Windows Vista

May 8, 2013

3 Ways to Enable Remote Desktop Connection In Windows 7

UK Microsoft, Windows 7 Remote Desktop, windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista 0 Comments

Windows Remote Desktop enables us to connect to our systems remotely through the network or internet. It’s very useful if we are connected to a network and we want to use several computers. We can open the desktops or screens of all the computers and do whatever we want to do.

In Windows XP, enabling Windows Remote Desktop was simple. But it’s a little different in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Here I list down three methods that can be used to enable Remote Desktop in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

1- Using Graphical User Interface

This is the simplest of methods. To enable Windows Remote Desktop graphically, do the following:

Start Run by pressing Windows Key + R

Write the following command in the Run dialog box: systempropertiesremote

Windows Remote Desktop Connection Properties will come up. Under Desktop box, Select one of the following:

Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop.
Allow connections from computers running Remote Desktop with network level authentication.

This will enable Remote Desktop in Windows Vista and also in Windows 7.

2- Using Windows Registry

Windows Remote Desktop can also be enabled or disabled from the registry. This method is specially useful when you want to enable Remote Desktop remotely. You can connect to the registry of the remote computer through remote registry and make changes accordingly.

To enable Remote Desktop through registry, do the following:

Go to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server

In the right hand pane, find the key fDenyTSConnections and make the value to 0 to enable Remote Desktop

If you want to enable Network Level Authentication, then do the following:

Go to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp

In the right hand pane, find the key UserAuthentication and change the value to 1.

3- Using Group Policy

To enable Remote Desktop from the group policy, do the following:

Open Group Policy editor by going to Run and typing gpedit.msc

In the group policy editor, go to the following thread:

Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Terminal Services \ Terminal Server \ Connections

In the right hand pane enable to following:

Allow users to connect remotely using Terminal Services

The original article was for enabling remote desktop connection in Windows Vista and Windows 7. But now I have verified that these methods work in Windows 8 too. So if you are using Windows 8, you can easily use these methods to enable or disable RDC. But if you are unsure, just follow our guide of 3 ways to enable Remote Desktop Connection in Windows 8. If there is any other method by which RDC can be enabled, please share in the comments.

February 28, 2013

Effective File Search Is A Better Windows Search Alternative

Arfa Mahmood Software, Windows, Windows 7 windows 7, Windows Search, Windows Vista, Windows XP 0 Comments

Effective File Search for Windows is a better alternative to Windows Search which helps you find your desired files instantly. The problem with built-in Windows file search feature is that takes a lot of time to complete. Although Microsoft has done a lot of work in enhancing the search feature in Windows 8, the earlier versions of Windows lack the robustness, effectiveness and relevance which other software can offer.

Another drawback of Windows Search is that it needs the indexing utility to be running all the time for effective searching. The indexing utility takes a lot of resources when it’s running.

The benefit of Effective File Search is that it does not only search for files on your computer, it also searches for files on any external drive like network, CD/DVD, USB drives etc.

Effective File Search allows you to enter search terms as well as extend your search by adding filters. These filters include keywords, file size, date and many other options. When your search is complete, the program gives a list of relevant files. There is a dedicated Date and size tab which allows adding your filters. Just choose from the given options and Effective File Search will do the rest.

You can rename your files that are presented in the list. You can even copy or delete those files. You can save all your search parameters and results in a file. This means all your searches could be saved and you don’t have to repeat the process for a single search again.

The software has been created in a way that everyone can use it. The interface is very simple and user-friendly. You don’t need any specific ability to use the software. The software saves you time and is very easy to handle with just a few simple options.

1. Open the software and type your search term. In my search I am entering Genesis, you can search whatever you need.

2. After clicking, the program will start its process and will give you correct search results.

3. So, the program has found my file. You can remove extra results or copy your own result. If you want to save the parameters, click on file and choose save parameters.

