This is another installment in using the Parental Controls feature in Vista. So far we have covered Web Filtering and Time allowed on the PC. Again open Control Panel and punch Set up parental controls for any user. You will then be greeted with the screen to snag the user you want to control. After selecting the account again you will want to verify Parental Controls are activated. This time under Window options we want to punch Allow and block specific programs....

As a tech writer, one of my biggest pet peeves is the plethora of bad advice littered across almost every web site dedicated to system tweaking. Besides the tweaks that simply don’t work, some of them will actually cause your gear to run even sloweror worse.

This is another installment in using the Parental Controls feature in Vista. So far we have covered Web Filtering and Time allowed on the PC. Again open Control Panel and select Set up parental controls for any user. You will then be greeted with the screen to go for the user you want to control. After selecting the account again you will want to verify Parental Controls are activated. This time under Window controls we want to press Allow and block specific programs....

However, they are often big, resource-hungry and can slow down your Firefox. Once you’ve extracted the files, go into the Strata folder then the Aero folder. There will be a file there called classic.manifest. We will replace the default Firefox version with this one. Right-click classic.manifest and select rename. Now rename it to classic.manifest.bak.

This article is part of Mysticgeek’s IT blog, a How-To Geek blog focused on IT geekery. Parents are always looking for ways to keep their kids safe. About a year ago I covered how touse the controls to filter unfavorable Websites. This feature of Vista actually allows you to control the time a user can access their account. Open Control Panel and press Set up parental controls for any user....

This article is part of Mysticgeek’s IT blog, a How-To Geek blog focused on IT geekery. You do not need to be a super programmer to create gadgets for you and your friends iGoogle page. Here I am going to show the Free Form template. Next enter in a title for your gadget and a link to your website or blog. Enter in your unique text, and choose the layout and background colors....

Which will open up the Stored User Names and Passwords dialog.

Windows Vista has some new tools to help in diagnosing problems with your system. One very cool on was previously covered by The Geek which is theMemory Diagnostics Tool. Next press Advanced tools … Instead of going through different utilities on the list go to the bottom and generate a System Health Report. To generate the report it takes about a minute or so. while Vista collect system information.

Have you ever noticed that the File Types option was completely removed from Vista, and there’s no built-in way to change the editor for many file types? Sure, you’re able to change the default software used to launch the file, but you’re able to’t change what happens when you right-click / edit. you’ve got the option to either directly hack the registry, or there’s a freeware utility that adds the functionality back… we’ll show you how to do both methods....

Once you are there, tap the link for “Create Basic Task” on the right-hand side. On the next screen, choose to “Start a program” and go to the next screen. CCleaner should run silently in the background. If not, then you’ll have to browse down to the location of the file. ensure to check the box for “Open advanced properties” and then go for the Finish button. Now you’ll want to modify the Run command to include the /AUTO switch at the end....

If you are curious what the (x86) in the screenshot path is… I’m running 64-bit Vista, which has one directory for 64-bit programs and another for 32-bit programs. For extra credit, you could alsocreate a shortcut that doesn’t prompt you for UAC. Download CCleaner from ccleaner.com(Download the Slim build which doesn’t bundle the Yahoo!

It’s just that easy. You’ll notice the button that says “Available Now! “, because I’m signed into CrossLoop currently. Anyway, you’re the one trying to provide help, right? A large number of happy customers will help you immensely in attracting future customers to give you their business. Note: There’s a fine line between promoting yourself and spamming… I’ll make a run at guide you through it, but sometimes it’s a judgement call....

Then change the “Click items as follows” section to “Single-click” instead of “Double-click”. You’ll notice the setting underneath it, which determines whether icon titles are underlined or not by default.