Vista tipsThe Run command is goneMicrosoft removed the Run option from the Start menu, largely because the new Start Menu Search feature (see below) can do much of what Run could. However, some of you old-school admin-types (you know who you are) will want things just the way they were. Good news: You can get it back. Right-click the Start button (or "Start Orb" as its sometimes annoyingly called now) and choose Properties. Then, choose Customize from the Start Menu tab: You'll seen an option to enable Run.
Bonus tip: You don't actually have to enable the Run option in the Start Menu to use it. Instead, just type WINKEY + R at any time to bring up the Run dialog. Thanks to Jon Sweeny for the tip.
Start Menu Search is magicI can't stress this enough. As a power user, you will love the new Start Menu Search feature. You can find applications, of course: Just type in "note" (no quotes), click Enter, and Notepad is up and running. But it's not just about applications. From the Start Menu, you now quickly launch network shares (type \machine-name and you'll see a list of shares in the search results), documents, Internet sites, and, my personal favorite, Windows features that were previously hard to find. For example, if you want to get to Device Manager the quickest way possible, just open the Start menu and type "dev" (no quotes). Need to get to your network connections, which are oh-so-hidden in Vista? Just type "network," which brings up the Network and Sharing Center. Then click the link for Manage network connections. Voila.
Run Command Prompt as administratorIf you need to get any admin-level tasks done from the command line, be sure to run Command Prompt as administrator, even if you are, ahem, logged in with an administrator account. That's because, by default, Command Prompt runs as Standard User, even if you're an admin. You can do this on the fly by right-clicking Command Prompt in the Start Menu and choosing Run as administrator from the pop-up menu. Or, you can make your own shortcut to Command Prompt, in the Start Menu, Desktop, or whatever. Then, change the Properties sheet for the shortcut so that the option "Run as administrator" is checked. You'll have to deal with a UAC prompt each time you run Command Prompt, but at least you can get your work done.
Leave UAC aloneSpeaking of which, I know you're going to hate UAC. I know the dialogs are going to annoy you, and I know you're going to wonder why you have to consent to these interruptions. Please, learn to deal with it. UAC is an important component of Microsoft's "secure by design" mantra for Windows Vista, and it plays an important role in keeping PCs safe from electronic attack. It's also required for file system and Registry virtualization. Here's the good news. UAC gets less annoying over time, once you've finished installing applications and configuring the system just the way you want it. So give it time, and realize it's for your own good. Seriously.
Turn UAC offOK, I just told you that you should leave UAC alone. And you should. But some of you will want to turn it off otherwise, and to avoid the inevitable questions, I'll tell you how. What price my soul? Anyway, in Group Policy, navigate to Computer Configuration, Windows Settings, Local Policies, Security Options (in Local Security Policy it's in Local Policies, Security Options) and find the option titled "User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode." Change it to disabled and reboot.
Get free anti-virusThis last tip is for you IT pros running Windows Vista at home. You may have noticed that the default Vista install doesn't include any anti-virus, causing Windows Security Center to cough up a warning about your computer not being safe. Sure, you could go nuts and spend a lot of money on a security suite (and bog down your PC's performance in the process), but I've been testing a free AV solution for months now and it seems to work great. It's called AVG Free Edition, and it's made by a company called Grisoft. You can find out more about this product, and their other security wares, from their Web site.
Fix the Start Menu Power buttonI've often complained that the prominent Power button on the Windows Vista Start Menu--which triggers Vista's new sleep state by default--isn't obviously customizable. Victor Sacco tells me, however, that you can in fact change how this button operates. Here's how: Open the Power Options dialog (there are various ways to do this, but here's an obvious one: Navigate to Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Power Options, Change plan settings [under your chosen power plan], Change advanced power settings) and Expand Power buttons and lid and then Start menu power button. You'll see one or two options here, depending on what type of system you're running: Desktop PCs will typically have a single setting, while portable PCs will have two, one for running on power, and one for running on battery.
The default value is Sleep for each setting, but you can choose between various other values, including Hibernate and Shut Down. Hey, a power button that actually powers off your PC, what a concept.
Vista anti-virus, take twoIn Windows Vista Tips for IT Pros, I recommended Grisoft AVG Free Edition, a free anti-virus solution that I've been using on my own Vista machines since I gave up on Windows Live OneCare late last year. I really like AVG, but a surprisingly large number of readers have recommended avast! 4 Home Edition, which is free for home use. Avast looks decent, and it certainly has at least one huge advantage over AVG: The free version works just fine on x64 versions of Vista too. It's definitely worth checking out. Thanks to everyone that wrote in about this.