4. Save your parameter with whatever name you want and save it from where you can get access to it easily.

Saving parameters mean saving your search settings. The program also offers filtering options by which you can refine your search.

Playing with more features of Effective File Search will help you in understanding the software properly. Place the icon on your desktop so you can use it readily and search your results with in no time.

Download Effective File Search

If you are using Windows 8, you may go through an advanced guide to Windows 8 Search.

February 5, 2013

Mastering Windows 8 Search – An Advanced Guide

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan Microsoft, Windows, Windows 7 windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Search, Windows Vista, Windows XP 4 Comments

The introduction of ribbon bar in Windows Explorer in the Windows 8 has enhanced the user experience to a great deal. Windows 7 users may be familiar with a search bar in the start menu or at the top left corner of in the windows explorer. But, Windows 8 users have been gifted with an advanced search tool through the ribbon bar. This search tool provides several options that can help narrow your search and displays the most relevant results. In this tutorial, we will explain different techniques through which you may use this tool efficiently.

Search by Property

1- Search by size

You can restrict your search by specifying the range of file size. Search tool has pre-defined size ranges named as empty, tiny, small, medium, large, huge and gigantic. You can select a suitable range for your document, file, folder or program by clicking on the ‘Size’ drop down list or write size: tiny in the search bar.

2- Search by kind

Size range option may not seem very helpful to home users as they can not make a guess about file size. So there is another useful property which is easily understandable and memorable by all. Search by the file kind like calendar, contact, picture, music, e-mail, note or etc.

3- Search by Tags

Similarly, you can assign tags to files and folder when you save them so that ‘Search’ can efficiently bring them in front of you.

tags:=”profile pic” OR tag:=”rahmeen”

4- Search by Type

You will definitely appreciate the advanced algorithm at the back end of search tool. If you write “type: ” in the search bar, the auto-complete feature will display a list of type including .jpg, .JPEG, .xps, .docx and others. But, if you have mentioned the kind of file it will display the possible options only to avoid any misguided instruction. For example, a document can not have a ‘.jpg ‘ type so it will not be included in the auto-complete list.

5- Search by Date

Just like other properties, date can also be used to filter search results.

This option lets you specify any particular date, today, yesterday, this week, last week, this month, last month etc. What if you want to see search results of files from a month which was previous to last month? Try the following:

date: January 2013.

Using Advanced Query Syntax

You will notice that as you select any specific search property its keyword is displayed in the search box. This can be exploited by programmers as they love specifying explicit conditions. You can learn Advanced Query Syntax that is a new inclusion in windows8 search tool. It makes use of the ‘Boolean Operators’ that allow you to mention different choices at one time. For example, you may be looking for ‘Intensity’ which can be any document name or mp3 audio. Or you may be looking for a contact which you added last week. You can tell search tool about your requirements by typing:

kind: =document OR kind: =music
kind: =contact AND date: last week

Note: Boolean operators are case-sensitive and they will respond correctly when written in upper case.

Set Advanced Search Options

You can define how to do you want ‘Search Tool’ to find the files, folders or programs for you. Go to Search -> Advanced Options.
Tell the search tool if you want to match the names partially. You can also include or exclude indexed locations from being searched through the same dialog box.You may also specify the type of files and directories to be included in search results.

Another way is to set search options without opening search tool.

Go to View -> Options -> Change folder and search options.

If you are not satisfied with the search results for the first time, you can ‘Search Again in’ libraries or Internet.

Make your Search Faster

Although, there are many advanced options to filter your search results but we tend to have some ‘Most visited’ files and folders. So, why not add them to ‘Favorites’, ‘Library’ or ‘Pin to Taskbar’ ?

Go to home -> Select file/folder name.
In the ribbon bar, click ‘Easy Access’ and select your desired option.

Save Your Search

‘Recent Searches’ is the place that auto-saves your recently searched files and folders. You can find ‘Recent Search’ option in the ‘Search’ tab. You may clear search history using the option provided at the end of drop down list.

