Tabbed Remote Desktop / VNC Client for Windows

Anybody that works in a multiple server environment knows that it can be annoying to have half a dozen remote desktop windows open at any given point. Thankfully there’s a slick application called Terminals that gives you tabbed remote desktop capabilities.Not only can you do Remote Desktop, but you can use VNC or even Citrix if you choose, and all within the same tabbed window.When you first install the application you’ll be prompted for a master...

Read More

How to disable USB ports

 To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP and 2000, follow the steps below    1. Click Start, and then click Run.    2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.    3. Locate, and then click the following registry key:    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor    4. In the right pane, double-click Start.    5. In the Value data box, type 4, click Hexadecimal (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.    6. Quit Registry Editor. ...

Read More

Large VM crashes during snapshot commit

Snapshots can be your friend but they can most certainly also make your life miserable. The other day we had a rather large VM (with 20 GB mem, 8 vCPUs and 28 TB storage divided on 22 .vmdk's) that crashed during a snapshot commit. The error stated: "Performing disk cleanup. Cannot power off." The snapshot had been taken while the VM was powered off and only a few changes had been made to the VM before the snapshot was committed.After the crash,...

Read More

VMware: How to check HBA firmware version without rebooting ESX host

I need to find out witch firmware version is running on my HBA without rebooting the ESX host.. I thought this was possible by GUI but couldn’t find it, so I decided to check this by console. Give the following commands: Navigate to: - cd proc/scsi/qla or lpfc820- ls –lia To view the HBA information: - cat 6- cat 7Result:...

Read More

Hide The Username On The Start Menu

Use this trick to hide the Username that is usually displayed in theXP start menu (not the Classic Start Menu, where the username isnot displayed). Navigate to: HCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ExplorerAnd to:HLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ExplorerChange the DWORD Value NoUserNameInStartMenu to 1 to hide the username display.  The default is...

Read More

How To Add Your Own Windows Tips

Are you sick of seeing the same tips again and again when you first logon to Windows? Now you can change them to whatever you want, whether it's quotes, jokes or a to-do list, anything is possible.Open your registry and find the key below.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Tips Create a new string valued named by incrementing the existing value names and set it to the required tip text.eg. 32 - Dont forget to Visit /http://techsohail.blogspot...

Read More

Disable Desktop Cleanup Wizard

By default Windows will run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days to remove unused desktop items and shortcuts. This setting will disable it from running automatically. Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWiz and create Dword value NoRun and give 1 to disable ...

Read More

Enable Advanced File System and Sharing Security

This setting is used to enable the ability to control advanced NTFS permissions on local and shared files.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsaand create Dword value ForceGuest and give the value...

Read More

Disable the Ability to Customize Toolbars

By right clicking on a toolbar you are usually given the option to Customize, which allows you to change which functions are available from the toolbar. This tweak allows you to disable that function.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoToolbarCustomize and give the value...

Read More

Remove the Option to Change or Hide Toolbars

By default users are able to select which toolbars are displayed either be right clicking the toolbar itself, or by changing the options from the View menu. This tweak locks the toolbars, removing the ability to change which are displayed.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoBandCustomize give the value...

Read More

Remove File Menu from Explorer

This setting is used to Remove the File option from the Explorers toolbar.(This option was added in Windows NT Service Pack 2 and is standard in newer Windows versions.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoFileMenu give the value...

Read More

Hide the Network Neighborhood Icon

The Network Neighborhood icon is shown on the Windows desktop whenever Windows networking is installed, by enabling this setting the icon will be hidden.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoNetHood give the value...

Read More

Hide the Search Button on the Explorer Toolbar

This restriction allows you to remove the search button from the "Standard Buttons" toolbar in Windows explorer.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoShellSearchButton give the value...

Read More

Could not power on VM - lock was not free

The other day we experienced an incident on the SAN storage with high latency and even loss of connection to the SAN. This can generate a lot of really unpleasant errors on the ESX hosts. Even after the SAN is brought back to a stable state we've seen hosts that won't boot, VM's that won't vMotion and VMs that won't power on due to file locks. If you receive a 'locked file error' (like screendump below) and your VM won't boot there are...

Read More

Remove Properties from My Computer

This restriction remove the properties option from My Computer and hides the "System Properties" screen.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoPropertiesMyComputer give the value...

