Unlock the super secret Administrator account for Vista

Deep inside the bowels of Windows Vista, there’s a secret Administrator account, and it’s different from the normal administrator account you most likely have set up on your PC. This Administrator account is not part of the Administrator group. (Confused yet? You should be.) It’s a kind of superadministrator, aka the root account in Unix, and by default it’s turned off and hidden.

In versions of Windows before Windows Vista, the Administrator account wasn’t hidden, and many people used it as their main or only account. This Administrator account had full rights over the computer.
In Windows Vista, Microsoft changed that. In Vista, the Administrator account is not subject to UAC, but normal administrator accounts are. So the Administrator can make any changes to the system and will see no UAC prompts.

Turning on the Administrator account is straightforward. First, open an elevated command prompt by typing cmd into the Search box on the Start menu, right-clicking the command prompt icon that appears at the top of the Start menu, then selecting Run as administrator — or just use the shortcut you’ve created.

Then enter this command and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:yes

From now on, the Administrator account will appear as an option on the Welcome screen, along with any user accounts you may have set up. Use it like any other account. Be aware that it won’t have a password yet, so it’s a good idea to set a password for it.

If you want to disable the account and hide it, enter this command at an elevated command prompt and press Enter:

Net user administrator /active:no

Cheers!

The Ultimate Windows7/Vista tweaker

Search no further, here it is:

Ultimate Windows Tweaker v 2.0 is a freeware Tweak UI Utility for tweaking and optimizing Windows 7 & Windows Vista, 32-bit & 64-bit. It can simply be downloaded and used as a portable application to customize your Windows to meet your requirements. With judicious tweaking, it can make your system faster, more stable, and more secure with just a few mouse clicks. The tweaker detects whether you have Windows 7 or Windows Vista installed and accordingly offers you the relevant tweaks only.

Some features that are avaiable:

- Revamped UI similar to Windows 7/Vista UI controls

- Improved: Optimize services, enable/disable services and start/stop as well instantly

//

- Added on System Information page
+ Version with build no
+ System Rating
+ Computer description

- Added on Personalization page
+ Disable Aero shake
+ Disable Aero Snap
+ Enable Jump lits and nos of jump list items
+ Sorted Startmenu with all Windows 7 items
+ Bing Search replaced Live Search in Custom Start Search
+ Use large icons on Taskbar
+ Disable Aero Peek preview
+ Group when Taskbar full is added

- Added in User Accounts & UAC
+ Welcome screen text and buttons’ effects
+ Set custom background on Welcome screen (OEM Background)

- Added in System Performance page
+ Trackbars’ Tooltip shows actual value in miliseconds
+ Improved “Menu action”
+ Improved “Enable support for 4GB of RAM on 32bit Windows”
+ Disable Windows Security Center service

Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-v2-a-tweak-ui-for-windows-7-vista

Seven Windows 7 shortcuts

Now that almost everyone had the chance to  install the Windows 7 Release Candidate and spend a few weeks exploring the OS

The time has come to get serious and learn some keyboard shortcuts. Windows 7 adds some new ones to the mix, all of them based on the Windows key. Here are seven of my favorites:

Win + Home: Minimize all windows except the one that’s currently active. Hit it again to restore the windows.

Win + Up Arrow: Maximizes the active window.

Win + Space: Makes all windows transparent so you can see through to the desktop.

Win + Left/Right Arrow: Docks the active window to the left or ride side of the screen.

Win + (+/-): Enables the magnifier and zooms in/out.

Win + P: Opens Windows’ presentation settings so you can quickly adjust display settings to include a second monitor or a projector.

Alt + P: In explorer, show/hide the preview pane.

And some pretty unusefull but cool stuff, if you want to clear your desktop just try the following.

Click and hold the title bar of the window you want to keep while you shake the mouse. Repeat to restore the minimized windows.

The fantastic world of domotics II

De trend van energiebesparing en milieubewustzijn is gunstig voor de populariteit van domotica.

Uit onderzoek blijkt dat efficiënter energieverbruik de belangrijkste reden is om domotica te installeren. Enkele jaren geleden lag de focus bij domotica op het vergroten van comfort en veiligheid in huis. Veel mensen weten tegenwoordig dat men met behulp van domotica op de energiekosten kan besparen. Voor mensen met een bovenmodaal inkomen is luxe en comfort echter belangrijker dan efficiënter energieverbruik.

Uit onderzoek is gebleken dat 10% van de gevraagde mensen geen behoefte aan domoticatoepassingen in de huidige of toekomstige woning. Circa 30% heeft behoefte aan regelsystemen voor automatisch inschakelen van verwarming en verlichting. Minder dan 10% beschikt reeds over deze toepassingen in de huidige woning.

Andere populaire toepassingen zijn elektronische dimmers (25% heeft daar behoefte aan en 25% beschikt daar al over) en een brand- of rookalarm met automatische melding bij de brandweer c.q alarmerings meldkamer (24% behoefte, 18% aanwezig). Deze laatste toepassingen vallen dan ook onder de noemer personenalarmering. Vooralsnog veel toegepast bij ouderen inclusief GPS tracking, drukmatbeveiliging, valsensoren, trekschakelaars.

DLNA what is it

DLNA, wat is dat nu weer?

In de Nederlandse huishoudens staan gemiddeld 65 apparaten met een stekker. Dat zijn er in totaal 245 miljoen. En de Nederlander zelf schat dat er maar 24 in huis staan, in gebruik of ergens rondzwerven. Een groot verschil tussen perceptie en werkelijkheid. En op de salontafel liggen al gauw vijf of zes afstandsbedieningen, elk met een eigen indeling en meestal met teveel knopjes.

Met een universele afstandsbediening los je een deel van de problemen op, maar het blijft beperkt tot de huiskamer. Want wie heeft de pc of laptop al bij de televisie staan? En op hoeveel verschillende apparaten, harde schijven, gebrande CD-ROM’s zonder opschrift, staan je foto’s, muziekbestanden of films? Om in deze chaos enige ordening aan te brengen hebben fabrikanten van consumentenelektronica, computers en portable producten de handen ineen geslagen en zich gebonden in een protocol, DLNA geheten.
Voldoen apparaten aan de eisen van DLNA, dan wordt het gemakkelijk om toegang te krijgen tot je (digitale) bestanden van muziek, je foto’s, kun je printen of een film bekijken in elke ruimte van je huis.

In de meeste huishoudens bestaat een drietal ‘eilanden’: één van de traditionele audio en video, rondom de televisie, één van de pc met de printer en het eventueel aanwezige netwerk en tenslotte één van de draagbare apparaten i.c. de mp3-speler, pda, laptop en de mobiele telefoon. Als consument wil je toch graag dat alles met elkaar kan communiceren, al da niet met een kabel, zonder eerst ingewikkelde menu’s te moeten gaan volgen, met het invoeren van codes en wachtwoorden – om ze vervolgens weer te vergeten of niet te noteren – en dan is, als het plots niet werkt, tot overmaat van ramp dat briljante neefje of buurjongetje niet thuis om je uit de brand te helpen. DLNA moet als open standaard het allemaal heel gemakkelijk gaan maken. Zo kan je als voorbeeld met de Nokia N79, die DLNA gecertificeerd is, de televisie bedienen maar ook je mp3-bestanden met je laptop synchroniseren. De eerste producten die er aan voldoen zijn inmiddels verkrijgbaar. Opletten dus!

DLNA, Digital Living Network Alliance, is een samenwerking van ruim tweehonderd fabrikanten van consumentenelektronica. De idee achter deze samenwerking is dat als producten of apparaten met elkaar kunnen ‘praten’, ook als ze van verschillende fabrikanten komen, de consument daar bij gebaat is. In het protocol waaraan de fabrikanten zich strikt moeten houden, worden garanties ingebouwd opdat apparaten die pas in de toekomst worden aangeschaft probleemloos in het bestaande DLNA-netwerk zullen passen. De verwachting is dat binnen enkele jaren alle producten van de grote merken aan deze standaard zullen voldoen. Let bij de aanschaf van bijvoorbeeld een LCD/Plasma televisie op dit DLNA-logo.

The fantastic world of Domotics

The answer to all these questions is No. Domotics is something that every person can have usage for and some systems make money in due time (due to saving energy)! Even you do already have some domotica in your home without even realizing it.

Domotics deals with the integration of technological systems for the management of diverse tasks within the home. The ultimate aim is to improve the users’ quality of life by freeing them from the need to be physically present in many situations. The system allows a more effective monitoring of people and functions, brings significant energy savings, reduces the environmental impact of human activities and enables users to connect with the outside world for social, work, entertainment, health and security purposes. Initially created for use in the home, domotics can actually fit any environment in which people spend short or long periods of time.

Some areas of application of domotics
Management and control of: electrical systems; lighting; heating; air-conditioning, hot-water production; energy generation systems; anti-intrusion and recognition systems; security and alarms; gates and other closing systems; entertainment systems; household appliances; teleassistance and health-related monitoring devices.

So, now you know what Domotics are, keep an eye on my Blog. There comes more in the very near future… from explanation untill basic set-ups, all written from my personal experience…. I’ll keep in touch.

Windows mobile application store, officially open

Brand new to 6.5 phones are Windows Marketplace for Mobile–an application storefront like that found on iPhone, BlackBerry, and every other major mobile OS–and a Web-based backup and sharing service called My Phone.

