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What do you do when a computer crash happens? Hopefully you have been managing a viable, full backup of your data so to get that machine back up and running as quickly as possible. But what happens when, unbeknown to you, that data backup is not usable? For whatever reason it’s not there, or it’s corrupt…what do you do then? Well, hopefully you have an image of your system to fall back on. And you should.

Creating a system image in Microsoft Windows 7 is a very simple task. With Windows 7 you have all the power and tools you need to create a perfectly good system image of your machine. But I wouldn’t do this at just any time. Instead you will want to take this image soon after the operating system has been installed and is set up precisely how you want it. And it won’t matter what applications you have installed, because you are not limited to burning the image to a CD or DVD. You can also house that image on an external drive. Very handy should that image grow beyond the size of a standard DVD.

So, how is this done? Let’s take a look at the process step by step.

It’s almost inevitable. In fact, it’s almost a mathematical law:

w + (d*V) = lC

Where W = the more you work at your computer, d = data, V = value of data on said computer, and lC = likely hood of crash.

This blog post is also available in the PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

Step 1

Click on the Start button and enter “backup and restore” (no quotes) which will launch the Control Panel in the Backup and Restore window. In this window you can do a number of things:

• Create a system repair disc.
• Select a backup to restore files from.
• Recover system settings or your computer.
• Create a system image.

Obviously it’s the last piece that we want. You will find the link for that tool in the left navigation. Click on that and you are ready for the next step.

Step 2

When you click the Create a system image link Windows will start searching for valid locations to place the image file. Once Windows has stopped search you will have three options:

• On a Hard Disk
• On one or more DVDs
• On a network location

Let’s take a look at the process of doing this on a hard disk. Once the discovery process is over, the tool will show all possible destinations in a drop box. Select the location you want (Figure A) and click Next.

Figure A If you decide to do this on a Network location, make sure your network connection is fast and reliable. Step 3

The final step is to review what is being backed up as well as the size of your backup. You don’t have to worry that Windows will try to save a too-large image on a drive. If there is not enough room, the process will not proceed. When you are okay with the settings, click the Start Backup button (Figure B).

Figure B Your backup size will be reported to you. The older your system the larger the image file (in most cases).

Depending upon the size of the system image you are creating, this process can take quite some time. In fact, this is a process I would leave as an overnight job (just make sure it does not interfere with any backup jobs you have scheduled.

Step 4

Now, what to do with that image? Let’s say your machine does tank. What is the process for restoring from the newly created image file? Simple. But you will have to have created a System Restore disk.

To do this, click on the start button and enter “system repair” (no quotes) in the search field and, when the results appear at the top of the window, select Create a System Repair Disc. This will pop up a single window where you select the drive to use to save this to. You can only use a disk drive in this case. You don’t have to worry about whether you are using a CD or DVD as the system repair disc is fairly small in size. Select your drive and then click Create Disc.

Step 5

Hopefully it will not come to this step, but should you have to recover your system all you need to do is pop in the system repair disc, boot from it, and (when prompted) select Restore Your Computer Using a System Image That You Created Earlier. You will have to locate the image you created and then the process will begin in reverse. Your system will be restored to whatever state it was at when you created the system image.

Final thoughts

Hopefully you will never have to use this How Do I, but on the off chance that you do, you will be very glad you took the time to create that system image when you did. Otherwise you could be very much out of luck. Remember, though, once you have created that image (and the System Restore Disc), you will want to keep those safe from harm’s way. I would highly recommend you not store the image on the same external drive you use for backups. Store the image and then store the drive - and store that system repair disc as well - in a safe place.

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The other day one of my coworkers mentioned that he needed a flat file database tool that was easy to use and ran in Microsoft Windows 7 and asked me if I could make a recommendation. (I love being asked questions like this when I already have an answer.) I quickly responded Maple! To which he replied, what? Like the Tree? I said yes, just like the tree. I then explained that was the name of the tool that combined the power of a word processing application with the organization structure of Windows Explorer to make one of the best flat file database tools that I have ever used.

After we installed it on his system and I began teaching him how to use it, he wondered why he hadn’t heard of it before. I wondered the same thing and thought that there may be others out there looking for this type of tool. Therefore, in this edition of the Windows Desktop Report, I’m going to introduce you to Maple from Crystal Office Systems.

This blog post is also available in the PDF format in a TechRepublic Download.

Getting Maple

Once you download Maple from the Crystal Office Systems Web site, installing it is a simple procedure with the Maple Setup Wizard, as shown in Figure A. You can download and try Maple for 30 days at no cost. A single-user license is $21.95. And, Maple is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, as well as Windows 7.

Figure A Installation is a very easy procedure.

When you access the Crystal Office Systems Web site, you’ll also notice that there is another version of the program called Maple Professional, which provides a set of advanced features. You’ll also find a free reader called Maple Reader that will allow other users to view any document database created with either Maple or Maple Professional.

Using Maple

As I mentioned, by combining the features of a word processing application with the organization structure of Windows Explorer, Maple is not only powerful but very intuitive. If you’ve used Microsoft Word, or a comparable word processing application, you’ll be right at home when it comes to creating documents. And of course, you’ve been using Windows Explorer for a long time, so you’ll be very comfortable creating a folder based organization structure.

When you open a new database, the only thing that appears is the Root of the folder tree. You can then rename the root and begin clicking the Add Node icon on the toolbar. You can organize the structure using the Add Sibling as well as the Move Upward and Move Downward commands. Of course, you can just drag and drop nodes wherever you want.

By default each node is represented by an icon that looks like a piece of paper, but you can fine tune your organizational structure by changing the icons - there’s a wide assortment to choose from and you can even add your own.

Each node is essentially a document and you can use the impressive word processing capabilities to design and format your documents any way that you please, as shown in Figure B. For example, you can use any font installed in Windows, predefined styles, colors, tables, and embed in images just to name a few of the word processing features. If you want to replicate the same layout in multiple nodes, you can even create templates, just like in Word. There’s even a built in spell checker.

Figure B The combination of a Windows Explorer-like structure and powerful word processing features allows you to create very organized system. Many other features

Maple has many other features that make it easy to use to keep your information organized and readily available. For instance, you can use hyperlinks to connect nodes inside a file as well as to documents, folders and application on your PC. You can also create links to Web sites and email addresses.

While you can create documents, you can also import existing documents. You can import text files, HTML files, Rich Text Format files, and Word documents. And, when you import these types of documents, they retain their exact formatting.

Once you create your document structure, finding what you need is very easy. Just access the Global Search feature, type your search term, and you’ll see a search results pane where you can select the appropriate document.

What’s your take?

I haven’t really found anything that I can’t do with Maple and I encourage you to investigate it. Do you have a need for a flat file database tool like Maple?  Do you use another similar tool? As always, if you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the TechRepublic Community Forums and let us hear from you.

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On June 23, 2010, Greg Shultz asked a very direct question: Are you or your organization still using Windows XP SP2? The poll was part of his blog post:

Official support is ending so why are you still running Windows XP SP2?

