Your Outlook mailbox grows as items are created in the same way that papers pile up on your desk. In the paper-based world, you can occasionally shuffle through your documents and store those that are important but not frequently used. Documents that are less important, such as newspapers and magazines, you can discard based on their age.

You can quickly complete the same process in Outlook. You can manually transfer old items to a storage file by clicking Archive on the File menu, or you can have old items automatically transferred by using AutoArchive. Items are considered old when they reach the age you specify. With AutoArchive, you can either delete or move old items. Outlook can archive all types of items, but it can only locate files that are stored in a e-mail folder, such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or Word document attached to an e-mail message. A file that is not stored in a e-mail folder cannot be archived.

AutoArchive is a two-step process. First, you turn on AutoArchive. On the Tools menu, click Options, click the Other tab, and then click AutoArchive. Second, you set the AutoArchive properties for each folder that you want archived. At the folder level, you can determine which items are archived, and how often they are archived. You can automatically archive individual folders, groups of folders, or all Outlook folders. The process runs automatically whenever you start Outlook. The AutoArchive properties of each folder are checked by date, and old items are moved to your archive file. Items in the Deleted Items folder are deleted.

Several Outlook folders are set up with AutoArchive turned on. These folders and their default aging periods are Calendar (6 months), Tasks (6 months), Journal (6 months), Sent Items (2 months), and Deleted Items (2 months). Inbox, Notes, Contacts, and Drafts do not have AutoArchive activated automatically.

There is a difference between exporting and archiving. When you archive, the  original items are copied to the archive file, and then removed from the  current folder. When you export, the original items are copied to the export file, but are not removed from the current folder. In addition, you can only archive one file type, a personal folder file, but you can export many file types.

When you archive, your existing folder structure is maintained in your new archive file. If there is a parent folder above the folder you chose to archive, the parent folder is created in the archive file, but items within the parent folder are not archived. In this way, an identical folder structure exists between the archive file and your mailbox. Folders are left in place after being archived, even if they are empty.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite. The current version is Microsoft Outlook 2010 for Windows and 2011 for Mac.

Although often used mainly as an e-mail application, it also includes a calendar, task manager, contact manager, note taking, a journal and web browsing.

It can be used as a stand-alone application, or can work with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server for multiple users in an organization, such as shared mailboxes and calendars, Exchange public folders, SharePoint lists and meeting schedules. There are third-party add-on applications that integrate Outlook with devices such as BlackBerry mobile phones and with other software like Office & Skype internet communication. Developers can also create their own custom software that works with Outlook and Office components using Microsoft Visual Studio.[1] In addition, Windows Mobile devices can synchronize almost all Outlook data to Outlook Mobile.

Here are some of the troubleshooting information for Microsoft Outlook:

What to do if you Can’t see your contacts?

Some contacts might be temporarily hidden if the view you use filters out certain details. To view all contacts in the Contacts folder, click the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Customize Current View. Click Filter, and then click Clear All.

If you look for contacts in a contacts folder you select under Outlook Address Book in the Show names from the box, in the Address Book, only contacts that have an entry in the E-mail field or in a fax phone number field appear in the list. When you enter a name or address, Outlook tries to separate the name or address into logical parts and then copies each part into a separate field such as First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, or Business Address Street, Business Address City, and so on. If Outlook can't separate the name or address into logical parts, the fields that would contain parts of the name or address remain empty. To fill in empty name fields or address fields, open the contact, and click Full Name or Address.

Why your contacts don't sort in the order you expect:

In most views, contacts are sorted by the contents of the File as field. The File as field can contain a contact name, a company name, or a custom name for the contact. To change the way a contact is filed, open the contact, and enter what you want in the File as box. Or you can sort contacts by another field: Close the contact, click the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Customize Current View. Click Sort, and then select the field you want to sort by.

You might have sorted contacts by an entire address instead of by part of the address. For example, if you sort contacts by the Business Address field, Outlook uses the first line of text in the Business Address field to sort the contacts. To see contacts sorted by the city or country of the business address, sort them by the Business Address City or Business Address Country field. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Customize Current View. Click Sort, and then click Address fields in the Select available fields from box.

