How to Add Items to the Windows 8 “Send To” Context Menu?

Sometime it is helpful to have your preferred destination included on right click. So you click on a file and select 'send to' and bingo. The file reached its destination. Windows 8 gives you few choice by default. But we can include more. You can do it by two ways.

Press WinKey + R. It will open the Run window.

type-  

 %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

or

shell:sendto

Press Enter

Add your shortcut there.

How to safeguard your Microsoft product activation

I keep meeting my friends who have lost their windows activation one way or other. Now first of all let us look, how you can lose your activation.

1. File corruption : By far the biggest culprit. System files get corrupted due to virus or hard disk failure or by some shit software you downloaded from torrent sites. The windows gets corrupt and you have to reformat and re install.

2. Virus Attack : Hackers are out there to harass you. They may not get any valuable from you but anyway they get the kick out of troubling a large number of people.

3. You are trying something geeky: Lets say you are installing Fedora in dual boot with windows. If you are not careful, fedora will wipe out the windows boot files.

4. You system is slow and someone tells you that re installing the windows will make it faster.

5. Un installation of some software made it unstable. The antivirus software are notorious when you uninstall them. They don't like goodbyes.

So now what to do. Simply reinstall the Windows from your CD/DVD and go online. On most of the cases your windows will be activated immediately. On some other cases you might have to call their customer care and one machine or a person will talk to you and give you some numbers which you have to feed. That will activate your windows.

But some people are really shy. they dont want to talk to a machine or person to activate their windows. They think that after paying money to MS the OS is their property and they should be able to do whatever they want with that. True sir, But MS doesn't sell the exclusive rights to us. They only licence it for use on one computer. Otherwise an OS built by thousand of Software Engineers can't be yours for $200. Thats their viewpoint not mine. I am fully with you.

But the consumer cannot do much in this regard. Sure you can drop Windows and go mac way or linux way. But if you want to eat your cake and have it too then there are software to help you. I personaly have used many of them and found most of them very good. the best one is

ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE ; It never failed me.

NORTON GHOST; 90% time it served me good.

PARAGON BACK UP : 100 % good.

There are others but then their success rate is less than desirable. Mind it, its my personal experience. But I tell you, if you go with Acronis, you will never regret your decision. The best part is the older versions of Acronis like vs 8 or 10 are available free on many forums. They are as good as the latest system and as reliable.

You dont have to reinstall your system ever again. You whole C drive will be backed up by Acronis including all the softwares and updates and whatever you have on that drive. If anything goes wrong with your system then simply restore the image made by acronis. It will take 10 min for a 40 GB partiton. And you are as good as new.

How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows 7 or Vista

Windows doesn’t have a default setting to allow for disabling the key, so what we have to do is re-map the key to something non-existent so as to completely disable it.

ChangeCapsToControl.reg	Changes Caps Lock to be a Control key
ChangeCapsToShift.reg	Changes Caps Lock to be a Shift key
SwitchCapsToScrollLock.reg	Disables Caps Lock and swaps Scroll lock to be Caps Lock
KillCapsLock.reg	Disables Caps Lock
DisableKeyboardRemap	Uninstalls the preference by deleting the key

Once you’ve applied one of these registry files, you’ll have to reboot your computer for it to work. To uninstall, you can use the uninstall registry tweak, or you can simply delete the Scancode Map key entirely.

Download Keyboard Mappings Registry Tweaks

How to Disable All Notification Balloons in Windows 7 or Vista

If you find the popup notification balloons in the Windows system tray to be too annoying, you might be interested to know that you can completely disable them.
 I have not tried it on Windows 8 yet but I am sure it should work on any version of Windows.

Manual Registry Hack

Open up regedit.exe through the start menu search or run box, and then browse down to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced 

Right-click on the right-hand pane, and create a new 32-bit DWORD with the following values:

• Name: EnableBalloonTips
• Value: 0

You’ll have to logoff and back on in order to see the change… or to be more correct, you won’t see any popup balloons anymore.

Windows Explorer's shortcuts in Windows 8

Here’s the complete list of keyboard shortcuts for the built-in Windows 8 File Explorer:

• Alt + D – Select the address bar
• Ctrl + E – Select the search tab
• Ctrl + F – Select the search box
• Ctrl + N - Open a new window
• Ctrl + W - Close the current window
• Ctrl + mouse scroll wheel – Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons
• Ctrl + Shift + E - Display all folders above the selected folder
• Ctrl + Shift + N – Create a new folder
• Num Lock + asterisk (*) – Display all subfolders under the selected folder
• Num Lock + plus (+) – Display the contents of the selected folder
• Num Lock + minus (-) – Collapse the selected folder
• Alt + P – Display the preview pane
• Alt + Enter - Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item
• Alt + Right arrow – View the next folder
• Alt + Up arrow – View the folder that the folder was in
• Alt + Left arrow – View the previous folder
• Backspace - View the previous folder
• Right arrow – Display the current selection (if it’s collapsed), or select the first subfolder
• Left arrow – Collapse the current selection (if it’s expanded), or select the folder that the folder was in
• End - Display the bottom of the active window
• Home - Display the top of the active window
• F11 - Maximize or minimize the active window

How to Write in Hindi

If you want to type online then you can go to this page

http://www.google.com/transliterate/

This same page also gives you an option to download

Download Google Transliteration IME

It will install on any version of Windows from XP to Windows 8. You will have a language bar in your system tray and from there you can select either Hindi or English. Now you can write in MS Office, Wordpad, and in any browser of your choice.