Read More

Remove the Ability to Modify File Types

This setting allows you to remove the ability to change, add or delete file types using explorer the Folder Options interface.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoFileAssociate and give the value...

Read More

Show Hidden Operating System Files

This setting controls whether the normally hidden operating system files should be displayed when using explorer to browse the file system.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advance and create Dword value ShowSuperHidden and give 1 to show the fi...

Read More

Unload Unused DLLs

After an application is closed in widows XP, it has the bad habit of leaving the associated DLL files in memory. This can hog precious resources and memory, and also cause stability problems. To makethe DLLs unload themselves from memory after the program is closed,Navigate to: HLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AlwaysUnloadDLLIf the DWORD AlwaysUnloadDLL is not present, you will need to create it. Set the Value of the (Default) setting to 1. Application associated DLLs will get unloaded when the application is clos...

Read More

Remove the Hardware Tab

This restriction removes the hardware tab from applicable items in the Control Panel and from the local drive properties. This prevents users from changing the hardware device properties.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoHardwareTab and give the value...

Read More

Boot directly into BIOS - Workstation 8

In Workstation 8, there's a nice new little feature that let's you boot directly into BIOS from the power on button. Instead of having this option under edit settings it has been moved to the power on button itself.A small thing perhaps, but quite practic...

Read More

Remove the Distributed File System Tab

This restriction removes the Distributed File System (DFS) tab from Windows explorer. This prevents users from viewing or changing the properties of local DFS shares.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoDFSTab and give the value...

Read More

Hide All Items on the Desktop

Enabling this options hides all the items and programs on the Windows desktop.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoDesktop and give the value...

Read More

Disable the Ability to Right Click on the Desktop

This setting removes the context menu that would normally appear when the user right clicks on the desktop or in the Explorer right results pane.Navigate the following key:HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and create Dword value NoViewContextMenu and give the value...

Read More

Hide The Username On The Start Menu

Use this trick to hide the Username that is usually displayed in theXP start menu (not the Classic Start Menu, where the username isnot displayed).Navigate to:HCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ExplorerAnd to:HLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ExplorerChange the DWORD Value NoUserNameInStartMenu to 1 to hide the username display. The default is...

Read More

Disable desktop cleanup wizard

By default the Desktop Cleanup Wizard runs every 60 days to cleanup unused shortcuts and other desktop items. You can change the setting with clicking the properties on start button and navigating thier but you may want to do from registry setting. If so navigate toHCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWizModify the DWORD Value called NoRun to 0, or to 1 to bringback the poor Wizard if you like to begin it ag...

Read More

Edit The Startup Programs List

Many of the programs that start up at boot time do not show in the Startup folder. If you want to stop more than one application from loading at startup, you will need to go and unmark the preference in each application one by one.It is tedious and time consuming. Following hack can help you do this in one go.Navigate to the following registry settingsHLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunAnd to:HCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunAll the programs that load at boot time will be specified under these two keys. Review...

Read More

Disabling Drives in My Computer

If you want to prevent any users to access your computer or network shared drives using My Computer then you can hide the all drives for example C:/, D:/ and save your data from any unknown user. But next time you can turn on the display of these drives using registry editor. Now edit the computer registry to turn off the display of drives, but be careful to work with computer registry.Follow the given steps to hide computer drives:First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.Here locate the location to:HKey_Current_User \ Software...

Read More

Hide Drives and Partitions

Do you want to hide the drive from your explorer in your computer. But still have the access from the dos and run. then this tweak help you.Open the Registry Editor by going to Start/Run and typing in "regedit" (without the quotes). Find your way to...HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mcft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PoliciesClick on "Explorer".Double-click the "NoDrives" key in the right column. If you don't find a "NoDrives" registry key, just right-click in the right pane and choose "New/DWORD Value" then name the key "NoDrives".You'll see a value like...

Read More

Clear Unwanted Items From Add And Remove

Clear Unwanted Items From Add And RemoveRun the Registry Editor (REGEDIT).Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Uninstall, and remove any unwanted subkeys under "Uninstal...

Read More

Disable Recent Documents History

If you want to keep privacy that which file you have opened, then you can disable recent documents history.For this create a new DWORD value under key given below, or modify the existing value if exist, called 'NoRecentDocsHistory' set the value to equal '1' to enable the restriction.For per user setting[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]For system setting[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explor...

Read More