windows support

New Website

2011-12-07T16:44:00.001-08:00

We have a new website which has a better layout for everyones needs.

you can find the new site at Here

see you on the new site soon!

Microsoft Security Essentials BETA

2011-11-18T08:53:00.001-08:00

Microsoft Connect participants are being invited to join a new Microsoft Security Essentials Public Beta program. Microsoft vaguely state that the newest MSE beta will have “the latest protection features”, and the beta program itself will “start soon” after you accept the invitation.

If you have been invited to join the Microsoft Security Essentials beta you will have received an email from Microsoft Connect. If not and you would like to join, you can try your luck over at the Microsoft Connect webpage.
In the meantime, we await to see what the new MSE has in store.

is your computer safe and secure?

2011-11-14T02:25:00.001-08:00

Following on from the recent Steam security breach which allowed hackers to gain access to critical system, we thought we would ask you how secure do you think you are!...

So..... how secure is your computer, can you say yes to any of the following? if you can then you probably are safer than most people that are reading this.

Do you have Antivirus? > if not get this its free and by Microsoft.
Have you ran a Virus scan recently.
Do you have Anti Maleware. if not get this Anti Malware < its free
Have you ran a Maleware scan recently.
Do you have lots of crazy tool bars installed? < if so I would advise uninstalling if only for performance reasons
Do other people know your passwords or account details.

If you were able to answer the questions and still feel secure then you should not need to worry hoever if you fail any of the above I would suggest getting up to date!

There are many other things people can do to protect themselves online, however people who have not followed what I have listed above are most likly to be a victim of fraud.

fYI Maleware and Antivirus are very different. Malware is your basic annoying stuff it can create Pop-ups and ad-ware type programs that are not embedded. Viruses can and will get into everything and can change/control often by using exploits that do not just run in the background.

Steam Hacked, Need Account Advice?

2011-11-14T01:51:00.001-08:00

OK I will keep this short, Steam forums were hacked the other day. The hackers were able to gain access to Steams back end systems - amazingly they have no idea if any card details were stolen but they do know that some user details were taken..

Advice....

please take our suggested advice and this applys to any online store in the event of an hack or account breach...

* Change your Steam password, just in case. If you were using a weak password before, take this opportunity to choose a decent one.

* Keep an eye on your credit card statement and report any unexpected transactions.

* Consider not storing your credit card data on Steam's servers. You don't have to. You can choose to enter it every time you need it instead.

* Consider enabling Steam Guard. If you do, Steam will email you every time you (or someone else) logs in from someone else's computer.

Enlarge icons and text on desktop

2011-09-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

The simple Mouse Wheel Method

Click on a icon on your desktop, so the desktop has the focus then

Press & hold Ctrl on the keyboard
While still holding CTRL Scroll with the mouse wheel up or down and you can then select the desired size.

Simple easy and fast!!!

remove locked files [the easy way]

2011-09-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

If you remember a weeks back I wrote about a way to delete or move a file on reboot.

so, why would you want to do that?... well the file is probably in use by an application or service that you can't seem to find (often because of maleware or a virus).

so this is where a free tool by malware bytes comes in - it is called FileAssassin.
It allows you to unlock any file in use, without the reboot.

Launch the application, and pick the file you want to remove:
Select your options (Notice it can delete on reboot too)
After you pick your file and options - execute. Now your file is unlocked, without a reboot.

Download it from here: http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/fileassassin

It is free for commercial and personal use - so its another great tool to add to that flash drive that you can carry around :)

Run Commands corresponding to the Control Panel

2011-09-19T01:04:00.000-07:00

Here are all the Run Commands corresponding to the Control Panel:

Control Panel Item	Command
Open Control Panel	Control
Accessibility Options	Access.cpl
Add Hardware	Hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs	Appwiz.cpl
Administrative tools	Control admin tools
Automatic Updates	Wuaucpl.cpl
Date and time	Timedate.cpl
Display	Control desktop / desk.cpl
Folder Options	Control folders
Fonts	Control fonts / fonts
Game Controllers	Joy.cpl
Internet Options	Inetcpl.cpl
Keyboard	Control keyboard
Mail
Mouse	Control mouse
Network Connections	Control netconnections
Network Setup Wizard	Netsetup.cpl
Phone And Modem Options	Telephon.cpl
Power Options	Powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes	Control printers
Regional and Language Options	Intl.cpl
Scanners and Cameras	Sticpl.cpl
Scheduled Tasks	Control schdtasks
Security Center	Wscui.cpl
Sounds and Audio Devices	Mmsys.cpl
Speech
System	Sysdm.cpl
Taskbar and Start Menu
User Accounts	Nusrmgr.cpl
Windows Firewall	Firewall.cpl
Wireless Network Setup Wizard

If I’m missing anything, please let me know through comments.

Access any remote computer via the Internet

2011-09-15T04:05:00.000-07:00

Access any remote computer via the Internet just as if you are sitting in front of it - even through company firewalls.

Using TeamViewer allows you to connect to any PC or server around the world within a few seconds. You can remote control your partner's PC as if you were sitting right in front of it. All your contact has to do is start a small application, which does not even require installation or administrative rights.

User Guide

1. Download TeamViewer(full version) here.
2. Double click the file you downloaded, You will see the following screen.
3. Click next and accept the terms and conditions.
4. Choose whether you want to install the application or to run TeamViewer without installation both work the same.

5. Click Next on your choice.

Depending on what you chose you will either see the installation or the TeamViewer Window, they both end at the window below.

6. Now you are at the Team Viewer window can either choose to connect to a remote computer by entering the remote computers ID.

NOTE: the remote computer you wish to connect to must also follow the same setup process above and then give you the ID and Password in the blue fields

If you would like some one to connect to you then you can provide them with your ID and Password that`s shown on your screen.

Uninstall Option In Right Click Context Menu

2011-09-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Normally to uninstall a program you have to navigate to Control Panel, then to Programs and Features then you have to find the application you want to uninstall and then click the uninstall button - Phew!!.

However now it is possible to add a Uninstall option in your right click menu by using a freeware utility called Menu Uninstaller!

To get this in your right click menu all you need to do is the following.

go to https://sites.google.com/site/leizersoftware
download Menu Uninstaller for XP/Vista/Win7
Install the Menu Uninstaller
Test it works on a installed application...

It really is as simple as that, and it is incredibly handy, Simples!

Restore Quick Launch in Windows7

2011-09-06T11:00:00.001-07:00

Do you hate the pinned Icons in Windows 7, then here is how to go back to the quick links the same as you had in Vista and XP..

First right click on the bottom Taskbar and then select "Toolbars" and then "New Toolbar"

In the box that appears paste in the following
%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Right click the Taskbar and untick "Lock the Taskbar"

If you would like to remove the text next to the icons, right click the toolbar and untick "Show Text" and "Show Title"

move the quick launch bar to the left to where it was in XP or Vista

now you can enlarge the icons if you like

And there you have it, Quick Launch is back! now you can drag the icons from the start menu into your Quick Launch bar once again!

if you have any questions please ask.

Spyware and Malware

2011-09-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Spyware and Malware can be installed on any computer it can collect small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect.
Spyware is often secretly installed on the user's profile causing many issues, however, spyware can also include applications such as Keyloggers which are often installed on to your computer by the using your admin rights to do so!

If you think you have spyware on your computer then there is one quick and easy solution, install Malware Bytes

Install Malware Bytes
Do not purchase (its free for home users)
Update Malware Bytes
Perform a Full System Scan
When the scan completes remove any infected files
Reboot your computer

Assistance Request Page

2011-09-03T09:53:00.001-07:00

Do you have a problem that you dont have a solution to? if so then feel free to leave us a message here and we will do our best to reply with an answer for you and if we feel it might help many people then we will cover it as a topic!

Outlook Switches - safemode

2011-09-03T03:46:00.000-07:00

Outlook switches are useful for when outlook refuses to start, I have listed some of the best/most useful switches below.

