Posts Tagged ‘Vista’

Is Administrator Accnt in Vista annoying U?

Posted: August 21, 2009 in Vista
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By default, administrators using Windows Vista are running in a new execution mode

called Admin Approval Mode. This is the reason you see consent dialog boxes appear

from time to time. You can actually disable this mode, making administrator accounts

work more like they did in XP, without any annoying dialog boxes popping. However,

you should realize that disabling Admin Approval Mode could open up your system

to attack. If you’re still interested in disabling this feature, or disabling User Account

Control, we will discuss ways to do so at the end of this section.

Conversely, administrators who would like Windows Vista to be even more secure

can also configure the system to prompt with a User Account Control credentials dialog

box—which requires a complete password—every time they attempt an administrative

task.

How to get best security in Vista?

Posted: August 21, 2009 in Security, Vista
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To get the absolute best security with Windows Vista, run one of the x64 versions of

the operating system.That’s because the x64 versions of

Windows Vista include a few unique security features that are not available or as

effective in the 32-bit versions of the operating system. These include:

• A new feature called Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) that randomly

loads key system files in memory, making them harder to attack remotely.

• A hardware-backed version of Data Execution Protection (DEP) that helps prevent

buffer overflow-based attacks.

• x64 drivers must be digitally signed, which suggests (but doesn’t ensure) that

x64 drivers will be more stable and secure than 32-bit drivers, which are often

the cause of instability issues in Windows.

Of course, x64 versions of Windows Vista have their own compatibility issues, both

with software and hardware. The tradeoff is yours to make: Better security and reliability

or compatibility.

BitLocker Drive Encryption in Vista

Posted: August 21, 2009 in System Information, Vista
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In Windows XP and previous NT-based versions of Windows, Microsoft offered a feature

called Encrypting File System (EFS) that enabled users to encrypt important folders or

files. This prevents thieves from accessing sensitive data should your computer be physically

stolen: If the thief removes your hard drive and attaches it to a different computer,

any encrypted files cannot be read. EFS has proven to be a popular feature with businesses

that have many roaming executives with laptops, with IT administrators, and the

security conscious.

EFS is still present in Windows Vista and works as before, but it’s been augmented by a

new technology called BitLocker. Like EFS, the new BitLocker feature in Windows Vista

lets you encrypt data on your hard drive to protect it in the event of physical theft. But

BitLocker offers a few unique twists.

_ First, BitLocker is full-disk encryption, not per-file encryption. If you enable

BitLocker, it will encrypt the entire hard disk on which Windows Vista resides,

and all future files that are added to that drive are silently encrypted as well.

_ Second, BitLocker protects vital Windows system files during bootup: If

BitLocker discovers a security risk, such as a change to the BIOS or any startup

files (which might indicate that the hard drive was stolen and placed in a different

machine), it will lock the system until you enter your BitLocker recovery key

or password (discussed shortly).

_ Third, BitLocker works in conjunction with new Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

security hardware in some modern PCs to provide a more secure solution than is

possible with a software-only encryption routine. BitLocker may not be theoretically

impregnable, but in the real world the chances are that no hacker will ever

defeat a BitLocker-protected PC.

Windows Defender & Firewall in Vista

Posted: August 21, 2009 in Security, Vista
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One of the best features in Windows Defender is hidden a bit in the application’s user

interface. The Software Explorer—found in Tools➪Software Explorer—lists the applications

that run at startup (you can also change the display to list currently running

applications, network-connected applications, and other features). Best of all, you can

actually remove or disable startup applications. In previous versions of Windows, you

would use the System Configuration utility (msconfig.exe) for this functionality;

System Configuration is still available in Windows Vista, but Windows Defender’s

Software Explorer feature is arguably a better solution because it provides so much

information.

There’s some confusion about how the Windows Firewall is configured in Windows

Vista. Although it is indeed enabled to monitor both inbound and outbound network

traffic, it is configured differently for each direction. Windows Firewall, by default, is

configured to block all incoming network traffic that is not part of an exception rule,

and allow all outgoing network traffic that is not blocked by an exception rule.

The Windows Firewall interface described previously is quite similar to that found in

Windows XP with Service Pack 2. But Microsoft also includes a second, secret interface

to its firewall that presents far more options. It’s called Windows Firewall with

Advanced Security, and you can access it via the also-hidden Administrative Tools

that ship with all mainstream Windows Vista versions. To find it, navigate to Control

Panel and turn on Class View. Then, navigate into Administrative Tools and then

Windows Firewall with Advanced Security., the tool loads into

a Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

As good as Vista’s firewall is, you should absolutely use a third-party firewall instead if

you’re using a security software suite. In such cases, the security suite will typically

disable Windows Firewall automatically and alert Windows Security Center that it is

now handling firewalling duties. Unlike with antispyware applications, you should

never run two firewalls at the same time, as they will interfere with each other.

