Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Reset Account Password In Safe Mode

This can happen to any of us, usually we forget Windows accounts' passwords, when we want it least of all. But such situations are very common and this is good when you know how to reset it, as it will save your time and efforts in future.

This is an instruction how to reset account password in Windows XP (on condition that you do not have password set on Administrator account):

1. Reboot PC/laptop in Safe Mode (press and hold 'F8' button when the PC starts and choose 'Safe Mode' in the list). Log in under 'Administrator' account.

Frequently this account doesn't have password set.

You're prompted to set password on it during Windows XP installation.

2. Go to [Start] > [Control Panel] > [Administrative Tools] > [Computer Management] :

Computer Management.PNG

3. Expend 'System Tools' node, then 'Local Users & Groups' and choose 'Users'. On the right side choose user account and right-click on it. Menu with options will appear.

Select "Set Password..." option.

Set Password.PNG

4. The confirmation window will appear. Press 'Proceed' button to continue the process of resetting password:

Proceed button.PNG

5. After that the window with the passwords fields will appear. Enter new password twice, or leave these fields empty to log in without password.

Reset the password.PNG

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Troubleshoot Slow Start Ups with Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics



Sometimes, Windows might start correctly but might take an unusually long time to do so. Such a problems can be difficult to troubleshoot, because there’s no straightforward way to monitor processes while Windows is starting. To help administrators identify the source of startup performance problems, and to automatically fix some problems, Windows Vista includes Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics.
You can use the Group Policy settings to manage Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics in an Active Directory environment. In the Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Troubleshooting and Diagnostics\Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics node, edit the Configure Scenario Execution Level policy. When this policy is enabled, you can choose from the following two settings:

Detection And Troubleshooting Only Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics will identify startup performance problems and will add an event to the Event Log, allowing administrators to detect the problem and manually troubleshoot it. Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics will not attempt to fix the problem, however.

Detection, Troubleshooting, And Resolution
Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics will identify startup performance problems and automatically take steps to attempt to alleviate the problems.
If you disable the setting, Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics will neither identify nor attempt to resolve startup performance problems. For Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics to function, the Diagnostic Policy Service must be running.
Settings for Windows Shutdown Performance Diagnostics, which function similarly to the Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics, are located in the Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Troubleshooting And Diagnostics\Windows Shutdown Performance Diagnostics node.

Windows 7 God Mode - Get Access To All Your Tweaks and Options in One Directory


All your Tweaks and Options in One Huge Folder

Windows 7 has many tweaks and features that turn options on and off or adjust things. The problem is they are buried under Control Panel and other places that are a few clicks away. Many people don't know there are Master Folders that you can set up which give you easy access to this. This is called God Mode. To create the most common God Mode follow these directions.

  • Create a restore point in case you mess something up
  • Create a "New Folder" somwhere easily accessible to you (don't use an existing folder).
  • After you have created a new folder
  • Highlight the folder and choose rename
  • Copy this string to the folder name GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
  • Thursday, March 4, 2010

    Copy the names in AutoComplete to another computer

    Applies to
    Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003

    Do you miss the convenience of Outlook automatically completing people's names as you begin to type them on your new computer? Are you upgrading to a new computer and don't want to lose all the names stored in your Outlook AutoComplete feature? Wouldn't it be nice if Outlook installed on your new computer just "remembered" the names and filled them in for you?

    Automatically complete e-mail addresses

    You can copy the names in AutoComplete from your old computer to your new one.


    Important You must exit Outlook before starting the following procedure. The names will be included in AutoComplete when you restart Outlook.

    1. On the computer with the saved AutoComplete names, go to drive:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.

      Note Depending on your file settings, this folder might be hidden. To view the files in this folder, do one of the following:

      HideMicrosoft Windows XP

      1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
      2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
      3. Click the View tab, and then, under Advanced settings, under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders.

      ShowMicrosoft Windows 2000

      1. Double-click My Computer on your desktop.
      2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
      3. Click the View tab, and then click Show hidden files and folders.
    2. Right-click profile name.nk2, and then click Copy.

      Tip You can copy the file to removable media, such as a floppy disk or a CD, and then copy the file to the correct location on the other computer. Or you can attach the file to an e-mail message and send the message to yourself. On the new computer, open the attachment in Outlook, and then save it to the correct location.

    3. On the computer where you want to populate the AutoComplete feature, copy the file to drive:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.
    4. If the Outlook user profile name is different on the computer where you are moving the .nk2 file, you must rename the file with the same Outlook user profile name after you copy it to the correct folder. For example, if you move Kim Akers.nk2 from the original computer with an Outlook user profile name of Kim Akers, and you copy the Kim Akers.nk2 file to the new computer, you must rename it with the Outlook profile name being used on the new computer.
    5. When prompted about replacing the existing file, click Yes.
    6. Open Outlook to view changes.