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Stand up straight young man

Look at a mirror while standing up straight. Check out which areas are preventing you from standing up straight: are your shoulders crouched; your head down; your back bent? Straighten out whatever is slouching and observe the difference.

Your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should make one straight line.

Relax your shoulders and slightly bend your knees -- you don't want to look like a robot.

If you're standing for a long period of time (like next time you're in line for U2 tickets), make sure to continue shifting your weight every so often.

If you're bending down to pick up something (you know you will, especially if Britney Spears is standing in front of you with a short skirt), bend your knees and hips, don't bend down and grab the object with just your waist.

Sit Back, Relax

Use a high, firm chair with a high back.

Make sure to sit with your hips as far back against the back of the chair as possible, and keep your knees at hip level (or a little lower).

If your back is not getting the support it needs from the back of the chair, or you find it difficult to stay against the back of the chair, then try placing a pillow or a towel to support your lower back.

More Sitting Tips

If you're at your desk all day long, make sure that your workstation is at the height of your elbows.

Keep your shoulders straight (parallel to your hips) and avoid leaning forward -- remember: your entire back should be supported at all times.

If you find that you're always leaning forward to see your computer monitor, then tilt the monitor upwards so that you're not forced to look down. Also, if you usually wear glasses, then try wearing them rather than slouching with your eyes glued to the monitor.

When driving, make sure to sit straight, with your hips as far back against the back of your chair as possible. You should be able to hold the steering wheel with your elbows slightly bent.

Avoid staying seated for extended periods of time -- get up and walk around every so often.

Sleep Tight

Always sleep on a firm mattress.

Don't sleep on your stomach. If you do, place a pillow under your waist (no, someone's hand or chest doesn't count).

Sleep on your back or side. If on your back, then you can place a small pillow under your knees; and if on your side, then place a small pillow between your knees. This is not a must, but it may help you maintain a straight back

Use a pillow for your head that keeps your head aligned (at the same level) with the rest of your body.

Doing "backbreaking activities" in bed should not affect your posture, as long as you sleep properly and stay disciplined.

Powerful Will

But the major part of maintaining proper posture is reminding yourself to stand and sit straight. And this is the hardest part. Use these little tips to make sure you don't cheat:

Tell your friends. They can serve as your support system and they will be glad to elbow you when you're caught slouching.

Use Post-It notes. Put them in areas you see daily; your medicine cabinet mirror, your rearview mirror, and your computer monitor.

Feel the results. Keep looking at the difference between a good posture and the one you see in the mirror, to really visualize the work to be done.

Exercising often, especially your back and abs, and staying disciplined will reap great physical rewards.

With good posture, you'll be looking thinner, more confident -- and you'll have all the reasons in the world to stand tall and be proud.

Thanks for Reminding me as well , I will be using these tips !

Taken from http://www.zeedownload.com/forum/

How to Use English Punctuation Correctly

Would you like to write a great paper for one of your classes? Maybe you need to submit a polished, impeccable proposal to your boss? If so, it will help to know proper usage of punctuation. The following is a list of common English punctuation marks and their usage.

Steps

1. End your sentences with a period (full stop), question mark, or exclamation point (exclamation mark or shout mark).
* Use the period (full stop) to denote a full stop at the end of a statement. The period ( . ) is one of the most commonly used punctuation marks.
o The accessibility of the computer has increased tremendously over the past several years.
* The question mark ( ? ), used at the end of a sentence, suggests an interrogatory remark or inquiry.
o What has humanity done about the growing concern of global warming?
* The exclamation point (exclamation mark, shout mark)( ! ) suggests excitement or emphasis in a sentence.
o I can't believe how difficult the exam was!
2. Use the semicolon and colon properly.
* The semicolon ( ; ) has a few uses.
o Use a semicolon to separate two related but independent clauses. Note that, if the two clauses are very wordy or complex, it is better to use a period instead.
+ People continue to worry about the future; our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.
o Use a semicolon to separate a complex series of items, especially those that contain commas.
+ I went to the show with Jake, my close friend; his friend, Jane; and her best friend, Jenna.
* The colon ( : ) has multiple uses.
o Use the colon to introduce a list. Be careful not to use a colon when denoting a regular series. Usually, the word following suggests the use of a colon. Use only after a noun.
+ The professor has given me three options: to retake the exam, to accept the extra credit assignment, or to fail the class.
+ INCORRECT - The Easter basket contained: Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits, and other candy.
3. Understand the differences between a hyphen and a dash.
* The hyphen ( - ) was once a common punctuation mark on typewriters, when a long word might have been split between two lines. The hyphen is still used in a number of other areas:
o Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to some words. The purpose of this hyphen is to make the word easier to read. If you were to leave the hyphen out of a word like re-examine, it would be reexamine, which would be harder to read. Understand that some words do not require a hyphen to separate the prefix from the word, such as restate, pretest, and undo. Let a dictionary be your guide for when to use the hyphen after a prefix.
+ Cara is his ex-girlfriend.
o Use hyphens when creating compound words from separate words.
+ The up-to-date newspaper reporters were quick to jump on the latest scandal.
o Use a hyphen when writing numbers out as words. Separate the two words of any number under one hundred with a hyphen.
+ There are fifty-two playing cards in a deck. ("The amount is one hundred and eighty." is a common error; "and" between numbers denotes a decimal point).
# Be careful with spelling out numbers above one hundred—if the number is used as an adjective, it is completely hyphenated, since all compound adjectives are hyphenated (I have one-hundred tapes). Otherwise, a hyphen should only occur if a number <100 occurs within the larger number, e.g., He lived to be one hundred twenty-one.
* The dash ( -- or — ) should be used when making a brief interruption within a statement, a sudden change of thought, an additional comment, or a dramatic qualification. It can also be used to add a parenthetical statement, such as for further clarification, but should still be relevant to the sentence. Otherwise, use parentheses. Keep in mind that the rest of the sentence should still flow naturally. Try to remove the statement within the dash from the sentence; if the sentence appears disjointed or does not make sense, then you may need to revise. There should be spaces before and after the dash in British English.
o An introductory clause is a brief phrase that comes—yes, you guessed it—at the beginning of a sentence.
o This is the end of our sentence—or so we thought.
4. Use the double quotation mark and single quotation mark/apostrophe for different purposes.
* The double quotation ( " ) encloses a direct quotation, whether made by a person or taken from a piece of literature.
o "I can't wait to see him perform!" John exclaimed.
o According to the article, the value of the dollar in developing nations is "strongly influenced by its aesthetic value, rather than its face value."
* The single quotation mark or apostrophe ( ' ) has a variety of uses.
o Use the apostrophe together with the letter s to indicate possession. Be aware of the difference in using an apostrophe with singular or plural nouns. A singular noun will use 's, whereas the plural version of that singular noun will use s'. Also, be mindful of nouns that are always considered to be plural, such as children and people — here, you should use 's. Be aware of words that are possessive by nature and do not require apostrophes, such as hers and its (it's is used only for the contraction of it is). Their is possessive without apostrophe or s, except as a predicate adjective, where it becomes theirs.
+ The hamster's water tube needs to be refilled.
# A singular noun with possession.
+ In the pet store, the hamsters' bedding needed to be changed.
# A pluralized singular noun with possession.
+ These children's test scores are the highest in the nation.
# A plural noun with possession.
o Use the apostrophe to combine some basic subject-verb statements into a contraction. For example, cannot becomes can't, you are becomes you're, and they have becomes they've.
o Use the single quotation mark within a regular quotation to indicate a quotation within a quotation.
+ Ali said, "Anna told me, 'I wasn't sure if you wanted to come!'"
o Note that an apostrophe is not used with 's' to make a plural noun from a singular. This is a very common mistake and should be avoided.
+ CORRECT - apple ? apples
+ INCORRECT - apple ? apple's
5. Indicate a break or pause within a sentence with the comma ( , ). This is another commonly used punctuation mark. There are several instances where you might use a comma:
* Use the comma when denoting an appositive, or a break within a sentence that supplements and adds information to the subject.
o Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the developer of the operating system known as Windows.
* Use the comma when denoting a series. This is a set of three or more "list" items within a sentence. To save space in newspapers, some writers may omit the last comma.
o The fruit basket contained apples, bananas, and oranges.
o The computer store was filled with video games, computer hardware and other electronic paraphernalia.
* Use a comma if your subject has two or more adjectives describing it. This is somewhat similar to a series, except that it is incorrect to place a comma after the final adjective.
o INCORRECT - The powerful, resonating, sound caught our attention.
o CORRECT - The powerful, resonating sound caught our attention.
* Use a comma when referring to a city and state. It is also necessary to use a comma to separate the city and state from the rest of the sentence.
o I am originally from Freehold, NJ.
o Los Angeles, CA, is one of the largest cities in the United States.
* Use a comma to separate an introductory phrase (which is usually one or more prepositional phrases) from the rest of the sentence. An introductory phrase briefly introduces the sentence, but is not part of the sentence's subject or predicate, and it therefore should be separated from the main clause by a comma.
o After the show, John and I went out to dinner.
o On the back of my couch, my cat's claws have slowly been carving a large hole.
* Use the comma to separate two independent clauses. Having two independent clauses in a sentence simply means that you can split the sentence into two. If your sentence contains two independent clauses that are separated by a conjunction (such as and, as, but, for, nor, so, or yet ), place a comma before the conjunction.
o Ryan went to the beach yesterday, but he forgot his sunscreen.
o Water bills usually rise during the summer, as people are thirstier during hot and humid days.
* Use a comma when making a direct address. When calling one's attention by name, separate the person's name and the rest of the statement with a comma. Note that this kind of comma is used rarely in writing, because this is something that we do normally while speaking.
o Amber, could you come here for a moment?
* Use a comma to separate direct quotations. A comma should come after the last word before a quotation that is being introduced. It is not necessary to use a comma in an indirect quote. A comma is usually not necessary if you are not quoting an entire statement.
o While I was at his house, John asked me if I wanted anything to eat.
+ An indirect quotation that does not require a comma.
o While I was at his house, John asked, "Do you want anything to eat?"
+ A direct quotation.
o According to the client, the lawyer was "lazy and incompetent."
+ A partial direct quotation that does not require a comma.
6. Understand the difference between parentheses, brackets, and braces.
* Use parentheses ( ( ) ) to clarify, to place an afterthought, or to add a personal comment. Be sure to include the period after the closing parenthesis.
o Steve Case (AOL's former CEO) resigned from the Time-Warner board of directors in 2005.
+ Used for clarification. Here, commas can replace the parentheses.
o You will need a flashlight for the camping trip (don't forget the batteries!).
+ An afterthought. Note that the period (full stop) follows the last parentheses — not before the first. Also note that replacing the parentheses with a comma may not be entirely suitable here, and is better off with a period or a semicolon. And that if the parenthetical thought is an "independent" one, perhaps it should be a sentence in itself. In the above example: "...the camping trip. (Don't forget the batteries!)"
o Most grammarians believe that parentheses and commas are always interchangeable. (I disagree.)
+ A personal comment.
* Use brackets ( [ ] ) to signify an editor's note in a regular piece of writing. You can also use brackets to clarify or to revise a direct quote so that it appeals to your own writing. Brackets are often used to encompass the word "sic" (Latin for thus), suggesting that the previous word or phrase was written "as is", with the error intended to be displayed.
o "[The blast] was absolutely devastating", said Susan Smith, a local bystander at the scene of the incident.
+ "It was absolutely devastating!" – the actual quote by Susan Smith.
o The English professor's report read, "Their [sic] are too many problems in are [sic] department."
* Braces ( { } ) are most widely used in denoting a numeric set in mathematics. Though generally uncommon, braces can also be used in regular writing to indicate a set of equal, independent choices.
o { 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 }
o Choose your favorite utensil { fork, knife, spoon } and bring it to me.