We’ve heard plenty about both services in the days and months leading up to this release. The much-anticipated Windows Marketplace for Mobile has a well-thought out model that will eventually include both a Web and on-phone storefront, and a flexible billing system that lets you purchase apps using either a credit card or your monthly phone bill (depending on the carrier). The PC catalog isn’t available now but is planned to be released before the year’s end.

There’s also a self-service return policy that gives you a full refund from unwanted apps within a 24-hour period. There’s a caveat, of course. You’ll be limited to one refund per month to avoid abusing the system. The app store launches in 29 countries on Tuesday.

In our pre-release demo, we found the app store to be a little visually boring, though serviceable. Following a proven app store model, Windows Marketplace for Mobile has a search bar, a featured apps showcase, and a list of browseable categories. In them, you’ll only see applications that work on your phone model and in your country. There’s also an personalized screen that helps you manage the apps you have. As with iPhones and BlackBerrys, if you switch devices, you can easily re-download the apps you installed through the Marketplace. You’ll sign on with your Windows Live ID. You won’t be able to create your own reviews until the second phase, around November or December.

Microsoft didn’t tell us how many apps were expected in the app store Tuesday morning, but with 82 games ready to download, there are at least 100 apps altogether. We already see Facebook, Netflix Mobile, Zagat to Go, Windows Live, and the Midomi music app. Most app prices range so far from free to about $10, though the most expensive one we spotted so far is a $25 golf calculator. We saw quite a few $20 games as well.

If you’re not planning to pick up a Windows 6.5 phone yet, Marketplace should also be available to download to 6.0 and 6.1 phones before the end of 2009. As with the other features planned for the second phase, Microsoft is targeting sometime in November.

Unlike the application Marketplace, the My Phone backup and media sharing service is well known from its public beta. Through its online dashboard, you can access and manage contacts, calendar, texts, and photos and videos (no e-mail or apps). At launch, you’ll be able to post photos to Windows Live, Flickr, Facebook, and MySpace, with bulk uploads and captioning to come later on.

The new features are mostly premium, and center on remotely finding and securing your phone. If you’re in the U.S., you can force your phone to ring even when it’s turned to silent or vibrate. You can remotely lock the phone, map it–this wakes up the phone and plots it on a map–and can erase the contents remotely, the most extreme measure. My Phone will show you the handset’s last known location for free.

Premium My Phone features are treated like application packages and sold in the Marketplace for Mobile. For instance, you might pay about $5 to plot your phone on a map three times and force ring or lock your phone once. Starting Tuesday and for 60 days until the end of November, Microsoft is offering a free, limited use trial of My Phone’s commercial capabilities.

As in the beta, My Phone limits you to 200MB in media storage. According to Microsoft, fewer than 5 percent of the current users hit that ceiling.

Who gets it?
Windows Marketplace for Mobile launches on Tuesday in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The premium My Phone features are available at launch in the Unites States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. The Map Current Location feature is U.S.-only right now.

Make Acrobat Reader load faster

Go to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader (replace the C if you installed on another drive, like I did).

Create a new folder called plug_ins_disabled.

Move all files from the plug_ins folder to the plug_ins_disabled folder except EWH32.api, printme.api, and search.api. There should only be these 3 files in the plug_ins folder.

You’re done.

Just wondering why windows is starting so slow?

Click on the start button then press R it will take you to Run, well go to run and type Regedit.
press enter this will open registry Editor, look for the key.

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex

In there is a Key Called:
“Startup Delay”.
Double Click On It.
Click Decimal.
Its Default Value Is 4800000.
Change The Value To 40000.
Now close the registry Editor and Restart Your Computer.
You’ll See The Result!

