How to turn off the user account control (UAC) in Windows Vista
You know that annoying message that keeps coming up asking you to cancel or allow your actions, well this is the user account control in Windows Vista. I really do not understand why it is there, because you can still press allow and stuff your computer up very easily. I just think its an annoying message and I always turn it off in Windows Vista.
All you have to do is tick or untick a box and the UAC (user account conrol will be turned off.
Watch this easy video tutorial showing how to turn off the UAC.
How to setup a Windows Mail email account in Windows Vista
If your Email provider did not give you a setup disc you can setup a Windows Mail account manually as long as you have the settings available;
What you need to setup an account in Windows Mail:
- You will need the Windows Mail program that comes free with Windows Vista
- You will need to know your email address
- Your password
- Your incoming mail server
- Your outgoing mail server
- Sometimes you will need to know a port number to use. The default is 25, however some mail servers need to use 80.
Watch this video below to see how to add an email account to Windows Mail.
Add people to your contact list in the Windows Mail Address Book
Adding people to your contact list in Windows Mail is pretty much exactly like Outlook Express in Windows XP. However there is an Extra Windows Mail tip for you.
Here are a few different ways to add a contact to your address book in Windows Mail.
Add a sender to your contact list
- When your emails have come in and you see them in the inbox. Before opening them you can select it by making it blue.
- Then right click and choose add sender to the address book.
- Now you will be taken to the address book to edit your new contact.
Add all email addresses that came with the email
- Open an email that has more than one recipient. (Your friend sent it to you and three others)
- Then go to the tools menu.
- Choose add sender to address book.
- Then you will have a choice to choose to add the sender, everyone on the list, or choose the addresses individually. For example: my uncle sent me an email but he had sent it to my two cousins as well. Therefore in that list were my cousins email addresses.
Also watch this video tutorial on how to add a contact to your address book in Windows mail.
Change mouse clicking from double click to single click in Windows Vista
You don’t always have to double click on icons, files, and folders to open them. You can customize your mouseclick to suit your needs. I personally like to dispose of the double clicking and choose single click with underlining. So when you move your mouse over a filename or folder it will become underlined and makes it very clear that you are about to click on it.
How to change mouse clicking from double click to single click in Windows Vista.
- Go to the start menu and choose computer
- From the menu, choose tools. If there is no menu you can press the ALT key for them to appear. Also see Show the old menu with file, edit, tools, and view in Windows Vista.
- Then choose Folder Options from the menu.
- On the general tab undering the heading click items as follows, choose single-click to open an item.
- Then choose which single click option you want to use.
- Then press apply and ok.
Watch this video tutorial to see an example of the different types of single click options in Windows Vista.
Start Windows Vista Flip3D quickly without clicking a
shortcut
In the old days of Windows XP we had Windows flip, which switched through open applications on your computer when you pressed the WinKEY and the TAB key. Now in Windows VIsta you can still do this, however now it also has Windows Vista 3D flip.
What is the Windows Vista Flip3D?
Well if you have any version above Windows Vista Basic you will probably know what Windows Flip 3D is. It is a fantastic way to browse through your open applications on Windows Vista. The thumnail windows glide past you as you scroll through them to make your choice of which program to open. If you are into bells, whistles and cool tweaks, Windows Flip 3D is for you.
Now because this is all such a smooth process, it is annoying when you have to actually go and click on a shortcut icon on your taskbar to get Windows Vista Flip 3D to start. This is why you need a free program called Windows Vista Flip 3D activator. You simply download it, install it, and set it to open Windows Vista Flip 3D as soon as you go to a particular corner of the screen.
If you go to http://notj.net/flip3d/windows_vista_flip_3d_activator.html you can see more information on this program. Also see the video tutorial below to see Windows Flip 3D Activator in action.
To see how to disable Windows Vista Flip 3D see this article http://www.winvistaclub.com/t191.html
How to restore a Flip 3D shortcut icon to your Vista desktop tasbar
Just say you accidentally delete the Windows Vista Flip 3D icon and then realise that you cannot find the program to create another icon. Well there is no need to panic as it is easily fixed. There are two detailed steps to restore your Flip 3D icon to your desktop or quick launch toolbar on the taskbar.
Step 1 : Create a desktop shortcut that opens the Windows Vista Flip 3D application
- Right click on the blank area on your desktop
- Choose New from the menu
- Then choose shortcut
- Now copy this RunDll32 DwmApi #105 and paste it into the area that says Type the location of the item
- Press next. Then Type in a name for your shortcut. (Flip 3D)
- Press Finish. That’s it.
Now when you double press on this icon it will start Flip 3D.