Tips

* If you write in a professional capacity, be sure to follow any guidelines or style guides provided by your employer. In some cases, their rules can be at odds with what you read here or elsewhere, but their rules always take precedence. For example, some companies use serial commas (a, b, and c) and others do not (a, b and c).
* Many grammar experts believe that parentheses and commas are often interchangeable when setting off information. While this is sometimes true, there are some cases where a set of parentheses might be more suitable, such as in indicating one's personal thought.
* Although dashes and parentheses have similar uses, remember that parentheses indicate a stronger "side notion" than dashes.
* There are exceptions to the hyphen-dash rule. In making compound words, when one of the words is itself composed of two words, use an en dash ( – ) rather than a hyphen, as in, "He took the Paris–New York route." En dashes are also used between numbers, as in page numbers or years, to denote a range. ("A discussion on personal finance is found in pages 45–62.")
* The placement of punctuation marks before or after a closing quotation mark varies. American English leaves the punctuation mark inside the quotation if it is part of the quotation, "like so." (Commas and periods (full stops) are always put inside the quotation marks for a sentence in American English, regardless of whether the quotation has punctuation at the end. Other types of punctuation marks are put outside the quotation if they are not part of the quotation.) British English tends to leave the punctuation mark outside the quotation, "like so".
o At times, British English will switch back and forth between the inside and outside, depending on the context. For example, interrogative quotations may keep the question mark inside the quotation, as in, "Do you like this question?"
* In formal writing, try to avoid excessive use of question marks and exclamation points. Most of your sentences should be declarative statements.
* Dashes are usually considered to be informal. You might want to replace the use of a dash with a set of parentheses, or even commas. Similarly, limit the frequency of dash use in your writing; they should be reserved to emphasize a couple of important points.
* If you decide against the serial comma in your work, make sure that the meaning of the sentence can stand without its use. Think about the classic example of a sentence in which the serial comma is needed: "My heroes are my parents, Mother Teresa and the Pope."
* If you find that a sentence seems to drag on, find a way to add a comma or two, so that it is easier on the reader's eyes. If a sentence becomes too long, then consider splitting it into two or more sentences.
* Never be afraid to have short sentences in your writing by splitting up long sentences that contain several points. Your reader will appreciate writing that is clear and concise with briefer statements, as opposed to a one-page paragraph with twenty words per sentence.

Warnings

   * While using English punctuation appropriately may help your writing to flow much more smoothly, generally creating a more "intelligent" appearance, don't overdo it. It's best to err on the side of omission than to add several superfluous apostrophes and commas.