How to Translate any text

First of all there is always Google translator service.

http://translate.google.co.in/?hl=en&tab=wT

But there is another convenient way to do it. There is a small software called Q translate.

QTranslate is a free translator for Windows (Windows 8/7/Vista/XP/2008 Server/2003 Server). With this small utility, you simply select the text you want to translate and then press hot key (Ctrl+Q to show translation in the popup window or Double Ctrl click to show the translation in the main window). The program also has the ability to speak text (Ctrl+E) and perform a dictionary search (Ctrl+Alt+Q). Also, you can open the main window and type text manually.

Note! The program translates a text by using online translation services, so you need an Internet connection.

The current version supports the following translation services:

• Google Translate
• Microsoft Translator
• Promt
• Babylon
• SDL FreeTranslation.com
• Яндекс перевод

The program has two modes of translation by mouse selection (click on the program icon in the system tray to turn this mode on):

• Show icon (Select text in any program, the program icon will appear near the cursor. Click on the icon, the popup window with the translation of the selected text will appear);
• Show translation (Select text in any program and the popup window with the translation of the selected text will appear immediately).

The main features:

• Translate text in any application that supports text selection (Google Chrome, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Acrobat Reader, Skype, IE and etc.);
• Search in online dictionaries;
• Back translation;
• Replace the selected text with its translation;
• Instant translation;
• Spell checking;
• Text to speech synthesis;
• Word suggestion/autocomplete;
• History of translations;
• Virtual keyboard;
• Portable version.

 Download the latest version of QTranslate (4.1.0)

How to Quickly Shutdown Windows 8

 

Lot many people are not happy with major changes to Windows 8 that is the new start screen with tiles and as a result of this change.

The options to shutdown or restart Windows was moved to the Charms bar. As a result of this many users found it difficult to access these menu quickly.

If you are on Windows 8 desktop app, you can quickly shutdown by pressing ALT + F4 button.

This button works not only on Windows 8, but previous versions as well. But only when you are on desktop.

You can also create a shortcut for it, if you want.

Right click on the desktop and click New Shortcut.

Enter the location as shutdown /s /t 0 and press Next. Provide a name for the Shortcut and click finish.

Now you can right-click on your new shortcut and select “Pin to Start” to make it appear on the Start page and/or “Pin to Taskbar” to make it appear as a button on your taskbar.

Be careful, as clicking it will effect an immediate shutdown with no chance to back out.

How to Install Third Party Themes on Windows 8

Windows 8 does not allow installation of any third party themes. Actually you don’t need third party theme. There are too many available from Microsoft site itself. Just select more themes and the page will open and take you to a world full of themes themes and more themes.

But if you really really like some theme which is mode by someone. First of all please check its not full of virus or trozen (a real threat).

Now download Ultra UXThemePatcher. It’s a freeware tool. Get is from here.

Download UltraUXThemePatcher

 

The files to be patched by the app include uxtheme.dll, themeui.dll and uxinit.dll. The app will automatically detect the version of Windows and do the necessary patching.

The original files will be backed up, for any restoration you need at a later stage.

Once  patching is complete, custom themes can be installed.

Copy the custom themes to the folder C:\Windows\Resources\Themes, where C is the drive where you have installed Windows 8. And it will be visible along with other themes.

How to Repair Windows 8 from Boot Menu

 

There are many reasons why your Windows 8 installation wont boot up, this could be because of an recent hardware change or some recently installed software messed up the system files or any other reasons. In such cases it is always good to start repairing Windows 8 from the start up. Startup repairs are most of the times effective in restoring the booting of Windows. Moreover repairing Windows from boot menu is even easier as well with the new boot screens of Windows 8.

To repair Windows 8 from the boot menu, you will need the original DVD or the repair disk created.

1. Insert the DVD and restart Windows. Now Windows will try to boot from the DVD (you might need to press any key to start booting from DVD).

2. Once Windows starts, click next after you have selected the language.

3.In the next step, select Repair your Computer option at the bottom of Windows Set up.

 

 

4. This will provide you with another screen to choose the options. Please note you can arrive at this screen without using the DVD as well, from the boot menu). Now select Troubleshoot option

 

5. Under troubleshoot, you have three sub options, first one is refresh PC. This will refresh your PC for any issues without effecting any of your files. This is one good option to repair Windows 8. Second option is Reset, but this should be your last option as this will reinstall Windows and your files and folders cannot be restored.