In the Sort items by box, click the field you want to sort by. You might have sorted contacts by a mixture of business and home addresses. If you sorted by the State or Country field, Outlook uses the mailing address to sort contacts. You might have made the mailing address a business address for some contacts and a home address for others. To change the mailing address, open the contact. In the box next to the address, click Business, Home, or Other and then select the This is the mailing address check box.

When you look up a contact, you get an error message:

You might have tried to look up a contact that isn't in your contact list. You can  only look up information about contacts that exist in the contact list. If more than one contact name in the contact list matches the name you want to look up, Outlook opens the first contact in the list that matches the name.

Why you can't find a contact in the Address Book:

The Address Book can contain several address books. The name you want may be in a different address book. In the Address Book window, click another address book in the Show names from the box. To see contacts from the Outlook contact list, click the name of the contacts folder you want under Outlook Address Book, in the Show names from the box. Please note that, a contact must have an entry in the E-mail field or a fax phone number field to appear in the Outlook Address Book.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Windows 7 is full of ways to protect yourself when you are using your computer. There are so many threats out there that it is important to be proactive and educated on possible threats to your computer and do what you can to detect and prevent them.

AppLocker

AppLocker as shown in Screen Shot below, it is a new application control feature available in Microsoft Windows 7 that helps eliminate unwanted and unknown applications within an organization’s network  to providing a much more productive and secure environment.

AppLocker answers the need for application control with a simple and flexible application that allows administrators to specify exactly what is allowed to run
on the computer in their network environment. There are many benefits to using AppLocker in your network such as:

• Stop unlicensed software from being installed or run in your environment.
• Preventing vulnerable, unauthorized applications from being installed or run in your environment.
• Prevent user from running applications which waste time.
• Stopping users from running applications that needlessly consume network bandwidth.
• Preventing users from running applications that possible contain viruses or malware.
• Allow users to install and run software and updates based upon their business needs
• Ensure compliance of corporate policies and industry regulations for PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, Basel II, and state identity theft protection acts.
• Reduce the cost of repair for users who install software which causes their PC to have issues or infects other devices in the network.

AppLocker provides a powerful solution using three rule types: allow, deny, and exception. Allow rules limit execution of applications to a "good list" of programs and applications. Deny rules take the opposite approach and disallow all programs and applications on the “bad list”. Exception rules allow you to exclude files from an allow/deny rule that would normally be included such as a rule to “allow everything in the Windows Operating System to run, except the built-in games.”

AppLocker is configured in the Group Policy Editor in Local Computer Policy, Security Settings, Application Control Policies, and then AppLocker as shown in screenshot above. In the below screenshot you will see the options that you can configure for AppLocker.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

You may be wondering when does the security problems are introduced. The answer is that they are usually introduced by the MUA. It’s a tool / software that we use to compose mails.

When you create an e-mail message, the client software you use is called a Mail User Agent (MUA). When you send your message, you send it to a server called a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA).  An MTA is responsible for transferring your message to a single server or collection of additional MTA servers, where it is finally delivered. The server that holds the message so that it can be read is called a Mail Delivery Agent (MDA). Your friend can then use his or her MUA to communicate with the MDA to download your message. The message is then delivered to an MDA, where the receiving MUA downloads the message.

There are several reasons for this:

• MUA software, such as Netscape Messenger, is designed for convenience rather than security.
• The software is often upgraded, quickly produced, and is not meant to conceal information.
• The applications are often used by naïve end-users who use default settings.
• When the MUA logs in to the MDA POP3 or IMAP server, authentication information is often sent in clear text format. In other words, the password information is not encrypted, and can be sniffed off the Internet by malicious users.
• Users will often double-click an e-mail attachment without knowing its origin. If this attachment contains malicious code, a chain reaction will occur, which usually involves having the MUA send unsolicited messages to other MUAs. The result is an everincreasing stream of traffic that can bog down the sending servers (the MTAs), as well as the MDA.

