20 Most Recent HP Pavilion a1410n (ER890AA) PC Desktop - Page 9 Questions & Answers

The first thing we'll want to do is navigate down to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.reg. Once we are there, we need to check the value of the (Default) key to figure out if there is a ProgID registered, and what the name of it is.

The ProgID is used so that multiple file extensions can have the same settings without duplicating information in the registry. This way the .reg and other keys can point to the "regfile" ProgID to get all their settings


next you'll need to browse down to the ProgID key, where we'll actually apply the hack: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile. Once you are there, create a new key called shellex under it, and then create another key under that one with this name:

{8895b1c6-b41f-4c1c-a562-0d564250836f}

This key is the unique ID that tells Windows Explorer you want to set a preview handler. Once you've created that key and selected it, you'll see a new (Default) key on the right hand side which you'll want to modify.

Double-click on the (Default) key, and use the following text for the value:

{1531d583-8375-4d3f-b5fb-d23bbd169f22}

This key is the unique ID for the Windows TXT Preview Handler, which I figured out by looking under the list of currently registered Preview Handlers in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PreviewHandlers

You could substitute any one of these preview handlers… if you wanted to register a media file preview handler, you could use {031EE060-67BC-460d-8847-E4A7C5E45A27} as the value instead of using the preview handler for text files.

At this point, you should be able to select a .reg file and see its contents in the Preview pane:

his same method would work for any other file type, but that could get really tedious.

Adding Preview File Types The Easy Way

Now that we know how it all works (or not, as you probably skipped down to this part), you can use the free PreviewConfig utility for Windows Vista, which is just extremely simple to use. Just select the file type on the left, and then select the handler you want for it on the right.

To resolve the issue, follow these steps:

For .PPS files (Microsoft PowerPoint Slideshow)
· Click Start, type regedit.exe and press ENTER
· Navigate to the following branch:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.11\shell\Show
· Right-click Show and click Rename
· Type the word Open so that Show is replaced by Open command
· If you have PowerPoint Viewer 2007 installed, repeat the above steps in this key, as well:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.12\shell\Show
· After changing Show to Open, close Registry Editor window.

For .PPT files (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation)
· Click Start, type regedit.exe and press ENTER
· Navigate to the following branch:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.11\shell\Show
· Right-click Show and click Rename
· Type the word Open so that Show is replaced by Open command
· If you have PowerPoint Viewer 2007 installed, repeat the above steps in this key, as well:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.12\shell\Show
· After changing Show to Open, close Registry Editor window.

You can install Vista with no product key and have 30 days to evaluate it
Boot from the DVD and start the installation
Select the Language, Time and Currency, and Keyboard
Click on Next
Click on Install Now
Don't enter a Product Key

Uncheck Automatically activate Windows when I'm online
Click on Next
Click on No to confirm you do not want to enter a product key
Highlight the version of Vista you want to install
Check that it is the same edition you have purchased (if you want to enter in a product key at a later time).
Click on Next
Check accept the license and terms

Click on Next
Install a clean copy and continue as with a regular install

If your registry has gotten corrupted, and re-installing Windows95 over your existing version does not fix the problem,
there is a hidden, read-only, system file on the root of your boot drive called SYSTEM.1ST.
This is the initial system registry created when you first installed Windows95.
To use this file:

Go to your Windows directory
Un-Attrib your current SYSTEM.DAT file (attrib -r -s -h system.dat)
Copy your current SYSTEM.DAT to something like SYSTEM.BAD file (just in case)
Move to your root directory
Un-Attrib the SYSTEM.1ST file
Copy SYSTEM.1ST to \WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT
Re-start your system
You will need to install your 32-bit apps and any other programs or changes that modified your system registry
but you will not need to go through a new again. Your 16-bit apps should not need to be re-installed since they do
not modify the registry. You will also retain your current desktop configuration.

