How to Mount an ISO File in Windows
Every once in a while I will download a program that is contained in an ISO file. This is usually because the file was intended to be burned to a CD / DVD first before installing it. However, instead of having to burn it to a CD / DVD first, there are some great utilities out there that allow you to mount the ISO file directly in Windows. In the following article, I would like to walk you through using my favorite ISO mounting utility. And the best part is that it even works with Windows 7. More »
Back when I had a forum on this site someone posted a utility that allows you to back up printer drivers on one computer and restore them on another. This utility has saved me countless amounts of time, especially when setting up new computers. And since I don’t have the forum anymore, I felt like I needed to re-share it. So in the following article I would like to show you how to use this great tool. 
One of the features that I love about Mac OS X Leopard is the ability to set up multiple desktop workspaces which are called Spaces. Spaces are a huge help when trying to manage lots of windows at the same time or when working on multiple projects at once but wanting to keep them separate. My favorite way to use Spaces is to run Windows (using VMware) in one Space while using OS X in another. Now Microsoft has taken notice of the benefits of Spaces and is offering a free program called Desktops that allows you to do the very same thing in Windows. In this tutorial, I would like to show you how to use it. 
If you have been using Windows Vista for a while then you probably know how annoying the security confirmations can be. Any time you install a program, install drivers, run programs that need administrative rights, change certain configuration settings, etc., you are forced to confirm your actions before continuing. Fortunately, there are ways to disable these prompts. 
For most computer techs, installing Windows seems pretty straight forward. That’s because, if you are like me, then you have probably done it a thousand times. However, for those just getting into IT, this may not be the case. If you have no experience with installing Windows then you can now familiarize yourself with this process by using the free Windows XP Setup Simulator. 
If you are an emerging computer tech and you haven’t already become accustom to using the ipconfig command, you soon will. This command is most commonly used at the DOS prompt to see a computer’s current IP configuration. Using this command with three different switches also allows you to refresh a computer’s network settings which can be very useful when troubleshooting network issues. In the following tutorial, I would like to show you how you can create a batch file that will run this command along with its switches to quickly refresh a computer’s network settings. 
Yesterday I reinstalled Windows on a laptop for one of our users at work. When the installation was complete, I popped in the driver CD to begin the process of installing the drivers that Windows didn’t install. For some reason the CD only contained two of the eight drivers that I needed. Normally, tracking down the right driver can be a huge annoyance, especially when your devices are showing up with generic names like PCI Device, Video Controller, System Device, or Unknown Device. But with the help of a little utility, I was able to find all of the drivers that I needed saving me lots of time and frustration. 
Recently I was faced with a situation where I had an automatic update that wouldn’t install. To try and troubleshoot this issue, I needed a way to download the update so I could install it manually. Since Microsoft doesn’t offer such an option, I had to look elsewhere for help. Luckily, there is a program that was created to do just this. 
Creating an offline update CD is a great way to update a Windows computer without having to connect it to the Internet and risk the chance of it being compromised. It is also a great way to update a computer that either has no Internet connection or is still connected to the Internet through dial-up. Since Microsoft offers no easy way of doing this other than ordering one of their update CD, I would like to show you how to create one yourself. 
I was recently faced with a situation where someone had used a “leaked” product key when setting up some Windows machines that I now manage. Not only did the computers start receiving very annoying error messages every time they started up, but they were also unable to receive Windows updates. To fix this, I was able to use a very simple utility to change all of the keys quickly without having to reload Windows or edit the registry. In the following tutorial I would like to show you how to do the same. 