Windows Tips

Windows Tips are mostly version dependent. So they are grouped by windows version into three categories:

• Windows 8 Tips
• Windows 7 Tips
• Windows XP Tips

But at the same time there are several generic tips that are applicable to all versions of Window. Among them:

1. Remap Caps Lock to Ctrl. The easiest way to do it is to install RandyRants SharpKeys -- registry hack that permits remapping Caps Lock to Alt and remap Caps Lock to Ctrl.  This is a blunder in the design of IBM keyboard that, thanks God, is easily correctable.
2. Tweak look and feel using built-in ClearType text tuning utility by typing cttune in the Start Menu search field and opening the search result.
3. Install Cygwin.
4. Install Active Perl  (or Iron Python if you prefer the latter)
5. Install ISO Recorder Power Toy . The tool that can create ISO images from CD/DVD disks as well as burn CD/DVD ISO images to media. The tool was written by Alex Feinman
6. OFM managers are really superior file manager for advanced users then Windows Explorer. Two leading OFM are Windows 7 compatible:
   • Install FAR.  Has capability to store data on data partition via soft link.
   • Install Total Commander  Has capability to store ini files in different directory (data partition)
7. Install better editors. For example:
   1. NOTEPAD++ -- great free replacement for notepad. Another option is to install Notetab.
   2. Komodo Editor: Komodo Edit Free Editor for Perl, Python, Tcl, PHP, Ruby, HTML, CSS, Javascript
8. Install 7-zip. You might wish also to install (and license) RAR.  Beware that 7-zip encryption is flaky
9. Install ArsClip. This is a wonderful free clipboard manager. In windows 7 it is better to install it outside Program_files tree.
10. Install Teraterm
11. Install WinSCP. An excellent scp client with Orthodox file manager like interface. Better and more convenient to use then  Filezilla
12. Create C:\Utils directory and install  info-zip in it.
    • Download page is FTP directory -pub-infozip-win32- at ftp.info-zip.org
    • The best way to download is from Sourceforge Info-ZIP project - Browse Files at SourceForge.net
13. Correct path to include C:\Utils directory, Perl and C:\Cygwin\bin directory.
14. Install clip.exe from Windows 2003 server

    Quickly Copy Error and Display Messages

    ...copy the CLIP.EXE file from a Windows Server 2003 into your system's path (best if placed in %systemroot%\system32 folder). You can also get the file from HERE (14kb)

15. Install console2. Console Free software downloads at SourceForge.net
16. Install one of Windows bulk file copy tools

NEWS CONTENTS

• 20170523 : Sysinternals Sync ( May 23, 2017 , technet.microsoft.com )
• 20170517 : How to Enable Volume Shadow Copy in windows 7 - Microsoft Community ( May 17, 2017 , answers.microsoft.com )
• 20130808 : Creating Symbolic Links ( softpanorama.org, Aug 08, 2013 )
• 20130114 : Run the Windows Explorer GUI ( Run the Windows Explorer GUI, Jan 14, 2013 )

Old News ;-)

[May 23, 2017] Sysinternals Sync

May 23, 2017 | technet.microsoft.com

See Sysinternals Sync.

UNIX provides a standard utility called Sync, which can be used to direct the operating system to flush all file system data to disk in order to insure that it is stable and won't be lost in case of a system failure. Otherwise, any modified data present in the cache would be lost. Here is an equivalent that I wrote, called Sync, that works on all versions of Windows. Use it whenever you want to know that modified file data is safely stored on your hard drives. Unfortunately, Sync requires administrative privileges to run. This version also lets you flush removable drives such as ZIP drives.

Using Sync

Usage: sync [-r] [-e] [drive letter list]

-r	Flush removable drives.
-e	Ejects removable drives.

Specifying specific drives (e.g. "c e") will result in Sync only flushing those drives.

[May 17, 2017] How to Enable Volume Shadow Copy in windows 7 - Microsoft Community

May 17, 2017 | answers.microsoft.com

The title and message were edited so now we know what is needed.

How to Create a System Restore Point in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/697-system-restore-point-create.html

How to Do a System Restore in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/335-system-protection-change-disk-space-usage.html

How to Turn System Protection On or Off in Windows 7
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/330-system-protection-turn-off.html

Adjusting the amount of disk space System Restore uses to hold restore points
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/diskspacev.html

How To Change How Much Space System Restore Can Use
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/76227-system-restore-disk-space.html
http://www.petri.co.il/change_amount_of_disk_space_used_by_system_restore_in_vista.htm

Vssadmin ShadowStorage Commands
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc755866(WS.10).aspx

Volume Shadow Copy Service
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee923636(WS.10).aspx

Volume Shadow Copy Service
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb968832(VS.85).aspx

VSSADMIN
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/89d2e411-6977-4808-9ad5-476c9eaecaa51033.mspx?mfr=true

Windows Vista System Restore Guide
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial143.html

Controlling Shadow Copies in Vista (and Windows 7!)
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342534,00.asp

A good utility :

Shadow Explorer - Free
http://www.shadowexplorer.com/

Hope this helps.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows and Devices for IT: Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.

[Aug 08, 2013] Creating Symbolic Links

[Jan 14, 2013] Run the Windows Explorer GUI

Here are a few easy ways to invoke the Windows Explorer GUI, which displays certain parts of the directory/folder tree depending on given syntax. I also threw in a few other miscellaneous items.