The gist of Greg’s query and the concepts he examines regarding what it means when we say that SP2 is no longer supported can be summarized in a couple of paragraphs from that post:

Well, it actually means two things. First, it means that on July 13. Microsoft will cease providing security updates and patches designed specifically for Windows XP SP2. Second, it means that hackers and evildoers worldwide will begin releasing an inordinate amount of malware aimed directly at computers running Windows XP SP2. And, there will be no defense whatsoever.

Those malevolent folks know, without a doubt, that there will be thousands of vulnerable Windows XP SP2 systems out there just ripe for the picking. In fact, they are counting on it, because they know that people and organizations who have held on to SP2 for this long are definitely procrastinators.

So are you one of the procrastinators? Are your peers procrastinators? Have you recently updated to Windows XP SP3 because of the lack of support you are now getting from Microsoft. If you are still using SP2, why are you taking the risk?

The poll results show there is still a large installed base of Windows XP SP2 PCs out there — as an information technology professional responsible for making sure your organization’s systems are secure, does that make you a little nervous?

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Microsoft has recently opened a beta of their new Windows Intune product. While the functionality in the Intune offering is not new, what is unique about it is the packaging. Intune is a collection of some of Microsoft’s most helpful desktop management tools sold as a cloud-based service. I spoke with Alex Heaton, the Intune Group Product Manager at Microsoft, to learn more. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly Intune is and is not.

When Microsoft says that Intune is a cloud-based service, it means that the management end of the application sits on Microsoft’s servers. On each desktop that you want to use with Intune, you install a local application that securely communicates with the Microsoft servers. Intune does not need any kind of integration with your Active Directory deployment or any of your servers. This eliminates a lot of potential headaches around security and also allows Intune to be used in environments without Active Directory. Microsoft has also built out a management system for managed service providers who may want to handle multiple customer accounts with Intune.

Windows Intune

Screenshot courtesy of Microsoft

Intune encompasses the following functionality:

• Antivirus: Using the same underlying technology from Forefront Endpoint Protection and Microsoft Security Essentials, Intune can perform real-time and scheduled virus scans on systems.
• License Management: If you purchase your licenses through a volume license agreement, Intune can have those licenses loaded into it and perform a system inventory to help you ensure that you stick to the terms of your licensing.
• Monitoring and Alerting: Using a system similar to Systems Center Operations Manager, Intune can alert you when there is a problem with a desktop, such as a virus infection or a failed hard drive.
• Update Deployments: Intune can manage your system updates and patches and give you control over which patches get deployed to which systems and verify that the patches have been applied.
• Remote Assistance: You can use Intune to access your PCs to perform remote problem solving.
• Policy Management: Intune has functionality for controlling certain aspects of Windows via policies. If you currently use Group Policy, your Group Policy settings will override Intune’s if there is a conflict. The full list of Intune’s policy capabilities can be found here.

If these sound familiar, it is because each one of these pieces corresponds to an existing piece of Microsoft software. The updates management is essential Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), for example.

One thing that Alex made clear is that Microsoft does not intend for the Intune features to be watered down or “light” versions of existing products. That being said, Intune will not be as full featured as the current server products due to Intune’s being in the development cycle. However, Intune will grow and expand to encompass more of the functionality of the on-premise software.

Sweet spot

Right now, it looks like the sweet spot for Intune is small shops that lack the manpower or budget to install, configure, and maintain heavy-duty server applications. From personal experience, I can tell you that applications like Forefront Endpoint Protection and SCOM do not have the most pleasant installation scenarios, and they are hardly inexpensive.

In addition, the typical IT department (especially for a smaller company) really does not need full power of many of these applications. For example, with WSUS, you usually just need to make sure that servers never do automatic patching (other than deploying definition updates for antivirus and antispam), and you must push patches to all desktop machines once a month after you have tested them and feel comfortable sending them out. Do you really want to manage an entire server and deal with the storage needs of WSUS just for that? Probably not.

I feel that for an IT department that needs the functionality that is part of Intune, they could save three to five days of installation and configuration by using Intune, and they will save themselves from creating at least three servers (or virtual machines), which can save a bundle of money. For a managed service provider (or an “on-call” systems management consultancy), Intune looks like it can be a good value add and a winner for both the consultancy and the clients.

Intune is supported on Windows XP, Vista, and 7. In addition, Intune customers will be granted upgrades for their Vista and XP machines to Windows 7 Enterprise. Unfortunately, Intune cannot manage the upgrade itself. If you want, you will also have downgrade rights. Intune-managed PCs will also be able to upgrade to future versions of Windows as they are released.

Microsoft Intune is currently in beta. You can sign up for the beta if you have five or more PCs that you are ready to manage with it and if you are able to get started within a week of signing up. Microsoft is trying to make sure that their limited beta accounts go to shops that are serious about trying the system. Intune is expected to go gold in the first half of 2011. Pricing is set for $11 per PC per month, with volume discounts available for more than 250 PCs.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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If you used Microsoft Windows 98, chances are good that you remember that operating system’s Customize This Folder wizard, which allowed you to customize your folders by setting different backgrounds and choosing a text color. A friend of mine was reminiscing about that capability the other day and asked me why this feature wasn’t one of the many bells and whistles in Microsoft Windows 7.

He really liked to be able to customize certain folders back then, as it helped him to organize content. I told him about Windows 7’s Content view, which makes keeping track of multimedia files easier. He quickly replied that Content view wasn’t the same as the Windows 98 feature, and I knew he was right. Since I had no quick comeback, I sulked off.

Later, while doing a bit of researching on the Internet, I encountered a nice little program called the Windows 7 Folder Background Changer, which was developed for The Windows Club website by Kishan Bagaria. This neat little program runs as a standalone application and works in both Windows Vista and Windows 7.

In this edition of the Windows Desktop Report, I’ll show you how to install and use the Windows 7 Folder Background Changer. I’ll also briefly revisit Windows 98 and take a look at the Customize This Folder wizard — just for old time’s sake.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

Customize This Folder wizard

Back in Windows 98, you launched the Customize This Folder wizard by right-clicking in a folder and selecting the Customize This Folder command, as shown in Figure A. You were then offered three choices:

• Create or edit an HTML document
• Choose a background picture
• Remove customization

The first option allowed you to configure the folder like a Web page complete with links, and while that was a very cool feature, not many folks took advantage of it. The most popular option was to use a background image.

Figure A Using the Customize This Folder wizard you were able to set background images for folders in Windows 98.

Once you selected that option, you would then be prompted to select a background image for the folder, as shown in Figure B. You could select from the available images in the list or use the Browse button. You could then change the text color to balance the display and keep the text readable.

Figure B In addition to choosing an image, you could alter the text color.

