Windows Tips

Setting Up A New Machine

Software

Notepad++
For .config syntax highlighting: Settings - Styler Configurator - pick xml - add "User ext"
WinMerge
IrfanView
Firefox extensions:
- Adblock Plus.
- Dom Inspector (previously an install option on FF2, in 3 an addon)
- WebDeveloper
- ViewSource With
- FireBug
- New Tab Homepage
- MozBackup for syncing between machines
Filezilla. To sync, Site Manager/File has import/export.
Launchy- Vista like program launcher, still useful in Vista
SysInternals tools (esp Prcoess Explorer) (also see Unlocker- who locked my dll?)
SyncToy - designed for syncing photo folders, but useful as a general backup tool. For simple version control that watches a tree, FileHamster
Windows XP/7: Windows Live Essentials (offline installer)

Settings

PATH Environment Variable: required for .net csc.

1.1	;%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322;C:\Program Files\Microsoft.NET\SDK\v1.1\Bin;
2.0	;%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727;C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\SDK\v2.0\Bin;
3.5	%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5
4.0	%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319

Gacutil and the .Net Framework SDK tools are in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\Bin

WindowsXP properties/security tab isn't there by default-
Tools/Folder Options/View tab; deselect "Use simple file sharing"

XP search doesn't search .cs/ .js etc- registry hack

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex]
"FilterFilesWithUnknownExtensions"=dword:00000001

Vista/7: turn off UAC- Control Panel/User Accounts - Turn UAC on or off
Control Panel/Security Center/Change the way Security Center alerts me- Don't notify me
- See also How2Geek on Vista
- See also Vista folder settings registry hack.
- Vista run msi as administrator context menu (third setting stops Vista changing folder templates):
```
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Msi.Package\shell\RunAs]
@="Install As Admin"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Msi.Package\shell\RunAs\command]
@="msiexec /i \"%1\""

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
"FolderType"="NotSpecified"
```
- Vista Bettery saver for laptops
- To make Vista shutdown button really shutdown (instead of sleep), Control Panel - Hardware and Sound - Power Options, then under the plan, Change Plan Settings - Advanced Power Settings and Start menu power button to Shutdown.
- If installed SP1, C:\WINDOWS\system32\VSP1CLN.exe to recover disc space. For sp2, run Compcln.exe

Turn off CAPSLOCK

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,2a,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00

Development machine

Visual Studio latest + SPs + extensions/addins.
- Vista/7/8: go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE and right-click devenv.exe. In compatibility tab, set to run as administrator
- Vista/7/8: install IIS7 + IIS - Web Management - IIS6 Compatibility- IIS Metabase and IIS 6 configuration + IIS - WWW Services - ASP.Net + IIS - Security - Windows Authentication. See KB for SQL Server
General options
- Tools/Options/ TextEditor/ All Languages - Wordwrap and line numbers.
- In a web project File/Browse With - Add Firefox and make default.
- Add GhostDoc, Resharper
SQL Server latest + SPs. In Management Studio, server node rightclick/ Properties/ Security/ SQL Server and Windows Authentication (ie mixed mode)
SSMS can be slow so uncheck IE Options/Advanced tab/Security-Check publisher's certificate revocation (or put this entry in C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts: 127.0.0.1 crl.microsoft.com)
For SSL:
- PreVista: download/install IIS 6 resource kit and run SelfSSL (selfssl /T for default localhost website)
- Vista/IIS7: all in IIS manager - Scottgu

Home machine

ultimate Windows boot cd (and the non-Windows original)
XP-Win7: Mount iso images as drives
XP-Win7: AVG Free
Win 8 Shutdown tile: Create a shortcut to Shutdown.exe -s -t 00 (shutdown in 0 seconds) on desktop, customize the icon, then right-click-Pin To Start.

And see the Scott Hanselman tools list

VB6

Unfortunately still around :(

Visual Studio add-ins: MZTools.
Also TurboVBLite add in (official) older version (incl more code maintenance, a little buggy with ' but nice)
Mousewheel doesn't work fix (KB with download)
Project Analyzer - fxcop for vb6. Not free.
VB6/ASP3 debugging problems (ms kb)

_Register.bat: For %%f in (*.dll) do regsvr32 /s %%f.
For context-menu Register item, save and merge this reg file (use HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for whole machine):

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\dllfile\shell\Register\command]
@="regsvr32.exe %1"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\dllfile\Shell\Unregister\command]
@="regsvr32.exe /u %1"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Folder\shell\Cmd Here\command]
@="cmd.exe /k pushd %L "

Assign a virtual drive letter to a folder

Use DOS subst: subst x: c:\directory

To persist it in w98, put it in autoexec.bat. Cannot be used for network drives (which you can map anyway).

LUA

MS guide and see DropMyRights

DOS

Get a file list: dir *.gif /B > list.txt
Append a number of files together: copy *.txt output.txt

static void