Credits goes to wikiHow.com

Tutorials

#	Article Title
1	23 Ways to Speed Up Windows XP Since defragging the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing. 1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer. 2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance. 3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives. 4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system. The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The O$ has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for. Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it. Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button. 5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site. 6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete. 7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files. 8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel. 9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear. 10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page. 11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine. 12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel. 13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness. 14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP. 15.) Visit Micro$oft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion. 16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability. 17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system. 18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data. 19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced. 20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free. 21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations. 22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your O$ down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect. 23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site. Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive. Taken from http://www.zeedownload.com/forum/
2	Five PC Power Myths Debunked Don't let misinformation prevent you from cashing in on PC power management TAGS: Energy conservation Turning off PCs during periods of inactivity can save companies a substantial sum. In fact, Energy Star estimates organizations can save from $25 to $75 per PC per year with PC power management. Those savings can add up quickly. According to a recent report by Forrester titled "How Much Money Are Your Idle PCs Wasting?" PC power management is helping General Electric and Dell boast savings of $2.5 million and $1.8 million per year, respectively. That also results in a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. [ For more on PC power management, please read "When PCs don't snooze, you lose." \| Read about 10 more power-saving myths. ] So why is there hesitancy at some organizations to implement PC power management, given that the payback is easy to calculate? Perhaps some companies are being swayed by myths about PC power management. Forrester outlines five such myths in its report. Myth No. 1: The power used turning my PC on negates any benefits of turning it off. Forrester debunks this myth as follows: The average desktop draws 89 watts per hour. If it's left on overnight for 16 hours, it consumes 1.42kW. It's impossible for the power surge that occurs when powering on a PC to rival that figure: "You would be drawing energy at a rate of 17 kWh -- the equivalent of 44 HP DL580 servers at 100 percent utilization. Moreover, the average US wall outlet can only provide 1.8 kW of draw, which is about one-tenth of what the power surge would require." Myth No. 2: My screen saver is saving me energy. Though at times entertaining and whimsical, screen savers aren't power savers. As the report notes, "Certain graphics-intensive screen savers can cause the computer to burn twice as much energy," according to the EPA's Energy Star Program. A screen saver displaying moving images consumes just as much electricity as an active PC. A blank screen saver is slightly better, but most screen savers don't save energy unless they actually turn off the screen, or in the case of laptops, turn off the backlight. In short, it's better to place PCs in a lower power state than it is to run a screen saver. Myth No. 3: Turning my PC on and off will reduce its performance and useful life. There may have been some truth to this once upon a time, the report notes, but today's new and improved modern hardware can handle it. The Forrester Report cites findings from the Rocky Mountain Institute: "Modern computers are designed to handle 40,000 on/off cycles before failure, and you're not likely to approach that number during the average computer's five to seven year life span. In fact, IBM and Hewlett Packard encourage their own employees to turn off idle computers, and some studies indicate it would require on/off cycling every five minutes to harm the hard drive." The report goes on to say that "powering down your computer may actually extend its life cycle by reducing the intake of dust, which can cause fans to seize up or parts of circuit boards to overheat." [ Powering up and down PCs is OK -- but find out why powering down servers is a calculated risk. ] Myth No. 4: I can't run updates and patches for PCs in lower-power states. It's perfectly possible to rouse PCs from slumber for patches, updates, and backups. "This is most often achieved using WOL (Wake on LAN) technology -- an Ethernet networking standard that allows PCs to be 'woken up' from a lower power state after receiving a 'magic packet' network message. Alternatively, recent hardware improvements such as Intel vPro can offer similar functionality without relying on the WOL standard," according to the report. Myth No. 5: My PC users will not tolerate any downtime for power management. The Forrester report does acknowledge that end-users have very little patience for downtime. However, it suggests that "potential user complaints can be mitigated by communicating the positive financial and environmental benefits of PC power management." The Forrester report "How Much Monday are Your Idle PCs Wasting?" is available for $279. Taken from: http://weblog.infoworld.com/sustainableit/archives/2008/12/pc_power_manage_1.html
3	Force Outlook 2007 to Download Complete IMAP Items From the Tools menu choose Send/Receive, Send/Receive Settings, and then Define Send/Receive Groups. Or you could just hit the Ctrl+Alt+S shortcut key instead of navigating the ridiculous menus. This will bring up the Send/Receive Groups dialog, which has some interesting options that aren't relevant here. Choose the Edit button instead. Almost there… now click on your IMAP account in the left-hand pane, and then under the Receive Mail Items section choose either to "Download complete items" or "Use the custom behavior defined below". Personally I'd recommend using the custom behavior and only downloading complete items for the Inbox folder. You'll have to select "Download complete item including attachments" to flip the switch. Note If you have 500 million messages in your Gmail inbox folder you should think strongly about not enabling this, because it will take simply forever to download them all. Taken from http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/microsoft-office/force-outlook-2007-to-download-complete-imap-items/
4	Google Secrets Method 1: Put this string in Google search: "parent directory " /appz/ -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums "parent directory " DVDRip -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums "parent directory "Xvid -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums "parent directory " Gamez -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums "parent directory " MP3 -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums "parent directory " Name of Singer or album -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums Notice that I am only changing the word after the parent directory, change it to what you want and you will get a lot of items. Method 2: Put this string in Google search: ?intitle:index.of? mp3 You only need add the name of the song/artist/singer. Example: ?intitle:index.of? mp3 jackson Taken from http://www.zeedownload.com/forum/
5	How To Properly Forward An E-mail Message Step-by-Step How To Forward An Email Step #1: Click the "Forward" button, then manually delete all of the other e-mail addresses that appear in the message. To do so, you simply highlight the addresses then hit the "Delete" button, or the "Backspace" button, or use "Edit...then Cut". (You must click the "Forward" button first before you can edit the message.) TIP: If you want to Forward an e-mail that has already been Forwarded many times before -- one where you have to keep opening e-mail message within e-mail message before you eventually get to the one with the information in it -- make sure you click the "Forward" button when you're on the actual page that you want your friends to view. (This is usually the last/most recent e-mail in the chain of Forwards.) That way, your recipients won't have to keep clicking through just to see what you sent. And, many won't click through an e-mail these days anyway -- for fear of getting a virus -- so your message could go unread. Step #2: If you will be Forwarding this message on to more than one person, then instead of using the TO: spot (or even the CC: - Carbon Copy ==spot), use the BCC: (Blind Carbon Copy) spot instead. This will "hide" all of the e-mail addresses that you will be sending this message to. As a result, the people you send to will only be able to see their own e-mail address and no one else's. This may not seem important at first, especially if you're only Forwarding something to one person. But when you think about how many times a message eventually gets Forwarded on to more and more people... you'll realize the importance of "hiding" e-mail addresses any chance you get. TIP: If you don't see "BCC:" as an option in your e-mail program, just click "TO:" and your Address Book will pop up. Then, either highlight a person's name from your Address Book and click "BCC:" or type an e-mail address in the spot next to BCC:. That's it! (Separate multiple e-mail addresses with commas or spaces.) Step #3: Remove the "FW:" from the subject line. Why? Because many people (including me) don't even open Forwarded e-mails anymore. Many people send them right to the trash bin, not wanting to take any chances with viruses or SPAM. TIP: You should always write your own Subject line anyway. The key here is to personalize each and every e-mail you forward in such a way that it doesn't even look like a forwarded e-mail. You do want people to read it, don't you? If what you're Forwarding is truly worthy of being passed on, then you shouldn't be ashamed of titling it something that would meaningful to your friends anyway. Step #4: Once you have all of the e-mail addresses you wish to send this message to entered into the BCC: space, simply click "Send" and wah laa... you're done! You've just sent your very first Forwarded e-mail... the right way. And the recipients of your message will love you for it. [[Media: http://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~sivann/pub/swf/smilepop-soapbox4.swf]] How To Send An E-mail To Many People At Once Question: What do you do when you're not "Forwarding" an e-mail message per se, but rather you have a list of 3... or 5... or 20... or even a hundred people that you want to send a personal e-mail to? Answer: Simple. You "hide" all of the e-mail addresses as explained in Step #2 above. Your friends will thank you for it! I continue to be amazed by how many professionals... we're talking "big" people in "big companies"... even some who are familiar with computers & the Internet... who continue to exploit the privacy of their friends & clients simply because they insist on putting all of the e-mail addresses in the TO: line, instead of "hiding" them in the BCC line! Taken from: http://thefuntimesguide.com/2006/08/how_to_forward.php
6	Increase Hard Disk Speed In XP - 2003 How can I increase my hard disk speed in Windows XP/2003? First Common method is Defragment, that is too common. To speed up your hard disk speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the disk. This tip is only recommended if you have 256MB RAM or higher. Follow these steps: Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command. Expand the system.ini file window. Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh]. Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type Irq14=4096 Note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE!!! Click on the File menu, then choose Save. Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer. Done. Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots. Update: The most speed improvement is visible with IDE drives, however there are reports that this tweak also does good for SCSI disks. In any case, it won't harm your system. Taken from http://www.zeedownload.com/forum/
7	Make Firefox Faster - MAY MAKE THINGS SLOWER Here's how you speed up your Firefox. Type "about:config" into the address bar of Firefox and hit enter. Scroll down and look for the following entries: Alter the entries as follows: Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true" Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true" Note: To set things to TRUE then you have to right click on the item listed and then click toggle (thanks blue) Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives. - Unknown Author
8	Modify Firefox Address Bar Search By default, when you key in keyword(s) in Firefox address bar, it will search the keyword(s) using Google “I’m Feeling Lucky” option. The “I’m Feeling Lucky” option will load the #1 rank website of the keyword(s) search result, instead of listing matching websites. To change the Firefox option is very simple, as follows:- 1. At Firefox address bar, enter about:config and press ENTER. 2. At Filter: field, type keyword.url 3. You should see a Preference name of keyword.URL in the list. 4. Double click it, a “Enter String Value” input box will appear. 5. Replace the string with: http://www.google.com.my/search?q= Click “OK” button and done! Tip: You can replace the string value with any search engine query that you know. Example for Yahoo! search: http://search.yahoo.com/search?sm=Yahoo%21+Search&p= Now you can get rid of the Google or Other Search bar next to the Awesome Bar. This does work in Firefox version 3. Taken from http://www.liewcf.com/blog/archives/2005/01/modify-firefox-address-bar-search/
9	Nero 8 Install Problems For those that are having problems installing Nero 8 follow these intructions: Click Start Click Run. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK. Locate and click the following registry entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager Locate and delete any PendingFileRenameOperations values in the key. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion. Quit Registry Editor. Taken from http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/575828
10	Press Space Bar To Quick Access Windows Boot Manager How to access Windows Boot Manager? XP users should be quite familiar with the F8 key method. Pressing F8 during startup will direct users to the boot options. This access method is applicable to Windows Vista as well. Windows Vista or Server 2008 users can still hit F8 to access boot options. Apart from that, Windows Vista also allows users to access Windows Boot Manager by hitting the Space Bar. Pressing space bar right after the BIOS screen and just before the Windows boot screen appears will lead users to Windows Boot Manager. Users can select which operating system to boot or hit F8 key for the normal recovery options. This technique also works well when user is booting Vista or Server 2008 setup disc. Hitting the Space Bar once when users are prompted with “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” will also lead users to Windows Boot Manager. This alternate option has now been included in Windows 7. Windows 7 allows users to hit the Space Bar after the BIOS screen to have instant access to Windows Boot Manager. If Windows 7 users hit F8 key during the startup, they will be directed to the recovery options. Pressing startup, will thence lead users to Windows Boot Manager. In Windows 7, users also can press F10 key to access the Edit Boot Parameters. Edit Boot Parameters is a temporary configuration to help users to manage boot settings. Taken from: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/12/11/press-space-bar-to-quick-access-windows-boot-manager/
