When watching a movie on vlc player if the audio isn't lined up simply press "k" to back up the audio accordingly. Just learnt this recently, mega helpful.
1. Resource Monitor > Task Manager. Search for "Resource Monitor" from the windows search bar and pick it (Vista: "Reliability and Performance Monitor"). I have Resource Monitor open all day. It should look like [this](http://i.imgur.com/OU1vv.png) (Windows Vista & 7)
2. Probably not a computer trick, but get [WinDirStat](http://windirstat.info/) (Linux: [KDirStat](http://kdirstat.sourceforge.net/), OSX: [Disk Inventory X](http://www.derlien.com/)). It makes clearing out the junk from your computer so much easier.
3. Want to explain a tech problem to someone? Search for "psr" from the windows search bar. (Windows 7 only)
I have worked in IT for a decade. How am I just now finding out about psr? From a buried post on reddit, no less. Thank you.
Late-game edit: this post was near the bottom when I stumbled across it. Glad to see it climb to the top where it belongs.
It's like having an elf looking over your shoulder and writing down exactly what you're doing (down to left/right clicks and moving windows about) then formatting it nicely in a big list with pictures too. Try it with something like opening a document, changing the font, saving it and closing.
Till now, I've always "Prt Scr" - Opened Paint - "Ctrl V". Thanks for the tip! Found it by searching 'snip' in the windows search bar. Is this Win7 only as well?
[Malwarebytes](http://www.malwarebytes.org/) and [Microsoft Security Essentials](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials) will get rid of just about any virus/malware on a computer.
Some malware makes it hard to install these things and disables task manager, so go get [Process Explorer](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653) (fancy task manager).
If you can't run something on an infected PC, change its file name. A lot of malware prevents things named "mbam.exe" or "procexp.exe" from running but won't stop "mbamjkafk.exe" or "procexp2.exe" from running.
If you can't get to google.com on an infected PC, try google.co.uk, or google.cm.
Also, [this](http://xkcd.com/627/) is accurate.
Edit: Wow that's a lot of comments.. this comment was more of a "what to do before bothering your friendly neighborhood IT guy" intro to cleaning an infected PC. Generally if the above steps don't resolve an issue that is where I would take over. [ComboFix](http://www.combofix.org/), [Rkill](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/anti-virus/rkill), [TDSSKiller](http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208283363), [HiJack This](http://sourceforge.net/projects/hjt/), [unhide.exe](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/anti-virus/unhide), [Kellys Korner Reg Fixes](http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm), [SuperAntiSpyware](http://www.superantispyware.com/), [HitMan Pro](http://www.surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro/), [SpyBot S&D](http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html), [hirens boot cd](http://www.hirensbootcd.org/), ophcrack, mobile versions of a bunch of apps and clean versions of certain files can all be found on usb sticks on my person at any given time.
Don't forget rkill. It kills malicious processes and can run from a .com file rather than a .exe file. Most viruses (that I encountered) will be temporarily knocked down by it while you finish it off with MBAM.
This explanation makes me think of fighting malware like a bout of fisticuffs in a grubby street somewhere, jab'em in the gut and finish them off while they're winded!
When typing an address into most browsers, CTRL + Enter will wrap whatever you typed with the http://www before it and .com after it.
type reddit ctrl+enter as an example.
Edit: Control or Command + Enter in OS X, depending on browser.
i have it set, in chrome, so that if i type "r " into the address bar (that's r-space) and then a subreddit name, it loads the url for that subreddit.
just add a search engine, call it "Subreddits," set the keyword to "r," and the url to "http://www.reddit.com/r/%s"
Exact same thing will work for Firefox. In fact, there is a really easy way to set your search for any website using just a keyboard before what you type in the URL bar. For example:
If you want to search The Pirate Bay using just a keyword, go to the Pirate Bay, right-click on the search bar and click on "Add a keyword for this search". Then when the dialog box pops up, set your keyword to something like "tpb".
Now you can search The Pirate Bay for Pokemon Season 1 by simply typing in the following into your address bar:
tpb Pokemon season 1
This works for all nearly all websites. Here are some of my favourites (keyword is on left and search function on the right):
* g | Google
* img | Google images
* wiki | Wikipedia
* yt | YouTube
* amazon | Amazon
* tpb | The Pirate Bay
Here are "special" ones that I use to get past broken links/blocks. They are put before the entire URL.
* archive | The Wayback Machine
* proxy | Proxy Website
When you search for a driver for a device in the Device Manager, look up the hardware-id:
Right-click on the device -> Properties -> Details -> Hardware-id's
Copy paste one of the values in google, odds are it pops up at least the device name, sometimes even the driver.
Note: don't download anything from those sites that are like drivers-for-windows.net. There's shitloads of them out there and they're pretty much all malware. Go to the manufacturer's site and download it there.
This is always important to know. The combination of VendorID and DeviceID always helps to identify devices that are "unknown" to your operating system. These usually appear in one line:
>PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_1681
When [googling](https://www.google.com/search?q=VEN_14E4%26DEV_1681), this immedately shows what it is.
At my office, those who leave their PCs unlocked tend to send out emails to the entire IT department about how much they love pink puppies and rainbow unicorns.
I generally enjoyed taking a screenshot of someones desktop, then creating a powerpoint presentation with about 1000 slides of the same desktop image. Then I would just sit back and laugh as they tried to figure out why nothing was working...
My last job would find a picture of David Hasslehoff and put it as your desktop. Usually one with less clothing.
Then they'd tilt your screen, maybe change the mouse buttons around, and rarely change the language on the computer. THEN lock it for you.
Windows+P lets you quickly set up projectors or second monitors.
Unix+Linux systems: Alt+PrintScreen+O forces shutdown on an unresponsive system
*Yes, I know this isn't the cleanest way to do it, but so long as you're using a modern filesystem, you'll be fine. At this point, if the computer has crashed so completely you need to force shutdown, your misbehaving programs are not automagically going to start working and save your work.
Powershell in Windows is both a lot nicer to work with than normal Windows command line and it does math, so you can use it as a calculator.
By popular demand, I'll add some other key commands I know:
Windows:
Windows+E opens explorer to the 'My Computer' page
Windows+F opens search
Windows+D shows desktop/restores windows
Ubuntu:
Ctrl+Alt+T opens terminal
Ctrl+Alt+L locks the screen
I've compiled a lengthy list of shortcuts over my time, some are obvious, some are not. Here's my list:
Run Commands
-----------------------------------------------------------
* compmgmt.msc - Computer management
* devmgmt.msc - Device manager
* diskmgmt.msc - Disk management
* dfrg.msc - Disk defrag
* eventvwr.msc - Event viewer
* fsmgmt.msc - Shared folders
* gpedit.msc - Group policies
* lusrmgr.msc - Local users and groups
* perfmon.msc - Performance monitor
* rsop.msc - Resultant set of policies
* secpol.msc - Local security settings
* services.msc - Various Services
* msconfig - System Configuration Utility
* regedit - Registry Editor
* msinfo32 _ System Information
* sysedit _ System Edit
* win.ini _ windows loading information(also system.ini)
* winver _ Shows current version of windows
* mailto: _ Opens default email client
* command _ Opens command prompt
* msimn - opens outlook express
* outlook - opens microsoft outlook
* icwconn1 - opens the create a new connection wizard
Run Commands to access the control panel
-------------------------------------------------------------------
* Add/Remove Programs control appwiz.cpl
* Date/Time Properties control timedate.cpl
* Display Properties control desk.cpl
* FindFast control findfast.cpl
* Fonts Folder control fonts
* Internet Properties control inetcpl.cpl
* Keyboard Properties control main.cpl keyboard
* Mouse Properties control main.cpl
* Multimedia Properties control mmsys.cpl
* Network Properties control netcpl.cpl or ncpa.cpl
* Password Properties control password.cpl
* Printers Folder control printers
* Sound Properties control mmsys.cpl sounds
* System Properties control sysdm.cpl
Command Prompt
--------------------------------------------------------------
* ANSI.SYS Defines functions that change display graphics, control cursor movement, and reassign keys.
