If you are tried of the old-fashioned desktop icons on your Windows personal computer, don’t fret anymore! To complement the classy icons and design of Windows Vista, you might to try out RocketDock. RocketDock is an application launcher just like the one you see on Macintosh computers. It provides you with a very clean and nice interface for your shortcut icons.

Rocketdock is free for all and is highly customizable to your own likings! You could also download custom made PNG icons through their website. With this Rocketdock, you can now say goodbye to your old-fashioned desktop icons and say hello to clean and classy icons. By the way, this application also works for Windows XP.

Image source: www.softaware.fr

Losing Internet Connection, I experience it everyday, whether my signal needs to be refreshed or there is something wrong with my ISP. I learned to cope with so as not to get seriously angry. I do the usual : Powercycling, it’s the act of refreshing the signal by restarting your devices eg., modem,router, PC, etc… turning of your modem,router, phone adapter and your computer for about 1minute. Also try release and renewing your IP via the command prompt’s IPCONFIG, to do this :

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
   1. On the Run box, type ‘CMD’ , press enter
3. On the Command Prompt, type IPCONFIG /release -> wait for it to finish
4. Next On the Command Prompt, type IPCONFIG /renew -> wait for it to finish
5. After the release /renew of your IP try this IPCONFIG /flushdns
6. after that close the command prompt, close everything and restart your PC, Albeit do a powercycle.

But if you try doing it 400 times a day well , the router and PC settings seems to be the problem… better crankup those tweaking fingers… let’s start!

Here’s some of the QuickStop Project’s fixes: Enjoy it With a Cup of Coffee

Extend your router’s DHCP lease time to a period of 1 week or more. Access this setting via your router’s browser-based firmware, my router is the linksys wireless G so its 192.168.1.1. The most notorious culprits are Laptops when it come to internet connection loss, because if you are on power saver mode. I bet it turns off the wireless adapter with 5-15 mins to conserve power.

You have to check the power management setting for its network adapter. When using Wi-Fi connection it maybe wise to put in high performance mode rather than battery saving mode, because the moment of idle time. Auto Wi-Fi shut-off = loss of internet connection so better. Set the power management to never shut off to conserve energy. But if you’re just surfing the internet leisurely, then it’s ok not to set it to maximum.

DNS services are a factor that can help prevent the loss of connections.

DNS servers are the PCs on which your ISP stores the databases that it uses to translate individual URLs into their corresponding numerical IP addresses on the internet. If you receive messages informing you that web pages can’t be found or that email can’t be retrieved, try using the DNS servers at OpenDNS in place of those at your ISP.

Start by accessing the wide-area network (WAN) settings in your router’s browser-based firmware; then change the IP addresses for DNS to 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220. OpenDNS is free, and it blocks known phishing sites.
Now combo these steps with my Firefox and IE 7 tip.. and you’re all set to go.. Enjoy your web browsing I know I am!

the QuickStop Project : Fix Unstable Internet Connection

Make the Windows Explorer a bit smarter by adding all sorts of stuff to use. If you use the built in Windows Vista File Encryption then you’d definitely like this hack and put in on your Windows Explorer right-click menu.

Encrypt and Decrypt Files easily in Windows Explorer with this hack simply by right-clicking on it.

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. On the Run Box, type Regedit
4. Look for this key
* HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
5. Create a new 32-bit DWORD value and label it EncryptionContextMenu with a value of 1

Now Encrypting and Decrypting files is a breeze, when you encrypt a file using the right-click on your Windows Explorer, the the option to encrypt or decrypt would change depending on the status of the file. If it’s encrypted an option would come out as decrypt and vice versa. Enjoy this useful hack, and plus factor in security.