It is possible for problems to be introduced at the MTA level, as well as at the MDA level. But the major concern is just from the user side.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

You are probably reading this article because you are:
1. Interested in protecting your system against intrusions from unauthorized users.

2. Tasked with defending your system against attacks that can crash it.

3. A fledgling hacker who wishes to learn more about how to crash or break into systems.

To many, a hacker is simply a bad guy who breaks into systems or tries to crash them so that they cannot function as intended. However, many in the security industry make a distinction between white hat hackers, who are benign and helpful types, and black hat hackers, who actually cross the line into criminal behavior, such as breaking into systems unsolicited, or simply crashing them. Others define themselves as grey hat hackers, in that they are not criminal, but do not consider themselves tainted (as a strict white hat would) by associating with black hats.

Some security professionals refer to white hat hackers as hackers, and to black hat hackers as crackers. Another hacker term, script kiddie, describes those who use previously-written scripts from people who are more adept. As you might suspect, script kiddie is a derisive term. Many professionals who are simply very talented users proudly refer to themselves as hackers, not because they break into systems, but because they have been able to learn a great deal of information over the years.

These professionals are often offended by the negative connotation that the word hacker now has. So, when does a hacker become a cracker? When does a cracker become a benign hacker? Well, it all depends upon the perspective of the people involved. Nevertheless, this book will use the terms hacker, cracker, and malicious user interchangeably.

Today, mainstream usage of “hacker” mostly refers to computer criminals, due to the mass media usage of the word since the 1980s. This includes what hacker slang calls “script kiddies,” people breaking into computers using programs written by others, with very little knowledge about the way they work. Read more: http://www.bench3.com/2011/01/what-do-hackers-do.html

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Today, mainstream usage of “hacker” mostly refers to computer criminals, due to the mass media usage of the word since the 1980s. This includes what hacker slang calls “script kiddies,” people breaking into computers using programs written by others, with very little knowledge about the way they work.

Truly talented hackers know a great deal about the following:

1. Programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, Perl, JavaScript, and VBScript.
2. How operating systems work. A serious security professional or hacker understands not only how to click the right spot on an interface, but also understands what happens under the hood when that interface is clicked.
3. The history of local-area-network (LAN)- and Internet-based services, such as the Network File System (NFS), Web servers, Server Message Block (SMB, which is what allows Microsoft systems to share file and printing services), and of course e-mail servers.
4. Many hackers attack the protocols used in networks. The Internet uses Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which is a fast, efficient, and powerful transport and addressing method. This protocol is in fact an entire suite of protocols. Some of these include Telnet, DNS, the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and all protocols associated with e-mail servers, which include the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), and the Internet Messaging Application Protocol (IMAP).
5. How applications interact with each other. Today’s operating systems contain components that allow applications to “talk” to each other efficiently. For example, using Microsoft’s Component Object Model (COM) and other technologies, one application, such as Word, can send commands to others on the local machine, or even on remote machines. Hackers understand these subtle relationships, and craft applications to take advantage of them.

A talented hacker can quickly create powerful scripts in order to exploit a system.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

You can customize the default user profile during an unattended installation using the following Copy Profile parameter in the Unattend.xml answer file that is passed to the Sysprep.exe. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Use the administrator account or an account that has administrative privileges to log on to the computer.

2. Configure the settings that you want to use in the profile. This includes desktop settings, favorites, and Start menu options.

3. Create an Unattend.xml file that contains the Copy Profile parameter. By using this Copy Profile parameter, the settings of the user who is currently logged on are copied to the default user profile. This parameter must be set to "true" in the specialize pass. For example, the parameter must be as follows:

<CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>

4. You can use the Windows System Image Manager tool to create the Unattend.xml file. The Windows System Image Manager tool is included as part of the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK). For more information about Windows AIK, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd349343.aspx

5. Choose Start and type CMD at the search prompt or at a command prompt, type the following command:

sysprep.exe /generalize /unattend: unattend.xml

6. Open Sysprep.exe which is located in the

%systemdrive%\Windows\System32\sysprep directory.

7. You must use the /generalize switch so that the Copy Profile parameter can be used. The /unattend is an optional syntax which is used to point to the desired Unattend.xml file.

