applications, and configurations without messing up your computer. For example, you could run Windows in a VM on a Linux or Macintosh computer, allowing you to run Windows-only applications. Or, you could test out Linux in a VM on your Windows box without committing to it.

In fact, even if you install spyware, adware, or rootkits in a VM, they won’t infect your host computer. Just shut down the VM, and your computer is as clean as ever. VMs are also a great tool for learning networking, allowing you to connect several different computers when you only have one computer available.

After the jump, my recommendations for home users who want to use VMs:

Microsoft Virtual PC

Virtual PC is the right choice for people who just need to test downloads or browse the Web with total privacy. It’s free with Windows 7–in fact, Microsoft even includes a license for Windows XP to allow you to run any old applications that aren’t compatible with Windows 7. It’s polished, fast, reliable, and (like VirtualBox) it can share USB devices and network connections.

It also has a couple of unique features: It can log you on automatically to a Windows VM, it’s integrated into the Windows 7 Explorer interface, and it supports the AERO interface in Windows 7. It’s biggest downfall? It can’t run Windows Server 2008 R2, because it doesn’t support 64-bit VMs. Your host computer can run 64-bit versions of Windows, however.

Sun VirtualBox

This is my favorite free virtualization software because it does several things Microsoft Virtual PC can’t do. First, it can run 64-bit VMs. That’s important, because Windows Server 2008 R2 is only available in 64-bit. Second, it supports multiple processors on the VM, which can improve performance.

Third, and most importantly, VirtualBox supports snapshots. With a snapshot, you capture the state of a VM. Later, if you mess up the VM, you can return it to the snapshot state–like instantly restoring a computer from a backup. With a snapshot, you never have to worry about messing up a VM. Snapshots are great when you need to test something repeatedly and you want the computer to be in a “clean” state when you do it.

Feature Comparison

Both apps support the following features:

• Run on 32-bit or 64-bit hosts.
• Install integration software on the VM so that you can move your mouse in and out of the window–though this must be done after the operating system is installed.
• Supports a variety of different operating systems on the VM, including different versions of Windows and Linux.
• Connect USB devices to the VM–though this isn’t working in VirtualBox on a Windows 7 host for me–I get an error when it attempts to install the driver.
• Automatically change the VM by resizing the VM window (this requires you to press a key in VirtualBox, but not in Virtual PC).

Microsoft Virtual PC has these unique features:

• Supports Aero in Windows 7. This is the pretty, glass-like user interface, along with Aero-features like 3D-flip. To get Aero in VirtualBox, you need to connect to the VM using Remote Desktop.
• Automatic login for Windows VMs. This saves you having to type Ctrl+Alt+Del and your password.
• USB device sharing works properly with Windows 7. VirtualBox offers this feature, but it’s not working for all USB devices–for me, at least.
• Integrated into Windows Explorer. VMs appear as files in a folder. Actually, I hate this feature–I’d prefer starting VMs from within an application.

Sun VirtualBox has these unique feature:

• Runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac hosts. I’m a Windows guy myself, but I suppose if you’re using Linux or Mac, you’ll need this so you can run all those Windows apps in a VM. Ouch! No hatin’!
• Run 64-bit VMs. This allows you to run Windows Server 2008 R2, which isn’t available as 32-bit.
• Seamless mode. Applications in the VM act as standard Windows on your desktop. In other words, you can start an application in the VM, and move it anywhere on your desktop, even outside of the VM window. In the figure below, notice that I’m running Internet Explorer in Windows 7 on the lower window, and Internet Explorer in Windows XP on the upper window.

• Remote display. You can use Remote Desktop (or any RDP client) to connect to a VirtualBox VM, even if the VM’s operating system doesn’t support it or the OS hasn’t yet been installed.
• 3D and 2D video acceleration. This might allow you to do some 3D work, though performance still won’t be great on games.
• Multiple processors. VirtualBox supports up to 8 CPUs in your VM–as long as your host has that many.

The Winner

VirtualBox is the clear winner–though I still need to use Virtual PC for those times when I need to share a USB device with a VM. I’ll also use Virtual PC for those times when I need the Aero user interface but Remote Desktop won’t do the trick.

Other Free Virtualization Software

I should also mention two other free virtualization products, even though they’re intended for businesses:

• VMWare Server. It’s free, and it works, but it’s a pain to setup and run compared to VirtualBox or Virtual PC. What you really want for home environments is the far more useful VMWare Workstation–but you have to buy that at $189.
• Microsoft Hyper-V.  It’s also free, but it’s intended for IT, so you’re going to have to read the instructions to use it. I say BOO to reading! Also, you can’t run it as an application on your existing computer.

Hi

I don’t know if i am in the right forum – but no doubt you will tell me if I am not!

I have just loaded Windows Vista Home Premium from a clean boot but it will not allow me to load software and programs from a CD. I get the error message :-

“To install software you must have Administrator rights. Please log in as Administrator and start the install again.”

I AM the Administrator, I have not changed any settings since loading Vista – in fact I have re-loaded it but get the same message.

I cannot find anywhere that I can log in as Adminstrator.

Have you any ideas please or can you suggest a help site? I tried Microsoft but they want £40 minimum. – Lovely guy Bill Gates!

Thanks
Keith

Answer:

No doubt this is one of the most common questions/frustrations about Windows Vista. Even if you log on as an administrator, you don’t really have administrative rights, thanks to UAC (User Account Control). UAC runs almost everything using non-administrator rights to help protect you from bad software that would abuse those administrator rights to change your settings or install viruses.

When you run a setup program, UAC should automatically prompt you to run it as an administrator using the UAC prompt (which Microsoft calls the “consent” prompt). If you don’t see this, right-click the program, and then click Run As Administrator. Then, it will really run as an administrator. It should have prompted you, but for some reason, Vista didn’t realize it needed Administrator rights. It woudln’t hurt to check the software developer’s website for a version of the program made for Vista; that would also fix the problem.

If you really get sick of this, you can try disabling UAC–you’ll be giving up a lot of Vista’s security benefits, though, so I don’t recommend it.

Regarding a help site, you can always drop me a note. You can also seek help from the Internet community at the Microsoft Newsgroups–the Vista newsgroup is your best bet for this type of question.

My server has been randomly freezing ever since I upgraded the memory. So, I wanted to run a memory test. For some reason, my bootable copy of Memtest x86+ wasn’t working… probably because it’s scratched from the awful way I stored it.

Anyway, off I went to burn a new bootable ISO. Vista can burn DVDs, but I don’t know of any way to burn a bootable DVD. Of course, the tool I normally use–Roxio (it was on my Dell when I bought it, with Windows XP)–wouldn’t work in Vista. So, I was off to find a new tool to burn bootable CD/DVD images.

I found three free tools that work with Vista:

• DeepBurner. The free version works great. This is the one I ended up using.
• ImgBurn. Another free tool reported to work.
• Magic ISO Maker. A more robust tool for coverting, editing, and burning CD/DVD image files.

If you prefer a different tool, add a comment to let us know why.

Your computer is bogged down, so you open Task Manager and check the processes tab. There’s the culprit: Svchost.exe. Svchost.exe represents many different services, however, so it doesn’t really tell you what’s causing the problem.

In Windows Vista, you can easily determ determine which specific service is using resources. Just follow these steps:

1. Right-click the taskbar, and then click Task Manager.

2. Click the Processes tab.

3. Click Show processes from all users. Then, respond to the UAC prompt.

4. Click the CPU column heading to sort by the busiest process.

5. If the process is Svchost.exe, right-click it, and then click Go to Service(s). You can do this for any process, but it won’t work correctly if the process isn’t a service.
6. From the Services tab, check the Description column of the selected row to identify the service. You can right-click the service and then click Stop service to stop it.

You can also identify a process from the service by right-clicking the service on the Services tab and then clicking Go to Process.

Lots of weird problems happen if you’re low on disk space–programs randomly fail, the operating system can seem unreliable, and you might lose work because you can’t save it.

Just like Windows XP, Windows Vista includes the Disk Cleanup Wizard. To use the Disk Cleanup Wizard to free up space, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Computer.
2. Right-click the drive you need to improve free space on, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup.
4. On the Disk Cleanup Options page, click either My files only or Files from all users on this computer. You’ll clean up more disk space if you work with files from all users, but you need administrative credentials. If prompted, provide administrative credentials.
5. After a few seconds, the Disk Cleanup page appears. Scroll through the available options, and select the check box for anything you’re ready to delete. If you’re not sure, leave it.

