Case A: Network printer issue.

Sometimes, you may want to use Windows Remote Desktop connection to access a computer in your home from outside. For example, you have a laptop and desktop connected to a router, that is connected to the internet. You may take your laptop to a trip and still be able to access your desktop, if you alter some settings.

Step 1: Make changes to local computer.

Right-click on My Computer (or simply Computer, if you are using Vista) icon and select Properties.  Click "Remote" tab (or Remote settings link if you use Vista). You will see the following window:

Make sure the second option is chosen. Click "Select users..." button.

All users that are in Administrators group by default can use Remote Desktop connection to access your computer. You may add your computer's administrator's account or create a new one using Control Panel-User accounts.

Make sure you add the user you create to Remote Desktop Users group as shown in the picture above.

Make sure your firewall or antivirus doesn't block remote deskop connections.

Step 2: Configure your router's firewall.

You can access your router's configuration via web browser normally. By default, its address can be http://192.168.1.1 . To know the exact one, find out the address of "default gateway" using ipconfig command (click Start, go to run, type cmd, then type ipconfig in console window that opens).

 For example, if I used a router, I would access it by going to http://192.168.150.1

Web interface for configuring a router may differ from model to model. We should look for Firewall settings, specifically, port forwarding.

This website contains sets of instructions for numerous routers and programs.

If you are having troubles navigating the site or know where port forwarding is enabled in your router conifuguration, you have to forward data to port 3389, on the IP of your home networked computer. Some routers provide easy to use interface, which allows you to choose from the computers and also from the vast list of applications (you should be looking for Remote Desktop, do not confuse with remote assistance).

Step 3. Gathering the necessary information.

In order to connect to computer that is in your home network, you will need an external IP address (the IP address of your router).  If you go to this site, your IP address will be printed in bold at the top of the page. You can also know your external IP from the router configuration page.

Of course, don't forget to write down user name and password of your administrator account (or the one you created specifically for using Remote Desktop).

Step 4. Using remote desktop connection from a remote computer.

 Click Start->Run->All programs->Accessories->System Tools->Remote desktop connection.

Enter your external IP address as the  computer name, click connect, then enter your username and password (the one you had to memorize in step3).

For some reason user may need to completly uninstall MSN Messenger from its computer, but found that isn't so easy as it should be.

Here is a detailed instructions how to delete MSN Messenger:

1. Go to "Start", "Control Panel".

2. Double click on  "Add or remove programs", then choose the option "Add/remove windows components" on the left side and check MSN Messenger to remove.

• Note, you may see two services that look similar. One is Windows Messenger and the other MSN. Windows messenger can also be removed if you are getting a lot of unwanted popup boxes with the words "Messenger Service" at the top.

If for any reason you cannot find MSN Messenger in the add or remove area of control panel, try the second method below for removal.

1. Go to "Start", "Run". type the following line (without quotes):

"RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove"

2. Press OK and restart your computer.

Initial Problem:

Instead of re-typing long, painful error messages whenever you need Ask Dr. Techs assistance, did you know you can simply use Ctrl+C to copy the text of the message to the clipboard?

Solution:

If you want to test this out for yourself, just open Windows Explorer and type an incorrect drive letter into the address bar, and you’ll get an error message immediately.

Just hit Ctrl+C whenever you get an error message prompt, and then you can paste it into notepad (or anywhere you’d like)

Personally I prefer to paste the error messages into a blank notepad window so I can select just a portion of it for any of my purposes. This is also a perfect way to copy your error messages when you are applying for support to our experts.

This tip should work in Windows Vista or XP or 2003.

Initial Problem:

Windows Vista has some great new security and functionality features, as well as cool eye candy, such as Aero transparency, Flip 3D, and other graphical tricks. But all this comes with overhead that may lead to a performance hit on anything less than a top-of-the-line supercomputer.

If you find Vista’s performance lagging, the good news is that you can make it run faster. Here are some of the steps you can take.

Solution:

#1: Add more RAM

There’s no denying it: Vista is a RAM-hungry operating system. Whereas XP usually runs great on 512MB, you really need a minimum of a gigabyte to run Vista acceptably. Two gigs is even better, and if you turn on all the graphical features and keep a lot of programs open, especially those that use a lot of memory, four gigs isn’t overkill.

Luckily, RAM is still relatively inexpensive — but it’s rumored to be on the rise, so get as much of it as you can, while you can. You won’t regret it.

#2: Use ReadyBoost

Can’t add physical RAM? Maybe you have a laptop that already has the maximum amount of memory installed. In that case, Vista provides you with a way to fool your computer into thinking it has more RAM than it does. You can use a flash memory card or USB key to boost the system memory; Vista can access the flash memory more quickly than data stored on the hard disk.

It’s best to use a high performance flash card or USB drive for ReadyBoost. When you insert it, Windows will ask if you want to use it to speed up system performance, and then you can allocate how much of the card’s/drive’s memory you want to use for that purpose. The rest can be used for storing data. For more info about ReadyBoost, see this Microsoft feature description.

#3: Get a good video card

If you have enough RAM, the most likely hardware culprit on a slow-moving Vista machine is the video card. You need a fairly high end card to run Aero at all, but some computer vendors are selling computers with graphics cards that run it badly. You can find out whether your video card is the bottleneck by checking your Windows Experience Index (WEI) score from the Performance Information and Tools applet in Control Panel.

The onboard video adapters in most systems aren’t powerful enough to run Vista properly. If you want to run Aero and be happy doing it, get a card that’s Vista Premium Certified. As with system RAM, the more video RAM the better, and if you want to play Vista games, be sure your card supports Direct X 10.

#4: Eliminate extra startup programs

You may find that you have a lot of programs loading automatically when you boot Windows, especially if you bought your Vista system from a hardware vendor who added lots of software. Some of these you may want, such as antivirus or anti-spyware programs, but many of them you probably don’t even use or use only occasionally and don’t want to run all the time. Yet they’re all loading into memory and consuming your system resources — and thus slowing down your computer as they run in the background.

Some programs can be prevented from starting automatically by removing them from the Startup folder. Others are configured in the registry to run at startup. Many can be managed through the Windows Defender Software Explorer, which you can access from the Manage Startup Programs link in the left pane of the Performance Information And Tools applet.

#5: Turn off visual enhancements

There are a lot of visual enhancements that make Vista look like Vista, such as the animations when minimizing and maximizing windows, fading or sliding menus, shadows under the menus and mouse pointer, and thumbnails of graphics files instead of dull icons. However, all this bling uses resources, and if performance is your priority, the operating system will run faster without them.

The Performance Options dialog box can be accessed through the Adjust Visual Effects link in the left pane of the Performance Information And Tools applet. On the Visual Effects tab, you can customize these settings individually, turning off the ones you don’t want, to help speed performance. Or you can disable all of the visual effects by clicking the Adjust For Best Performance option.

#6: Adjust indexing options

Vista has a much-improved search function, but it’s dependent on indexing the files and programs on your hard disk so they can be found quickly. When the indexing process is running, however, it can slightly slow down other programs you’re trying to run at the same time.

You can select the locations you want to index; fewer locations will result in less indexing and thus better overall performance. On the other hand, you’ll get better search performance by indexing all locations. You can’t turn the indexing feature off completely, but you can adjust locations indexed by selecting Adjust Indexing Options in the left pane of the Performance Information And Tools applet.

#7: Clean up and defrag the disk

Fragmented files or a lot of unneeded extra files on the disk can slow down performance. Vista provides a disk cleanup tool, which you can access from Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools. Specify a drive you want to clean up, and the tool will estimate the amount of space you can recover by running the cleanup process.

Defragmenting the disk rearranges data on it so that all the parts of a file are together; this allows Vista to access those files more quickly. The built-in disk defragmenter is also accessed from the System Tools menu. The defragmentation process itself can slow down your computer, so you may want to schedule it to run at a time when you aren’t using the computer. Third-party defrag utilities are also available.

#8: Adjust your power settings

If you don’t mind using more power, you can boost performance by setting your power settings to the High Performance option. Click the Power Options applet in Control Panel and select that choice. By default, this configuration is set to Balanced, which limits the CPU to 50% power during normal operation.

#9: Turn off the sidebar

The sidebar is a cool feature of Vista, but if you don’t use its applets, you can save some resources by disabling it. First, right-click it and select Properties. Next, deselect the check box to start the sidebar when Windows starts. Then, close the sidebar by right-clicking it and selecting Close.

#10: If all else fails, turn off Aero

This is a last-resort option for most Vista users; after all, Aero is what makes Vista look like Vista. But if you don’t care for all the eye candy and/or have a low powered machine, and you still want the functionality advantages of the new OS (search, security, Explorer enhancements, etc.), you can definitely speed things up by going back to the non-transparent look.

To do so, right-click the desktop and select Personalize, then click Windows Color And Appearance. Now, click Open Classic Appearance Properties For More Color Options. From the drop-down list box on the Appearance tab, select any theme except Aero (Windows Vista Basic, Windows Standard, or Windows Classic).

The Windows key or Windows logo key (in short WinKey, Start key, or rarely Flag key or Go To Key (Canada)) is a keyboard key originally introduced for the Windows 95 operating system. On keyboards lacking a Windows key, Ctrl+Esc can instead be pressed.

Within the standard Windows Shell, pressing and releasing the Windows key by itself opens the Start Menu (focusing the Quick Search box in Windows Vista and Windows 7).

Pressing the key in combination with other keys allows invoking many common functions through the keyboard. What Windows key combinations ("shortcuts") are available and active in a given Windows session depends on many factors, including accessibility options, the type of the session (regular or Terminal Services), the Windows version, the presence of specific software such as IntelliType, and others.

In Windows Vista, it is also a Hardware Start Button. It sends the same scan code as regular Windows key, but compliant hardware will turn on computer.

Shortcuts

Tapping the Windows key itself opens and closes the Start Menu.

• Windows + B to select the first icon in the Notification Area
• Windows + D to show the desktop
• Windows + E to open Explorer
• Windows + F to open Search
• Windows + Control + F to open Search for Computers (requires Active Directory Domain Services)
• Windows + F1 to open Help
• Windows + L to lock the desktop or switch users
• Windows + M to minimize all windows
• Windows + Shift + M to restore windows that were minimized with Windows + M
• Windows + R to open the Run dialog
• Windows + U to open Utility Manager(Ease of Access)
• Windows + Pause to open System Properties
• Windows + S to take a screenshot for OneNote, if this program is installed and running
• Windows + N to open a new side note in OneNote, if this program is installed and running
• Windows + Shift to open OneNote, if this program is installed and running

Introduced in Windows Vista

• Windows + G to select next sidebar gadget item
• Windows + Space to show sidebar
• Windows + X to enter Windows Mobility Center (does not work on desktop computers)
• Windows + Tab to switch windows using Flip 3D (requires desktop compositioning)
• Windows + 1 to 9 to start according Quick Launch Toolbar program
• Windows + Alt + Enter to start Windows Media Center

Introduced in Windows 7

• Windows + P to switch projection modes (clone, extend, single, multiple monitors, etc.)
• Windows + Up Arrow to maximize the active window
• Windows + Down Arrow to restore (default window size, not maximised nor in taskbar) the active window
• Windows + Left or Right Arrow to align the window to the respective side of the screen
• Windows + T to toggle between the tabs in the toolbar(also run with Vista)

A third-party program may be required to be able to use other shortcuts with the Windows Logo Key.

Initial Problem:

One of the most frustrating things about troubleshooting random blue screen errors is that the computer reboots before you have a chance to write down the error messages so you can google them later. I remember watching one of my friends trying to time it so he could snap a picture with his camera before it rebooted…

Instead of dealing with all that, we’ll just turn off the automatic reboot option and force the blue screen to stay there.

Solution:

Right-click on the Computer icon and choose Properties. Windows Vista users will be taken to the system properties screen, so click on Advanced system setting

The Advanced tab should already be selected, so you’ll want to click the Settings button under “Startup and Recovery”.

Here we go… just uncheck the option for Automatically restart under the System failure section.

Next time you get a BSOD you’ll be able to see it and able to write down the error message. You’ll have to manually reboot the computer if this happens, of course.

Maybe your mouse or touchpad at your laptop is inoperable, or maybe you forget to bring it with you. Perhaps you are having USB driver problems, and your mouse isn’t working. It is a very painful experience navigating through everything using only your keyboard. Web browsing will be nearly impossible unless you’re prepared to hit the Tab key thousands of times! So it’s better you know how handle this situation before it happens. Here is the way how can you move your mouse cursor using your numeric keypad.

Windows has a built in tool called MouseKeys that allows you to control the pointer with the numeric keypad on your keyboard. To enable MouseKeys, you can go to Control Panel > Accessibility Options > Mouse tab and check Use MouseKeys. Another way to enable MouseKeys is by simultaneously pressing the “left ALT + left SHIFT + NUM LOCK” keys. Take note that it only works if you press the left side ALT and SHIFT. If you use the right side, it wouldn’t work. When MouseKeys is enabled, you can temporary disable it by pressing the Num Lock key.

Here are the keys used by Mousekeys to navigate your cursor:

2 = Move Down

8 = Move Up

4 = Move Left

6 = Move Right

7 = Move Diagonally Top Left

9 = Move Diagonally Top Right

1 = Move Diagonally Bottom Left

3 = Move Diagonally Bottom Right

5 = Simulate Mouse Single Left Click

(+) = Simulate Mouse Double Click

(-) = Simulate Mouse Right Click

(*) = Simulate Both Mouse Buttons Click At Once

By default, the cursor will move really slow. You’ll have to go to Settings and adjust both the top speed and acceleration to the highest. To set the maximum speed at which the mouse pointer moves when you hold down a MouseKeys direction key, under Pointer speed, drag the Top speed slider. To set how quickly the mouse pointer accelerates to its maximum speed when you hold down a MouseKeys direction key, under Pointer speed, drag the Acceleration slider.

Different types of objects could be inserted to MS Office documents including pictures, spreadsheets, sounds etc. There is two options: you can embed the object or link it. Embedded objects don't reflect changes of the sourse files while linked objects do.

Linking means your two documents are linked, as in connected to each other. You have your original file (source), and you have a second document (destination) where you linked the first file (source). You can maintain the connection between the two. When you update the original (source) document the second file (destination) is updated as well.

For example create graph in Excel. Copy the graph by using right click on the graph.

Go to PowerPoint and place in on a slide. Use the edit menu and select Paste Special.

Choose Paste Link and click OK.

Now you can update numbers in Excel. Both copies of the graph will be updated.

Initial Problem:

Many people have reported problems with synchronizing their clocks with the internet time servers, especially time.windows.com, which seems to have a ton of problems with uptime. We’ll go through a few workarounds to fix this issue.

The error you will typically get is “An error occurred while Windows was synchronizing with time.windows.com. This operation returned because the timeout period expired.”

Solution:

Changing the Time Server

You can change the default time server by right-clicking on the clock, and then choose Adjust Date/Time from the menu.

Click on the Internet Time tab.

Now click the Change settings button.

In the Internet Time Settings dialog, you can change the default server by choosing an item from the drop-down, or you can type in a new entry. You can also test it immediately by clicking the Update now button.

I’ve had the best luck with time-a.nist.gov, but that might be because of my location. Here’s a list of a couple of time servers that you can try instead:

Change the Default Update Interval

If your clock is constantly out of sync even though it says the sync was successful, the problem could be that your computer is losing time because of a system clock problem. A workaround in this instance is to change the NTP client to update more often.

Open regedit.exe through the start menu search box, and then find this registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\w32time\TimeProviders\NtpClient

Double-click on the key on the right-hand side for SpecialPollInterval

The default time period is 7 days calculated in seconds. If you wanted to change this to update every day, you would use 86400, or 60 seconds * 60 minutes * 24 hours * 1 day.

I wouldn’t recommend setting this to anything less than 4 hours worth, or your computer might get banned by the time servers.

Change Your Firewall Settings

I don’t have a screenshot for you here, but third party firewalls will often block the time servers, causing the sync to not work properly. If you are using McAfee or another firewall, you’ll need to use the configuration utility to unlock NPT access on UDP port 123.