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Windows Vista allows you to add custom search engine to start menu instant search box

You can add various search engines like Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo,Ebay, Amazon,Youtube and more.

To add Search Wikipedia or Google or Yahoo at Start Menu Instant Search Box, follow below steps:

• Click on Start button, then type gpedit.msc in the search bar, and press enter .
• Press OK on security dialog displayed.
• Navigate to “User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Instant Search > Custom Instant Search Internet search provider”
  click on Properties to open the properties window. 
  
• Go to Setting tab, select Enable .
• At “the string or DLL resource” text box, type Google Search .
• At “the URL to use when invoking the custom internet search” text box,Fill one of the desired search engine.
  For Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%w
  For Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=%w
  For Yahoo: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%w
  For Ebay: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?satitle=%+&category0=
  For Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-7114533-6465427?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%+
  For Del.icio.us: http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=%+&type=all
  For Digg: http://www.digg.com/search?section=news&s=%+
  For Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%+
  For MySpace: http://sads.myspace.com//Modules/Search/Pages/Search.aspx?fuseaction=advancedFind.results&searchtarget=tms&searchtype=myspace&t=tms&get=1&websearch=1&searchBoxID=HeaderWebResults&searchString=%+&q=%+
  For LifeHacker: http://lifehacker.com/search/%+/bydate/

    

• Click OK .
• To enforce new setting click on start button
• And type gpupdate/force .in search box and hit enter key

You can find more and use any search engine. I listed the main ones only.

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It probably happen to you dat you are trying to delete certain file and receive  “the action can’t be completed because the file is open in another program” annoying message. It happens most with .avi or other video files

So to takeover this tiny problem you can use ” Unlocker” utility that is free to use and solves most “locked” files problems.

Unlocker is the solution to the following types of Windows error messages

• Cannot delete folder: It is being used by another person or program
• Cannot delete file: Access is denied
• There has been a sharing violation.
• The source or destination file may be in use.
• The file is in use by another program or user.

Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

1. Simply right click the folder or file and select Unlocker
2. If the folder or file is locked, a window listing of lockers will appear
3. Simply click Unlock All and you are done!

Good luck

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Windows Vista allows users to change and set default program association for most sort of file extension via Control Panel’s “Set Associations” and “Set Default Programs” under “Default Programs” link.

However, there is no option  to reset or restore file extension association  back to original settings as in   freshly installed Windows Vista OS.

List of programs out there under “Set Default Programs” link, such as Internet Explorer,  Outlook, Calender, Windows Mail, Windows Media Player, winamp, winzip and Windows Photo Gallery have defined their own default file extensions, types and protocols.
And, user can clearly set the program as the default program to use to open all file sorts and protocols it can open.
Even so, it may not be the default file association such a configured in Windows Vista originally.

Unless user remembers and knows the original file association and change the default program for the kind of file type accordingly using the graphical user interface (GUI) in Control Panel, else here’s another workaround to restore and reset the file association to the default Windows Vista version of file association.

1. Click Start Menu, and when that happens type regedit in the Start Search and press ENTER.
2. Navigate to the following registry branch: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\[ext] Replace the [exe] with the actual file extension that you want to restore . If you unsure, coup browse through all the sub-key under FileExts.
3. Delete the sub-key named UserChoice.
4. Exit from Registry Editor.

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If you facing network connection issues, or you are unable to access Internet sites  or network problem in Windows Vista, Windows 2003 and Windows XP, and  WinSock repair didn’t help , you can try to reinstall and reset TCP/IP stack or Internet Protocol,  the operating system networking heart component, which cannot be uninstalled only reinstalled.

A corrupted TCP/IP stack, may cause the following problems – unable to establish a connection to the server, unable to bundle a web page, unable to browse and surf the Internet, even though network connection to broadband router or wireless router appear to be OK. Your Skype and MSN client’s can’t connect

When all other options run out, try to reinstall the IP stack by using NetShell utility.
NetShell utility (netsh) is a command-line scripting interface for the configuring and monitoring of Windows XP, Server 2003/2008  and Vista networking service.

