Unlock thumbnail previews for Firefox 3.6 on Windows 7

Are you using Firefox browser? Friendly Computers found this article useful for windows 7 and Firefox users.

Firefox users, if you’re running the most recent release on Windows 7 you need to make a tiny tweak to your browser’s configuration.  By default, Firefox shows a single thumbnail when you hover the mouse pointer over its icon in the Windows 7 taskbar with Aero enabled. Here’s what it looks like: The problem is, this particular Firefox window actually contains four open tabs, and it could contain dozens. It sort of defeats the purpose of the Aero preview feature if you have to open a window before you can scan which browser tabs you have open. IE8 does it right, showing all open tabs in thumbnail previews when you point to its icon. So how do you add the same feature to Firefox 3.6? Simple:

Open Firefox 3.6 (or later) and type about:config in the Location Bar. You’ll have to click to get past this warning dialog box and open the Preferences page. Use the Filter box (or just scroll down) to find browser.taskbar.previews.enable in the list of preferences. Note that by default it’s set to false. Double-click to toggle the setting to true. The value in the Status column changes to user set and the entire entry turns bold to indicate it’s been changed. It should look like this: And now aim the mouse pointer at the taskbar again: Every tab (even if those tabs are in separate windows) is now visible from the taskbar previews. You can change the focus to any tab temporarily by pointing at it, and you can close any tab from its thumbnail preview using the X in the upper right corner.

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1703

SUPERAntiSpyware Portable is the Must-Have Spyware Removal Tool You Need

Is your computer infected with malware, spyware, or rogue/fake antivirus applications? Friendly Computers found this article very useful for removing them from your PC.

If you’ve got a PC infected with malware, spyware, or rogue/fake antivirus applications, the best tool for removing them is the free SUPERAntiSpyware Portable edition.

You might wonder why a portable version is so important… the problem is that the worst malware infections block you from installing malware removal software, and even if you manage to get it installed, most of the time when you try and launch it, you’ll get an error like this one:  Note: that’s a real screenshot from a real virus that we cleaned with SUPERAntiSpyware Portable.

SUPERAntiSpyware Portable solves this problem by not only giving you a completely portable version of the application, which consists of a single file you can copy to your USB drive without requiring installation, but it also automatically gives you a random filename so the malware can’t detect it as easily.

You should note that when you download the application, it includes all the latest updates as of when you downloaded it.

Sidebar Geek Note

If you’ve had a lot of experience cleaning viruses, you’ll probably note that you could always run SUPERAntiSpyware as a portable application by installing it to a thumb drive, but the updates didn’t automatically come along with it.

Some of us were also using a hack method involving a batch file and setting environment variables to make sure the updates were installed on the thumb drive, but thankfully the new version fixes the problem by automatically including them. The really ironic thing is that I’d written an article scheduled for next week on how to do just that. Oh well, this is much better anyway.

Using SUPERAntiSpyware Portable

Once you’ve launched the application on an infected machine, you should see a welcome screen, and you can just click the button to start it up.

Pick your language…

And just like that, you’re in the main interface. If you haven’t used the regular SUPERAntiSpyware before, you should click the Scan your Computer button—though if you’ve had it sitting on your system for a while you might want to use the update check first. Select the locations to scan, and choose to Perform Complete Scan (there’s no point in a quick scan on an infected machine). The application will scan through the system and find anything bad on the system, and then let you remove it all easily. Note: this is a screenshot from an infected machine that we successfully cleaned using SUPERAntiSpyware. So there you have it, a full endorsement from How-To Geek for SUPERAntiSpyware. I have personally used it to clean at least a dozen machines infected with really terrible rogue/fake antimalware applications.

Note: SUPERAntiSpyware is not an anti-virus software, and is meant for removing spyware and rogue applications that hold your PC for ransom. You still need Microsoft Security Essentials for your real-time protection.

Download SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner from superantispyware.com

Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/9283/superantispyware-portable-is-the-must-have-spyware-removal-tool-you-need/

Disable User Installed Desktop Gadgets in Windows 7

Friendly Computers found this article useful for administrators and techs.

When you’re the administrator of a shared computer, you might want to disable certain features. Today  we look at how to disable Desktop Gadgets that a user installs, or how to disable them all together.

Note: This method uses Local Group Policy Editor which is not available in Home versions of Windows 7.