8. Note: The Unattend.xml file is located in the sysprep directory.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

The prospect of migrating an entire company to a new operating system is almost always a daunting venture. You'll need to make sure you get a return on the significant investment that you'll make in the product itself. The staff, time and resources needed to install it and work out the inevitable kinks.

Windows 7 has changed the name, look, feel, features, speed, and even the logo’s to part ways with Vista because of the bad vibes that still resonate. Windows Vista met with almost immediate critical disapproval when it was released in January 2007.

To be fair, Vista had many improvements over the XP operating system, including better security, file sharing, and search capabilities. But those were largely overshadowed by its shortcomings: constant security pop ups, excessive use of RAM, an overly aggressive User Account Control (UAC) feature, hardware incompatibility, and more.

Now comes Windows 7 and if the early reviews are any gauge including my review, Microsoft appears to have ironed out many of the issues that haunted Vista. In fact, some reviewers including myself feel it is the best Microsoft Operating System ever produced.
Improved security 
Security is always a big issue with Windows. Witness the flurry of activity and tension that surrounds the typical Patch Tuesday. Windows 7 addresses the issue with a number of security upgrades. Microsoft has added the BitLocker full-volume encryption feature that came out with Vista. The Windows 7 version still uses a 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption algorithm, but is now more flexible and simplifies drive encryption by automatically creating hidden boot partitions.

The result, users no longer need to repartition their drives after installation. And where Vista users required a unique recovery key for each protected volume, Windows 7 users only need a single encryption key. A new feature called “BitLocker To Go” lets users encrypt removable storage devices with a password or a digital certificate. 

New improvements for IT administrators

A plethora of new options that make life easier for IT professionals as shown below:

• AppLocker: This new feature is a control policy that allows administrators to precisely spell out what applications users can run on their desktops. It  can also be used to block unauthorized or unlicensed software and pplications.
• Multiple Active Firewall Policies: This feature provides a big improvement over Vista, which automatically set firewall policies depending on the type of network connection you chose such as home, public, or work. Remote Vista users couldn’t connect to multiple networks while on the road, or if someone working from home used a VPN, he or she couldn't apply settings to connect to the corporate network. Windows 7's Multiple Active Firewall Policies allows IT professionals to create multiple sets of rules for remote and desktop employees. 
  
  
• DirectAccess: A feature provides a secure way to manage and update individual PCs remotely. It uses IPv6 and IPSec protocols to create a secure, two-way connection from a remote user's PC to the corporate network. Users benefit by not having to manually set up VPN connections and IT professionals enjoy the ease of distributing patches and updates whenever remote workers are connected to the network. 
  
  
• Improved Windows Search: Is a new feature which allows for faster more thorough searches, and also provides IT administrators with better per-user policy oversight and the ability to manage resource utilization by controlling how desktop search accesses network resources. Additional improvements were the seek-and-find capabilities with Federated Search, which combines desktop, SharePoint, and Internet search methods and allows users to scan external hard drives, networked PCs, and even remote data sources. Another new feature enables the user to search for identical copies of files on drives.
  
  
• Upgraded Windows Recovery Environment: A feature Microsoft introduced in Vista and was a replacement of the Recovery Console in Windows XP. The new upgrade allows users to perform a range of system and data recovery functions, including checking for defective memory, repairing boot-level startup issues, returning the system to earlier configurations.

AeroSnap Desktop Feature

This is a new feature of Windows desktop. If you pull a window to either edge of the desktop, it automatically makes each screen half the screen and compares the two windows side by side. 

AeroPeek Desktop Feature

This is another new feature of Windows desktop. In XP and Vista you had a button to minimize all the windows and see the desktop. The problem was that all the windows you had minimized you then had to maximize one by one. The new button to the right of the clock makes all the windows invisible when  pushed. You can even click on desktop items and open them. Press the button again and all your open windows come back the way they were before you pressed the button. 

Improved Backup Utility

This improved backup utility now gives users control over which folders they want to back up which was a restriction in Vista, which allowed backups on a per-volume basis only.

Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC

These two new features address issues of incompatibility for applications designed to run older XP applications. This shows Microsoft is intent on retiring XP as a supported product in the near future.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

One of the biggest mistakes made by those who purchased Vista was that they didn’t realize you could not join an Active Directory domain using any Home Edition, Starter Edition, or Media Center Editions of Vista. The same is true for Windows 7 versions as well.

Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate, along with the N versions for the European market each represent a simplification over the equivalent Vista versions that came out in January of 2007. 

In Windows 7 each version is a superset of one another. If you upgrade from one version to the next, they keep all features and functionality from the previous edition. For example moving from Starter to Ultimate, each edition will supersede the previous, containing all of its features and adding additional components.

Microsoft is initially focused on the marketing and distribution of Windows 7 Home Premium,, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate. Rather than pushing all editions on the market at once, Microsoft is aiming the core editions at specific market segments to try and simplify the choices for consumers.

Unfortunately, because of features and compatibility issues, only a limited number of versions can be used as an upgrade path for newer versions. Attempting to upgrade a 32-bit(x86) operating system to a 64-bit(x64) operating system and vice versa will always require a complete reinstall. 

Upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7

This is a tough pill to swallow for those who upgraded to Vista right away when it first hit the market. The RTM(Release to Manufacturing) edition of Windows Vista (the one released at the end of January 2007) won't have the option of upgrading to Windows 7. Microsoft's documentation indicates that upgrades to Windows 7 are supported only for Vista Service Pack 1 and SP2 editions. When it comes down to Vista-to-Windows 7 upgrades, “Cross-architecture inplace upgrades (for example, x86 to x64) are not supported. Cross-language inplace upgrades (for example, en-us to de-de) are not supported. Cross-media type in-place upgrades (for example, Staged to Unstaged or Unstaged to Staged) are also not supported.

Let us now list all the remaining versions and whether an upgrade is available:

• No upgrade path for Windows Vista Starter (SP1, SP2), not even to Windows 7 Starter.
• Windows Vista Home Basic (SP1, SP2) 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) can be upgraded to Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64).
• Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, SP2) 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) can be upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium and Ultimate 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64).
• Windows Vista Business (SP1, SP2) 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) can be upgraded to Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64);
• Windows Vista Enterprise (SP1, SP2) 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) can be upgraded to Windows 7 Enterprise 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64);
• Windows Vista Ultimate (SP1, SP2) 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) can be upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64);
• No upgrade path for Windows Vista Home Basic N (SP1, SP2), not even to Windows 7 N or E;
• No upgrade path for Windows Vista Business N (SP1, SP2), not even to Windows 7 N or E.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

• First, the PC still drew a trickle of power this way. If you didn’t use your laptop for a few days, the battery would silently go dead—and everything you had open and unsaved would be lost forever. 
• Second, drivers or programs sometimes interfered with Standby, so your laptop remained on even though it was closed inside your carrying case. Your plane would land on the opposite coast, you’d pull out the laptop for the big meeting, and you’d discover that (a) the thing was roasting hot, and (b) the battery was dead.

• First, drivers and applications are no longer allowed to interrupt the Sleep process.  No more Hot Laptop Syndrome.
• Second, the instant you put the computer to sleep, Windows quietly transfers a copy of everything in memory into an invisible file on the hard drive. But it still keeps everything alive in memory—the battery provides a tiny trickle of power—in case you return to the laptop (or desktop) and want to dive back into work. 

The bottom line: When you’re done working for the moment—or for the day—put your computer to Sleep instead of shutting it down. You save power, you save time, and you risk no data loss.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

When you connect to a PC using direct dial or virtual private networking (VPN), you’re simply joining the host’s network from far away. When you try to open a Word document that’s actually sitting on the distant PC, your laptop’s copy of Word opens and loads the file. Your laptop is doing the actual word processing; the host just sends and receives files as needed.

Windows’s Remote Desktop feature is a different animal. In this case, you’re using your laptop to control the host computer. If you double-click that Word file on the host computer, you open the copy of Word on the host computer. All the word processing takes place on the distant machine; all that passes over the connection between the two computers is a series of keystrokes, mouse movements, and screen displays. The host is doing all the work. Your laptop is just
peeking at the results.

