Open Control pannel from the Start menu.

Type “language” in the search box at the top right of the screen. Click “Change keyboards and other input methods”.

Click on “Change keyboards”.

Make sure that you only have either English “Canadian” or “United States”. Remove Any “Multilingual” or “French Keyboards”. Use only one keyboard. I tend to find that this configuration works best for me.

Hit Apply and Ok. Voila. You’re done.

As people begin to use Windows 7, Power Users and even regular users will eventually get around to wanting to expand their Windows 7 Libraries, which I think is an incredible feature, to include NAS locations.  Household NAS’s are now less than $200 for a terabyte, and home users and business users alike are going to be looking for this functionality.

Currently, Windows 7 does not support adding NAS locations to libraries.  I’m not sure why, but hopefully Microsoft deploys that functionality some time very soon.  Apparently, these locations break the Windows 7 backup functionality for that library.

Here’s the quick and dirty for the method I used.

The alternate method involves copying all the data from the NAS folder to a local folder.  One of the reasons for using a NAS to me, is to not have to have that information stored locally on my machine.  Anyway, here’s how I did it:

Method 1:

Create a temporary folder in a location of your choice, for example, I created a folder on my M: drive named “Linked Folders” and then created a sub-folder titled “ISO”.

M:\Linked Folders\ISO

Then add that folder to the library.

After adding that folder to the library, delete it. Then open a command prompt with administrator or elevated privileges, i.e. Run As Administrator. 

In case you don’t know, the command prompt program is located under the Start > All Programs > Accessories folder.  Right-Click the Command Prompt program and choose, Run As Administrator.

At the command prompt, type the following command:

mklink /d [path to folder that you deleted with the same name] [path to share location]

This makes my command look something like this:

mklink /d “M:\Linked Folders\ISO” \\nas02\public\ISO

You should get a message that states that the symbolic link was created.  You should now be able to see content under the library that you added through the link, and you should see a shortcut link in Windows Explorer in the location that you specified.

*** Remember that this will break the library backup, but you can backup the individual locations on your local drives. ***

Method 2

The alternate method is very simple, but keep in mind that ALL the data from the NAS folder will be copied to your local drive.

Right on the network folder or drive you want to include in the library and select “Always Available Offline”.  A sync will start.  You can then add that folder to a library.

Hope this helps someone out.  I really hope Microsoft just comes up with a fix instead of this workaround.

1. Open up notepad from the start menu. In Windows Vista/Windows 7 you can easily find it by typing notepad in the search box.
2. Paste the info in the box into notepad and save it as “EXE-Fix.reg” on your desktop.
3. Double-Click the EXE-Fix.reg file. Your machine will ask if you want to import the registry info. Say yes.
4. It should say It was imported successfully and click “OK”.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe]

@="exefile"

"Content Type"="application/x-msdownload"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe\PersistentHandler]

@="{098f2470-bae0-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile]

@="Application"

"EditFlags"=hex:38,07,00,00

"TileInfo"="prop:FileDescription;Company;FileVersion"

"InfoTip"="prop:FileDescription;Company;FileVersion;Create;Size"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\DefaultIcon]

@="%1"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open]

"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]

@="\"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas\command]

@="\"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\DropHandler]

@="{86C86720-42A0-1069-A2E8-08002B30309D}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\PEAnalyser]

@="{09A63660-16F9-11d0-B1DF-004F56001CA7}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\PifProps]

@="{86F19A00-42A0-1069-A2E9-08002B30309D}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\ShimLayer Property Page]

@="{513D916F-2A8E-4F51-AEAB-0CBC76FB1AF8}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile]

@="Registration Entries"

"EditFlags"=dword:00100000

"BrowserFlags"=dword:00000008


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\DefaultIcon]

@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\

00,5c,00,72,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,\

2c,00,31,00,00,00


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell]

@="open"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\edit]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\edit\command]

@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\

00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\

54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45,00,20,00,25,00,31,00,00,\

00


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open]

@="Mer&ge"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\open\command]

