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Stop Searchin'

The Maximum PC Staff — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:02 -0500

A week ago I opened up My Computer to go exploring my second hard drive. However, when I double-clicked the drive to open it, the Windows Search function started up and opened a new window. When I right-click either drive, the Search option is the default. This is really annoying. Many times I forget about this issue and double-click, only to have the computer slow down a bit and open a new box for the search. Is there a way to modify the default option for a double-click?

—Dave Neto

According to Microsoft, this can start happening if you’ve recently edited the file-type dialog box for Drives or Folders. There are two ways of fixing this: According to Knowledge Base article 321186 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321186/en-us), which discusses this problem, it can be done with a registry edit. Open regedt32.exe, and go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell, hit Modify in the Edit menu, then type “none” (sans quotes) in the Value Data box and click OK. Others on the web say it can be solved by entering regsvr32 /i shell32.dll in the Run command in your Start menu.

Double-clicking a drive brings up a search box? There's a registry for that!

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION Are flames shooting out of the back of your rig? First, grab a fire extinguisher and douse the flames. Once the pyrotechnic display has fizzled, email the doctor at doctor@maximumpc.com for advice on how to solve your technological woes.

Registry Cleaning

The Maximum PC Staff — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:51:33 -0500

The Dog asked readers for their feedback regarding registry cleaners, and more specifically, RegCure, which the Dog took a hard look at in the July issue. The upshot? The handful of readers who use RegCure reported no serious issues with the application, but only one person felt that it actually improved system performance. While others thought that registry cleaners in general have nominal value as performance enhancers, some saw other reasons to use them.

Reader Eric Pullen says, “From a software/device-driver testing perspective, CCleaner has done a pretty good job of removing remnants of keys left behind by subpar software and device driver uninstallers. So CCleaner can act as a testing shortcut in certain cases, if you don’t have the time or feel the need to reload an entire clean OS image. CCleaner’s registry tool also works as a quick spyware checker. I had a case in which Windows Defender kept finding a malware program every so many days after deleting it, and I was able to track down the specific DLL file that was the culprit because CCleaner showed the orphan registry entry that remained after Windows Defender said it “removed” the threat. It was this registry entry that kept re-installing the malware from the suspect DLL file after a PC reboot.”

EMAIL THE WATCHDOG If you feel you’ve gotten a raw deal and need assistance setting a vendor straight, email the Dog at watchdog@maximumpc.com. Please include a detailed explanation of your problem as well as any correspondence you have sent concerning the issue.

Is RegCure Legit?

The Maximum PC Staff — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:27:23 -0500

Is RegCure a Wonder Cure?

I recently downloaded RegCure software, but I have to buy the full version of the app for a complete system repair. Is RegCure.com a reputable company?

—Ted Keenan

That’s a good question, Ted, as a few things about RegCure.com certainly seem suspicious, including a slick-looking website with no phone number in sight and a product that’s being pimped all over the Internet by websites that some would regard as shady. Despite that, RegCure and the maker of the software, ParetoLogic, are real. The company employs 110 people and is a member of the Software Information Industry Association.

RegCure was reviewed and recommended by Financial Times tech writer Paul Taylor, who said he preferred the software over Registry Mechanic 5.2 because “…it has additional features, including the ability to manage the programs that launch when Windows fires up.”

The Vancouver Island branch of the Better Business Bureau also gives ParetoLogic a thumbs up and notes that the company has been in business since 2004 and is an accredited BBB member. The BBB says that although the company has logged 47 complaints within the last three years (with 26 of those coming in the last 12 months), the company has satisfactorily addressed all of the issues. If it didn’t, the company wouldn’t be accredited by the BBB.

So everything’s fine, right? The Dog isn’t sure. A search for user experiences on the Internet reveals some pretty pissed-off customers. At Complaintsboard.com, the overwhelming opinion is that RegCure has a tendency to break things rather than fix them, with many people reporting that they had to perform a system restore to get their machines working after using the software. RegCure itself claims to fix corruption problems with registry keys and classes, remove invalid DLL entries, and clear empty registry keys. It also says that it fixes program shortcuts, lets you manage Windows startup items, and backs up the registry for you.