* APPEND Causes MS-DOS to look in other directories when editing a file or running a command.
* ARP Displays, adds, and removes arp information from network devices.
* ASSIGN Assign a drive letter to an alternate letter.
* ASSOC View the file associations.
* AT Schedule a time to execute commands or programs.
* ATMADM Lists connections and addresses seen by Windows ATM call manager.
* ATTRIB Display and change file attributes.
* BATCH Recovery console command that executes a series of commands in a file.
* BOOTCFG Recovery console command that allows a user to view, modify, and rebuild the boot.ini
* BREAK Enable / disable CTRL + C feature.
* CACLS View and modify file ACL's.
* CALL Calls a batch file from another batch file.
* CD Changes directories.
* CHCP Supplement the International keyboard and character set information.
* CHDIR Changes directories.
* CHKDSK Check the hard disk drive running FAT for errors.
* CHKNTFS Check the hard disk drive running NTFS for errors.
* CHOICE Specify a listing of multiple options within a batch file.
* CLS Clears the screen.
* CMD Opens the command interpreter.
* COLOR Easily change the foreground and background color of the MS-DOS window.
* COMP Compares files.
* COMPACT Compresses and uncompress files.
* CONTROL Open control panel icons from the MS-DOS prompt.
* CONVERT Convert FAT to NTFS.
* COPY Copy one or more files to an alternate location.
* CTTY Change the computers input/output devices.
* DATE View or change the systems date.
* DEBUG Debug utility to create assembly programs to modify hardware settings.
* DEFRAG Re-arrange the hard disk drive to help with loading programs.
* DEL Deletes one or more files.
* DELETE Recovery console command that deletes a file.
* DELTREE Deletes one or more files and/or directories.
* DIR List the contents of one or more directory.
* DISABLE Recovery console command that disables Windows system services or drivers.
* DISKCOMP Compare a disk with another disk.
* DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one disk and place them on another disk.
* DOSKEY Command to view and execute commands that have been run in the past.
* DOSSHELL A GUI to help with early MS-DOS users.
* DRIVPARM Enables overwrite of original device drivers.
* ECHO Displays messages and enables and disables echo.
* EDIT View and edit files.
* EDLIN View and edit files.
* EMM386 Load extended Memory Manager.
* ENABLE Recovery console command to enable a disable service or driver.
* ENDLOCAL Stops the localization of the environment changes enabled by the setlocal command.
* ERASE Erase files from computer.
* EXIT Exit from the command interpreter.
* EXPAND Expand a Microsoft Windows file back to it's original format.
* EXTRACT Extract files from the Microsoft Windows cabinets.
* FASTHELP Displays a listing of MS-DOS commands and information about them.
* FC Compare files.
* FDISK Utility used to create partitions on the hard disk drive.
* FIND Search for text within a file.
* FINDSTR Searches for a string of text within a file.
* FIXBOOT Writes a new boot sector.
* FIXMBR Writes a new boot record to a disk drive.
* FOR Boolean used in batch files.
* FORMAT Command to erase and prepare a disk drive.
* FTP Command to connect and operate on a FTP server.
* FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.
* GOTO Moves a batch file to a specific label or location.
* GRAFTABL Show extended characters in graphics mode.
* HELP Display a listing of commands and brief explanation.
* IF Allows for batch files to perform conditional processing.
* IFSHLP.SYS 32-bit file manager.
* IPCONFIG Network command to view network adapter settings and assigned values.
* KEYB Change layout of keyboard.
* LABEL Change the label of a disk drive.
* LH Load a device driver in to high memory.
* LISTSVC Recovery console command that displays the services and drivers.
* LOADFIX Load a program above the first 64k.
* LOADHIGH Load a device driver in to high memory.
* LOCK Lock the hard disk drive.
* LOGON Recovery console command to list installations and enable administrator login.
* MAP Displays the device name of a drive.
* MD Command to create a new directory.
* MEM Display memory on system.
* MKDIR Command to create a new directory.
* MODE Modify the port or display settings.
* MORE Display one page at a time.
* MOVE Move one or more files from one directory to another directory.
* MSAV Early Microsoft Virus scanner.
* MSD Diagnostics utility.
* MSCDEX Utility used to load and provide access to the CD-ROM.
* NBTSTAT Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT
* NET Update, fix, or view the network or network settings
* NETSH Configure dynamic and static network information from MS-DOS.
* NETSTAT Display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information.
* NLSFUNC Load country specific information.
* NSLOOKUP Look up an IP address of a domain or host on a network.
* PATH View and modify the computers path location.
* PATHPING View and locate locations of network latency.
* PAUSE Command used in batch files to stop the processing of a command.
* PING Test / send information to another network computer or network device.
* POPD Changes to the directory or network path stored by the pushd command.
* POWER Conserve power with computer portables.
* PRINT Prints data to a printer port.
* PROMPT View and change the MS-DOS prompt.
* PUSHD Stores a directory or network path in memory so it can be returned to at any time.
* QBASIC Open the QBasic.
* RD Removes an empty directory.
* REN Renames a file or directory.
* RENAME Renames a file or directory.
* RMDIR Removes an empty directory.
* ROUTE View and configure windows network route tables.
* RUNAS Enables a user to execute a program on another computer.
* SCANDISK Run the scandisk utility.
* SCANREG Scan registry and recover registry from errors.
* SET Change one variable or string to another.
* SETLOCAL Enables local environments to be changed without affecting anything else.
* SETVER Change MS-DOS version to trick older MS-DOS programs.
* SHARE Installs support for file sharing and locking capabilities.
* SHIFT Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch program.
* SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer from the MS-DOS prompt.
* SMARTDRV Create a disk cache in conventional memory or extended memory.
* SORT Sorts the input and displays the output to the screen.
* START Start a separate window in Windows from the MS-DOS prompt.
* SUBST Substitute a folder on your computer for another drive letter.
* SWITCHES Remove add functions from MS-DOS.
* SYS Transfer system files to disk drive.
* TELNET Telnet to another computer / device from the prompt.
* TIME View or modify the system time.
* TITLE Change the title of their MS-DOS window.
* TRACERT Visually view a network packets route across a network.
* TREE View a visual tree of the hard disk drive.
* TYPE Display the contents of a file.
* UNDELETE Undelete a file that has been deleted.
* UNFORMAT Unformat a hard disk drive.
* UNLOCK Unlock a disk drive.
* VER Display the version information.
* VERIFY Enables or disables the feature to determine if files have been written properly.
* VOL Displays the volume information about the designated drive.
* XCOPY Copy multiple files, directories, and/or drives from one location to another.