In case, you like to save some search results for future use:

Go to Search -> Save Search.
Give it a proper file name and add appropriate tags. Click ‘Save’.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Search

These are some keyboard shortcuts that will open the metro search tool and you can search apps, files or settings directly.

Win key + Q -> Start Apps
Win key + F -> Search for files and folders
Win key + W -> Settings
Win key + E -> Windows explorer
Ctrl + F -> Opens search tool inside Windows Explorer.

Customize Search Settings

Finally, we can customize search settings using the control panel. You can select the applications that you want to displayed in the search option. You may also enable or disable auto-save search results for future suggestions. Delete search history by clicking ‘Delete History’ button.

Move your cursor to the corner of the screen so that metro app appears.
Select Setting -> Change PC Setting.

Although we have emphasized Windows Search techniques for Windows 8, all these advanced search tasks can be performed in previous Operating Systems including Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

I hope this guide will be helpful for you and I’d like to thank you for reading. If you like the article, please leave a helpful comment and share it with your friends.

January 18, 2013

5 Ways to Access Files, Folders and Programs Quickly In Windows

Rahmeen Ahmad Khan List, Microsoft, Tips/Troubleshooting, Windows, Windows 7 windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP 3 Comments

Every day we access a number of files, folders and programs when we log on to our computer. Most of them are frequently repeated and we want to keep those files at a place where they can be reached quickly. The easiest place to have all the shortcuts is the Desktop.

Placing too many items on the desktop is not a good practice as it may slow down your system while making it harder for us to find the required shortcuts or files which makes our purpose of quickly accessing the files void. Today we will discuss a few ways to open files, folders and programs quickly and easily which will prove quite handy for all of us. All these ways can be used in a combination so that nothing gets cluttered.

Create A Shortcut

Creating a shortcut on desktop is the easiest and quickest way to access any file, folder or program in your computer. Besides Desktop, you can save these shortcuts in any folder in the computer.

Select the file, folder or program and right click on it to open menu.
Select Create Shortcut and place the shortcut at your desired location.

There is another way of creating a shortcut :

Right click on an empty screen area on the Desktop –> New –> Shortcut
A window appears asking you to type the file, folder or program location. You can also browse to specify the location.
Give a proper name to your shortcut.

Your shortcut is created. Note that you can create this shortcut on desktop or anywhere, inside any folder, any location you want. You may cancel anytime if you change your mind about creating a shortcut.

Set Hotkeys

You have created a shortcut but you want some keyboard shortcut to open your file? Select the shortcut (you have already created) of target program, file or folder and follow the steps below to create the hotkey.

Right click –> Properties –> Select Shortcut Tab
Set your customized ‘Shortcut Key’ to your file, folder or program. There is one limitation , however, you can use only single alphabet after Ctrl+Alt to set your shortcut key.

Pin to Taskbar

You may have placed your browser and media player on the taskbar for quicker access. But do you know that you can also pin most visited folders to your taskbar? Select the folder, drag it and drop on to the taskbar. Take care that you do not drop it in the ‘Start’ button or in the notification area because you can not pin any folder there. Similarly, you can also drag and drop your programs on to task bar or use the menu interface to do so:

Select Program -> Right click -> Pin to Task Bar

Have you recently used any program, liked it and feel that you will use it frequently? You do not need to go through the messy path d:\root folder\folder1\folder2\folder3.

Go to Start Menu -> Select Program -> Right Click -> Pin to Taskbar

You can also enable the Desktop toolbar which will place the toolbar on the taskbar. You will be able to access the Desktop items without going to the Desktop.

Go to Start –> Properties –> Select Toolbars Tab
Check ‘Desktop’ –> Apply –> OK

Now, your taskbar should look like this :

Pin to Start Menu

Start Menu is the most visited place by every Windows user. You can pin your programs to start menu in the same way as you pinned it to the taskbar.

