Internet Explorer may crash when you browse a Web page that constantly fetches a recordset asynchronously and filters the recordset at the same time f

SYMPTOMS

Consider the following scenario. On a computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), you browse a Web page in Windows Internet Explorer. The Web page constantly fetches a recordset asynchronously and filters the recordset at the same time from an instance of Microsoft SQL Server. In this scenario, an access violation may occur, and Internet Explorer may crash.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the CNotifyInterface object is released two times incorrectly without any thread protection.

RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, it is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Windows Stops Responding When You Click a Large AVI File in Windows Explorer

SYMPTOMS

When you click a large Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) file in Windows Explorer, Microsoft Windows may stop responding (hang). Additionally, when you view the Processes tab in Windows Task Manager, you notice that the Explorer.exe process consumes 100 percent of CPU usage for up to two hours or more.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because Windows scans the large AVI file when you click it in Windows Explorer. When you click a large AVI file (for example, when you click a 700-megabyte [MB] AVI file) in Windows Explorer, Windows tries to query the index of the file. If there is no index information in the file, Windows performs a loop to check all portions of the file to build the index. Because of the large size of the AVI file (in this example, 700 MB), it takes a long time for Windows to scan the whole file. Because of this behavior, the CPU usage of the Explorer.exe process reaches 100 percent.

RESOLUTION
1. To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows XP.

2. A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

3. If the 1 & 2 fix does not solve the problem, you can unregister the component causing it thus solving the problem completely.

THIS TECHNIQUE IS UNSUPPORTED AND YOU USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

1. Click Start, then Run.
2. Type [regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll] without the parenthesis.
3. Click the OK button.4. After an instant, you will get a dialog with the message "DllUnregisterServer in shmedia.dll succeded.".
   
   

How to move an off-screen window back to your main monitor?

If you turn off or unplug a secondary monitor while XP is running and there's an application window that was displayed on the secondary monitor, you may wonder how to get it back to the main screen. Here's the secret:

1. Click the application in the taskbar to put the focus on it.
2. Right click it in the taskbar and select Move
3. Press the appropriate arrow key (Left or Right, depending on the direction in which you need to move the window to bring it back to the main monitor)
4. Move your mouse or pointing device in the same direction, until it moves back into view on the main monitor.

Back Up and Restore the Registry

Some guides in this book will require you to change values in your registry. If you make a mistake and don’t correct it, you may find your computer is not as functional as it was before. To protect yourself from any mistakes, you need to backup your registry. To back up and restore your registry, do the following:


Backup the Registry

1. Press Start > Run (Winkey+R) and type regedit
2. Left click Computer in the left pane
3. Go to File > Export
4. Save the file (for extra caution, save the file to a USB thumb drive)

Restore the Registry

1. Press Start > Run (Winkey+R) and type regedit
2. Left click Computer in the left pane
3. Go to File > Import
4. Choose the backup file you created

The Backup and Restore Center

The Backup and Restore center – bundled with Windows Vista – is an excellent tool, which allows you to backup and restore your files or an image of your operating system.

Launching the Backup and Restore Center
To launch the Backup and Restore Center, do the following:

1. Press the Start
2. Type Backup in Run
3. Select Backup and Restore Center

Backing up Your Files

To backup your files, click Backup Files and follow the directions given to you. Select the directories and files you want to backup and find a suitable place to store these files. It is recommend an external hard drive or DVD(s).

Restoring Your Files

Launch the Backup and Restore center and click Restore Files. Locate the medium your files are stored on and follow the instructions to get your previously backed up files back.

How to make XP skip the prompt to find a program to open files?

When you try to open a file for which XP doesn't have a program association, you normally get a dialog box asking you if you want to search online for the appropriate program to open it. This registry tweak will disable that prompt and display the Open With dialog box instead.

1. Open your registry editor. (Start>Run>Type regedit>ok)
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ system
3. Right click an empty space in the right details pane and click New.
4. Select DWORD value.
5. Name the new DWORD value No Internet OpenWith
6. Double click the value and set the value data field to 1
7. Close the registry editor

You may need to reboot for the change to take effect.

Dual Boot Windows XP and Vista

You may have your own reasons for use of both systems, or you may just have a licenses for Vista andXP and want to use them both.

Install Vista after Installing XP

Installing Vista is really easy if you already have Windows XP installed.

1. Simply boot from your Windows Vista installation disc.
2. Select the disk or partition you wish to install Vista on (make sure you don’t install Vista on the XP partition), and Windows will take care of itself.

After installing Vista, you will be presented with a bootscreen offering you to boot to Windows Vista or an earlier version of Windows(XP.)

Install XP after Installing Vista

1. Simply boot from your Windows XP installation disk, select the disk or partition you wish to install XP on (make sure you don’t install XP on the Vista partition), and Windows will take care of itself.
2. Now boot from your Vista installation DVD. Click Next on the regional settings screen and click on Repair Your Computer. Select the Vista install and run the Startup Repair.
3. The next step is to tell Vista that XP exists by adding an entry for XP to the Vista boot manager. In Windows Vista, click Start and type Run.
4. Right click on the shortcut and select Run as Administrator…
5. Run the following commands in the same order they are presented here:

• bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"
• bcdedit /set {ntldr} device boot
• bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
• bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast

Now reboot your computer and you should have the option to boot to either Windows XP or Windows Vista.

Import option in Windows Media Center may not be available

SMYMPTOMS

After you connect an external hard disk drive or a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive to a computer that is running Windows Vista, the Import option in Windows Media Center may not be available. The Import option is used to copy files from removable storage devices to a computer for use in Windows Media Center.