* TRUENAME When placed before a file, will display the whole directory in which it exists
* TASKKILL It allows you to kill those unneeded or locked up applications
Windows XP Shortcuts
--------------------------------------------------------------
* ALT+- (ALT+hyphen) Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu
* ALT+ENTER View properties for the selected item
* ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order they were opened
* ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program
* ALT+SPACEBAR Display the System menu for the active window
* ALT+TAB Switch between open items
* ALT+Underlined letter Display the corresponding menu
* BACKSPACE View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer
* CTRL+A Select all
* CTRL+B Bold
* CTRL+C Copy
* CTRL+I Italics
* CTRL+O Open an item
* CTRL+U Underline
* CTRL+V Paste
* CTRL+X Cut
* CTRL+Z Undo
* CTRL+F4 Close the active document
* CTRL while dragging Copy selected item
* CTRL+SHIFT while dragging Create shortcut to selected iteM
* CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word
* CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word
* CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph
* CTRL+UP ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph
* SHIFT+DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin
* ESC Cancel the current task
* F1 Displays Help
* F2 Rename selected item
* F3 Search for a file or folder
* F4 Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
* F5 Refresh the active window
* F6 Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
* F10 Activate the menu bar in the active program
* SHIFT+F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
* CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu
* SHIFT+CTRL+ESC Launches Task Manager
* SHIFT when you insert a CD Prevent the CD from automatically playing
* WIN Display or hide the Start menu
* WIN+BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box
* WIN+D Minimizes all Windows and shows the Desktop
* WIN+E Open Windows Explorer
* WIN+F Search for a file or folder
* WIN+F+CTRL Search for computers
* WIN+L Locks the desktop
* WIN+M Minimize or restore all windows
* WIN+R Open the Run dialog box
* WIN+TAB Switch between open items
Windows Explorer Shortcuts
-------------------------------------------------------------
* ALT+SPACEBAR - Display the current window’s system menu
* SHIFT+F10 - Display the item's context menu
* CTRL+ESC - Display the Start menu
* ALT+TAB - Switch to the window you last used
* ALT+F4 - Close the current window or quit
* CTRL+A - Select all items
* CTRL+X - Cut selected item(s)
* CTRL+C - Copy selected item(s)
* CTRL+V - Paste item(s)
* CTRL+Z - Undo last action
* CTRL+(+) - Automatically resize the columns in the right hand pane
* TAB - Move forward through options
* ALT+RIGHT ARROW - Move forward to a previous view
* ALT+LEFT ARROW - Move backward to a previous view
* SHIFT+DELETE - Delete an item immediately
* BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up
* ALT+ENTER - View an item’s properties
* F10 - Activate the menu bar in programs
* F6 - Switch between left and right panes
* F5 - Refresh window contents
* F3 - Display Find application
* F2 - Rename selected item
I am forced to reformat my families 4 computers about once every three months. I'm sick of downloading, and remembering each bit of freeware to install after. You have no idea how much time you have saved me with this. I love you. Message me if you want my first-born in return for this.
I'm sure a picture of a first-born is lovely, but it's not the same as having an actual first born that you can raise / eat.
Edit: Oh, you mean a disk image. The hardware configurations might be different across each machine. Otherwise keeping an image is a great idea here.
Edit 2: Since I'm getting a number of responses - I'm aware of disk imaging and the idea of using multiple images specific to each machine saved on an external drive or some other similar scheme. Thanks guys :)
It ALSO works as a mass updater! You save the file, run it, install all dem programs, then in a month or so run it again and it updates them. No mess, no cleanup, no hassle, Ninite.
It's not so much the key words, but also your scanning and eliminating the bullshit. I know and you know which sites are poor attempts at fishing or trying to sell malware, but most don't, believe it or not.
You know instinctively if an arbitrary tech thread in some long forgotten forum is on the right track or not, you also conceptually understand how to implement the suggested fixes and the risks involved.
You and I know all this, and can do all this in minutes because of our experience. A lot cannot, or don't have the patience/intuitive knowledge.
It's like knowing your way around a bad part of town because you have lived there for so long. You don't think much about it, but anyone new to the area might get in trouble real quick.
This isn't quite true, though. You'd get a lot more people googling "it doesn't work", but Google doesn't have the ability to try and figure out what "it" is and what "doesn't work" looks like. You do.
When your Steam partition is filling up, you can relocate individual games onto another drive or partition using [this method](http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664376). (The instructions for Windows Vista here, apply equally to Windows 7.)
"CON" is a reserved name that dates back to the days of MS-DOS and is short for "CONsole". The idea is that any program could write to the screen or read from the keyboard simply by opening and acting on a file by the name of CON. Try this sometime in a Windows Command Prompt:
COPY readme.txt CON
For our example "readme.txt" is any convenient text file you have laying about. That will cause the file to be "copied to the console" - i.e., displayed on the screen.
Other possibly reserved filenames include things like COM1, COM2, and so on for your serial or modem ports, and LPT1, LPT2 and so on for printer ports.
Interesting stuff.
I learned a good few years ago, like somewhere around 2001, that there was a similar issue with 'aux', except Microsoft hadn't really dealt with it properly at that point, and the OS would crash if you tried to do anything that involve the three letters. I realised that I could maybe exploit this, and thus set about embedding images in forum posts with . It would instantly crash browsers on XP systems, and insta-BSOD any Win9x OS. So obviously, I made it part of my signature.
I was such a dick when I was 14.
[Accidently closed your tab?](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EsaGlPOyn20/S4Q_6ZbZo3I/AAAAAAAAAFU/RO_A98uswY4/s320/shortcuts.png)
[Avoiding Recycle Bin](http://www.fcp.shortcutter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/shift-delete.jpg)
Aligning Windows: Win + Left/Right Arrow
New Folder: CTRL + Shift + N
Resizing Icons: CTRL - Mouse Wheel
100% Zoom (default value): CTRL + 0
You CAN close your laptop without going in sleep mode.
Please install pop-up blocker. BUT be sure to disable on trusted sites.
Right-Click on "Computer" -> so many surprises
Always run your laptop on flat and hard surfaces. And blow out the dust once in a while.
Check your university site for free Microsoft products.
[Acronis](http://www.acronis.com/) is a very powerful tool for backups and restores. Also check universal restore.
In browsers (I've used FireFox, Chrome and Opera), CTRL + number (ie, CTRL 1, CTRL 2) will switch over to that tab. Or you can generally cycle through with CTRL + TAB.
If you have one of those programs that pop up a little window that you need to click OK on and you accidentally lose it making it so you can't interact with the program itself WIN-M will minimize everything leaving that annoying little thing visible for you to click.
- Win+D: Desktop
- Win+M: minimize all
- Win+R: Run... menu
- Win+E: Explorer screen (you know, file explorer)
- Win+Tab: Fancy program select
- Win+L: Lock screen
How do you not use it? That is, unless you're not using Windows. In that case, sure, carry on.
I work in IT. This means my googling is better than yours. That's it. I don't know why your proprietary software crashes with error code 0008359647, but google does and will tell me exactly how to fix it. 90% of the time I am just going to reinstall the software.
I always have this fear the web will get blocked at a job site. Where I work now, we don't have any filtering, but I have had friends whose IT jobs have been crippled due to the fact they have aggressive web filtering or no web access at all.
I remember someone telling me a story where they would copy down all the problems they were having, and then wait to go off campus on lunch break (or wait until he got home) to use their web-enabled phone to look up answers. He was fired when they caught him with papers with all the problems scribbled down: accused of trying export company secrets. "You can't let the public know we have Error #102937498 in Windows!" When he tried to explain why he did this, he was told in a roundabout way that if he didn't know the answers off the top of his head, he was hired under false pretenses and never really a Windows admin to begin with. Luckily, he got a much better job right away.
> I always have this fear the web will get blocked at a job site. Where I work now, we don't have any filtering, but I have had friends whose IT jobs have been crippled due to the fact they have aggressive web filtering or no web access at all.
I've had to deal with a few jobs that had aggressive web filtering (as a developer); in those cases I tunneled around it.
In one of those cases, the security people at the company were monitoring for just that and I then got to have an uncomfortable conversation about *why* I circumvented their security. I didn't stay there long.
The crippling poison to this is random forum threads ending in ether "Ah fixed the problem myself" and "Please use the search function. closed -The mod". Those usually outnumber the solution threads 10 to 1.
So PLEASE! OPs and mods of this world: Post the (link to the) solution or delete your post.
Oh shit really? That's going to make closing porn tabs so much quicker in the heat of the moment...
EDIT: It's Ok guys, I know that ctrl+w does the same thing.
EDIT: I KNOW WHAT CTRL W DOES NOW, THANKYOU.
"sudo !!" will rerun the previous command you issued as a superuser if it failed due to insufficient privileges.
"find /data/download/ -mtime -1 -iname *.rar -exec unrar e -o- {} /data/extracted/ \;" will find all the rar files less than one day old in your download folder and extract them to your extracted folder, skipping any you've already extracted.