To use, simply click start then type outlook.exe /cleanfreebusy for example

/cleanfreebusy Clears and regenerates free/busy information. This switch can be used only when you are able to connect to the server running Exchange.
/cleanprofile Removes invalid profile keys and re-creates default registry keys where applicable.
/cleanrules Starts Outlook and deletes client-based and server-based rules.
/cleanviews Restores default views. All custom views that you created are lost.
/finder Opens the Advanced Find dialog box.
/profile profilename Loads the specified profile. If your profile name contains a space, enclose the profile name in quotation marks (" ").
/resetnavpane Clears and regenerates the Navigation Pane for the current profile.
/safe Starts Outlook without Microsoft Exchange Client Extensions (ECE), the Reading Pane, or toolbar customizations. Component Object Model (COM) add-ins are turned off.
/safe:1 Starts Outlook with the Reading Pane off.
/safe:3 Starts Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Client Extensions (ECE) turned off, but listed in the Add-In Manager. Component Object Model (COM) add-ins are turned off.
/safe:4 Starts Outlook without loading outcmd.dat (customized toolbars).

use MSCONFIG to boost speed for XP Vista Windows 7

2011-09-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

"MSCONFIG." was designed to help you troubleshoot problems with your computer, it enables you to turn off some of these hidden programs meaning you can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability

warning
make sure you follow the steps below, doing anything else as it could break your OS.. I repeat do not change any of the other tabs in MSCONFIG unless you know what you are doing.

Doing the following is safe.

Click on start
Type MSCONFIG in the search box
now Microsoft's System Configuration Utility will load,
Click on the Startup tab
This will now take you to a page startup items. Startup items are items which load when you start you computer, for example MSN is a startup item which will load in to memory as soon as your pc starts (however if you do not use it then you can unselect it, this is the same with many of the startup items such as google and Quicktime player there not needed)
deselect your startup items you dont want running and click apply
you can click ok and the restart your computer
if you want to turn the startup items back on just follow these steps again.

As soon as your computer loads you should notice that MSN or Skype assuming that you unselected them for example no longer load, this means you are saving your computers ram and cpu time.

last note
for example if you do use msn and you remove it from the start up list then you can still manually start it by going to the start menu and clicking on MSN the old fasioned way.

push remoted desktop back from MSTSC (remote desktop)

2011-09-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

This is a simple thing, you are remoted to the customers computer via MSTSC and you have now finished doing your thing and wish to hand back control.

click start and type the following in the search.

TSCON 0 /DEST:console

the 0 is the current session ID this can be anything from 1 to 10 so if "TSCON 0 /DEST:console" fails to hand the session back try "TSCON 1 /DEST:console" and so on.

Good Luck

Safe Mode Uninstaller (for when you cannot uninstall normally)

2011-09-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

When installing any software that fails to complete, Windows can sometimes refuse to boot after restart. however not all is lost as Windows can be booted in safe mode in such circumstances but the installer will not work.

to boot in safe mode you need to reset the computer and press F8 during bootup at the black screen before the windows loading page, then at the dos menu select safe mode from the list.

one windows loads in to safe mode, do the following.

To enable Windows Installer in minimal Safe Mode execute the following command in a CMD window:

REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

or for Safe Mode with network:

REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Network\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

now to finally start the MSI installer

in CMD type net start msiserver

quick keys - shortcuts

2011-09-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

So with windows 7 you should have been using your mouse in order to drag and dock the windows to the left or the right side of the screen and even for dragging it or maximizing it

however if you use the keyboard, it is much faster than the mouse. Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts:

Win + Left Arrow to dock the window to the left side and Win + Right Arrow in order to dock it to the screen’s right side.
Win + Up Arrow and Win + Down Arrow to get it maximized and minimized or restore.
Win + M in order to minimize everything
Alt + Up, Alt + Left Arrow, Alt + Right Arrow are used for moving to the parent folder, browsing Backward and Forward while going through the folders within the Explorer.
Alt + Win + # in order to access the Jump List of program on the taskbar denoted by number ‘#’.
Win + Home is used minimize or restore all the open windows other than the active window.

General keyboard shortcuts
CTRL+C (Copy)
CTRL+X (Cut)
CTRL+V (Paste)
CTRL+Z (Undo)
DELETE (Delete)
SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
CTRL+A (Select all)
F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
F5 key (Update the active window)
BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
ESC (Cancel the current task)
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
CTRL+SHIFT+ESC (Open Task Manager)

http://iphonehints.blogspot.com/

User Folders - Change Location

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Open the Start Menu and type shell:UsersFilesFolder in the search line, press enter.

Right click on a user folder you want to move My Music, My Documents, My Pictures, etc.. then click on Properties. (See screen)

Click on the Location tab, and Move button. See screenshot

Now navigate to the location you wish to use (for example another disk) D:\my documents folder and click on OK.

