Windows Server 2003 - Best way to see what files (and their locations) disk quotas are counting against a user? [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2008 - 4 answers

Can anyone help with a program to show total drive space in a PC across multiple drives? [more inside]
posted on Mar 30, 2008 - 4 answers

I checked "Don't ask me again" when dragging one artist into another in WMP11 on vista in order to change all the names from one to another (to combine "the beatles" and "beatles" into one, in this case), expecting it to just do it without asking in the future, but now I've lost this functionality altogether. How can I re-enable it?
posted on Mar 22, 2008 - 1 answers

Can I upgrade my motherboard and CPU without reinstalling Vista? [more inside]
posted on Mar 3, 2008 - 6 answers

How to recover from sync-ing a RAID 1 the wrong way? [more inside]
posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 11 answers

Is Dell Support lying when they say that their new XPS laptop is not WinXP-compatible? [more inside]
posted on Nov 26, 2007 - 13 answers

A friend bought an extended service plan (the top level) on an HP computer from Staples. They are now telling her that by wiping the drive before bringing it in for service she voided the warranty. [more inside]
posted on Nov 9, 2007 - 13 answers

Is there a utility (freeware or not) that will allow me to specify a directory in Windows XP and monitor that directory for any changes to files (access time, modified time, etc..)? [more inside]
posted on Oct 8, 2007 - 7 answers

Hard Drive Filter: Someone explain to me how SATA and AHCI work. [more inside]
posted on Aug 28, 2007 - 10 answers

What the crap? Vista won't let me delete a folder extracted from a .rar file. [more inside]
posted on Aug 13, 2007 - 26 answers

What would make an old Windows computer stop accepting input for short periods of time (2-3 minutes)? [more inside]
posted on Aug 6, 2007 - 8 answers

BSODFilter: I tried to install a RAM upgrade in my girlfriend's Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop, and got nothing on screen after powerup. So I replaced the old DIMM, and got the BSOD -- the file that was missing was a driver for the Intel video adapter. Long story short, it's still not working. [more inside]
posted on Aug 2, 2007 - 10 answers

Administrator has prohibited access to CD/DVD ROM drives [more inside]
posted on Jul 16, 2007 - 3 answers

In the rare times I've needed to hit ctrl-alt-delete within the past few months, the task manager window pops up, but it lacks the little tabs at the top and the useful little X in the upper right that actually allows me to CLOSE the task manager. What happened? [more inside]
posted on Jun 12, 2007 - 13 answers

Help me to fix/setup/keep running a network of 4 computers the easy way. [more inside]
posted on Jun 3, 2007 - 4 answers

Windows XP / Explorer: MPG and WMV file thumbnails constantly crash Explorer, sometimes taking the entire OS with it. How can I fix this? [more inside]
posted on May 11, 2007 - 2 answers

I have a bunch of files, in a nested directory structure. I'd like to collapse the directory structure and move all the files into one folder, preferably sorting them by file extension or name. How do I do this as quickly and easily as possible in WinXP? (Using Cygwin is OK if that's the only way to do it.) [more inside]
posted on May 9, 2007 - 7 answers

How does my Windows Mobile PDA communicate with our office Exchange Server successfully without using a VPN, when I have to use a VPN with Microsoft Outlook to get at it? (And then are there any PC-based programs that can use the same technique as the PDA?)
posted on Apr 21, 2007 - 13 answers

I have a legal copy of Windows XP running as my OS right now, the problem is I no longer have the original installation disks. Is there a way for me to somehow make a copy ... [more inside]
posted on Apr 19, 2007 - 20 answers

Help! Windows won't let me install downloaded programs. [more inside]
posted on Feb 24, 2007 - 8 answers

What could cause every desktop computer in the same house to begin randomly powering down on their own? [more inside]
posted on Feb 22, 2007 - 18 answers

Where has my Outlook New Mail notification on the taskbar gone? [more inside]
posted on Feb 22, 2007 - 5 answers

I've got a touch screen PC that I'm setting up for a commercial demo and I've got a couple questions that I've been unable to figure out on my own during the last couple days, and I'm hoping someone here can help. [more inside]
posted on Feb 12, 2007 - 3 answers

Please help me figure out what’s wrong with my PC. [more inside]
posted on Jan 11, 2007 - 8 answers

My mom's computer won't re-install an older version of Windows XP. This is actually a timely, pressing problem. [more inside]
posted on Nov 27, 2006 - 8 answers

