Archive for October, 2008
Windows Tip: Recover your password from behind those Asterisks!
Oct 31st
Great program for those times when you can not remember your saved password. It’s on your screen taunting you all asterisky star like… Staring up at you laughing to itself. Well fret no longer Admin, check out this windows only app to free your password from them stars! It worked for the three web pages i tried it on. Let us know how it worked out for you.
And in case you haven’t guessed… It’s free!
From the authors site:
From the authors site:
Asterisk Key shows passwords hidden under asterisks. Click here to download this free utility.
Features :
Uncovers hidden passwords on password dialog boxes and web pages
State of the art password
recovery engine – all passwords are recovered instantly
Multilingual passwords are supported
Full install/uninstall support
No to all? The hidden option on Windows XP.
Oct 30th
If you are like us and spend your days copying files here or there, you have definitely seen the prompted “Confirm File Replace” window. It shows up if there was another file with the same name already existing in the target destination folder.
Like below:
This “Confirm File Replace” box has 4 buttons on it.. that’s “Yes”, “Yes to All”, “No” and “Cancel”. There is no “No to All” button on the “Confirm File Replace” pop-up dialog.
Isn’t that just retarded?
If there are hundreds of duplicate files, you would have to click on no hundreds of times. Don’t you wish there was a No to all?
It looks like there is a secret super special no to all. All you need to know is a key to hold down while clicking No.
Simply press and hold the “Shift” key, and then click on the “No” button. This key and mouse sequence will convince the computer you want “No to All”.
Did you guys know about this one? I feel like a schmuck all those times I spent mashing the N key on the keyboard! … Sheeeeesh!….
Can I customize my Send To menu easily?
Oct 27th
A lot of people over look the the power of the context menu (Or right click for you laymen).
More importantly the send to command off the right click menu.
You right click and what do you see? You see a context menu… Choose send to and you see a bunch of useful places.
Now I bet you are wondering how you can customize it to your liking. Add your own favorite locations like USB drives or network locations ( and with this app even the run to window or command line). That way you can be a little more productive.
Less clicks = More productive!
You could always go the old school method below but here is a handy free application called Send To Toys that looks to make your life a little easier. It will create the shortcuts for you! It also offers some functionalities that you won’t be able to do without the help of this handy little program:
- Send To Toys Control Panel Applet allows you to manage the Send To system menu content, and configure the various Send To Toys settings:
- “Add to Send To menu” and “Remove from Send To menu” allows you to personalize the Send To system menu for drives, folders, and programs.
- Send To “Clipboard (as name)” copies the name of the file or files to the clipboard. Hold down the CTRL key to change the settings for this extension.
- Send To “Clipboard” command line utility copies the output of a command to the clipboard.
- Send To “Command Prompt” opens a DOS console window, setting the current directory to the selected file/folder.
- Send To “Default Mail Recipient” creates a new e-mail with attachments and predefined defaults for the recipients, subject, and message.
- Send To “Favorites” adds a shortcut to your Favorites list.
- Send To “Folder…” sends a file or files to another folder, you will be shown a dialog box that lets you choose where the files should be copied, moved, or have a shortcut created.
- Send To “Quick Launch” adds a shortcut to the Quick Launch toolbar.
- Send To “Recycle Bin” sends a file or files to the Recycle Bin. Hold down the CTRL key to perform a file shredding.
- Send To “Run…” sends a file or files to the Run command dialog.
I am constantly moving files here and there and all around my network – nonstop. With this little app I can easily copy or move files from one location to another with a minimal amount of clickty-clicking.
Since the desktop is where I move most files to that became my default location, which means I can just select the Folder option from the Send To menu and press enter to move a file or folder there ( My desktop/default location).
As usual Send To Toys is Free – just like AtA likes it! After you get it installed there will be a shortcut in your Start Menu as well as in the Control Panel. It is compatible with Windows 2000, 2003, XP, and Vista so go get your Send To on player!
And as promised the manual method for editing your send-to menu:
You can create a new shortcut on the Send To menu, for example, one that goes to a frequently-used folder.
- Open My Computer, and double-click the drive where Windows is installed, which is usually drive C.
- Double-click the Documents and Settings folder, and then double-click the folder for the particular user.
- Double-click the Send To folder.
- The Send To folder is hidden by default. To see the Send To folder, click Tools, click Folder Options, and then click Show hidden files and folders.
- On the File menu, point to New, and then click Shortcut.
Follow these instructions to create a shortcut.
Now, when you right-click a file, and click Send To, the shortcut to the item you selected will be an option. You can create shortcuts to local or network programs, files, folders, computers, or Internet addresses.
ExtraOutlook 1.3 – Download link.
Oct 24th
I did a write up on MakeUseOf for a little app I use called ExtraOutlook. It allows me to open multiple instances of outlook – more specifically be logged on to multiple Exchange servers. Yep Microsoft limits you to being logged into ONE Exchange server. As an Admin I need to be logged into multiple servers as multiple users AT THE SAME TIME! Instead of running a bunch of virtual machines I run ExtraOutlook. Read my whole piece here.
But as the readers pointed out in the comments I was running V 1.3 and everyone else has V 1.2…
Now I am not one to go ha, ha, ha or neener neener neener flaunting my version at ya. Instead I have made ExtraOutlook version 1.3 available to you on the AtA servers. Enjoy!
Can Vista hit me on the hip when an event occurs through the OS? Is this true and how can I configure it?
Oct 24th
Good Morning,
I just saw the link to ask you a question and here is mine. Admin do you know of a way I can configure Vista to let me know if a specific error or event happens while I am AFK?
I hear Vista can hit me on my Blackberry when an event occurs and it’s suppose to be native through the OS. Is this true and how can I configure it?I know they said its in but I be damned if I can’t find it. Hook a fellow admin up!
Your Loyal Reader JayDee
You sure can JayDee! And not only is it pretty simple – you can use any email client not only a Crackberry – check it out.
- Now you can attach a task to ANY event. Navigate through System Tools / Event Viewer / Windows Logs / Application.
- Now select an event – then look to the pane on the right and click “Attach Task to This Event.”
- Name it whatever you want and put in a description to help you remember what it is for, click through to the next step, in the Action step you will see the “Send an e-mail” option.
Attaching tasks to events can also be used as a great troubleshooting feature or to save your ass in the case something goes horribly wrong while you are away.
To make use of this, Windows Vista’s Event Viewer has something called the Task Scheduler Wizard and provides you with a bunch of choices for actions to attach to each event.
Anyone out there using this already? Hit us up in the comments?
With Forward Come Responsibilities. Is it for real or a hoax??
Oct 23rd
Who hasn’t gotten an E-mail from “friends” warning about something crazy or ridiculous? Normally these messages asks you directly to forward it to a number of people.
Just remember one thing before spreading the probable hoax – Since marketing a lie isn’t much better than making it. The most simple lie can be devastating to someone’s life (Imagine someone spreads your child’s photo as a missing kid, everywhere you go with him people will hold you till the police arrive!).
Investigate those E-mails using a reliable websites first. You might try searching the issue in snopes which will tell you if it was true or false or even undetermined. Some E-mails tell you to check a website which is not legit, or might mix some true with lies in hope you will not notice. Let’s take the old Microsoft and AOL will PAY YOU for forwarding this message – upwards of $100 per forward! WOOT!! Now if you type in some of the text from the message into Snopes you will get back this page.
Explaining that IT IS A HOAX! It’s not REAL! Stop propagating this crap!! Dig?
If you don’t wanna bother yourself to check then don’t bother forwarding it (skipping is still better then spreading false information).