1. Select Run
Then type "."
This action will invoke the C:\Documents and Settings\mysysad

2. Select Run
Then type ".."
This action will invoke a window that displays C:\Documents and Settings

3. Select Run
Then type "..."
This action will invoke a window that displays My Computer

Other misc Run exercises

Select Run
Type "explorer" - same as Type "My Documents"
Type "explorer c:"
Type "explorer desktop"
Type "explorer ."
Type "explorer .."

Select Run
Type "control panel"

Select Run
Type "recent"

Select Run
Type "calc"

Select Run
Type "notepad"

Select Run
Type "wordpad"

Select Run
Type "ping MySysAdDOTCOM"

Select Run
Type "c:" or "d:" or "a:"

Select Run
Type "freecell"
Type "sol"
Type "mshearts"
Type "spider"
Type "winmine"

Select Run
Type "mspaint"

Select Run
Type "nslookup"

Select Run
Type "cmd"

Etc

Society

Groupthink : Two Party System as Polyarchy : Corruption of Regulators : Bureaucracies : Understanding Micromanagers and Control Freaks : Toxic Managers :   Harvard Mafia : Diplomatic Communication : Surviving a Bad Performance Review : Insufficient Retirement Funds as Immanent Problem of Neoliberal Regime : PseudoScience : Who Rules America : Neoliberalism  : The Iron Law of Oligarchy : Libertarian Philosophy

Quotes

War and Peace : Skeptical Finance : John Kenneth Galbraith :Talleyrand : Oscar Wilde : Otto Von Bismarck : Keynes : George Carlin : Skeptics : Propaganda  : SE quotes : Language Design and Programming Quotes : Random IT-related quotes :  Somerset Maugham : Marcus Aurelius : Kurt Vonnegut : Eric Hoffer : Winston Churchill : Napoleon Bonaparte : Ambrose Bierce :  Bernard Shaw : Mark Twain Quotes

Bulletin:

Vol 25, No.12 (December, 2013) Rational Fools vs. Efficient Crooks The efficient markets hypothesis : Political Skeptic Bulletin, 2013 : Unemployment Bulletin, 2010 :  Vol 23, No.10 (October, 2011) An observation about corporate security departments : Slightly Skeptical Euromaydan Chronicles, June 2014 : Greenspan legacy bulletin, 2008 : Vol 25, No.10 (October, 2013) Cryptolocker Trojan (Win32/Crilock.A) : Vol 25, No.08 (August, 2013) Cloud providers as intelligence collection hubs : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2010 : Inequality Bulletin, 2009 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2008 : Copyleft Problems Bulletin, 2004 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2011 : Energy Bulletin, 2010 : Malware Protection Bulletin, 2010 : Vol 26, No.1 (January, 2013) Object-Oriented Cult : Political Skeptic Bulletin, 2011 : Vol 23, No.11 (November, 2011) Softpanorama classification of sysadmin horror stories : Vol 25, No.05 (May, 2013) Corporate bullshit as a communication method  : Vol 25, No.06 (June, 2013) A Note on the Relationship of Brooks Law and Conway Law

History:

Fifty glorious years (1950-2000): the triumph of the US computer engineering : Donald Knuth : TAoCP and its Influence of Computer Science : Richard Stallman : Linus Torvalds  : Larry Wall  : John K. Ousterhout : CTSS : Multix OS Unix History : Unix shell history : VI editor : History of pipes concept : Solaris : MS DOS :  Programming Languages History : PL/1 : Simula 67 : C : History of GCC development :  Scripting Languages : Perl history   : OS History : Mail : DNS : SSH : CPU Instruction Sets : SPARC systems 1987-2006 : Norton Commander : Norton Utilities : Norton Ghost : Frontpage history : Malware Defense History : GNU Screen : OSS early history

Classic books:

The Peter Principle : Parkinson Law : 1984 : The Mythical Man-Month :  How to Solve It by George Polya : The Art of Computer Programming : The Elements of Programming Style : The Unix Hater’s Handbook : The Jargon file : The True Believer : Programming Pearls : The Good Soldier Svejk : The Power Elite

Most popular humor pages:

Manifest of the Softpanorama IT Slacker Society : Ten Commandments of the IT Slackers Society : Computer Humor Collection : BSD Logo Story : The Cuckoo's Egg : IT Slang : C++ Humor : ARE YOU A BBS ADDICT? : The Perl Purity Test : Object oriented programmers of all nations : Financial Humor : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2008 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2010 : The Most Comprehensive Collection of Editor-related Humor : Programming Language Humor : Goldman Sachs related humor : Greenspan humor : C Humor : Scripting Humor : Real Programmers Humor : Web Humor : GPL-related Humor : OFM Humor : Politically Incorrect Humor : IDS Humor : "Linux Sucks" Humor : Russian Musical Humor : Best Russian Programmer Humor : Microsoft plans to buy Catholic Church : Richard Stallman Related Humor : Admin Humor : Perl-related Humor : Linus Torvalds Related humor : PseudoScience Related Humor : Networking Humor : Shell Humor : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2011 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2012 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2013 : Java Humor : Software Engineering Humor : Sun Solaris Related Humor : Education Humor : IBM Humor : Assembler-related Humor : VIM Humor : Computer Viruses Humor : Bright tomorrow is rescheduled to a day after tomorrow : Classic Computer Humor

The Last but not Least Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage and those who manage what they do not understand ~Archibald Putt. Ph.D

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Last modified: May 02, 2019