Is there a way for me to restart Windows Explorer (the shell) when it crashes, eliminates my taskbar and all desktop icons, but otherwise my open programs are working fine? Don't want to have to restart everything. [more inside]
posted on Oct 13, 2006 - 23 answers

TechSupportFilter: having problems with an ata harddrive [more inside]
posted on Aug 23, 2006 - 9 answers

"I want to come with you to Redmond and learn the ways of the Registry. I want to be Teh Haxorz, like my father before me." [more inside]
posted on Aug 11, 2006 - 15 answers

I want to learn to create simple Windows desktop applications for my own personal use. What programming language should I start learning? [more inside]
posted on Jul 21, 2006 - 21 answers

Windows dialog box question - can I customize the way File Open, File Save, etc. dialogs are organized when they open? [more inside]
posted on Jul 7, 2006 - 5 answers

Please recommend or disparage your supposedly "quiet" or "silent" XP desktop computer; unlike some recent posts here, pre-assembled rather than home-brew. Have you used a Dell XPS 400 or Dimension 5150 in a quiet bedroom? I'd appreciate advice based on recent personal experience. I'm aware of endpcnoise and quietpcreview. [more inside]
posted on Jun 25, 2006 - 22 answers

I am looking for a Windows app that provides an onscreen visual cue when any sounds are played. It would be nice if the cue happened regardless of the status of the master mute. I'm having a tough time searching for this type of app without getting volume control widgets, etc. [more inside]
posted on Apr 19, 2006 - 4 answers

I never restart the computer when I install things on Windows XP. I go weeks without rebooting, installing multiple programs. I've never had a problem. Two questions: 1) Why do so many programs require this? and 2) What's the potential for harm from ignoring their suggestion?
posted on Apr 19, 2006 - 9 answers

Windows XP: Annoying window "re-draw" animation, make it stop! [more inside]
posted on Apr 18, 2006 - 11 answers

My Windows 2000 system has started spontaneously reducing the key-repeat rate and the rate at which windows scroll, slowing each to a crawl. Other weirdness accompanies this. [more inside]
posted on Apr 4, 2006 - 9 answers

I'm getting the blue screen of death right after reinstalling windows XP and the drivers [more inside]
posted on Mar 2, 2006 - 4 answers

This may be slightly premature, but would it possible to install Windows onto one of the new Macintel platforms and so have an OS X/XP dualbooting machine? [more inside]
posted on Jan 11, 2006 - 20 answers

Can I run Linux under Windows with no reboot, no installation, and 100 MB on a USB drive? [more inside]
posted on Jan 1, 2006 - 16 answers

I have a Micro ATX Celeron 900mhz 512MB RAM WInXP Pro. It crashes completely (blank screen, reset required) when ever I open an Office document or try to access any website. [more inside]
posted on Dec 24, 2005 - 7 answers

I would like to add a Spanish keyboard (language interface pack?) to Windows XP in order to make typing Spanish more efficient. [more inside]
posted on Dec 1, 2005 - 5 answers

I got virused (a wininit.exe problem) on my computer about ten days ago, and after I thought I had cleaned it, it seems to have zapped me with a sleeper program and now I can't boot to windows, even in Safe Mode. Help! [more inside]
posted on Nov 10, 2005 - 23 answers

The new 15 inch Powerbook suits my computing needs perfectly, but one of those plus new software would actually break the bank. What's the closest I can get with a Windows laptop? [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2005 - 25 answers

Windows XP reinstall troubles. I'm fixing a laptop for a friend of mine, but in the middle of Windows XP Pro reinstall, the installer stops at 35 minutes remaining, while 'Installing Devices'. [more inside]
posted on Sep 29, 2005 - 9 answers

Recently my PC has started opening links in smaller (25% of the screen) windows which I have to drag larger. Anyone know how to get it back to opening in full screen windows? I have WinXP and IE6....
posted on Sep 2, 2005 - 11 answers

I'm a self-admitted computer freak, and I primarily run Windows XP. On average, I have at least 5 windows open. I have a 20" flat panel, and I want to display multiple programs at once in a simple fashion. Is there software that can do this? Or should I, as I'm planning to do now, purchase another monitor?
posted on Jul 23, 2005 - 16 answers

I need to delete a read-only folder in WinXP. Hope me MetaFilter! [more inside]
posted on Jul 23, 2005 - 4 answers

Remote Desktop is great, but I need a little more flexibility... [more inside]
posted on Jun 23, 2005 - 3 answers

