When I was working in IT I sometimes dealt with support requests that involved the caps lock key. Users were complaining that they could not enter their password, or that they locked their account even though they were sure that they had entered the right password, or that their username was displayed in upper case [...]
- Author: Melanie Gross
- Comments: 5
Hide, Delete or Customize Libraries in Windows 7
The Libraries feature in Windows 7 provides an easy interface to manage multiple file locations from a single location. Four default libraries are displayed in Windows Explorer: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Video. Many users only utilize one or two of the libraries. You can easily remove any of these libraries from the Navigation Pane and [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 11
Unable to Terminate Process, Windows Task Manager Alternatives
Today I tried to install the Adobe Flash Plugin for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. The basic idea was to download the executable, run it and have Flash installed. The problem was that somehow the whole process got corrupted which had several consequences. The Flash Player installation running in the background was creating new temporary Flash executables [...]
- Author: Melanie Gross
- Comments: 4
Remove Applications from the Context Menu in Windows Manually
Windows accumulates context menu items any time you install several applications. Not all applications end up on the context menu but enough do so over time that the menu can become cluttered. You might find yourself wondering, “How did that get there?” You may not want it on the context menu, but it is there [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 2
Windows 8 Service Configurations
With every new Microsoft operating system, regardless of it being a client or server OS, come new and modified services. System administrators as well as end users who are interested in optimizing their PC and knowing what’s running in the background need to spend time to analyze the changes. One of the best Windows Service [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 22
Copy CMD Output Directly To The Clipboard
The Windows command line prompt can be handy at times and sometimes even the only option to execute a specific command in the operating system. You sometimes may need to copy the output of a command to the Windows Clipboard, for instance to use the output in another application. Most users that I know handle [...]
- Author: Melanie Gross
- Comments: 1
ActiveX Controls and Windows Update Errors: Fix the Traffic
Initially, when your computer is new and you have a fresh Windows 7 installation, Windows Update works perfectly. You see no errors, everything is set to automatic and you need not lift a finger. Then, as you actually use your PC for awhile and utilize its capabilities, one day you see the error messages. Windows [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 2
Sort Your Desktop Toolbar By Name
I do not have any program shortcuts on my desktop, only a few text, Excel and Word documents that I like to have in reach whenever I need them. I have also added a Desktop toolbar to my Windows 7 taskbar to access the files when windows are displayed on the desktop that hide the [...]
- Author: Martin Brinkmann
- Comments: 3
Windows 8 Supports Zero-Power Optical Disk Drives
Microsoft’s intention to optimize the upcoming Windows 8 operating system for mobile devices like netbooks or tablets has the consequence that the Redmond company has to optimize the operating system’s power consumption. Laptop users with optical disk drives may benefit from the operating system’s support of a feature called Zero-Power Optical Disk Drive (Zero Power [...]