Features

48. Master the Command Prompt

The Command Prompt is a dinosaur in IT terms: a holdover from the heady days of Windows 3.1. But it's still there and can be a saviour in a tight spot. Start it up by typing cmd into either the Run dialog (Windows + R) or the Vista Start Search bar. There are hundreds of commands to use, some highly potent and dangerous if used carelessly. For starters, IPCONFIG allows you to see the status of your network adapter, while attaching a URL after PING sends 32 bytes to an address of your choice. The round-trip time lets you hazard a guess as to the status of your internet connection.

49. Don't wait for boot up

Waiting for your computer to boot is a tedious and unproductive start to any work day, but leaving your PC on permanently will help to make Croydon a seaside resort. Save a few minutes every morning by using Wake-on-LAN to boot your computer just before you get to work. If you don't happen to have a server handy to do this for you, there are several websites willing to schedule a wake-up call, such as www.rshut.com/products/wol.

50. Simplify your life with scripts

Many people don't realise there's a full scripting language built into Windows, called VBScript. It's hugely versatile, supporting file operations, complex variables and full user interaction. So if you don't mind getting your hands dirty with VB code, you can create

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sophisticated scripts to reduce almost any sequence of tasks in Windows toa double-click. Or it can be launched automatically via the Task Scheduler. For simpler scripts, use good old MS-DOS file scripting language.

51. Turn off User Account Control

User Account Control (UAC) was one of Microsoft's most-heralded additions to Windows, dimming your desktop and prompting you every time you did anything potentially dangerous - every time! The result is that User Account Control rears its unwanted face far too frequently. Turning it off opens up plenty of dangers, though, so we recommend you only switch it off temporarily when you know you're going to get an annoying batch of prompts (such as when installing new hardware). Type User Account Control in the Control Panel search box to access the option.

52. Convert from FAT to NTFS

The older FAT and FAT32 drive formats are obsoleteand new installations of Vista use the more secure and powerful NTFS format by default. If you have any drives still using the redundant ones, you can easily convert to NTFS by opening a Command Prompt and typing "convert [Your drive letter]: /fs:ntfs". Just remember to back up any important files before you try.

53. Add Command Prompt to your start menu

If you use the Command Prompt often, navigating to the right directory is a pain. Try editing the Registry to give access to the Command Prompt with a right-click on the appropriate folder. Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Run box, delve down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Classes/Folder/Shell and make a key by selecting Edit | New | Key. Label this Open Command Prompt, make a second key under this and label it Command. Select the Command key, and double-click on default to open the Edit String box. Then, in the Value Data field, type cmd.exe /k pushd %L.