To reinstall and reset the TCP/IP heap (Internet Protocol) to its original state  as when the operating system was installed, use the following command in command prompt shell.
A log file and cr have got to be specified at which actions taken by netsh will be recorded on newly created or appended if already existed file..

netsh int ip reset [ log_file_name ]

Example:netsh int ip reset logfile.txt

For Windows Vista, situations work a little different due to introduction of UAC (Guide: Disable UAC). Use this moment guide to perform a reinstalling of TCP/IP protocol in Vista:

1. Click on Start button, or press win key + R.
2. Type Cmd in the Start Search text box.
3. Press Ctrl-Shift-Enter keyboard shortcut to run Command Prompt as Administrator.
4. Type netsh int ip reset in the Command Prompt shell, and then press the Enter key.
5. Restart your computer.

The command should remove all user configured settings on TCP/IP heap and return it to first default state by rewriting pertinent registry keys too are used by the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack to do the same result as the removal and the reinstallation of the protocol. The registry keys affected are:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\

and

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCP\Parameters\

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The bad news are that i don’t recommend doing any manual removals on winsxs folder. Such a step could probably make your applications non-workable or even break your system!

If you have Vista sp1 installed use the vsp1cln.exe : The utility removes all Vista SP1 uninstall files and by using it you can reduce few gigs.

To run vsp1cln.exe:

• Press on vista start button type cmd.exe and hit on enter.
• hen enter the following command:Vsp1cln.exe and press enter key
• You will be asked to confirm your action , just press “Y” and after few minutes your winsxs  will be smaller.

Other ways to reduce the winsxs folder:

• You can uninstall non needed application
• If you have office 2007 installed , and you can get later distribution like with sp1 included – uninstall your entire office, and install the version that includes sp files.
• You can run the script bellow to cleanup some temporary files and system logs.

del %temp%\. /f/s/q
rd /s/q %temp%\

del %tmp%\. /f/s/q
rd /s/q %tmp%\

del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.dmp

del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.tmp
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*._mp
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.log
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%\*.old

The guide is for windows vista only . I don’t reccomend doing it on windows server 2008 systems, just buy bigger disks for you server systems.

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Installation of  windows 2003 AdminPack on Vista generates errors.

If you receive error “MMC could not create the snap-in.”

Create batch File RegisterAdminPak.cmd, you have the script bellow, and run it as Administrator.

@echo off

REM RegisterAdminPak.cmd

REM (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

set filelist=adprop.dll azroles.dll azroleui.dll ccfg95.dll

set filelist=%filelist% certadm.dll certmmc.dll certpdef.dll certtmpl.dll

set filelist=%filelist% certxds.dll cladmwiz.dll clcfgsrv.dll clnetrex.dll

set filelist=%filelist% cluadmex.dll cluadmmc.dll cmproxy.dll cmroute.dll

set filelist=%filelist% cmutoa.dll cnet16.dll debugex.dll dfscore.dll

set filelist=%filelist% dfsgui.dll dhcpsnap.dll dnsmgr.dll domadmin.dll

set filelist=%filelist% dsadmin.dll dsuiwiz.dll imadmui.dll lrwizdll.dll

set filelist=%filelist% mprsnap.dll msclus.dll mstsmhst.dll mstsmmc.dll

set filelist=%filelist% nntpadm.dll nntpapi.dll nntpsnap.dll ntdsbsrv.dll

set filelist=%filelist% ntfrsapi.dll rasuser.dll rigpsnap.dll rsadmin.dll

set filelist=%filelist% rscommon.dll rsconn.dll rsengps.dll rsjob.dll

set filelist=%filelist% rsservps.dll rsshell.dll rssubps.dll rtrfiltr.dll

set filelist=%filelist% schmmgmt.dll tapisnap.dll tsuserex.dll vsstskex.dll

set filelist=%filelist% w95inf16.dll w95inf32.dll winsevnt.dll winsmon.dll

set filelist=%filelist% winsrpc.dll winssnap.dll ws03res.dll

for %%i in (%filelist%) do (

echo Registering %%i …

regsvr32 /s %%i

)

echo.

Echo Command Completed

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Hibernation button is missing in windows vista

The hibernate button disappears after a disk cleanup utility was been used

Or after you delete the hibernate file.

You can return hibernation by running command prompt (CMD)

Right click on the command prompt. Run(CMD) as administrator.

Type the following command:

powercfg /hibernate on

This should return your hibernate button.

Please note if you run CMD not as administrator you will receive error “You do not have permission to enable or disable the Hibernate feature.”

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