Neal's Admin.Notes.

Spoolsv.exe causing high CPU usage

If spoolsv.exe is causing 99% cpu usage then it may have a corrupted print file stuck in the system32 folder. To fix it do the following
Go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services and stop the Print Spooler services
Turn off the printer.
Now go to C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\PRINTERS and delete the files there. You may find some '00002.SHD' and '00020.SPL'. or something similar.
Now turn your printer back on and restart the print spool service.
Spoolsv.exe should be at 2% or less.

UltraVNC

Alex Scoble did a great write up on ComputerWorld on the many features of UltraVNC - another opensource VNC application. I have been using it in a test environment and it does include many features that you wish the original VNC had. Like Alex, I highly recommend it over RDC.

'Delayed Write Failed' in Windows XP SP2

After a few weeks of running SP2, 2 workstation of ours started getting the following error when it randomly tries to save data across the WAN to our NAS server.

Delayed Write Failed
Windows was unable to save all the data for the file path to files. The data has been lost. This error may be caused by a failure of your computer hardware or network connection. Please try to save this file elsewhere.

Check KB Article 870894 for a possible solution.

Basically, it will involve some registry edits and entries ;

To work around this problem you must set CacheControl to zero: 1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\3ware Storage Controller\Cache Control
3. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
4. Type 0, and then press ENTER.
5. Quit Registry Editor

If you're suffering from the same problem, and is using a 3ware storage controller, this might work for you.

Secret Command Window Key

That which separates uber-geeks from neophytes is knowledge of the command line. Pressing F7 in a cmd (not command) window in 2000/XP will bring up a list of previously entered commands that can be scrolled through. Amaze your friends!

Folder Size Information in the Windows EXPLORER Detail View

In a day to day life when one wants to know the size of the folder, you have to right click on the folder name and has to choose the properties. Using this DLL one can view the folder size as one of the column of the Explorer as shown in the image. You can download the DLL ( its zipped ) and register it using the command "regsvr32 Path of the unzipped DLL". e.g., Regsvr32 c:\DirSize.DLL, if the DLL is present in C:

This DLL is courtesy of Sharan Basappa

How do I prevent Windows Messenger from running on Windows XP?

Group Policy Method

On a Windows XP Professional-Based Computer;

Click Start , click Run , type gpedit.msc , and then press ENTER.
Double-click the following items to expand them:
Local Computer Policy
Computer Configuration
Administrative Templates
Windows Components
Windows Messenger
Double-click Do not allow Windows Messenger to run , and then click Enabled .
Click OK , and then quit the Group Policy snap-in.

Regedit Method

Windows Messenger 4.5 or Later on Windows XP Home Edition-Based or Windows XP Professional-Based Computers
Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

Locate and click the following registry keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft
On the Edit menu, point to New , click Key , and then type Messenger for the name of the new registry key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger
On the On the Edit menu, point to New , click Key , and then type Client for the name of the new registry key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger\Client
On the Edit menu, point to New , click DWORD Value , and then type PreventRun for the name of the new DWORD value.

Right-click the PreventRun value that you created, click Modify , type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK .

Quit Windows Messenger

This KB Article goes into details about this topic.

CTRL+ALT+DEL Alternative

Tired of the four keystrokes ritual of locking your computer before leaving your workstation, Instead of CTRL+ALT+DEL and then hitting ENTER, I can now do it in a single click and here is how:

Right click an empty area on your desktop. From the Context menu, point to New and click Shortcut.
In the Create Shortcut dialog as shown in the following figure, type the following:
rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation. Click Next.
Type in a name for the shortcut. Click Finish.
You'll now have a shortcut on your desktop that you can use to quickly lock your workstation

You can also change the shortcut's icon (my personal favorite is the padlock icon in shell32.dll).

To change the icon:
Right click the shortcut and then select Properties.
Click the Shortcut tab, and then click the Change Icon button.
In the Look for icons in this file text box, type:
Shell32.dll.
Click OK.
Select one of the icons from the list and then click OK

or simply by pressing the windows key + L , you can lock it .

Just some alternatives to the 4 keystroke lockdown process.

ClearType Tuner

Found this via a link on Channel 9. It adjusts your ClearType settings in Windows XP by selecting items that look better etc as you go.

Tune me up!