1- Drag and drop your programs to start button or the start menu.

2- Or Right click on the program and select ‘Pin to Start Menu’.

You might have noticed that we can not pin file to start menu. So, should we make a compromise? No! we will use another trick to pin our recently used files to start menu.

3-Go to Start Menu –> Properties –> Start Menu –> Customize

Scroll down to find Recent Items -> Check Recent Item. You can change the number of programs to be displayed in recent items using the option provided at bottom of the dialog box.

Run Command

Are you good at remembering paths and locations? If yes, why not use run command prompt to access files, folders and programs quickly?

There are many different ways to access run command. However, it can be more handy if we pin run command to our start menu. Windows XP and Vista users can easily find ‘Run’ in their start menu but Window 7 users have to add it explicitly. To find out how, read the tutorial Pin Run Command to Start Menu.

You can also use the Run Manager to create Run commands on the fly.

Which methods do you use to access files and folders quickly? Share your tricks with us in the comments.

October 23, 2012

Get Windows 8 Metro/ModernUI Theme For Windows 7, Windows Vista And Windows XP

UK Software, Windows, Windows 7 Metro, Modern UI, windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP 1 Comment

Windows 8 comes with a completely new graphical user interface. The interface was dubbed as Metro at first but then people got used to ModernUI name for the new interface. Windows 8 is yet to be released for general availability on 26th of October 2012 but geeks and MSDN/TechNet subscribers are already using Windows 8 Release Preview and Windows 8 RTM.

If you are a Windows 7 user or using Windows Vista or Windows XP, now you can easily transform your current Windows into the new shiny Windows 8 interface. There are a couple of tools that can be used to get Windows 8 Metro/ModernUI theme for Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP.

The first app is WinMetro from IObit. Although the product is still in beta, it works on all the mentioned Operating Systems. It can be very useful to get used to the new interface even before you get your hands on the new Windows 8 system. WinMetro will turn your Desktop into a tile based based Metro UI screen. By displacing useful information such as weather, calendar, news, stocks, and frequently used programs, it turns your desktop into an informative and productive work area. It also offers the option to boot to Metro Start Screen directly.

Download WinMetro

The second app is MeteroVS, Modern UI for Windows 7. This app is specifically made for Windows 7. It is different from WinMetro app in that it transforms the actual UI like the taskbar, folder toolbar, colors etc. to the look a likes of windows 8. Here are some of the features of MeteroVS.

True windows 8 metro vs ported (So you will have the full metro experiences!)
Flatterned colors
no more gradients
simple, minimalistic ui to provide more fast and fluid experiences
Bonus! Official Windows 8 Wallpapers!
Bonus! Official Windows 8 Cursors!
Icons
Works both Aero and basic!
Added No User Picture Editions (NUP codename)!

Download MeteroVS

You can actually use both the apps in combination to get an enhanced Windows 8 experience on Windows 7.

May 13, 2012

Block Internet Access To Specific Programs In Windows

UK Software, Windows, Windows 7 Firewall, windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP 2 Comments

Windows comes with a good firewall which can be useful for blocking a lot of basic hacking attacks. The built-in Windows Firewall was first introduced with Windows XP and then improved its way to Windows 7. Windows 7 Firewall is an advanced version of Windows Firewall. By default, Windows Firewall will block all the unknown programs to access the Internet. It will always ask the user for permission to allow the program to access the Internet. You can set different advanced rules for any scenario.

If you want to block Internet access to a specific program, you will need to go advanced. It becomes a bit technical and complex to block custom programs in Windows 7 Firewall. To block Internet access to a program in Windows 7, go to Control Panel –> System and Security –> Windows Firewall –> Allowed Programs. You will need to remove the program from the list so that it does not have access to the Internet. There is not much you can do with the functionality of Windows Firewall.