The Dog decided to give RegCure a spin, so he installed it on a clean copy of Windows XP Professional with the newly released Service Pack 3 integrated. The version was newly created in Virtual PC 2007. Could there possibly be problems with a clean install of XP? According to RegCure, yes. The software found 335 problems related to COM/ActiveX entries, application paths, and file/path references, and 199 empty registry keys. Curious to see if another registry repair utility would find as many problems, the Dog reverted to the original install and gave the freeware Crap Cleaner a spin. Although more of a decrufter, Crap Cleaner also features a registry scanner. On the clean install, Crap Cleaner found 12 problems and, of course, offered to fix them for free.

RegCure reported problems with a completely new install of Windows XP.

Thinking the issue might possibly be with Service Pack 3, the Dog created a new virtual machine using a Windows XP CD provided by Microsoft. The disc holds the original 2001 version of XP Pro and does not feature any patches or service packs and is limited to the native driver support that XP uses. Crap Cleaner again found 12 issues with the original XP. RegCure found 318. So you do have to wonder what exactly the program is finding.

The Dog asked ParetoLogic about the complaints and problems that RegCure found. “RegCure is a logic-based program that looks for specific registry inconsistencies. Each check box applies a different type of logic to identify issues. Without seeing the results of your scan, our best guess is that the majority of the results are related to empty registry keys. Since the registry is just a database and a program can use it in any fashion it chooses, occasionally our logic detects false positives. We do have a whitelist to mitigate and avoid such issues, and we regularly update it to include any false positives that we have found,” said Amanda Cooper, a spokeswoman for ParetoLogic. She said the company is waiting for SP3 to be released before doing a full round of tests with it. Cooper said she understands the Dog’s concerns regarding the large number of negative comments and said the company has been going to forums to answer questions and offer support if required.

“I regret the frustration and difficulties that consumers experience with their registries, and while I respect the feedback in online posts about registry cleaners in general and RegCure in particular, I am fortunate to see all the testimonials that come in daily from our customers, so I do know that it is a product that computer users are finding effective and useful,” Cooper said

What’s the Dog’s take? At this point, the Dog isn’t convinced that any registry cleaners actually work, as he has never known them to actually improve performance. This isn’t just RegCure, but registry scanners going back through the years. Though some of the marketing for RegCure may be questionable, ParetoLogic is certainly real. What’s your take? The Dog would like to hear. Woof.

Sub300's Subpar Service

The Maximum PC Staff — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:05:25 -0500

Sub Service

Dog, some months ago, I bought an inexpensive Linux-based PC from Sub300.com, which was selling older stock to make room for new inventory. I purchased model #13338, which had an AMD Athlon XP 3100+ and 256MB of RAM. The configuration didn’t bother me, as I figured I could upgrade it with parts from eBay. The machine was discounted from $165 to $129. With shipping it was $159. When I received the PC, the configuration wasn’t even close—the CPU was an AMD Athlon XP 1400+. I contacted Sub300.com and informed them of the mistake. They admitted that an error had been made and that they would work on their end to fix it. I shipped the PC back at the cost of $48.35 and sent the company the tracking info.

The company said a new machine was being prepped for me. Of course, the company stopped responding after that. I have emailed the company twice, asking for a tracking number, but they have not responded. There’s no answer when I call. I bought the PC with my debit card, which doesn’t let me dispute any charges after a month. Am I out the $159 that I paid for the computer? I don’t care about what I had to pay to ship it back—mistakes are made. I’m human, I make them too.

—Glenn Condrey

The Dog looked at Sub300.com’s website, and it immediately raised some concerns. After all, the Dog doesn’t know of too many PC vendors that also sell bottled water and boast of operating three SilverStar car washes in the Ontario area; on the other hand, the company is the official car wash of the Toronto Raptors, so it must be legit, right?

When contacted by the Dog, David Silverman, president of Sub300.com, apologized for the problem and said that it occurred at the company’s shipping facility, where the labels on two machines were reversed and then sent out. “Each customer received the other’s computer by honest mistake,” Silverman said. “Each customer agreed to return the wrong computer, so we could make things right and resend them out properly,” he added. “We have already given instructions to Glenn and authorization for a full refund/credit to his credit card, and we apologized profusely to both clients.

“Clearly [the mix-up] was an error, compiled with a little bit of bad communication, that was ultimately resolved to the full satisfaction of both customers,” said Silverman, who added that although Sub300.com might not seem like a big company, it does $75 million in sales annually, albeit with a staff of 10 people.

The Dog checked with Glenn, who said he was indeed promptly issued a refund after the Dog spoke with Silverman, but the story doesn’t quite end there. Glenn said that after he returned his machine to Sub300.com as instructed, apparently no one picked it up. The post office eventually returned the package to Glenn, who has no idea what to do now.