You’re pretty safe removing the following files:

• Downloaded Program Files
• Temporary Internet Files
• Microsoft Error Reporting Temporary Files
• System error memory dump files
• System error minidump files
• Temporary files (close your programs first!)
• Per user archived Windows Error Reporting files
• Per user queued Windows Error Reporting files (hey, it’ll probably crash again in the future anyway)
• System archived Windows Error Reporting files
• System queued Windows Error Reporting files

The files that make up your Start menu and the groups are stored in a different location than they were in Windows XP. Programs installed for all users are now at:

C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup

Programs installed just for your user account are at:

C:Users<Username>AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsStart MenuPrograms

Programs listed in both locations show up in your Start menu.

Microsoft has replaced the Boot.ini file with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) registry file. It’s no longer a text file, so you can’t edit it directly. Instead, it’s a proprietary format like the registry.

Read this article if you want to change startup settings. If your computer won’t start, don’t sweat it. Follow these steps to run Startup Repair.
For more information, read Chapter 30 (which I wrote!) of the Windows Vista Resource Kit. Also check out the BCD FAQ and read the Boot Configuration Data in Windows Vista Word document.

1. Click Start. Right-click Computer, and then click Properties.

2. Click Advanced System Settings.

3. On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.

4. Click the Default Operating System list, and edit other startup settings. Then, click OK.

Same as Windows XP, right? But you’re probably not here because you couldn’t find that dialog box. You’re probably here because Windows Vista won’t start. In that case, you shouldn’t even worry about editing the BCD. Just run Startup Repair, and let the tool do what it’s supposed to.

If you’re an advanced user, like an IT guy, you might want to edit the BCD file yourself. You can do this by using the command-line BCDEdit tool from within Windows Vista. If you can boot into another operating system, you can probably run it from there, too. Here’s the help output:

C:Userstnorthru>bcdedit /?

BCDEDIT – Boot Configuration Data Store Editor

The Bcdedit.exe command-line tool modifies the boot configuration data store.
The boot configuration data store contains boot configuration parameters and
controls how the operating system is booted. These parameters were previously
in the Boot.ini file (in BIOS-based operating systems) or in the nonvolatile
RAM entries (in Extensible Firmware Interface-based operating systems). You can
use Bcdedit.exe to add, delete, edit, and append entries in the boot
configuration data store.

For detailed command and option information, type bcdedit.exe /? . For
example, to display detailed information about the /createstore command, type:

bcdedit.exe /? /createstore

For an alphabetical list of topics in this help file, run “bcdedit /? TOPICS”.

Commands that operate on a store
================================
/createstore Creates a new and empty boot configuration data store.
/export Exports the contents of the system store to a file. This file
can be used later to restore the state of the system store.
/import Restores the state of the system store using a backup file
created with the /export command.

Commands that operate on entries in a store
===========================================
/copy Makes copies of entries in the store.
/create Creates new entries in the store.
/delete Deletes entries from the store.

Run bcdedit /? ID for information about identifiers used by these commands.

Commands that operate on entry options
======================================
/deletevalue Deletes entry options from the store.
/set Sets entry option values in the store.

Run bcdedit /? TYPES for a list of datatypes used by these commands.
Run bcdedit /? FORMATS for a list of valid data formats.

Commands that control output
============================
/enum Lists entries in the store.
/v Command-line option that displays entry identifiers in full,
rather than using names for well-known identifiers.
Use /v by itself as a command to display entry identifiers
in full for the ACTIVE type.

Running “bcdedit” by itself is equivalent to running “bcdedit /enum ACTIVE”.

Commands that control the boot manager
======================================
/bootsequence Sets the one-time boot sequence for the boot manager.
/default Sets the default entry that the boot manager will use.
/displayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays the
multiboot menu.
/timeout Sets the boot manager time-out value.
/toolsdisplayorder Sets the order in which the boot manager displays
the tools menu.

Commands that control Emergency Management Services for a boot application
==========================================================================
/bootems Enables or disables Emergency Management Services
for a boot application.
/ems Enables or disables Emergency Management Services for an
operating system entry.
/emssettings Sets the global Emergency Management Services parameters.

Command that control debugging
==============================
/bootdebug Enables or disables boot debugging for a boot application.
/dbgsettings Sets the global debugger parameters.
/debug Enables or disables kernel debugging for an operating system
entry.

Lastly, check out the VistaBootPRO and EasyBCD tools, which do the same thing as BCDEdit, but in a nicer, graphical way.

If you use Windows Live Messenger in Windows Vista, you can offer Remote Assistance to the remote user. With Remote Assistance, you can watch their desktop (if the user allows it), or even control their desktop (again, with their permission).