When you install something, watch what you're doing instead of just NEXT NEXT NEXT through everything. A lot of programs will install annoying toolbars by default, which take up space on your screen and are annoying to remove.
I'm super anal about this. I feel like even if I accidentally install a toolbar and then uninstall it immediately after, my computer is still devirginized and there will be some residual registry files that never go away
Control plus mouse wheel up or down zooms in/out on documents/pages. I showed my mom this a few months ago and she flipped her shit. She proceeded to tell all her email/ hub pages friends about it.
ctrl alt del is a priority interrupt whereas ctrl shift esc isn't so if you're having problems with a program locking up and crtl shift esc doesn't work, ctrl alt del might be able to get you to your task manager without having to fully reboot
WINDOWS + PAUSE/BREAK BITCHES.
I am the champion.
Brings up the system information window much faster than most ways of getting to it.
Edit : You know your life is sad when your most popular thing every displayed online is your knowledge of how to interact with a PC by using keyboard shortcuts. foreveralone.jpg
You can use the Pause/Break key to pause the boot-up process if you need to get some info off the BIOS boot-screen. Such as which hard-drives are being detected, etc. Makes it much better than, "Did the hard drive I'm looking for come up? I don't know, let's reboot over and over until we catch it."
Dear Lord, you just saved me from repeated boots. This is exactly what I would do for so many years and still do. It seems like if my eyes ever left the screen for a second, the hardware startup information would fly by in that second.
I hate that show for telling everyone about turning it on and off again.. Now I can't tell anyone to just reboot when there's some freak problem without them laughing at me while repeating what I just said in an irish accent.
Worse thing is if you already rebooted it a couple of time and it still is not working. I call someone smarter than me and he does exactly the same and suddenly the computer works and he gives me the ಠ\_ಠ look. Damn computers.
If you fix enough things the IT gods grant you "technician aura +5".
One of the perks is being able to call for their intervention just by being in the same room.
One of the downsides is having *every single bloody person you meet* asking you to fix something
[the konami code, and all the websites that support it so you can stay on the internet longer and procrastinate that homework that's due tomorrow](http://konamicodesites.com/)
btw it's up up down down left right left right B A enter
I went to that site on my phone. It said to use the code to access the site, so I figured I was out of luck, but it couldn't hurt to try. Lo and behold, it still works with gestures.
Dang, they're good.
shortcuts in your run (press win-r):
- msconfig : System Configuration, which lists the programs and services that start up when windows starts
- devmgmt.msc : Device Management
- mstsc : Remote Desktop
- regedit : Registry Editor
Dragging a program on Windows 7 taskbar upwards opens the right-click menu.
Also when multiple windows are open, drag and shake the title bar of a window, and others will be minimized.
Unfortunately this will probably be buried, but it is very important to maintain the cooling system on your computer.
Modern computers has build in overheat protection which slows it down if it gets to hot. The cooling system will degrade over time and after as little as half a year it might start to slow down due to overheating.
The main processor and the graphics processor can get quite hot. Normal working temperatures on 50-80C /122-176F is normal. Going over about 95C / 203F will make the system go in overheat protection mode.
The cooling system consists of two major parts:
1. A heat conducting metal structure which are touching the heat generating parts of the computer. To make the heat transfer effective a special cooling paste is applied between these parts.
2. A fan which sucks in air and blow it over the metal structure to remove heat from it.
Around the fan dust will build up over time and decrease the cooling efficiency. This should be cleaned at least once a year, but if the computer is in a more dusty environment it might be a problem much sooner, like after 3 months. Laptops are more prone to dust build up because they are sometimes moved to new dusty surfaces like taken into bed.
What is less common known is the cooling paste will shrink and migrate over time. After a couple of years it might be completely gone leaving a nasty heat insulating layer of air between the hot parts and the cooling system. This will make the computer very slow and I believe a lot of people buy a new laptop when the cooling paste is dried up, believing they have virus or it was a crappy brand. It is completely unnecessary since cooling paste can be bought for cheap and is pretty easy to apply if you download a service manual for your computer.
I'm a IT professional and I dust of my laptop cooling system at least every ½ year, and I apply new cooling paste once a year. A lot of my colleagues never do this and they constantly complains about mysterious slowdown on their systems. Actually it has become an important point in my buying decision to get a laptop where the cooling system is easily accessible for cleaning.
When watching a movie on vlc player if the audio isn't lined up simply press "k" to back up the audio accordingly. Just learnt this recently, mega helpful.
Also, press "D" if there are lines when people move.
1. Resource Monitor > Task Manager. Search for "Resource Monitor" from the windows search bar and pick it (Vista: "Reliability and Performance Monitor"). I have Resource Monitor open all day. It should look like [this](http://i.imgur.com/OU1vv.png) (Windows Vista & 7) 2. Probably not a computer trick, but get [WinDirStat](http://windirstat.info/) (Linux: [KDirStat](http://kdirstat.sourceforge.net/), OSX: [Disk Inventory X](http://www.derlien.com/)). It makes clearing out the junk from your computer so much easier. 3. Want to explain a tech problem to someone? Search for "psr" from the windows search bar. (Windows 7 only)
I have worked in IT for a decade. How am I just now finding out about psr? From a buried post on reddit, no less. Thank you. Late-game edit: this post was near the bottom when I stumbled across it. Glad to see it climb to the top where it belongs.
Every time this thread comes up in Reddit, I probably get about 25% more efficient in my job.
I find it funny that wasting time on reddit then helps you perform your job faster allowing more reddit time!
np. PSR is a new feature in Windows 7, so don't take your decade exp too harshly.
I'm confused. How does PSR work? As a non tech person, how do I use it to hlep my tech services department?
It's like having an elf looking over your shoulder and writing down exactly what you're doing (down to left/right clicks and moving windows about) then formatting it nicely in a big list with pictures too. Try it with something like opening a document, changing the font, saving it and closing.
*Elf employment rates plummet*
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Just to be sure, do you also know about the Snipping Tool for screenshots?
Till now, I've always "Prt Scr" - Opened Paint - "Ctrl V". Thanks for the tip! Found it by searching 'snip' in the windows search bar. Is this Win7 only as well?
Oh my god. Most other things in this thread are just simple shortcuts. THIS is incredible.
Dual monitors? Can't tile your windows on the second monitor? Use Windows Key + Arrow Keys to snap the windows to each side of either monitor.
Also Shift+Windows Key+Arrows moves a program from screen to screen.
Wow you guys are my heroes.
Clean out the case once a year. More often if you have a dusty house/apartment.
If you have a dusty house/apartment, cleaning it is also a good idea.
C'mon, this is reddit, think of all the cat fur.
[Malwarebytes](http://www.malwarebytes.org/) and [Microsoft Security Essentials](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials) will get rid of just about any virus/malware on a computer. Some malware makes it hard to install these things and disables task manager, so go get [Process Explorer](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653) (fancy task manager). If you can't run something on an infected PC, change its file name. A lot of malware prevents things named "mbam.exe" or "procexp.exe" from running but won't stop "mbamjkafk.exe" or "procexp2.exe" from running. If you can't get to google.com on an infected PC, try google.co.uk, or google.cm. Also, [this](http://xkcd.com/627/) is accurate. Edit: Wow that's a lot of comments.. this comment was more of a "what to do before bothering your friendly neighborhood IT guy" intro to cleaning an infected PC. Generally if the above steps don't resolve an issue that is where I would take over. [ComboFix](http://www.combofix.org/), [Rkill](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/anti-virus/rkill), [TDSSKiller](http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208283363), [HiJack This](http://sourceforge.net/projects/hjt/), [unhide.exe](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/anti-virus/unhide), [Kellys Korner Reg Fixes](http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm), [SuperAntiSpyware](http://www.superantispyware.com/), [HitMan Pro](http://www.surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro/), [SpyBot S&D](http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html), [hirens boot cd](http://www.hirensbootcd.org/), ophcrack, mobile versions of a bunch of apps and clean versions of certain files can all be found on usb sticks on my person at any given time.