Launch Regedit. (See more details on starting regedit)
Navigate to:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon
Set: AutoAdminLogon = 1 (one means on, zero means off)
Tip: Try Regedit's 'Find': AutoAdminLogon
Create a new String Value called DefaultPassword
Set: DefaultPassword = "P@ssw0rd"
Check for the existence of a REG_SZ called DefaultUserName. The value should reflect the user who you wish to logon automatically. If this value does not exist, then right-click in the right pane, New, REG_SZ, name it, DefaultUserName. Set the string value to the required UserName.
Optional Item: If your Vista Machine has joined a domain, then create a String Value called DefaultDomainName.
Set: DefaultDomainName = "OnlyYouKnowDomain"

Windows XP




1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Advanced tab. In the Performance section, click Settings.
3. Click the Advanced tab. In the Virtual memory section, click Change.
4. The hard disk drive that is used for virtual memory will usually be the
5. same disk drive that Windows is installed on. Both the Initial and Maximum settings should be less than the reported Space available on the hard disk drive. The Initial size setting for the virtual memory settings should be approximately 200 MB in size but should be higher than or equal to the recommended paging file size as indicated in the lower section of the screen.

Once the initial size is set, Windows will reserve this amount of space on the hard disk drive for virtual memory and it will not be available to save information on.

The maximum amount allowable can be anything above the Initial size setting, but it is recommended that it be at least twice the Initial size setting

shell:Common Programs
· shell:GameTasks
· shell:UserProfiles
· shell:MyComputerFolder
· shell:SyncSetupFolder
· shell:DpapiKeys
· shell:SamplePlaylists
· shell:Favorites
· shell:My Video
· shell:SearchHomeFolder
· shell:System
· shell:CommonVideo
· shell:SyncResultsFolder
· shell:LocalizedResourcesDir
· shell:Cookies
· shell:Original Images
· shell:CommonMusic
· shell:My Pictures
· shell:Cache
· shell:Downloads
· shell:CommonDownloads
· shell:AppData
· shell:SyncCenterFolder
· shell:My Music
· shell:ConflictFolder
· shell:SavedGames
· shell:InternetFolder
· shell:Quick Launch
· shell:SystemCertificates
· shell:Contacts
· shell:TreePropertiesFolder
· shell:Profile
· shell:Start Menu
· shell:Common AppData
· shell:PhotoAlbums
· shell:ConnectionsFolder
· shell:Administrative Tools
· shell:PrintersFolder
· shell:Default Gadgets
· shell:ProgramFilesX86
· shell:Searches
· shell:Common Startup
· shell:ControlPanelFolder
· shell:SampleVideos
· shell:SendTo
· shell:ResourceDir
· shell:ProgramFiles
· shell:CredentialManager
· shell:PrintHood
· shell:MAPIFolder
· shell:CD Burning
· shell:AppUpdatesFolder
· shell:Common Start Menu
· shell:LocalAppDataLow
· shell:Templates
· shell:Gadgets
· shell:Programs
· shell:Recent
· shell:SampleMusic
· shell:Desktop
· shell:CommonPictures
· shell:RecycleBinFolder
· shell:CryptoKeys
· shell:Common Templates
· shell:Startup
· shell:Links
· shell:OEM Links
· shell:SamplePictures
· shell:Common Desktop
· shell:NetHood
· shell:Games
· shell:Common Administrative Tools
· shell:NetworkPlacesFolder
· shell:SystemX86
· shell:History
· shell:AddNewProgramsFolder
· shell:Playlists
· shell:ProgramFilesCommonX86
· shell:PublicGameTasks
· shell:ChangeRemoveProgramsFolder
· shell:Public
· shell:Common Documents
· shell:CSCFolder
· shell:Local AppData
· shell:Windows
· shell:UsersFilesFolder
· shell:ProgramFilesCommon
· shell:Fonts
· shell:Personal
shell: commands for Windows XP
· shell:Common Programs
· shell:Favorites
· shell:My Video
· shell:System
· shell:CommonVideo
· shell:LocalizedResourcesDir
· shell:Cookies
· shell:My Pictures
· shell:Cache
· shell:AppData
· shell:My Music
· shell:InternetFolder
· shell:Profile
· shell:Start Menu
· shell:Common AppData
· shell:ConnectionsFolder
· shell:Administrative Tools
· shell:PrintersFolder
· shell:ProgramFiles
· shell:Common Startup
· shell:ControlPanelFolder
· shell:SendTo
· shell:ResourceDir
· shell:ProgramFiles
· shell:PrintHood
· shell:CD Burning
· shell:Common Start Menu
· shell:Templates
· shell:Programs
· shell:Recent
· shell:Desktop
· shell:CommonPictures
· shell:RecycleBinFolder
· shell:Common Templates
· shell:Startup
· shell:Common Desktop
· shell:NetHood
· shell:Common Administrative Tools
· shell:SystemX86
· shell:History
· shell:Common Documents
· shell:Local AppData
· shell:Windows
· shell:Fonts
· shell:Personal