CAUSE
This problem occurs because some external hard disk drives and USB flash drives report themselves to Microsoft Windows as local hard disk drives instead of as removable storage devices. The Import option in Windows Media Center is not available for local hard disk drives.


RESOLUTION

1. To work around this problem, follow these steps:
2. Open Windows Media Center.Click picture library or music library.
3. Right-click a picture or a video, and then click Library Setup.
4. Click to select the option button next to Add a folder to watch.
5. Follow the prompts to add a folder from an external hard disk drive, from a removable media drive, or from a network location.
   

Note: Pictures and videos in folders that are on the watch list will automatically be added to those files that are available in Windows Media Center.

Can I turn off the problem reporting?

QUESTION:
My biggest gripe about Vista is the stupid dialog box that comes up whenever there's a problem, wanting me to send a report to Microsoft. I click "no" every time but is there a way to just turn this off so I don't have to waste my time on it?

ANSWER:
You can disable the error reporting service if you never want to send reports. Here's how:

1. Click Start
2. In the Search box, type Services and press Enter
3. In the right pane of the Services console, scroll down to find Windows Error Reporting Service and double click it
4. On the General tab, set the Startup Type to Disabled

How to stop Windows Update from changing the Sleep button function?

Vista tries hard to take care of us - and sometimes it tries a little too hard. One big annoyance is the habit of changing the Sleep button to "Install updates and shut down" when there are new updates. If you want to change this behavior, you can do so by editing the registry. Here's how:

1. Open your registry editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows \ WindowsUpdate\AU
2. In the right details pane, right click an empty space and select New DWORD value
3. Name the new value NoAUAsDefaultShutdownOption
4. Double click the new value and set the value data field to 1

This makes Vista stop replacing the Sleep option with the Install Updates option, but the latter will still be available as a separate option on the Shutdown menu.

A high definition audio device may no longer work after you resume Windows Vista from hibernation or from sleep

SYMPTOMS
A high definition audio (HDA) device may no longer work after you resume a Windows Vista-based computer from hibernation or from sleep. The HDA device may be a sound device or a modem. You may see an "X" character appear on the speaker icon in the notification area.

Because of this problem, you no longer hear any sound. Or, you cannot use the modem. This problem occurs even though you have installed the update that is described in Microsoft Knowledge Base article.


RESOLUTION

This article contains an updated version of the updates. If you have installed either of the previous updates, and if the problem still occurs, we recommend that you install this update.

To resolve this problem, install update 937077.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937077/

To install this update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

How to change the Vista folder template?

Vista tries to determine what types of files you have in a folder and display them according to the file type. For example, if Vista thinks the files are photos, it will display them as thumbnails with columns for name, date taken, tags, etc. But sometimes it has a hard time figuring it out and uses the wrong template. You can easily change that by following these steps:

1. Right click the folder and select Properties.
2. Click the Customize tab.
3. In the drop-down box under "Use this folder type as a template," select the type of items you have in the folder (for example, Documents). You can also choose whether to apply the template to all the subfolders within the folder.

You can also set a default for all new folders to be displayed without a template by editing the registry. Here's how:

1. Start the Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Classes \ Local Settings \ Software Microsoft \ Windows \ Shell \ Bags
3. From the menu, click Edit > New > Key
4. Name the new key AllFolders (and keep this key selected)
5. From the menu, click Edit > New > Key
6. Name the new key Shell (and keep this key selected)
7. From the menu, click Edit > New > String Value
8. Name the new value FolderType, right-click it and choose Modify. Enter NotSpecified as the Value data
9. Close the registry editor

Microsoft Investigates PowerPoint Zero-Day Attack

Microsoft has released a security advisory for a vulnerability in some versions of PowerPoint, which has been exploited in the wild.

PowerPoint versions 2000, 2002, and 2003 are all vulnerable to attack by opening a malicious PPT file that exploits the vulnerability. Microsoft says that "limited and targeted attacks" have been seen in the wild. Office 2004 for Mac is also technically vulnerable, but an attack for it would have to be custom-written for the Mac.

As with many attacks in the past, the older Office file formats are at issue here, not the new ones. In fact, one mitigation users may take is to use MOICE (the Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment), an add-on for earlier versions of Office that automatically converts old file formats into the new ones and uses them in that form. But the main advice is that not open files from untrusted sources.

If you think you may have been affected, which is unlikely because when Microsoft uses the term "limited and targeted attacks" it usually means that one or two attacks have been observes, you can scan your system with Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare safety scanner. The malicious PPT files are detected as Exploit:Win32/Apptom.gen.

How to get Vista-style "breadcrumbs" in XP?

One of the nicest new features in Vista is the "breadcrumb" view of the path in the Explorer address bar, which allows you to click on any level and go there. If you like this feature but don't want to move from XP to Vista, you can install a small application called QT address bar to give you that same functionality. Download it at
http://qttabbar.wikidot.com/qtaddressbar

First you'll need to install the .NET Framework 2.0 or later. Then run the QTAddressBar.exe file, select Install and click Next. After this, either log off and log back on or open Task Manager and do the following:

1. On the processes tab, find explorer.exe, right click and kill the process.
2. Now go to the Applications tab, click the New Task button and type explorer.exe in the Open box.
3. Right click the Toolbar and uncheck Address Bar, then check QT Breadcrumbs Address Bar.

How to use natural language search in Vista?

What's the most natural way to ask your computer to find something? By talking to it as if it were a person, right? First you need to be sure the feature is enabled. Here's how:

1. Click Start and then double click Computer.
2. In the Computer window, click Organize in the top menu and select Folder and Search Options.
3. In the Folder Options dialog box, click the Search tab.
4. In the section labeled "How to Search," make sure the box "Use natural language search" is checked and click OK.