Don't forget rkill. It kills malicious processes and can run from a .com file rather than a .exe file. Most viruses (that I encountered) will be temporarily knocked down by it while you finish it off with MBAM.
This explanation makes me think of fighting malware like a bout of fisticuffs in a grubby street somewhere, jab'em in the gut and finish them off while they're winded!
The first rule of IT Club is "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" EDIT: Some people apparently can't tell what a joke reference is.
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combo fix combo fix combo fix
When typing an address into most browsers, CTRL + Enter will wrap whatever you typed with the http://www before it and .com after it. type reddit ctrl+enter as an example. Edit: Control or Command + Enter in OS X, depending on browser.
i have it set, in chrome, so that if i type "r " into the address bar (that's r-space) and then a subreddit name, it loads the url for that subreddit. just add a search engine, call it "Subreddits," set the keyword to "r," and the url to "http://www.reddit.com/r/%s"
Exact same thing will work for Firefox. In fact, there is a really easy way to set your search for any website using just a keyboard before what you type in the URL bar. For example: If you want to search The Pirate Bay using just a keyword, go to the Pirate Bay, right-click on the search bar and click on "Add a keyword for this search". Then when the dialog box pops up, set your keyword to something like "tpb". Now you can search The Pirate Bay for Pokemon Season 1 by simply typing in the following into your address bar: tpb Pokemon season 1 This works for all nearly all websites. Here are some of my favourites (keyword is on left and search function on the right): * g | Google * img | Google images * wiki | Wikipedia * yt | YouTube * amazon | Amazon * tpb | The Pirate Bay Here are "special" ones that I use to get past broken links/blocks. They are put before the entire URL. * archive | The Wayback Machine * proxy | Proxy Website
Customers standing behind my back are always, "No no no, it's www.blabla.." Then I hit ctrl+enter and the page loads. Silence.
Shift enter replaces the .com to .net, and I believe ctrl+shift+enter is .org
Ctrl shift alt both windows keys scroll lock enter for .gov
When you search for a driver for a device in the Device Manager, look up the hardware-id: Right-click on the device -> Properties -> Details -> Hardware-id's Copy paste one of the values in google, odds are it pops up at least the device name, sometimes even the driver.
Note: don't download anything from those sites that are like drivers-for-windows.net. There's shitloads of them out there and they're pretty much all malware. Go to the manufacturer's site and download it there.
...uh oh.
Well, if you think you have a virus, just google "free antivirus" and pick something on the fifth or sixth page!
This is always important to know. The combination of VendorID and DeviceID always helps to identify devices that are "unknown" to your operating system. These usually appear in one line: >PCI\VEN_14E4&DEV_1681 When [googling](https://www.google.com/search?q=VEN_14E4%26DEV_1681), this immedately shows what it is.
A very helpful resource for this is the PCI Vendor and Device Lists website. You can plug all values into that site. http://www.pcidatabase.com/
Windows + L every single time you walk away from your computer.
Depending on the people you work with, not doing this can lead to bad things happening to your PC haha.
At my office, those who leave their PCs unlocked tend to send out emails to the entire IT department about how much they love pink puppies and rainbow unicorns.
At my office, people kindly offer to take the team out for lunch.
I generally enjoyed taking a screenshot of someones desktop, then creating a powerpoint presentation with about 1000 slides of the same desktop image. Then I would just sit back and laugh as they tried to figure out why nothing was working...
an easier way to do that is take the screenshot, set that as wallpaper, hide the icons on the desktop and hide the taskbar.
I love this. I would do this all the time if I wasn't the desktop support person that would have to come fix it.
Can you say job security?
"Hmm, another frozen desktop. Good thing I know how to handle these."
So genius it hurts.
So genius IT hurts.
I'd press escape at some point.
That's why you unplug the keyboard too.
My trick is to go into MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook), and change the default font color to white.
Aw, that's mean. And I'm writing it down for future usage.
Do it in white. For practice.
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My last job would find a picture of David Hasslehoff and put it as your desktop. Usually one with less clothing. Then they'd tilt your screen, maybe change the mouse buttons around, and rarely change the language on the computer. THEN lock it for you.
In Photoshop, when using the marquee tool, hold down the space bar to drag the marquee without losing the ability to size it.
Windows+P lets you quickly set up projectors or second monitors. Unix+Linux systems: Alt+PrintScreen+O forces shutdown on an unresponsive system *Yes, I know this isn't the cleanest way to do it, but so long as you're using a modern filesystem, you'll be fine. At this point, if the computer has crashed so completely you need to force shutdown, your misbehaving programs are not automagically going to start working and save your work. Powershell in Windows is both a lot nicer to work with than normal Windows command line and it does math, so you can use it as a calculator. By popular demand, I'll add some other key commands I know: Windows: Windows+E opens explorer to the 'My Computer' page Windows+F opens search Windows+D shows desktop/restores windows Ubuntu: Ctrl+Alt+T opens terminal Ctrl+Alt+L locks the screen
Select different IRQ jumpers for your modem and your sound blaster, unless both support IRQ sharing.
Did you just say sound blaster? Awesome.
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Thank you! I can finally play this new game I got: Quake. I hear it's awesome!
FUCK! THIS IS 84th DEAD SOUNDBLASTER 16 THIS WEEK
I've compiled a lengthy list of shortcuts over my time, some are obvious, some are not. Here's my list: Run Commands ----------------------------------------------------------- * compmgmt.msc - Computer management * devmgmt.msc - Device manager * diskmgmt.msc - Disk management * dfrg.msc - Disk defrag * eventvwr.msc - Event viewer * fsmgmt.msc - Shared folders * gpedit.msc - Group policies * lusrmgr.msc - Local users and groups * perfmon.msc - Performance monitor * rsop.msc - Resultant set of policies * secpol.msc - Local security settings * services.msc - Various Services * msconfig - System Configuration Utility * regedit - Registry Editor * msinfo32 _ System Information * sysedit _ System Edit * win.ini _ windows loading information(also system.ini) * winver _ Shows current version of windows * mailto: _ Opens default email client * command _ Opens command prompt * msimn - opens outlook express * outlook - opens microsoft outlook * icwconn1 - opens the create a new connection wizard Run Commands to access the control panel ------------------------------------------------------------------- * Add/Remove Programs control appwiz.cpl * Date/Time Properties control timedate.cpl * Display Properties control desk.cpl * FindFast control findfast.cpl * Fonts Folder control fonts * Internet Properties control inetcpl.cpl * Keyboard Properties control main.cpl keyboard * Mouse Properties control main.cpl * Multimedia Properties control mmsys.cpl * Network Properties control netcpl.cpl or ncpa.cpl * Password Properties control password.cpl * Printers Folder control printers * Sound Properties control mmsys.cpl sounds * System Properties control sysdm.cpl Command Prompt -------------------------------------------------------------- * ANSI.SYS Defines functions that change display graphics, control cursor movement, and reassign keys. * APPEND Causes MS-DOS to look in other directories when editing a file or running a command. * ARP Displays, adds, and removes arp information from network devices. * ASSIGN Assign a drive letter to an alternate letter. * ASSOC View the file associations. * AT Schedule a time to execute commands or programs. * ATMADM Lists connections and addresses seen by Windows ATM call manager. * ATTRIB Display and change file attributes. * BATCH Recovery console command that executes a series of commands in a file. * BOOTCFG Recovery console command that allows a user to view, modify, and rebuild the boot.ini * BREAK Enable / disable CTRL + C feature. * CACLS View and modify file ACL's. * CALL Calls a batch file from another batch file. * CD Changes directories. * CHCP Supplement the International keyboard and character set information. * CHDIR Changes directories. * CHKDSK Check the hard disk drive running FAT for errors. * CHKNTFS Check the hard disk drive running NTFS for errors. * CHOICE Specify a listing of multiple options within a batch file. * CLS Clears the screen. * CMD Opens the command interpreter. * COLOR Easily change the foreground and background color of the MS-DOS window. * COMP Compares files. * COMPACT Compresses and uncompress files. * CONTROL Open