There are actually a few things you can do for a dinosaur laptop (other than waiting for the asteroid to appear in the sky). Here are my top three suggestions:

Squeeze in as much RAM as possible. If you have a spare SIMM slot, put in the largest-capacity module you can find. You may have to throw away what's already in there--likely a 16MB module--and replace it with a 32MB or 64MB one. Memory was so expensive five years ago that vendors often skimped on it, but now that prices have plummeted, you should pack in as much as possible. (You may also look around for a chip doubler--a SIMM two-for that lets you put a pair of chips where there's only room for a single.)

Get a huge, honking hard drive. You should be able to dig up a compatible 10GB or 20GB drive. What's great is that it'll run at 4,200rpm (compared to the 3,600rpm drive you currently have), which will result in better performance. Save all your precious data, swap the old drive out for the new, and fire it up (crossing your fingers that the OS sees the new drive). Take note: You'll have to preload an operating system onto the new drive or load it on the fly.

Accelerate. You'll want to configure Windows to run your hard disk and graphics card at their maximum speeds.
Hard drive: Go to the device manager, select the drive letter, and pick the Settings tab. Check DMA for best performance. For Windows 2000, go into the hard drive's properties, open Disk Properties, and check Write Cache Enabled.

Graphics card: On your desktop, right-click and select Properties. Select the Advanced tab, then click the Performance tab. Push the slider all the way to the right.

Nowadays most people have more than one email account. If one of yours is a Gmail account, you can use it as your primary inbox to check all your POP3 accounts in your Gmail browser window. But do remember that you can check only other POP3 accounts only. You won’t be able to check Yahoo mail, Windows Live Hotmail, or other such web mail accounts. Also, not all POP3 servers work with Gmail.
Here is what you need to do. Open your Gmail account and click Settings-Accounts. In the ‘Get mail from other accounts‘ section, click Add another mail account. Enter the email address of the account you want to add, and click Next Step.
Enter your username, password and POP3 server. If you want to continue to access the account through a mail client or through the ISP’s own Web interface, in addition to picking up and sending mail in your Gmail account, check Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server. This allows you to read the mail in Gmail, but the mail will remain on the ISP’s server so that you can download it with your standard mail program or read it through the account’s own Web interface. On the other hand, if you plan on accessing the mail for the address only through your Gmail account, you can leave the box unchecked.
Next, check Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail to keep mail snoops at bay. In some instances a POP3 account may not work with an SSL connection: if that is the case, you will have to leave this box unchecked.
If you want all of your incoming messages from the account to carry a label, such as the name of the account, select Label incoming messages. In Gmail, a label works much as a folder does. You can view all mail that carries the same label by clicking the label. Gmail automatically creates a label for the address of the new account. You can select a different label or create a new one by choosing the appropriate entry from the drop-down list. Another option is to have messages bypass your inbox and go straight to your Gmail archive. This would be a good choice if you want to use Gmail primarily for searching through mail. When you’ve made all your selections, click Add Account.
You can compose mail in Gmail and have it appear to the recipient as if it were from the account you just added. When a message appears asking whether you want to create a custom From address, click Yes and follow the instructions.
Gmail will check your account, and any mail sent to either address will appear in your Gmail inbox. To stop Gmail from checking the mail, click Settings-Accounts and choose delete next to the account.