While instant messaging them, press the Alt key to make the menu bar appear. Then, click the Actions menu, and click Offer remote assistance.

After that, the person you’re helping will be prompted to allow you to view their desktop. Just follow the prompts. Windows Vista Remote Assistance also includes some very cool improvements to help Remote Assistance work through firewalls–namely NAT traversal using Teredo and IPv6. If you’re interested in how it works, check out this video.

Windows XP included several security templates (.inf files that represent a computer’s security configuration), but Windows Vista includes none. Want some? Download and install the Windows Vista Security Guide.

The Windows Vista Security Guide includes several templates:

• Vista Default Security. A security template that you can use to restore default security settings or compare your current settings to the default.
• VSG EC Desktop, VSG EC Laptop, and VSG EC Domain. Templates that the Windows Vista Security Guide team recommends for use in enterprise environments. EC stands for Enterprise Configuration. Use this if you have a domain.
• VSG SSLF Desktop, VSG SSLF Laptop, and VSG SSLF Domain. Templates that the Windows Vista Security Guide team recommends for organizations that are willing to sacrifice some functionality for improved security. SSLF stands for Specialized Security Limited Functionality. Don’t use these unless your 200 feet underground in some concrete bunker. They break stuff (like application compatibility) and you’ll spend weeks tweaking the configuration to get things to work again.

After installation, you can examine these security templates by using the Security Templates snap-in.

Follow these steps to open the security templates in the Security Templates snap-in:

1. Click Start and type mmc.
2. A blank MMC console appears. Click the File menu, and then click Add/Remote Snap-In.
3. From the Add Or Remove Snap-Ins dialog, double-click Security Templates. Click OK.
4. Right-click Security Templates and then click New Template Search Path.
5. In the Browse For Folder dialog, expand your user folder, Documents, Windows Vista Security Guide, GPOAccelerator Tool, and then select Security Templates (the Windows Vista Security Guide installs the templates to “C:UsersDocumentsWindows Vista Security GuideGPOAccelerator ToolSecurity Templates”). Click OK.
6. Click the new folder in the Security Templates snap-in, and browse through the templates.

Want to see what the Windows Vista Security Guide team recommends that’s different from your current configuration? Use the Security Configuration And Analysis Snap-in:

1. Create a new Microsoft Management Console (MMC) console, and add the Security Configuration And Analysis snap-in.
2. Right-click Security Configuration And Analysis, and then click Open Database.
3. In the Open Database dialog box, type a name for the new database, and then click Open.
4. In the Import Template dialog box, select a security template to import. Click Open.
5. Right-click Security Configuration And Analysis, and then click Analyze Computer Now.
6. In the Perform Analysis dialog box, click OK.

After the analysis is complete, examine the results by expanding the nodes contained within the Security Configuration And Analysis node. The Database Setting column shows what’s recommended in the template. The Computer Setting column shows your setting.

Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and earlier versions of Windows used proprietary .ADM files to store custom Group Policy settings. Windows Vista provides similar functionality using .ADMX files, which are XML-based.

Windows Vista provides limited support for .ADM files (they appear under Classic Administrative Templates in the Group Policy Object Editor). You don’t need to worry about migrating the standard .ADM files provided by Microsoft to Windows Vista, because those are already built-in. If you created custom .ADM files, however, you can migrate them to Windows Vista using a free tool called ADMX Migrator, which was developed by FullArmor. ADMX Migrator is available from the Microsoft Download Center and can be installed on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 (with Service Pack 1), and Windows XP (with Service Pack 2). It provides both graphical and command-line interfaces.

Notepad is still one of my most commonly used applications. Alberto Escobedos provides instructions for replacing Notepad with Notepad2, a free download. Notepad2 provides more sophisticated editing, it opens large files MUCH MUCH faster, and it deals with special characters much better.

Alberto provided high-level instructions that are perfect for IT guys. Here are my slightly more explicit instructions, for those who want the upgraded Notepad but might not be familiar with changing permissions:

1. Download Notepad2. Save the program to your computer.

2. Click Start, and then click Computer. Navigate to C:Windows.

3. Find Notepad.exe in the right pane. Right-click it, and then click Properties.

4. Click the Security tab. Then, click the Advanced button.

5. Click the Owner tab.

6. Click the Edit button, and respond to the UAC prompt.

7. In the Advanced Security Settings for Notepad.exe dialog, click Administrators, and then click OK. Click OK twice more.