In Windows XP SP2. The little yellow window that pops up in the lower right hand corner when you print something and says "Document sent to printer." HOW DO I KILL IT? [more inside]
posted on Jun 2, 2005 - 4 answers

I administer windows (2000, XP) machines for my workplace, but have not been able to figure out how to install printers, or related settings (Outlook profiles) as another user. Is there any way to avoid having the user have to install some things his/herself or similar painful solutions like asking for their login information? [more inside]
posted on May 9, 2005 - 3 answers

I've built a PC with a Shuttle AN35 mainboard (with Award BIOS) and it won't shut down or standby. When I shut down (through software) it goes through the motions of shutting down, but then instead of ultimately going black & quiet it just reboots. Same with attempts to make it standby - it just reboots. I have checked the connection of the PC case's PWON connector to the motherboard, diddled with Windows XP's power settings, and poked around in the BIOS a little but am not sure what to do. This sucks because when I ultimately have to shut it down to move it or something, I have to do it the ugly way: with the mechanical switch on the power supply. help!
posted on Mar 18, 2005 - 4 answers

Remotely controlling iTunes / WinAmp on Win2000 with a PDA?
posted on Feb 10, 2005 - 4 answers

After a few hours of Google researching over the weekend, I could not find a simple, understandable guide for formatting my hard drive and re-installing Windows XP. I'm more interested in the actual process and less interested in being reminded to "backup everything." Does anyone know where I can find such a resource?
posted on Feb 7, 2005 - 19 answers

Hope I'm not opening a can of worms here. I'm jumping into the Linux ring for the very first time. There are a ton of distributions and I was wondering if there were any that the community would recommend for a noob like myself. So far, I've downloaded Mandrake and RedHat images but there are a ton of other out there and I wonder if I'm missing something better? I'll be dual booting on a WinXP pro box (Intel) so I'm looking for something that is relatively easy to install in this situation.
posted on Jan 15, 2005 - 30 answers

OS-less laptops: I'm in the market for a new laptop computer, and I've got a couple of unused XP licenses currently going to waste. Where can I buy a reliable laptop computer without paying the Microsoft Tax?
posted on Jan 11, 2005 - 10 answers

Saving a file on Windows XP, I use Explorer to select the folder I wish to save to. When I navigate the directories, clicking on an appropriate folder I occassionally move the cursor over filenames. As I mouseover filenames, Explorer replaces the default name of the file I wish to save with the name of the file I mouseover. Can I modify Explorer to prevent this filename replacement?
posted on Jan 2, 2005 - 8 answers

When I'm booted into Windows, the motherboard sensors always flash up an alert: the 5v Standby is below it's threshold at 4.2v. All I can do is kill PC Alert. I presume this isn't serious, since my PC has happily worked for years, but what is going on? What is the 5v Standby?
posted on Dec 29, 2004 - 5 answers

Laptop Clean XP Install:
1] My (on board?) sound card is unrecognised. How do I find out what drivers to use?

2] What programs do you really think I need? I already have VNC, VLC, Firefox, Thunderbird and AVG installed. What else should I add? (Freeware/OS appriciated but not needed.)
posted on Dec 16, 2004 - 9 answers

Can I dock MSN Messenger on the side of my (Windows XP) screen? [mi]
posted on Nov 26, 2004 - 5 answers

So say one's high-school age brother is playing way too many video games and completely neglecting school work. Is there a way to limit his Windows XP accounts to log-ons between certain times? What would you say would be the best way to mechanically limit acccess to his account, or offending games/programs?
posted on Nov 24, 2004 - 16 answers

Are there any real advantages to running Windows XP on a partitioned hard drive, with a different partition each for Windows, programs, and files?
posted on Nov 15, 2004 - 6 answers

I've just bought a Lacie 160 gigabyte firewire drive. It's to be plugged into a Windows XP machine, but also to be written to and read by a Mac OSX machine. I want to format it with the FAT32 file system, but Windows won't let me. Is there a way to force the drive to format as FAT32? [More inside...]
posted on Oct 28, 2004 - 6 answers

Is there any way to recover files saved under a temporary profile in Windows XP? (MI)
posted on Oct 21, 2004 - 5 answers

I need a search tool replacement for the built-in windows XP search, or suggestions for it. I have a lot of files on different drives in different directories (C:\AA F:\BB ...) and I when I want to find a specific file that I know is in one of those directories, I have to select and search each directory one at a time. (searching all folders on all drives would take too long.) Anyway to make this quicker?
posted on Oct 18, 2004 - 7 answers