When you finished, you would have a unique looking folder, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C This feature allowed you to create unique looking folders in Windows 98. Getting Windows 7 Folder Background Changer

You can download your copy of the Windows 7 Folder Background Changer from The Windows Club Web site. Once you get the Zip file and extract the executable file, you can run it directly — there is no installation procedure. Right-click on the file name and select the Run as Administrator command, as shown in Figure D. When you do, you’ll have to interact with the UAC.

Figure D You must run the Windows 7 Folder Background Changer as an administrator.

When the program runs, you’ll see its straightforward user interface, shown in Figure E, and can immediately get to work customizing your folders. Note that the first time you run it, the program will restart Explorer.exe in order to make the necessary arrangements for it to be able to customize your folders. However, you won’t really notice any interruption.

Figure E The Windows 7 Folder Background Changer is very easy to use. Selecting a folder

To begin, you’ll click the Browse button and select the folder that you want to customize. When you begin browsing, you’ll discover that you cannot select the Libraries folder. As you can see in Figure F, the OK button is unavailable when you select Library. You’ll also notice that this Browse for Folder dialog box doesn’t provide a New Folder button, so you’ll have to have already created any folders that you want to customize.

Figure F You’ll use a Browse for Folder dialog box to choose the folders that you want to customize. Selecting an image

After you select the folder that you want to customize, click the Change Background Image button. You’ll see a standard Windows Browse dialog box, and you can easily browse for and select the image that you want to set as the background of the selected folder. As you do, keep in mind that for the best display, the size of the image should be in relative proportion to your current screen resolution.

For example, on my test system, the screen resolution is 1024 by 768, so a photo taken with my digital camera that is 2272 by 1704 only displayed the top right section of the picture as my folder background. After copying the image and experimenting with various sizes, I discovered that reducing the size of the image to 800 by 600 works best for a folder background on my system. That size allows me to view the entire image in a folder when the window is maximized, yet still looks good at a smaller size.

Of course, you’ll want to resize your images according to your screen resolution for optimal display. However, as a general rule I found that resizing images one notch down from the screen resolution works very well.

Selecting text color

Depending on the color of the image that you select, you’ll want to adjust the color of the text so that you can still easily read file names and other pertinent file information. To do so, just click the Text Color box to open a standard Color palette dialog box, as shown in Figure G, and then select or create your own color.

Figure G You can choose a text color from the color palette.

Below the Text Color box, you’ll see that you can add shadows by selecting the Show Shadow Under Text check box and apply the color scheme to any subfolders. You’ll also see the Uninstall button, which you can use to remove the color scheme.

Annoyances

While the Windows 7 Folder Background Changer does a great job of reviving the ability to add color to your folders, there are a couple of things that I found annoying. First, the program’s window remains in the foreground like Task Manager does. As such, it blocks your view and can get in the way. It would be nice if it had a minimize button.

And speaking of buttons, it would be nice if the Windows 7 Folder Background Changer had Apply and OK buttons. If you select an image for the background, the folder immediately pops up and the image appears as the background. However, if you change the image, you have to change directories and then back again before you see the new image. When you are done using the program, you have to click the Close button in the top right corner to exit the program.

What’s your take?

Despite the drawbacks, the Windows 7 Folder Background Changer is a nice tool and it’s FREE. Of course, this level of customization isn’t for everyone, but some users like to personalize their overall experience. Are you likely to use Windows 7’s Folder Background Changer to relive your Windows 98 days?

As always, if you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the TechRepublic Community Forums and let us hear from you.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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TechRepublic Editor in Chief, Jason Hiner, forwarded me a public relations e-mail this morning announcing a partnership between Microsoft, Laplink Software, and Ingram Micro U. S. I’ll let the press release copy explain the premise for us:

The “MoveNow” program will launch the week of July 19 and continue through September 30, 2010. It provides a free license of PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant for each Windows 7 Upgrade Open License purchased through Ingram Micro U.S. MoveNow also provides training and evaluation licenses for systems integrators, corporate IT resellers, service teams, and IT professionals.

According to Thomas Koll, Laplink’s CEO, this program will save $300 per PC upgraded to Windows 7. I have no idea how that nice round number was arrived at, so you’ll have to consider me a bit skeptical. However, this special program could indeed save some money, so I don’t discount it completely.

TechRepublic reviewed Laplink Software’s PCmover Professional not too long ago, and while the consensus was that the software was generally effective, licensing was a bit problematic. This program seems to address at least part of that issue.

In the polling we have done for the TechRepublic Microsoft Windows Blog, it is apparent that many readers of this blog are planning to migrate to Windows 7 (or are in the process of migrating). Do you think the MoveNow program described in the Laplink press release will help you? Would you welcome more programs like this?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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There are times and instances where you, as the administrator of a network or group of machines, want the users to be able to run only certain applications. Kiosk machines, library machines, educational machines, community machines — there are plenty of reasons for doing this and a few methods for achieving it. One of those methods is built in to Microsoft Windows 7 (with the exception of Windows 7 Home) with the Group Policy Editor. This tool is powerful and offers numerous features including the ability to limit applications that a user is able to run.

Using this method, a network administrator can limit the users to executing applications based on name. So if you allow the execution of the name Firefox.exe, that means a user can execute an application named Firefox.exe. This will not stop a user from renaming ApplicationX.exe to Firefox.exe and running that. So this method does presume users will either not know instinctively or be willing to figure out how to get around this basic access control.

Prior to undertaking this process, it might be wise to back up the folder C:\WINDOWS\system32 in case this configuration goes south. Should that happen, you can then restore the backup and you will be back to where you started. This backup method isn’t foolproof, but it sure beats winding up with a system that cannot start any applications.

So, with that said, this How do I document will walk you through the process of enabling users to execute only specific applications using the built-in Group Policy Editor of Windows 7.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

Step 1

The first thing you must do is open the Group Policy Editor. You won’t find a menu entry for this tool. Instead you start the tool by clicking the Start menu and then entering the command gpedit.msc. When this tool opens, you will find yourself looking at a dual-paned window that looks deceptively simple to use (Figure A).

Figure A There are quite a few settings that can be tweaked in this tool. I wouldn’t advise toying with any of these settings unless you know what you are doing. Step 2

The next step is to navigate to the correct location of the configuration option we want to change. This is to be found in the following path:

User Configuration | Administrative Templates | System

When you navigate to that path, you will want to click on the System entry to reveal the available settings in the right pane (Figure B).

Figure B Scroll down in the right pane until you see the entry for Run Only Specified Windows Applications. Step 3

Double-click on the entry for Run Only Specified Windows Applications to open the preferences for this setting. When this is opened (Figure C), you will need to first make sure Enabled is checked. Once you have done that, the Show button will become available.

Figure C You can add comments in this window in order to keep track of when this was set up and why. Documentation and tracking is always important for when things are brought up and questioned. Step 4

The next step is to click the Show button, which will open a small window where you can enter the allowed applications (Figure D). In this window, you will add, one per line, the executable file name (including extension) for each of the applications you want the users to be allowed to execute.

Figure D Make sure you are thorough in your listing so your users are able to start all necessary applications for work, otherwise you’ll be revisiting this window to add more mission-critical applications.