Matt Hickman tells me that he uses ClamWin Antivirus, another free anti-virus solution. I have no experience with this one, but I thought I'd pass it on. I will say this: After years struggling under the yoke of heavy, busy, annoying security suites, I'm particularly interested in lightweight solutions that really work. It's unlikely I'll ever use another Symantec or McAfee consumer-oriented security product again.
Running as administratorQuite a few readers told me that there's a handy way to run any application as administrator on the fly: Open the Start Menu, type the name of the application you want to run, and then tap CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER instead of just ENTER. The presence of a User Account Control dialog will let you know you got it right.
Running without RunA number of readers also wanted me to point out that enabling the Run command in the Start Menu is rarely necessary because the Start Menu Search feature can be used to run virtually anything anyway. I thought that was obvious, but clearly it needs to be reiterated: Most of you probably won't need to re-enable Run: Just type the name of the executable you want in the Search field of the Start Menu. Thanks to everyone who wrote in about this.
Use the address barRandy Eisner likes the infrequently-used Address toolbar in the Vista taskbar. Disabled by default, this IE-like Address bar isn't just good for Web addresses, as you might expect: You can also use it much like the Run command and launch applications and even documents. There are a variety of ways you can configure this toolbar, but if you're using a hi-res display, you might consider resizing the taskbar so that it's double the normal height, and then run the Address bar along the bottom.
To enable this feature, right-click a blank area of the taskbar and choose Toolbars then Address. You will need to unlock the taskbar in order to move or resize the Address bar.
Fix the Start Menu Power buttonI've often complained that the prominent Power button on the Windows Vista Start Menu--which triggers Vista's new sleep state by default--isn't obviously customizable. Victor Sacco tells me, however, that you can in fact change how this button operates. Here's how: Open the Power Options dialog (there are various ways to do this, but here's an obvious one: Navigate to Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Power Options, Change plan settings [under your chosen power plan], Change advanced power settings) and Expand Power buttons and lid and then Start menu power button. You'll see one or two options here, depending on what type of system you're running: Desktop PCs will typically have a single setting, while portable PCs will have two, one for running on power, and one for running on battery.
The default value is Sleep for each setting, but you can choose between various other values, including Hibernate and Shut Down. Hey, a power button that actually powers off your PC, what a concept.
Vista anti-virus, take two
In Windows Vista Tips for IT Pros, I recommended Grisoft AVG Free Edition, a free anti-virus solution that I've been using on my own Vista machines since I gave up on Windows Live OneCare late last year. I really like AVG, but a surprisingly large number of readers have recommended avast! 4 Home Edition, which is free for home use. Avast looks decent, and it certainly has at least one huge advantage over AVG: The free version works just fine on x64 versions of Vista too. It's definitely worth checking out. Thanks to everyone that wrote in about this.
Matt Hickman tells me that he uses ClamWin Antivirus, another free anti-virus solution. I have no experience with this one, but I thought I'd pass it on. I will say this: After years struggling under the yoke of heavy, busy, annoying security suites, I'm particularly interested in lightweight solutions that really work. It's unlikely I'll ever use another Symantec or McAfee consumer-oriented security product again.
Running as administratorQuite a few readers told me that there's a handy way to run any application as administrator on the fly: Open the Start Menu, type the name of the application you want to run, and then tap CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER instead of just ENTER. The presence of a User Account Control dialog will let you know you got it right.
Running without RunA number of readers also wanted me to point out that enabling the Run command in the Start Menu is rarely necessary because the Start Menu Search feature can be used to run virtually anything anyway. I thought that was obvious, but clearly it needs to be reiterated: Most of you probably won't need to re-enable Run: Just type the name of the executable you want in the Search field of the Start Menu. Thanks to everyone who wrote in about this.
Use the address barRandy Eisner likes the infrequently-used Address toolbar in the Vista taskbar. Disabled by default, this IE-like Address bar isn't just good for Web addresses, as you might expect: You can also use it much like the Run command and launch applications and even documents. There are a variety of ways you can configure this toolbar, but if you're using a hi-res display, you might consider resizing the taskbar so that it's double the normal height, and then run the Address bar along the bottom.
To enable this feature, right-click a blank area of the taskbar and choose Toolbars then Address. You will need to unlock the taskbar in order to move or resize the Address bar.
Fun with the Quick Launch toolbarMark Livschitz tipped me off to an excellent and hidden feature of the Quick Launch toolbar, which typically appears as a list of shortcut icons to the right of the Start button. It turns out you can access the shortcuts in the Quick Launch toolbar using hidden keyboard shortcuts. The first shortcut (Show desktop in the shot below) is triggered by tapping WINKEY + 1, the second by tapping WINKEY + 2, and so on.
Quick access to network connectionsDespite making networking generally much easier in Windows Vista, Microsoft inexplicably made it very difficult to get at your network connections. Cody Cutrer has a solution: In the Start Menu Search box (or Run dialog), type "ncpa.cpl" (no quotes) and tap ENTER. Consider the job done.
