Windows Vista Tweaks

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dOm1naTOr

Wise Old Owl
Thnx ..gr8 tweaks man!! reps to u.
__________
How can I repair the boot loader if its lost for Vista.
I mean if one is using dual boot XP nd Vista nd he reinstalled XP nd the choice for Vista has gone nd it cannot be added in boot.ini.
Plz help what to do. Also if its similar to Beta 2 nd Beta2 RC1?
 
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ashu_dps

Hell Sucks!!!
U can easily repair it bro.

Just pop in ur Vista DVD and select repair. It wl b done.

Plz check the steps urself as i have sent my DVD drive for replacement so wont be abl to verify the steps and post but it will be quite easy to repair it.
 
OP
Ankur Mittal

Ankur Mittal

Journeyman
1. Logging on as Local Administrator if you have already logged in as a user
a. If you are having trouble logging on as the built-in Administrator account, you will have to modify some registry entries to display the Administrator account.
Log in using the user account you created during the Windows Vista setup process.
From the Start menu, click All Programs and then expand Accessories.
Right click on “Command Prompt” and click “Run as Administrator”.
Click on “Allow” from the Windows Security dialog.
In the Command Prompt window, type “regedit” (without the quotes) and press Enter.
In the Registry Editor, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Add a new key called “SpecialAccounts” (without the quotes).
In the “SpecialAccounts” key you just made, create a sub-key called “UserList” (without the quotes)
Make sure you are navigated to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList
In the “UserList” key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) item and name it Administrator.
Double click on the new DWORD item and set its value to 1.
Close Registry Editor and the Command Prompt.
NOW:
Go to Start/All Programs and right click the command prompt.
Type Control UserPasswords2.
Click Advanced.
Click Advanced again.
Select Users.
Select Administrator and untick the the box “Administrator is disabled”

NB. If you follow the above path (Tip 2.) you may find that some of the following tips, related to security, are not needed. Bu believe me, it makes a difference working withou those nags.

2. Exclude some unused services
It’s a good idea to try disabling these services a little at a time. If you do not have a complete knowledge of you computer, you may need some of these. Alternatively, you may leave them all in, they will not impair too much on the resident memory.

1. Run services.msc via the Run command (Win key +R).
2. Stop the following services and change their start-up type to disabled

- Computer browser (if not connected to LAN)
- Fax (if not using printer and fax)
- Windows Error Reporting Service
- Secondary logon
- Tablet PC Input service
- Print spooler (if not using printer and fax)
- Windows time
- Media center receiver service (This caused some dysfunction on my computer)
- Security center
- Routing and remote access (if not connected to LAN)
- Internet connection sharing
- TCP/IP NetBios helper
- Server (if not sharing resources through LAN)
- Offline files
3. Close the services management console.

By taking these steps, you will ensure that your OS has less processes running in the background, so more memory can be dedicated to the programs you open, not the ones that are used by Windows itself, by default .

3. Missing the old File, Edit, View menu bar? If you are a frequent user of the menu in Windows Explorer, you may have a bit of a hard time adjusting to Windows Vista’s new Windows Explorer window style, which doesn’t include the menu.
There are two ways to bring it back, one is temporary and the other is more permanent:
If you want to view the menu but not have it always displayed, simply press the Alt key. The menu will fade into view.
If you want the menu to always be turned on, click the first button on Layout configuration button (first button on the top most bar in Windows Explorer). From the drop down list, check “Classic Menus”.
Folders List Returns!
If you want to view a tree-view of your hard drive and navigational path, simply click on the arrow next to the “Folders” bar in Windows Explorer, located on the Places bar.
In Windows Vista, there is a new pane on the left hand side of Windows Explorer which contains links to items you wish to access quickly. In previous builds, you could not really customize the Places bar but now you can! Simply drag and drop a folder onto the plane, and voila!

4. Disable the Windows Mail Splash Screen
Using Windows Mail? If the splash screen is displayed too long for your liking or if you just want to get rid of it, this is the trick for you.
Press WinKey+R.
Type “regedit.exe” without the quotes.
If you are asked for permission to run the Registry Editor, click on Allow.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Mail
Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value called “NoSplash”.
Double click on the “NoSplash” DWORD you just created and set its value to 1.
Press OK and close the registry editor.

5. Stylising the Watermark.
This may not work on all builds, it was only tested on 5472:
1. Start
2. Run...
3. regedit.exe
4. Local Machine---->Software---->Microsoft---->Windows NT----->Current Version
5. Find the string buildlab on the right panel.
6. Delete the long build number or change it to what you want it to say
7. Kill the process explorer then open it up again.
8. In RC 1 if you do the first three steps then go to:
9.
Local Machine----->Software---->Microsoft----->Windows NT---->Current Version and delete the 5600 in the build number it just removes that when you kill explorer and restart it.

