Walker News » Windows Vista

Switch Windows Task Manager To Tiny Footprint mode

Walker — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:47:36 +0000

I called that windowless or skin mode. Microsoft, however, officially called it Tiny Footprint mode since Windows 2000 (about 10 years ago, but I just know this mode today).

Running Windows Task Manager in Tiny Footprint mode means to remove or hide the menu bar and tabs, as well as ability to resize window to the smallest possible. While running in normal mode, you can’t resize Windows Task Manager to those “odd” window size:

The Windows Task Manger in Tiny Footprint mode is similar to Windows Media Player in skin mode, where the windowless appearance doesn’t show extra buttons, options, or description except the main controls and relevant views.

To some users, the tiny footprint mode looks clean and elegant. The convenient of further resize display window allows one to easily arrange active windows on screen, be it horizontally on a big wide screen or squeezing in the good old CRT monitor.

As the fact of activating Tiny Footprint mode is just by double-click empty space near to the border or edge of Windows Task Manager display, most people actually accidentally (rather than by wish) switching their Windows Task Manager to this windowless display mode.

To restore the “missing” menu bar and tabs in Windows Task Manager, just double-click on the empty space again.

Enable Windows 7 Auto Complete File Name In Save As Dialog Box

Walker — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:26:16 +0000

The Windows 7 auto-append and auto-suggest file name in the Save As dialog box is a nice feature to know. You will appreciate it if you’ve to save number of files in a folder with its name in a serial pattern (e.g. rpt1.log, rpt2.log, etc).

By default installation, both auto-complete file name and auto-suggest file name features are enabled in Windows 7. However, these features might be turned off by some other applications for some reasons.

Well, no matter what reasons are behind, I kinda unhappy with this as I have to manually type the full file name in Save As dialog box instead of only changing the number series.

How to enable auto-complete / auto-suggest file name feature of Windows 7?

This trick makes change to the Windows Registry. If you’re not comfortable to edit Windows Registry manually, don’t bother to try. If you believe me, download and run the .reg file (Registration Entries; Registry file) to get the job done.

1) Click Windows 7 Start button, type regedit, and click the regedit.exe shortcut appears atop of Start menu.

2) Locate this Registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > AutoComplete

3) On the right-pane, double click the AutoSuggest and change it from “no” to “yes”. Similarly for the Append Completion value.

Append Completion set to “yes” will automatically append or complete the file name as you type, if so happen the folder has a file that match your initial file name.
AutoSuggest set to “yes” will automatically suggest a list of files in the folder that match the initial file name as you type it in Save As Dialog box.

Download AutoComplete.reg (please verify MD5 Checksum before run it).
[ MD5 Checksum: 0d14f2e009e726546f3e5fd0aca6ca37 ]

Backup Or Export Outlook 2007 Exchange Email Account Settings – Step by Step

Walker — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:39:16 +0000

With reference to the previous post, not all get the picture of how to use Windows Easy Transfer program to backup or export Microsoft Exchange email account settings in Outlook 2007.

So, here is the step-by-step guide:

The guide tested successful as I exported Outlook-Exchange account settings from Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit to Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit installation. This is particularly useful for those (like me) who would like to duplicate Outlook-Exchange account settings in office computer to Laptop or personal computer at home.

Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit

1) Click Start button, type windows easy transfer in the Start Search text box, click the program shortcut appears atop.

If you don’t get it in the Vista-way, then follow the classic-way: Click Start button > All programs > Accessories > System Tools > Windows Easy Transfer.

Depend on UAC setup, you might get Consent UI – just acknowledge it by clicking Continue button.

2) In the Welcome to Windows Easy Transfer screen, there is only one Next button to click :-)

3) If there are open programs, the “Close programs” screen is shown. Although your target is only Outlook 2007, other programs should able to continue running. However, there is only one “Close all” button. What to do, just close all running programs in order to proceed :-(

4) Next screen asks “Do you want to start a new transfer or continue one in progress?”, click “Start a new transfer” option (select files and settings to transfer to new computer).

5) Another screen asks “Which computer are you using now?”, click “My old computer” option (transfer files and settings from this computer to a new computer, which match with my test case – from office PC to home Desktop).

6) Now, the screen asks “Choose how to transfer files and settings to your new computer” – just click the last option in the screen, i.e. “Use a CD, DVD, or other removable media” (USB flash drive or external hard disk).