Once you understand the differences between these technologies, you can make a more informed decision about which to use when. For example, suppose your PC at the office has a folder containing 100 megabytes of images you need to incorporate into a PowerPoint document. Using a remote networking connection means you’ll have to wait for the files to be transmitted to your laptop before you can begin working—and if you’ve connected to the office
machine using a dial-up modem, you’ll be waiting, literally, for several days.

If you use a Remote Desktop connection, on the other hand, the files remain right where they are: on the host computer, which does all the processing. You see on your screen exactly what you would see if you were sitting at the office. When you drag and drop one of those images into your PowerPoint document, all the action is taking place on the PC at the other end.

Of course, if the computer doing the dialing is a brand-new Pentium 7 zillion-megahertz screamer, and the host system is a 5-year-old rustbucket on its last legs, you might actually prefer a remote network connection, so the faster machine can do most of the heavy work.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

1. Start regedit.

Go to registry editor by running regedit in the run box. (Refer My Earlier Post What Is Windows Registry | How To Use Windows Registry)

Warning: before you try to modify windows registry, learn how to backup windows registry. Also try to have a backup of your registry at this stage before you proceed. Read More On How To Backup Windows Registry.

Warning: While this solution solves the issue or problem, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk. For more information about modifying the registry, see  Microsoft support article 256986 Also Read More On How To Backup Windows Registry.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Why did Microsoft bury my files in a folder three levels deep?

Because Windows has been designed for computer sharing. It’s ideal for any situation where family members, students, or workers share the same PC.

Each person who uses the computer will turn on the machine to find his own separate desktop picture, set of files, Web bookmarks, font collection, and preference settings.  Like it or not, Windows considers you one of these people. If you’re the only one who uses this PC, fine—simply ignore the sharing features. But in its little software head, Windows still considers you an account holder, and stands ready to accommodate any others who should come along.

In any case, now you should see the importance of the Users folder in the main hard drive window. Inside are folders—the Personal folders—named for the people who use this PC. In general, nobody is allowed to touch what’s inside anybody else’s folder. If you’re the sole proprietor of the machine, of course, there’s only one Personal folder in the Users folder—named for you.

This is only the first of many examples in which Windows imposes a fairly rigid folder structure. Still, the approach has its advantages. By keeping such tight control over which files go where, Windows 7 keeps itself pure—and very, very stable. (Other operating systems known for their stability, including Mac OS X, work the same way.)

Furthermore, keeping all your stuff in a single folder makes it very easy for you to back up your work. It also makes life easier when you try to connect to your machine from elsewhere in the office (over the network) or elsewhere in the world (over the Internet).

Blogger Labels: Personal, Folder, Microsoft, computer, font, office, world, Internet, Users, systems, folders

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Earlier, I was trying to make my Vista Home Premium wireless laptop to be accessed from a remote Windows 7 Home Premium desktop PC.  I have them networked and just need the laptop to be remote. I've been doing some research and found that it may not be possible with the premium home edition.

Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Home Premium can remote-connect to another computer, but it cannot be connected from another computer by default.  However, there are ways to do so without upgrading to a higher version of Windows.

The easiest may be to use Windows Live Mesh, which lets you sync files or remote-desktop to any computer where you've installed the tool.  The tool only has to be installed on the computer you want to connect to.  For example, if you go to a friends' house, you could connect to your computer computer without installing this program on her computer.

Once it's on a computer, you can connect to that computer from anywhere in the world on any other computer.  In other words, it only needs to be installed on the computer that you want to connect to from somewhere else. For example, to get to your desktop from your laptop, it needs to only be on the desktop.

Here are some of the features of Windows Live Mesh:

Access the stuff on your computers from almost anywhere

With Windows Live Mesh and the Devices website, you can finally stop emailing files to yourself, carrying them around on a USB drive, or worrying whether the version you have with you is the latest.