Firewall App Blocker is a portable program that can extend the functionality of Windows Firewall and allow you to block specific programs to access the Internet instead of the default behavior of allowing programs in Windows Firewall. Firewall App Blocker comes with a very simple interface which even a newbie can also operate. When you open Firewall App Blocker for the first time in Windows 7, it will give a UAC warning which you have to say yes to. The main interface of Firewall App Blocker has four buttons in which only two buttons have to be used for the actual functioning of the software.

The Add button will open up file selection dialog box from where you can browse the desired executable which you want to block access to the Internet. The Delete button will remove the selected program from the block list. The Advanced button will open Microsoft Management Console for Windows Firewall. This MMC is an advanced function of Windows Firewall from which you can setup different policies for the Firewall. The About button will give you information about Firewall App Blocker.

Behind the scenes, Firewall App Blocker makes use of the following registry key to add the programs to the Windows Firewall block list:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\services\\SharedAccess\\Parameters\\FirewallPolicy\\FirewallRules

If you have advanced knowledge of how to work with Windows registry, you can make your own Firewall rules using the above registry key.

In my opinion Firewall App Blocker is a handy program to have if you work frequently with Windows Firewall. It makes difficult tasks of blocking internet access to specific programs in Windows a lot easier and straight forward.

Download Firewall App Blocker

[download id=”26″]

April 24, 2012

Download Vistalizator 2.5 With Windows 7 SP1 Support

UK Microsoft, Software, Windows, Windows 7 language packs, Vistalizator, windows 7, Windows Vista 1 Comment

What is Vistalizator?

Vistalizator is a popular program for adding any language pack MUI to any edition of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Vistalizator 2.5 has been released with support for more languages. By default, the Multilingual pack (MUI) can only be installed on Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions. Same is the case with Windows Vista. There is no support available for Windows 7 Starter and Home Premium editions. This can be made possible by the use of Vistalizator.

I have already given a complete tutorial on how to use Vistalizator in order to install additional languages in Windows Vista and Windows 7. You can follow the same tutorial with the latest version of Vistalizator 2.5. Or you can watch the complete video tutorial on how to use Vistalizator here:

Vistalizator tutorial

What’s new in Vistalizator 2.5?

Vistalizator 2.4 used to have problems with Windows 7 SP1 but now it has complete support for Windows 7 SP1. There are additional LIPs supported by Vistalizator 2.5. You can download the additional LIPs from here. You can also download Windows 7 SP 1 language packs. Some of the new features added in 2.5:

Works on Windows 7 RTM
Supports Windows Vista SP2
Supports 13 new LIP languages for Windows Vista
Multiple language support for program’s interface
Program’s Help available in 8 languages

Download Vistalizator 2.5

[download id=”7″]

April 19, 2012

Real Desktop: Turn Windows Desktop Into 3D Desktop

Abdullah Software, Windows system, Windows Vista 1 Comment

Real Desktop is 3D animated desktop software. It shows you all the icons in 3D with their shade. You can move the icons in a 3D space. The icons can be placed on each other and you still have the right click context menu. The Real Desktop uses your graphics card for rendition of the new desktop. The software does not slow down the speed of your computer.

Features

Arrangement of desktop in 3D space
Rotate icons
Change size of icons
Picture Preview
3D Sound
Integrate your own graphics
Different Themes and Wallpapers

Installation & Usage

After installation you need to run Real Desktop for the 3D desktop. The new desktop will load in a few seconds. A Mini Tutorial menu will be showing in the top right corner of the desktop by which you can learn how to drag n drop, cut and paste, copy and paste, move a file to Recycle Bin or any Folder.

By holding the Right Mouse Button for ¼ of a second you will see a new menu for changing Camera View. There is also an option to launch sticky notes. You can Zoom the desktop by double clicking on the empty space.

The settings window can be opened by the right click menu on the tray icon. With Settings page, you can add Documents, Network, Control Panel icons. You can change the default blue screen with different color and atmosphere options.

