Customize Windows Vista Send To feature

1. Copy and paste this path in the ’start search’ box  %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo or in the start box type sendto.
2. The command will open the ‘SendTo’ folder.  Add your folder shortcuts and you can now send files to these folders by right click then send to and choose the folder you want.

Fixing outlook performance problems

I had a problem with outlook for the pass couple days where it would just hang for a couple of seconds periodically.  After some research on the Internet the article that resolved the problem was from Microsoft.  There is a utility called SCANPST.EXE which comes as part of the outlook installation package.  The location of this file varies based on the OS you are using so do a search to find the location as it might not be in the location given in the article.  For the fill steps on fixing the problem click here.

Cannot Open your Default e-mail Folders

For those persons using Microsoft Outlook, you might encounter and error when trying to open outlook.  During the load sequence you receive the error message “Cannot Open your Default e-mail Folders, You must connect to Microsoft exchange with the current user profile before you can synchronize your folders with your offline folder file”.

To solve this problem do the following…

1. Go to this path c:\users\%username%\appdata\local\outlook\ if you are using Windows Vista and   c:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ if you are using Windows XP.
2. Now Look for any .ost files and rename the extension to for example .old.  Some guides will tell you to delete the .ost files but I prefer to rename them then back them up somewhere save.
3. Once you have renamed the .ost files, restart outlook and it will rebuild the folders etc.

CD Eject problem on Dell XPS M1330 notebook

Today a friend called to ask me about ejecting a CD from the Dell XPS M1330.  Apparently the eject button does not work and the only way to remove the disc is to reboot the computer.

After doing a search on Google I found a blog post here that gave the solution to the problem.  It is a BIOS update which Dell rates as important.  The link to the BIOS update is here.  A word of caution however, please ensure that you read the download and installation information fully before attempting a BIOS upgrade.  If done incorrectly, your system can be rendered unusable.

Use the registry to disable your screen saver

This is a quick tip that will allow you to disable and enable your screen saver quickly with the click/double click of your mouse.  This process will save you time and allow you to control your screen saver if you need to temporarily disable it for whatever reason you might have.

The steps are for both Windows XP and Vista and will only work for screen savers that were set manually by the user.  Screen savers set through policies by a company on a user laptop/desktop will not be affected by these steps.

1. Open notepad and copy the information into notepad.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
“ScreenSaveActive”=”0″

2. Save the file as ‘Disable screen saver.reg’.

3. Now change the “0″ in ‘ScreenSaveActive’ to “1″.

4. Save the file as ‘Enable screen saver.reg’.

Whenever you want to disable the screen saver, go to the location where the files you created are and click/double click the ‘Disable screen saver’ file.  To enable the screen saver click/double click ‘Enable screen saver’ file.

Do you need Cloud Computing?

I have never been the type of tech person to use sites like twitter, facebook etc. I see them as a waste of time. These sites basically offer the same features you can use with IM, email, SMS etc.

It seems that more and more Internet users are putting their most private data on the Internet using these sites. With the buzz around Cloud Computing, this seems to be the way companies are going.

For me I really never liked the idea of storing my data online with security of information being my biggest concern, both internally and externally. Companies offering these services online are trying to get Corporations and other businesses to move their data, software and other services from local network environments to a hosted environment.

There is to much things that can go wrong with such services provided on the Internet. What if your data is being mined and being passed to third parties? What if a cyber attack compromise the site where your data is stored? What if the company goes out of business? What if the service becomes unavailable for extended periods? What about the performance of applications online? What is the level of service and support you can expect to receive? What are the legal issues that can affect your business?

These are just some of the questions to ponder. For me Cloud Computing will never take off to become the de facto way of doing business. There is to much that can go wrong with your valuable data and user satisfaction.