“I want to do the right thing here, but the idea of spending $48.35 again and not receiving full reimbursement makes me kind of antsy. On the other hand, I do not want something I did not pay for,” he told the Dog.

At press time, the Dog was in the process of contacting Sub300.com to see if the company would be willing to pay the shipping costs for Glenn to return his system a second time. Woof.

Loud Noises and Thermal Events

The Maximum PC Staff — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:07:10 -0500

Missing Registry Options

In your magazine’s March issue, there is a Windows tip on page 23 titled “Automatically Kill Processes and Shut Down Quicker.” I wanted to check out the tip on my own machine, only I don’t see the “AutoEndTasks” and “WaitToKillApp” options in my registry. Where’d they go?

—Chuck Wilson

First off, you’re using Windows XP, right? You won’t find these options in the Vista registry. Also, make sure you’re searching the correct registry folder. Just to reiterate, you’ll want to open the Windows registry by hitting the Start button, selecting Run, typing regedit, and then hitting OK. Scroll all the way up and collapse the folders on the left-hand side until you see only a list of folders that start with HKEY. Now expand folders (by clicking on the plus-box) in this order: HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then Control Panel. Click the Desktop folder, which should pull up the three registry keys noted in the tip: AutoEndTasks, WaitToKillApp, and HungAppTimeout.

If you still don’t see them, and you’re positive you’re running Windows XP, you can add the registry strings manually. Start by right-clicking on the section of the Registry Editor window that contains all the keys and clicking New, then String Value. Right-click the new value and rename it AutoEndTasks, then double-click the value and make it 1. Repeat the same step to create a WaitToKillApp string with a value of 1,000 and a HungAppTimeout string with a value of 3,000.

Where'd the Game Go?

I recently built a new computer and it runs great, except when I play games. I’ll start a game and the screen will just go blank. My computer looks like it’s changing the screen resolution, but then it just dumps me back to the desktop with the game window minimized in the taskbar. I have been able to get around this for a majority of games by running them in Windowed mode, setting the resolution to be the same as the desktop (for the few games that have a setup screen before they launch), or manually editing the configuration files to set the screen resolution to match my desktop resolution. I’m not trying to run some off-the-wall resolution, just standard 1280x1024 at a 72Hz refresh rate.

—Andy Rabin

After scratching his head for a minute, the Doctor thinks he has conjured up a potential solution for your woes. It sounds as though a background program is either pulling you out of your game or preventing you from even getting any games running in the first place. As for what that program is, well, the Doc just isn’t sure. The culprit could be anything—a Folding@Home client, Vista’s Sidebar application, anything.

To get to the bottom of the issue, you’ll need to run a number of experiments. First, was there ever a time when your computer worked correctly? Do you recall installing a program or running an update and then being unable to play games? Start your investigation there. Next, disable running processes. Don’t allow applications to load when your OS starts. Uninstall software you’ve played around with that comes with a background component.

The Doctor can’t stress this enough: Any program could be at fault. Check out your firewall application, your virus scanner, and your custom screensaver. No program is above suspicion, and the Doc is willing to bet that once you’ve axed a few applications, your games will work perfectly once again. If not, you might be facing a visit to Mr. Wipe ’n’ Reinstall.

Loud Noises!

Help me, Doc! I had my rig running smoothly until I picked up another 8800GT to run SLI. Now, for no apparent reason, and at random intervals, my sound will cut out and I’ll get a very high-pitched beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep until I restart my PC. This happens only when I play games. So far, I have experienced it in BioShock, Thrillville, and Team Fortress 2. It hasn’t happened in Civilization 4 or some casual games like Diner Dash or B-Intruders.

It’s totally random. It can happen after five minutes of play, or two hours (or more!), or not at all. Due to this, I feel I can rule out overheating. To troubleshoot, I’ve already removed and reinstalled my sound drivers, shifted my soundcard in my PCI slots, and reinstalled video drivers.

Remember, this problem was caused after I dropped another 8800GT into my PC to run SLI. I’m convinced that’s the culprit; I just don’t know what I should do to begin fixing it!

—Richard Gardner

Richard, the Doctor smiles upon you, for you are entirely correct. The problem you describe is a direct result of adding a second videocard to your machine. You didn’t mention what soundcard you have, but the Doc is willing to venture that it bears the Creative brand. If that’s the case, you’ve likely found the source of your troubles—Creative cards don’t play nicely with nForce motherboards, typically when the board is running SLI.