Start++: The first Vista PowerToy?Scott Bressler told me that Brandon Paddock, a Microsoft employee, has written a handy utility called Start++ that I think qualifies as the first unofficial Vista PowerToy. In Paddock's words, Start++ adds a handy Windows Desktop Search (WDS) feature back to Windows Vista's integrated Start Menu Search: The ability to create little aliases so you can quickly launch applications, online services, and other features without having to type long strings of text. For example, you could type "g Stuff" to search for "Stuff" on Google. Nice!
To find out more about Start++, check out
Paddock's blog.View hidden menusMany (but not all) Windows Vista applications and shell windows hide their menu systems by default. (IE 7, Windows Media Player, and the Windows shell are three examples.) If you wanted to, you could simply enable these menus manually in each application, when available. Or you could use this handy shortcut, provided by Dr. Abhishek: Just tap the ALT key and the menu will appear temporarily so you can access the options you need.
Customize the desktopDr. Abhishek also notes that the Vista desktop is far more customizable than in previous versions. You can view the desktop icons in three different styles now, including Extra Large Icons, which is particularly handy if you have a hi-res display.
Turn off User Account ControlI briefly mentioned one way to turn off User Account Control (UAC) in the previous Tips article, but John Baird recommends another method: In the Local Security Policies management console (to find, open the Start Menu, type "Local Security" and tap ENTER), expand Local Policies and then Security Options, and find the option titled "User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode." Change it to Elevate without prompting.
Note: I don't actually recommend turning off UAC for various reasons, some security-related, some functionality-related. Doing so can make your system more vulnerable to malware.
Some added Windows Flip functionality
Jiri Fiala tells me that Windows Flip, the ALT+TAB task switching utility has been updated a bit in Windows Vista: Now, you can select open windows using the mouse pointer while Windows Flip is activated. That's an interesting way to combine a keyboard shortcut with the mouse.
Resizing desktop icons with the mouseThis was probably the most popular tip, so thanks to the many people who wrote in about this one: In the last Tips article, I mentioned that Vista supports three default sizes for desktop icons, compared to just one in previous Windows versions. But it's actually quite a bit better than that if you know the secret: Using the scroll wheel on your mouse, it's possible in Vista to revolve through a whopping 28 icon sizes, some of which are quite large. So if you really want to customize your desktop, this is the way to go: Click the desktop, hold down the CTRL key and start scrolling with your mouse's scroll wheel. Amazing.
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Note: This works in Explorer windows as well. (Thanks to Richard Gregg for the reminder.)
Use the mouse with Flip3D too!In the previous Tips article, we discussed using the mouse in Windows Flip, but Richard Gregg notes that it can be used in Flip3D too. Just tap WINKEY+TAB to bring up Flip3D, and then click on any of the windows in the 3D view to bring that window to the front.
More keyboard shortcutsManjit Cheema tells me that WINKEY+SPACE will bring Windows Sidebar to the forefront; this is especially useful if you've used Show Desktop and Sidebar is hidden. Also, holding down the CTRL key while you click the Maximize window button in Internet Explorer 7 causes that app to maximizee without any window chrome, just as if you'd tapped F11.
Better file renamingWhile you've always been able to rename a file in the Windows Explorer shell by selecting the file and tapping F2, Windows Vista includes a cool new feature, says Heath Foley: If you've got file extensions displayed by default, the rename selection will no longer include the extension. So you no longer have to worry about blowing away file name extensions, like you did in previous Windows versions. (Note: This feature is also available if you use the mouse to rename files.)
Manage your gamesWhile the new Games Explorer in Vista is quite useful and attractive, a number of older games don't automatically get added to this location when installed. No problem, says Jonathan Dunlap: Simply drag the shortcut for any game or entertainment application into Games Explorer to ensure you can access all of these titles from this handy interface.
Keep Windows Flip and Flip3D onscreenMike Cerminara has an interesting alternative to the normal Windows Flip (ALT+TAB) and Flip3D (WINKEY+TAB) keyboard shortcuts: Add CTRL to keep these task switchers onscreen (that is, type CTRL+ALT+TAB for Windows Flip and CTRL+WINKEY+TAB for Flip3D). Now, you can take your time and use the mouse or arrow keys to select the window you want, without having to hold down the ALT or WINKEY key. Nice!
More useful System Configuration utilityRoger Southgate tells me that the System Configuration utility (previously known by its file name, msconfig.exe) has been updated with a new Tools tab that includes links to numerous system tools, including About Windows, Even Viewer, Remote Assistance, and more.
Bron 1Bron 2Bron 3[ Bericht 1% gewijzigd door Godtje op 05-03-2007 20:31:29 ]