Windows 7 Alt+Tab Behavior
If you want to change how Windows 7 behaves when pressing the ALT + TAB keys to scroll through the open applications then follow the steps below. This registry modification will return the ALT +TAB behavior like it was in previous versions of Windows.
MSG command fails in Windows 7
Back in the days, the net send command-line tool used to be quite popular among systems administrators and let’s be fair, it used to run smoothly and fulfilled a purpose. Though, I have seen many instances where it was used to prank users with fake messages like ‘hi, the system has detected that you have a low IQ. Please consider upgrading for better performance’. Since Vista, Microsoft introduced the message (msg.exe) command-line tool instead, which like the net send worked like a charm. However, in Windows 7 the MSG command may fail to send a message and returns an ‘Error 5’ message.
Categories: Troubleshooting Tags: AllowRemoteRPC, Error 5, message, msg, msg.exe, net send, regedit, registry, remote message, RPC
How to change the Registered Owner in Windows 7
Most third-party applications pick registration details from the system and such details were inputted during the installation of Windows 7. The owner name and organization details stored in Windows can be displayed using the winver.exe application but cannot be modified through the GUI. What if, you need to change the registered owner or organization name? Say, you have bought a used computer or exchanged your computer with a co-worker and there’s no need to re-install the whole thing from scratch! You can directly change these details from the registry editor.
Categories: Admin, Management Tags: organization, owner, regedit, registered owner, registration, registry, winver, winver.exe
InPrivate Filtering Hack
InPrivate Filtering helps prevent website content providers from collecting information about sites you visit. The InPrivate Filtering feature is present in Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) while, the feature in IE9 is called Tracking Protection. Content providers or third-party websites could develop a profile of your browsing preferences which can be used in a variety of ways, including for analysis and serving targeted advertisements. Do not confuse InPrivate Filtering with InPrivate Browsing. For more information about InPrivate Browsing go here.
Triggering a Stop Error to test if a Dump File is created!
To ascertain that a dump file is created when a Stop error occurs, you need to simulate a Stop error. You can manually initiate a Stop error by creating a registry value and pressing a special character sequence. Then, after Windows 7 restarts you can verify that the dump file was actually created.
Categories: Troubleshooting Tags: crash, dump, memory dump, regedit, registry, Stop error
Memory Dump Tweak
A memory dump during a crash of Windows 7 will fail if your system drive (%SystemRoot%) has less than 25GB of free space! Memory dumps help you diagnose crash issues and it is always recommended to allow enough free space on your system drive for debugging information to be logged and for better overall performance. You can set the dump file to be stored on a different local drive with ample storage space or disable this feature, but in cases where this is not possible and regardless of free space, you can force Windows 7 to create a dump file using the following new registry entry:
Changing the default Windows Shell in Windows 7
The default Windows shell in Windows 7 is the Windows Explorer, however you can replace it with other shells such as, the command prompt, Windows PowerShell or custom built shells. This may become handy when computers are running specific tasks and you want to restrict their usage or free up resources taken by the default shell. However, remember that if for example you set the command prompt as the default shell, users can still load the default shell and other hidden applications.
Categories: Admin, GUI, Tweaks Tags: command prompt, PowerShell, regedit, registry, shell, windows explorer
