TweakVista.com - Latest Tweaks & News

Service Pack 2 Download Links for Vista and Server 2008

5/26/2009 4:30:11 PM

Overnight Microsoft released Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 to the Microsoft download center for public download. Previously Service Pack 2 was only available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. In other news anti-Windows fanboys international issued a press release requesting all members trade in "Windows 7 is Vista SP2" t-shirts for updated Vista SP3...

Kill Processes from Command Prompt

5/16/2009 5:00:48 PM

I'm sure you are familiar with the traditional way to kill or end a process in Windows using Task Manager. This method is effective but not nearly as fun as killing a process in Command Prompt. Additionally, killing processes in Command Prompt provides much more control and the ability to end multiple processes at once. All of this is possible with the TaskKill...

What is svchost.exe?

4/23/2009 3:00:09 PM

One of the most common questions about system processes is what is svchost.exe and why are there so many processes running? First appearing in Windows XP, svchost.exe hosts multiple services within one process. This allows the operating system to save memory by reducing process overhead by cutting down on the number of processes that need to be running. Every system service such as...

Fix Broken and Slow Tab Issues in Internet Explorer 8

3/30/2009 12:00:41 PM

Some users that upgraded to Internet Explorer 8 experience issues with tabs not working properly or taking a very long time to load. It seems for most users the issue can be attributed to a problem with actxprxy.dll not installing properly during the upgrade. If you have a similar problem with IE8, fixing the issue is as simple as a running one command. Just open up an...

Remove text on taskbar icons like Windows 7

3/26/2009 9:20:10 PM

An easy way to give your Windows Vista box a clean look is to remove the application labels on the taskbar. With a registry hack you can make your Windows Vista taskbar look similar to the Windows 7 icon only taskbar. Click on the start button and type in regedit and hit Enter. Navigate through HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop\WindowMetrics. Create a new...

Make Windows Vista look like Windows 7

3/27/2009 12:00:20 PM

Want to bring the look of the Windows 7 taskbar and interface to Windows Vista? Thanks to the hard work of a dedicated Vista user, everyone can download a special visual style for Windows Vista that will transform your pc. Before you can install the new visual style the visual style engine must be patched to allow non-Microsoft visual styles. Check...

Window Snapping for Windows Vista and XP

2/4/2009 8:50:16 AM

Windows 7 includes the new Aero Snap feature that allows you to easily work with multiple windows at once by neatly sizing both windows automatically. For Windows Vista and XP users a cool utility called FreeSnap will provide much of the same functionality with a exhaustive list of keyboard shortcuts. To get started, download the latest version of FreeSnap. Once you have...

Disable iPhone AutoPlay Pop-up

1/4/2009 9:39:39 AM

Every time I connect the iPhone to my PC Windows shows an AutoPlay dialog with four useless options. I want Windows to do nothing because iTunes automatically starts to charge and sync my device. Unfortunately, there is not a “do nothing” option on this screen like other AutoPlay dialogs. In order to stop the AutoPlay window I will have to change the...

Easily Customize Windows Screensavers

12/30/2008 3:45:08 PM

About a year about I posted a detailed article about customizing the new screensavers in Windows Vista that are also included in Windows 7. Since then a Windows developer known as Onmicoder has taken the tweaks a step further and built a GUI around the registry values. Now users that don’t want to modify the registry manually can customize screensavers with just a few clicks. ...

Announcing Windows Vista SP2 Beta

12/2/2008 12:00:01 AM

Today Microsoft is releasing the Windows Vista SP2 Beta for Technet and MSDN Subscribers to download. Service Pack 2 includes dozens of improvements that will help security and performance. Among the improvements the most notable are Bluetooth 2.1 feature pack, Windows Connect Now wireless configuration, Windows Search 4 and increased reliability. Detailed List of Changes: ...

Remove Personal Information from Office Documents

11/18/2008 3:47:15 PM

Microsoft Office and other Windows Applications store all sorts of personal information when you save a file. Your name, computer name, company, date and time last edited are all examples of data included in a simple Word document file. If you are concerned about your privacy there is an easy way to strip this information from a file. Right click on the file and select...

Improve Multi-Tasking with Virtual Desktops

8/27/2008 1:25:45 PM

Microsoft’s Windows Sysinternals group has released a new virtual desktop utility called Desktops. If you have used virtual desktops on *nix or spaces on OS X you will feel right at home with Sysinternals Desktops. For those of you that are new to virtual desktops, they are a great way to organizing your work and help you multi-task better. Running Sysinternals Desktops...

Restore Window Title and Icon in Windows Explorer

8/4/2008 3:33:08 PM

In Windows Vista the window title and icon has been removed in all instances of Windows Explorer. The result is a blank space in the window that just does not look good where the window title normally is placed. Using a cool free utility called AeroBar you can restore the window titlebar title and icon. To use the utility visit Outils (http://www.psscript.net/utils.htm) and...

Restore classic toolbar in Office 2007

8/4/2008 1:56:13 PM

Are you or your users having problems finding what you want with the new Office 2007 ribbons? A new product called RibbonCustomizer allows you to bring back the classic menubar and toolbar as shown below: Download the free Started Edition Now

Create a 360 degree Virtual Desktop

8/4/2008 1:29:58 PM

A new product called 360 Desktop introduces a new way of thinking about virtual desktops. Instead of having different desktops or desktops on a cube why not have a desktop that you can scroll horizontally forever. 360 Desktop converts your desktop into a very wide never ending desktop in the shape of a cylinder. Instead of changing desktops to view different applications just scroll...