11	Tips of How to Prevent Your Gmail from Being Hacked by Phishers Nowadays it is very common to hear about online security vulnerability with email and domains being stolen by unauthorized third parties. As a frequent internet surfer, how are you going to ensure your Gmail is safe from being attacked by phishers and prevent your private information from being stolen by third parties? You never know or suspect the email is actually sent by phisher as the web page looks like a legitimate site you have visited before. Phishers can imitate as banks, email, online merchants, payment services providers and even governments that you may be confused with what they have claimed and follow the instructions to enter your username, password and other private information on the site. All these information can be used by phishers to steal your bank money, open new credit card applications under your name and etc. In order to prevent or minimize such incident from happening, there are few tips you can apply to prevent phishers’ attacks: • Examine if there are any suspicious filters which are not created by you Access to your Gmail account, go to Setting -> Filters, then verify if there are any filters which are not created by you. Delete them right away if there is any. • Disable Forwarding and POP/IMAP Access to your Gmail account, go to Setting -> Forwarding and POP/IMAP, disable forwarding, POP and IMAP if you have not used them. • Be alert when being asked for sensitive information. Any email or link in the email asking about your user name, password, bank account number or other personal information need to be cautious before submitting those information. Bear in mind that most of the legitimate websites never ask for sensitive information through this channel. • Do not click on suspicious links in email If you receive an email asking for private information from a organization which you know of, instead of clicking on the link directly from the email, go to the organization website directly by typing the address in URL. If there is something you need to do, usually there will be an announcement on the homepage. If you can’t find any information from the homepage, don’t hesitate to call the respective party to find out more. • Use a browser that has a phishing filter Use the the latest versions of browsers such as Firefox 3.x, Internet Explorer 7, and Opera 9.x which have included phishing filters for safer web browsing experience without being interrupted by these kind of phishing activities. • Do not be deceived by “great offers” or fantastic advertisement Whenever you have received any online offers and requires you to enter private information, don’t be too excited and make sure that it is really safe or try to find more information. Taken from: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/12/12/tips-of-how-to-prevent-your-gmail-from-being-hacked-by-phishers/
12	Windows Shutdown Problems http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Troubleshooting-Windows-Shutdown.html
13	{MYTH} How To Turn On Your PC In 10 Seconds Click on the start menu and go to run. Type "Regedit" and press enter. Look for the following key: HKEY_LOACAL_MECHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex Double click on "Startup Delay" Select Decimal Now its Default Value Is 4800000 Change The Value To 40000 Close the Registry Editor and Restart Your Computer No guarantees that this is safe. Use at your own risk! Taken from http://www.zeedownload.com/forum/
14	{MYTH} Increase your Bandwidth by 20 Percent Windows uses 20% of your bandwidth! Get it back. Microsoft reserve 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..) Here's how to get it back: Click Start-->Run-->type "gpedit.msc" without the quotes. This opens the group policy editor. Then go to: Local Computer Policy-->Computer Configuration-->Administrative Templates-->Network-->QOS Packet Scheduler-->Limit Reservable Bandwidth Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab : "By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default." So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%. Taken from http://www.zeedownload.com/forum/
15	{MYTH} Making Windows XP Start 60% Faster Stopping Unneeded Startup Services Along with the core operating system and programs that Windows XP runs when it starts, there is also a host of services involved. Many of these services are necessary for Windows XP to operate correctly. However, many of them are for features in Windows XP that you may not use at all. You can peruse the services and disable any service that you do not want to run. The fewer services that run, the more quickly Windows XP will boot. Caution: Exercise caution when stopping services. If you do not know what a service does or are unsure of the ramifications of stopping the service, leave it alone. Some services are critical to Windows XP's operations, so make sure you understand what the service is before you disable it. To reduce the number of services that start on bootup, you can access two different areas of Windows XP. The first is the System Configuration Utility. The Services tab shows you the services that start when the computer boots. You can stop a service from starting by simply clearing the check box next to the service and clicking OK. However, before you do so, there is another way to disable services that you may prefer because the interface gives you more information about the service in question. Open Control Panel/Administrative ToolsServices or else select Start/Run, type services.msc, and click OK. Either way, you see the Services console. I prefer to use the Services console instead of the System Configuration Utility because it describes what the service does. Additionally, you can double-click a service and examine its properties. Notice the Startup Type column in Figure 4-2. This information lists whether the service is automatic or manual. Manual services are only started in Windows XP when you start a process that requires the service. Some other process may require the service that has a "dependency" relationship with it; in this case, the dependency service will start, as well. Because these services do not start automatically when you boot Windows XP, you do not need to do anything with manual services. However, all services listed as automatic start when Windows XP boots. These are the services that increase boot time. As I have mentioned, many of them are necessary and important, so you should not stop automatic services from booting unless you are sure of the ramifications. You can get this information by looking at the Description column. Here's a quick look at common services you may want to live without: Arrow Automatic Updates: This service enables Windows XP to check the Web automatically for updates. If you don't want to use Automatic Updates, you can disable the service. You can always check for updates manually at the Windows Update Web site. Arrow Computer Browser: If your computer is not on a network, you don't need this service. If you are on a network, leave it alone. Arrow DHCP Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are on a small workgroup, you can still increase boot time by configuring manual IP addresses (which I explore later in this chapter). Arrow DNS Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are, leave it alone. Arrow Error Reporting and Event Log: You don't have to use these services but they can be very helpful, so I would leave them configured as automatic. Arrow Fax: If you don't use your computer for fax services, you can disable this one. Arrow Help and Support: If you never use the Windows XP Help and Support Center (found on the Start menu), you can disable this service. Arrow IMAPI CD-Burning COM: This service enables you to burn CDs on your computer. If you never burn CDs, you can disable the service. Arrow Indexing Service: Your computer keeps an index of files but if you rarely search for files, the service is just a resource hog. You can stop it and turn the service to manual. Arrow Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing: If you do not use these features, you can disable them. Arrow Infrared Monitor: If you do not use infrared devices, you can disable this service. Arrow Messenger: This service sends alert messages on a local area network (it is not the same as Windows Messenger). If you are not on a network, you can disable this service. Arrow Print Spooler: If you do not do any printing from the computer, you can disable this service. If you print, make sure you leave it as automatic. Arrow Remote Registry: This service allows remote users to modify the Registry on your computer. If you are not on a network, you can disable this service. Arrow System Restore Service: This service allows you to use System Restore. If you have turned off System Restore anyway, you do not need to turn off the service. If you do, you turn off System Restore. Arrow Themes: If you do not use themes, you can disable this service. Arrow Windows Image Acquisition: If you do not use scanners or digital cameras, you can disable this service. Arrow Wireless Zero Configuration: If do not use wireless networking devices, you can disable this service. You may have a number of other automatic services, depending on software and other configurations on your computer. So it's a good idea to look through the services and learn more about them. If you double-click a service, a Properties dialog box appears Notice that on the General tab, you see a Startup Type drop-down menu. If you want to change an automatic service to manual, select Manual here and click OK. As a general rule, don't disable a service unless you are sure you will never use it. However, manual configuration allows the service to be started when you find it necessary, thus speeding up your boot time. However, before you change a service to manual, look at the Dependencies tab (see Figure 4-4). This tab shows you which other services depend upon the service you are considering changing. Keep in mind that services are necessary for the vast functionality you get with Windows XP. Change only those services that you understand and do not use. How you use your Windows XP computer should be the best guide in terms of optional startup services. Tip: The Indexing service and the System Restore service take up a lot of disk space and system resources across the board. You can live without the Indexing service but I suggest that you keep using System Restore. It works great when you are in a bind and this is one case where the loss of speed may not be worth the ramifications of not using System Restore. Speed Tips and Tricks for Windows XP Startup Aside from startup programs, services, and the Prefetch folder, there are a number of other startup procedures and issues you can modify to help Windows XP start faster. The following sections explore those tips and tricks. Manual IP Addressing on Small Office/Home Networks Windows XP is configured to help you take care of networking. It uses the TCP/IP protocol for networking in workgroups, or what you might call small office or home networks that do not use a dedicated server. The problem is that automatic IP addressing can be slow. When your computer boots, it has to query the network to see what IP addresses are already in use and then assign itself one. If you want to speed up the boot time a bit, consider manually assigning IP addresses to all computers on the network. This way, the network computers do not have to worry about locating an automatic IP address. Because one is manually configured, the operating system doesn't have to spend time solving this problem. This isn't a networking book, however, so I won't delve into the implications of using a manual IP address, but if you are using a computer that functions as a host computer to the Internet (using Internet Connection Sharing [ICS]), you can get into connectivity problems if you change the configuration of the IP address. However, you can still work around this problem by starting with the ICS host computer. Select Start/Connect To/Show All Connections. Right-click your network adapter card and click Properties. On the General tab, select TCP/IP in the list of services and click the Properties button. In the TCP/IP properties, you can see if you use an automatic or manual IP address. In the example in Figure 4-5, I have configured a manual IP address of 90.0.0.1 and a default subnet mask. The other computers on my office network each use a different IP address in the same class, such as 90.0.0.2, 90.0.0.3, 90.0.0.4, and so on. This way, each computer has a permanent IP address, which helps increase boot time. Note that if you change the IP addresses of your computers, they must all use the same subnet mask. A default subject mask of 255.255.255.0 will keep you in good shape. Make sure you understand the implications of changing IP addresses on your network. If you have no networking experience at all, you may be wiser to leave the automatic IP addressing as is and try to gain some speed using the additional suggestions in this chapter. Disabling Recent Documents History Windows XP includes a feature that keeps track of all recent documents you have opened or used. The idea is that you can select Start/Recent Documents History and quickly reopen any document you have recently used. I use many documents each day and never use the feature myself. In my opinion, I can keep up with what I want to use without Windows XP doing it for me. The bad thing about Recent Documents History is that Windows XP has to calculate what should be put there each time you boot Windows, which can slow things down. So, if you never use the Recent Documents History, it's a good idea to disable it. Here's how: 1) Open the Registry Editor (select Start/Run, type regedit, and click OK). 2) Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mcft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. 3) Create a NoRecentDocsHistory D_WORD key. Double-click the value to open it once it is created. 4) Set the Data Value to 1 to enable the restriction. 5) Click OK and close the Registry Editor. You'll need to restart the computer for the change to take effect. Disabling the Boot Logo You can remove the boot logo that appears when you start Windows XP. This little tweak probably shaves only a few seconds off your boot time but seconds count if you are serious about trying to get Windows XP up and running as quickly as possible. The only negative is that if you remove the boot logo, you will also not see any boot messages, such as check disk. (But if you are not having problems with your computer, this isn't such a big deal.) To remove the boot logo, follow these steps: 1) Select Start/Run, type msconfig, and click OK. 2) In the System Configuration Utility, click the BOOT.INI tab. 3) On the BOOT.INI tab, click the NOGUIBOOT check box option. Click OK. Removing Unwanted Fonts One trick that increases your boot time a bit is to lose any fonts in the Fonts folder in Control Panel that you never use. The more fonts you have, the more processing Windows XP has to do to prep all of those fonts for use. You must be a bit careful here to not remove fonts that you might want, but there is a good chance that you can live without many of them. For instance, you may have foreign language fonts and other symbol fonts (such as Wingdings) that you never use. To delete unneeded fonts, follow these steps: 1) Open the Fonts folder in Control Panel. 2) Select Edit/Select All and then Edit/Copy. 3) Create a new folder on your desktop, open it, and select Edit/Paste. 4) In this new folder, delete any of the fonts you do not want. 5) Return to the Fonts folder in Control Panel. Right-click the selected fonts and click Delete. 6) Go back to your new desktop folder and click Edit/Select All. 7) Return to your Fonts folder and click Edit/Paste. You now have only the desired fonts in the Fonts folder. Tip: You can directly delete fonts from the Fonts folder without creating the secondary folder. However, I recommend the preceding steps to help ensure that you do not make a mistake in the deletion process. Stopping Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing In Windows XP Professional, you have two remote networking features called Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing. These remote networking features are very helpful in a variety of situations but if you don't use them, it is good idea to disable them to save boot time. You can always enable them later if you want to use them. Note: If you are interested in using Remote Desktop or Remote Assistance, see my book Windows XP for Power Users: Power Pack published by John Wiley & Sons. 1) Open the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and choose Properties. 2) Click the Remote Tab. 3) Clear both check boxes to disable Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop. These are only tips and the stability of your system may change for better or worse and XLAN and affliates are not liable. Taken from http://www.zeedownload.com/forum/

