Here are few simple steps to create a right click context menu for any of your favorite application. I am just sharing the same to everyone for your reference.

Step 1: Right click on shell and create the following registry key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ as shown in the below screen. For demo purpose – I have added my name.

Step 2: Create the association to the “Application.exe”. Rt click on on the newly created key and again create New key and name it command.

Now in the RHS panel rt click on the value and select Modify. Here insert the full path of the .exe application, eg : C:\Program Files\Ultimate Windows Tweaker.exe. For demo purpose – I have used notepad.exe.

That’s it.

You’re done with creating a right-click context menu.

Authored By : Vijay Raj, MVP.

Create a new folder on your Windows desktop.

Name the folder as :

The icon will change !

Now open the folder and see the magic of Windows Registry!

You will see that the folder contains all the shortcuts to the Tasks Control Panel and System Settings.

Move the folder to the C drive, and create its shortcut there.

Cut paste this shortcut in folder C:\Users\Owner\Start Menu\Programs.

This will display the shortcut in the Start Menu for easy access.

This works quite well on my 32bit Vista Ultimate. But if you find that this hack makes your explorer.exe unstable or makes it crash, I suggest you use the cmd to delete this folder, as follows:

Run cmd and copy paste this command and hit enter :

rd “Master Control.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}”

or alternatively, if it doesnt help

rd “c:\users\%username%\desktop\Master Control.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}”

PS : This tweak is incompatible with 64-bit version of Windows Vista.

Authored By : Ramesh Kumar, MVP.

Download Madodate and extract it in a folder.

To run the utility, simply click on ‘madodate’ and you will have the utility running. You don’t have to add the registry entries which are enclosed. But if you wish, you can safely add the registry keys to your Vista. I tried it with no issues. They enable some additional features.

Madotate will add an extra button near the other 3 buttons on the top RHS of your Explorer. Clicking this will make it zoom into 3D mode.

You can now, also move the windows around keeping the left mouse button pressed. Keeping the right one pressed, allows you change the angle of the window.

Hinge it to your desktops edge, if you wish ! The mouse scroll button allows you to move the window closer or away from you. There’s a lot more you can do with this utility. Do go into its Settings and play around.

Download Madodate from HERE.

To uninstall Madodate, if you haven’t added the registry keys, simply delete the program folder. But if you have added the registry keys, then go into its Settings and select the Misc tab. There you will see a button to uninstall the utility.

Service Pack did not install. Reverting changes
Installation was not successful
An internal error occurred while installing the service pack

Here are a few steps you may try:

Check and Ensure that your Windows Modules Installer Service (trustedinstaller.exe) is not disabled and stopped; but set to manual and started. This WMI Service enables installation, modification, and removal of WindowsUpdates.

Restart your computer and check Windows Update again.

Ensure that the following three updates are installed and do not show as failed: KB935509, KB938371, KB937287.

Check your hard disk for errors. Please also see this Checklist.

Disable your anti virus, firewall, anti-spyware and restart. Make sure these 3 are disabled on restart.

Run the System File Checker Tool. Open cmd and type sfc /scannowand then press ENTER.

Run the Windows Vista Memory Diagnostic Tool. Open Memory Diagnostics Tool. Click Restart Now and Check Problems. Your computer will restart and the diagnostic program will start. Note any reported errors. For more help, click KB947366.

If you get any one of these errors while trying to install Vista SP1, you might want to see Troubleshooting Windows Updates Page.

