With Data Recovery Wizard Professional files can be recovered from a reformatted or corrupted volume. This is even possible when the volume has been deleted and its original position and size are unknown. Data Recovery Wizard Professional can scan an entire physical hard drive to look for traces of defunct volumes.

EaseUs Data Recovery Wizard Professional can recover data from:

Here are some key features of “EaseUs Data Recovery Wizard Professional”:

Download LInk:
EASEUS Data Recovery

Windows 7 chứa một loạt phím shortcut mới để người sử dụng nhanh chóng chuyển đổi giữa các ứng dụng, di chuyển cửa sổ trong khuôn khổ màn hình, phóng to, thu nhỏ kích thước…

Phím tắt quản lý Windows
Win + Home  Thu nhỏ tất cả cửa sổ, trừ cửa sổ đang sử dụng.
Win + Space  Biến các cửa sổ trở nên trong suốt để có thể thấy desktop.
Win + Mũi tên lên  Phóng to cửa sổ.Shift + Win +
Mũi tên lên  Chỉnh tối đa kích thước cửa sổ theo chiều dọc.
Win + Mũi tên xuống  Thu nhỏ cửa sổ.
Win + Mũi tên phải/trái  Chuyển cửa sổ về nửa bên phải hoặc trái màn hình.
Shift + Win + Mũi tên phải/trái  Chuyển sang màn hình phải/trái.
Kéo cửa sổ lên trên cùng  Phóng to cửa sổ.
Kéo cửa sổ sang trái/phải  Chỉnh cửa sổ có kích cỡ bằng nửa màn hình.
Lắc cửa sổ  Thu nhỏ các cửa sổ trừ cửa sổ đang sử dụng.
Click đúp viền trên cửa sổ  Phóng to cửa sổ theo chiều dọc.

Phím tắt Taskbar
Win + số (1-9)  Mở ứng dụng nằm theo thứ tự trong taskbar hoặc chuyển sang ứng dụng đó.
Ctrl + Win + số (1-9)  Duyệt qua các cửa sổ đang mở của ứng dụng nằm trong taskbar (theo thứ tự).
Alt + Win + số (1-9)  Mở Jump List của ứng dụng trong taskbar (theo thứ tự)
Win + T  Duyệt các item trong taskbar.
Win + B  Chuyển đến các icon System Tray
Shift + bấm chuột phải vào một phím taskbar  Hiển thị menu của chương trình.

Một số phím tắt khác :
Ctrl + Shift + N  Tạp một Folder mới trong Windows Explorer.
Alt + Mũi tên lên  Di chuyển lên một thư mục.
Alt + P  Mở/ẩn bảng duyệt trước (preview) trong Windows Explorer.
Win + P  Điều chỉnh chế độ máy chiếu.
Win + dấu +/-  Phóng to, thu nhỏ.
Win + G  Duyệt các Windows Gadgets trên màn hình.
Win + L  Khóa máy.
Win + Tab  Chuyển giao diện desktop thành 3D.

Theo Vnexpress/LifeHack

I have always hated that i need to go to View>Explorer Bar>Folders every time I need to get the folder view on the left, or even right-click>Explore. I want it there all the time. This little trick I learned from a colleague really helped me out.

First open My Computer
GoTo View>Explorer Bar>Folders
Here’s the trick to make it stick:
Now, goto Tools>Folder Options>File Types
Find the entry that is a folder icon with (none) next to it.
Click it, goto Advanced.
Click Explore
Then click Set Default

Voila! Now, every time you open an explorer window, the folder view will be on the left.

