Increasing the speed of Windows Search indexer by updating to version 4.0

Windows Search 4.0 includes the following improvements:

• Support for indexing encrypted documents of local file systems
• Reduced affect on Microsoft Exchange when you index e-mail in online mode, and there is no local cache (.ost)
• Support for indexing online delegate mailboxes
• Support for client-to-client remote query to shared indexed locations
• Improved indexing performance
• Faster previewer updates for Windows XP
• Per-user Group Policy settings
• Windows software updates for Watson errors
• Support for the following new enterprise Group Policy objects.

[Download]

Sidebar Gadget to monitor and control the Windows Search indexer

Information from the author, Brandon Paddock:

Features

• Monitor the current state of the indexer
• See how many items need to be processed
• View the total count of indexed items
• Stop and start the indexing service
• Open the Indexing Options control panel
• View the installed Windows Search version number
• Multiple backgrounds / color combinations

[Download]

[IFilter] Indexing contents of RAR files

I'm using this RAR IFilter from the IFilterShop.com (free for non-commercial users) and my RAR files are now indexed including the contents.

They also offer interesting IFilters for ASPX, CHM, MSG, MS Project, Mind Manager, and many more other file types.

Note from the readme file:

In Vista Windows Search and Windows Desktop Search you need to configure a custom temporary directory:

1. Open registry key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IFilterShop\RarFilter"
2. Add new String value named "TempPath" and enter the full path to the new temporary directory
3. Restart Indexing Service

PRB: Using Jet provider on 64-bit machines

If you experience the error message:

The 'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0' provider is not registered on the local machine

this is caused by the Jet provider not being available in native 64-bit.

You will have to target x86 with your .NET apps to make it work.

WORKAROUND: EPSON Status Monitor under Windows Vista

Since EPSON Status Monitor does not work properly under Windows Vista I recommend extracting the installation files and simulate an old operating system (Windows XP SP2) by using the compatibility tab for all EXE files in the folder.

Then install and enjoy!

P.S. You can force a cartridge change on a EPSON Stylus Color printer even without using the EPSON Status Monitor software. Read here.

Optimizing VMware virtual machines with PerfectDisk 2008 grows, instead of shrinks, the virtual disk

Prerequisites:

• Product: PerfectDisk 2008 for VMware
• VMware: Virtual Machine *with* linked disks

Situation:

• After "optimizing" the VM the file grows (in my case from 13 GB to 100 GB, which is the maximum size of the dynamic disk)

Workaround:

• Create a full clone of your VM (this copies all the linked disks + your VM into a target disk). You are not using the base disks from that moment on. But the resulting VM will be nice and small and in the future you can use PerfectDisk again to optimize and shrink your VM.

Background:

• VMs with linked disks are not available for SHRINK operations.
• WIthout linked disks this works perfectly.

Not enough free space to create a full clone out of a linked clone with VMware

Situation:

• You have a linked clone.
• You do not have any snapshots, just the current state.
• You want to create a full clone out of the base image(s) and the current state using the VMware Wizard.
• You get the error message that you need (3.5 GB) of free hard drive space.
• Freeing space on the source and target drive does not seem to help.

Solution

• Just create a snapshop and re-try the full-clone-creation.

Enjoy!

A central place for Visual Studio hot fixes

can be found here:
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/Project/ProjectDirectory.aspx?TagName=Hotfix

WORKAROUND: "Show window contents while dragging" appearance option deactivated after every restart

You are sure a Dell user!

And you are certainly not alone:

http://www.5starsupport.com/xp-faq/1-67.htm

http://help.lockergnome.com/windows/Show-window-contents-dragging-problem-ftopict7815.html

http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/forum/windows-xp/9300-show-window-contents-while-dragging-option-doesnt-stick.html

http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/forum/windows-xp/9293-show-window-contents-while-dragging.html?highlight=dragging

http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-319387.php

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&message.id=104214

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/25218-35-show-window-contents-dragging-work

http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&message.id=100264&c=us&l=en&cs=19&s=dhs

http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&message.id=98039&c=us&l=en&cs=19&s=dhs

http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&message.id=118786&c=us&l=en&cs=19&s=dhs

http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=106470&c=us&l=en&cs=19&s=dhs

http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&message.id=137349&c=us&l=en&cs=19&s=dhs

http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/WinXP/microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics/2004-02/0411.html

http://www.tutorials-win.com/MaintainXP/Show-window/

Possible Workarounds:

• Uninstall Dell Media Experience
  (seems to be cause for the most of the links above, but I handn't installed it)
• Use MSCONFIG to disable the services of your video and audio drivers.
  (this solved it in my case on a Dell XPS M1330 64-bit)
• Add this small tool to your autostart programs

HTH!

WORKAROUND: Mail icon missing in Control Panel of Vista 64-bit

You need to open the item "View 32-bit Control Panel Items". And there it is. :)

Enjoy!

Header area is not showing when creating a new Word Document

... and even resetting the normal.dot won't help you there.

But it's soo simple. A double click between the border between your document and the rulers will display them. Read the full story here.

INFO: Administrative shares (c$, d$, etc.) disabled by default in Windows Vista

You need to make a registry change to make it work.

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system
2. New DWORD: LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy = 1

 

Update (2012-05-23): Download a ready-to-use .REG file here.

Driver: Broadcom 57XX/59XX Gigabit Integrated Controller for Dell XPS M1330 running Vista 64-bit

Thanks to Shad, I have now found Vista 64-bit drivers for my network card as well as a generic driver for the touchpad for my Dell XPS M1330.

Tip: .REG files can also delete keys and values

.REG files can not only add and modify but also delete keys and values from the Windows registry.

To delete a registry key

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Test]

To delete a registry value

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Test
"TestValue"=-

INFO: Access denied on SendTo folder under Windows Vista

If you get the message that the access for "C:\Users\<Username>\SendTo" is denied it doesn't mean you don't have the necessary permissions - but rather that you are looking at the wrong place since the SendTo folder was moved to:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

At the old location there is a NTFS junction which redirects read/write access to the SendTo folder. Unfortunately Windows Explorer won't follow this link and doesn't show you want's in there (stating the access was denied).