Ramblings, ideas, problems, and solutions

Tag: Windows

  • Deleting entries from the Run MRU List

    If you’re like me, you use the run menu. A lot. One of the features I like about the run menu is that it stores your recently used commands in a list, called the Most Recently Used list (MRU for short). From time to time, I like to remove superfluous items from that list. Here’s how:…

  • Identifying the version of a Windows client

    Back in December, I showed you how to install RSAT on a Windows client. As you will have seen, the method depends on what version of Windows the client is running, which means that correctly identifying the version running is somewhat important (although trial and error does work – eventually). I have found that the…

  • Batch replace file extension of all files in a folder

    From time to time, I need to quickly change the file extension of all files in a folder. While there are tools that can do that for you (one of which I’ve written about previously), if you need to append the same file extension to all files in a folder, using the command line in…

  • Platform agnosticism and my preferred platform

    The debate over ones preferred platform has for a very long time felt more like a religous discussion more than anything else. Whether it’s PC vs. Mac, iOS vs. Android, or Windows vs. Linux, proponents of the various platforms tend towards an almost religious level of zeal for their preferred platform, and against the other…

  • Changing permissions for all subfolders (Windows)

    A user called in, saying that his unit had been moved to a different department, and that they had all lost access to their work folders. I knew of the change, and moved the folders to the new unit file share. That should have been it, and would have been, except for one thing; when moving folders, you do…

  • Deleting a service from the command prompt

    Sometimes, as an administrator, you will need to remove a service from Windows. This can be because it is malfunctioning, and reinstalling the software it came with does not solve the issue, or because an uninstall of the software it came with does not solve the actual problem. Whatever the cause, removing a service takes…

  • Windows 7: Shake the windows away

    Many of the innovations in Windows 7 are more about estetics and eye-candy than anything else. Some of them are downright silly; such as this one:   You’re working on your computer, and you have a lot of windows open. You then need to focus on a specific window, and minimize all the others. That’s…

  • More God modes

    I recently wrote about the so-called God mode in Windows 7. As it turns out, there are as many as seventeen of them. In addition to the “full” God mode, you also have the following:   Function Code Monster Control Panel {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} Enter a default location {00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33} Use biometric devices with Windows {0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428} Select a…

  • A better way to see trends

    An old joke says that there are three kinds of lies; black lies, white lies and the internal polling data of political parties. The latter example is typically statistics, and while statistics can be presented in such a way as to prove almost anything, raw, unprocessed statistics are a great tool.   One of my…

  • Free eBook: Troubleshooting Windows 7

    Working in IT, I often have people ask me about issues they are having with their computer. Now, while I’m happy to help out, I often find that the problems I solve for them are problems they could have solved themselves. Mitch Tulloch, a Microsoft MVP and lead author of the just-published Windows 7 Resource…

  • The "Show Desktop" icon has disappeared from Quick Launch

    I had a user call in, complaining that her “Show Desktop” icon had disappeared from the Quick Launch bar. She was unable to find it again, and was really distressed as she used it a lot.   As it turns out, Show Desktop is not a regular program, but rather an OS command, known as…