@="regedit.exe \"%1\""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\print]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell\print\command]

@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\

00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,4e,00,4f,00,\

54,00,45,00,50,00,41,00,44,00,2e,00,45,00,58,00,45,00,20,00,2f,00,70,00,20,\

00,25,00,31,00,00,00


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk]

@="lnkfile"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214EE-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214F9-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{00021500-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew]

"Command"="rundll32.exe appwiz.cpl,NewLinkHere %1"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile]

@="Shortcut"

"EditFlags"=dword:00000001

"IsShortcut"=""

"NeverShowExt"=""


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\CLSID]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Offline Files]

@="{750fdf0e-2a26-11d1-a3ea-080036587f03}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\DropHandler]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\ShimLayer Property Page]

@="{513D916F-2A8E-4F51-AEAB-0CBC76FB1AF8}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]

@="Shortcut"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\InProcServer32]

@="shell32.dll"

"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentAddinsRegistered]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentAddinsRegistered\{89BCB740-6119-101A-BCB7-00DD010655AF}]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\PersistentHandler]

@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\ProgID]

@="lnkfile"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\shellex]


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\shellex\MayChangeDefaultMenu] 

By default you can only stream local content. So after a few months I finally figured out how to stream file through Media player from a network share.

If you want to share files in a monitored folder that is located on another computer, like for example, a folder on a network share, the remote folder must have the appropriate Windows access permissions assigned to it.

Next you will have to make a new Registry entry:

To do so, open regedit and navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\PREFERENCES\HME 

In right panel create a new DWORD called EnableRemoteContentSharing

• Set its value to 1.

This will enable sharing of media from a network location.

Typically when adding network locations to a library, they must normally either be indexed (made available offline). Windows Media Player maintains its own database, and hence it is able to add non-indexed locations to a library.

Do note the computer that contains the library should have remote content sharing enabled.

To see the current configuration of your system’s virtual memory, open the System dialog box in Control Panel and click the Advanced tab. Or, for a handy undocumented shortcut, click Start, type systempropertiesadvanced (with no spaces), and press Enter. Under the Performance heading, click Settings. In the Performance Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. And under the Virtual Memory heading, click Change.

By default, Windows creates a single page file and manages its size. The Currently Allocated num¬ber near the bottom of the dialog box shows how large the file is. If conditions on your system change (say you run an unusually large assortment of memory-intensive applications), Windows might increase or even decrease the size of the page file. All this happens without you’re knowing as long as you leave the Automatically Manage Paging File Size For All Drives option selected.

If you don’t want Windows to automatically manage the page file, you have the following options:

• You can move the page file to a different volume if you have more than one volume.
• If you have more than one volume, you can establish more than one page file.
• For any page file, you can choose between System Managed Size and Custom Size.
• If you choose Custom Size, you can specify an initial size and a maximum size.
• You can remove a paging file from a volume by selecting the volume and choosing No Paging File. (In fact, you can do this to get rid of all paging files, although doing so is not recommended, even on systems with a lot of RAM.)

Should you get involved in managing the page file? If you have more than one physical disk, moving the page file to a fast drive that doesn’t contain your Windows system files is a good idea. Using multiple page files split over two or more physical disks is an even better idea, because your disk controller can process multiple requests to read or write data concurrently. But don’t make the mistake of creating two or more page files using multiple volumes on a single physical disk. If, for example, you have a single hard disk that contains volumes C, D, and E, splitting the page file over two or more of these volumes, might actually make your computer run more slowly.

If you are short of hard disk space, you might consider setting a smaller initial page file size. Monitor peak usage levels over time; if the peak is well below the current page file size, you can consider reducing the initial size to save disk space. On the other hand, if you’re not short of disk space, there’s nothing to be gained from doing this and you might occasion¬ally overload your custom settings, thereby degrading the performance of your system.