Window Vista Tips and Tricks

Disabling UAC via Control Panel: Way #1

1. Click Start
2. Go to Control Panel.
3. Go to User Account and Family settings
4. Click the Add or remove user account option.
5. Select your user account.
6. Click the Go to the main User Account page option.
7. Click the Change security settings option.
8. Remove the check beside the Turn on User Account Control (UAC).
9. Click OK.
10. Restart the computer. BOOM all done.. hehehe

now to reverse it just in case you want the UAC back in action, do the same steps and put a check on Turn on User Account Control (UAC)

Disabling UAC via MSCONFIG: Way #2

1. Click Start
2. Click Run. Type msconfig and click OK.
3. Click the Tools tab.
4. Click the Disable UAC.
5. Click the Launch button.
6. Close MSCONFIG.
7. Restart the computer. KAPOW all done.. hehehe

To reverse the damage you did, do steps 1-3 then Click the enable UAC. then proceed to step 5-7

Disabling UAC via Registry: Way #3

1. Click Start
2. Click Run. Type regedit and click OK.
3. Go to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
4. Find the value, EnableLUA. Modify the value to 0.
5. Click OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart the computer. KABOOM all done.. hehehe

Now� blah, blah, blah.. same steps change EnableLUA value to 1.

Ways to Disable UAC in Windows Vista

Windows Vista is packed with tools for maintenance and repairs needed to track errors that may occur with your software and hardware. Along comes : The System Health Report will generate a report to will tell you what�s wrong with Vista and what�s preventing it from running smoothly and cool addition to it is that it gives suggestions on how to fix the errors encountered.

Steps :
1. Click Start
2. Control Panel
3. System And Maintenance
4. Performance Information Tools
5. Click on Advanced Tools located on the Left Pane
6. Generate Health System Report

It should be over in a couple of minutes, so why not take this time to fix yourself a up of coffee and a ham sandwich, after the tests finish check the results and review the suggestions, you would be directed to Windows Vista Help Page for the solutions.

Windows Vista : Tips to Make it go Faster

Turn off Automatic Windows Defender

You can choose to let Windows Defender run automatically in real-time for protection against malwares, spywares but to conserve the precious performance power, then just let it run once a week. Although the even if you disable the automatic feature you it�s still provides you protection so don�t worry.

To disable Automatic Windows Defender

* Click the Start Orb -> Click Control Panel
* Select Windows Defender
* Choose Tools from the top menu
* Select Options
* Uncheck Auto Start at the bottom of the window

Windows Vista Speed Tweaks

Turn off Windows Search Indexing

Windows Vista search indexing may impact slightly impact your performance because its constantly scanning and reviewing the files on your system and index it to make your search quick. Although it may seem handy, it can make the performance slower.

To disable constant indexing:

* Click the Start Orb -> Click Computer
* Right Click on the C: Drive
* On General Tab, Uncheck Index this drive for faster searching
* Select Include subfolders and files

Windows Vista Speed Tweaks

Another free software to spice up your desktop just a little bit: Logon Screen Saver Changer lets you change the screensaver that runs when there is no user logged on to the computer, say, after you turn your computer on and leave it to boot while grabbing some coffee in the pantry. The Changer lets you reset the timeout so that the screensaver will work after a shorter delay. The logon screensaver is usually different from your regular screensaver. Without Changer, you have to fix Windows Registry to change the logon screensaver. Hassle, isn’t it? This one is a fuss-free, barely-there 0.1 MB download in 32-bit and 64-bit formats. The configuration window is the same as the one in the Control Panel. It’s virus-free, with no adware or spyware. And to remove the software, simply delete.

Voted one of PC World’s 101 Fantastic Freebies, TweakNow RegCleaner Standard edition is a registry cleaner that is free for non-commercial use. Applications you install on your computer leave data and configurations on your Windows registry and do not always delete them when you uninstall. These obsolete entries can slow down your computer. By cleaning your registry regularly, you computer can perform optimally, just as it should. TweakNow RegCleaner claims to be the ” fastest and the most reliable” registry cleaner. It also comes in a Professional edition with additional features such as Track Cleaner, Registry Defragmenter and 1-Click Windows Optimization. There is a special offer for free upgrading to Professional using TrialPay. Visit www.tweaknow.com for details.

Can one software bundle answer all your security needs? From the looks of the new PC Tools Internet Security, it can. The entire tried-and-tested PC Tools anti-spyware, anti-virus, anti-spam and firewall protection has been bundled to find and eleminate Trojans, worms, keyloggers and protexts agains phishing, tracking threats, identity theft, and other malicious attacks online. It includes the celebrated Spyware Doctor, which has won awards from respected publications in the industry. PC Tools Internet Security updates automatically to keep you abreast of the latest threats. It is user-friendly for novices and experts alike, and has free support.