Previously, we asked you if you use the Windows command prompt and many of you answered and stated you do not; for those that do use the command line interface (CLI), many use it infrequently. In this guide, we’ll go through the basics of the command prompt, show you examples of how you can use it, and show you how to customize it.
Archive for the ‘Windows 7’ Category
Related Categories
The Windows Command Prompt—Beginner’s Guide
Add Image Preview in Right-Click Context Menu [How To]
Although you can set Windows Explorer to show you the thumbnails of all your pictures, it usually makes it slower to browse through different folders. Additionally it also creates multiple thumbs.db files in each folder and all such files may take up considerable amount of disk space. An alternative to thumbnail preview feature of Windows is adding an image preview in the right-click menu. This can be done easily using the free FastPreview shell extension. It adds an Image Preview in the right-click context menu so that when you right-click on an image file, you see its preview right inside the context menu.
Add File Hashes Tab in File Properties in Windows 7 [How To]
A file’s hash value is a signature for that file that uniquely identifies it. If a file’s contents change, its hash value will also change. You can use the hash value of a file to know whether it has been modified or altered. You can also cross-check the hashes of a suspicious file online to see if it’s a malicious file. Windows 7 does not have any native way to show or calculate a file’s hashes. But you can use the freeware HashTab tool to add a File Hashes tab in the file properties dialog.
Extend the Trial Period of Windows 7 to Four Months [How To]
If you’re currently evaluating Windows, you can keep an eye on the expiration date of the license to ensure functionality is not reduced when the trial period ends. Windows Forums member and Windows Guides writer, Stu, shares the following commands to check the license status of your copy of Windows:
- slmgr /dli Current license information
- slmgr /dlv Detailed information on the current license
- slmgr /xpr Expiration date
Remove Malware from Windows [How To] [Updated]
Windows Forums member and owner of Real Security, geohac, has updated his comprehensive guide to help users remove malware from their PC. In the guide, geohac covers steps you should take to prepare for removal such as disabling proxy servers (to give you a better chance at getting online and getting to the sites you need for virus removal software.) The guide then goes on to show you how to boot into safe mode to fight a virus (something we recommend ourselves) and then shows you which tools you should use to remove a virus (downloading these tools on a non-infected PC is the safest bet and making sure, if you have to use a USB drive to transfer the files, that you don’t put the same, now potentially infected, thumb drive back in the clean PC.)
Change the behaviour of Windows 7 Taskbar Thumbnails [Quick Tip]
We’ve previously told you about Taskbar Thumbnails and how to use the Taskbar more efficiently. Personally I love the stack functionality in the Windows 7 Taskbar. Stacking all the thumbnails is a great way to keep the taskbar tidy and compact. The only thing that irritates me is that it doesn’t (by default) keep track of which of the windows I was working on last. If I’m working on several Excel Documents and I need to switch to another program for a few minutes, going back to the same Excel document will often lead me flipping through the entire stack.
There is a way to change this behavior, letting the Stack-feature save which window you worked in last. It requires a small Registry hack – and as always, create a backup before you do in case something should go horribly wrong. That being said, here’s how to fix it: