SyncToy

SyncToy 2.1 is a free Microsoft PowerToy.  It works with Windows 7, Vista and XP. 

With it you can:

·         Synchronize: New and updated files are copied both ways. Renames and deletes on either side are repeated on the other.

·         Echo: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames and deletes on the left are repeated on the right.

·         Contribute: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames on the left are repeated on the right. No deletions.

You can download it from Microsoft at [synctoy].  It's great for keeping computers on your home network synchronized.   You can also schedule it to run if you want it to update the computers regularly.  The instructions for that are below:

To schedule a task using the operating system:

1. From the Start menu, select All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Task Scheduler.
2. Select Create Basic Task in the Actions pane on the right.
3. Add a Name and Description and select Next.
4. Choose when you want the task to start and select Next.
5. Choose date/times (if applicable) to run task and select Next.
6. Choose Start a Program option and select Next.
7. Select Browse and locate the SyncToyCmd.exe.
8. Type "-R" in the Add Arguments textbox. –R all by itself will run all folder pairs that are active for run all. If you want to run just a single folder pair, add –R “My Pair” to the end of the command line.

Note: If the folder pair name contains a space, surround it with quotation marks, as the example above shows. For another example, assume that SyncToy is in the folder named C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\ and that you want to run a folder pair named "My folder pair." Enter the command line as follows, including the quotation marks: "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" -R "My folder pair." Note that there are two sets of quotation marks in this case: one is around the path to the SyncToy program file and the other surrounds the folder pair name.

Windows XP

To schedule a task using the operating system:

1. From the Start menu, select All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Scheduled Tasks.
2. Select Add scheduled task to start the Scheduled Task Wizard. You will see a list of possible programs to run.
3. Select Browse and locate the SyncToyCmd.exe.
4. The wizard will next prompt you to enter how often you want to run the scheduled SyncToy (for example, daily, weekly, et cetera). Select a frequency.
5. The next page asks when to start the task. Select a start time.
6. The next page asks for the user name and password to run the program under. Enter your user name and password.
7. The final page contains an option to open the properties dialog when the wizard ends. Select this checkbox.
8. Modify the Run textbox to include the –R command line option. –R all by itself will run all folder pairs that are active for run all. If you want to run just a single folder pair, add –R “My Pair” to the end of the command line.

Note: If the folder pair name contains a space, surround it with quotation marks, as the example above shows. For another example, assume that SyncToy is in the folder named C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1 and that you want to run a folder pair named "My folder pair." Enter the command line as follows, including the quotation marks: "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" -R "My folder pair." Note that there are two sets of quotation marks in this case: one is around the path to the SyncToy program file and the other surrounds the folder pair name.

How to activate the admin account in Windows 7

To remove certain programs and to do certain tasks you may occasionally need to use the admin account in Windows 7.  It is disabled by default so to to enable the built-in Administrator's account by using the Command Prompt follow these steps:

1. Click Start and type CMD, then right-click CMD and select "Run as Administrator".

2.) When prompted to allow the Command Processor to run, click on "Yes".

3.) Type the following into the command prompt window to enable the Administrator's account:

net user administrator /active:yes

The next time you restart you will see the option to log on as the administrator.

Windows won't let you delete a file? Use the command prompt.

If you’ve ever seen the error message that you can’t delete a file because it’s currently in use, it is still possible to delete that file.  There’s a way to delete it through the command prompt using the following steps (in Windows 7):

1.   Type ‘cmd’ into the search bar and then right-click on ‘cmd.exe’ and choose ‘Run as Administrator’.

2.      Go to the folder you want to delete a file from. Click on the Address-field to reveal the actual folder path.

3.      Highlight the portion of the path after the Colon (:).

4.      Right-Click the highlighted part, and choose Copy (or Press Ctrl+C).

5.      Go back to your Command-Window and type: ‘CD\’ (This will open the Root Folder).

6.      Paste in the path using Right-Click, Paste (Ctrl+V will NOT work).

7.      To make sure you are in the correct folder you can type: ‘DIR’. This will show you the folder contents.

8.      To delete the file, type: ‘DEL[filename] /F /Q’.
The F means: Delete File even IF it’s reported as Read Only.
The Q means: you don’t have to Confirm.
If you want to delete all files in the folder, you can use wildcards instead of Filename
For example: DEL *.* /F /Q

Get a 3-user Windows 7 upgrade for $109.99!

Haven't yet upgraded your home PCs to Windows 7? No surprise there: a single upgrade license retails for $119.99.  Now Amazon has the Windows 7 Family Pack for $109.99 shipped--the lowest price I've seen for this upgrade.  That works out to about $36 per PC, a much more tolerable price for upgrading your XP- or Vista-powered desktops and laptops to Windows 7.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User)

Problem Steps Recorder Video

I've created a demonstration of how the problem steps recorder works in Windows 7.

Problem steps recorder

Ever needed to describe a computer problem to someone to get help? You should try the problem steps recorder. It’s built into Windows 7. It creates a handy file complete with images and descriptions of what’s going on. If you’ve never seen it, you can go to the Start menu and search for it (it's actually called psr.exe).




You could also use this software to record the steps in doing just about anything on your PC. Note: anything you type isn’t recorded, so if you’d want to include that you could type a note.




Here’s a video demonstrating how it works:
TechNet

If you don't have Windows 7, you may be able to use Screenrecorder.  It was featured in TechNet magazine.  Here's the article:
TechNet Utility