6. To totally remove Vista(including the Vista Boot manager)
If you have previously installed the Recover Console in XP, (Start Menu/Help and Support and type Recovery Console in the search panel and then follow the instructions) Then you need only select the Recovery Console as you boot option when the boot menu appears.
1. Boot onto XP CD.
2. Press "R" to enter Recovery Console
3. Select your keyboard.
4. Choose the correct installation (1 or \Windows XP..etc)
5. Type admin password if you have inserted one.
6. type "fixmbr" say "y" (as in yes) when asked
7. type "fixboot" say "y"(as in yes) when asked
8. type "exit" (closing the Recovery Console)
9. When rebooting, the Vista Boot Manager disappears, and only XP Boot Logo appears
10. On XP, remove these (Boot folder, bootfont.bin, bootmgr, BOOTSECT.BAK, Boot.BAK) If you cannot see these files, then follow these instructions first (they can be undone when you are finished)

Open up My Computer and go to Tools/Folder Options/View and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (recommended)" then click OK and close the dialog box. If this is not your normal default then enable this setting when you have performed the following actions.

12. On XP, reformat the Vista partition in order to entirely remove Vista.
 

iMav

The Devil's Advocate
Ankur Mittal said:
3. Missing the old File, Edit, View menu bar? If you are a frequent user of the menu in Windows Explorer, you may have a bit of a hard time adjusting to Windows Vista’s new Windows Explorer window style, which doesn’t include the menu.
There are two ways to bring it back, one is temporary and the other is more permanent:
If you want to view the menu but not have it always displayed, simply press the Alt key. The menu will fade into view.
If you want the menu to always be turned on, click the first button on Layout configuration button (first button on the top most bar in Windows Explorer). From the drop down list, check “Classic Menus”.
Folders List Returns!
If you want to view a tree-view of your hard drive and navigational path, simply click on the arrow next to the “Folders” bar in Windows Explorer, located on the Places bar.
In Windows Vista, there is a new pane on the left hand side of Windows Explorer which contains links to items you wish to access quickly. In previous builds, you could not really customize the Places bar but now you can! Simply drag and drop a folder onto the plane, and voila!
... thanx for this 1
 

anandk

Distinguished Member
great post/s ankur !

btw is flexbeta.net ur site ? else u must post the links to such wonderful finds of urs :)

they r really helpful...esp as this is just my 2nd day at vista :D
 
OP
Ankur Mittal

Ankur Mittal

Journeyman
Vista Hands On : Use Vista for four months, free
You can install an evaluation copy of any Vista edition and use it for a minimum of 30 days without having to activate it. As several publications have already noted, you can renew this evaluation period a total of three times, extending the evaluation period to roughly 120 days. But this post contains a secret technique that no one has yet published: how to automatically "rearm" the trial period at the end of each 30 day period.
The not-so-secret technique is simple: Open an elevated Command Prompt window (type cmd in the Search box, right-click the shortcut, and choose Run As Administrator from the shortcut menu). At the prompt, type slmgr.vbs -rearm and press Enter. Restart your computer. Done.
The trouble with this technique is you have to remember to do it. If the 30-day deadline passes while you're away from your computer, you'll find yourself deactivated. Here's how to handle the task automatically:
1. Click Start and type task in the Search box.
2. Click the Task Scheduler shortcut and click Continue when you see the UAC prompt.
3. In the Actions pane at the right of the Task Scheduler window, click Create Task.
4. Open a Command Prompt window (it doesn't have to be elevated), and type the command slmgr -xpr. Make a note of the date and time when the initial grace period expires.
5. On the General tab of the Create Task window, give the task a name, click Run whether user is logged on or not, and select the Run with highest privileges check box,
6. On the Triggers tab, click New and fill in the dialog box to create a One Time task using a date and time that is before the end of the initial grace period, as calculated in Step 4. Click OK.

7. On the Actions tab, click New. The default action in this dialog box is Start a program. Fill in slmgr.vbs for the name of the program and add -rearm in the Add arguments box. Click OK.

8. Click OK to save the task. Enter your password when prompted (this is what allows the task to approve the UAC consent request on your behalf).
Repeat this process for the second and third rearm task, making sure to choose dates that are less than 30 days after the task you just created. As long as your computer is turned on when the scheduled date and time arrive, the task will run and you'll get your renewal.



(I was unable to find the post in which this article was posted so I am posting it here and I also don't know the source as I received it as a mail from someone.I will be posting the images soon)
 

The Conqueror

Elevating Humanity
Do you want to change your vista boot screen?
There is a hidden boot screen in vista
checkout my blog for more info :
 
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