Step 2 : Change the icon to a proper Windows Vista Flip 3D icon
- Right click on the icon that you just created
- Choose properties from the menu
- Now the shortcut properties will appear and you need to be on the shortcut tab
- Then press the Change icon button
- Press browse to find the right icon for Flip 3D
- The file you want is in C:/Windows/System32 folder and is called imageres.dll
- Once you have selected this file press open
- Now you will have lots of icons to choose from. The Flip 3D icon will be in there somewhere.
Please watch the video tutorial below to see more details.
Windows Vista has a sidebar that can be enabled that holds cool gadgets to help you through the day. It could be a notepad to write notes, a clock, the local weather, and so much more. If you haven’t enabled the Windows Vista sidebar and added gadgets to it, seriously, you should give it a go.
How to enable the Windows Vista Sidebar Gadgets:
- Got to the start menu at the bottom left corner and choose control panel
- Then double click on the Windows Sidebar Properties icon.
- The box below will appear.
- Tick the box Start Sidebar when Windows starts
- Then tick the box Sidebar is always on top of other windows
- Press Apply and then OK.. It should immediately appear on the desktop.
How to download or install more gadgets:
To install or browse through all Vista gadgets that are available you can go to http://gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx. If you have a genuine Windows Vista program then they are yours to download free.
Also when you have the Sidebar installed on your desktop there is a plus sign at the top. Double click on this to open the window pictured below. You can click on any of the gadgets here to install them to your desktop. If you want to download more click on get more gadgets online.
Windows Vista Free Gadgets
Aero Flip 3D in Windows Vista is very cool if you have it, however if you do not, there is a free program called Rocketdock that gives you the same convienience and feel. The screenshot below does not give it justice because you cannot see the icons glide out when you mouse over them.
If you have Windows XP or Windows Vista Home Basic you can download this program and almost pretend that you have cool graphics like Vista Aero Flip 3D. This is a really cool program that resembles the dock that is used on a mac computer.
Rocketdock screenshot - icon browser
In the settings you can move the Rocketdock to the top, right, left, or bottom of the screen. You can also drag icons onto it and remove them by right clicking on the icon and choosing to delete the item. There are also loads of themes to choose from.
I have tested this program on a Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows XP Professional and it worked flawlessly. Oh yeah… Did I mention it was free! And there are no nagging popups or spyware, the developers politely ask for a donation if you like the program.
Rocketdock features
- Easily drag and drop new icons onto the dock
- Fully customize themes and settings
- Real time previews are on the dock (movies are still playing and watchable)
- Runs great on slower computers
Download Rocketdock from http://rocketdock.com/downloadis
Please note that Windows XP x64 Edition, Windows Vista 64-bit Editions, and alternate shells are not supported.
In the old days of Windows XP we had Windows flip, which switched through open applications on your computer when you pressed the WINKEY and the TAB key. Now in Windows Vista you can still do this, however now it has Windows Vista flip 3D. This is one of the new features that comes with Windows Vista Aero.
Window Vista 3D Flip animates the entire idea of flipping through open applications. The open programs actually glide past you on your desktop in a cascading style, moving as you move the scroll wheel on your mouse. Then, conveniently you can click on any window in the line to open it fully to work on. You do not even have to click on the open application that is at the front of the line.
To use Windows Vista Aero Flip 3D you will need:
- Windows Vista Home Premium or higher. (not included with Home Basic)
- A compatible video card that is capable of running Aero Glass.
- A relatively fast computer for a seamless glide of open windows.
The great thing is that if you have a video playing or a game running, it will continue to do so while lined up behind other programs. The video keeps playing. A good way to test this is to put yourself on your webcam and wave to yourlsef when using aero flip 3D. You will be able to see yourslef moving even though the size of the window has been reduced.
Windows Vista Aero Flip 3D
Old habbits die hard! And this is exactly why we need to bring back the old style classic menu when using Windows Vista Explorer. There are menu items that are hiding from us. I am talking about the file, edit, tools, view, and help menu that was on every explorer window in XP.
This classic menu enables you to change important settings such as folder options, which in itself has at least 30 settings alone.
Here’s how to show the classic old style menu (file, edit, tools, and view)
- Go to the start menu and choose documents from the menu
- Now press the Alt key on the keyboard
- The classic menu will appear
- If you press Alt again it will disappear
This is just a temporary fix because the classic menu will not stay there. Next time you go to m computer or documents, you will have to press Alt again.
To get the classic menu to stay in Windows Vista Explorer you need to:
- Open computer or documents from the start menu.
- Press the Alt key to get the classic menu to appear.
- Now got to the tools menu and choose Folder Options.
- On the general tab under the heading tasks put a check next to Use Windows Classic Folders.
Watch this video tutorial below to see more details.