Commands:

1. Accessibility Controls – access.cpl
2. Accessibility Wizard – accwiz
3. Add Hardware Wizard – hdwwiz.cpl
4. Add/Remove Programs – appwiz.cpl
5. Administrative Tools – control admintools
6. Automatic Updates – wuaucpl.cpl
7. Bluetooth Transfer Wizard – fsquirt
8. Calculator – calc
9. Certificate Manager – certmgr.msc
10. Character Map – charmap
11. Check Disk Utility – chkdsk
12. Clipboard Viewer – clipbrd
13. Command Prompt – cmd
14. Component Services – dcomcnfg
15. Computer Management – compmgmt.msc
16. Control Panel – control
17. Date and Time Properties – timedate.cpl
18. DDE Shares – ddeshare
19. Device Manager – devmgmt.msc
20. Direct X Troubleshooter – dxdiag
21. Disk Cleanup Utility – cleanmgr
22. Disk Defragment – dfrg.msc
23. Disk Management – diskmgmt.msc
24. Disk Partition Manager – diskpart
25. Display Properties – control desktop
26. Display Properties – desk.cpl
27. Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility – drwtsn32
28. Driver Verifier Utility – verifier
29. Event Viewer – eventvwr.msc
30. Files and Settings Transfer Tool – migwiz
31. File Signature Verification Tool – sigverif
32. Findfast – findfast.cpl
33. Firefox – firefox
34. Folders Properties – control folders
35. Fonts – control fonts
36. Fonts Folder – fonts
37. Free Cell Card Game – freecell
38. Game Controllers – joy.cpl
39. Group Policy Editor (for xp professional) – gpedit.msc
40. Hearts Card Game – mshearts
41. Help and Support – helpctr
42. HyperTerminal – hypertrm
43. Iexpress Wizard – iexpress
44. Indexing Service – ciadv.msc
45. Internet Connection Wizard – icwconn1
46. Internet Explorer – iexplore
47. Internet Properties – inetcpl.cpl
48. Keyboard Properties – control keyboard
49. Local Security Settings – secpol.msc
50. Local Users and Groups – lusrmgr.msc
51. Logs You Out Of Windows – logoff
52. Malicious Software Removal Tool – mrt
53. Microsoft Chat – winchat
54. Microsoft Movie Maker – moviemk
55. Microsoft Paint – mspaint
56. Microsoft Syncronization Tool – mobsync
57. Minesweeper Game – winmine
58. Mouse Properties – control mouse
59. Mouse Properties – main.cpl
60. Netmeeting – conf
61. Network Connections – control netconnections
62. Network Connections – ncpa.cpl
63. Network Setup Wizard – netsetup.cpl
64. Notepad – notepad
65. Object Packager – packager
66. ODBC Data Source Administrator – odbccp32.cpl
67. On Screen Keyboard – osk
68. Outlook Express – msimn
69. Paint – pbrush
70. Password Properties – password.cpl
71. Performance Monitor – perfmon.msc
72. Performance Monitor – perfmon
73. Phone and Modem Options – telephon.cpl
74. Phone Dialer – dialer
75. Pinball Game – pinball
76. Power Configuration – powercfg.cpl
77. Printers and Faxes – control printers
78. Printers Folder – printers
79. Regional Settings – intl.cpl
80. Registry Editor – regedit
81. Registry Editor – regedit32
82. Remote Access Phonebook – rasphone
83. Remote Desktop – mstsc
84. Removable Storage – ntmsmgr.msc
85. Removable Storage Operator Requests – ntmsoprq.msc
86. Resultant Set of Policy (for xp professional) – rsop.msc
87. Scanners and Cameras – sticpl.cpl
88. Scheduled Tasks – control schedtasks
89. Security Center – wscui.cpl
90. Services – services.msc
91. Shared Folders – fsmgmt.msc
92. Shuts Down Windows – shutdown
93. Sounds and Audio – mmsys.cpl
94. Spider Solitare Card Game – spider
95. SQL Client Configuration – cliconfg
96. System Configuration Editor – sysedit
97. System Configuration Utility – msconfig
98. System Information – msinfo32
99. System Properties – sysdm.cpl
100. Task Manager – taskmgr
101. TCP Tester – tcptest
102. Telnet Client – telnet
103. User Account Management – nusrmgr.cpl
104. Utility Manager – utilman
105. Windows Address Book – wab
106. Windows Address Book Import Utility – wabmig
107. Windows Explorer – explorer
108. Windows Firewall – firewall.cpl
109. Windows Magnifier – magnify
110. Windows Management Infrastructure – wmimgmt.msc
111. Windows Media Player – wmplayer
112. Windows Messenger – msmsgs
113. Windows System Security Tool – syskey
114. Windows Update Launches – wupdmgr
115. Windows Version – winver
116. Wordpad – write

I’m sure you are familiar with the traditional way to kill or end a process in Windows using Task Manager. This method is effective but not nearly as fun as killing a process in Command Prompt. Additionally, killing processes in Command Prompt provides much more control and the ability to end multiple processes at once.