Vista

#	Article Title
1	Disable TCP Auto-Tuning Level in Vista to Solve many Network Problems If you are having any of these problems then disabling TCP Auto-Tuning may fix your issue. Poor intermittent network performance. Slow network loading. Unable to open and load some websites or webpages using Internet Explorer or Firefox, where the blue loading bar keeps running for a long time, but the pages fail to load. Java applets fail to download and open. Cannot receive email or download from POP3 mail server by email clients such as Thunderbird. No mail arrived although users may see the message “receiving 1 of 3 messages”, and eventually the receiving process will time out with the error number 0×800CCC19 timeout. Slow email sending or retrieval using Thunderbird and other clients. In an elevated command prompt type these commands: Check state of TCP Auto-Tuning netsh interface tcp show global Disable TCP Auto-Tuning netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=disabled Enable TCP Auto-Tuning netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=normal - Credits goes to My Digital Life and me for posting this.
2	List of all services and explanations in Vista ABold textll services are posted below! Application Experience (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Processes application compatibility cache requests for applications when they are launched. Application Information (svchost.exe) - Manual • Helps interactive applications run with additional administrative privileges. Needed by apps such as Services and RegEdit. If disable, user has to boot into Safe Mode to enable again as Services applet is not accessible. Application Layer Gateway Service (alg.exe) - Manual • Provides support for third-party protocol plug-ins for Internet Connection Sharing and the Windows Firewall. Application Management (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides software installation services such as Assign, Publish, and Remove. Use for group policy or IntelliMirror for corporate centralized management. Background Intelligent Transfer Service (svchost.exe) - Manual • Uses idle network bandwidth to transfer data. Use by Windows Update or MSN Explorer which no longer able to automatically download program or other information when disabled. However, if you’re using Windows Update, the service will automatically and set as Automatic (Delayed Start). Base Filtering Engine (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Manages firewall and Internet Protocol security (IPsec) policies and implements user mode filtering. Stopping or disabling the BFE service will reduce system security and cause unpredictable behavior in IPsec management and firewall applications. No necessary if there is other firewall system. Block Level Backup Engine Service (wbengine.exe) - Manual • Performs block-level backup and recovery of data. Certificate Propagation (svchost.exe) - Manual • Propagates certificates from smart cards. Not needed if don’t use smart cards. CNG Key Isolation (lsass.exe) - Manual • Service stores and uses long-lived private keys and associated cryptographic operations in a secure process. COM+ Event System (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Supports System Event Notification Service (SENS), which provides automatic distribution of events to subscribing component object model (COM) components. If the service is stopped, SENS will close and will not be able to provide logon and logoff notifications. COM+ System Application (dllhost.exe) - Manual • Manages the configuration and tracking of components based on COM+. If the service is stopped, most components based on COM+ will not function properly. Computer Browser (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Maintains an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. Not needed if there is no other computer in the network. Cryptographic Services (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides four management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; Automatic Root Certificate Update Service, which retrieves root certificates from Windows Update; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates. If this service is stopped, these management services will not function properly. Windows Update will automatically set this service to Manual even if it has been set to Disabled. DCOM Server Process Launcher (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides launch functionality for distributed component object model (DCOM) services. DCOM allows COM components to communicate over networks. Desktop Window Manager Session Manager (dfsr.exe) - Automatic • Provides startup and maintenance services for the Desktop Window Manager, which is the windowing system that enables Windows Aero. DFS Replication (dfsr.exe) - Automatic • Replicates files among multiple PCs and keeps them synchronized. DHCP Client (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Manages network configuration by registering and updating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and Domain Name System (DNS) names. Can be disabled if you’re static IP address. Diagnostic Policy Service (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enables detection of problems, troubleshooting, and problem resolution for Windows components. If the service is stopped, diagnostics will no longer function. Diagnostic Service Host (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables detection of problems, troubleshooting, and problem resolution for Windows components. If the service is stopped, diagnostics will no longer function. Diagnostic System Host (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables detection of problems, troubleshooting, and problem resolution for Windows components. If the service is stopped, diagnostics will no longer function. Distributed Link Tracking Client (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Maintains links between NTFS files within a computer or across computers in a network domain. Distributed Transaction Coordinator (msdtc.exe) - Manual • Coordinates transactions that span multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and filesystems. If this service is stopped, these transactions will not occur. DNS Client (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Resolves and caches DNS names for this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not be able to resolve DNS names and locate Active Directory domain controllers. Extensible Authentication Protocol (svchost.exe) - Manual • The Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) service provides network authentication for 802.1x wired and wireless, Virtual Private Network (VPN), and Network Access Protection (NAP). It also provides APIs used by network access clients, including wireless and VPN clients, during the authentication process. If you disable the service, the PC cannot access networks that require EAP authentication. Fax (fxssvc.exe) - Manual • Enables you to send and receive faxes, utilizing fax resources available on this computer or on the network. Function Discovery Provider Host (svchost.exe) - Manual • The Host process for Function Discovery providers, which allows resources to be discovered over the network. Function Discovery Resource Publication (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Make information available to the computer and its attached resources so that they can be discovered over the network. If the service is stopped, network resources will no longer be published and they will not be discovered by other computers on the network. Group Policy Client (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Applies settings configured by administrators for the computer and users through Group Policy. If the service is stopped or disabled, applications and components will not be manageable through Group Policy. Any components or applications that depend on the Group Policy component might not work if the service is stopped or disabled. Health Key and Certificate Management (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides X.509 certificate and key management services for the Network Access Protection Agent. Enforcement technologies that use X.509 certificates may not function properly without the service. Human Interface Device Access (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables generic input access to Human Interface Devices (HIDs), which activates and maintains the use of predefined hot buttons on keyboards, remote controls, and other multimedia devices. If this service is stopped, hot buttons controlled by this service will no longer function. Avoid disabling this service if you’re using high-tech mouse or keyboard. Idwlog Service - Automatic • Use in internet Windows build. IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Module (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Modules used for authentication and key exchange in Internet Protocol security (IPsec). Stopping or disabling the service will disable IKE and AuthIP key exchange with peer computers. Disable this will decrease RAM utilization and improve network performance, but reduce network security. Interactive Services Detection (UI0Detect.exe) - Manual • Enables notification of user input for interactive services. This enables access to dialogs created by interactive services when they appear. If the service is stopped, notifications of new interactive service dialogs will no longer function. If the service is disabled, both notifications of and access to new interactive service dialogs will no longer function. Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) (svchost.exe) - Disabled • Provides Network Address Translation (NAT), addressing, name resolution, and/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small-office network. In other words, allow multiple PCs to access Internet by attaching to one computer with ICS enabled. IP Helper (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides automatic IPv6 connectivity over an IPv4 network. If the service is stopped, the PC will only have IPv6 connectivity if it is connected to a native IPv6 network. Less common currently as low popularity of IPv6. Disable will improve network performance and decrease RAM usage. IPsec Policy Agent (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enforces IPsec policies created through the IP Security Policies Snap-in or the command-line tool netsh ipsec. If you stop the service, you may experience network connectivity issues if your policy requires that connections use IPsec. Remote management of the Windows Firewall will not be available if the service is stopped. Disable will improve network performance and decrease RAM usage, but affect negatively network performance. KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Coordinates transactions between MSDTC and the Kernel Transaction Manager (KTM). Disable if both MSDTC and KTM is not used. Link-Layer Topology Discovery (Mapper svchost.exe) - Manual • Creates the Network Map in the Network and Sharing Center. If this service is disabled, the Network Map will not function properly. Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader • Installed if Windows Live Messenger is installed. Disable if don’t use Messenger Live’s sharing folders. Microsoft .NET Framework NGEN (mscorsvw.exe) - Manual • Microsoft .NET Framework native image generator (NGEN). Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service (svchost.exe) - Manual • Manages Internet SCSI (iSCSI) sessions from the computer to remote iSCSI target devices. If the service is stopped, this computer will not be able to log in or access iSCSI targets. Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider (dllhost.exe) - Manual • Manages software-based volume shadow copies taken by the Volume Shadow Copy service. If this service is stopped, software-based volume shadow copies cannot be managed, and will have a negative impact on system redundancy. Multimedia Class Scheduler (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Used mainly by multimedia applications, this service enables relative prioritization of work based on system-wide task priorities. If the service is stopped, individual tasks resort to their default priority. Requires by Windows audio to give higher priority to multimedia applications. Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service (SMSvcHost.exe) - Disabled • Provides ability to share TCP ports over the net.tcp protocol. .NET applications that use this service will be affected if disabled. Netlogon (lsass.exe) - Manual • Maintains a secure channel between the PC and the domain controller for authenticating users and services. If the service is stopped, the computer may not authenticate users and services and the domain controller cannot register DNS records. Network Access Protection Agent (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables NAP functionality, which allows network administrators to set security requirements for computers that want to connect to a network. Network Connections (svchost.exe) - Manual • Manages objects in the Network and Dial-Up Connections folder. Network List Service (svchost.exe) - Manual • Identifies the networks to which the computer has connected, collects and stores properties for these networks, and notifies applications when these properties change. If disabled, the network icon in system tray (notification area) won’t be able to tell if network is connected, although the network connection won’t be affected. Disable if not connected to a LAN with multiple computers or if don’t share files or printers through LAN. Network Location Awareness (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Collects and stores configuration information for the network and notifies programs when the information is modified. If the service is stopped, configuration information might be unavailable. Disable if not connected to a LAN with multiple computers or if don’t share files or printers through LAN. Network Store Interface Service (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Delivers network notifications to clients. Stopping the service will cause loss of network connectivity. Offline Files (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Performs maintenance activities on the Offline Files cache, responds to user logon and logoff events, implements the internals of the public API, and dispatches interesting events to those interested in Offline Files activities and changes in cache state. Disable if not connecting to domain or use only local profiles. Parental Controls (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables Parental Controls. If the service is not running, Parental Controls will not work. Peer Name Resolution Protocol (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables Serverless Peer Name Resolution over the Internet. If disabled, some Peer-to-Peer and Collaborative applications, such as Windows Meetings, may not function. Peer Networking Grouping (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides Peer Networking Grouping services. Peer Networking Identity Manager (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides Identity service for Peer Networking. Performance Logs & Alerts (svchost.exe) - Manual • Collects performance data from local or remote computers based on preconfigured schedule parameters, then writes the data to a log or triggers an alert. If this service is stopped, performance information will not be collected. Plug and Play (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enables a computer to recognize and adapt to hardware changes with little or no user input. Stopping or disabling this service will result in system instability. PnP-X IP Bus Enumerator (svchost.exe) - Manual • Manages the virtual network bus. It discovers network-connected devices using the SSDP/WS discovery protocols and gives them presence in PnP. If this service is stopped or disabled, presence of NCD devices will not be maintained in PnP. PNRP Machine Name Publication Service (svchost.exe) - Manual • Publishes a machine name using the Peer Name Resolution Protocol. Portable Device Enumerator Service (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enforces group policy for removable mass-storage devices. Enables applications such as Windows Media Player and the Image Import Wizard to transfer and synchronize content using removable mass-storage devices. Disable if don’t need to synchronize data with removable storage such as mp3 players. Anyway, the setting will not affect third party applications such as iTunes, but only applications using this service such as Windows Media Player. Print Spooler (spoolsv.exe) - Automatic • Loads files to memory for later printing. If disabled, user may still be able to print, but need to wait the printing job to finish before able to use computer again. Problem Reports and Solutions Control Panel Support (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides support for viewing, sending, and deleting system-level problem reports for the Problem Reports and Solutions control panel. Program Compatibility Assistant Service (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides support for the Program Compatibility Assistant. If this service is stopped, the Program Compatibility Assistant will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that depend on it will fail to start. Protected Storage (lsass.exe) - Manual • Provides protected storage for sensitive data, such as private keys, to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users. Quality Windows Audio Video Experience (qWave) (svchost.exe) - Manual • A networking platform for Audio Video (AV) streaming applications on IP home networks. qWave enhances AV streaming performance and reliability by ensuring network quality of service (QoS) for AV applications. The technology is not wide-spread yet, and can be disabled. ReadyBoost (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides support for improving system performance using ReadyBoost. Disable if don’t have USB flash drive or don’t use this feature. Remote Access Auto Connection Manager (svchost.exe) - Manual • Creates a connection to a remote network whenever a program references a remote DNS or NetBIOS name or address. Remote Access Connection Manager (svchost.exe) - Manual • Creates a network connection. Disable if don’t use dial-up connections and VPN-networks. Remote Procedure Call (RPC) (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides the endpoint mapper and other miscellaneous RPC services. Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator (locator.exe) - Manual • Manages the RPC name service database. Remote Registry (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables remote users to modify Registry settings on this computer. If this service is stopped, only users on this computer can modify the Registry. Use mostly in corporate network. Routing and Remote Access (svchost.exe) - Disabled • Offers routing services to businesses in local- and wide-area network environments. Disable if don’t need to route network data within a LAN or WAN. Secondary Logon (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enables starting processes under alternate credentials. If this service is stopped, this type of logon access will be unavailable. Some application may need this service, such as Postgres. Disable if simultaneous logon to 2 users is needed. Security Accounts Manager (lsass.exe) - Automatic • Stores security information for local user accounts. Security Center (svchost.exe) - Automatic (Delayed Start) • Monitors system security settings and configurations. Disable will stop all security warnings. Server (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Supports file, print, and named-pipe sharing over the network for this computer. If this service is stopped, these functions will be unavailable, affecting file and printer sharing through LAN. Shell Hardware Detection (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides notifications for AutoPlay hardware events. Disable to remove auto play functionality on removable media. SL UI Notification Service (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides Software Licensing activation and notification. Manually run the service when needed for activation or other software licensing issues. Smart Card (svchost.exe) - Manual • Manages access to smart cards read by this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will be unable to read smart cards. Smart Card Removal Policy (svchost.exe) - Manual • Allows the system to be configured to lock the user desktop upon smart card removal. SNMP Trap (Snmptrap.exe) - Manual • Receives trap messages generated by local or remote Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agents and forwards the messages to SNMP management programs running on this computer. If this service is stopped, SNMP-based programs on this computer will not receive SNMP trap messages. Software Licensing (slsvc.exe) - Automatic • Enables the download, installation, and enforcement of digital licenses for Windows and Windows applications. If the service is disabled, the operating system and licensed applications may run in a reduced function mode. SSDP Discovery Service (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home network. Superfetch (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Maintains and improves system performance over time. System Event Notification (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events. Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events. Tablet PC Input Service (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enables Tablet PC pen and ink functionality. Mostly for Tablet PC use. Task Scheduler (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enables a user to configure and schedule automated tasks on this computer. If this service is stopped, these tasks will not be run at their scheduled times. TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution. Modern network rarely need this service. Telephony (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices and IP-based voice connections on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service. Disable if don’t use dial-up connections. Terminal Services (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display of Desktops and applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, and Terminal Server. Disable if not using Remote Desktop, and it’s not needed to remotely connect to another computer. Disable this service will improve system security. Terminal Services Configuration (svchost.exe) - Manual • Responsible for all Terminal Services and Remote Desktop-related configuration and session maintenance activities that require SYSTEM context. Terminal Services UserMode Port Redirector (svchost.exe) - Manual • Allows the redirection of printers/drives/ports for RDP connections. Themes (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides user experience theme management. Thread Ordering Server (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides ordered execution for a group of threads within a specific period of time. TPM Base Services (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enables access to the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which provides hardware-based cryptographic services to system components and applications. If this service is stopped or disabled, applications will be unable to use keys protected by the TPM. Universal Plug and Play Device Host (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides support to host Universal Plug and Play devices. User Profile Service (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Responsible for loading and unloading user profiles. If this service is stopped or disabled, users will no longer be able to successfully log on or log off, applications may have problems getting to users’ data, and components registered to receive profile event notifications will not receive them. Virtual Disk (vds.exe) - Manual • Provides management services for disks, volumes, filesystems, and hardware array objects such as subsystems, controllers, and so on. Set as manual if don’t use Disk Management in the Computer Management console. It can be started manually at any time when need to use Disk Management. Volume Shadow Copy (vssvc.exe) - Manual • Manages and implements Volume Shadow Copies used for backup and other purposes. If this service is stopped, shadow copies will be unavailable for backup and the backup may fail. Disable this service will have a negative impact on system redundancy. WebClient (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify Internet-based files. If this service is stopped, these functions will not be available. Windows Audio (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Manages audio devices for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. Windows Audio Endpoint Builder (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Manages audio devices for the Windows Audio service. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. Windows Backup (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides Windows Backup and Restore capabilities. Windows CardSpace (infocard.exe) - Manual • Securely enables the creation, management, and disclosure of digital identities. Windows Color System (svchost.exe) - Manual • Hosts third-party Windows Color System color device model and gamut map model plug-in modules. Windows Connect Now - Config Registrar (svchost.exe) - Manual • Acts as a registrar; issues network credential to enrollee. Windows Defender (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Scans your computer for unwanted software, schedules scans, and gets the latest unwanted software definitions. Can be stopped if user has another anti-spyware application. Entry in registry needs to be removed too to avoid “Unable to Start” error message. Run ‘msconfig’, click on Startup tab and uncheck Windows Defender. Windows Driver FoundationUser-mode Driver Framework (svchost.exe) - Manual • Manages user-mode driver host processes. Windows Error Reporting Service (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Allows errors to be reported when programs stop working or responding and allows existing solutions to be delivered. Also allows logs to be generated for diagnostic and repair services. If this service is stopped, error reporting might not work correctly and results of diagnostic services and repairs might not be displayed. Windows Event Collector (svchost.exe) - Manual • Manages persistent subscriptions to events from remote sources that support the WS-Management protocol. This includes Windows Vista event logs, hardware, and IPMI-enabled event sources. If this service is stopped or disabled, event subscriptions cannot be created and forwarded events cannot be accepted. Windows Event Log (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Manages events and event logs. It supports logging events, querying events, subscribing to events, archiving event logs, and managing event metadata. It can display events in both XML and plain-text formats. Stopping this service may compromise security and reliability of the system. Windows Firewall (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Helps protect your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network. Not needed if another firewall exists. Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) (svchost.exe) - Manual • Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras. Can be disabled if don’t have both gadgets. Windows Installer (msiexec.exe) - Manual • Installs, repairs, and removes software according to instructions contained in .msi files. Windows Management Instrumentation (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating systems, devices, applications, and services. If this service is stopped, most Windows-based software will not function properly. Windows Media Center Extender Service (mcx2svc) - Disabled • Windows Media Center Service to allow connection for Media Center devices such as XBox 360. Windows Media Center Receiver Service (ehrecvr.exe) - Manual • Windows Media Center Service for TV and FM broadcast reception. Windows Media Center Scheduler Service (ehsched.exe) - Manual • Starts and stops recording of TV programs within Windows Media Center. Windows Media Center Service Launcher (svchost.exe) - Automatic (Delayed Start) • Starts Windows Media Center Scheduler and Windows Media Center Receiver services at startup if TV is enabled within Windows Media Center. Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service (wmpnetwk.exe) - Manual • Shares Windows Media Player libraries with other networked players and media devices using Universal Plug and Play. Windows Modules Installer (trustedinstaller.exe) - Manual • Enables installation, modification, and removal of Windows updates and optional components. If this service is disabled, you may not be able to install or uninstall Windows updates. Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache (presentationfontcache.exe) - Manual • Optimizes performance of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications by caching commonly used font data. WPF applications will start this service if it is not already running. It can be disabled, though doing so will degrade the performance of WPF applications. Windows Process Activation Service (svchost.exe) • Provides process activation, resource management, and health management services for message-activated applications. Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) (svchost.exe) - Manual • Implements the WS-Management protocol for remote management, a standard web services protocol used for remote software and hardware management. Windows Search (searchindexer.exe) - Automatic • Provides content indexing and property caching for file, email, and other content (via extensibility APIs). If the service is stopped or disabled, the Explorer will not be able to display virtual folder views of items, and search in the Explorer will fall back to item-by-item slow search. Used to call Indexing Service. Disable will not affect search function, but search will be perform slower. Windows Time (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. Windows Update (svchost.exe) - Automatic (Delayed Start) • Enables the detection, download, and installation of updates for Windows and other programs. If this service is disabled, users of this computer will not be able to use Windows Update or its automatic updating feature, and programs will not be able to use the Windows Update Agent (WUA) API. WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service (svchost.exe) - Manual • Implements the client HTTP stack and provides developers with a Win32 API and COM Automation component for sending HTTP requests and receiving responses. In addition, WinHTTP provides support for auto-discovering a proxy configuration via its implementation of the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD) protocol. Most applications don’t use this service. Wired AutoConfig (svchost.exe) - Manual • Performs IEEE 802.1X authentication on Ethernet interfaces. WLAN AutoConfig (svchost.exe) - Manual • Enumerates WLAN adapters, and manages WLAN connections and profiles. WMI Performance Adapter (wmiapsrv.exe) - Manual • Provides performance library information from WMI HiPerf providers. Workstation (svchost.exe) - Automatic • Creates and maintains client network connections to remote servers. If this service is stopped, these connections will be unavailable. World Wide Web Publishing Service (svchost.exe) • Provides web connectivity and administration through the Internet Information Services Manager. - Credits goes to My Digital Life and me for posting this.
3	Optimize Vista by Disabling Unused, Unneeded, or Unnecessary Windows Services These services can be set to manual or disabled. It would be safe for you to set these all to manual instead to disabled. These services may not apply to those who run off a domain. * Application Management * Background Intelligent Transfer Service * Base Filtering Engine * Block Level Backup Engine Service * Certificate Propagation * COM+ Event System * Computer Browser * Diagnostic Policy Service * Diagnostic System Host * Distributed Link Tracking Client * Fax * Function Discovery Provider Host * Function Discovery Resource Publication * Human Interface Device Access * IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules * Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) * IP Helper * IPSec Policy Agent * KtmRm for Distributed Transaction Coordinator * Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader Service * Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service * Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider * Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service * Network Access Protection Agent * Network List Service * Network Location Awareness * Offline Files * Parental Controls * PnP-X IP Bus Enumerator * Portable Device Enumerator Service * Print Spooler * Program Compatibility Assistant Service * Quality Windows Audio Video Experience * ReadyBoost * Remote Access Connection Manager * Remote Registry * Routing and Remote Access * Secondary Logon * Security Center * Server * Shell Hardware Detection * SL UI Notification Service * Smart Card * Smart Card Removal Policy * SNMP Trap * SSDP Discovery * Superfetch * Tablet PC Input Service * TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper * Telephony * Terminal Services * UPnP Device Host * Volume Shadow Copy * WebClient * Windows Backup * Windows Defender * Windows Error Reporting Service * Windows Firewall * Windows Image Acquisition * Windows Media Center Extender Service * Windows Media Center Receiver Service * Windows Media Center Scheduler Service * Windows Media Center Service Launcher * Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service * Windows Search * Windows Time * WinHTTP WebProxy Auto-Discovery Service * Virtual Disk * Volume Shadow Copy * Wired AutoConfig If you do not use the Windows Aero them, then these services can be disabled. * Application Experience * Desktop Window Manager Session Manager If you do not use any themes at all, then these services can be disabled: * Application Experience * Desktop Window Manager Session Manager * Windows Themes - Credits goes to My Digital Life and me for posting this.
4	Screen Resolution Limit in Vista for ATI Video Cards For those people that are having issues with screen resolutions when installing ATi Cards or re-installing drivers. 1. Install the latest Catalyst Driver along with the Catalyst Control Center. 2. Right click on your desktop and select Catalyst Control Center. 3. Choose advanced mode, or go into advancded mode, and in the left select Displays Manager. 4. If the second display is enabled (in many cases it is enabled by default) the video card cannot allow the user to select a superior resolution than 1024 x 768 (or even less). From the Desktop and Display setup section drag the "Clone" display away towards the "Attached displays currently disabled". This will disable the second monitor that usually is the TV connected through the TV out connector. 5. When prompted click OK and go back to Display Settings. Surprise, the slider is no more limited and you can choose the desired resolution. In case you want to enjoy a movie on your TV do the operation again in reverse mode by dragging the display towards "clone" box. Taken from http://tinyurl.com/3zx6mw
5	Vista Extend Trial Period 1. Type "regedit" into the run box and press enter. 2. Go to the Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ SL 3. Right-click the registry key named SkipRearm and click edit the default is a Dword (a double word or 4 bytes) with a hex value of 00000000. Change this value to any positive integer, such as 00000001, save the change, and close the Registry Editor. 4. Start a command prompt with administrative rights. 5. Type either command and press enter: slmgr -rearm or rundll32 slc.dll,SLReArmWindows 6. Reboot the PC for changes to take affect. Run the command "slmgr -xpr" to see Vista's new expiration date and time. 7. Repeat steps 1 - 6 to extend Vista's activation deadline nearly forever. - Credits goes to My Digital Life and me for posting this.
6	Vista Tips and Tricks Enhance SATA Disk performance This speeds up the performance of your hard disk by enhancing write caching. Click on the Start Button and key in Device Manager and hit Enter. Expand Disk Drives. Right click on your hard drive and select Properties. On the Policies tab, check Enable advanced performance. Hit OK and close Device Manager. Increase max IE7 downloads Internet Explorer 7 only allows you to download two files from the same server at a time. Click on the Start Button and type in Regedit. When Registry Editor loads navigate through HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software, Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion and Internet Settings. Right click on MaxConnectionsPerServer and select Modify. Set the decimal value to something greater than 2. Right click on MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server and select Modify. Set the decimal value to something greater than 2. Reboot. Quick Aero Speed Tip The transparent glass in Windows Vista computer can look very nice. However, on some computers that have underpowered video adapters will see a performance hit when running the transparent glass effect. One way to speed up Windows Vista and still get the benefits of aero, such as flip 3D and taskbar thumbnails, is to disable glass transparency. Click on the desktop and select Personalize. Select Windows Color and Appearance. Uncheck Enable Transparency. Speed up Aero (Vista Glass) by Disabling Min/Max Animations Follow the steps below to make your windows faster: Click on the Start Menu and key in SystemPropertiesPerformance and hit Enter. On the Visual Effects tab uncheck Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing. Click OK. Speed up Start Menu Search Right click on the start button and select Properties. Click on the Customize button. Remove the check from Search Communications. Set Search Files to Don't search for files. Click OK. Click OK once more. - Credit goes to TweakVista.com and me for posting this
7	Vista/Samba Login Problem Fix/Solution For those that are having issues logging in to a NAS in Windows Vista there is a fix below. You can discuss your success or failure about the fix in the forums. --- If any of you are having problems with Vista logon to NAS devices running Samba, try: Run secpol.msc Go to: Local Policies > Security Options > Network Security: LAN Manager authentication level > Change Setting from “Send NTLMv2 response only” To “Send LM & NTLM - use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated” Vista defaults to only send the more secure NTLMv2 protocol, NAS devices/Samba do not support. - Unknown Author

