The Computer Boss [TIPS | TRICKS | HACKS | MORE] » Vista

A Cool Windows Notepad Trick

thecomputerboss — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:36:52 +0000

Open a blank Notepad file
Type “.LOG” (in uppercase, no quotes) in the first line of the file, followed by Enter. Save the file and close it.
Double-click the file to open it and notice that Notepad appends the current date and time to the end of the file and places the cursor on the line after.
Type your notes and then save and close the file.
Each time you open the file, Notepad repeats the process, appending the time and date to the end of the file and placing the cursor below it.

This is a cool way to take notes. I have a Notes.txt saved on my Desktop at work, and every time I need to note anything, I fire up this file and type it up. I have a date, and time stamp inserted each time for future reference.

Microsoft Office 2010 Officially Released

thecomputerboss — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:19:07 +0000

Good news for you busy beavers. You favorite office productivity suite is here, and better than ever. You can have a look at some cool new features here. I haven’t had the chance to really play with it yet- but I will have to soon, since I currently use Office 2007.

Here is the pricing structure for the new suite:

Office Home and Student (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) – $149.99
Office Home and Business (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote) – $279.99
Office Professional (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access and OneNote) – $499.99

More info, and trial version here.

MS Word Overtyping? Here’s the Fix!

thecomputerboss — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:35:29 +0000

We’ve all been stumped when composing a document in MS Word, results in deleting the text in front as you type. Not only is this annoying, but also destructive to your work.

Here’s the simple fix to this annoyance: Press the “Insert” key.

This is caused by the “Insert” key being pressed unintentionally. Pressing it again disables over-typing.

Windows IP Commands

thecomputerboss — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:02:21 +0000

The following are useful Windows commands (Run > cmd) to display TCP/IP information and troubleshoot connectivity issues.

Display Connection Configuration: ipconfig /all

Display DNS Cache Info: ipconfig /displaydns

Clear DNS Cache: ipconfig /flushdns

Release All IP Address Connections: ipconfig /release

Renew All IP Address Connections: ipconfig /renew

Re-Register the DNS connections: ipconfig /registerdns

Change/Modify DHCP Class ID: ipconfig /setclassid

Network Connections: control netconnections

Network Setup Wizard: netsetup.cpl

Test Connectivity: ping www.whatismyip.com

Trace IP address Route: tracert

Displays the TCP/IP protocol sessions: netstat

Display Local Route: route

Display Resolved MAC Addresses: arp

Display Name of Computer Currently on: hostname

Display DHCP Class Information: ipconfig /showclassid

Enable GODMODE in Windows 7

thecomputerboss — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:15:10 +0000

There is a little shortcut in Windows 7 called “GodMode”- remember DOOM? Well this isn’t really the same but cool name nonetheless.

Just add a new folder anywhere and name it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

This icon will give you access to all the settings without having to browse around for them.

UPDATE: Some people on 64 Bit versions of Vista and 7 are reporting Explorer crashes. It works fine for me on Windows 7 64 Bit, but you have been warned!

Use Remote Desktop while on a Dynamic IP Address

thecomputerboss — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:25:46 +0000

There are many services out there that let you access your computer from anywhere in the world. There is GotomyPC, and LogMeIn just to name a couple.

There is however a free workaround for this- all you need is a free No-IP.com account, and the Remote Desktop application on your Windows PC.

The problem is, most users have a Dynamic IP address with their ISPs- which means it’s always changing and not permanent. This causes problems because you won’t always know what your IP address is in order to connect to your machine over Remote Desktop.

If you had a Static IP, it would be much easier since the number is permanent and never changes.

Here’s the workaround:

Go to No-Ip.com and create your account
Add a host on to your No-Ip account- make note of the host name (ie: mynewhost@no-ip.biz)
Enable Remote Desktop on the computer you will be accessing remotely
Download and install the application on the computer you will be accessing remotely
The No-Ip application will send your current IP address and update it with the host name you created on the service, so the host name will always know your latest IP address.
So now you can go to any PC, open up the Remote Desktop application ( Start > Accessories > Remote Desktop, or use Windows Search) and enter in the host name you created in step 2.

Boom! You should now be able to see and control your computer from anywhere in the world!