0×80070002 ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND
0x8007000D ERROR_INVALID_DATA
0x800F081F CBS_E_SOURCE_MISSING
0×80073712 ERROR_SXS_COMPONENT_STORE_CORRUPT
0x800736CC ERROR_SXS_FILE_HASH_MISMATCH
0x800705B9 ERROR_XML_PARSE_ERROR
0×80070246 ERROR_ILLEGAL_CHARACTER
0x8007370D ERROR_SXS_IDENTITY_PARSE_ERROR
0x8007370B ERROR_SXS_INVALID_IDENTITY_ATTRIBUTE_NAME
0x8007370A ERROR_SXS_INVALID_IDENTITY_ATTRIBUTE_VALUE
0×80070057 ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER
0x800B0100 TRUST_E_NOSIGNATURE
0×80092003 CRYPT_E_FILE_ERROR
0x800B0101 CERT_E_EXPIRED
0x8007371B ERROR_SXS_TRANSACTION_CLOSURE_INCOMPLETE

You can also get Free Microsoft Support regarding Vista SP1 installation problems. Microsoft is providing ‘No Charge’ support for Windows Vista Service Pack 1. This also includes Email, Chat and Phone support. If you are facing any problem while installing SP1, or after its installation, you can seek help at this Microsoft Vista SP1 Help Site. Unlimited installation and compatibility support, on Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (All Languages) is available at no charge until March 18, 2009.

To do so, right click on an empty area on your desktop.

Select New > Shortcut.

In the first box of the Create Shortcut Wizard, copy-paste the following in the box:

%windir%\system32\mshta.exe res://%windir%\system32\acprgwiz.dll/compatmode.hta

Click Next. Name the shortcut : Program Compatibility Wizard , and click Finish.

Then select an appropriate icon for it.

Also See Make program run in Windows 7 in compatibility mode.

Windows SteadyState 2.5 supporting Windows Vista is now available. Where you manage computers in a school computer lab or an Internet cafe, a library, or even in your home, Windows SteadyState helps make it easy for you to keep your computers running the way you want them to.

Windows SteadyState includes the following features to help you manage your shared computers:

• Getting Started – Provides the initial steps to help you during your first time use of Windows SteadyState.
• Windows Disk Protection – Help protect the Windows partition, which contains the Windows operating system and other programs, from being modified without administrator approval.
  User Restrictions and Settings – The user restrictions and settings can help to enhance and simplify the user experience. Restrict user access to programs, settings, Start menu items, and options in Windows.
  User Account Manager – Create and delete user accounts.
  Computer Restrictions – Control security settings, privacy settings, and more, such as preventing users from creating and storing folders in drive C and from opening Microsoft Office documents from Internet Explorer.
• Schedule Software Updates– Update the shared computer with the latest software and security updates when it is convenient for you and the shared users.

Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a freeware Tweak UI Utility for tweaking and optimizing Windows 7 and Windows Vista, 32-bit & 64-bit. It can simply be downloaded and used as a portable application to customize your Windows 7 or Vista to meet your requirements. With judicious tweaking, It can make your system faster, more stable, and more secure with just a few mouse clicks. The tweaker detects whether you have IE 7 or IE 8 installed and accordingly offers you the relevant tweaks only. This Tweaker was released at the Microsoft South Asia MVP Meet 2008.

Latest version 1.2, Updated on 12th May, 2009. Simply run the .exe from the folder. Few bugs fixed.Internal function recoded for service optimization. Improved Memory Management and Exception handling.

Changes:
-UI has been revamped and now you’ll get more Windows Vista style dialogs.
-Recoded internal methods for Service Optimization, that enable it to start and stop Windows Services instantly.
-Empty Icon detached to make the it 100% portable. In last release “Remove arrow from shortcut icons” refers a blank icon from executable.
-Track bars in system performance show the real values in info tip. That make possible to know the exact current value.

Known Issue:
- Please don’t detach Empty Icon from executable’s root, the Empty Icon is copied to system directory and referred in runtime.

Version 1.1, Updated on 6th Feb, 2009, to include over 150 tweaks. See Change Log

The utility has a simple easy-to-use user interface, with the tweaks being classified in separate heads based of their functionality. Most tweaks are hidden inside Vista, and what this tweaker does is to try and put the useful one’s in one place. It has over 130 tweaks, but is yet, just a 380 KB .exe file, which does not require an install.

Details of Tweaks :

The tweaks are classified under seven categories and can be accessed through a common interface, just like your Windows Vista Control Panel.
1) Personalization,
2) User Accounts & UAC,
3) System & Performance,
4) Security,
5) Internet Explorer (IE7 / IE8)
6) Network Optimization
7) Additional Options

For details, click here.