Still, the issue isn’t easily isolated. The Doctor has seen reports of this loud screeching problem occurring across various motherboards, operating systems, and even soundcards. You didn’t mention whether you updated your BIOS, but do that first. If the problem persists, default to your motherboard’s onboard audio and see if that helps. Other than that, you’ll be playing a guessing game. You can try buying new hardware—the Doctor would start with a different-brand soundcard—but know that anything you do has the potential to leave your problem entirely intact.

Frankly, the Doctor would rather lose EAX support (somewhat nullified by Vista’s OpenAL support) than lose his hearing from screeching speakers.

More Memory?

I’m a computer guy and have gotten a lot of questions, and have some of my own, about how much memory Windows 32-bit operating systems can see. I’ve heard that the videocard can eat into memory over the 2GB mark. Is it worth buying more than two or three gigs of memory if your videocard prevents Windows from seeing the RAM? The more I read and find out, the more confused I get.

—Joe Lentine

The Doctor waffles on this all the time, and you probably will too. First, here’s the poop: Windows XP and Windows Vista can address a maximum of 4GB of RAM. Of that, 2GB can be used by applications and 2GB can be used by the OS. It’s more complicated than that, but to cut to the chase, the Doctor thinks that, generally, 2GB of RAM is optimal, but a little more, especially at today’s prices, can’t hurt. Your system will probably show only 2.5GB or 3GB of RAM (depending on your configuration), but don’t be alarmed, the rest is there. And although the applications may not be able to access it, the OS and drivers supposedly can.

Molten Core

A few years back, our family purchased a Dell Dimension 3000 desktop. It has been working fairly well, despite the fact that there are only 7GB left on the 80GB hard drive and the Vista upgrades are bogging it down.

Recently, our computer has been shutting down randomly. When we turn it back on, a notice pops up that says the computer has shut down due to a “thermal event.” I’m no genius with computers, but I know enough to understand that something’s up. There have been times when we’ve kept the computer on for days at a time, but that never used to be an issue. Has a fan broken? I tried contacting Dell to figure out this problem, but because our warranty on the computer has expired, Dell refuses to help us free of charge!

—Patrick Feeney

Well, Patrick, the Doctor has a few suggestions to ease the “thermal event” situation you’re seeing. For starters, see if the fans in your computer are working properly. Pop off the side of your case and power up your machine. The fan cooling your CPU should spin up to a quick speed. If it seems sluggish, or isn’t moving, there’s your problem. Replace the fan.

If you can’t discern any noticeable problems with the fans, you’ll have to dig a little deeper. Pop off your CPU cooler and give the heatsink and fan a hearty blast of compressed air. Clean off the thermal paste from both your CPU and cooler with some rubbing alcohol. You’ll now want to apply a new layer of paste—of course, you should purchase this prior to removing the CPU cooler. Squeeze a rice-size grain of paste onto your CPU and spread it around with a utility knife.

If that doesn’t fix your problem, take a look at your power supply. Other Dell users have reported problems similar to yours, and a quick replacement of the power supply fixed everything. You can get replacement PSUs from Dell or at www.pcpower.com.

And if that doesn’t solve your problem, the Doc knows of only one other cause for the dreaded “thermal event” message. Some Dell motherboards tend to run into problems with their capacitors—they’ll swell up and possibly even burst. While the Doctor doesn’t believe you’re at the stage where your motherboard is going to start emitting popping noises and leaking toxic materials, there’s certainly the possibility that the capacitors on your motherboard are dying.

And how do you fix that? The short answer is: You don’t. You’d have to replace your motherboard. Since your warranty has run out, it will cost you more than the machine is worth to have Dell do the work. It might be time to consider buying, or better yet, building a new system. In the latter case, you can use any of your current machine’s salvageable parts. Check out the April 2008 issue of Maximum PC for a step-by-step guide to building a new PC!

The Doctor is as excited as ever for next month’s issue of Maximum PC. He’s moving to swankier digs and abandoning this grungy space forever! But please continue to email your computer questions to doctor@maximumpc.com. He’s just upgrading, not going away.

Make Vista Liveable

Christopher Null — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:39:55 -0600

We’re a year into Vista’s reign of terror, and by now most average users have resigned themselves to the fact that they’re stuck with Microsoft’s bloated, pokey, buggy OS. People simply feel powerless to fight the software juggernaut and PC vendors that happily play along by preloading Vista on everything that goes out the door.

