Hiding the Windows Live Messenger icon
If you use Windows Live Messenger a lot, you’ll have noticed that the icon now resides on the taskbar, where you can easily change status and quickly send an IM to someone. If you prefer to keep Windows Live Messenger in the system tray, where it’s been for previous releases, just close Windows Live Messenger, edit the shortcut properties and set the application to run in Windows Vista compatibility mode.

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1. Windows key + Left: docks current window to the left side of the screen.
2. Windows key + Right: docks current window to the right side of the screen.
3. Windows key + Up: maximizes and/or restores foreground window.
4. Windows key + Down: minimizes active window.
5. If you want a more Vista-esque taskbar rather than the superbar (why anyone would revert is beyond me), right-click the Taskbar, go to Properties, check the ‘Use small icons’ option, then change the “Taskbar Buttons” option to ‘Never combine.’
6. Windows 7 now burns ISO files themselves instead of making users grapple with third-party applications.
7. For those lucky people with a multi-monitor setup, Windows + SHIFT + Left (or Right) will shift a window from monitor to monitor.
8. Gone is the “Add Font” dialog. It’s been replaced with a much nicer system. Download a font and double-click it (you’ll be greeted with the familar font window, but you should notice it now has a ‘Install’ button).
9. Windows 7 now includes Gabriola. This is an elaborate display typeface that takes advantage of OpenType layout to create a variety of stylistic sets.
10. If you press Windows + 1, it will create a new instance of the first icon in the task bar. This is handy if you do a lot of coding and need to open several instances of a program.
11. If you right-click on a Taskbar icon, it brings up the much talked about Jump List. However, the same can be done by clicking with the left mouse button and dragging the icon “out” (so to speak). This was specifically designed for touch-enabled computers, such as your ly HP TouchSmart PC.
12. To run a program as an Administrator, it’s now as easy as holding CTRL + SHIFT when you open the application.
13. With Windows 7, you can now create a ‘System Repair Disc.’ This is a CD bootable version of Windows 7 that includes the command prompt and a suite of system tools. Very handy for those really tough spots (which, with this still in beta, could be just around the corner). To get to this, simply open the Start Menu and type: “system repair disc” in the search field.

NUnitForms

NUnitForms is an NUnit extension for unit and acceptance testing of Windows Forms applications.

url : http://nunitforms.sourceforge.net/

SWExplorerAutomation

What is SWExplorerAutomation?

The program creates an automation API for any Web application which uses HTML and DHTML and works with Microsoft Internet Explorer. The Web application becomes programmatically accessible from any .NET language.   

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Are you tired of Vista’s Aero theme?

If so, then you should start using custom themes in Windows Vista. Unfortunately Windows Vista doesn’t provide any straight forward way to use custom themes. 

Option 1

In order to use third party custom themes in Vista  you will have to do a hack by patching the three system files viz, uxtheme.dll, shsvcs.dll and themeui.dll. These 3 theme files reside in %systemroot%\System32 folder. Fortunately you don’t have to do the patch yourself. It has already been patched and can be downloaded from the link below:-

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Windows Vista has numerous ways to launch an application. Here are some of the ways to launch an application in Vista:-

• Double-click on a program icon in Explorer, on the Desktop.
• Double-click on a file associated with an application to launch that application and open the file.
• Pick the name of a program from the Start menu.
• Click on a program’s icon in the Quick Launch Toolbar to start it
• Right-click on a file, executable, or application icon and choose Open.
• Select (highlight) an icon and press the Enter key.
• Type the filename of a program in the Address Bar, which is displayed above the toolbar in any folder window, in Explorer, in Internet Explorer, or even as part of the Taskbar. You may also have to include the path (the folder and drive names) for some items.
• Type in the filename of a program from the Start Search box and press Enter. You may also have to include the path (the folder and drive names) for some items.
• Type in the first few letters or the entire name of a program (not necessarily the filename) in the Start Search box, choose the program you want to run from the list that appears, and press Enter. For example, if you wanted to run Microsoft Word, you could type Word, then select the Microsoft Word icon and press Enter.
• Open a Command Prompt window and type the name of the program at the prompt.
• Create shortcuts to files or applications. A shortcut is a kind of pointer or linka small file and associated icon that point to a file or program in another location. You can put these shortcuts on the Desktop, in the Start menu, or anywhere else you find convenient. Double-click on a shortcut to launch the program. To launch programs automatically at startup, just place a shortcut in your Startup folder (C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp).

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If you are looking to increase your Windows Vista SATA Disk Drive Performance you can definitely do so. What your first step is in doing so is setting up your write caching. But keep in mind as you do that there is a risk of data loss and corruption in the event of a power loss. This loss is only significant in a personal computer, the risk is a lot less in a lap top because, it runs on batteries.

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If you are looking to speed up your Vista Start Menu searching methods then you can try this. Go to your Start Menu and narrow down the scope of the search. In other words try to narrow down what you are looking for. Instead of a general term use something more specific. There are two ways in which you can do this.

The first way is called the Registry hack and for that this is what you have to do.

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You can set up your computer to log on automatically at startup even if it has more than one account or if your account is password-protected. You may like automatic logon if you’re the main user but sometimes others log on, or if you keep your own separate accounts for different tasks.

To log on automatically at startup:

1. Choose Start, type control userpasswords2 in the Search box, and then press Enter.
or
If you’re connected to a network domain, choose Start > Control Panel > User Accounts >Advanced Options. If a security prompt appears, type an administrator password or confirm the action.

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