System Requirements :

Ultimate Windows Tweaker is developed for Windows Vista and supported in all available editions under 32 and 64 Bit. Earlier version of Windows – Windows 95, 98, ME, NT and XP are not supported.

Minimum system configuration :

• Microsoft Windows Vista
• 800×600 screen resolution with 256 colors
• 5 MB free disk space
• Internet Explorer 7 or higher

Recommended system configuration :

• Microsoft Windows Vista & 7
• 1024×768 screen resolution with 32-bit colors
• 10 MB free disk space
• Internet Explorer 7 or higher

It is always recommended to create a system restore point before tweaking your system, and hence an easily accessible button for creating the same has been provided in the tweaker.  Should you wish or need to, you can always restore your system to the Windows Vista default settings using the Restore Defaults button and applying them.

Click Start > Type CMD in search > Hit enter. From the results, rt-click Command Prompt and select ‘Run as Administrator’. Type the following command:

winmgmt /verifyrepository

If you get a message “WMI repository is not consistent” , run the following command:

winmgmt /salvagerepository

This will perform a consistency check on the WMI repository and resolve the issue.
Restart your machine.

Try enabling Windows Defender now.

If you get the following message instead:

winmgmt /salvagerepository is failed.

Ignore this message, and again run “winmgmt /salvagerepository” .

Incidentally, if you find that Windows Defender is taking a long time to perform a full scan, you should try and remove the Temporary Internet Files and other applog files. If you wish to Report Spyware information to Microsoft, you can do so here.

Thanks Raghu Boddu, Microsoft MVP, for your inputs.

If your Windows Defender gives this error on your XP, one would normally try to uninstall Windows Defender and then try to install it again. But you cant do that in Vista, as Defender is integrated the OS. There is also no way you can really uninstall Defender without facing other issues. Moreover, if you try to install Defender over your earlier installation, you will probably get a message that you don’t need to install the program because it already comes with Vista. There will also be no option to continue the installation. The installation will just stop.

Well if your Windows Defender throws up this error on your Windows Vista here is what you can try !

First ‘Run’ System File Checker.

To do this first type cmd in the Search Bar but DONT hit enter. Rt-Click on cmd and choose Run as Administrator.

The copy-paste the following command and hit enter.

sfc /scannow

All your system files will be scanned and if all your files are in order, you will see a message “Windows
Resource Protection did not find any Integrity violations”. However, if something is amiss, it will attempt to replace the corrupt system files. Best to have the Vista DVD handy!

MSASCui.exe is the Defender’s User Interface application situated in C:\Program Files\Windows Defender folder.
MpRtMon.dll is Defender’s ‘Realtime Monitor’ dll, situated in C:\Program files\Windows Defender folder.

However its copies can also be found in the following folder/s :

C:\windows\winsxs\x86_security-malware-windows-defender_31bf3856ad364e35_6.0.6000.16386_none_5585eece5b4407f1

C:\windows\winsxs\x86_security-malware-windows-defender_31bf3856ad364e35_6.0.6000.16420_none_55c0ce805b18c568

C:\windows\winsxs\x86_security-malware-windows-defender_31bf3856ad364e35_6.0.6000.20516_none_565b3cf37428e14b

You will have to ‘unhide hidden files’ and ‘show system files’ from the Folder Options, to be able to see them.

The last numerals may differ, but essentially these are the folders. The /winsxs/ folder is the native assembly cache. Libraries which are shared by multiple programs are stored there. You may also find different versions of the same dll files in these folders. Login as Administrator and try to replace the dll in the /Windows Defender/ folder with one of these dll’s. Reboot and see if it helps.

Configure another search in the Advanced Search Options and then save the search.

You may be thus able to re-create this folder.

Do note that the folders in the Search Folder are Virtual, and as such do not take up any space on the hard drive.

Rt clicking on them show the size of the actual file and the path to that file.

That’s it!