Windows 7: startup items

Can get to these by Running "msconfig.exe".

clonezilla (disk imaging) quickstart

[NOTE: I have found Paragon Backup & Recovery tool to be better fit for me, and really like it:  http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/]

Steps for setting up Clonezilla an a USB thumb drive:

• go to http://tuxboot.org/download.php
• click Files on SourceForge
• download tuxboot*.exe (or other, depending on your currently booted OS)
• run tuxboot
• the defaults are good usually:
• clonezilla_live_stable chosen
• no Pre Downloaded images selected
• MD5 Check selected
• Type: USB
• Drive should be already the USB drive you have plugged in
• hit OK

gizmo's freeware

This is an excellent site containing reviews of best freeware in many categories.


Some notable reviews:

• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anti-virus-software.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/top-freeware-picks-category-editors.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-firewall.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-cd-dvd-burning-software.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-pdf-writer.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-disk-de-fragmenter.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-imaging-program.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-portable-programs.htm
• http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-non-adobe-pdf-reader.htm

www.softwarepatch.com

This is a great website for getting at direct downloads of notable HW/SW patches, service packs, security updates, DirectX, etc.

  http://www.softwarepatch.com

checking USB thumb drives

In my experience USB "thumb" drives are notoriously unreliable, but that's something you find out only once you attempt to read back the data you've "written" to the device.  Always check your medium before use.

Great tool that I found for such drive validation: "Check Flash": http://mikelab.kiev.ua/index_en.php?page=PROGRAMS/chkflsh_en

CapsLock as another Ctrl (Windows)

Registry change:
  http://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/emacs/windows/docs/ntemacs/contrib/caps-as-ctrl.reg

From:
  http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/windows/Installing-Emacs.html

PDF virtual printer for Windows

Useful review of top free PDF printers:
  http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-pdf-writer.htm

I chose to install BullZip one.  Ran into issue where upon printing I would get error about macros.  The following post was useful:
  http://www.bullzip.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=8538

In particular, the key seems to have been to run a tool for cleaning up after Mcaffee uninstall:
  https://community.mcafee.com/message/110147
  http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe

setting up my Acer Aspire One

Just got an Acer Aspire One (AO522); here are some things I bumped into with Windows 7 Starter, or otherwise interesting links:

• http://www.instructables.com/id/Windows-7-Starter-Easy-way-to-change-wallpaper/
• http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7desktop/thread/063bdfc6-6062-49b5-b34f-f7c413bb7f86
• http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/11243/how-to-personalize-windows-7-starter/
• http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16041/change-the-wallpaper-and-customization-settings-in-windows-7-starter-edition/
• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/10024-password-require-wakeup.htm

Xubuntu issues encountered:

• AMD "unsupported hardware" watermark with 'fglrx' driver
• unable to resume from 'sleep'
• xfce4 window manager does not have gui tool for setting keyboard options (e.g., swap CapsLock and CTRL)
• 
  

disable AutoPlay

The following page describes how to disable AutoPlay on Windows:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows/disable-autoplay-of-audio-cds-and-usb-drives/

fix for slow mouse scrolling in Total Commander

http://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=144994

As the above post indicates, the slow scrolling in Total Commander (and likely most other Windows' listboxes) can be fixed by:

Deactivate smooth scrolling for listboxes in control panel/system/advanced/bla. 

Installing Win2K without key

(From http://www.petri.co.il/install_windows_2000_without_supplying_the_cd_key.htm)

How can I install Windows 2000 without supplying the CD key?

You can configure W2K to install without having to manually enter the CD key during the setup process.

First, you want to copy your Windows 2000 setup files from your CD to your hard drive. You have to copy at least the I386 directory.

Now go into the I386 directory you just copied onto your hard drive and look for a file called setupp.ini.

Right click it, select Properties, and remove the Read-only checkmark. Now open the file to edit it.

Your setupp.ini file should read something like this:

[Pid] ExtraData=6166656C736263737373B2574A0581 Pid=51873XXX

Replace the 3 X's (generally it'll be three zeros) at the end with "270". It should now read something like this:

[Pid] ExtraData=6166656C736263737373B2574A0581 Pid=51873270

That’s it! Now you can now install Windows 2000 without a serial number!

modifying the "look-in" buttons in standard file dialog

Standard file dialogs under Windows (2000 and higher?) have a set of five big buttons down the left side which you can click to be directly taken to the corresponding directories. It's called the "Places bar", and the buttons might be called "look-in" buttons. I went in search of how to modify them, as the default set was uterly useless to me. Here are interesting things I found:

• a thread with all the info
• a cool utility, which alas does not aid with the problem
• donationcoder.com has a review of various other file dialog extenders, some of which modify the places bar too (Direct Folders, in particular)
• how to do it using registry editing
• but it's much easier to do it using TweakUI