Use Firefox as default to open email links (Windows XP)

If you likes firefox and you want firefox to open everytime you click on the hyperlinks of your email, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Tools --> Folder options (in my computer or any folder)


2. Click on File Types, highlight URL: HyperText Transfer Protocol and click on Advanced


3. Highlight Open in the Actions and click Edit


4. Untick Use DDE checkbox and click Browse


5. Find the firefox folder (default would be in c:\program files\mozilla firefox)

6. Select the firefox.exe


7. At Application used to perform action, add -url "%1" at the back. After that click OK.


8. Repeat the same steps with URL: HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy

Vista didn't show filenames

For certain folders in hdd, usb thumbdrive or external hardrive, sometimes windows vista didn't show the filenames for the files, in this case you could only see icon.

This is cause by windows vista mistakenly assumes that you want to hide the filenames as a pictures and videos folder

To solve this:

1. Right click on any blank area on your folder and select customize this folder


2.Select Pictures and Videos as folder type


3. Hold Alt key on the keyboard, untick Hide File Names

Icon in folder keep changing

If sometimes the icon in folders keep on changing, it's because you didn't set to remember the folder view setting.


1. Go to Tools --> Folder options


2. Go to View tab, make sure that the remember each folder's view settings is tick.

Windows Vista Taskbar - show desktop

If you want to customize the taskbar to enable show desktop in windows vista, follow the step below:

1. Right click on the start menu, select properties (or control panel --> appearance and personalization --> taskbar aand start menu

2. Click on Toolbars and tick on Desktop.

Using USB (external device) in Safe mode

Sometimes due to certain windows problem, you can't seem to boot up normally in windows. However, it's possible for you to boot up in safe mode.

The problems is when in safe mode, when you plug in the usb drive/ usb external devices, device manager detect the device but the file system doesn't recognize it (possibly is because there's no drive letter assign to the usb)

To enable usb in safe mode, you just need to assign a drive letter in disk management.

1. Go to start --> control panel

2. Switch to classic view (if you haven't switch to classic view - only for windows xp)

3. Select Administrative Tools

4. Select Computer Management


5. Select Disk Management

6. Assign a drive letter by right click on your device


Lastly, backup all your important data to your usb devices and reinstall windows if needed

How to enable task manager

Sometimes, when a computer has been infected with viruses or spyware, the task manager will be disable.



To solve this problem, follow the steps below:

1. Click on Start --> Run

2. Key in REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f and press enter

Make sure you run antivirus to check on your computer to ensure that your computer is free from viruses.

Msn error code 80070005 - Service Temporarily Unavailable

If you are using windows vista and having the service temporarily unavailable error code 80070005 when signning in to msn, most probably is cause by the permission problem (bear in mind that for some the error code may be the same, but the cause of the problem could be different.)

Try the following method to solve the problem (for those who set a password on the pc):

1. Close Msn completely (make sure is exit completely)

2. Go to Start --> control panel --> user accounts

3. Remove the password of your account

4. Open Msn and sign in (you should be able to sign in).

5. Go to Start --> control panel --> user accounts and set password again (Don't sign out msn, make sure msn is signed in when you set the password.

Msn key ports error solution

When you encounter msn key ports error as above, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Start --> Run


2. Type cmd

3. Type netsh winsock reset catalog then press enter (to reset winsock entries to installation defaults)

4. Type netsh int ip reset reset.log then press enter (to reset tcp/ip stack to installation defaults)

Show thumbnails for pictures on windows vista

Sometimes in windows vista you only able to view the pictures in icon but not in thumbnails view.

To solve this, just follow:

First go to any folder, click on the organize drop down menu and select folder and search options.
Then go to view in folder options and untick the Always show icons, never thumbnails.


You will be able to view thumbnails now.

Show hidden files and folder option missing in vista

When you want to show hidden files in windows vista, just go to any folder, click on the organize drop down menu and select folder and search options.


After that, go to view tab, click on show hidden files and folders to unhide all hidden files and folders.


However, sometimes you may encounter missing show hidden files and folder option as shown below.

To solve this problem, go to start --> search (or run), type in regedit and press enter

Then find the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
\Advanced\Folder\Hidden

Then, Change the value of Type to group as shown below (if the key Type is not existed, just create a new string with Type as name and group as value)


After that, when you go back to organize drop down menu and select folder and search options, you will see that now you can select show hidden files and folders.

Outlook express can't receive attachment

Sometimes outlook express block us from receiving any attachment for security purposes.
To enable outlook express to receive attachment, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Tools --> options

2. Go to security tab, make sure that the Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus is untick.

Desktop icon missing solution

When mistakenly hide the desktop icon, to show desktop icon again, right click on the desktop and select arrange icon by --> show desktop icon

NTDetect missing or deleted solution

If you mistaken deleted NTDETECT.COM, you won't be able to boot up the computer because it is used during the hardware recognition when boot up.

To solve this problem:

1. Insert Windows XP installation CD (bootable).

2. When system prompted to press any key to boot from CD, press Enter (make sure that your bios is set to boot from CD first).

3. In Windows XP setup, press "R" key to repair windows in the recovery console.

4. Log in to the windows installation by pressing "1" key and enter.

5. When prompted for administrator password, enter the password you set.

6. Copy 2 file from the CD-ROM to the root directory of your primary hard disk (For example: e is the drive for CD-ROM)
copy e:\i386\ntldr c:\
copy e:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\

7. After finished copy both the files, remove the Windows XP CD and restart computer.

Msn can't sign in (error code 81000306) - Windows Vista

If you encounter "error code 81000306" when signing in for msn messenger, try the following tips (bear in mind that for some the error code may be the same, but the cause of the problem could be different.)

For Windows Vista, you need to disable the Auto Tuning Networking. Followings is the step to disable it:

1. Go to Start --> All Programs --> Accessories, right click on the Command Prompt and choose Run As Administrator

2. Click continue when windows ask for permission to continue.

3. At the command prompt, type netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

Msn can't sign in (error code 81000306) - Windows XP

If you encounter "error code 81000306" when signing in for msn messenger, try the following tips (bear in mind that for some the error code may be the same, but the cause of the problem could be different.)

1. Go to Start --〉 Run

2. Type in regsvr32 Softpub.dll then click ok

3. Go to Start --〉 Run, this time type in regsvr32 Mssip32.dll and click ok


4. Go to Start --〉 Run, this time type in regsvr32 Initpki.dll and click ok (you have to wait longer for this command - i think about 35 seconds)