Well, you’re better than that—you don’t have to take this nonsense lying down. Vista may never run as smoothly as good ol’ XP, but we’ve compiled an extensive collection of tips that will help you improve the OS considerably. We’ll show you how to enhance performance, ease frustrations, and turn Vista’s eye candy into something that at least does you some good.

No, Vista still won’t be perfect when you’re done, so we’ve got a special treat in store for you if, after you’ve finished reading our tips, you still aren’t satisfied. Flip to page 48 and you’ll find complete instructions for downgrading to XP or setting up a dual-boot machine with both XP and Vista. See? Happy days are here again!

Throttle User Account Control

Spare yourself the headache of endless pop-ups.

You won’t get far in Vista before you start losing hair thanks to UAC, Vista’s overbearing security pop-up system. If you’re an even remotely sophisticated user, turning off UAC should be job one. It’s easy to do: Visit the User Accounts control panel and click “Turn User Account Control on or off,” then uncheck the box on the following screen. If you just want a little more control over UAC (without turning it off altogether), download TweakUAC (www.tweak-uac.com), which suppresses UAC messages whenever you’re logged in as an administrator.

End warning pop-ups with a single click.

Run Vista Command Line as Admin

Don’t let the OS limit command-line rights.

Typing cmd in the Start menu’s search box will bring up the familiar command-line window, but depending on your machine’s configuration, you might be stuck in a restricted mode even if you’re logged in as an administrator. To launch an unrestricted Admin command line, type cmd at Start, then press Ctrl-Shift-Enter. You can also do this by right-clicking the CMD.exe result in the search box and selecting Run as Administrator in the drop-down menu. You’ll notice you’re in Admin mode by the Administrator prefix in the window’s title bar. Now you can move and copy files and folders from the command line and run system tools such as msconfig; by default these privileges are locked out.

Two extra button clicks let you run the command line unrestricted

Refine the Registry with TweakVI

Give your PC a modest speed boost.

Look, we know you’ve been promised repeatedly that if you just tweak this one registry entry, your computer will never crash and it’ll run three times faster. And then you did it and nothing happened, right?

TweakVI, a downloadable application designed to fine-tune Windows registry settings, won’t turn a Celeron into a Core 2 Quad, but in our tests it did modestly improve general benchmark performance, in the range of 5 to 10 percent. Download and install the free version of the app from http://tinyurl.com/24yz6q. When you run it, you’ll want to focus your energy on the System Information and Tweaks section, then the CPU Tweaks... subsection under that.

Don’t expect miracles, but try running your usual benchmarks before and after installing TweakVI—you might be surprised. That said, a $50 yearly subscription to unlock all of TweakVI’s features is pretty much out of line; the free version should provide most everything you need.

Additional TweakVI fixes let you optimize IE, Firefox, and even font smoothing.

Next: Fix Vista Networking, Essential Hotfixes, and more!

Fix Vista Networking

Get PCs talking seamlessly

In the name of security, Vista wholly revamps the way networking operates. The Network and Sharing Center (part of the Control Panel) can be daunting and confusing when you want to share files on your local network. Here’s the easy way to get the job done.

First, make sure you use the same workgroup name on all PCs. In Vista, this setting is in the System control panel. Click Change Settings on the main page to join another workgroup.

Second, you’ll have a far easier time if you use the same username and password on all PCs you want to network. In Vista, you set up users in the User Accounts control panel. Administrator rights make this considerably easier, though it’s officially discouraged.

Now you’re ready to set preferences in the Network and Sharing Center control panel. Here’s how it should look:

• Network discovery: On This makes your PC visible on the network.

• File sharing: On The equivalent of installing File and Printer Sharing on XP. You need it to do anything.

• Public folder sharing: Up to you The Public folder is a special folder Vista creates in which you can put data you know you want to share across the network with multiple users. You might store your pictures, videos, and music here, for example. It’s just like any other folder, except it can be simply managed and shared with one click here. Turn it on (either read only or read/write) and you’ll see the Public folder in the Computer view directly under the Desktop folder.

• Printer sharing: Up to you Only if you want to print across the network.

• Password protected sharing: On This is the setting that lets users with a valid login on the Vista PC reach shared folders on that computer. Turn password-protected sharing off and users can do just about anything. Leave it on for better security.