Sync between computers

Keep up-to-date copies of documents, photos, and other files on all of your computers, whether PC or Mac. Even if your computer is offline, you can still view and work on the files you need.

Get Windows Live Mesh for Mac (available in English only).

Sync on SkyDrive

By syncing folders on the 5 GB of free synced storage space you get with SkyDrive, you can work with up-to-date copies of files on the web from any computer.

Go to SkyDrive synced storage

Sync program settings

Keep your favorites in Internet Explorer and your Microsoft Office settings up to date on all of your PCs.

Connect remotely

Work on your PC from another location, similar to using Remote Desktop Connection in Windows. Run programs and browse all the files on your PC from anywhere.

Go to the Devices website to see the PCs you can connect to

Labels: Remote, Desktop, Home, Vista, Premium, laptop, music, Internet, entertainment, computer, Live, Mesh, world, features, Devices, Sync, documents, English, SkyDrive, storage, Explorer, Microsoft, Office, Connect, Work, Connection, Editions, photos, computers, website,

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Windows 7’s window animations and other eye candy are very cool. But they happen fast; Microsoft didn’t want them to get in your way. That’s a shame if you want to study the visual-FX majesty of these animations in more detail.

If you make this regedit tweak, though, you can make the window animation slow down on command—specifically, whenever you’re pressing the Shift key.

• Go to registry editor by running regedit in the run box. (Refer My Earlier Post What Is Windows Registry | How To Use Windows Registry)

Warning: before you try to modify windows registry, learn how to backup windows registry. Also try to have a backup of your registry at this stage before you proceed. Read More On How To Backup Windows Registry.

• Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER->Software->Microsoft->Windows->DWM.
• Right-click the DWM folder. From the shortcut menu, choose New->DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value AnimationsShiftKey.
• Double-click this value on the right side: In the “Value data” box for the AnimationsShiftKey entry you just made, type 1. Click OK.
• Wrap up: Quit regedit and then log out and log in. (To reverse the procedure, just delete the AnimationsShiftKey value you created, and then log out and log in.)

To see the effects in slow motion, press the Shift key just before they start to occur. For example, Shift-click a window’s Close box—and watch in amazement as it slowwwwly fades into total transparency, like a ghost returning to the world beyond.

Or summon the Flip 3D effect by pressing w+Tab. Then, once the “deck of cards” window effect appears, hold down Shift as you tap your arrow keys, or click windows, to shuffle through them.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

As you know, one of the perks of using Windows 7 (Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate) is that you can encrypt files and folders, protecting them from people who try to open them from across the network or using a different account. If you use this feature quite a bit, however, you’ll quickly grow tired of opening the Properties box every time you want to encrypt something. Wouldn’t it be much more convenient if the Encrypt and Decrypt commands were right there in the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click an icon? Of course it would. To make it so, do this:

• Go to registry editor by running regedit in the run box. (Refer My Earlier Post What Is Windows Registry | How To Use Windows Registry)

Warning: before you try to modify windows registry, learn how to backup windows registry. Also try to have a backup of your registry at this stage before you proceed. Read More On How To Backup Windows Registry.

• Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER->Software->Microsoft->Windows->CurrentVersion->Explorer->Advanced.
  

Now, for this trick, you’re going to need a key that doesn’t actually exist yet. Fortunately, it’s very easy to create a new key.  In this case,

1. Just right-click the Advanced “folder,” and then,
2. From the shortcut menu, choose New->DWORD (32-bit) Value. You see “New Value #1” appear in the right side of the window, ready to be renamed;
3. Type EncryptionContextMenu, and then press Enter.

The birth of a new Registry entry is a good opportunity to name it, but you can rename any value or key at any time, just the way you’d rename a file icon. That is, you can open the renaming rectangle by right-clicking or by pressing F2.

• Double-click this value on the right side: EncryptionContextMenu.
• Make this change: In the “Value data” box, type 1.
• Wrap up: Click OK and quit regedit.

When you right-click any file or folder icon, you’ll see the new Encrypt command in the shortcut menu. (Or, if it’s already encrypted, you’ll see a Decrypt command.)