Once you have completed your list of allowed applications, click the OK button and then click OK on the remaining windows to dismiss them. Once these windows are gone, you have completed this task.

After this is set up, when a user attempts to launch an application that is not on the allowed list, they will receive a warning that states “The operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.”

Final thoughts

It’s not a perfect system, and on a system with savvy users, it’s fairly easy to get around. But for basic purposes, it will stop most of the average users from launching anything not on an allowed list. Also note that this method does not disable any applications that are system processes. So you won’t stop everyone using this method, but you will stop plenty of users from launching applications you don’t want them to launch.

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On June 4, 2010, I asked the TechRepublic Windows Blog readers this question:

Is the PC on the way out or is the tablet revolution a crock?

The question stemmed directly from quotes from Steve Jobs, who claimed the era of the PC was at its end, and Steve Ballmer, who said PC sales were strong and growing. I, for one, think there are situations where a tablet device makes sense, just as there are situations where a PC with keyboard and mouse are preferable.

As a follow-up to that poll, on July 9, 2010, I used a Barclays study that suggested tablets would reduce PC sales in 2011, to ask this question:

Will you or your users really give up the keyboard for a tablet PC?

The results from both polls, displayed below, leave little doubt that TechRepublic members reading the Windows Blog do not believe the tablet PC is going to completely displace the keyboard-equipped PC anytime soon. However, being the practical information technology professionals that they are, many believe the tablet PC has its place. In general, the members are living by the general rule that serves them so well in so many ways: Use the right tool for the job.

Have you got an opinion on this topic? Do you believe that the tablet PC is the future and the keyboard is on the way out? Or do you think the declaration that one form of computing device is replacing another is merely speculation and hype that ignores what is really important: getting work done?

Stay on top of the latest Microsoft Windows tips and tricks with TechRepublic’s Windows Desktop newsletter, delivered every Monday and Thursday. Automatically sign up today!

TechRepublic member mgihouse suggested this week’s poll question for the Windows Blog. If the results of the survey earlier this week, “74% of Work PCs Still Run XP, and They’re 4.4 Years Old,” are to be believed, there are going to have to be some major information technology spending taking place very soon. And since all new PCs on the market are 64-bit capable, will you deploy that version of Microsoft Windows 7?

My perception is that the ability of 64-bit machines to access memory levels past 4GB makes them very appealing. However, there is always the sticky problem of legacy applications, which may not run properly in a 64-bit environment. So some choices have to be made and the pros and cons have to be weighed.

Take the poll and then share with us the thinking behind your answer. What factors played into the decision? Was there pressure from upper management one way or another — or do they even know what we are talking about? How dynamic is the situation in your organization?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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For many users, the Recycle Bin typically found on the Microsoft Windows Desktop is an important facet of the graphical-user interface and the overall operating system experience. However, under certain conditions, which we will not go into here, the Recycle Bin has been known to disappear from the Windows Desktop. This quirky behavior is no big deal for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users because the fix is just a few clicks away under Desktop Properties.

However, for Windows XP users there is no simple way to add back the Recycle Bin to the Desktop. They have to resort to a Windows Registry file edit. In this How Do I blog post, you will find out what to edit to restore the Recycle Bin icon to the Windows Desktop.

Note: The Windows Registry is a vital component of the operating system. A corrupted Windows Registry could result in a PC that will not boot to Windows. Back up the Windows Registry before you do any edits.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download and Photo Gallery.

Start regedit

To start the Registry Editor in Windows XP, type regedit into the Run dialog box, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A Type regedit in the Run box.

Click OK and you’ll open the Registry Editor, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B Open the Registry Editor.

Inside the Registry Editor you will navigate to this entry, as shown in Figure C:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

Figure C Navigate to this entry.

Right-click on the NameSpace registry key, as shown in Figure D,  and then navigate to New | Key.

Figure D Right-click to create a new key.

Type the following string in the new key (copy and paste it would be your best bet):

645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E

You should now have a new registry key, like the one shown in Figure E.

Figure E The new key is created.

In the right-hand pane, double-click the Default entry to reveal a dialog box like the one shown in Figure F.

Figure F This is the default value.

Change the text in the Value Data box to read Recycle Bin and click OK. You should now have a key with an entry similar to the one shown in Figure G.

Figure G A new key and default entry have been created.

Close the editor and, for the sake of making sure your registry edits were successful, reboot your PC to restart the operating system. When the Windows Desktop reloads, you should have an active Recycle Bin.

Other tweaks and hacks

Have you got any other tweaks, hacks, registry edits, or quirks that you can share with your peers here on TechRepublic? Post them in the following discussion and earn yourself some tech-cred.

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If you are still using Microsoft Windows XP but thinking of moving to Windows 7, you’re probably feeling a bit apprehensive about the project. What if I told you that you could convert your entire Windows XP installation (data files and applications) into a virtual machine that you could then run inside Windows 7? Well, you can do just exactly that by using a unique product called Zinstall XP7.

Zinstall XP7 is a product designed to make it possible for Windows XP users to migrate/upgrade their existing systems to Windows 7. With Zinstall XP7, you can move your Windows XP installation, intact, from an older computer to a newer computer already running Windows 7 as well as revive your Windows XP installation after performing a Windows XP to Windows 7 Custom installation procedure on your existing computer. Zinstall calls this latter method an in-place migration, and it employs a truly unique process, which I’ll describe in detail.

In this edition of the Windows Desktop Report, I’ll show you how to use Zinstall XP7 to move your Windows XP installation into Windows 7. As I do, I’ll focus on the single computer, in-place migration procedure.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a free TechRepublic download.

What is Zinstall XP7?

Zinstall XP7 is one of a family of products designed to make it easy to migrate your existing Windows XP installation into Windows 7 where it will essentially run as a virtual computer. If you plan to migrate a few Windows XP systems into Windows 7, you’ll want to use Zinstall XP7.

Zinstall XP7 sells for $89 and can be obtained on the Zinstall site. If you will be migrating 100 or more systems, you should investigate the Zinstall Enterprise Server edition. The server edition sells for $1,799 and includes 11 migration licenses. Additional migration license packs (10 and 25) are also available.

While the Zinstall XP7 product carries the XP moniker in its name, Zinstall XP7 also supports Windows Vista and Windows 7, from the Basic edition to the Ultimate edition, and also works for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. (For example, you can use Zinstall XP7 to migrate from Windows XP Professional 32-bit to Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.) Furthermore, each operating system is supported as migration source or as migration target.

Preparation

In order to ensure a successful migration, there are several tasks that you’ll want to perform on your Windows XP system in preparation for the operation. Let’s take a closer look.

• Hardware Compatibility: In order to perform the migration operation on a single computer, the hardware of the Windows XP system must be able to support Windows 7. If you are not sure if your hardware is on par with Windows 7’s requirements, you can download and run Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
• Backup: You’ll want to back up your system using Windows XP’s Backup Utility or a third-party disk imaging tool, such as EASEUS Todo Backup, which is a free package that I used for my test configuration. (You can read a review and download Todo Backup on the CNET Download.com site.) That way if anything goes awry, you can restore your Windows XP system and get right back to work. Just to be on the safe side, you may also want to back up all your data on CD/DVD or on an external hard disk. While it may sound like overkill, having an extra backup of your data will give you peace of mind.
• Optimization: You’ll want to make sure that your Windows XP system and hard disk is in tip-top shape by running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter. Doing so will help make the operation run quickly and smoothly. By running Disk Cleanup, all unnecessary files will be removed, such as trash in the Recycle Bin and Temporary Internet Files. By running Disk Defragmenter, your hard disk will be ready for optimal performance.
• Windows Update: You’ll want to run Windows Update on your Windows XP system and make absolutely sure that all current updates are downloaded and installed.
• Security Software: The folks at Zinstall have noted that many antivirus and firewall products can interfere with Zinstall during the actual migration procedure. As such, you should disable any antivirus and firewall products on your Windows XP system before you begin. Keep in mind that if the migration procedure fails, you are given the opportunity to send a diagnostic report to the Zinstall Support Team, who will then offer to provide a live, remote support session to fix the problem. (I found the folks at the Zinstall Support Team to be prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable.)

Window XP to Windows 7 upgrade

As you may know, when you insert a Windows 7 Upgrade DVD into a Windows XP system, you will be performing what Microsoft calls a Custom installation. A Custom installation is not designed to migrate your programs, data files, or settings into Windows 7, and as such it is also referred to as a clean installation for that reason. However, a Custom installation does in fact save your entire Windows XP configuration in a folder on your hard disk called Windows.old.

Using their years of accumulated knowledge in enterprise IT, virtualization, and computer forensics, the folks at Zinstall have figured out a way to use the data stored in the Windows.old folder to revive and recreate a virtual copy of your original Windows XP installation. With this in mind, let’s begin with a look at the Windows 7 installation procedure.

Within the first couple of steps of the Windows 7 installation procedure, you’ll see the Which Type of Installation Do You Want? prompt, Select the Custom option, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A When you insert Windows 7 Upgrade DVD into a Windows XP system, you must select the Custom option.

After you choose the Windows XP partition, you’ll see the confirmation dialog box shown in Figure B. As you can see, the information displayed indicates that the Windows.old folder will be created. Once you click OK, the installation procedure will take off.

Figure B This dialog box indicates that the Windows.old folder will be created.

While you don’t actually need to do anything with the Windows.old folder, you may want to take a look at it after Windows 7 is installed just for curiosity sake. As you can see in Figure C, the Windows.old folder is located in the root folder of your hard disk. If you open the Windows.old folder and navigate around, you’ll see that all your XP system and data files are intact inside the folder.

Figure C You can find the Windows.old folder on your hard disk. Running Zinstall XP7

Once you have the Zinstall XP7 executable file on your Windows 7 system, just double-click it and follow the straightforward steps to install and activate the software. You’ll then see the Zinstall dialog box, which prompts you to select your migration scenario, as shown in Figure D. For this example, I am going to migrate by rebuilding from the Windows.old folder, so I’ll select the I Only Have This PC option to continue.

Figure D

To perform the migration on a single system, you’ll select the I Only Have This PC option.

You’ll then be prompted to choose the hard drive that you are migrating from, as shown in Figure E. To continue, select the No, I Am Doing an In-Place Migration option.

Figure E You’ll then be prompted to choose the hard drive that you are migrating from.

You’ll then see a Zinstall window that will begin searching for the Windows.old folder. It will show the Source and Target computers. When the Go button turns green, as shown in Figure F, you can click it to begin the migration procedure.

Figure F When the Go button turns green, you can click it to begin the migration procedure.

The actual migration is a lengthy process involving multiple operations, as shown in Figure G, and can take several hours depending on the size of your Windows XP installation. For instance, my 120GB hard disk took a little over an hour to finish.

Figure G The actual migration is a lengthy process that involves multiple operations. Accessing Windows XP

Once you complete the migrations step, you’ll see a Zinstall icon in the system tray. To access your Windows XP installation, you can just double-click on the Zinstall icon. You can also access your Windows XP installation by right-clicking on the Zinstall icon and selecting Switch to Old Desktop command, as shown in Figure H. Alternatively, you can select the Switch to Old Desktop command from the Start menu.

Figure H You can access Windows XP by right-clicking on the Zinstall icon and selecting Switch to Old Desktop command.

When you switch, the entire desktop changes between Windows 7 and Windows XP — you won’t see Windows XP running in a window in Windows 7. When you are in the Windows XP environment, you can use the same technique to switch back to Windows 7.

Working with the two systems

To make working with the two systems as easy as working on one system, the Windows 7 and Windows XP environments are fully integrated. For example, you can copy files and text between the two systems just like you copy files and text between two different applications. To copy a file from the Windows 7 environment to the Windows XP environment, just right-click on the file, select Copy, switch to Windows XP, and paste the file.

For larger-scale file access operations, you can access files on either system by right-clicking the Zinstall icon and selecting the Show Old/New Desktop Files option. This will open a Windows Explorer window showing all the files available on the other system.

Network and Internet access is automatically enabled. If Windows 7 has access, so does Windows XP. This works with any kind of connection, wireless included.

Removable storage connected to the Windows 7 system is automatically available in the Windows XP environment. To access removable storage, use the Show New Desktop Files option in Windows XP.

What’s your take?

Will you use this Zinstall XP7 to migrate your Windows XP system? As always, if you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the TechRepublic Community Forums and let us hear from you.

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This month’s patches were nice and short. Unfortunately, two of the patches are for publicly reported vulnerabilities, and it baffles me that we had to wait until Patch Tuesday for them, while we got cumulative updates for Windows Media Play out-of-band.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download. The previous month’s Microsoft Patch Tuesday blog entries are also available.

Security Patches

MS10-042/KB2229593 - Critical (XP)/Low (2003): This is the patch for the Help bug that was publicly disclosed in June. You will want to apply it immediately. 745KB - 2.2MB

MS10-043/KB2032276 - Critical (W7)/Important (2008 R2): A problem with the Canonical Display Driver is allowing remote code execution attacks. Even though Windows’ randomization of memory makes it hard for this attack to execute code, you should install this patch as soon as you can. 475KB - 623KB

MS10-044/KB982335 - Critical (Office 2007, Office 2007): There’s a security problem in the Microsoft Office Access ActiveX controls that can allow remote code execution attacks. This fix resolves the problem. Since you should not be allowing untrusted Web sites to run ActiveX, you can wait until your next patch cycle for this one.  3.7MB - 10.3

MS10-045/KB978212 - Important (Office XP, Office 2003, Office 2007): This patch resolves an issue in Outlook that allows remote code execution attacks with the same rights as the logged-in user if the user opens an attachment. Microsoft downgrades this because of the limited rights, but I think it is much more important due to it being an issue with opening attachments. I suggest that you install this patch quickly. 4.2MB - 12.5MB

Other Updates

KB982300 - An update for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 to resolve an issue where some computers crash on restart if they have certain LSI 1394 (FireWire) controllers. 160KB - 200KB

“The Usual Suspects”: Updates to the Malicious Software Removal Tool (11.5MB - 11.8MB) and Junk Email filters (2.2MB).

