Transform your Windows XP in to Windows 7 in just few minutes

Tweet

             The Microsoft Release Candidate is already out and free to download. But still if you are one of those XP lovers like me who can’t stop using XP then you can try the Windows 7 kind of look for your XP.

            Windows 7 theme for XP users today is found all in one Windows XP to Windows 7 transformation pack.By using which even a newbie can get the complete Windows 7 look without doing any extra work. It is as simple as installing a new software on your PC

Windows 7 trasformation pack

With Windows 7 remix you can make your XP look like Windows 7 in just few clicks. It supports Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Media Center Edition and some other flavors of XP.

Languages:

• Spanish
  
• English

Will work with only 32 bit edition of Windows.

How to reset Windows Admin password without old password

Tweet

              Here is a simple tutorial on resetting the admin account password of any Windows Operating System.  All you will require for this is one Ubuntu live CD.

1. Insert Ubuntu Live CD and boot from it.
   
2. Open terminal and install chntpw in Ubuntu. To do so use the following commands.
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install chntpw
   
3. Now mount your Windows volume. In my case it was dev/sda1. Replace it with yours.
   sudo mkdir /media/WINDOWS
   sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/WINDOWS
   
4. Now navigate to the Windows configuration folder.
   cd /media/WINDOWS/WINDOWS/system32/config/
   
5. To reset the administrator password enter,
   sudo chntpw SAM
   
6. After completing this command you will see 5 different choices. Select the 1st one and press Enter and done.
   

How to Change the Logon Screen on Windows 7

Tweet
             There are various methods to accomplish this, with and without third-party software. I understand many people might not want to rely on a third-party application, while others would appreciate a quicker, safer route. First up is the more hands-on approach, and then the utility.

Hands-on approach

This method will require you to modify the registry, and if that puts a knot in your stomach, you should move on to the next section.
Step 1: Open the Windows Start menu and enter regedit into the search bar.
Step 2: Right click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and select Find.
Step 3: Search for OEMBackground, which should be in Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background. If the key does not exist, add a new DWORD value with the name OEMBackground.
Step 4: Double click on the entry OEMBackground, and change the value from 0 to 1.
 
Step 5: Open Windows Explorer and go to the following path: %windir%\system32\oobe.
Step 6: Create a new folder named info, and open it.
Step 7: Create a new folder within info named backgrounds.
Step 8: Rename your desired wallpaper as backgroundDefault.jpg and place it inside the folder backgrounds (images must be less than 245KB in size).
 
That should do the trick, now just lock your PC, log off or reboot and enjoy.

Third-party software

                   If you are uncomfortable with manually tinkering with the registry -- or simply have better things to be doing with your time -- we understand. Various third-party applications can change Windows 7's default logon wallpaper, but our personal favorite is Tweak.com's Logon Changer.

The software is ridiculously easy to use, doesn't require installation, and it even has built-in tools to automatically resize and recompress your images while leaving the original file untouched. The Logon Changer also lets you quickly change your logon wallpaper back to the Windows 7 default.
 
Start by downloading the app here, and then unzip the executable. Run the program and it should present you with a preview of your logon screen along with a few self-explanatory options: "Change Logon Screen" lets you browse to a new image, "Test" will bring up your logon screen, "Revert to Default Logon Screen" reapplies Windows 7's original wallpaper.

How to Disable Taskbar Jump List in Windows 7

Tweet

                     Windows 7 provides you a new Taskbar with Jump List facility. As in the previous Windows versions Taskbar shows the current opened files and programs, in Windows 7 taskbar also shows a Jump list of recently opened files.

You may not always require this feature due to privacy issues. So I am here to tell you how you can Disable Taskbar Jump Lists.

The Steps are:
1. Right-click on the Taskbar. Select properties.
2. Click on the Start Menu tab and uncheck "Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar".

3. Click Ok and now the jump list will not be visible. The screen shot below shows that Internet Explorer no longer shows the browser historyafter disabling the Jump List.

Speed up your Computer

Tweet

The  Following few Steps and Tweaks make your Computer fly like a jet….

1. Apply Windows Updates

          If you run Windows and you use the Internet, you simply MUST stay up to date with the system patches that come out in response to the privacy and security exploits that are discovered every week. Failure to do so is an open invitation to hackers and crackers to invade your privacy and enslave your computer in a spam spewing network. To get the latest fixes and configure your system for automatic updates, open Internet Explorer, click on Tools, then Windows Update.

