More hidden Windows Vista tricks uncovered

by Greg Shultz | Feb 15, 2007 2:41:00 PM

Tags: Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Operating systems, Greg Shultz, Microsoft Windows Vista, dialog box, Microsoft Windows, Command Prompt

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Takeaway: Here are some more tricks that prove helpful to you as you begin to get accustomed to using the new Windows Vista operating system.

Last week, I gave you some hidden Windows Vista tricks that I thought would be helpful to you as you begin to get accustomed to using the new Windows Vista operating system. I'll offer a few more in this article.

Enable an auto logon in Windows Vista

As you know, one of the many areas in which there are vast improvements in Windows Vista is security. Even so, if you're the only one who has access to your computer in your home, having to log on each time you turn on the computer, may seem like overkill. Fortunately, you can configure Windows Vista to automatically logon with your account when you turn on your computer.

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To do so, click the Start button and type netplwiz in the Start Search text box and then press [Enter]. When you do, you�ll encounter a UAC confirmation dialog box and can click Continue or enter the Administrator credentials.

When you see the User Accounts dialog box, like the one shown in Figure A, make sure that your account in selected in the User for This Computer list. Then, clear the Users Must Enter A Username And Password To Use This Computer check box and click OK.

Figure A

From this hidden User Accounts dialog box, you can enable an auto logon in Windows Vista.

You�ll then see the Automatically Log On dialog box, as shown in Figure B, and will be prompted to type your password twice. To continue, click OK and restart your system. When Windows Vista boots up, it will automatically log you in to your account.

Figure B

You�ll need to enter you password twice in order to complete the operation.

Create an administrative Command Prompt

If you�re running Windows Vista from within a limited user account, you know that you can use the Run As Administrator command to open an administrative Command Prompt. To do so, you right click on the Command Prompt shortcut and select the Run As Administrator command. You then see the UAC dialog box which prompts you to type in the Administrator password. While this is a simple enough operation to carry out, you can shorten it by one step.

Right-click on the Command Prompt Shortcut and select the Properties command. When you see the Properties dialog box, click the Advanced button, When you see the Advanced Properties dialog box, select the Run As Administrator check box, as shown in Figure C. Then, click OK twice, once to close each dialog box.

Figure C

You can save yourself a step when opening a Command Prompt by activating the Run As Administrator option.

Now, when you click the Command Prompt shortcut, you�ll immediately see the UAC dialog box which prompts you to type in the Administrator password.

Check the license status

As you know, activating your license in Windows Vista is a big deal. If you ever feel the need to check the status of license on your computer, you can of course go to the System screen by pressing [Windows]+[Break] and check out the Windows Activation section to see if it is activated properly. However, Microsoft included a little VBScript tool that will provide you a bit more information about your license.

To launch this little VBScript tool, press [Windows]+R to access the Run dialog box. Then, type slmgr.vbs �dli in the Open text box, and click OK. In a moment, you will see a Windows Script Host dialog box, like the one shown in Figure D. As you can see, in addition to informing you that your copy of Windows Vista is indeed licensed, it also gives you your edition, tells how you acquired it (Retail or OEM) and even shows you a partial product key. While you can't tell in this screen shot, it�s only the last five characters in your product key.

Figure D

Windows Vista contains a little VBScript tool that will provide you with information about your license.

Use check boxes to select files

When you want to select multiple files in Windows Explorer, you can hold down the [Ctrl] key as you click on each file. If the files are in consecutive order, you can select the first file, hold down the [Shift] key and select the last file. However, when using either of these techniques, it�s easy to slip up and have to start all over. In Windows Vista there�s a way to put check boxes next to each file in Windows Explorer. As such, you can select files for regular file management operations just like you would select files in many backup programs.

To enable this feature, launch Windows Explorer, press the [Alt] key to toggle the Menu Bar on, pull down the Tools menu, and select Folder Options. When you see the Folder Options dialog box, select the View tab. Then, under the Advanced Settings scroll down to the bottom of the list and select the Use Check Boxes To Select Items check box. Click OK to complete the operation.

Now, when you hover your mouse pointer over the files in Windows Explorer, a check box will momentarily appear next each file as you move past it. If you select the check box, it will remain next to the file and the file will be selected. You can continue selecting files in this manner until you�ve selected all that you want, as shown in Figure E. You�ll also notice that there is a check box in the Name column header. If you select that particular check box, all the files in that folder will be selected.

Figure E

Activating the check boxes feature makes it easier to select multiple files.

Conclusion

When using Windows Vista, chances are that you�re on the look out for any and all hidden tricks that will help you get more comfortable with the new operating system and in this article I�ve provided you with a few more hidden tricks.

I�ll cover more hidden tricks in upcoming editions of the Windows Vista Report. In the meantime, please drop by the discussion area and let us know if you have discovered any cool tricks in Windows Vista.

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