Changed, but not significantly:

Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista (KB971644)

Updates since the last Patch Tuesday

There have been a number of minor items added and updated since the last Patch Tuesday:

.NET 3.5 SP1 update for 2008 and Vista (KB956250) 2.0MB - 6.3KB

Update for the Active Directory Domain Services Best Practice Analyzer for 2008 R2 x64 (KB980360) 276KB

Update for Windows 7 and 2008 R2 to work better with apps designed for Vista (KB980846) 529KB - 1.4MB

Windows Media Player Cumulative Update for Vista (KB981078) 10.2MB - 11.0MB

Compatibility Update for Vista, Windows 7, 2008, and 2008 R2 (KB982519) 1.7MB - 4.0MB

.NET 2.5 SP1 and 2.0 SP2 Update for 2003 and XP (KB982524) 116KB - 313KB

.NET 3.5 SP1 update for Vista and 2008 (KB982525) 2.0MB - 6.3MB

.NET 3.5 SP1 update for Windows 7 and 2008 R2 (KB982526) 1.9MB - 6.2MB

.NET Client Profile 4 for XP, Vista, and Windows 7 (KB982670) 2.0MB - 43MB

.NET 4 for XP, Vista, Windows 7, 2003, 2008, and 2008 R2 (KB982671) 2.0MB - 54MB

Changed, but not significantly:

• MS10-026 Security Update for Windows 2000 (KB977816)
• MS10-035: Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (KB982381)
• MS10-041: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Security Update for XP and 2003 (KB982865)
• MS09-061: Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1 Security Update for 2000, XP, Vista, and 2008 (KB953297)
• Update for Windows PowerShell 2.0 and WinRM 2.0 for Windows Server 2008 (KB968930)
• Update for Best Practices Analyzer for File Services for Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Edition (KB981111)

Stay on top of the latest Microsoft Windows tips and tricks with TechRepublic’s Windows Desktop newsletter, delivered every Monday and Thursday. Automatically sign up today!

On June 11, 2010, I asked the readers of the TechRepublic Microsoft Windows Blog this poll question:

How often does the Windows patch process hose your systems?

Looking at the results, I guess we can take a certain measure of reassurance in that 73% of the respondents very seldom or never see Microsoft Patch Tuesdays that hose their systems. However, that is probably little consolation to the other remaining 27% who experience problems on a fairly regularly basis.

One way to avoid problems is to be prepared for the patches as they are released. TechRepublic Contributor Justin James analyses all the Microsoft patches each month in a recurring series we call Microsoft Patch Tuesdays. Subscribe to the TechRepublic Microsoft Windows Blog or the Windows Desktop Newsletter and/or follow me on Twitter (markwkaelin@twitter) and you’ll be notified when we publish the blog post describing the patches each month.

By the way, tomorrow is another Microsoft patch day — are you ready for it?

Stay on top of the latest Microsoft Windows tips and tricks with TechRepublic’s Windows Desktop newsletter, delivered every Monday and Thursday. Automatically sign up today!

In his Tech Sanity Check Blog post, Jason Hiner uses studies by Barclays and Gartner as a basis for his prediction that 2011 tablet PC sales will reduce sales of Intel and Microsoft Windows-based personal computers. The Barclays study suggests that, rather than Tablets supplementing keyboard-equipped PCs, they will actually supplant them. Sales of Windows-based keyboard PCs will be reduced, and they will be replaced by the Apple iPad and its ilk.

While I agree there are going to be millions of Apple iPads and competitor products that follow in its wake sold in 2011, I do not believe that really means users and the information technology professionals who support them are giving up their keyboards?

OK, I admit I have a bias here. I have used the Apple iPad and I really don’t understand what the appeal is. It does have a nice screen, but so does my notebook. It can play videos and music, but so does my notebook. I can check my stock portfolio, baseball box scores, and e-mail with a tablet, but I can do that already with my notebook. Tablets PCs don’t do anything I cannot already do.

On the other hand, I have a keyboard on my notebook PC, which is vital to all my interactions — tablets have clunky simulated keyboards that allow only the basic two-finger typing I stopped using way back in high school. With all due respect to Steve Jobs, there is nothing magical or revolutionary about the iPad or any Tablet.

I mainly use computers for two things — writing and playing computer games — both of which require a keyboard. And I don’t mean games like Tetris, I mean serious hardcore games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Civilization. Tablets like the Apple iPad just don’t cut it.

So the poll question I have is: Will you or your users really give up the keyboard for a tablet PC? Can you or your users really conduct normal day-to-day business with a computing device that does not have a keyboard? Will the tablet move beyond the niche markets where it has been proven to be effective to a broader user base? And if that does occur, are you ready to support it?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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Microsoft Windows 7 has proven to be a very good computing environment. It’s not perfect, but it’s as close as Microsoft has ever come. But if you are like me, you hate some of the annoying “features” of Windows 7. One of those features is the Solve PC Issues white flag that pops up to inform you that Windows can show you just how to solve a specific problem.

These problems can range from the innocuous and easy “Updates Available” to more complex firewall and security issues. Having this notification is all fine and good when you are an old hat at using a PC, but when you are a new user (or an end user who thinks they are an old hat), the ability to “solve” problems only causes more problems in the end. So, to get around this issue, I always like to disable this little “feature” in Windows 7 so that end users don’t use a “solution” for a “problem” and as a result cause more problems.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a free TechRepublic download.

To make this feature go away, there are a few options. I will outline three different ways to change this behavior:

• Change visibility of actions
• Disable some action notifications
• Disable the feature all together

The above list goes from easiest to most difficult. The first option removes all notifications from the notification area. The second option allows you to specify which warnings are shown. The final option disables the service all together. Which method is best suited for you? Let’s look at the easiest method first.

Change visibility of actions

Instead of completely disabling this service, you can simply change the visibility of the notifications. This will mean the service is still available, only it’s not made visible to users. To make this change, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Flag icon from your notification area in the right corner (Figure A).
2. Click the Open Action Center.
3. From within the Action Center, click Change User Account Control Settings.
4. From the User Account Control Settings, pull the toggle all the way down to Never Notify.
5. Click OK.

Now the user will receive no notifications of warnings or issues.

Figure A If you click on the Flag icon, you will see all the current issues that are occurring on your machine. This behavior can clue users into taking steps to “fix” the problem. Disable some action notifications

But what if you want your users to be notified of certain issues? Say, for example, you want to make sure you user gets warnings related to virus protection (such as out-of-date signatures). In order to do this, you need to follow these steps:

1. Click on the Flag icon from your notification area.
2. Click the Open Action Center.
3. From within the Action Center, click Change Action Center Settings.
4. Leave checked only the options you want your users to be informed of (Figure B).
5. Click OK.