User Installed Gadgets

A user installed gadget would be one they install from another location on their own. For example, here we take a look at a user account who has two gadgets included in Windows 7 installed…the Clock and CPU Meter. Then below that they installed the All CPU Meter and the Talking Girl Clock from the Windows site. In this example we look at disabling gadgets the user installed, but keep the default gadgets that came with Windows 7. Click on Start and enter gpedit.msc into the search box and hit Enter. Now in Local Group Policy Editor navigate to User Configuration \ Windows Components \ Desktop Gadgets then double click on Turn Off user-installed desktop gadgets. Now just Enable the setting, click Ok, then close out of Local Group Policy Editor. For the change to go into effect, you’ll need to log off all users then back on the machine. When the user goes back into their account they will only see the two default Desktop Gadgets showing, and the ones they installed will be gone. If they try to install them again, they will get the following message. Of course they will still have access to the default Gadgets that come with Windows 7.

Disable All Desktop Gadgets

You might want to disable all gadgets, including the ones that came with Windows 7. To do that, just go into the same place in Local Group Policy we were at in the steps above, but this time Enable Turn off Desktop Gadgets. Again you’ll need to log off all users and log back on for the changes to take effect. Now when a user tries to access the Desktop Gadgets Gallery they’ll receive the following message. If you don’t want users messing around with any Desktop Gadgets, or just want to allow access to the ones included with Windows 7, this is a good way to get restrict them.

Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/9223/disable-user-installed-desktop-gadgets-in-windows-7/

Windows 7 Power Plan Assistant

Friendly Computers would like to share with you this article.

The Power Plan Assistant for Windows 7 is a small application designed to help the user switch between any power plans available on the PC, including custom plans and all three built-in plans (including “High Performance” which is hidden on the standard system icon) while also adding entirely new capabilities, such as instantly turning off the display upon request. The icon also easily shows which power plan is currently in use by changing the icon in accordance to the active power plan, as seen in the screenshots above. The icon will automatically update itself regardless of where the plan was changed, whether it be in the default system icon, control panel, or via the power plan assistant. Switch the power plans automatically: to ‘Power Saver’ (to preventively save the energy if the battery level goes low), to ‘High Performance’ (on plugging in) and to ‘Balanced’ (on plugging out). As shown on the screenshot above, every Power Plan Assistant’s setting is user-configurable, i.e. user can enable or disable it,
either permanently or for a current session only. Even the balloon messages and the notification icon appearance/behavior can be customized.

The Power Plan Assistant is donationware, meaning that the author asks the users to make a voluntary donation to help support future development of the application and to receive a serial number which allows the application to be registered. Unfortunately, without registration, builds will expire every week, meaning that the user will have to reinstall the application on a weekly basis unless they “donate” to the author. However, if you’re willing to settle for the inconvenience of reinstalling it every week, the application is completely free.

Download Power Plan Assistant.

Source: http://windows7news.com/2009/12/30/windows-7-power-plan-assistant/

How To Share Files and Printers Between Windows 7 and Vista

With three different versions of Windows being used now, you’ll probably find yourself trying to share files or printers between them. Today Friendly Computers take a look at how to share files and printers between Vista and Windows 7 machines.

Set Windows 7 Share Settings

On the Windows 7 machine we need to set up a few things in Advanced Sharing Settings. First type network and sharing center into the search box in the Start Menu and hit Enter.

Then click on Change advanced sharing settings.

Now in Advanced Sharing Settings, make sure to turn on network discovery, file and printer sharing, and public folder sharing. Make sure these are enabled in both the Home or work and Public profiles.

Depending on your setup, you might want to turn off password protected sharing. Other wise you’ll need to enter the password for each machine in, which isn’t that big of a deal. Turning it off while you’re setting it up makes things a bit easier though by saving a step.

Set Vista Share Settings

On the Vista machine we need to double check and make sure it’s sharing settings are ready to go. Right-click on Network and choose Properties.

The Network and Sharing Center opens up. Under Sharing and Discovery we need to turn on File Sharing, Public Folder Sharing, and Network Discovery.

Also on the Vista machine you might want to turn off password protected sharing … but it’s completely up to you.

Share Files Windows 7 View

Now that we have the correct settings on each machine, it’s time to put it to the test. Open up Network on the Windows 7 machine, and you should see all of the machines on the network. The Vista machine in this example is VISTA-PC.

There was no need to enter a password to access the Vista machine because password protection is turned off. But now you can go through and see the User Shared folders. In this example both public and Users directories are shared.

Share Files Vista View

Now on the Vista computer, double click on Network and you should see the Windows 7 machine (where in this instance it’s MYSTIC-PC).

I enabled password protection on the Windows 7 machine so we can take a look at the login screen that will be displayed before connecting.