Important, make sure that you Click on Yes when prompted to.

After a few seconds when the location has been changed.

Remove Locked Files

2011-09-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

please note there is a new tool in town to do this and I have covered it here http://windowsdiagnosistips.blogspot.com/2011/09/remove-locked-files-easy-way.html

This has been left for referance only or if the other way fails to work!

Sometimes you will come across a file that you can't move or delete because it is always in use.

To get around this is to have Windows delete or move it on start up, before the system is running and the file is back in use again.

How can you tell do this? simple, a free tool from Microsoft. a tool called MoveFile, it is called from the command line: movefile c:\folder\file.txt ""
ensure the quote marks are not missing else it will not work.

Now Windows will quietly remove it during the next reboot.
Move File Download

Disk Management, for disk issues formating and memory sticks/drives not showing in my computer

2011-09-01T05:13:00.001-07:00

The most useful thing about Disk Manager is that if you have a memory stick that is not showing when you plug it in you might find that it is simply not assigned a drive letter so read on and you will find out how to check if the system can see the device and if it is assigned a drive letter.

Disk Management is a snap in that is part of the Microsoft Management Console supplied with Windows XP Vista and Win 7

Accessing Windows Disk Management

Press and hold the windows button and then press R, this brings up the run box. Now type diskmgmt.msc in the Open: line and click OK. The Disk Management snap-in will open.

now you have done this you can see that the drives in your system, if you are looking for a memory stick then look for the 4gig (for example) drive and see if it is assigned a drive letter. if it has no drive letter then right click on it and select change drive letter now you can assign a letter to the drive.

Other Basic Disk Management Functions

Mark partitions as active.
Create partitions, logical drives, and volumes.
Delete partitions, logical drives, and volumes.
Format partitions and volumes.
Assign or modify drive letters for hard disk volumes, removable disk drives, and CD-ROM drives.
Overview of the properties of all disks and volumes in the system.
Create mounted drives on systems using the NTFS or FAT file system.
Convert disks to dynamic disks.
Create a number of specialty volumes including spanned, striped, mirrored, and RAID-5.

Right clicking on a drive or partition will normally present a menu that contains the options and procedures available for the particular device some can be destructive so be careful.

Device Manager to install those pesky drivers

2011-09-01T05:12:00.001-07:00

So you cannot get your TV, USB device or Memory card to install this is where Device Manager comes in...

Device Manager is where all the systems devices are listed and where you can manually update the drivers, as you can see below the PCI controller is not installed this could be any device such as a network card.

right click on the device with the missing driver, select the second tab (driver) and select update driver this is where you can try to get windows to search automatically for a suitable driver.

if windows cannot fint the driver then you will need to do the following, click details and select hardware id in the drop down menu.

once you have the hardware ID copy and paste the hardware ID in to google and it should tell you the device and driver you need... fyi the 3rd one down is normally the best but if that creates no results try the others 3.

once you have the driver go back to the general tab and select update driver, this time select browse my computer for a driver ensure you navigate to the file and select it. this will then install the driver for the missing application.

hope this helps you.

First Steps, Windows Management Console

2011-08-31T15:20:00.000-07:00

Is your computer running slow?
is it crashing a lot and you dont know why?
issues with drivers not installing?
pesky memory stick not showing a drive letter?

There are hundreds of things you can diagnose easy if you follow the steps I will provide below valid for XP, Vista, and 7...

Getting the error and more information about it.

click start > right click computer > left click manage

this then opens up Computer Management, in here you can look at the system "Windows Logs" in event viewer Device Manager and Disk Managment.

in the screen above you can see I am looking in the system logs on my computer, I can see that an error occured with my CD rom, often disk errors appear here so you can hopefully catch the disk before it totally fails for example (if you have a noisy disk in the computer, or your computer has become slow it is well worth checking the event logs just in case.) a failing disk would often look like the screen below.

the "Application Logs" section is where errors for applications such as Internet explorer, word or games crashing are kept. the error often give detail of the faulting module and the fault address. in the screen below you can see IE crashed with a 0x0000000 often a crash like this with a 0x0000000 address will be profile related, therefore creating a new account to log in to and test would be a great starting point.

if you have an issue you need help with then leave as many details in the comments section, provide screens if possible.