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How to enable GodMode in Windows
Windows 8, Windows 7, Server 2008, and flavors of Windows Vista provide an unpublished ability to create a control panel called GodMode that alllows you to have easy access to almost all administrative tasks that you would like to use in Windows. This new window is called GodMode because it puts all aspects of the management of Windows at your fingertips in one location. This allows you to quickly configure Windows settings or hardware from one screen. In order to access GodMode you must first create a special folder on your desktop as described below.
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How to create a new user account in Windows 7 and Windows Vista
Windows 7 allows you to have multiple users sharing the same computer under their own individual accounts. This allows each individual user to have their own location on the computer where they can store their personal documents, pictures, videos, saved games, and other personal data. This also allows the owner of the computer to assign certain accounts the ability to perform administrative tasks like installing software, while limiting other user's abilities.
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How to change your Windows desktop icons
When you install Windows you will find that your desktop has only the Recycle Bin icon and any other icons enabled by your computer manufacturer. If you wish to add other icons such as the Computer, Network, Control Panel, and your User's Files icon you will need to perform a few easy steps.
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How to automatically repair Windows Vista using Startup Repair
Windows Vista comes with a rich feature set of diagnostic and repair tools that you can use in the event that your computer is not operating correctly. These tools allow you to diagnose problems and repair them without having to boot into Windows. This provides much greater flexibility when it comes to fixing problems that you are not able to resolve normally. This guide focuses on using the Startup Repair utility to automatically fix problems starting Windows Vista. The tutorial will also provide a brief description of the advanced repair tools with links to tutorials on how to use them.
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How to use the Command Prompt in the Vista Windows Recovery Environment
The Windows Recovery Environment Command Prompt is a text-based console that allows that allows you to perform many tasks on your computer by typing in the commands that you would like to execute. These commands allow you to perform a range of tasks from managing the files on your hard drives, formatting and repartitioning hard drives, configuring how Windows boots, deleting and copying files, scanning your computer for malware, as well as many other tasks. In past versions of the Windows, the Command Prompt would typically not allow you to run any of your Windows programs that require a graphical user interface. The Command Prompt in the Windows Recovery Environment, though, does allow you to launch certain Windows programs. This is a huge advantage as you now have a much larger variety of tools at your disposal to repair your computer.
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How to use the Vista Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool
The Vista Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool is a program that you can use to run various tests on the physical memory installed on your computer. When memory in a computer starts to fail, your computer can act in unpredictable ways such as rebooting on its own, freezing, and crashing programs. This utility performs a series of tests on the physical memory and lists any errors that are found. In this way you can determine if the problems you are encountering when using your computer may be related to the RAM going bad or some other problem.
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How to use Vista's Complete PC Backup and Restore utility
Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise come with a more advanced backup and restore utility called Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore. This program allows you to create an entire backup of your computer that can be used to restore your computer in the case of system-wide failure. Unlike the standard backup and restore feature that comes with all the versions of Windows Vista, Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore allows you to not only restore your data but also the complete operating system and other critical system files.
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Using Windows Vista Complete PC Restore to restore your computer
If you are an owner of Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise then you have access to a feature called Complete PC Backup and Restore. This feature allows you to create backup images of your computer so that you can do a system-wide restore in the case of complete system failure. This allows you to not only restore user data and programs, but also the entire operating system onto new or existing hardware. A more complete description of Complete PC Backup and Restore can be found at the following tutorial: Windows Vista Disaster Recovery with Complete PC Backup and Restore
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Windows Vista System Restore Guide
System Restore is a system recovery feature of Windows that creates snapshots, or restore points, of the state of your computer at various intervals or before you perform a certain task. These restore points can then be used to restore your computer back to the state it was in when they were taken. When these restore points are created, and restored, the only files affected are the Windows Registry, programs, and system files. Your data such as spreadsheets, documents, images, and music remain untouched between restores.
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Using System Restore from the Vista Windows Recovery Environment
A powerful new feature in Windows Vista is the ability to use System Restore while in the Vista Recovery Environment. This allows you to restore your computer to a previous working state even in the event that you can't normally start Windows Vista. Before you can use System Restore to repair Vista, though, System Restore will need to have been enabled and running previously. The reason is because if System Restore was not running, then restore points would not have been created that you can restore. For more information on System Restore, how to make sure it is enabled on your computer, and to see what restore points are available you can read this tutorial: Windows Vista System Restore Guide.
