If a system has been patched in the past few months, the nine executables in Windows\System32 will either show an earlier version number, 7.0.6000.374, or the stealth patch: 7.0.6000.381. (The version numbers can be seen by right-clicking a file and choosing Properties. In XP, click the Version tab and then select File Version. In Vista, click the Details tab.)

In addition, PCs that received the update will have new executables in subfolders named 7.0.6000.381 under the following folders: (more…)

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Folder redirection refers to the redirection of user folders such as Documents, Pictures, Start Menu and Desktop. While in Windows XP, only five folders could be redirected, Vista allows ten folders. Folder redirection is intended to replace the older concept of having a “home folder” for users. The problem with this (and most of us Admins still face this with users) is that there are too many applications that do not allow you to specify a default path for storing data files and users simply accept the default ending up with some files on the network, some in their [potentially roaming] profile and some on the local system.

Folder redirection supports two modes: Basic and Advanced. Basic redirection sends everyone’s folders to the same location and creates special subfolders for each user while advanced lets you to set folder redirection paths for specific groups. (more…)

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I am naturally wary of any program that claims to be able to speed up Windows and solve performance problems. They rarely do any good and in some cases can make things even worse. I’m not about to change my mind since no single program can hope to cover the near infinite range of problems on a well-used PC and until now I have used a variety of tools and utilities to address specific issues, but now many of them – plus some new ones – have been gathered together in one place, in an excellent free application called Glary Utilities.

It covers five different aspects of your PC’s operation: Clean Up and Repair, Optimise and Improve, Privacy and Security, Files and Folders and System Tools, and each one leads to a collection of individual tools. (more…)

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