Then you’ll see the folders and devices that are shared. And you can continue browsing through all available shared folders and files.

Printer Sharing

You can see the printer connected to Windows 7. Let’s make sure we can connect to it and print a test document. In Vista click on the Start menu and type printers into the search box and hit Enter.

Right-click on the shared printer and select Properties.

Under the General tab click on the Print Test Page button.

The following message is displayed while the test page prints out on the printer connected to your Windows 7 machine.

Another test you might want to perform is opening a test document and making sure you can print that to the Windows 7 printer.

Provided everything prints out successfully you might want to make it the default printer.

Troubleshooting

If your machines aren’t able to see each other or the printer isn’t working…here are a few steps you might want to use to determine where the problem is.

Double check to make sure Network Discovery and File and Print Sharing is enabled on both machines as shown above.

In this example both machines are connected to a Belkin home wireless router and IP addresses are dynamically assigned. If you are using Static addresses make sure you can ping the IP address of each computer. If not, double check the assigned IP Address and cabling of each computer…

If the printer isn’t working, double check to make sure you have the latest drivers for each OS installed

Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/9040/how-to-share-files-and-printers-between-windows-7-and-vista/

Allow Users To Run Only Specified Programs in Windows 7

Friendly Computers would like to share with you this article.

If you have a shared or public computer you might want to allow users to use only specified programs. Today we take a look at a setting in Local Group Policy that allows you to set only specified programs to run.

Note: This process uses Local Group Policy Editor which is not available in Home versions of Windows 7.

First click on Start and enter gpedit.msc into the search box and hit Enter. Navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System. Then under Setting scroll down and double click on Run only specified Windows applications. Set it to Enabled, then under the Options section click on the Show button next to List of allowed applications. A Show Contents dialog comes up where you can type in the apps you want to allow users to run. When finished with the list, click OK then close out of Local Group Policy Editor. If a user tries to access an application that is not on the specified list they will receive the following error message. This is a nice feature for limiting what programs users can or cannot access on the computer.

Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/8739/restrict-users-to-run-only-specified-programs-in-windows-7/

Windows 7 has lots of 'GodModes'

Friendly Computers found this article about popular “GodMode” in Windows 7.

Those intrigued by the "GodMode" in Windows 7 may be interested to know that there are many other similar shortcuts hidden within the operating system.

Intended for developers as a shortcut to various internal settings, such features have been around since Vista and even before, according to the head of Microsoft's Windows division, who tells CNET that the so-called GodMode settings folder uncovered by bloggers is just one of many undocumented developer features included in Windows.

In an e-mail interview, Steven Sinofsky, Windows division president, said several similar undocumented features provide direct access to all kinds of settings, from choosing a location to managing power settings to identifying biometric sensors.

As with the all-encompassing GodMode uncovered by bloggers, these other settings can be accessed directly by creating a new folder with any name (GodMode or otherwise) and then including a certain text string. Sinofsky noted more than a dozen strings create particular settings folders, in addition to the overarching GodMode folder option.

Sinofsky and others say the term GodMode was coined by bloggers; it was not something the company used internally to refer to the settings folders. Although Microsoft maintains many such undocumented developer commands to access such settings, all are replicated by the operating system's Control Panel settings.

Such undocumented means of accessing various settings have occurred in previous versions of Windows, and the GodMode identified by bloggers was also present in Windows Vista. Some users of the 64-bit version of Vista, however, say invoking the GodMode folder caused their machines to crash. Microsoft says it has yet to reproduce that problem, though several readers have said they have encountered problems.

It seems that the folks in Redmond have gotten a kick out of all the attention that the Godmode has gotten and have decided to have fun with it. Sinofsky sent a list of other commands that also create special folders (see list below).

Given the Vista issues, though, I would try these only on a Windows 7 machine, ideally a test machine. To make it work, create a new folder with any name, then a period, then one of the text strings below.

For example, the first one could be a folder named "thankscnet.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}" (use everything inside quotes--but not the quotes themselves).

Here's the list of strings:

{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}
{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}
{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}
{1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43}
{1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}
{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}

And, as a reminder, to create the Godmode folder itself, use this string:

{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10426627-56.html

Using Audit Mode in Windows 7

Friendly Computers would like to share with you this very useful article.

Audit Mode is a feature of Windows 7 (and Windows Vista) that will allow you to install and uninstall applications and drivers and make system changes without creating a user account or entering any computer information. Using Windows’ built-in Administrator account, you can install and uninstall programs, updates and drivers. When you’re finished you can repackage the OS using a program called Sysprep, which will delete the temporary Administrator account and display the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) setup wizard with which Windows users should by now be familiar.

