Windows Client OS

How can I create the Setup Boot floppies for Windows XP Pro/Home? Windows XP Setup boot disks are available only by download from Microsoft. The Setup boot disks are available so that you can run Setup on computers that do not support a bootable CD-ROM.  If your computer does support booting from a CD-ROM, or… Read More

Where did the volume control icon disappear in Windows XP? This is another stupid "feature" of Windows XP. I usually restore the volume control icon back to where it belongs: The notification area of the tray. To display the volume control icon in the notification area: Open Sounds and Audio Devices in Control Panel. On… Read More

How do I copy a user profile in Windows XP? Why is the COPY TO button grayed out? UPDATE: This method is no longer supported. You need to create an additional account and copy it over that account (and not over the default user profile). To copy a user profile in XP do the following:… Read More

As you may remember, in my "How can I change or add OEM logo and information on my computer?" article, one could easily add support information such as manufacturer information, support link and other information, plus a small image of the manufacturer's logo. This information was inserted by manufacturers that sold pre-installed computers and laptops,… Read More

Network administrators have had countless times that they need to change the registered user and company name for a Windows installation. Unfortunately, this process is rather difficult and needs to be done through the registry. Fortunately, by following the steps below you will be able to edit the registered user and company name for either… Read More

How can I customize a new Windows XP installation? When installing a brand new Windows XP Pro computer (read my Install Windows XP Pro page) I end up making many changes to its interface and some of its interior settings. Some of these changes are for made for performance reasons while others are purely visual… Read More

How can I allow more than 2 simultaneous downloads in IE 6? To configure IE to allow up to 10 simultaneous downloads (it only allows 2 at a time) do the following: Open Registry Editor. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then… Read More

How can I customize the Places Bar in Office XP? In Office 2000 you needed to either edit the registry or use a utility to change the places bar and could not do it on the fly. Also, the places bar was limited to no more than ten entries. With Office XP, it's easy to… Read More

Some of you remember how it was possible to change the boot logo screen of Windows 95/98. I'm not sure why anyone would go into the trouble of actually doing it, but it seems that it is possible to do the same for Windows Vista. By using a freeware 3rd-party tool called Vista Boot Logo… Read More

What's the difference between Product Activation and Product Registration? In one short line: Activation is mandatory, registration is optional. Activation is anonymous, registration is not. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, retail and OEM products, contain software-based product activation technology, which means you need to activate your copy of Windows XP/2003 in order to use… Read More

I’ve used the command shell since the days of DOS 5.0. In these days, using the command line was a necessity since Windows was in its infancy. As Windows technology improved I never gave up my command line roots since I could automate many tasks using scripts which gave me more time to do other… Read More

Those of you who’ve already installed Windows Vista on their own (read my “Install Windows Vista” article) must have noticed that the installation process prompts you to create a user account when it runs. Note: See this article to enable the administrator's account in Windows 7 This account is an administrator account (and a member… Read More

Scheduled to be released in the beginning of 2008, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) delivers improvements and enhancements to existing Vista features that significantly impact customers, but it does not deliver substantial new operating system features. Microsoft has published a comprehensive document outlining exactly what difference SP1 makes to Vista. See a download link… Read More

How can I activate Windows XP? Windows XP uses software-based product activation technology, which means that you must activate your copy of Windows XP to use it. This article describes how to activate Windows XP. How Activation Works? Product activation reduces a form of software piracy known as "casual copying". Casual copying is the sharing… Read More

Can I use Automatic Completion with a Command Prompt in Windows 2000/XP/2003? Yes. This article describes how to configure Windows 2000/XP/2003 to complete file and folder names automatically that you type at a command prompt. This feature works by typing a control character that invokes the feature. For example, to change to the Program Files… Read More