Windows 7

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1	Google Chrome and Windows 7 Either on a shortcut or in the application directory of Google Chrome, right-click properties. In target after the program name add: --in-process-plugins or if in directory like so: C:\Users\USER PROFILE\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe -in-process-plugin

Windows Server 2008

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1	How to extend the Windows Server 2008 evaluation period How to install Windows Server 2008 without activating it 1. Run the Windows Server 2008 Setup program. 2. When you are prompted to enter a product key for activation, do not enter a key. Click No when Setup asks you to confirm your selection. 3. You may be prompted to select the edition of Windows Server 2008 that you want to evaluate. Select the edition that you want to install. Note After Windows Server 2008 is installed, the edition cannot be changed without reinstalling it. 4. When you are prompted, read the evaluation terms in the Microsoft Software License Terms, and then accept the terms. 5. When the Windows Server 2008 Setup program is finished, your initial 60-day evaluation period starts. To check the time that is left on your current evaluation period, run the Slmgr.vbs script that is in the System32 folder. Use the -dli switch to run this script. The slmgr.vbs -dli command displays the number of days that are left in the current 60-day evaluation period. How to manually extend the evaluation period When the initial 60-day evaluation period nears its end, you can run the Slmgr.vbs script to reset the evaluation period. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, and then click Command Prompt. 2. Type slmgr.vbs -dli, and then press ENTER to check the current status of your evaluation period. 3. To reset the evaluation period, type slmgr.vbs –rearm, and then press ENTER. 4. Restart the computer. This resets the evaluation period to 60 days. How to automate the extension of the evaluation period You may want to set up a process that automatically resets the evaluation period every 60 days. One way to automate this process is by using the Task Scheduler. You can configure the Task Scheduler to run the Slmgr.vbs script and to restart the server at a particular time. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Task Scheduler. 2. Copy the following sample task to the server, and then save it as an .xml file. For example, you can save the file as Extend.xml. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?> <Task version="1.2" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/windows/2004/02/mit/task"> <RegistrationInfo> <Date>2007-09-17T14:26:04.433</Date> <Author>Microsoft Corporation</Author> </RegistrationInfo> <Triggers> <TimeTrigger id="18c4a453-d7aa-4647-916b-af0c3ea16a6b"> <Repetition> <Interval>P31D</Interval> <StopAtDurationEnd>false</StopAtDurationEnd> </Repetition> <StartBoundary>2007-10-05T02:23:24</StartBoundary> <EndBoundary>2008-09-17T14:23:24.777</EndBoundary> <Enabled>true</Enabled> </TimeTrigger> </Triggers> <Principals> <Principal id="Author"> <UserId>domain\alias</UserId> <LogonType>Password</LogonType> <RunLevel>HighestAvailable</RunLevel> </Principal> </Principals> <Settings> <IdleSettings> <Duration>PT10M</Duration> <WaitTimeout>PT1H</WaitTimeout> <StopOnIdleEnd>true</StopOnIdleEnd> <RestartOnIdle>false</RestartOnIdle> </IdleSettings> <MultipleInstancesPolicy>IgnoreNew</MultipleInstancesPolicy> <DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>true</DisallowStartIfOnBatteries> <StopIfGoingOnBatteries>true</StopIfGoingOnBatteries> <AllowHardTerminate>true</AllowHardTerminate> <StartWhenAvailable>false</StartWhenAvailable> <RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>false</RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable> <AllowStartOnDemand>true</AllowStartOnDemand> <Enabled>true</Enabled> <Hidden>false</Hidden> <RunOnlyIfIdle>false</RunOnlyIfIdle> <WakeToRun>true</WakeToRun> <ExecutionTimeLimit>P3D</ExecutionTimeLimit> <DeleteExpiredTaskAfter>PT0S</DeleteExpiredTaskAfter> <Priority>7</Priority> <RestartOnFailure> <Interval>PT1M</Interval> <Count>3</Count> </RestartOnFailure> </Settings> <Actions Context="Author"> <Exec> <Command>C:\Windows\System32\slmgr.vbs</Command> <Arguments>-rearm</Arguments> </Exec> <Exec> <Command>C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe</Command> <Arguments>/r</Arguments> </Exec> </Actions> </Task> 3. In the sample task, change the value of the following “UserID” tag to contain your domain and your alias: <UserId>domain\alias</UserId> 4. In the Task Scheduler, click Import Task on the Action menu. 5. Click the sample task .xml file. For example, click Extend.xml. 6. Click Import. 7. Click the Triggers tab. 8. Click the One Time trigger, and then click Edit. 9. Change the start date of the task to a date just before the end of your current evaluation period. 10. Click OK, and then exit the Task Scheduler. More information available at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948472
2	Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS Windows Server 2008 is the best OS to be released till date from Microsoft's stable. And the moment I got hold of the RTM build I could not resist installing it on my workstation. Due to the nature of my work I always prefer running a Server OS on my main workstation... I have been running Windows 2003 disguised as XP (with all the themes and stuff) all these days. So here is my tale of how I went about setting up Windows Server 2008 to look and fell like its desktop counterpart Windows Vista. 1. Enable Hardware Virtualization My workstation is a x64 machine with hardware virtualization capabilities. This means I can run Hyper-V on my machine. Even if your machine's hardware supports virtualization it is most likely not going to be enabled by default. You have to enable it via your BIOS setup. 2. Install the latest Graphics and Audio drivers Being a server OS Windows 2008 carries with it basic graphics and audio drivers. To utilize the full strength of your hardware ensure you install the latest drivers for both graphics and audio hardware. Only with the proper graphics drivers will you be able to enable the "Aero" experience on Windows 2008. 3. Desktop Experience Feature The Desktop Experience Feature enables a bunch of stuff that is by default present on a desktop OS. Most importantly it includes Themes, Windows Media player and the Aero related features. You will have to enable it form the Server Manager. The "Turn Windows features on or off" / "Add remove windows components" has all been rolled into the Server Manager now. Server Manager > Features > Desktop Experience Installing the Desktop Experience feature does not enable them. You have to manually set them up. 4. Themes To enable Themes you will basically have to enable the Themes Service. Again being a server OS it is not enabled by default. Services.MSC > Themes Set the start up type to Automatic Enabling the Aero Theme. For this go to Control Panel > Personalization >Theme and select Windows Aero 5. Search Search is also disabled by default on Windows 2008. Searching is important for me as I use it a lot to find my emails. To enable search you will have to add the File Services Role via Server Manager. Server Manager > Roles > File Services > Windows Search Outlook relies on this search service. 6. Disable Shutdown Event Tracker Since I am using it as a workstation I do not want to keep a track of all the Shutdowns. The Shutdown Event Tracker is the pop up that you get asking you for a shutdown reason. To disable it Open mmc.msc Add the Group Policy snap-in Under Administrative Templates expand System Set Display Shutdown Event Tracer to Disabled 7. Audio For audio you need to enable the Windows Audio service. You do this by setting the startup type to Automatic. Services.msc > Windows Audio Ensure you have proper drivers for your audio hardware... for me the default driver was not enabling the headphones ... it started working fine after I got the proper driver. 8. SuperFetch As a workstation, enabling SupertFetch will give you that additional bit of responsiveness. The SuperFetch services is disabled by default and when you try to enable it you will most likely get an error message "The operating system is not presently configured to run this application" You will have to make two registry changes to enable this service. I basically copied them over from my Vista machine. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters EnablePrefetcher DWORD 3 EnableSuperfetch DWORD 3 9. Get a codec pack. For media hungry buffs download a codec pack. This will ensure you can play all media files. 10. Enable Hyper-V With Hyper-V you can run virtual machines on your workstation. This is useful if you want to run your tests on older OS versions. Enabling Hyper-V is easy Server Manager > Roles > Hyper-V Remember you need a Hyper-V enabled Windows 2008 licence and also your hardware has to support virtualization. Also If you are using an existing VHD it may ask you to re-Activate Windows as it detected hardware changes. One good thing about Windows Server 2008 is that it no longer asks for the i386 folder like Windows 2003 while you enable features. 11. Processor Scheduling As pointed out in a comment on my previous post; On Windows Server 2008 background services are given preference over interactive programs. You can change this behavior by Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Processor Scheduling Setting this to Programs will make foreground programs more responsive. 12. Visual Effects One thing you will notice on Windows Server 2008 is that by default you will not see Preview Thumbnails in your Documents / Music / Video folders. This has to be enabled explicitly. Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Visual Effects Based on your preference you can tweak these settings. 13. Power Options Do your bit for a Green World! The Balanced (default) power plan on Windows Server 2008 does not turn off hard disks by default. On Vista hard disks are turned off after 20 mins. You can change this by Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings It does take a bit to kick start the hard disks when you resume work but that's a sacrifice worth making for a greener world :). 14. IE Enhanced Security IE Enhanced Security Configuration has been moved from Add Remove Windows Components (on Windows 2003) to the Server Manager on Windows Server 2008. Server Manager > Security Information > Configure IE ESC You now have a choice to disable it only for Administrators. And to end with a couple of clarifications Why am I recommending Windows Server 2008 over Windows Vista ? I am not! How to get Sidebar / Media center on Windows Server 2008? My honest opinion would be to look for alternatives. Will hardware problems go away moving to Windows Server 2008? Not likely. One of the biggest complaints against Vista was hardware issues. Without proper drivers from your hardware vendors your ride on Windows Server 2008 is again going to be bumpy. For me all Vista compatible drivers worked fine with Server 2008 and I believe they should work for you as well. Will all software work on Windows Server 2008? Most will but some setups detect Windows Server 2008 as a server OS and may not install. The compatibility mode does not have a Vista option only XP / Windows 2003 and other legacy OS. Taken from: http://blogs.msdn.com/vijaysk/archive/2008/02/20/using-windows-server-2008-as-a-super-workstation-os-cont-d.aspx

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How to install Windows Server 2008 without activating it

How to manually extend the evaluation period

How to automate the extension of the evaluation period