Wallpaper Changing Trick

You can also make your wallpaper look like 3D by using the method given below:

Open Settings window
Click on Wallpaper tab
Check the Keystroke (Spacebar)
Now press space and you will see the wallpaper changing in a 3D style.

Download and System requirements

The software is compatible with the Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. You must have DirectX capable graphics card with minimum 64 MB RAM. Geforce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 Graphics card will run Real Desktop without any problem.

Download RealDesktop Standard (Free)

April 17, 2012

ExplorerView: Disable Explorer Auto-Detect Folder Contents

Abdullah Software, Windows, Windows 7 Best Free Windows Explorer Add-ons And Enhancements, Start Menu, update, windows 7, Windows Vista 0 Comments

In Windows Vista and Windows 7 whenever you open Windows Explorer, it detects the contents of folders and then lists the details of files in it. The file contents automatically determined by Windows Explorer are; file size, file type, description etc. This behavior is useful only when you open a folder with small number of files, but if there are a large number of files then this feature slows down your work. If you disable this feature, folders open without any delay.

A screenshot of Windows Explorer (Address bar is showing in green colour during explorer file detection)

ExplorerView is small utility which can disable the auto detection of folders in Windows explorer, You can also

Set all folder icons in large view.
Disable Explorer’s Preview Pane. The Preview Pane is in the right side of the explorer window
Disable Explorer’s Details Pane. The Details Pane is at the bottom side of the explorer window
Fix Windows Update Error. This will fix the error windows update often warns
Disable automatic reboot with Window Update. Windows Update sometimes automatically reboots your computer. This can be disabled with this option
Automatically alphabetized the All Programs menu. You can resort the Programs in the Start Menu alphabetically
Disable Recycle Bin (permanently delete files). With this option selected you will have no confirmation dialogue that warns you every time you want to delete a file
You can adjust Start Menu Delay. The value should be given in milliseconds.
Allow 32-bit screen savers to run on 64-bit windows. This option is for the 64 bit windows only, you can run 32-bit screensaver on 64-bit platform.

Download the version compatible with your system. After download, install it and run it, you will see a small window with these options.

Check on the option you want then click OK. You will be asked to restart windows.

ExplorerView is compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7 only

Download ExplorerView 32-bit edition

Download ExplorerView 64-bit edition

April 13, 2012

Prayaya V3: Create A Portable Virtual Operating System on A USB Drive

Abdullah Software, Windows Start Menu, system, Windows Vista, Windows XP 2 Comments

Prayaya is small software that lets you create virtual operating system which does not integrate with your Windows core system files. The virtual operating system has its own installed applications and documents. By installing this Operating System on the USB flash drive you can take all your applications and documents with you on the removable media. You can browse the Internet inside this OS and save data which will not appear in the host Operating System. This virtual Operating System is also independent of the host OS. This means if you have installed Prayaya on the USB flash drive and running Windows XP as the host OS, you can run the same Virtualized Operating System with the host as Windows Vista or Windows 7. The interface of the Prayaya remains the same as of Host OS.

Features of Prayaya

Create Virtual and Portable Operating system
Install any Application in isolation from Host OS
Browse Internet in an Isolated environment from the Host OS
Adapts the same interface as of Host Windows
Installs on a USB device

The download size of Prayaya is much smaller as compared to its functions. When you run the setup, it will ask you for which drive to install. Note that Prayaya files are installed in root directory of any drive. Choose a drive that does not have Windows installed in it or you can plug-in a USB drive and install Prayaya on it. The desktop screen will load after the Prayaya splash screen. You will also see Prayaya Information window to install applications.

When you open the start menu of Prayaya, you will see no extra application installed other than default Windows applications. You can browse My Computer which will open all your hard drives. You can install any application. Remember that the application will be installed in the Prayaya OS and will not be available on the Host OS. To switch to the Host OS or exit Prayaya you need to click on the Prayaya toolbar.

Download Prayaya V3

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