Rencently I installed something that decided to associate a bunch of common file extensions with it. This re-brought to my attention a problem that has plagued me for quite some time:every time I try to modify what programs are associated with a given extension the I am unable to. Example: say I'm browsing a directory using Explorer. I notice that .tif files are no longer associated with photoshop. I right-click and select Open With>Chose Program. The task hangs. The same thing happens when I view file properties:
Type of file: $filetype
Opens with: $someapp ........ CHANGE...
If I click CHANGE, the properties dialog "is no longer responding". Lastly, trying to change the default file associations by going to: Settings>Control Panal>Folder Options>File Types>
results in that applet freezing. HELP
posted on Oct 7, 2004 - 29 answers

I need to test how software runs over a 2 mb network link. Here we have 100 mb and I wish to constrict that on my machine for test purposes. How do I achieve this?
posted on Sep 9, 2004 - 4 answers

I'm compiling a disc of useful windows diagnostic and troubleshooting utilities for when I have to make house calls for friends and relatives. what are some maybe lesser known tools that you guys have found particularly useful? freeware would be nice, but not necessary.
posted on Aug 6, 2004 - 28 answers

Office 2002 seems to think I know arabic: the preview section of each style in the "styles and formatting" pane in Word 2002 shows the name of each style rendered properly, but also shows arabic text next to it. The same thing happens in the preview section of the font dialog. I'm sure I screwed up the install process, but would like to remove the arabic text without having to reinstall Office.
posted on Jul 26, 2004 - 0 answers

Windows tech support: Inaccessible Boot Drive. (more inside)
posted on Jul 12, 2004 - 9 answers

How would you start an open source project? (A greater amount of detail will be presented upon clicking below.)
posted on Jul 6, 2004 - 5 answers

IDE hard drive conundrum: "Error loading OS" (more inside)
posted on Jul 6, 2004 - 14 answers

Anyone here ever install CygWin on their machine? What are your experiences? [mi]
posted on Jul 4, 2004 - 10 answers

Early this morning I was woken up to my computer speakers making a very loud, awful static noise. I got out of bed, shut them off, turned on the monitor, found that my computer was restarting itself, and went back to bed. This afternoon when I got home from work I turned the speakers back on and they were still making the static noise AND I discovered that my second hard drive was no longer being recognized. So I restarted the computer and now everything is fine -- what's going on here? (Windows XP Home)
posted on Jun 21, 2004 - 2 answers

Is there a plug-in FM tuner for Windows? Some of my local stations are not web-based and I would like to use my PC as a complete replacement for my stereo. It seems like there should be a USB plug-in tuner/antenna, but I can't find one.
posted on Jun 15, 2004 - 6 answers

My wife's Dell Inspiron 3000 (200 Mhz, 96Mb) does not play well with Windows ME, crashes, slows down, etc.
What OS would work on this old but trusty laptop?
posted on Jun 14, 2004 - 16 answers

Keeping a daily task list on my Windows computer: is it possible? I don't need anything fancy, just a piece of software or a hack that lets me mark tasks as complete when I'm done with them, that brings yesterday's uncompleted tasks forward to today, and that doesn't bother me with tomorrow's tasks before tomorrow. Can anyone suggest a way to accomplish this?
posted on Jun 11, 2004 - 8 answers

DNS hell! My Windows 2000 box seems to have some kind of DNS problem. Certain sites just 404 or time out. I know it's not my net connection, because other computers on my network can get to these sites. I've already renamed the hosts file and rebooted. I need to resolve this for a paying gig. Help! [more]
posted on May 26, 2004 - 16 answers

My laptop has developed a serious issue during startup, and I have no idea how to fix it. [MI]
posted on May 23, 2004 - 8 answers

Does anyone know why my mouse is so sluggish?
posted on May 19, 2004 - 10 answers

Music software reccomendation needed: I'm looking for a very simple VSTi host application for Windows. All it needs to do is load a VSTi plugin and send external MIDI input to it - no sequencing, no effect chains. And, it needs to work on Windows 95. (There seem to be a few of these available for MacOSX, but Google doesn't give me any for Windows) Any suggestions?
posted on May 9, 2004 - 7 answers

I have a screwed up driver situation on my pc. I've tried everything i can think of, and i need help. it was suggested i look here.

