Thursday, January 28, 2010

How to disable "Reopen Last Browsing Session" feature in IE8?

Windows 7 comes with Internet Explorer 8, which offers many great new features. One of those is the ability to reopen your last browsing session - this can be a godsend if you accidentally close the browser with a number of pages open that you need to go back to. No more hunting through the History list - you can have them back with a single click. But there are situations wherein this can be a security issue. If you don't like the idea of having your previous browsing sessions so accessible, you can disable the feature and clear the browser cache so it won't be so easy for someone to see where you've been on the web. Here's how:
  1. In the registry editor, navigate toHKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ Recovery
  2. In the right pane, right click an empty space and select New DWORD value (32 bit) Value.
  3. Rename the new Value NoReopenLastSession
  4. Double click the new value and set the value data field to 1
  5. Close the registry editor.
  6. Close and restart IE to make the change take effect.

Note: If you want to completely hide the tracks of your previous browsing, clear the browser cache as well: click Tools Delete Browsing History.

How to create a password reset disk?

If you forget your password to log onto Windows 7, you can change it, without knowing the old one, by using a password reset disk. That's handy, especially for accounts that aren't used often. Remember to keep the disk in a safe place, though, because anyone else can also change your password and access your user account with it. Here's how to create it:
  1. Log onto the account for which you're going to make the disc.
  2. Decide what media you're going to use. It can be a floppy disk (if you have a floppy drive),
  3. USB stick, flash card or external hard drive. Insert or connect the media.
  4. Click Start Control Panel User Accounts.
  5. In the left pane, click "Create a Password Reset Disk."
  6. In the Forgotten Password Wizard dialog box, follow the instructions to make the disk.

Note: If your computer belongs to a domain, you cannot create a password reset disk. The domain administrator can reset your password for you.

How to get rid of the "New Items" highlight in the Programs menu

When you install a new program in XP, it will be highlighted in orange in the list of programs. This can be useful for helping you to notice what new programs have been installed, but if you'd prefer not to have new programs highlighted, it's easy to get rid of this feature. Here's how:

  1. Right click an empty space on the taskbar.
  2. Select Properties.
  3. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click the Start Menu tab.
  4. Click the Customize button.
  5. Click the Advanced tab.
  6. Uncheck the box labeled "Highlight newly installed programs."

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Is there a way to show the file extension for some files and not others?

As a matter of fact, it is possible to show file extensions for specific file types only.
  1. In Explorer, click Tools Folder Options.
  2. Click the File Types tab.
  3. In the list of registered file types, choose the file type for which you want to display the extension.
  4. Click the Advanced button.
  5. Click "Always Show Extension."