The dump-size of Outlook-Exchange email account setting is just about 200KB for one particular Windows user. If “System and program settings (all users)” is selected, that could be easily few ten Megabytes.

7) The screen asks “Choose how to transfer files and program settings” – what storage media to save the output file? If USB drive is attached, click that option. Otherwise, click “External hard disk or to a network location” (local hard disk is used if no external hard disk or network location is found).

8) Tell the program where to save the MIG file (migration store file). Optionally, specify a password to protect the MIG file (min. length of password is 1 character).

9) Click Advanced options in order to selectively export Outlook application setting only.

10) Deselect all the check boxes except the “Microsoft Office Outlook 2007″ of your Windows user account.

11) When the export process completes, you will see SaveData.MIG (default file name; Migration Store file) appears in the folder you’ve specified.

The MIG file will then be restored / imported to Windows 7 by its own version of Windows Easy Transfer program.

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Now is about import or restore the Outlook-Exchange email account setting that exported from Windows Vista (32-bit) to this Windows 7 (64-bit).

1) Start Windows Easy Transfer (refer to Windows Vista steps on how to locate and run the program).

2) Use the external hard disk or USB flash drive option to restore the MIG file (known as Easy Transfer file in Windows 7, which is the Migration Store file created in Windows Vista).

3) Obviously, you have to click “This is my new computer” option, to restore the MIG file to Windows 7 now.

4) Click Yes and locate the MIG file you have saved from Windows Vista. If there is a password that protect the MIG file, Windows Easy Transfer will prompt you to enter the required password.

5) Now, just click Transfer button to restore or import the MIG file content for the logged on, active user account; otherwise, click the Advanced Options to tell Windows Easy Transfer which local user account it should restore the MIG file.

How To Create A Custom View To Filter All Lock Computer Events In Vista SP2?

Walker — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:32:41 +0000

I have a habit of customizing the Windows audit policy with gpedit.msc to especially record log on events.

Sometimes, I wonder if I had locked the workstation when I left the computer and walked to somewhere else. So when that question crosses my head, the Event Viewer is ready to provide an answer.

However, there are many events of different categories that differentiated by Event ID logged in Windows Security Log. Obviously, it will take some seconds to locate “The workstation was locked” or Event ID 4800 from the Windows Event Viewer :-(

In order to make life easier, the Event Viewer has a way of creating Custom View, sort of filter, to list only the interested Windows events to user.

Create Custom View in Vista SP2 Event Viewer to filter and display the Lock Computer event:

As said earlier, the Event ID 4800 represents “Lock Computer” event in Windows (in my test case, it’s Vista SP2).

1) Click the Vista Orb (Start button), type eventvwr.exe or eventvwr.msc, and press ENTER to open Event Viewer.

Alternatively, go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and double-click the Event Viewer shortcut icon.

2) On its left pane, expand the Windows Logs and right click on Security to activate Create Custom View option in the context menu:

3) In the Create Custom View window, go to Filter tab, click on the text box and type 4800 followed by clicking OK button.

4) Now, the Save Filter to Custom View dialog box appears. Give this Custom View a meaningful name and description, e.g. Lock Computer 4800.

Finally, you should have noticed a new entry in Custom Views folder (precisely called node of the TreeView control in the programming world):

Using gpedit To Enable Or Disable Switch User In Vista SP2

Walker — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:03:26 +0000

Sometimes, there are more than one ways to solve a problem, i.e. more than one ways to the Rome.

Besides Windows Registry, you can also use Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) to enable or disable Windows Vista Fast User Switching function.

To certain extent, Local Group Policy editor can be regarded as a better front-end to Windows Registry editor, in the sense that changes made in Local Group Policy are actually reflected or stored in Windows Registry.

Also, gpedit.msc provides a more readable and friendly user interface than regedit.exe. For example, there is short description to explain each of the group policy:

As shown in the screenshot, the “hide entry points for Fast User Switching” policy allows Administrator to hide the Switch User button in the Logon user interface, the Start menu, and the Windows Task Manager.

1) Click the Vista Orb (i.e. Vista Start button), type gpedit.msc and press Enter key to open Local Group Policy Editor.

2) On the left pane of editor window, locate to this path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon

3) While stop at Logon entry on left pane, locate and click the “Hide entry points for Fast User Switching” in the right pane.