2. Remove Unnecessary Software

        You may have a bunch of software packages on your hard drive that are no longer needed, or they were gratuitously installed when you downloaded some other package. Toolbars, file-sharing programs, free email enhancers, online shopping "companions" and download managers are notorious for this practice. These uninvited guests can put a big drag on your startup time, cause web pages to load slowly, and generally bog down your computer. Go to Control Panel, then Add/Remove Software to see what packages are installed. Remove the ones you know you don't need, and do a web search to learn about the ones you're not sure about.

3. Scrub The Hard Disk

          Both Windows and application programs tend to leave temporary files lying around on your hard drive, taking up space needlessly. A hard drive that is close to being full can cause Windows to act strangely, and will slow down or interfere with efficient disk access and virtual memory operations. And if you surf the web a lot, your temporary internet files folder can become quite large, causing Internet Explorer to slow down or malfunction. Cleaning up unneeded files, scanning for disk errors and defragmenting the hard drive can help to restore some zip to your system. First, open My Computer, right-click on the C: Drive icon, select Properties, then click on Disk Cleanup. (Optional: Select the More Options tab to find and remove even more unwanted files.) To run a defrag, open My Computer, right-click on the C: Drive icon, select Properties, then Tools. Click the Check Now button to scan your disk for errors. When the scan is complete, click the Defragment Now button to run the defrag, which reorganizes your hard disk so Windows can find and access files more efficiently. (It's highly recommended that you close all running programs and disable your screen saver before running a defrag. Otherwise, updates to your files may trigger defrag to restart endlessly.)

4. Shrink  Your Startup Selections

          There are certain programs that Windows will start every time you boot up your system, and during the startup phase, they're all jockeying for a slice of your CPU. Extra or unwanted items in the startup list will defintely increase your startup time, perhaps by several minutes. To manage the list of startup programs, click on Start / Run, then type MSCONFIG. Press Enter, then select the Startup tab. If you see items in the list you know you don't need to run at startup time, UNcheck the box(es) next to them and press Apply. Some common examples are things related to AOL, RealPlayer, Napster, instant messengers, and video managers. If you're not sure about an item, no big deal. You can turn it off, restart your PC, and see if everything seems to work. If not, you can always go back and re-enable an item in the Startup list. This helpful list or this page may help you decide what to keep or drop.

5. Clean Your Registry

          The Windows Registry is a database that enables the operating system to track the relationships between hardware and software. Unfortunately, problems with the registry can make Windows run slower. Sometimes an "orphaned" registry entry can confuse Windows during startup and cause a delay. And in general, slimming down your registry will make Windows run faster. There are several utility programs that will clean your system registry of unnecessary and erroneous entries.

Read more about the Windows registry, and find some free programs you can use to correct registry problems in my article Do I Need a Registry Cleaner?

6. RAM and Virtual Memory Settings

          When you run out of physical (RAM) memory, Windows will use a check of your hard disk to create virtual memory. This is a nice feature, because it allows application programs to access huge amounts of memory. The only problem with virtual memory is that it's a lot slower than real RAM. So installing extra RAM on the system board is a good idea because it's pretty cheap and easy to pop in. Find out how much your system will accommodate and install the maximum amount. Extra RAM will probably do more to boost your overall system performance than anything else! But getting back to Virtual Memory, it's wise to let Windows manage the amount, unless you are a Wizard, with a capital W. Go to Control Panel / System / Advanced, then press the Settings button under Performance. Click Advanced again, then press the Change button under Virtual Memory. If System managed size is selected, you're all set. If you want to fiddle with the Custom Size options, be my guest!

7. Turn Off Extraneous System Services

          We're heading into uber-geek territory here, so be forewarned. Windows doesn't know exactly how you're going to use your computer, so it starts a whole bunch of system services that manage network connections, database access, error reporting, remote access and other nerdy-sounding things. You may not need all these services, and disabling some of them can reduce your startup time and system overhead. But choosing which ones to nuke is a bit daunting, unless you are an expert on Windows operating system internals. Here's my advice... look at these explanations and advice then disable only the ones that you're sure about. If you encounter a problem, you can always go back and turn a service back on.