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

The fancily redesigned Start menu has its charms, including its translucent look. But as we all know, change can be stressful. In Windows 7, you have much more control over the programs and files that appear on the Start menu. The Start menu is essentially a blank slate that you can organize and customize to suit your preferences.

In Windows Vista, you could return to the organization and design of the old, single-column Start menu. (It was an option in the Start menu Properties dialog box.) But it’s gone in Windows 7. Microsoft seems to be saying, “Come on, now, people. Seriously. Let’s move on.” If you’re among the Windows 2000 crowd who genuinely preferred the old arrangement, the free CSMenuLanucher program can do the job for you. It’s available from  the website http://www.csmenu.com/

CSMenu is a little application which acts like the classic start menu. It's designed for Windows 7, which doesn't have a classic start menu.

Download

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Some of the commands that populated the Start menus of previous Windows versions no longer appear in the Start menu of Windows 7. Microsoft is trying to make Windows look less overwhelming.
But if you miss some of the old folders—Favorites, Printers, and the Run command, for example—it’s easy enough to put them back. Here are the simple steps that will get you back to the traditional folder listings.

• Right-click the Start menu.
• From the shortcut menu, choose  Properties.

• Now the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box appears; click the Customize button.

In the scrolling list (as shown in the above screen shot), you’ll find checkboxes and buttons that hide or show all kinds of things that can appear in the right column of the Start menu: Computer, Connect To, Control Panel, Default Programs, Documents, Favorites, Games, Help, Music, Network, Pictures, Printers, Run, Search, and System Administrative Tools . Click OK twice to return to the desktop and try out your changes.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

This thing is awesome. The instant you pop open the Start menu, your insertion point blinks in the new Start Search box at the bottom of the menu (Figure below). That’s your cue that you can begin typing the name of whatever you want to open.

As you type, Windows winnows down the list of found items, letter by letter. (You don’t have to type the full search term and then press Enter.) If the list of results is too long to fit the Start menu, click “See more results” below the list. In any case, Windows highlights the first item in the results. If that’s what you want to open, press Enter. If not, you can click what you want to open, or use the arrow keys to walk down the list and then press Enter to open something.

The instant you start to type, you trigger Windows’s very fast, whole-computer search function. This search can find files, folders, programs, email messages, address book entries, calendar appointments, pictures, movies, PDF documents, music files, Web bookmarks, and Microsoft Office documents, among other things. It also finds anything in the Start menu, making it a very quick way to pull up something without having to click through a bunch of submenus.

Also Read: How To Use The Windows Start Menu Search

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

If you are experiencing System Hanging quite frequently, the possible reason could be an incompatable driver. Make sure that you have compatible drivers for the hardware on your computer. This is also one of the main reasons which causes improper sleep/hibernate and which results in computer freezes.

• Use Windows Update. You might need to set Windows Update to automatically download and install recommended updates.
• Install software from the device manufacturer. For example, if your device came with a disc, that disc might contain software that installs a driver for the device.
• Download and update the driver yourself. Use this method to install a driver that you download from the manufacturer's website. Do this if Windows Update can't find a driver for your device and the device didn't come with software that installs a driver. The Windows 7 Compatibility Center Website lists thousands of devices, and has direct links to driver downloads.

• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Update-a-driver-for-hardware-that-isnt-working-properly
• Sleep Or Hibernate Options Not Available On Windows 7 | How To Fix

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

• Your video card might not support sleep. Update the driver for your video card, or check the information that came with your computer about your video card and supported drivers. For more information, see Update drivers: recommended links.
• Some settings are managed by your system administrator. For more information, see Why won't Windows allow me to change a system setting?
• Sleep and other power-saving states are turned off in your computer's basic input/output system (BIOS). To turn on sleep, restart your computer, and then enter the BIOS setup. As your computer starts, instructions typically appear on the screen that indicate which key or keyboard shortcut you must press to enter the BIOS setup process. Because not all computer manufacturers use the same BIOS, different keys are assigned for this purpose. To learn more, check the information that came with your computer or go to the manufacturer’s website.
• If the hibernate option is missing, you might have hybrid sleep turned on.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com