MS Vista Theme Customization

Microsoft put a lot of effort into making Windows Vista a visually compelling operating system. The system still has the same Windows Vista theme protections in place that make it impossible to add custom themes to Windows Vista. There is also no easy way to change elements like the boot logo or system icons in Windows Vista.

The Windows Vista theme customization application Vista Visual Master changes that. It is a all in one solution for everyone who wants to customize the Windows Vista theme and appearance. The application can be divided into two sections. The first deals directly with the Windows Vista theme while the second takes care of system settings that relate to the visual appearance of Windows Vista.

One of the most important aspects of Windows Vista theme customization is patching the uxtheme.dll file in Windows Vista to be able to apply custom themes to the operating system. This option is available in Vista Visual Master. The same menu contains an option to change the Windows Vista theme directly to another one.

Other options that relate to the visual appearance of Windows Vista are the abilities to change Windows vista icons, logon pictures and the vista boot screen. All options are easily accessible and there is always an option to restore to defaults with should ease the minds of users who feel uncomfortable about changing system files in Windows Vista.

The second section is just the usual Windows Vista tweaker with the only difference that the available settings relate to visual effects on the system. It is for instance possible to remove icons from the computer deskop, remove shortcut arrows and to disable the changing of wallpapers in Windows Vista.

The main use of the tool is to customize the Windows Vista theme. It works flawlessly and creates backups of the most important files which come in handy if something goes wrong along the way.

For More Theme CLICK HERE!

AutoAdminLogon Setting On Vista Registry

The idea behind AutoAdminLogon is that a user(name) can logon at a computer without having to type a password. A typical scenario would be a test machine on a private network. With AutoAdminLogon enabled, when you restart the machine it automatically logs on a named user. The trick, which also its liability, is to set a value for DefaultPassword in the registry.

1.Launch Regedit

2.Navigate to:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon 
Set: AutoAdminLogon = 1 (one means on, zero means off)

3.Tip: Try Regedit's 'Find': AutoAdminLogon

4.Create a new String Value called DefaultPassword
Set: DefaultPassword = "P@ssw0rd"

5.Check for the existence of a REG_SZ called DefaultUserName. The value should reflect the user who you wish to logon automatically. If this value does not exist, then right-click in the right pane, New, REG_SZ, name it, DefaultUserName. Set the string value to the required UserName.

6.Optional Item: If your Vista Machine has joined a domain, then create a String Value called DefaultDomainName.  Set: DefaultDomainName = "OnlyYouKnowDomain"

Here is a summary of the four key registry settings:
"AutoAdminLogon"="1"
"DefaultUserName"="xxx"
"DefaultPassword"="xxxx0xxxx"
"DefaultDomainName"="xxx.xxx". Definitely needed in a domain situation.

Key Learning Points
*Do you find the AutoAdminLogon value in HKCU** or HKLM?
Answer: HKLM
*Do you have to add a value, or modify an existing setting? 
Answer: Modify 0 --> 1.
*Is it a String Value or a DWORD?
Answer: These are all REG_SZ (String value).
*Do you need to Restart, or merely Logoff / Logon? 
Answer: Restart
*Extra Information: With AutoAdminLogon you also need to create a REG_SZ called, DefaultPassword, and possibly another called DefaultDomainName.
If you ever need to breakout of AutoAdminLogon, hold down the shift key as Vista initializes and the user logs on. What the shift key does is enable you to logon as a different user.

Addendum for Vista Home Editions

I have been using AutoAdminLogon since NT 3.5, however, in Vista Home editions there is a much easier alternative, namely tick: 'Users must enter a user name and password'.

Navigate to the Control Panel, User Accounts and finally click on the Users tab, then remove the tick in:
'Users must enter a user name and password'. All you need to do next is type the password twice in the, 'Automatically Log On' dialog box. See screenshot. Once you restart Vista, it will logon that user automatically.

Double-check the logic of what you are ticking. Also, when you set a registry value to one or zero, read the value carefully. Half of all people who write and say 'Guy that tweak did not work', have not understood the logic, double negatives are a particular source of errors. 

Before you try the above configuration, note: I did not, repeat, not find this setting in a machine which had joined an Active Directory domain. 

Just out of interest I would check the registry to see how AutoAdminLogon has been configured (Regedit, Edit (menu) find AutoAdminLogon).

Creating a .Reg File
For my solution to work, I needed the same settings on all 8 machines. Thus from my machine I exported the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon branch of the registry into a .reg file, which I then imported to each of the delegates machines. No more problems with logging on after that. Training is the classic place to try these naughty but nice tricks; another scenario for AutoAdminLogon is for test machines not connected to a production network.

IE Password Management Add-on

Last Pass is a password management add-on for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that can store login credentials to web services in a securely encrypted password vault. The password manager is compatible with most editions of Internet Explorer including the latest Internet Explorer 8 edition that has been released a while ago. The passwords are stored in encrypted form on the Last Pass servers which comes in handy for several reasons. 

It is for example possible to access the passwords on other computer systems without having to carry them around on storage devices like USB sticks. And since Last Pass is not only compatible with Internet Explorer it comes also handy for users who work with web browsers like Firefox. It is basically possible to share passwords and other data between Internet Explorer and Firefox this way.

The download of the password management software is cross-browser compatible. It can install the add-on in both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox at the same time. New users can create an account during the installation while existing users need to supply their login credentials to end the installation.

Last Pass adds a button to the Internet Explorer toolbar that provides quick access to most of the features offered by the password management software. It is for example possible to open some of the recently opened websites, switch identities, edit the preferences or add secure notes.

Password Management is not the only feature offered by Last Pass. The program can store notes in the password vault and offers an option to create form profiles to fill out forms on websites more easily.

The add-on will automatically recognize username and password forms on websites and act accordingly. It can fill out the form automatically if the login credentials are already stored in its database. New passwords can be generated with the versatile password generator. Last Pass is definitely one of the best password management tools.

Download Last Pass Software

New Windows Task Manager Alternative "DTaskManager"

DTaskManager is a lightweight replacement for the default Windows Task Manager. It can be used side by side with the Windows Task Manager or replace it fully. If the second option is selected it will be launched when the user is opening the task manager the usual way. The program uses a similar layout as the Windows Task Manager but provides access to additional information and functions in its various tabs.

The five default tabs that are available in the Windows Task Manager are offered by DTaskManager plus the two additional Ports and Kernel Modules section. The program displays extensive information in each section of its interface, something that can only be partially achieved in the Windows Task Manager. The processes tab lists for example the path of the process and the cpu time by default

The Ports section displays all network connections of the local computer system offering massive amounts of information that include the process name, local IP and port, remote IP and port, the protocol, path and socket status. 

DTaskManager offers some advanced functions on how to deal with processes. It can for example kill processes the usual way, force the process to be closed and initiate an override to close the process which will bypass permissions as well. Another interesting feature is the ability to suspend tasks. This is a feature known from the Linux operating system which can temporarily halt tasks. That’s a handy feature in situations where all system resources are needed by a process as the user can suspend processes and resume them once the resources are not needed anymore for the priority process.

A few minor options are the ability to display the cpu and memory usage in the system tray. This can be displayed as a bar or as numerical values. DTaskManager is a solid and lightweight Windows Task Manager replacement. It is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista