Rename Admin account in Windows 7

Rename Admin account in Windows 7

Sometimes in the Computer/Laptop, Windows is installed already with default Username already set. For users who are not satisfied with this and need to change this can do this using Group Policy Editor. :

1. Open Run Dialog Box.

2. Open the Local Security Policy editor using “secpol.msc”.

3. Navigate to the tree Structure In the left pane, in Local Policies, expand it to Security Options.


4. In the right pane, there is a Policy, Accounts: Rename administrator account, Double click over it.

5. Change the name of Admin account to the one you wish to have now.

6. Close the Local Security Policy window, Log off to save the changes.

Install Vista and Windows 7 using bootable USB storage device

Install Vista and Windows 7 using bootable USB storage device

Windows Vista and Windows 7 can be installed via a bootable USB drive as well.
And the installation would be much easier and faster than installation via DVD. Windows Server 2008 & Windows Server 2008 R2 also can be installed via USB drive except installation of Windows 7 & Windows Vista .Initially Windows Vista/7 DVD or installation source (setup backup files stored on local hard disk) & a 4GB USB 2.0 Storage device would be required. You can follow the steps to install Windows Vista/7 from USB Drive.

1. Plug your USB storage device and run CMD and execute the following commands one after another.

o Diskpart Run Disk partition utility
o List disk To get disk index that is used to perform disk partitioning.
o Select disk 1 Selects disk to perform disk partitioning.
o Clean Flush your existing all USB drive’s partitions.
o Create partition primary Creates a partition as primary partition.
o Format recommended Format your USB drive with recommended parameters. (No need to worry about file system format)
o Active Set the partition as active to hold bootmgr.
o Exit To quit Diskpart utility


2. After executing the above commands simply copy all Windows Vista/7 files from DVD/Backup storage to USB storage device.

3. Change boot settings from BIOS and set it to boot with your USB drive, you can install Windows Vista/7 via bootable USB storage device. That is it.


Note: For boot problems try Fixing your USB Storage drive with the command I:\Boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 I: where I: is the drive letter of USB storage device

How to disable restrict USB/Flash Drive in Windows 7

How to disable restrict USB/Flash Drive in Windows 7


Recently one of my friend asked me how a USB drive can be disabled on a particular computer. So it‟s a pretty much Registry Tweak.

To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP, Vista and Windows 7:
1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. Type regedit, and then click OK. (Or simply open registry)

3. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor

4. In the right pane, double-click Start. 5. In the Value data box, change its value to 4, which was 3 and then click OK.

To re-enable a disabled port:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. Type regedit, and then click OK. (Or simply open registry)

3. Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor

4. In the right pane, double-click Start.

5. In the Value data box, change its value to 3, which you changed to 4 to disable the USB drive and then click OK.

6. Quit Registry Editor.

Now whenever a user will attach a USB storage device which is already installed in system, Windows will not detect it and it‟ll not be shown in My Computer. However, disabling USB ports totally also disables the ability for Windows to use USB based keyboard, mouse, webcam, printer, scanner and etc., which are common devices for a computer nowadays and essential ones as well.

How to Create Themes in Windows 7

How to Create Themes in Windows 7

In Windows 7 it is possible to personalize and customize windows 7 with self-made custom themes. Windows 7 has several default themes and you can create your own Windows 7 themes using the steps below. Also there has been launch of Several Official Themes from Microsoft time to time.

A theme pack contains following things:
 Desktop Wallpaper
 Screensaver
 Sounds
 Slideshows
 Color of the theme
 Mouse Pointers
 Desktop icons

And good thing about Windows 7 is you can customize all of these without pain.


1. Right Click on your Desktop and Select Personalize from Context Menu

2. Now click on desktop background to set background wallpaper of Theme.

3. Click Browse to locate folder of wallpapers

4. Select check images/wallpapers for slideshow feature in your theme & save changes.

5. Set Windows color to change color of windows, background, and cursor for theme.

6. Click on sound to change system sound default

7. Click on Screen Saver to set screen saver for the Theme.

8. After setting all the components of the Theme Pack click on save theme option in your personalization window.

9. Enter theme name and select themepack as save type

10. Double Click on the theme pack to install it.

Find your Computer Uptime in windows 7

Find your Computer Uptime


A trick for all geeks who would like to know how long since they haven‟t shut down their computer.

1. Go to Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc brings without UAC popup)

2. Go to performance tab.

3. In the system Information you can check out the uptime in the format Day : Hour : Minute : Second .

You can track your computer uptime easily now

Find Windows 7 Keys for all Versions

Find Windows 7 Keys for all Versions

So you missed your activation CD Key for windows 7 and still clueless about that. You can find it easily without registering for the Windows 7 DVD again and searching over the net. In fact you can find the cd key of this version as well as few other versions of the Windows 7.Here is how to get through it - 

1. Extract the Windows 7 ISO. It‟s a tough one because it‟s a UDF Format and you would be requiring external software like CDExtractor or ISoBuster to do the work.
2. In the DVD root folder there is a folder sources….open it.
3. Find a configuration file product.ini
4. Open this file
5.Scroll till the end and you can find number of various keys for versions like Ultimate, Professional, Starter and many more…

Customize UAC in Windows 7

Customize UAC in Windows 7

Windows 7 User Account Control displays less warning than UAC in Vista, and lets you customize UAC according to your need and preference between security and a less annoying desktop experience. UAC prompts in Windows 7 are not as much as in Vista as very few programs require elevation, and Administrator can adjust these UAC prompts.

Go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control Settings

Here you can select when to notify or bring the UAC prompt. There are 4 levels of security which includes:

 Always Notify
 Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer
 Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer (do not dim my desktop)
 Never Notify

Select them according to your balance between security and desktop experience and adjust the level of UAC prompt. Any change to the level of the UAC will prompt for confirmation.

Copy Command Prompt Output

Copy Command Prompt Output

Windows 7 command prompt can be used with a clip utility that can used to copy the contents of the command prompt output into clipboard. It is very much similar like the way tee command works in UNIX. Tee command pipelines the output of a command in UNIX to another file. In Windows 7 we can use the „Clip‟ utility to copy the text of command prompt. Adding clip next to any command copy the output.




Syntax for Clipping the Command prompt output: “Command | clip” .You need to type the command followed by Clip in the Command prompt. e.g. > f:\dir | clip will copy the output of the command in clipboard; though it won‟t be displayed .You can further paste the “clapboarded text” to notepad or WordPad.

Assign Keyboard Shortcuts for Programs

Assign Keyboard Shortcuts for Programs
 
Application can be assigned a shortcut key in Windows 7. The application
would launch when the combo of keys is pressed which you entered as the
Shortcut Key for that application.

To create Shortcut key for any application in Windows 7:
 
1. Right-click the program icon and select Properties. 
2. Select the Shortcut tab
3. Click in Shortcut key textbox 
4. Enter the keyboard shortcut for that program.
5. Press OK to exit.
6. Use the Keyboard shortcut combo to launch the application.





Like the way i have used a combo of keys Ctrl+Alt+C to launch calculator application other applications can also be launched using Shortcut keys.