Registry Hack May Be Required for Alt+Plus, Alt+Hex in VISTA

Posted: August 21, 2009 in Vista
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The Alt+Plus, Alt+Hex method won’t work in Windows or any application if a certain

key in the Registry isn’t set correctly. This could happen if the key was inadvertently

changed or was never switched on. If Alt+Plus, Alt+Hex doesn’t work, take the following

steps:

1. Use the Start menu to run RegEdit.exe.

2. Expand HKEY_Current_User to /Control Panel/Input Method. Find the key (or

create a new string value) called EnableHexNumpad. If you create this string

value, it should have the REG_SZ type.

3. Right-click and modify EnableHexNumpad to give it a value of 1. Close RegEdit.

Advanced Sidebar Configuration Options in Vista

Posted: August 21, 2009 in Vista
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Although the Sidebar configuration user interface is fairly complete, there are a few

things you can’t easily do. Behind the scenes, however, the Windows Sidebar utilizes

special configuration files named settings.ini to determine all of its configuration possibilities.

If you don’t mind taking a small risk by editing these files with a text editor

such as Notepad, you can perform various configuration tasks that are impossible

with the standard Sidebar UI.

Be sure to back up any files you’ll be editing before making changes. You’ll also want

to quit Sidebar before editing these files.

There are two versions of settings.ini. The first is devoted to system-wide configuration

options and default settings and is located in C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar

by default. If you right-click this file and choose Edit, you’ll see the contents of this file,

which should resemble the following:

[Root]

SettingsVersion=00.00.00.01

SidebarShowState=Imploded

SidebarDockSide=2

Section0=1

Section1=2

Section2=3

SidebarDockedPartsOrder=0x1,0x2,0x3

[Section 1]

PrivateSetting_GadgetName=%PROGRAMFILES%\windows

sidebar\gadgets\RecycleBin.gadget

PrivateSetting_Enabled=true

[Section 2]

PrivateSetting_GadgetName=%PROGRAMFILES%\windows

sidebar\gadgets\Launcher.gadget

PrivateSetting_Enabled=true

[Section 3]

PrivateSetting_GadgetName=%PROGRAMFILES%\windows

sidebar\gadgets\SlideShow.gadget

PrivateSetting_Enabled=true

A second version of the Sidebar settings.ini file is available for each user. This file is

located in C:\Users\[your user name]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar by

default. This file has a similar structure, but could be much longer depending on how

much you’ve configured Windows Sidebar. Here’s an example of what it could look like:

[Root]

SettingsVersion=00.00.00.01

SidebarShowState=Imploded

SidebarDockSide=2

SidebarDockedPartsOrder=0x2,0x3,

SidebarAlwaysOnTop=true

SidebarDockMonitor=0

PickerPosX=386

PickerPosY=233

Section0=1

Section1=2

Section2=3

[Section 1]

PrivateSetting_GadgetName=C:%5CProgram%20Files%5CWindows%20Sidebar%5CGad

gets%5CworldClock.Gadget

PrivateSetting_Enabled=true

PrivateSetting_GadgetTopmost=false

PrivateSetting_SidebarDockedState=Not%20Docked

clockName=Eastern%20Time

clockText=

timeZoneIndex=13

timeZoneBias=0

dayToNight=True

secondsEnabled=False

SettingExist=True

PrivateSetting_GadgetDropLocationX=1078

PrivateSetting_GadgetDropLocationY=179

[Section 2]

PrivateSetting_GadgetName=C:%5CProgram%20Files%5CWindows%20Sidebar%5CGad

gets%5CRSS.Gadget

PrivateSetting_Enabled=true

PrivateSetting_SidebarDockedState=Docked

PrivateSetting_GadgetDropLocationX=257

PrivateSetting_GadgetDropLocationY=859

rssFeedPath=Internet%20Explorer%20Team%20Blog

rssFeedUrl=http:%2F%2Fgo.microsoft.com%2Ffwlink%2F%3FLinkId=58643

PrivateSetting_GadgetTopmost=false

[Section 3]

PrivateSetting_GadgetName=C:%5CProgram%20Files%5CWindows%20Sidebar%5CGad

gets%5CRSS.Gadget

PrivateSetting_Enabled=true

PrivateSetting_SidebarDockedState=Docked

PrivateSetting_GadgetDropLocationX=1433

PrivateSetting_GadgetDropLocationY=420

rssFeedPath=Internet%20Explorer%20Team%20Blog

rssFeedUrl=http:%2F%2Fgo.microsoft.com%2Ffwlink%2F%3FLinkId=58643

PrivateSetting_GadgetTopmost=false

Let’s examine a few of these settings. The SidebarShowState option is set to Imploded

in the code example. This means that the Sidebar will be displayed normally, and not

in front of other windows. SidebarDockSide is set to 2, which is the right side of the

screen. If you change this number to 1, the Windows Sidebar will display on the left.