How to Hide your Hard Drive in Windows

thecomputerboss — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:58:09 +0000

Do you have a hard drive in your computer you’d like hidden from casual users of your computer? NoDrives Manager will help you do just that. This utility basically hides the chosen hard drive’s entry from Windows Explorer (My Computer, sidebar,address bar, etc) so non-invasive users won’t know it exists.

The drive will remail technicaly accessable through the “Run” section or the command prompt- but chances are people using your computer aren’t looking to get technical and nosey. In other words, this is great for hiding that porn stash of yours- enjoy.

Download Here

Give Google Public DNS a Try

thecomputerboss — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:50:02 +0000

Today Google launched “Google Public DNS“. It is supposed to make your web browsing experience even faster.

A lot of you may be unfamiliar with DNS (Domain Name System)

here’s Google’s explanation:

“Most of us aren’t familiar with DNS because it’s often handled automatically by our Internet Service Provider (ISP), but it provides an essential function for the web. You could think of it as the switchboard of the Internet, converting easy-to-remember domain names – e.g., www.google.com – into the unique Internet Protocol (IP) numbers – e.g., 74.125.45.100 – that computers use to communicate with one another.”

need more info? : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System

Your ISP has you run through their DNS servers by default- and if you’re a broadband subscriber, surfing web pages is probably fast enough. Google hopes to make it even faster and safer when you use theirs.

Click here to follow their easy step-by-step guide here to change over to Google DNS!

For those who already know how to change their DNS address’- the address’ are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

My thoughts:

I jumped on the chance to try it out, and I could tell you that I notice pages loading snappier. I believe it takes half a second longer to get to the page, but once it does, it feels as though the page is fully loaded and ready. I will be using it for a while to see if I want to keep the configuration.

Please let us know your experiences in the comments section below.

Boss Recommendation of the Week – Little Registry Cleaner

thecomputerboss — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:08:00 +0000

The registry is Windows’ storage of vital program settings and instructions. When you uninstall programs through “Add or Remove Programs”- Windows leaves useless program files behind, deep in your registry. The registry is essential in allowing Windows to perform smoothly, so you need to keep it clean.

This is what Little Registry Cleaner excels at- it combs through the registry and removes left-behind clutter from uninstalled software.

Changes in your registry can be dangerous- so make sure to backup before making changes to it.

DOWNLOAD: Little Registry Cleaner

Install Windows XP up to Windows 7 from a USB Drive

thecomputerboss — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:07:49 +0000

Many of us may need to install Windows from a USB flash drive some time or another. For example, when I needed to install Windows 7 on my Asus Eee PC, I was out-of-luck because it has no optical drive. Luckily, I was able to create a bootable USB flash drive to get the job done. Follow this guide and you can too!

A Bootable USB

With this app, you can either transfer the Windows install directly from a DVD or use an ISO. You simply plug in your USB, run A Bootable USB, check USB, format USB, select the DVD or ISO you want grab the install from, and start the process of creating a bootable USB from which you can install Windows.

Take note A Bootable USB:

Only supports Windows Vista/2008/7 installs;
Only supports USB/flash drives larger than 4 GB;
Officially works only on Windows Vista/2008/7 (the OS you create your bootable USB on not the one you are trying to install);
Can be installed or used as a portable application.

WinToFlash

WinToFlash is an application which allows you to transfer Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7 install from a CD/DVD to a [bootable] USB/flash drive. Although officially the developer does not state WinToFlash supports .ISOs, you can simply mount your .ISO and trick WinToFlash into thinking it is a legit CD/DVD and create your bootable USB that way.

To create a bootable USB Windows install, simply follow the “Windows setup transfer Wizard”.

Take note while A Bootable USB was a one-time project by a zealous blog reader, WinToFlash is in constant development by its developer. Currently WinToFlash is in Beta and is also a portable app.

After you have created your bootable USB with a Windows install on it, with either A Bootable USB or WinToFlash, simply plug your USB into your computer and restart your computer. You should be able to boot from from the USB and install Windows now =). If you are unable to boot from it, you will have to go into your computer BIOS to change the boot order/settings to allow boot from USB.

You may download A Bootable USB and WinToFlash from the following links:

Click here to download A Bootable USB

Click here to download WinToFlash

– Thanks [http://dottech.org]