Should you enlarge your page file? Most users won’t need to do this. But you might want to keep an eye on the green line in the Memory chart on the Overview tab of Resource Monitor. If that line is spiking off the top of the graph a great deal of the time during your normal work, you might consider increasing the maximum size of your page file. (Note that you should disregard page file spikes and disk activity in general that takes place while you’re not actually working. This is likely to be the result of search indexing, defragmentation, or other background processes and does not indicate a problem with your actual work performance.

Thanks to the Microsoft Blog to originally post this info: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff382717.aspx

“C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color”

folder and copy the file with the same name as the profile.

All the files are named with an extension of .icm

If you want to know how to import the calibration right click the file and select “Install Profile”.

Open “Color Management. I’ve listed them from the easiest to hardest IMO.

1. START ORB – SEARCH LINE – Color Management
2. Control Panel – All Items View – Color Management
3. START ORB – SEARCH LINE – dccw and then hit Enter
4. File is located: “C:\Windows\System32\dccw.exe”

Under the devices tab select the monitor you want and then apply the profile.

1. START ORB – SEARCH LINE – Color Management
2. Control Panel – All Items View – Color Management
3. START ORB – SEARCH LINE – dccw and then hit Enter
4. File is located: “C:\Windows\System32\dccw.exe”

Color management allows you to import and create new ICC profiles for your monitor VERY easily. To run the “Calibrate Display” wizard click the advance tab and hit the big “Calibrate display” button.

One thing to note: if you are running more then one monitor on your system it is important you are running the calibration test window on the screen you want to configure. While this might seem logical I have seen people “configure” both monitors from the same screen. They obviously #failed and I hope I can help them.

If your monitor company gives you and ICC monitor profile file save the file to your desktop. Right click the file and select “Install Profile”.

Back in the “Color Management” tool:

1. Click on the device’s tab
2. Put a check in the box “Use my settings for this device”
3. Click “Add” and then file the ICC profile you installed from the step before.
4. Hit Close.

Hope this helps with your monitor calibration. If you need more accurate calibration for things like photoediting you should look at devices like the Spyder 3 Pro.

Windows 7 Professional or higher. You can not do this with the home versions.

Steps to lock down the Kiosk Computer

How to lock down the computer basically leverages local Group Policy (although there is no reason you can’t do this in global group policy on your Windows Small Business Server 2008 machine) to allow users to only run certain applications.  Thus preventing users from getting into trouble and lowering your total cost of ownership on that client PC (or your whole network).

If you have a shared or public computer you might want to allow users to use only specified programs. Today we take a look at a setting in Local Group Policy that allows you to set only specified programs to run.

First click on Start and enter gpedit.msc into the search box and hit Enter.

Navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System. Then under Setting scroll down and double click on Run only specified Windows applications.

Set it to Enabled, then under the Options section click on the Show button next to List of allowed applications.

A Show Contents dialog comes up where you can type in the apps you want to allow users to run. When finished with the list, click OK then close out of Local Group Policy Editor.

If a user tries to access an application that is not on the specified list they will receive the following error message.

This is a nice feature for limiting what programs users can or cannot access on the computer.

You will have to open up a command prompt and run it as administrator. The easiest way to do this is to go to the Start ORB – type “cmd” and then right click the “cmd” application and select “run as administrator”.

Once you open the command prompt as administrator there is a windows command that you can run:

netsh int ip reset location-of-log-file.txt

See what the output looks like:

If you still have the computer set to a manual IP address go back and tell it to use DHCP.

Restart your computer. (I didn’t have to reset mine but the netsh command recommends that you do)

The Fix WU Utility v 1.0. This freeware portable utility will re-register the files, required for the proper functioning of Windows Updates.

In case anytime, you find that you are facing any issues in running Microsoft Updates or Windows Updates due to any reasons, run this utility. This utility will re-register a total of 114 .dll,  ocx and .ax files which are required for the proper functioning of Windows Updates.

The utility may take a few moments to run. On completion, you will see a dialog box: The process completed successfully.

It has been tested on Windows 7 & Vista, 32bit and 64bit versions.

Download Windows Update Utility