6. There is also an advanced options where you have quite a few other repair options.

7. Here you can do a system restore if you have previous version of Window saved. Another option is system recovery using a specific image and the other option include automatic repair. Auto repair is again a good option as it does all the repairs automatically

How to Uninstall Windows 8 from Dual Boot

So, Windows 8 is here and most of us like always have thought of trying it first in dual boot before changing completely from present windows 7 of Vista or XP.

Now for whatever reason you want to remove it from dual boot.

1. Bott into second OS (XP, VISTA OR 7)

2. Open the run command (Win Key + R) and type msconfig and press enter.

This will open the system configuration utility and select the boot tab.

3. Here you can see the Windows 8 installation. Select it and then click on the Delete button. If your Windows 8 was the default boot OS, then make sure you set the other available OS as default using the “Set as Default” button. Now you can format the partition where Windows 8 files were stored.

Uninstalling Windows 8 from Clean Install:

If you have clean installed Windows 8 without any other OS on your PC, you can simply remove it by installing any other OS on top of it from the boot menu. Boot menu allows you to format any drive and install Windows again. When you do this, make sure you have kept a backup of all the files on your Windows 8 installation.

Warning : If you have upgraded to Windows 8 from Windows 7 or XP, there is no option to downgrade it. So think before you take this step. Though you won’t regret it.

What is conhost.exe

The conhost.exe process fixes a fundamental problem in the way previous versions of Windows handled console windows, which broke drag & drop in Vista.

It’s a completely legitimate executable—as long as it’s running from the system32 folder, and is signed by Microsoft. Scanning your computer for viruses is never a bad idea, though.

For those who want more on this click here.

What is mobsync.exe

mobsync.exe is a process that belongs to Microsoft Sync Center, a software usually used if you have a Windows Mobile phone with ActiveSync, a SQL Server installation, or if you have set Internet Explorer to synchronize pages for offline viewing.

This process is the core executable for Microsoft Sync Center. This process is not a threat, and should not be deleted.

The process is usually installed in the \Windows\System32 directory. If the process is running from a different location, you need to run a virus scanner because some viruses disguise themselves as legitimate processes.

This process is created by Microsoft.

For those who want more on this click here

What is wfica32.exe

The wfica32.exe is a process that belongs to the Citrix ICA client, usually used in a corporate environment for remote access to server applications.

This process is not a threat, and should not be removed or deleted, as long as it's installed in the normal location.

The process is usually installed in the C:\Program Files\Citrix\icaweb32 directory, but depending on your installation it could be located in a different place.

This process is created by Citrix

For those who want more on this click here

What is WLIDSVC.EXE and WLIDSVCM.EXE

These two processes work together to form the Windows Live Sign-In Assistant service, which helps you stay logged into Windows Live. The WLIDSVC.EXE is the actual Windows Service, and the WLIDSVCM.EXE is the “Service Monitor”.

This service provides a number of benefits, including easier sign-in for multiple accounts when using Windows Live (screenshot from Microsoft’s site).

It’s also absolutely required if you’re using Windows Live Messenger. In fact, if you disable the services, you’ll get the error message “Signing in to Windows Live Messenger Beta failed because the service is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. Error code 800706ba”.

For those who want more on this click here

What is itype.exe

itype.exe is a process that belongs to Microsoft IntelliType, a software usually used if you have a Microsoft brand keyboard to provide enhancements to the way the keyboard works, and to enable the functionality of the media buttons on the keyboard. 

Process Manufacturer is Microsoft

For those who want more on this click here

What is ipoint.exe

ipoint.exe is a process that belongs to Microsoft IntelliPoint, a software usually used if you have a Microsoft brand mouse to provide enhancements to the way the mouse works.

This process is the core executable for IntelliPoint. It is not a threat, and should not necessarily be removed or deleted, as long as it's installed in the normal location.

The process is usually installed in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliPoint directory, but depending on your installation it could be located in a different place.

This process is created by Microsoft

For those who want more on this click here

What is wfcrun32.exe

wfcrun32.exe is a process that belongs to the Citrix Program Neighborhood Connection Center, usually used in a corporate environment for remote access to client/server applications.

This process is not a threat, and should not be removed or deleted, as long as it's installed in the normal location.

The process is usually installed in the C:\Program Files\Citrix\icaweb32 directory, but depending on your installation it could be located in a different place. This process is created by Citrix.

For those who want more on this click here

What is rundll32.exe

The rundll32.exe application is simply used to launch functionality stored in shared .dll files. This executable is a valid part of Windows, and normally shouldn’t be a threat.

Note: the valid process is normally located at \Windows\System32\rundll32.exe, but sometimes spyware uses the same filename and runs from a different directory in order to disguise itself. If you think you have a problem, you should always run a scan to be sure.

For those who want more on this click here

What is SearchIndexer.exe

SearchIndexer.exe is the Windows service that handles indexing of your files for Windows Search, which fuels the file search engine built into Windows that powers everything from the Start Menu search box to Windows Explorer, and even the Libraries feature.

For those who want more on this click here