Audit Mode is a tool that is useful only in specific circumstances, but it is very valuable to some – for example, maybe you’ve bought or built a new computer for a friend or family member, and you want to uninstall crapware or update some drivers while allowing the machine to keep that new-computer smell. Maybe you’re a small (or large) PC reseller who wants to customize a PC in certain ways before selling it or passing it to a client. In these and in other scenarios, Audit Mode can be a very valuable tool.

So, how to access it? Audit Mode can only be accessed when Windows is starting up for the first time, during the aforementioned OOBE process – this is the same whether you just installed the OS yourself from a DVD or whether you’re booting up a PC from someone like Dell or HP for the first time. When Windows asks you for your username, press CTRL + Shift + F3. This combo will stop the OOBE wizard and launch Audit Mode. When the PC boots, it will automatically login to the temporary Administrator account and launch Sysprep.

Windows 7 Audit Mode

Now, you can connect to networks, install and uninstall applications and drivers, and make other changes to the system just as you would as a normal user. Since Audit Mode runs using the built-in Administrator account, you will not see any UAC prompts as you make system changes – this is normal. You can also reboot the PC as many times as you want – it will continue to boot into Audit Mode until you run the Sysprep process.

The Windows 7 Sysprep tool

Now, let’s bring our attention to the Sysprep window, pictured above. It’s a simple tool to use, and it automatically launches in Audit Mode – once you’ve finished making changes to the operating system, you’ll need to run the tool to make the computer boot in normal mode.

Under the System Cleanup Action drop-down menu, make sure to select Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), and to make sure that the Generalize box is unchecked - you only need to Generalize a system if you’re planning on making a disk image of the OS and deploying that image on computer with different hardware.

Under the Shutdown Options menu, I usually select Shutdown instead of Reboot – this shuts the PC down and allows you to pack it up or store it until it’s ready to be used. The next time the computer is turned on, it will ask the user for their desired account name and password just like any new PC.

Audit Mode becomes infinitely more useful and powerful when used in conjunction with other Microsoft deployment tools like the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK, or just AIK), though these tools are of limited use to anyone but enterprise IT administrators. Still, complicated as these tools are, I hope to write follow-up pieces to instruct people on the basics of their use. Until then, I hope some of you find Audit Mode useful for deploying more professional-looking PCs.

Source: http://windows7news.com/2009/12/30/using-audit-mode-in-windows-7/

Setup CCleaner to Automatically Run Each Night in Windows 7

Friendly Computers would like to help you to keep your PC clean and safe  in 2010.

Setup Your Options

You’ll need to decide which settings you want to run when CCleaner is run automatically… for instance, I’d look at whether or not you want to clean out your cookies or recent documents (which is a feature I use often, so I don’t want them cleaned out)

Next, take a trip over to Options \ Advanced and make sure that the “Save all settings to INI file” option is checked (it should be checked by default). This makes sure that whatever settings you’ve chosen are saved out to an INI file in the same directory. Create the Scheduled Task in Windows 7 or Vista

Open up Task Scheduler by typing it into the Start menu search box, or browsing to Accessories \ System Tools.

Once you are there, click the link for “Create Basic Task” on the right-hand side.Give the task a memorable name like “Run CCleaner”  

Choose “Daily” or “Weekly”, depending on how often you want the task to run. Now choose a time of the day that your computer is usually on, but you aren’t using it. On the next screen, choose to “Start a program” and go to the next screen.  Now you’ll need to browse down to the CCleaner executable file, which is typically found in the following location, but could be elsewhere: C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner.exe

Make sure to add the /AUTO switch to the “Add arguments” box.

On the Summary screen, make sure to click the box for “Open the Properties dialog” before clicking on the Finish button.

Now you’ll want to choose the option for “Run with highest privileges”, so that the task will automatically run with administrator privileges.

Optional: You can also take a look at the Conditions tab, and choose the option to start the task only when the computer is idle for a certain amount of minutes.

You should notice the “Wake the computer to run this task” option as well… if you usually put your computer into Sleep mode, you can check that box so that the computer will wake up to run CCleaner.

You can test out the task by right-clicking on the item in the list, and choose Run. CCleaner should run silently in the background.

You can look around at some of the other options… for instance some people run CCleaner a couple times a day (although that seems a little excessive to me… once a week would probably be good enough)

Download CCleaner from ccleaner.com

Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/setup-ccleaner-to-automatically-run-each-night-in-vista-or-xp/