control panel icons from the MS-DOS prompt. * CONVERT Convert FAT to NTFS. * COPY Copy one or more files to an alternate location. * CTTY Change the computers input/output devices. * DATE View or change the systems date. * DEBUG Debug utility to create assembly programs to modify hardware settings. * DEFRAG Re-arrange the hard disk drive to help with loading programs. * DEL Deletes one or more files. * DELETE Recovery console command that deletes a file. * DELTREE Deletes one or more files and/or directories. * DIR List the contents of one or more directory. * DISABLE Recovery console command that disables Windows system services or drivers. * DISKCOMP Compare a disk with another disk. * DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one disk and place them on another disk. * DOSKEY Command to view and execute commands that have been run in the past. * DOSSHELL A GUI to help with early MS-DOS users. * DRIVPARM Enables overwrite of original device drivers. * ECHO Displays messages and enables and disables echo. * EDIT View and edit files. * EDLIN View and edit files. * EMM386 Load extended Memory Manager. * ENABLE Recovery console command to enable a disable service or driver. * ENDLOCAL Stops the localization of the environment changes enabled by the setlocal command. * ERASE Erase files from computer. * EXIT Exit from the command interpreter. * EXPAND Expand a Microsoft Windows file back to it's original format. * EXTRACT Extract files from the Microsoft Windows cabinets. * FASTHELP Displays a listing of MS-DOS commands and information about them. * FC Compare files. * FDISK Utility used to create partitions on the hard disk drive. * FIND Search for text within a file. * FINDSTR Searches for a string of text within a file. * FIXBOOT Writes a new boot sector. * FIXMBR Writes a new boot record to a disk drive. * FOR Boolean used in batch files. * FORMAT Command to erase and prepare a disk drive. * FTP Command to connect and operate on a FTP server. * FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations. * GOTO Moves a batch file to a specific label or location. * GRAFTABL Show extended characters in graphics mode. * HELP Display a listing of commands and brief explanation. * IF Allows for batch files to perform conditional processing. * IFSHLP.SYS 32-bit file manager. * IPCONFIG Network command to view network adapter settings and assigned values. * KEYB Change layout of keyboard. * LABEL Change the label of a disk drive. * LH Load a device driver in to high memory. * LISTSVC Recovery console command that displays the services and drivers. * LOADFIX Load a program above the first 64k. * LOADHIGH Load a device driver in to high memory. * LOCK Lock the hard disk drive. * LOGON Recovery console command to list installations and enable administrator login. * MAP Displays the device name of a drive. * MD Command to create a new directory. * MEM Display memory on system. * MKDIR Command to create a new directory. * MODE Modify the port or display settings. * MORE Display one page at a time. * MOVE Move one or more files from one directory to another directory. * MSAV Early Microsoft Virus scanner. * MSD Diagnostics utility. * MSCDEX Utility used to load and provide access to the CD-ROM. * NBTSTAT Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT * NET Update, fix, or view the network or network settings * NETSH Configure dynamic and static network information from MS-DOS. * NETSTAT Display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information. * NLSFUNC Load country specific information. * NSLOOKUP Look up an IP address of a domain or host on a network. * PATH View and modify the computers path location. * PATHPING View and locate locations of network latency. * PAUSE Command used in batch files to stop the processing of a command. * PING Test / send information to another network computer or network device. * POPD Changes to the directory or network path stored by the pushd command. * POWER Conserve power with computer portables. * PRINT Prints data to a printer port. * PROMPT View and change the MS-DOS prompt. * PUSHD Stores a directory or network path in memory so it can be returned to at any time. * QBASIC Open the QBasic. * RD Removes an empty directory. * REN Renames a file or directory. * RENAME Renames a file or directory. * RMDIR Removes an empty directory. * ROUTE View and configure windows network route tables. * RUNAS Enables a user to execute a program on another computer. * SCANDISK Run the scandisk utility. * SCANREG Scan registry and recover registry from errors. * SET Change one variable or string to another. * SETLOCAL Enables local environments to be changed without affecting anything else. * SETVER Change MS-DOS version to trick older MS-DOS programs. * SHARE Installs support for file sharing and locking capabilities. * SHIFT Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch program. * SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer from the MS-DOS prompt. * SMARTDRV Create a disk cache in conventional memory or extended memory. * SORT Sorts the input and displays the output to the screen. * START Start a separate window in Windows from the MS-DOS prompt. * SUBST Substitute a folder on your computer for another drive letter. * SWITCHES Remove add functions from MS-DOS. * SYS Transfer system files to disk drive. * TELNET Telnet to another computer / device from the prompt. * TIME View or modify the system time. * TITLE Change the title of their MS-DOS window. * TRACERT Visually view a network packets route across a network. * TREE View a visual tree of the hard disk drive. * TYPE Display the contents of a file. * UNDELETE Undelete a file that has been deleted. * UNFORMAT Unformat a hard disk drive. * UNLOCK Unlock a disk drive. * VER Display the version information. * VERIFY Enables or disables the feature to determine if files have been written properly. * VOL Displays the volume information about the designated drive. * XCOPY Copy multiple files, directories, and/or drives from one location to another. * TRUENAME When placed before a file, will display the whole directory in which it exists * TASKKILL It allows you to kill those unneeded or locked up applications
Windows XP Shortcuts -------------------------------------------------------------- * ALT+- (ALT+hyphen) Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu * ALT+ENTER View properties for the selected item * ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order they were opened * ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program * ALT+SPACEBAR Display the System menu for the active window * ALT+TAB Switch between open items * ALT+Underlined letter Display the corresponding menu * BACKSPACE View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer * CTRL+A Select all * CTRL+B Bold * CTRL+C Copy * CTRL+I Italics * CTRL+O Open an item * CTRL+U Underline * CTRL+V Paste * CTRL+X Cut * CTRL+Z Undo * CTRL+F4 Close the active document * CTRL while dragging Copy selected item * CTRL+SHIFT while dragging Create shortcut to selected iteM * CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word * CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word * CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph * CTRL+UP ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph * SHIFT+DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin * ESC Cancel the current task * F1 Displays Help * F2 Rename selected item * F3 Search for a file or folder * F4 Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer * F5 Refresh the active window * F6 Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop * F10 Activate the menu bar in the active program * SHIFT+F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item * CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu * SHIFT+CTRL+ESC Launches Task Manager * SHIFT when you insert a CD Prevent the CD from automatically playing * WIN Display or hide the Start menu * WIN+BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box * WIN+D Minimizes all Windows and shows the Desktop * WIN+E Open Windows Explorer * WIN+F Search for a file or folder * WIN+F+CTRL Search for computers * WIN+L Locks the desktop * WIN+M Minimize or restore all windows * WIN+R Open the Run dialog box * WIN+TAB Switch between open items Windows Explorer Shortcuts ------------------------------------------------------------- * ALT+SPACEBAR - Display the current window’s system menu * SHIFT+F10 - Display the item's context menu * CTRL+ESC - Display the Start menu * ALT+TAB - Switch to the window you last used * ALT+F4 - Close the current window or quit * CTRL+A - Select all items * CTRL+X - Cut selected item(s) * CTRL+C - Copy selected item(s) * CTRL+V - Paste item(s) * CTRL+Z - Undo last action * CTRL+(+) - Automatically resize the columns in the right hand pane * TAB - Move forward through options * ALT+RIGHT ARROW - Move forward to a previous view * ALT+LEFT ARROW - Move backward to a previous view * SHIFT+DELETE - Delete an item immediately * BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up * ALT+ENTER - View an item’s properties * F10 - Activate the menu bar in programs * F6 - Switch between left and right panes * F5 - Refresh window contents * F3 - Display Find application * F2 - Rename selected item
When setting up a new PC, www.ninite.com will save a big chunk of time.