8. On the Security tab, click the Edit button. Respond to the UAC prompt that appears.

9. Click Administrators. Then, under the Allow column, click the Full Control checkbox.

10. Click OK. Click Yes. Click OK again.

11. Navigate to C:WindowsSystem32. Repeat steps 3-11 on the C:WindowsSystem32Notepad.exe file (yes, it’s in two places).

12. Open the Notepad2.zip file. Rename Notepad2.exe to Notepad.exe.

13. Right-click the NEW Notepad.exe and then click Copy.

14. In Explorer, right-click the C:Windows folder, and click Paste. Then, click Copy and Replace.

15.  When prompted, click Continue. Then, respond to the UAC prompt that appears.

16. In Explorer, right-click the C:WindowsSystem32 folder, and click Paste. Then, click Copy and Replace.

Now, you’ve replaced the standard Notepad.exe in both places. Any time you open a file associated with Notepad, Notepad 2 will automatically open. If you run Notepad from the Start menu, Notepad2 will open instead. MUCH better.

You can uninstall most programs by opening Control Panel and then clicking Uninstall a program (under Programs). Oddly, not all programs are listed there.

MyUninstaller is a free tool for removing software that might not be listed. I needed it because I was trying to install Office 2007 and it gave me an awful error message about having needing to uninstall a beta version of Office 2007–but none were installed, and none of the software I needed to remove was showing up in the Uninstall A Program window. MyUninstaller did list some incompatible components (I have no idea how it got installed) and launched the uninstaller for me.
Thanks to Scott Hanselman for pointing me to this tool.

Cool stuff if you’re in IT. If you’re planning to deploy Vista computers and you want to stage drivers so they’re accessible to users after the client computers are setup, use the “Microsoft Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment for Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system” (affectionately known as “BDD 2007“). I helped write some of the docs for that project.

If you want to stage drivers after clients are setup, you can use a script with the PnPUtil.exe command (included with Vista). Here’s the usage information:

Microsoft PnP Utility
Usage:
——
pnputil.exe [-f | -i] [ -? | -a | -d | -e ]
Examples:
pnputil.exe -a a:\usbcam\USBCAM.INF      -> Add package specified by USBCAM.INF
pnputil.exe -a c:\drivers\*.inf          -> Add all packages in c:\drivers\
pnputil.exe -i -a a:\usbcam\USBCAM.INF   -> Add and install driver package
pnputil.exe -e                           -> Enumerate all 3rd party packages
pnputil.exe -d oem0.inf                  -> Delete package oem0.inf
pnputil.exe -f -d oem0.inf               -> Force delete package oem0.inf
pnputil.exe -?                           -> This usage screen

For more information about Driver Staging, read “Step-by-Step Guide to Device Driver Signing and Staging“

To quickly copy the full path of a file to your clipboard, hold down the Shift key, right click a file, and then click Copy as Path. The full path to the file is placed on your clipboard.

This is particularly useful if you need to open a file that requires administrative privileges, for example a log file in the system directory. If you were to double-click the file to open it in Notepad, Notepad would give you a file not found error–because Notepad is running as a standard user (thanks to UAC) and it needs admin privileges to open the file. So, if you wanted to quickly open that protected file in Notepad, click Start, type Notepad Ctrl+V, and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Then, press Alt+C to approve the UAC prompt. Ctrl+Shift+Enter runs the program from the Start menu using admin privileges.

Hi Tony,

I have been reading you vista clues and I appreciate the help.

Is there a way to run a batch file on vista to set the “Run as administrator” on an exe.

We have a exe that is delivered to our customers monthly. The exe writes files and expects them to be were we installed the product. Of course, with vista this is not true. I can fix this problem but setting the Run as administrator.

The applications are built under XP so I can not set this property before I packages, so what I was thinking was as part of my install/update

Install the exe on vista and then run a batch program to set it as run as administrator. I can not have the customer do this manually.

Do you think this will work? Do you know how to do this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

Answer:

Your best bet is probably to add a manifest to your application, and release it as an update (a batch file could just replace the .exe, if you’re determined to go that route). To add a manifest to existing applications, use the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT). You might be able to figure out a way to script the ACT, but then again, it might not be worth the effort.

That’s still not a great answer, because it requires your users to have administrative credentials (which they won’t in many organizations). For the best answer, use the Standard User Analyzer tool, to diagnose issues that would prevent a program from running properly as a standard user. Then, fix your app to work as a standard user. Your customers will appreciate it.

Good luck.

Tony