• Media sharing: On This is largely useless, unless you stream music to your Xbox or another UPnP device, but leave it on, why not?

Your last step is to select and share folders. This process is much like it is in XP. Just right-click any folder and select Share. If you followed the above instructions, you can accept the defaults at the following menu: “Share to your username only and with owner rights assigned.” Click Share again to seal the deal!

When finished configuring the Network and Sharing Center, your interface should look about like this.

Add Tabs to Explorer

Browse multiple folders in a single window

Your web browser has tabbed browsing, so why not your file browser, too? Add tabbed browsing to Explorer with the free QT TabBar (http://tinyurl.com/2r9yj8). Download, extract, and install (right-click to run as administrator), log off and on again, then hop into Explorer. Right-click the menu bar and add both QT TabBar and QT Tab Standard Buttons to the display. Tabs work much like they do in Firefox, with some new tricks available: Dragging a file from one window to another tab in order to move it to another folder is an especially nifty convenience.

Tabbed file browsing puts an end to cascading Explorer windows.

Essential Hotfixes

Make Vista crash and burn less often

Don’t just twiddle your thumbs waiting for Service Pack 1 to arrive. Take matters into your own hands: One or more of these fixes may solve problems you’ve been having with Vista. None of the fixes has been publicly announced or delivered via Windows Update, so you’ll have to install them manually.

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929451: A Vista machine may register old IP addresses if certain changes are made to the networking setup.
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931671: Errors may occur when trying to put your PC to sleep with a live PPP connection.
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932649: Poor video quality in interlaced mode.
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940646: Slow performance with 3G WWAN connections.
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941542: Connecting to a network printer may fail.

As well, all users will benefit from a couple of general Vista performance and reliability hotfixes that have been pushed out through Windows Update (as recommended updates) and can provide dramatic improvements on some PCs. Check in the Installed Updates section in the Programs and Features control panel to make sure they are installed (look for the KB numbers in the URL). If they aren’t already installed, install them manually.

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938194
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938979

You can also find additional early fixes, including a prototype of Vista SP1, at www.thehotfix.net.

Upgrade the Sidebar

Turn Vista's eye candy into a useful tool

A selection of intelligent upgrades turns the Sidebar from eye candy into brain candy.

Sure, you thrill at the sight of the weather report and that analog clock, but how about putting some genuinely useful apps into the Vista Sidebar? Here are a few power-user favorites:

App Launcher: It’s just like the Quick Launch toolbar, but considerably more manageable.

ClipboardManager: Gives you quick and easy access to current and recent clipboard contents.

Memory Meter: A simple look at how full the ol’ DIMMs are and how well your CPU cores are clocking along.

Mini Outlook Inbox: Outlook junkies can keep tabs on their inboxes without clogging up the screen.

Network Utilization: Keep an eye on your bandwidth with this simple graphical display.

Next: Delay Vista Activation, Maximize Nvidia Performance, and more!

Delay Vista Activation for a Year

That's 25 fewer characters that you have to type

When you install Vista, you don’t actually need to input a license key. Vista will give you 30 days before requiring the key before throttling down to Restricted mode. But you can extend that eight times with this simple fix, allowing you to make major hardware upgrades without having to reactivate the OS.

This simple registry hack will give you a year of no-license-key operation.

To reset the timer to 30 days, open a command-line window in Administrative mode (see tip on page 40), then type slmgr -rearm. This starts the 30-day countdown anew, no matter how much time is left on your first countdown. You can do this three times (for 120 days total) before it won’t work any more.

You can give yourself another 240 days by making one registry tweak. Type regedit in the Start menu search box and press Enter; then navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\SL. In the right pane, right-click SkipRearm and click Modify. Change the 0 to a 1. You should now be able to do the rearm trick above eight more times.
Note: We make no promises that Microsoft won’t patch this behavior before day 360 rolls around.

Fix Nvidia-Specific Performance

Upgrade your GeForce gaming

Running an Nvidia GeForce 6, 7, or 8 series videocard? If you’re seeing abnormally low frame rates or system crashing while gaming (especially noticeable in Battlefield 2142, Half-Life 2, and Rainbow Six Vegas, among other titles), a patch can help considerably. Grab it here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105. A similar fix is available for Vista users running SLI rigs at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936710. This hotfix improves (or enables) the use of a secondary graphics card under DirectX 10.

Gaming under Vista might choke with late-model GeForce cards, but a quick download can fix you right up.

