For some reason, if you decide you don’t want users to use Safe Mode, here is a way to disable access.
1. Open the Registry Editor (Start > Type regedit and press enter.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSafeBoot.
3. Rename the Minimal and Network subkeys to Minimal.old and Network.old.
4. Reboot, and you will not be able to access Safe Mode by pressing F8
With the invention of Microsoft’s UAC (User Account Control), users were no longer Administrator. At least, not the full blown administrator. Windows now operates on the more secure least needed privledges. If you’d like to enable the built-in Administrator account, which is hidden by default, follow these few easy steps.
1. Open a Command prompt. You can go to Start and type CMD and press enter.
2. Type net user administrator /active:yes.
3. This will activate your Administrator account. To verify that it has indeed done just that, go to the Control Panel > User Accounts. You should see the Administrator account enabled and ready for use.
Sometimes, a program associates itself with a compressed file, ZIP, and it opens with a lot of jibberish. It can be a pain, as the normal file association technique doesn’t work right.
Here is how to get Windows to open your ZIP files again:
1. Open a command prompt as Administrator. Start > Accessories > Right click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
2. Type: assoc .zip=CompressedFolder and press Enter.
That’s it. Your zip files are now able to open with Windows.
Well, there is always someone to rain on Microsoft’s parade, this time over at Fortune Magazines website. I think I can assume she owns an iPhone, probably. While I’ve yet to see any Windows Phone 7 devices in person, from what I hear, I have been proven very wrong. I have said in the past that it may be too little, too late. Well, it certainly isn’t too little. As far as too late, only time will tell if they can rip back some market share.
But good is not enough. I’m not talking about a couple of missing feature like copy and paste, which the company promises will arrive shortly. Can Microsoft create a platform that stands out enough to compete with Android and Apple? Will it be different enough that consumers are hungry for it? Will it be pervasive enough that developers want to invest limited resources in making appls for it?
Verizon has said that they will be supporting Apple, Google and RIM Blackberry instead of Microsoft. Microsoft messed up some up their reputation when they launched and then killed the KIN a couple months later.
The comments come ahead of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 event in New York, which will involve America’s number-two wireless carrier AT&T. T-Mobile, the US number-three, will also talk about devices it plans to ship once Windows Phone 7 is available.
Next Tuesday, you may need to take an extended break if you are doing manual Windows Updates, with 49 of them coming down the hatch. It makes sense to have them set to automatic, if you don’t already.
Microsoft will fix a record 49 vulnerabilities in its Patch Tuesday release next week that will involve 16 security bulletins affecting Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, and the .NET framework.
Some people like to store their personal files and folders on a second hard drive or a network location (Network Attached Storage, File Server, etc.) to keep them safe in case the operating system crashes or the primary hard drive fails.
Here is how to redirect your personal folders (My Documents, Pictures, Music, etc.) to a different location.
1. Right click the folder you want to redirect and click Properties.
2. Click the Location tab. Click Move.
3. Browse to the new location, on a local drive. If you would like to redirect to a network drive, in the address bar, type and the computer name and folder (example: ServerNameDocuments). Click Ok or press Enter.
4. To restore the location to the default, do the first 2 steps, but instead of clicking Move, click Restore Default.
I’ve been an on again/off again user of Internet Explorer, and think I am staying with IE9 (for now!). But, IE users are most at risk for DLL highjacking attacks. I’m not sure if this will affect IE9, but it makes sense to stay updated. There have been times when Firefox has been hit with a big vulnerability and I jump ship to Opera or Chrome until it is fixed, and I don’t mind doing it with IE9 if needed.
When running on Windows XP, Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), IE7 and IE8 do not warn users when they click on a malicious link that automatically downloads a malicious dynamic link library, or DLL, to the PC, said Mitja Kolsek, the CEO of Slovenian security company Acros Security.
Similar to Windows XP, most IT shops are staying with Server 2003 even though it has dropped mainstream support and is in Extended Support until July 2015. This puts a lot of businesses in risk for a security breach or outage. I guess “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” applies for a bit longer…. Until it breaks and they go down for a bit. I’m quite a bit more proactive in supporting my servers. I stay up to date. If the new version doesn’t have many new features, I’ll hold off, but not at the expense of security or stability.
“The greater the changes, the less likely Microsoft will fix even security problems,” Cherrysaid. “Looking at the degree of change in Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, it is becoming riskierto continue to run on Windows Server 2003.”