If you are not using a dedicated password manager like Roboform or the like to take care of your passwords, then you would either have to remember the passwords to all the sites you log into, or let your browser save your passwords. Of course, you wouldn’t want the browser to save your passwords in your workplace for obvious reasons. At home, it may seem safe to do so and it might be too.
But then again, though you might be the only person who uses your home computer all the time or at least most of the time, there may be times when someone else happens to use it too. Like for instance, one of your friends or your guest might want to browse the web for a while. Your immediate thoughts are, what if they want to view one of the sites for which you have saved your password. Your browser would automatically log them in with your username and password. Worse still, anybody can just go to Tools>Options>Security and click on ‘Show Passwords’ and all your usernames and passwords are theirs for the taking. You just don’t want that to happen, do you?
Well, if you use Firefox, then you have a neat little solution built into it. Firefox has a feature called the ‘Master Password’ that’s just right for situations like the above. But not many people are aware of it or use it.
If you go to Tools>Options>Security, you would find that right below the ‘Remember passwords for sites’ checkbox which is enabled by default, there is another checkbox called ‘Use a master password‘ which, by default, is not enabled. If you enable this option, you will be prompted to set a master password. You can set a unique password here. Once you set the master password, whenever you visit a page (since you last launched Firefox) for which you’ve asked Firefox to remember the password, you’ll have to enter your master password first before Firefox fills up the password automatically. And without the master password, no one can use the ‘Show Passwords’ button to view the stored passwords. So, you can safely let your guest use your computer.

Whenever you surf the Web, you leave yourself open to being snooped upon by web sites. They can track your online travels, know what operating system and browser you're running, find out your machine name, peer into your clipboard, uncover the last sites you've visited, examine your history list, delve into your cache, examine your IP address and use that to learn basic information about you such as your geographic location, and more. To a great extent, your Internet life is an open book when you visit.
Don't believe me? Head to http://www.anonymizer.com/snoop/test_ip.shtml. This page, run by the Anonymizer.com web service, tells you what your IP address and machine name are. And that's just a start. Click on the links on the left side, such as "Exposed Clipboard" and "Geographical Location." You'll see just a small sampling of what web sites can learn about you.
Much of the reason why web sites can find out this information about you is due to the trusting nature of the Internet's infrastructure and is inherent in the open client/server relationship between your web browser and the servers on the sites you visit. But a lot of it also has to do with the ability to match up information from your PC to information in publicly available databases—for example, databases that have information about IP addresses.
The best way to make sure web sites can't gather personal information about you and your computer is to surf anonymously; use an anonymous proxy server to sit between you and the web sites you visit. When you use an anonymous proxy server, your browser doesn't contact a web site directly. Instead, it tells a proxy server which web site you want to visit. The proxy server then contacts the web site, and when you get the web site's page you don't get it directly from the site. Instead, it's delivered to you by the proxy server. In that way, your browser never directly contacts the web server whose site you want to view. The web site sees the IP address of the proxy server, not your PC's IP address. It can't read your cookies, see your history list, or examine your clipboard and cache, because your PC is never in direct contact with it. You're able to surf anonymously, without a trace.
There are two primary ways to use anonymous proxy servers. You can run client software on your PC, which does the work of contacting the server for you, or you can instead visit a web site, which then does the work of contacting the server.

This one isn't a Registry hack, but I couldn't resist putting it in here since it's one of the more useful ways to customize the interface. The Windows XP graphic for your user account on the Start Menu may not be to your taste, and your choice of other graphics to display there isn't particularly inspiring, either. After all, not everyone wants to be pictured as a rubber ducky, a snowflake, or a pair of horses.
But you're not limited to XP-supplied pictures for your user account: you can use any picture in .gif, .jpg, .png, or .bmp format. In this hack, I'll show you how to use your own picture.
To change your User Account picture to any one that you want, from Control Panel choose User Accounts, then pick the account you want to change and choose "Change my picture" → "Browse for more pictures." Navigate to the picture you want to use and click on OK. Figure 2-17 shows the screen you'll use to change your picture; it also shows the customized User Account picture I use during the winter holiday season.
If you have a digital camera or scanner attached to your PC, a button will show up on the screen shown in Figure 2-17 that lets you take a picture with the camera, or scan a picture with the scanner, and then immediately use that picture for your user account.
For those interested in saving keystrokes, there's a quicker way to get to the screen letting you customize your picture. From the Windows XP-style Start menu, click on your picture, and the screen appears.
Check back to this space next week for hacks on improving the Context Menu, surfing anonymously (without a trace), and tweaking DNS settings for faster Internet access.