Keep Tabs on Vista Via Email

Get instant alerts when something’s amiss

Rather than manually checking the boring old Event Viewer, how about getting Vista to email you when something’s gone wrong? To set up email logging, open the Event Viewer (it’s in the Administrative Tools control panel), open a log, and find an event for which you want to be notified. In the pane on the right, click “Attach Task to This Event...” and walk through the wizard, specifying the server from which email should be sent and the address it should go to. (Be careful with this, you might end up spamming yourself.)

The security log is likely the most useful source for logging via email.

Boost SATA Drive Performance

Enable SATA’s latest high-test features

Risk-takers can get a little hard drive performance boost by turning on two options in Vista that are disabled by default. In Device Manager, find your hard drive (under Disk Drives), right-click it, click Properties, then click the Policies tab. Select “Optimize for performance” and check both “Enable write caching on the disk” and “Enable advanced performance.” Be warned: With the latter two options turned on, you may risk losing data if you lose power or have a catastrophic crash, so make sure you use a universal power supply and run regular backups. The specific performance boost depends on the make and model of your drive; don’t expect the moon.

Vista doesn’t automatically take advantage of some of SATA’s performance features.

Kick Vista Defrag to the Curb

Upgrade your defragger to something less useless

Vista’s disk defragmenter is a giant leap backwards. Run a defrag manually and what you get isn’t the helpful, animated progress window you know from XP, but rather that evil, spinning, blue wheel and the notice “Defragmenting hard disks... This may take from a few minutes to a few hours.” Wow, informative!

Reclaim the visual look at your hard drive's fragmentation with Diskeeper.

To get a better defrag system, you’ll have to install third-party software. Without a doubt, the best is Diskeeper 2008 Pro Premier ($100, www.diskeeper.com), which offers an exhaustive collection of defragging options, including file sequencing based on usage patterns, boot-time defragging, and barely noticeable background operation. The $50 Pro (non-Premier) edition is exactly the same, sans the file-sequencing feature.

Next: Fed Up? Downgrade to WinXP

Downgrade to WinXP

Head back to what actually works

You saw this one coming. After all that work, you may very well find that Vista still isn’t your cup of tea and you’d like to go back to Windows XP. We don’t blame you; we pretty much feel the same way.
If push comes to shove, here’s how to return to XP.

1. Sadly, you can’t just pop in an XP disc while you’re running Vista and hit Install. Your first step is to determine whether you want to dual boot Vista or simply wipe out Vista and replace it with XP. If you’re going to dual boot, use the DiskPart tool on the Vista installation disc (details here) to create a second partition, or use a third-party tool such as GParted (http://gparted.sourceforge.net/) to do the same thing. If you’re wiping out Vista, you can use the same tools to erase the Vista partition and start with a clean slate or just reformat while booting and installing from the XP setup disc.

2. If you’re using a bleeding-edge PC, XP will likely choke when it comes time to start copying files, as it won’t be able to see your hard drive. Why? XP can’t handle AHCI mode on SATA drives, which most newer PCs have enabled. In your PC’s BIOS, turn off AHCI mode (which should turn on ATA emulation) to make your installation easier. Or just load the drivers via floppy F6 drivers at boot. Alternately, you can slipstream AHCI drivers into a Windows XP installation disc, but this is a huge hassle.

3. With a blank partition ready and AHCI turned off, boot from an XP setup disc, preferably one with Service Pack 2 preloaded on it. Install the operating system normally. (If dual booting, Vista will remain on the C: drive; XP will show up on E: or another drive letter. The two OSes will be able to see each other, so be cautious when selecting the proper drive when installing apps.)

4. If you plan to dual boot, you’ll need to repair the Master Boot Record, as XP overwrites the Vista-created MBR, which prevents Vista from loading. To fix it, boot from a Vista DVD and select “Repair your computer” on the Install Now screen. Select Startup Repair to finish the job.

5. Last step: Set up dual booting. Any boot manager will do the job, or try the free (and Vista-friendly) EasyBCD. Boot into Vista (you won’t have a choice), install and run EasyBCD, then click Add/Remove Entries. Change the drive letter to E: (or whatever drive letter you set up in Step 3), and then change Type to Windows NT/2k/XP/2k3. Click Add Entry, then Save. Reboot and the bootloader will now automatically appear.

Your final step in setting up a dual-booting Vista/XP machine with EasyBCD should look like this.