Need to know Windows commands

Accessibility Controls
access.cpl

Accessibility Wizard
accwiz

Add Hardware Wizard
hdwwiz.cpl

Add/Remove Programs
appwiz.cpl

Administrative Tools
control admintools

Adobe Acrobat (if installed)
acrobat

Adobe Designer (if installed)
acrodist

Adobe Distiller (if installed)
acrodist

Adobe ImageReady (if installed)
imageready

Adobe Photoshop (if installed)
photoshop

Automatic Updates
wuaucpl.cpl

Bluetooth Transfer Wizard
fsquirt

Calculator
calc

Certificate Manager
certmgr.msc

Character Map
charmap

Check Disk Utility
chkdsk

Clipboard Viewer
clipbrd

Command Prompt
cmd

Component Services
dcomcnfg

Computer Management
compmgmt.msc

Control Panel
control

Date and Time Properties
timedate.cpl

DDE Shares
ddeshare

Device Manager
devmgmt.msc

Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)*
directx.cpl

Direct X Troubleshooter
dxdiag

Disk Cleanup Utility
cleanmgr

Disk Defragment
dfrg.msc

Disk Management
diskmgmt.msc

Disk Partition Manager
diskpart

Display Properties
control desktop

Display Properties
desk.cpl

Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)
control color

Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility
drwtsn32

Driver Verifier Utility
verifier

Event Viewer
eventvwr.msc

Files and Settings Transfer Tool
migwiz

File Signature Verification Tool
sigverif

Findfast
findfast.cpl

Firefox (if installed)
firefox

Folders Properties
control folders

Fonts
control fonts

Fonts Folder
fonts

Free Cell Card Game
freecell

Game Controllers
joy.cpl

Group Policy Editor (XP Prof)
gpedit.msc

Hearts Card Game
mshearts

Help and Support
helpctr

HyperTerminal
hypertrm

Iexpress Wizard
iexpress

Indexing Service
ciadv.msc

Internet Connection Wizard
icwconn1

Internet Explorer
iexplore

Internet Properties
inetcpl.cpl

Internet Setup Wizard
inetwiz

IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration) ipconfig /all

IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents) ipconfig /displaydns

IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents) ipconfig /flushdns

IP Configuration (Release All Connections) ipconfig /release

IP Configuration (Renew All Connections) ipconfig /renew

IP Configuration (Refreshes DHCP & Re-Registers DNS) ipconfig /registerdns

IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID) ipconfig /showclassid

IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID) ipconfig /setclassid

Java Control Panel (If Installed)
jpicpl32.cpl

Java Control Panel (If Installed)
javaws

Keyboard Properties
control keyboard

Local Security Settings
secpol.msc

Local Users and Groups
lusrmgr.msc

Logs You Out Of Windows
logoff

Malicious Software Removal Tool
mrt

Microsoft Access (if installed)
access.cpl

Microsoft Chat
winchat

Microsoft Excel (if installed)
excel

Microsoft Frontpage (if installed)
frontpg

Microsoft Movie Maker
moviemk

Microsoft Paint
mspaint

Microsoft Powerpoint (if installed)
powerpnt

Microsoft Word (if installed)
winword

Microsoft Syncronization Tool
mobsync

Minesweeper Game
winmine

Mouse Properties
control mouse

Mouse Properties
main.cpl

Nero (if installed)
nero

Netmeeting
conf

Network Connections
control netconnections

Network Connections
ncpa.cpl

Network Setup Wizard
netsetup.cpl

Notepad
notepad

Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed)
nvtuicpl.cpl

Object Packager
packager

ODBC Data Source Administrator
odbccp32.cpl

ODBC Data Source Administrator
odbcad32
On Screen Keyboard
osk

Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed)
ac3filter.cpl

Outlook Express
msimn

Paint
pbrush

Password Properties
password.cpl

Performance Monitor
perfmon.msc

Performance Monitor
perfmon

Phone and Modem Options
telephon.cpl

Phone Dialer
dialer

Pinball Game
pinball

Power Configuration
powercfg.cpl

Printers and Faxes
control printers

Printers Folder
printers

Private Character Editor
eudcedit

Quicktime (If Installed)
QuickTime.cpl

Quicktime Player (if installed)
quicktimeplayer

Real Player (if installed)
realplay

Regional Settings
intl.cpl

Registry Editor
regedit

Registry Editor
regedit32

Remote Access Phonebook
rasphone

Remote Desktop
mstsc

Removable Storage
ntmsmgr.msc

Removable Storage Operator Requests
ntmsoprq.msc

Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof)
rsop.msc

Scanners and Cameras
sticpl.cpl

Scheduled Tasks
control schedtasks

Security Center
wscui.cpl

Services
services.msc

Shared Folders
fsmgmt.msc

Shuts Down Windows
shutdown

Sounds and Audio
mmsys.cpl

Spider Solitare Card Game
spider

SQL Client Configuration
cliconfg

System Configuration Editor
sysedit

System Configuration Utility
msconfig

System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately) sfc /scannow

System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot) sfc /scanonce

System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot) sfc /scanboot

System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting) sfc /revert

System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache) sfc /purgecache

System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x)
sfc /cachesize=x

System Information
msinfo32

System Properties
sysdm.cpl

Task Manager
taskmgr

TCP Tester
tcptest

Telnet Client
telnet

Tweak UI (if installed)
tweakui

User Account Management
nusrmgr.cpl

Utility Manager
utilman

Windows Address Book
wab

Windows Address Book Import Utility
wabmig

Windows Backup Utility (if installed)
ntbackup

Windows Explorer
explorer

Windows Firewall
firewall.cpl

Windows Magnifier
magnify

Windows Management Infrastructure
wmimgmt.msc

Windows Media Player
wmplayer

Windows Messenger
msmsgs

Windows Picture Import Wizard (need camera connected)
wiaacmgr

Windows System Security Tool
syskey

Windows Update Launches
wupdmgr

Windows Version (to show which version of windows)
winver

Windows XP Tour Wizard
tourstart

Wordpad
write

Knowledge is power!