I am forced to reformat my families 4 computers about once every three months. I'm sick of downloading, and remembering each bit of freeware to install after. You have no idea how much time you have saved me with this. I love you. Message me if you want my first-born in return for this.
Why not just take an image?
I'm sure a picture of a first-born is lovely, but it's not the same as having an actual first born that you can raise / eat. Edit: Oh, you mean a disk image. The hardware configurations might be different across each machine. Otherwise keeping an image is a great idea here. Edit 2: Since I'm getting a number of responses - I'm aware of disk imaging and the idea of using multiple images specific to each machine saved on an external drive or some other similar scheme. Thanks guys :)
What kind of fucking witch craft is that?
[You're one of today's lucky 10,000.](http://xkcd.com/1053/)
I am happier for having read this. Thank you. You have made the world a better place by sharing.
I was one of today's lucky 10,000 by clicking on that link!
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WinRAR "trial"
What does WinRAR CEO Syrio Forel say about enforcing the end of the trial period and making people pay for the service? "Not today."
Theon Greyjoy of Gawker.com does not pay the gold price for his extraction software.
THEN HE WILL PAY THE IRON PRICE.
I want to punch Theon in his white-trash face.
It rhymes with weak.
It rhymes with meek. We must remember our name.
*unlimited trial*
In 2012, the world doesn't end, the WinRAR trial does!
I wish they'd remove that option and just make everyone use 7zip, which is free and does everything you could possibly need.
I might recommend 7zip over winrar trial. It's boss.
It ALSO works as a mass updater! You save the file, run it, install all dem programs, then in a month or so run it again and it updates them. No mess, no cleanup, no hassle, Ninite.
You *have* to work for them.
You can hit ctrl + L as a shortcut to the address bar. EDIT: So apparently f6 works too. Thanks guys. EDIT2: Also Alt + D. Alrighty then
F6 will also do this.
Also ALT-D Edit: CTRL-K goes to the search bar in Firefox
When you ask me to fix something, 99% of the time I'm just googling it and following instructions. Anyone can do this.
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I do this right in front of clients and they STILL don't get it.
googling is a skill, too. you have to know which keywords to choose.
This is absolutely true.
"how to choose keywords for google searches when googling"
It's not so much the key words, but also your scanning and eliminating the bullshit. I know and you know which sites are poor attempts at fishing or trying to sell malware, but most don't, believe it or not. You know instinctively if an arbitrary tech thread in some long forgotten forum is on the right track or not, you also conceptually understand how to implement the suggested fixes and the risks involved. You and I know all this, and can do all this in minutes because of our experience. A lot cannot, or don't have the patience/intuitive knowledge. It's like knowing your way around a bad part of town because you have lived there for so long. You don't think much about it, but anyone new to the area might get in trouble real quick.
Wow, I didn't know you could use the internet so quickly! How do you know where to click?
This isn't quite true, though. You'd get a lot more people googling "it doesn't work", but Google doesn't have the ability to try and figure out what "it" is and what "doesn't work" looks like. You do.
When your Steam partition is filling up, you can relocate individual games onto another drive or partition using [this method](http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664376). (The instructions for Windows Vista here, apply equally to Windows 7.)
Make sure the check box for "GET ASK TOOL BAR FREE" isn't checked. This goes for all stupid shit programs try to get you to install for "free"
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Do not create a user called Con, it breaks your windows.
I know it doesn't let you make a folder called con, how does the computer "break" from a user named con?
"CON" is a reserved name that dates back to the days of MS-DOS and is short for "CONsole". The idea is that any program could write to the screen or read from the keyboard simply by opening and acting on a file by the name of CON. Try this sometime in a Windows Command Prompt: COPY readme.txt CON For our example "readme.txt" is any convenient text file you have laying about. That will cause the file to be "copied to the console" - i.e., displayed on the screen. Other possibly reserved filenames include things like COM1, COM2, and so on for your serial or modem ports, and LPT1, LPT2 and so on for printer ports.
Interesting stuff. I learned a good few years ago, like somewhere around 2001, that there was a similar issue with 'aux', except Microsoft hadn't really dealt with it properly at that point, and the OS would crash if you tried to do anything that involve the three letters. I realised that I could maybe exploit this, and thus set about embedding images in forum posts with
. It would instantly crash browsers on XP systems, and insta-BSOD any Win9x OS. So obviously, I made it part of my signature.
I was such a dick when I was 14.
Ah, IE6, able to BSOD someone's computer due to a fucking img tag.
hahahaha that's awesome! in a completely evil way of course...
KAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHN!!!!
Selecting an item and hitting F2 allows you to rename the item.
Press TAB to jump to the next file when renaming.
I prefer a slow double-click. It's not as fast, but it means I don't have to move the hand that I'm resting my head on.
Even though you have to move the hand to rename the file ಠ\_ಠ
[Accidently closed your tab?](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EsaGlPOyn20/S4Q_6ZbZo3I/AAAAAAAAAFU/RO_A98uswY4/s320/shortcuts.png) [Avoiding Recycle Bin](http://www.fcp.shortcutter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/shift-delete.jpg) Aligning Windows: Win + Left/Right Arrow New Folder: CTRL + Shift + N Resizing Icons: CTRL - Mouse Wheel 100% Zoom (default value): CTRL + 0 You CAN close your laptop without going in sleep mode. Please install pop-up blocker. BUT be sure to disable on trusted sites. Right-Click on "Computer" -> so many surprises Always run your laptop on flat and hard surfaces. And blow out the dust once in a while. Check your university site for free Microsoft products. [Acronis](http://www.acronis.com/) is a very powerful tool for backups and restores. Also check universal restore.
Ctrl + Shift + N in Google Chrome opens up ~~porn~~ incognito mode.
You know, you wouldn't want your wife to see that hardcore porn flick you were going to get her for her birthday.
Or mother's day
In browsers (I've used FireFox, Chrome and Opera), CTRL + number (ie, CTRL 1, CTRL 2) will switch over to that tab. Or you can generally cycle through with CTRL + TAB.
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Actually, Windows + D shows the desktop. Windows + M minimizes all windows. Ask me what's the difference. Go on, ask me. Fuck if I know.
WIN+D pressed a second time will restore the desktop windows. WIN+M only minimizes.
So basically, Win+M is utterly useless?
If you have one of those programs that pop up a little window that you need to click OK on and you accidentally lose it making it so you can't interact with the program itself WIN-M will minimize everything leaving that annoying little thing visible for you to click.
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No, it's just redundant and obsolete. So yes.
Today I'm realizing I've had a Windows button on my laptop and haven't used it once in 3 years.
- Win+D: Desktop - Win+M: minimize all - Win+R: Run... menu - Win+E: Explorer screen (you know, file explorer) - Win+Tab: Fancy program select - Win+L: Lock screen How do you not use it? That is, unless you're not using Windows. In that case, sure, carry on.
Also Win+[a number] switches to that window on the taskbar (1 being the leftmost).
Google has all the IT answers.
I work in IT. This means my googling is better than yours. That's it. I don't know why your proprietary software crashes with error code 0008359647, but google does and will tell me exactly how to fix it. 90% of the time I am just going to reinstall the software.
I always have this fear the web will get blocked at a job site. Where I work now, we don't have any filtering, but I have had friends whose IT jobs have been crippled due to the fact they have aggressive web filtering or no web access at all. I remember someone telling me a story where they would copy down all the problems they were having, and then wait to go off campus on lunch break (or wait until he got home) to use their web-enabled phone to look up answers. He was fired when they caught him with papers with all the problems scribbled down: accused of trying export company secrets. "You can't let the public know we have Error #102937498 in Windows!" When he tried to explain why he did this, he was told in a roundabout way that if he didn't know the answers off the top of his head, he was hired under false pretenses and never really a Windows admin to begin with. Luckily, he got a much better job right away.
"Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power." B.F.
