Why Vista’s User Account Control Feature Isn’t So Bad

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When I first got around to using my copy of Windows Vista regularly, I quickly became annoyed of one particular feature – User Account Control (UAC). At first, I saw it as an acceptable comprimise for the sake of security… but after a while, it became clear that most the apps I use actually need Administrative access. I found myself forgetting to launch the shortcuts with Administrative privileges, and then I’d have to close the application, and launch it properly by right-clicking and saying “Run as administrator”. I put up with it until, one day, I was checking out the Properties of a shortcut… when I discovered a checkbox I’d never noticed before. Eventually, I grew so frustrated that I … Read more

Using Ping to Monitor Reboots

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When you’re rebooting a computer, and you need to know exactly when it is back online, try using this command: ping -t <target> <target> can be an IP or domain name. This command will keep pinging the machine endlessly, which can reveal exactly when the computer is back on the network. As long as you keep getting “Request time out”, the machine isn’t online yet. When you get a reply, as illustrated below, you know you can connect to the machine. Personally, I tend to put this window on my secondary monitor, while I continue working on the primary monitor.  As soon as the machine is online, I close the window or press CTRL+C to prevent the ping from going … Read more

Screen Capture Tools and the Evasive Mouse Cursor

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So, here’s the thing:  I was taking screenshots for another article, and then I noticed that the cursor was not present in them – and I needed it to be. I’ve used Print Screen for a long time now, and I never really needed the cursor to appear. Whenever I did need to have it the screenshot, it was for work – and there, we have Snagit, which has an option to show the cursor. While SnagIt is a great application, I wasn’t ready to buy a license for home use just yet. I wanted to look for free tools first… so I began my search. I found out a couple interesting applications along the way. Snipping Tool (Windows Vista … Read more

Another Way to Close Windows

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A couple of years ago, I discovered a new way to close windows in Microsoft Windows. To be fair, I didn’t discover it on my own – I saw a colleague of mine using the alternate approach, and I asked her about it. I was surprised that although I had used various Microsoft operating systems (95, XP, 2000, 2003), that particular trick eluded me. Here’s how it works. You know how you can normally close a window by clicking on the top right corner? The “X” button? Well, you can also double-click on the top left corner, and this will usually also close the window. The reason I say “usually” is because some newer applications, like Google Chrome, for example … Read more

Not Just Another Passenger

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When I was 17, I remember accompanying my father to check out some of the local garage sales. You see, in my hometown (and likely in other towns too), we had yearly garage sale “festivals”. This is what my father jokingly called them – there would always be plenty of people at these things. I would later wonder how effective these people would have been if they had actually used their numbers to support a cause, rather than their own personal desire to acquire material goods, at a bargain; however, on this particular day, I was just looking for cool stuff. On this day, I only bought one item. This item was a 3 foot tall, 3 foot wide – … Read more

Internet Explorer – provided by Dell?

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When I first received my laptop from Dell, I quickly noticed something different in Internet Explorer: Apparently, my copy of Internet Explorer was provided by Dell. I immediately disliked the idea that this reminder would be present every time I used Internet Explorer. I began looking for a way to remove it, and it turned out to be pretty simple. All you need to do is change a registry key, located here: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Main and depicted here: Solution Some of the instructions found in this article involve modifying the Windows registry. If modified incorrectly, serious problems may occur. It is highly recommended by both the author of this article, and by Microsoft – that you back up the registry before … Read more