Windows XP has a feature that highlights newly installed applications on the Start menu. However, I don’t really find this feature very useful as I will generally know what program I just installed. It can also be problematic when Windows does not immediately de-highlight the entry. You can disable the highlighting feature by right-clicking on the ‘Start’ button and selecting ‘Properties’. In the window that appears, click the ‘Start menu’ tab then the ‘Customize’ button. In the next window click the ‘Advanced’ tab and untick ‘Highlight newly installed programs’. Click OK. Click OK. (more…)

Did you know there is a wealth of keyboard shortcuts in Windows XP which will make your computer usage a lot more efficient? Instead of clicking the mouse, you can use the keyboard to accomplish tasks quicker. My most favourite shortcut is used to open new windows in Internet Explorer. When viewing a webpage, I like to open links in new windows. The long way is to right-click the link and select ‘Open in New Window’. Alternatively, and more quickly, you can accomplish the same effect by holding SHIFT and clicking the link. Another good shortcut is ALT + TAB to switch between open windows and Windows Key + E, to open Windows Explorer. You can find a full list of shortcuts at support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=301583. (more…)

When right-clicking on a file or folder you probably have noticed the ‘Send To’ option. It is possible to add two additional options to the context-menu for files and folders. The first is ‘Copy To’¦’ which will display a window which allows you to select where to copy the file or folder. The second option is ‘Move To’¦’ which follows the same procedure as Copy To, but instead moves the folder. To put these options on the context menu, go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Run’ and type ‘regedit’ (without the quotes) and click OK. Navigate to the key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTAllFilesystemObjectsshellexContextMenuHandlers.
Right-click on the ContextMenuHandlers key (the icon which looks like a little folder) and click ‘New’ > ‘Key’. Name the key ‘Copy To’ and in the right-hand pane set the (Default) value for this key to:
{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Repeat this procedure again, naming the next key ‘Move To’ and setting the (Default) value for this key to:
{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Close the Registry Editor and right-click on any folder or file to view the new options! (more…)

Do you have an old PC sitting around doing nothing? Why not turn the otherwise metal door-stop into a dedicated internet firewall’¦for free! SmoothWall is an open-source firewall based around Linux. In fact, SmoothWall is actually a cut-down Linux operating system for the sole purpose of providing an internet firewall. Installation is simple with users requiring no intimate knowledge of Linux. Give SmoothWall a try and protect you and your network from attack! SmoothWall is available for download from www.smoothwall.org. (more…)

If you have a network and you like to keep Windows up-to-date, then you are probably using Windows Update on each individual machine to download the updates for that particular machine. As you probably know, this is quite a waste of bandwidth as you are essentially downloading the same updates separately for each machine. There is a way around this problem. Using the Windows Update Corporate Site (
v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp?corporate=true) you can select which updates you would like to download, then save these to your hard drive and copy them across to other computers. For example, you may download them to a computer with a shared directory which the other computers on your network can access. This can potentially save a lot of bandwidth when downloading updates. (more…)