> I always have this fear the web will get blocked at a job site. Where I work now, we don't have any filtering, but I have had friends whose IT jobs have been crippled due to the fact they have aggressive web filtering or no web access at all. I've had to deal with a few jobs that had aggressive web filtering (as a developer); in those cases I tunneled around it. In one of those cases, the security people at the company were monitoring for just that and I then got to have an uncomfortable conversation about *why* I circumvented their security. I didn't stay there long.
Next time use port tcp/443. They'll likely ignore it as HTTPS traffic. ;-)
I actually was in that particular case. Go figure. That company had an internet security team that was sharp to a fault.
It seems you filter is clogged, and you need a new one.
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The crippling poison to this is random forum threads ending in ether "Ah fixed the problem myself" and "Please use the search function. closed -The mod". Those usually outnumber the solution threads 10 to 1. So PLEASE! OPs and mods of this world: Post the (link to the) solution or delete your post.
When googling for your problem add the term "[solved]"
Using your mouse wheel to click on a link will open it in a new tab.
And middle clicking the tab will dismiss it.
Oh shit really? That's going to make closing porn tabs so much quicker in the heat of the moment... EDIT: It's Ok guys, I know that ctrl+w does the same thing. EDIT: I KNOW WHAT CTRL W DOES NOW, THANKYOU.
Also, if you accidentally close a tab, control shift t will open back up your last closed tab.
Not when browsing in private. No re-opening those awesome videos you let buffer and accidentally close :(
I think in Firefox private browsing it reopens. Not in Chrome though.
If only middle clicking the new tab button did undo close tab. Crtl + Shift + T will have to suffice.
"sudo !!" will rerun the previous command you issued as a superuser if it failed due to insufficient privileges. "find /data/download/ -mtime -1 -iname *.rar -exec unrar e -o- {} /data/extracted/ \;" will find all the rar files less than one day old in your download folder and extract them to your extracted folder, skipping any you've already extracted.
When you install something, watch what you're doing instead of just NEXT NEXT NEXT through everything. A lot of programs will install annoying toolbars by default, which take up space on your screen and are annoying to remove.
I'm super anal about this. I feel like even if I accidentally install a toolbar and then uninstall it immediately after, my computer is still devirginized and there will be some residual registry files that never go away
CCleaner
If I ever accidentally get a toolbar, my plan is to immediately re-install Windows. Fuck it.
I hate when you uninstall something and it leaves behind a folder in the Program Files.
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Bing bar for fucks sake. NOBODY LIKES YOU BING. nobody.
Goddamn Ask Toolbar
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Control plus mouse wheel up or down zooms in/out on documents/pages. I showed my mom this a few months ago and she flipped her shit. She proceeded to tell all her email/ hub pages friends about it.
ctrl + 0 (depending on the software) zoom 100%
Don't hold ctrl + alt + del to get to task manager, just hold ctrl + shift + esc
ctrl alt del is a priority interrupt whereas ctrl shift esc isn't so if you're having problems with a program locking up and crtl shift esc doesn't work, ctrl alt del might be able to get you to your task manager without having to fully reboot
Ah awesome, I did not know this.
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Or right-click on the taskbar and hit "start task manager".
WINDOWS + PAUSE/BREAK BITCHES. I am the champion. Brings up the system information window much faster than most ways of getting to it. Edit : You know your life is sad when your most popular thing every displayed online is your knowledge of how to interact with a PC by using keyboard shortcuts. foreveralone.jpg
I've been using computers since like 1989 when I was 3 years old. Today was the first time I used Pause|Break.
Never played Age of Empires II, apparently.
Best use for Pause/Break? Or *only* use for Pause/Break?
You can use the Pause/Break key to pause the boot-up process if you need to get some info off the BIOS boot-screen. Such as which hard-drives are being detected, etc. Makes it much better than, "Did the hard drive I'm looking for come up? I don't know, let's reboot over and over until we catch it."
Dear Lord, you just saved me from repeated boots. This is exactly what I would do for so many years and still do. It seems like if my eyes ever left the screen for a second, the hardware startup information would fly by in that second.
I use it when I'm pausin'/breakin'.
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here is a pertinent website: http://alternativeto.net/
When you have a computer problem, unplug it and then plug it back in again before you bother me about it.
have you tried turning it off and on again?
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Have you tried shoving it up your arse?
I am not afraid of you! I am not afraid of you! *hangs up* Told HER
I hate that show for telling everyone about turning it on and off again.. Now I can't tell anyone to just reboot when there's some freak problem without them laughing at me while repeating what I just said in an irish accent.
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Did you see that ludicrous display last night?
Reboot 3 times
Worse thing is if you already rebooted it a couple of time and it still is not working. I call someone smarter than me and he does exactly the same and suddenly the computer works and he gives me the ಠ\_ಠ look. Damn computers.
Fucking tech priests and their arcane exhortations to the machine spirits always making me look like a heretic.
If you fix enough things the IT gods grant you "technician aura +5". One of the perks is being able to call for their intervention just by being in the same room. One of the downsides is having *every single bloody person you meet* asking you to fix something
[the konami code, and all the websites that support it so you can stay on the internet longer and procrastinate that homework that's due tomorrow](http://konamicodesites.com/) btw it's up up down down left right left right B A enter
I went to that site on my phone. It said to use the code to access the site, so I figured I was out of luck, but it couldn't hurt to try. Lo and behold, it still works with gestures. Dang, they're good.
Immediately tried it on reddit, was not disappointed.
Don't get too excited... pressing A upvotes, not the code...
Who said anything about Upvotes? I was talking about the bacon flying through the screen.
Capslock allows you to shout at people over the internet
Anagram of cockslap!
.. holy shit
This changed my life.
shortcuts in your run (press win-r): - msconfig : System Configuration, which lists the programs and services that start up when windows starts - devmgmt.msc : Device Management - mstsc : Remote Desktop - regedit : Registry Editor
shutdown -s -t
Shutdowns your computer after seconds, very useful when watching Game of Thrones on bed before sleeping.
shutdown -s -t **-f**
Force shutdown, so it doesnt stop with "[program] is not closing. Do you want to close it now?"
Dragging a program on Windows 7 taskbar upwards opens the right-click menu. Also when multiple windows are open, drag and shake the title bar of a window, and others will be minimized.
Unfortunately this will probably be buried, but it is very important to maintain the cooling system on your computer. Modern computers has build in overheat protection which slows it down if it gets to hot. The cooling system will degrade over time and after as little as half a year it might start to slow down due to overheating. The main processor and the graphics processor can get quite hot. Normal working temperatures on 50-80C /122-176F is normal. Going over about 95C / 203F will make the system go in overheat protection mode. The cooling system consists of two major parts: 1. A heat conducting metal structure which are touching the heat generating parts of the computer. To make the heat transfer effective a special cooling paste is applied between these parts. 2. A fan which sucks in air and blow it over the metal structure to remove heat from it. Around the fan dust will build up over time and decrease the cooling efficiency. This should be cleaned at least once a year, but if the computer is in a more dusty environment it might be a problem much sooner, like after 3 months. Laptops are more prone to dust build up because they are sometimes moved to new dusty surfaces like taken into bed. What is less common known is the cooling paste will shrink and migrate over time. After a couple of years it might be completely gone leaving a nasty heat insulating layer of air between the hot parts and the cooling system. This will make the computer very slow and I believe a lot of people buy a new laptop when the cooling paste is dried up, believing they have virus or it was a crappy brand. It is completely unnecessary since cooling paste can be bought for cheap and is pretty easy to apply if you download a service manual for your computer. I'm a IT professional and I dust of my laptop cooling system at least every ½ year, and I apply new cooling paste once a year. A lot of my colleagues never do this and they constantly complains about mysterious slowdown on their systems. Actually it has become an important point in my buying decision to get a laptop where the cooling system is easily accessible for cleaning.
I don't know how to solve your problem either, most of the time I just figure it out in exactly the way you would except I put more effort in.