Here's the PbP:

- My DVD player (Sony DDU1621) on my WinXP box wouldn't open. it would just whirr and blink, so i removed it, uninstalled it, and then reinstalled it.
- While I was checking the connections, i accidentally unplugged my harddrive ribbon. I had XP installed on the second drive in a daisy-chain, and when i replugged everything, my computer started up in win98. But my DVD drive worked.
-- The goal here was to install Linux, so i figured i didn't need XP anyway, and while i was downloading the linux iso (onto another box), i set out to totally clean out the harddrive that used to have XP on it, so i could get it ready for Linux.
-- Two hours later, i went to actually begin installing Linux, and suddenly the DVD drive won't open again.
-- I have now physically removed and replaced the DVD drive at least a dozen times. Sometimes the F drive shows up in My Computer, sometimes it doesn't. When it does show up, it still doesn't work (when i click on it it gives me an error alert saying there is a problem with the device).
- When it doesn't show up , i go to Install New Hardware, and it lists Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller. When I select it, i get an update window that says 'This device is already installed, but it has a problem.' There are no updates available (i'm not currently online and all of the networking software was installed into XP), and so i just click OK, and nothing has changed.
- I cannot find another driver for this device. I found something listed on DriverGuide, but it was just some batch that callibrates audio and video input.
- I found another DVD drive, this time a cheap one called a MadDog BKM-52X16, and i replaced it. but my win98 device manager doesn't detect it and still brings up the Sony Proprietary CD-Rom Controller as the only option when i run Install New Hardware.

so all i need is to get a cd drive recognized so i can either reinstall xp, or go ahead and install Linux -- both of which, of course, would solve the problem. but so long as i can't read a cd, i can't do either. so i'm stuck.

help would be deeply appreciated.
posted on May 1, 2004 - 4 answers

Yet another iTunes question: why can't I play a CD directly from my drive via iTunes? (more inside)
posted on Apr 22, 2004 - 10 answers

In need of a recommendation for an Windows outlining tool that has the same functionality as the Omni Outliner that ships with Mac OSX? Need to document a software testing plan and can't find a program for the Windows that works as well as Omni does for the Mac. All suggestions are appreciated.
posted on Apr 20, 2004 - 8 answers

Can anyone recommend some Windows software to synchronize a local directory with a remote FTP directory? I want to do nightly remote -> local backups that just download the changed files from my web server, but I can't seem to find software that will do this simple thing.
posted on Apr 1, 2004 - 9 answers

What program will let you import registry and email information from one hard disk to another, using windows XP pro? The built in version won't let me, because both disks are in one machine.
posted on Mar 29, 2004 - 3 answers

I'm a Mac head formatting a partition on my Windows 2000 Prof box - What's the difference between NTFS and Fat32? Which should I choose?
posted on Mar 12, 2004 - 8 answers

Problem sharing internet connection on home Windows XP / ME network question. [more inside]
posted on Feb 23, 2004 - 8 answers

Academics and scholars: anyone familiar with the text processing product on Windows called Nota Bene? A friend is switching to Macintosh and it's an application area I don't have a lot of experience with. In particular, he likes the fact that Nota Bene stores citation information separate from the formatting, so switching from MLA to APA (?) is easy to do... Any suggestions welcomed.
posted on Jan 27, 2004 - 14 answers

I installed a new OS (mmyes, it was M$ W2k) on my computer on a new hard drive. The old system and the new OS now work next to each other, but I have a technical matter that I can't solve. On the old OS (W98), if I say "Shut down", it will also automatically shut down the power of the computer after it shuts down Windows.

The W2k OS doesn't do that, and while it's not a big issue, I have enough of the neurotic in me to want it to work on the W2k as well. Where and how do I make it do that?
posted on Jan 18, 2004 - 2 answers

Any easy way to uncompress about 400 zip archives in a Windows XP directory? I thought I was smart but this problem has made me feel dumb.
posted on Jan 14, 2004 - 10 answers

What windows (2K) software do you prefer to rip CDs to mp3? (Aside from iTunes, which I had to uninstall after it totally hosed my machine.)
posted on Jan 12, 2004 - 10 answers

scarabic's question brings up a more general question I have. Is there a good, systematic way to repair Windows' slow and steady degradation other than periodic reinstall? [more inside]
posted on Jan 8, 2004 - 21 answers

I used to use winVNC to access my home PC from any web enabled computer. [more...]
posted on Jan 3, 2004 - 14 answers

I'm about to upgrade my beloved Sony Vaio laptop from Windows Me (blecch) to XP. Will this screw up my previously installed drivers, software, documents, etc? Anything I should know before I start?
posted on Jan 2, 2004 - 16 answers

What's the best free antivirus for Windows?
posted on Dec 17, 2003 - 13 answers