All of this is possible with the TaskKill command. First, let’s cover the basics. You can kill a process by the process ID (PID) or by image name (EXE filename).

Open up an Administrative level Command Prompt and run tasklist to see all of the running processes:

C:\>tasklist

Image Name PID Session Name Mem Usage
=========== ============== ========
firefox.exe 26356 Console 139,352 K
regedit.exe 24244 Console 9,768 K
cmd.exe 18664 Console 2,380 K
conhost.exe 2528 Console 7,852 K
notepad.exe 17364 Console 7,892 K
notepad.exe 24696 Console 22,028 K
notepad.exe 25304 Console 5,852 K
explorer.exe 2864 Console 72,232 K
In the example above you can see the image name and the PID for each process. If you want to kill the firefox process run:

C:\>Taskkill /IM firefox.exe /F

or
C:\>Taskkill /PID 26356 /F

The /f flag is kills the process forcefully. Failure to use the /F flag will result in nothing happening in some cases. One example is whenever I want to kill the explorer.exe process I have to use the /F flag or else the process just does not terminate.

If you have multiple instances of an image open such as multiple firefox.exe processes, running the taskkill /IM firefox.exe command will kill all instances. When you specify the PID only the specific instane of firefox will be terminated.

The real power of taskkill are the filtering options that allow you to use the following variables and operators.

Variables:

*STATUS
* IMAGENAME
* PID
* SESSION
* CPUTIME
* MEMUSAGE
* USERNAME
* MODULES
* SERVICES
* WINDOWTITLE

Operators:

* eq (equals)
* ne (not equal)
* gt (greater than)
* lt (less than)
* ge (greater than or equal)
* le (less than or equal)

“*” is the wildcard.

You can use the variables and operators with the /FI filtering flag. For example, let’s say you want to end all processes that have a window title that starts with “Internet“:
C:\>taskkill /FI “WINDOWTITLE eq Internet*” /F

To learn more about taskkill run it with the /? command just like any other Windows command.

The sample page I created previously, somehow I can’t find it anymore. So let’s try this again.

All right. I was able to publish this post. But how do I categorize it, or tag it. What is the difference between a tag and a category? Are they the same thing like synonyms? Or do they represent some kind of hierarchy, like a tag is a subcategory of a category?

OK, I was able to see where the category is and where the tags are when the page is published. The category is somewhat higher than tag. Tags are like labels like the labels in gmail. The categories are more like the folders in windows explorer.

What I can’t understand though is why this page is published under About? What is about? is it some category or tag or some other classification? So many classifications. I don’t understand. This is getting harder to use. Maybe I can see something in the dashboard related to the mysterious About.

I’m sure you are familiar with the traditional way to kill or end a process in Windows using Task Manager. This method is effective but not nearly as fun as killing a process in Command Prompt. Additionally, killing processes in Command Prompt provides much more control and the ability to end multiple processes at once.

All of this is possible with the TaskKill command. First, let’s cover the basics. You can kill a process by the process ID (PID) or by image name (EXE filename).

Open up an Administrative level Command Prompt and run tasklist to see all of the running processes:

C:\>tasklist

Image Name PID Session Name Mem Usage
=========== ============== ========
firefox.exe 26356 Console 139,352 K
regedit.exe 24244 Console 9,768 K
cmd.exe 18664 Console 2,380 K
conhost.exe 2528 Console 7,852 K
notepad.exe 17364 Console 7,892 K
notepad.exe 24696 Console 22,028 K
notepad.exe 25304 Console 5,852 K
explorer.exe 2864 Console 72,232 K
In the example above you can see the image name and the PID for each process. If you want to kill the firefox process run:

C:\>Taskkill /IM firefox.exe /F

or
C:\>Taskkill /PID 26356 /F

The /f flag is kills the process forcefully. Failure to use the /F flag will result in nothing happening in some cases. One example is whenever I want to kill the explorer.exe process I have to use the /F flag or else the process just does not terminate.

If you have multiple instances of an image open such as multiple firefox.exe processes, running the taskkill /IM firefox.exe command will kill all instances. When you specify the PID only the specific instane of firefox will be terminated.

The real power of taskkill are the filtering options that allow you to use the following variables and operators.

Variables:

*STATUS
* IMAGENAME
* PID
* SESSION
* CPUTIME
* MEMUSAGE
* USERNAME
* MODULES
* SERVICES
* WINDOWTITLE

Operators:

* eq (equals)
* ne (not equal)
* gt (greater than)
* lt (less than)
* ge (greater than or equal)
* le (less than or equal)

“*” is the wildcard.

You can use the variables and operators with the /FI filtering flag. For example, let’s say you want to end all processes that have a window title that starts with “Internet“:
C:\>taskkill /FI “WINDOWTITLE eq Internet*” /F

To learn more about taskkill run it with the /? command just like any other Windows command.

General keyboard shortcuts

• CTRL+C (Copy)
• CTRL+X (Cut)
• CTRL+V (Paste)
• CTRL+Z (Undo)
• DELETE (Delete)
• SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
• CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
• CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
• F2 key (Rename the selected item)
• CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
• CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
• CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
• CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
• CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
• SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
• CTRL+A (Select all)
• F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
• ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
• ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
• ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
• CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
• ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
• ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
• F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
• F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
• SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
• CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
• ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
• Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
• F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
• RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
• LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
• F5 key (Update the active window)
• BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
• ESC (Cancel the current task)
• SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
• CTRL+SHIFT+ESC (Open Task Manager)

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

If you press SHIFT+F8 in extended selection list boxes, you enable extended selection mode. In this mode, you can use an arrow key to move a cursor without changing the selection. You can press CTRL+SPACEBAR or SHIFT+SPACEBAR to adjust the selection. To cancel extended selection mode, press SHIFT+F8 again. Extended selection mode cancels itself when you move the focus to another control.

• CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
• CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
• TAB (Move forward through the options)
• SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
• ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
• ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
• SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
• Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
• F1 key (Display Help)
• F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
• BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)

Microsoft natural keyboard shortcuts

• Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
• Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
• Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
• Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
• Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
• Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
• Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
• CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
• Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
• Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
• Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
• Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

Accessibility keyboard shortcuts

• Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
• Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
• SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
• NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
• Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)

Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

• END (Display the bottom of the active window)
• HOME (Display the top of the active window)
• NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
• NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
• NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
• LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
• RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)

Shortcut keys for Character Map

After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:

• RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
• LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
• UP ARROW (Move up one row)
• DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
• PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
• PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
• HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
• END (Move to the end of the line)
• CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
• CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
• SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) main window keyboard shortcuts

• CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
• CTRL+N (Open a new console)
• CTRL+S (Save the open console)
• CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
• CTRL+W (Open a new window)
• F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
• ALT+F4 (Close the console)
• ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
• ALT+V (Display the View menu)
• ALT+F (Display the File menu)
• ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)

MMC console window keyboard shortcuts

• CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
• ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
• SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
• F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
• F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
• CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
• CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
• ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
• F2 key (Rename the selected item)
• CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)

Remote desktop connection navigation

• CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
• ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
• ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
• ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
• ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
• CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
• ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
• CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
• CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

Microsoft Internet Explorer navigation

• CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
• CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
• CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
• CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
• CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
• CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
• CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
• CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
• CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
• CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
• CTRL+W (Close the current window)

Hoje publico um post diferente, já que pela primeira vez irei disponibilizar uma vídeo aula no meu blog, essa vídeo aula surgiu de uma dificuldade que encontrava ao utilizar sistema operacional Windows no meu equipamento, pois algumas vezes por motivos diversos tenho a necessidade de executar algumas ações com fotografias no formato “RAW” utilizando o gerenciador de arquivos Windows Explorer, muitas vezes somente para efetuar uma tarefa simples como mover um arquivo ou copiar, mas ocorre que estamos falando de negativos digitais “RAW” e o Windows Explorer não traz nativamente um interpretador desse formato e sempre é exibido um ícone padrão o que nos obriga gastar mais tempo abrindo um outro software que interprete esse formato seja o Adobe Câmera RAW ou Lightroom, enfim ter disponível preview ou thumbnail dos nossos arquivos “RAW” na janela do Windows Explorer pode ser útil para facilitar algumas tarefas nesse gerenciador de arquivos.

Espero que o vídeo possa ajudar outros que desejam ter essa facilidade e que essa informação possa agregar valor ao fluxo de trabalho dos fotógrafos digitais que utilizam sistema operacional Microsoft.

Obs:  No vídeo foi utilizado sistema operacional Windows 7 32bits, mas os passos podem ser executados com segurança e êxito no Windows XP 32bits e Windows Vista 32bits também.

Links utilizados no vídeo:

Adobe Labs

Microsoft Professional Photography

Abraços!

Evandro Salgado Fotografia

www.evandrosalgado.com

Copyright Luz mais Sombra Fotografia. Todos os direitos reservados. É proibida a reprodução do conteúdo desta página em qualquer meio de comunicação, eletrônico ou impresso, sem autorização escrita da Luz mais Sombra Fotografia.

I’ve been using DropBox for some time now and I use it in some ways that I think are quite innovative and will be the subject of future blog posts.  However in the last few days I’ve been having a few problems with Windows Explorer taking forever (well over a minute or two at times) to respond and it responds very sluggishly.  I’ve managed to track the problem down to DropBox misbehaving.

I’m running version 0.6.507.0 as I have been for some time, but something somewhere has started causing these little fits.  The solution is simple.  Bring up task manager, find the dropbox.exe process and kill it.  Then navigate to the start up programs on the Windows start menu and start Dropbox.

Actually whilst that’s simple it all seemed a bit too much of a hassle for lazy me so I wrote a little script to do it.

Option Explicit
Const DROPBOX_FOLDER = "C:\Program Files\Dropbox\"
Const DROPBOX_EXE = "Dropbox.exe"

KillProcess(DROPBOX_EXE)
StartApplication(DROPBOX_FOLDER & DROPBOX_EXE)

Sub KillProcess(p_strProcess)
 Dim objService, objProcess
 Dim colProcesses
 Dim strProcessKill

 Set objService = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\.\root\cimv2")

 Set colProcesses = objService.ExecQuery("Select * from Win32_Process Where Name = '" & p_strProcess & "'")
 For Each objProcess in colProcesses
 objProcess.Terminate()
 Next
End Sub

Sub StartApplication(p_strAppPath)
 Dim objShell
 Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
 objShell.Run("""" & p_strAppPath & """")
End Sub

Pop a shortcut to the script on your desktop and you should be able to access it quick enough – or even quicker if you set a shortcut key combination on it.

The script uses a couple of fairly standard little routines.  One kills the process and the other starts the application.  If you happen to have DropBox installed in an unusual location (mine is in the default), then just amend the first constant.

You may see two icons

NB: You’ll probably notice that after the script ruins you’ll have two DropBox icons in your system tray.  If you move your mouse pointer over the two icons the one for the now terminated process will disappear.

I have seen a lot of Explorer’s clones these years and something I would really like is to undertake the task of creating one packed with all the nice features Microsoft have added to Windows Explorer in Vista and the upcoming Windows 7, for use in older systems. Most of these clones only mimic the XP explorer features and since enhancement in user interface is one of the mayor reasons to upgrade I think it won’t be a waste of time to try this.

Why when I place disc in drive nothing happens?

• Manually Start Disc

1.  Double click “My Computer”
2.  You will see your drives listed in the window that comes up.
3.  Locate the CD/DVD-ROM drive that contains the CD/DVD you are attempting to install.
4.  Right-click on the CD/DVD-ROM drives, and choose “open”.  This should start the auto-run process.

If you do not get an auto-run screen after opening the CD in this manner and your game came with multiple CD’s, you may want to repeat the steps above with another disk

In addition, if your computer has multiple CD/DVD-ROM drives you might try repeating the steps above with the other drive.

My CD/DVD is in the drive but installation still asks to put disc in drive, why?

• Troubleshooting DVD/CD

Sometimes installations will ask for a previous or next CD/DVD.  Be sure that the CD/DVD you have inserted into the drive is indeed the CD/DVD that the installation is asking for.  If it is, you may need to wait up to a minute before pressing “ok” to continue installation.

Sometimes the computer needs a minute to register that the appropriate CD/DVD is in the drive.  If the disk still cannot be found try minimizing the installation and checking through ‘My Computer’ to see if the disk was recognized.

To do this:

1.  Minimize the install by clicking the minimize icon.  You can also minimize by right clicking the installations entry on the task bar and selecting the option to minimize.
2.  Click “Start” then click “My Computer”.
3.  Locate your CD/DVD-ROM drive.
4.  Double click the drive letter corresponding to your drive.  If Windows allows you to do this it means that the OS did detect your CD/DVD-ROM.  Maximize your install and click ok to proceed with the install.

Why does my game locks up and the game audio repeats over and over?

Repeating sounds with a game often are indicative of an issue with your sound card driver or possibly a background task that is using a resource the game may need.  To address this issue, please try the following:

You may need to adjust the acceleration for your sound card.

• Adjust the Sound Card Hardware Acceleration

1.  Left-click “start”
2.  Left-click “run”.
3.  Type DXDIAG in the box that appears
4.  Click “Ok
The next panel that should appear is the Directx Diagnostic Tool.
5.  Left-click the “sound” tab
In the center of this screen, you will see an acceleration level.  By default, this level is set to “full”.  Left-click and hold down the slider bar and move it until the setting above says “basic”.
6.  Click on the “exit” button.

Once you have done this your sound  acceleration will be “basic”.

• Update your sound card’s driver.

To update the driver for your sound card, first determine what type of sound card you have. This information can be found in the Directx Diagnostic Tool panel.  To run the Directx diagnostic tool and determine which type of sound card you have, follow the steps below:

1.  Click the “start” button on your Windows system tray.
2.  Click the “run” option.
3.  Type DXDIAG in the box that appears
4.  Click “ok”.
The Directx Diagnostic tool will appear on your screen.
5.  Left-click the “sound” tab.

On this tab you will see an area labeled “Device” in the top left-hand corner of the panel.  Your video card type is listed in this section under “name”.  Also, on the right, will be the driver version number – make a note of this. Each sound card manufacturer has a different website, and a quick web search for name of your sound card should direct you to their site.

Once there, look for a “download driver” section, and follow the steps on the web page for updating your sound driver. The company may list the latest driver version number – check this against the one you have to see if you actually need to download a new driver.

• Close background applications

For best results, you will need to end most programs on your computer before installing or running this program.

To do this, please follow the steps below:
- Hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys on your keyboard.
- Tap the Delete key one time.
The Windows Security window will appear.

Click Task Manager.  The Windows Task Manager will appear.

There are three tabs on this screen – Applications, Processes and Performance.  In the Applications screen, click on each of the entries and then click on End Task.  Once you have closed all entries and the list is empty, click on the Processes tab.

In the Processes screen, click on any entries that are not listed below and click on End Process.
NB: Do not click on End Process for any of the processes listed below.
System Idle Process
System
winlogon.exe
services.exe
svchost.exe
spoolsv.exe
csrss.exe
hidserv.exe
MSTask.exe
WinMgmt.exe
taskmgr.exe
IEXPLORE.EXE

Explorer.EXE

Once you have closed all your Applications and Processes as just described, your system is free of any background programs that may be causing problems with your game.

Why does my game crash after a random amount of time?

You may not have enough disc space to run the game or there are programs interfering with the game itself.

• Make sure you have enough disc space

If you do not know how much hard drive space you have, follow the steps below:

1.  Double-Click “My Computer”
2.  Right-Click on the drive on which you want to install the game.  (Usually C :\)
3.  Left-Click “Properties”.

You will see the properties panel for the drive you are viewing.  On this tab you can see the current hard drive space free and hard drive space used.  If the amount of hard drive space free is lower than the minimum required to the game, or within about 100MB, you may experience issues installing or running the game.  To make more hard drive space, you can follow the steps below:

1.  Double-Click “My Computer”
2.  Right-Click on the drive on which you want to install the game.  (Usually C :\)
3.  Left-Click “Properties”.

You will see the properties panel for the drive you are viewing.  Simply click the “Disk Cleanup” button.  This will take you to a panel that lists the files on the computer that are safe to delete.  From this panel you see the option to delete these files.

• See above for tips.

I get an error message when my game crashes, why?

• See above also for tips.

Depending on the error message you are receiving, there could be a number of things that might cause this issue.  If you are receiving a data transfer or disc read error then it’s probably the CD/DVD itself causing the issue. You could try cleaning it, using a different drive if you have more than one or installing on another machine. If you get an invalid page fault, you may want to end the other programs running at the same time as the installation.

My installation is taking a long time, why?

• Installation help

Some installs are quite large and may take a bit of time to install.  Before trying to troubleshoot this issue, be sure that you have given your computer some time to complete the install process.  Look for activity from your computer before taking action.  Look for the Hard drive CD/DVD-ROM drive lights flickering, listen to hear if the drives are busy and most importantly look at the install progress indicators to see if these are moving.

If the install is still slow or does not seem to be responding check the following:

• See above for tips.

What is DirectX?

DirectX is a utility made by Microsoft that allows your software, hardware, and computer to speak a “common language”.  DirectX is an update to your Operating System that allows the most efficient graphics and sounds to be utilized.  Like most software, programs for Windows DirectX must be installed to your computer.

If you experience issues installing DirectX to your computer, try the following:

The two most common causes for the installation hanging when DirectX tries to initialize itself is lack of hard disk space and problems with your video and sound card drivers.  While DirectX itself doesn’t take up that much hard disk space, you must compensate for the fact that Windows is using some hard disk space for virtual memory (a swap file).

Get information from Microsoft on DirectX. http://www.microsoft.com/directx

I get the Splash Screen then an error message, any reason why?

Sometimes while running a game, other processes or applications that are running can interfere with the game and causes it to crash or to receive an error message. Check above for tips. If this fails to resolve the issue, take a look at the “Details” of the error message.  Often there will be reference to a file that is causing the issue.  Sometimes it can be linked to another program on the system that need not be installed or running at the time of playing the game. A search for this file will give you an idea of what it is. You can then disable or uninstall this program if possible.

Do I have enough Hard Drive space?

• If you do not know how much hard drive space you have, follow the steps below:

1.  Double-Click “My Computer”
2.  Right-Click on the drive on which you want to install the game.  (Usually C :\)
3.  Left-Click “Properties”.

You will see the properties panel for the drive you are viewing.  On this tab you can see the current hard drive space free and hard drive space used.  If the amount of hard drive space free is lower than the minimum required to the game, or within about 100MB, you may experience issues installing or running the game.  To make more hard drive space, you can follow the steps below:

1.  Double-Click “My Computer”
2.  Right-Click on the drive on which you want to install the game.  (Usually C :\)
3.  Left-Click “Properties”.

You will see the properties panel for the drive you are viewing.  Simply click the “Disk Cleanup” button.  This will take you to a panel that lists the files on the computer that are safe to delete.  From this panel you see the option to delete these files.

Can I configure my monitor settings?

• Yes you can and here’s how…

To configure your monitor properly for the game:

Check the Display control panel and make sure your monitor type is not set to VGA 640×480 256 colour. If it is, try changing it to support the specific model of your monitor, or try using SVGA 800×600 (16-bit colour).

If this fails to help you, try updating the driver for your video card by checking out the manufacturer’s website.

Can I update my Video Driver?

• Yes you can and here’s how…

1.  Click the “start” button on your Windows system tray.
2.  Click the “run” option.
3.  Type DXDIAG in the box that appears
4.  Click “ok”.
The DirectX Diagnostic tool will appear on your screen.
5.  Left-click the “display” tab.

On this tab you will see an area labeled “Device” in the top left-hand corner of the panel.  Your video card type is listed in this section under “name”.  Also, on the right, will be the driver version number – make a note of this. Each video card manufacturer has a different website, and a quick web search for name of your video card should direct you to their site.
Once there, look for a “download driver” section, and follow the steps on the web page for updating your video driver. The company may list the latest driver version number – check this against the one you have to see if you actually need to download a new driver.

What type of Video Card do I have?

To find out what type of video card you have installed in your computer follow these directions:
1.  Click “Start”.
2.  Click “Run”.
3.  Type “Dxdiag” in the box and click “Ok”.
When the DirectX Diagnostic Tool panel appears, click the “Display” tab on the top.  Then locate the “Driver Name” which is usually the second line down on the left side.  The “Driver Name” is usually the manufacturer name.  For example, if your driver name is “NVIDIA Geforce 4”, then you have an NVIDIA card.

To update your video card driver, simply go to the website of the company that makes your card and look for an “Update Driver” section.

Warranty?

If you have determined that your CD has been damaged, you can return your CD for a sealed copy.  To replace your software you will need a sales receipt dated within the 90-day warranty period. Electronic Arts warrants its software to the original purchaser that Electronic Arts’ software is free from defects for a period of 90-days as stated in the manual. If the disk has been misused, or the 90-day warranty has passed, then a fee will be assessed to replace the software.

FEES:
PC products:
£7.50 per CD
All console game discs:
£10 per disc
All manuals:
£3.00 per manual
(details subject to change without notice)
ADDRESS
EA Customer Warranty
P. O. Box 181
Chertsey
KT16 0YL
United Kingdom
Please send the disk, a brief note describing the defect and a sales receipt dated within the 90-day warranty. If a fee is applicable, please include a check or money order payable to ELECTRONIC ARTS for the corresponding amount to replace the disk.

Hope that this Q&A has helped some. I know how frustrating it can be to anxiously want to play a game just to have to get out the bugs, errors, glitches first.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Sims 3 Excitement
• Facts About The Sims 3
• The Sims 2 & 3 Cheats
• The Sims 3 Personality Traits & Their Descriptions
• The Sims 3 Features
• The Sims 3 Issues, Glitches, Patches, Mods
• List of The Sims 3 Glitches
• The Sims 3: A Note From EA & Possible Tips About Issues with the Game
• Facts About The Sims 3 [Game-Play et cetera et cetera]
• The Sims 3 Free Item Downloads
• What’s Going on With TheSim3.com?
• Need a Patch for the Sims 3? Go Here
• Official The Sims 3 Cheat Codes
• The Sims 3: Readme

I hate Windows Explorer and I hate Mac OS X Finder, but what I hate even more is when applications try to replace them by moving all the files into a new, more app-friendly structure. Plenty of examples on the Mac-side, I am, not sadly, no longer an expert on Windows software.

The problem with the Finder / Explorer is that, while they are perfectly suitable for storing and organising files, they are painfully lacking in presenting files in a way that a human or group of humans can understand. The problem / opportunity is also that Explorer/Finder is the standard in as far that every organisation uses it to organise their files. Replacing it by a information system that uses its own proprietary structure to organise files, people, and activities just adds to the learning curve, particularly if, as most experience shows, the software ends up not being that great and the company has to switch.

So, what I’m looking for is the following. An application that:

• works on Macs and PCs (The first is not an absolute prerequisite, it’s only because I work on a Mac)
• Better: is either web- or LAN-based (solves the cross-platform problem)
• acts as a front-end for the explorer, without actually changing the locations of files (except if a user wants it)
• allows users to:
  • sort files into “playlists,” again without changing the location of the files;
  • give long descriptions to files, not just available in a hidden “info” section;
  • assign files and tasks to groups and group-members;
  • assign due dates / sync with calendars;
  • etc. etc., you get the idea.
• Can certainly cost money, must be licensable on a company-basis, and must have a trial period of at least 3 months (it takes at least that long to deploy, adopt, and adapt it on an organisational level).

It’s such an obvious thing that such a software probably already exists. If you know of a good one, please let me know in the comments or per mail.

Vincent