In addition to the options you see here, there are a few other undocumented options.

For example, if you’d like a certain gadget to never appear in the Add Gadgets windows,

you could simply find the gadget in C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets

and delete it, but what if you wanted it to be available to other users? In this case, you

could simply add a line like the following to your user’s version of settings.ini:

PickerDefaultPackageSkipList=SlideShow.Gadget,worldClock.Gadget

This particular code would only make the Clock gadget unavailable. Obviously, there

are many more settings possibilities. It’s also likely that an enterprising software

developer will come up with a TweakUI-style application that will provide the same

functionality.

How to check whether you can run 64-bit Windows Vista.

Posted: August 19, 2009 in System Information, Vista
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Windows Vista comes in 32-bit and 64-bit editions depending on which CPU type you have. The 64-bit version will only work on 64-bit processors, however the 32-bit version can run on all types.

Some users will have a processor capable of running the 64-bit version of Vista but have the 32-bit version installed by default. This won’t cause any problems, but it does mean you may miss out on some advantages (such as being able to utilise large amounts of memory). If you are in this situation, you can check to see if your computer can handle the 64-bit version of Windows Vista using the following steps.

First, open the Control Panel by clicking on the Start Menu > Control Panel

Then click System and Maintenance

Then select Performance Information and Tools

This will display your computers performance index rating, allowing you to View and Print details

In the System information section, you will notice a “64-Bit Capable” box. If this says Yes (like below), then you can run the 64-bit edition of Vista

Speed Up Internet Explorer in Vista

Posted: August 19, 2009 in Vista
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It may be possible to speed up the browsing performance of Internet Explorer with some careful tweaking (assuming you already have a reasonably high speed connection, i.e over 512kbps).

Normally Internet Explorer makes use of a maximum of 2 connections to a server when downloading a webpage. For example, this page is made up of a single HTML file, several images and other scripts. All of them are needed to render the page, so Internet Explorer uses 2 connections to download them as quick as possible.

Two connections are used as this is a defined in the HTTP standards, however increasing this limit may speed up some pages made from many elements. This does involve modifying the registry, so should only be attempted if you are confident in doing so (and have appropriate backups).

To start, load the Registry Editor by starting “regedit” from the run box (press WINDOWS KEY + R to load this)

Then browse to the following folder:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings]

In the right panel there are two entries called MaxConnectionsPerServer and MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server that store the maximum connection values. Double clicking each of them and selecting a decimal value will create a new connection limit. 8 Connections is a sensible limit to see how the performance changes

Once you have restarted your computer, the new connection limit will be in place. To revert the changes, simply change the connection limit back to 2.

How to Disable Data Execution Prevention

Posted: August 19, 2009 in System Information, Vista
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Data Execution Prevention is a relatively new technology in Windows that performs some additional memory checks to help prevent malicious code from being executed on a PC.

This is generally excellent news for PC users, as it can prevent many viruses and malware from being run (even if a virus scanner misses them). However, it can also prevent legitimate applications from running if they execute code in a forbidden way.

Unless you have a specific problem with DEP, it wouldn’t be recommended to disable this useful feature.

To disable DEP completely, launch the command prompt in administrator mode by typing CMD into the start menu and pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER:

Once the command prompt has loaded, type the following command and then press Enter:

bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff

You can then close the command prompt window, and DEP will be disabled. Should you wish to re-enable Data Execution Prevention follow the same method but run the following command:

bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx OptIn

What is the keyboard shortcut key to display the 3D?

Posted: August 19, 2009 in Vista
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Windows Vista has two modes to switch from one application to another: the classic mode (which displays a miniature view of the application rather than its icon), and a mode called “Flip 3D” tilt windows applications by a movement of rotation in 3 dimensions.

To activate Flip 3D, use: The key combination [Windows] + [Tab] (in this instant you exit the Flip 3D mode when you release the Windows key). Or the [Ctrl] + [Windows] + [Tab] (in this mode to the PC remains in Flip 3D mode after releasing the [Windows] until you select a window).

Tip one: once the Flip 3D mode activated, press [Down Arrow] or [Right Arrow] to scroll through the applications forward. [Up Arrow] or [Left Arrow] to scroll through the applications to the back. You can also use the mouse wheel to scroll through windows. Remember that the switch uses classical him, the key combination [Alt] + [Tab]. Note: Some old keyboards do not have the [Windows] button.

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