4) In the properties dialog box, select Enable and click OK to hide or disable Switch User function; otherwise select Disable and click OK.

After making change to this policy entry, you should notice the Registry key value of HideFastUserSwitching changed accordingly.

If “Not Configured” option is selected, the HideFastUserSwitching Registry key will be missing from Windows Registry. For my test case on Vista SP2, setting this policy to “not configured” is actually enabling Switch User function by default.

How To Disable Or Enable User Switching In Windows Vista?

Walker — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:09:13 +0000

I can’t recall that I did disable or turn off Windows Vista Fast User Switching, but somehow the Switch User function is missing from my Dell Latitude.

Frankly speaking, the aging laptop scores only 1 in Windows Experience Index is not justified for two Windows user accounts log in concurrently. However, Switch User function could be useful during account lockout period which normally last for 30 minutes.

This happen to me in the morning meeting, where I failed to unlock the locked Windows Desktop after entering wrong password for 3 tries in a row :-(.

Without Fast User Switching enabled, I don’t think there is another simple way to reset the lockout Windows account. Thus, I had to wait for a 30-minutes lapse in order to log on and continue with the unsaved files and PowerPoint slides again.

Now, rather than find out why or “who” disabled the Switch User function, I find a way to re-enable (or disable it, for you case) the Fast User Switching in Windows Vista:

The following steps make changes to Windows Registry. If you’re not comfortable with Registry editing, stop here or be careful.

1) Open an elevated Command Prompt (i.e. a Command Prompt window with real Administrator privilege),

2) Copy and paste the following Reg.exe command in the elevated Command Prompt window, followed by pressing ENTER key to enable Switch User function in Windows Vista:

reg add HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v HideFastUserSwitching /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

To disable Fast User Switching in Windows Vista:

Similarly, open an elevated Command Prompt window and execute the following Reg.exe command:

reg add HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v HideFastUserSwitching /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Personally, I prefer to use Reg.exe to edit Windows Registry in Command Prompt window, provided the command is valid for the purpose.

Reg.exe is bundled with Windows Vista installation. For non-Vista users, you might need to separately download Reg.exe of Microsoft Platform Support Reporting Utility.

If you’ve doubt or prefer to manually update Windows Registry with Regedit.exe or Regedt32.exe, just locate the HideFastUserSwitching key in this following Registry path:

HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

The key value 0 means to enable while 1 to disable Switch User function.

How To Configure Windows Update Proxy Server Settings In Windows Vista SP1?

Walker — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:54:21 +0000

Windows Update requires two other clients to work, i.e. WinHTTP (Windows HTTP Service) and BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) to scan and download the available updates from Microsoft servers.

Interestingly, none of these services is using Internet Explorer proxy setting. Indeed, Windows Update clients refers to WinHTTP proxy server setting that is either configured manually by user or automatically updated by Web Proxy Auto Detect (WPAD) feature of the connecting network.

Therefore, laptop users who access Internet via proxy server in corporate network with WPAD feature enabled are likely have problem to run Windows Update after switching to direct network (e.g. home broadband, public WIFI, etc) or other network that enforce proxy server for Internet access but disable Web Proxy Auto Detect setting.

WPAD setting is normally configured by network administrator in either DNS (Domain Name System) or DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) option.

In case WinHTTP proxy server setting is not updated, you have to do it manually.

The following guide to disable / enable WinHTTP proxy server is based on Windows Vista SP1. Anyway, it should be working on other Windows versions that support netsh command set.

To disable WinHTTP proxy server

Execute netsh winhttp show proxy to check if you have a proxy server configured for WinHTTP. To disable the WinHTTP proxy setting:

1) Open an elevated Command Prompt window (i.e. Command Prompt window with real Administrator privilege).

2) Execute netsh winhttp reset proxy to reset WinHTTP proxy setting to DIRECT (i.e. to connect to Internet directly without using any kind of proxy server).

Configure WinHTTP proxy setting

If the connecting network does not enable Web Proxy Auto Detect setting but requires proxy server (e.g. IP 188.8.6.7 and port number 80) to access Internet:

1) Open a Command Prompt window with real Administrator privilege.

2) Execute netsh set proxy 188.8.6.7:80.

To view netsh help and example on WinHTTP proxy configuration, execute this

netsh winhttp set proxy help

According to the netsh winhttp help, it’s possible to define different proxy server for http and/or https connection.