That’s it. Now your users will be made aware only of those issues you want them to know about. This can come in very handy when you don’t want to have to babysit an end-user PC for EVERY issue. Good candidates are virus protection (as mentioned) and the User Account Control.

Figure B Use caution when disabling the User Account Control. Although an annoying feature, it does do a good job of warning new users when they might be doing something they shouldn’t. Disable the feature all together

The final choice is the most difficult as it involves editing the registry. This option will completely disable the feature all together. I will warn you, as any other time you are dealing with the registry, make sure you back up your registry (in case something goes very wrong). Here are the steps to disable this feature in the registry:

1. Click the Start button.
2. In the Run dialog box, enter regedit.
3. If the UAC window opens (warning you that the program is going to start), allow the application to run.
4. Navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting entry.
5. Double-click on the disable parameter.
6. Change the disable parameter from 0 to 1.
7. If the disable key is not present, right-click in the window and select New Dword.
8. Name the new Dword disable and set it to 1.
9. Close the Registry Editor.

That’s it.

Final thoughts

Depending on your needs, one of the above methods will be able to serve you. Whether you need to not let your users see all warnings, only see specific warnings, or disable the feature all together, there is a way. Just remember, when they don’t see those warnings, it might fall to you to make sure their PCs are running well and all warnings are taken care of. It’s a good idea to remove certain notifications from your users (do they really need to know there are updates available for their system?). Not only can this avoid certain headaches, it can keep your users from growing frustrated because they think something might be “wrong” with their machine.

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This information is also available as a PDF download. This blog post was originally published in the 10 Things Blog on August 1, 2007.

Windows Vista has some great new security and functionality features, as well as cool eye candy, such as Aero transparency, Flip 3D, and other graphical tricks. But all this comes with overhead that may lead to a performance hit on anything less than a top-of-the-line supercomputer.

If you find Vista’s performance lagging, the good news is that you can make it run faster. Here are some of the steps you can take.

#1: Add more RAM

There’s no denying it: Vista is a RAM-hungry operating system. Whereas XP usually runs great on 512MB, you really need a minimum of a gigabyte to run Vista acceptably. Two gigs is even better, and if you turn on all the graphical features and keep a lot of programs open, especially those that use a lot of memory, four gigs isn’t overkill.

Luckily, RAM is still relatively inexpensive — but it’s rumored to be on the rise, so get as much of it as you can, while you can. You won’t regret it.

#2: Use ReadyBoost

Can’t add physical RAM? Maybe you have a laptop that already has the maximum amount of memory installed. In that case, Vista provides you with a way to fool your computer into thinking it has more RAM than it does. You can use a flash memory card or USB key to boost the system memory; Vista can access the flash memory more quickly than data stored on the hard disk.

It’s best to use a high-performance flash card or USB drive for ReadyBoost. When you insert it, Windows will ask if you want to use it to speed up system performance, and then you can allocate how much of the card’s/drive’s memory you want to use for that purpose. The rest can be used for storing data. For more info about ReadyBoost, see this Microsoft feature description.

#3: Get a good video card

If you have enough RAM, the most likely hardware culprit on a slow-moving Vista machine is the video card. You need a fairly high-end card to run Aero at all, but some computer vendors are selling computers with graphics cards that run it badly. You can find out whether your video card is the bottleneck by checking your Windows Experience Index (WEI) score from the Performance Information and Tools applet in Control Panel.

The onboard video adapters in most systems aren’t powerful enough to run Vista properly. If you want to run Aero and be happy doing it, get a card that’s Vista Premium Certified. As with system RAM, the more video RAM the better, and if you want to play Vista games, be sure your card supports Direct X 10.

#4: Eliminate extra startup programs

You may find that you have a lot of programs loading automatically when you boot Windows, especially if you bought your Vista system from a hardware vendor who added lots of software. Some of these you may want, such as antivirus or anti-spyware programs, but many of them you probably don’t even use or use only occasionally and don’t want to run all the time. Yet they’re all loading into memory and consuming your system resources — and thus slowing down your computer as they run in the background.

Some programs can be prevented from starting automatically by removing them from the Startup folder. Others are configured in the registry to run at startup. Many can be managed through the Windows Defender Software Explorer, which you can access from the Manage Startup Programs link in the left pane of the Performance Information and Tools applet.

#5: Turn off visual enhancements

There are a lot of visual enhancements that make Vista look like Vista, such as the animations when minimizing and maximizing windows, fading or sliding menus, shadows under the menus and mouse pointer, and thumbnails of graphics files instead of dull icons. However, all this bling uses resources, and if performance is your priority, the operating system will run faster without them.

The Performance Options dialog box can be accessed through the Adjust Visual Effects link in the left pane of the Performance Information and Tools applet. On the Visual Effects tab, you can customize these settings individually, turning off the ones you don’t want, to help speed performance. Or you can disable all of the visual effects by clicking the Adjust for Best Performance option.

#6: Adjust indexing options

Vista has a much-improved search function, but it’s dependent on indexing the files and programs on your hard disk so they can be found quickly. When the indexing process is running, however, it can slightly slow down other programs you’re trying to run at the same time.

You can select the locations you want to index; fewer locations will result in less indexing and thus better overall performance. On the other hand, you’ll get better search performance by indexing all locations. You can’t turn the indexing feature off completely, but you can adjust locations indexed by selecting Adjust Indexing Options in the left pane of the Performance Information and Tools applet.

#7: Clean up and defrag the disk

Fragmented files or a lot of unneeded extra files on the disk can slow down performance. Vista provides a disk cleanup tool, which you can access from Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools. Specify a drive you want to clean up, and the tool will estimate the amount of space you can recover by running the cleanup process.

Defragmenting the disk rearranges data on it so that all the parts of a file are together; this allows Vista to access those files more quickly. The built-in disk defragmenter is also accessed from the System Tools menu. The defragmentation process itself can slow down your computer, so you may want to schedule it to run at a time when you aren’t using the computer. Third-party defrag utilities are also available.

#8: Adjust your power settings

If you don’t mind using more power, you can boost performance by setting your power settings to the High Performance option. Click the Power Options applet in Control Panel and select that choice. By default, this configuration is set to Balanced, which limits the CPU to 50% power during normal operation.

#9: Turn off the sidebar

The sidebar is a cool feature of Vista, but if you don’t use its applets, you can save some resources by disabling it. First, right-click it and select Properties. Next, deselect the check box to start the sidebar when Windows starts. Then, close the sidebar by right-clicking it and selecting Close.

#10: If all else fails, turn off Aero

This is a last-resort option for most Vista users; after all, Aero is what makes Vista look like Vista. But if you don’t care for all the eye candy and/or have a low-powered machine and you still want the functionality advantages of the new OS (search, security, Explorer enhancements, etc.), you can definitely speed things up by going back to the nontransparent look.

To do so, right-click the desktop and select Personalize, then click Windows Color and Appearance. Now, click Open Classic Appearance Properties for More Color Options. From the drop-down list box on the Appearance tab, select any theme except Aero (Windows Vista Basic, Windows Standard, or Windows Classic).

As you may know, Microsoft Windows 7 provides a new and improved version of a tool that also appeared in Windows Vista and Windows XP and is designed for managing network-based logon credentials (i.e. user names and passwords) from sources that adhere to Microsoft credential management standards. The Windows 7 tool is called Credential Manager and is more advanced than the simplistic tool called Stored User Names and Passwords that came with Windows Vista and Windows XP.

With credentials stored in these tools, you will be able to automatically log on to a server/site without first being prompted to provide a user name and password. For example, Windows 7’s Credential Manager can store credentials and automatically log you in to Windows Live services such as Hotmail and SkyDrive, Microsoft Office services such as Outlook Web Access for Exchange Server as well as Windows servers and Remote Desktop connections.

In this Windows Desktop Report blog post, I’ll introduce you to the Windows 7’s Credential Manager and explain how it works. I’ll also briefly examine the Stored User Names and Passwords tools in Windows Vista and Windows XP for comparison purposes.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a free TechRepublic download.

Access the Credential Manager

You can quickly access the Credential Manager in Windows 7 by clicking the Start button and typing Credential in the Start Search dialog box. As soon as you do, you’ll see Credential Manager appear in the results panel, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A You’ll see Credential Manager appear in the results panel.

Alternatively, you can find the Credential Manager in the User Accounts and Family Safety section of the Control Panel, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B Credential Manager can be found in the User Accounts and Family Safety section of the Control Panel.

Either way, when you launch the Credential Manager, you’ll see its window, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C Credential Manager is very user-friendly. Windows Vault

As you can see by the icon near the top of the window, the default storage location for the credentials is called Windows Vault. This is just a generic name for the hidden Credentials folder on your hard drive. If you are connected to a domain, this folder is in the path C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft. If you are using peer-to-peer network, the folder is in the path C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft. As you might imagine, the files in the Vault/Credentials folder are encrypted.

Backup and Restore the Windows Vault

Beneath the Windows Vault icon, you’ll see links to the Back Up Vault and Restore Vault operations. In addition to having a backup in case of accidental deletion or corruptions, this feature makes it easy to transfer a user’s credentials from one system to another.

When you click Back Up Vault Link, you’ll encounter a wizard that walks you through a process, as shown in Figure D, that includes accessing the Secure Desktop via CTRL+ALT+DELETE where you are prompted to password-protect your credential backup file.

Figure D During the backup process, you’ll enter the Secure Desktop and add a password to the credential backup file.

During the Restore process, shown in Figure E, you need to access the Secure Desktop to enter the password before you can restore the credential backup file.

Figure E Before you can restore the credential backup file, you’ll need to access the Secure Desktop to enter the password.

(Keep in mind that even if you have disabled the Secure Desktop, you’ll still encounter the Secure Desktop while backing up and restoring the credential backup file.)

Credential types

The Credential Manager separates the types of credentials that it stores into three categories: Windows Credentials, Certificate-Based Credentials, and Generic Credentials.

• Windows Credentials are user names and passwords used to log on to Windows-based network shares, Web sites that use Windows Integrated Authentication, and Remote Desktop/Terminal Server Connections.
• Certificate-Based Credentials are for smart cards and other similar devices.
• Generic Credentials are for third-party applications that manage authorization separate from the credentials of the currently logged-on user. (Almost any credentials that adhere to the Microsoft standard can be stored in the Generic Credentials category.)

Keep in mind that Credential Manager is not used to store all types of credentials used for connecting to Web sites. For example, most Web site credentials in Internet Explorer are handled by the AutoComplete feature.

Adding/Editing credentials

In many cases, credentials are automatically added to Credential Manager. For example, when you set up a Remote Desktop Connection and select the Allow Me to Save Credentials check box, as shown in Figure F, the user name and password will be saved in the Windows Vault.

Figure F When you select the Allow Me to Save Credentials check box in Remote Desktop Connection, credentials are automatically added to Credential Manager.

You can add credentials manually by clicking the Add Link in any of the categories and filling in the required fields in the dialog box. For example, if you click Add a Windows Credential to set up a Remote Desktop Connection, you’ll fill in the Add a Windows Credential window, as shown in Figure G. As you can see, I opted to enter the computer name in the first text box, but I could have just as easily used the computer’s IP address instead.

Figure G You can manually add credentials by clicking Add Link in any of the categories and filling in the required fields in the dialog box.

Once you have credentials set up, you can view them by clicking the adjacent arrow button, as shown in Figure H. Once you reveal the credential, you can edit the entry by clicking the Edit link or delete the entry by clicking the Remove from Vault link.

Figure H Once you have credentials set up, you can view them by clicking the adjacent arrow button. Credentials for developers

If you are a developer, you can learn how to take advantage of the Credentials Management application programming interface (API) in Windows 7 by investigating the Credentials Management resource on the MSDN site.

Stored User Names and Passwords

The Stored User Names and Passwords tool in Windows Vista and Windows XP works similarly to the Windows 7 version. Credentials can be added automatically or manually, and once in place they will allow you to automatically log on to a server/site without first being prompted to provide a user name and password.

The Stored User Names and Passwords tool can be launched by pressing [Windows]+R to access the Run dialog box and then typing control userpasswords2 in the Open text box. In Vista, you will need to work through a UAC before you get to the User Accounts dialog box. In XP, you’ll immediately see the User Accounts dialog box. In the User Accounts dialog box, you’ll select the Advanced tab. From the Advanced tab, you’ll click the Manage Passwords button.

As you can see in Figure I, the Windows Vista version allows you to back up and restore the credentials as well as add, remove, and edit credentials.

Figure I

The Windows Vista version also allows you to back up and restore the credentials.

The Windows XP version of the Stored User Names and Passwords tool, shown in Figure J, allows you to add, remove, and edit (via Properties) credentials.

Figure J The Windows XP version of the Stored User Names and Passwords tool doesn’t have backup or restore capabilities. What’s your take?

Have you investigated the Credential Manager in Windows 7? Have you used the Stored User Names and Passwords tool in Vista or XP? What has been your experience with these tools? Do you find them advantageous? As always, if you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the TechRepublic Community Forums and let us hear from you.

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On May 21, 2010, I asked the readers of the TechRepublic Microsoft Windows Blog this poll question:

Is the practical computer education in grades K-12 adequate?

We wanted to get an indication of how well our education infrastructure was doing with regard to developing IT literacy. As was to be expected, the poll respondents were scattered across the spectrum, and the comments that followed in the discussion thread backed the results. The general consensus was that we are not achieving the best results and the results that are achieved vary greatly depending on location.

So the real question is what should we do about it? Is there anything we really can do? And, should we do it?

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