Associating directories with drive letters is useful if you have to access a certain folder, frequently. Visual Subst is the free GUI version of the command line tool subst that allows you to map a folder to a drive letter. Although the new Favorites pane in Vista and Windows 7 serves more or less the same purpose in Windows Explorer, this pane is not useful for mapping drives if you are working with the command prompt. Visual Subst can also be helpful if you are still working with Windows XP or if you are using legacy applications that don’t use the default file dialog API. Since Visual Subst allows you to store its settings, your folder drive mappings will still be available after a restart.

Rate this tool: (1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Submit favorite free admin tool | Free admin tools index | Browse free admin tools

Many admins always bring their important standalone tools with them on a USB stick. The disadvantage of portable applications is that you always have to first open your flash drive in Windows Explorer and then search for the tool. With the freeware utility Pstart, you can launch your portable tools much quicker. The utility works like the Start Menu in Vista.

(more…)

Rate this tool: (2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Submit favorite free admin tool | Free admin tools index | Browse free admin tools

I wonder why you guys never added Gizmo Central to the 4sysops list of free admin tools. When Andrzej mentioned the program in a comment, I was somewhat surprised that I had never heard of it, especially because I searched for a tool that can mount VHDs (Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk) reliably not so long ago. Now that that you can attach VHDs in Windows 7, it is not that urgent anymore, but Gizmo Central is still a very valuable tool because it comes with quite a few interesting functions.

• I have stolen the feature list from Gizmo Central’s website:
• Mount ISO, BIN, CUE, NRG files to a virtual CD-ROM drive
• Mount VHD files, used with Microsoft Virtual PC
• Mount password protected images to a virtual hard drive
• Encrypt HD images using a passphrase
• Protect vital files from hackers using encrypted HD images
• Mount IMG files to a virtual drive
• Mount and unmount files from the Windows Shell
• Mount and unmount files from the command line
• Support for compression and sparse HD images
• The writer of this feature list was a bit too modest because Gizmo Central can do more:
• Create ISOs (from disk or folder)
• Burn ISOs or folders to disk
• Create VHDs
• Calculate hash values for files, folders, and drives
• Edit source code

(more…)

Rate this tool: (3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Submit favorite free admin tool | Free admin tools index | Browse free admin tools

Last year, Intel introduced a new system platform called Atom^TM, which consumes less power compared to standard CPUs and is highly integrated. A new type of PC developed around this platform: the netbook. Although the Atom offers very little CPU power, certain advantages of the netbooks make them attractive to mobile home and business users alike: compact size, long-lasting battery charge, and low price.

Because netbooks are designed to be taken with you everywhere, their small size makes it easier for you to forget them and for criminals to steal. A lost netbook containing sensitive data could  be a real threat, particularly to enterprises whose very survival can depend on the security of their data.

(more…)

Windows 7 Federated Search is a new feature that allows users to search remote repositories using Windows Explorer. In earlier Windows versions, the repository has to run Windows Search, but thanks to the support of OpenSearch in Windows 7, you can now integrate any website or web service into your desktop search environment.

To demonstrate how easy it is, I have created an OpenSearch connector for 4sysops. After you have downloaded the OSDX file (right click to save the file), you have to double click it. Windows will ask you if you want to add this search connector. Of course ! Windows Explorer will then display a new shortcut named “4sysops”in the Favorites section in the navigation pane. To search 4sysops, you can now use the Windows Explorer if you click on this icon.

(more…)

• Windows 8 ‘Confirmed’ for 2012 Launch
• Hyper-V pass-through disk performance vs. fixed size VHD files and dynamic VHD files in Windows Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft denies that Windows 7 has a back door
• 7 Free Tools To Tweak & Customize Windows 7 Taskbar
• Testing out the new Google Chrome OS on Windows 7 x64 Virtual Box

These days there are quite a few types of computers which don’t have an optical drive built in. For the average user this is no great loss. Today Software is downloaded and not bought on a CD or DVD anymore. Also the CD has lost its popularity for exchanging data, people use the Internet or USB sticks. However, there is one big drawback for PCs without optical drives: For installing an OS you need to boot from the installation media. Without an optical drive you run into problems, because USB sticks aren’t bootable by default and installing from a network is quite a hassle.

So you either have to buy an external DVD drive or you make your USB stick bootable and copy the ISO image on it. As nobody wants to spend 60 bucks on buying an external DVD drive just for installing their shiny new OS most prefer the second option. Manually making the USB stick bootable is a pain though. Fortunately there are some applications available which exactly do that for you.

(more…)

Many people are playing with Windows 7 these days, and so new tips to make your work more efficient are popping up every day on the web. In this post, I will share the seven tips I found most useful for my work with Windows 7.

1 Drag and drop to the command prompt

Daniel Petri discovered that drag and drop to the command prompt is back in Windows 7. This allows you to copy a file’s path to the command prompt.

2 Pin files to a taskbar button

Paul Thurrott mentioned this tip. To associate a file with a certain application, you can drag and drop its icon to the corresponding taskbar button. You can then open this file from the app’s Jumplist.

(more…)

• The Chrome OS code will be made available to developers, but it won’t be showing up on devices for a year
• Microsoft Volume Licensing Reference Guide Why don’t I need a 74 license guide when I buy or rent a car?
• Internet Explorer 9, a free upgrade for the web
• Ballmer: Windows 7 sells twice as fast as past OSes

Free Registry Defrag is a simple tool that allows you to defragment a fragmented Registry database, which can significantly speed up a PC. Don’t mix up Registry defragmentation with Registry cleaning. The CCleaner tool, which I reviewed some days ago, can remove unnecessary Registry entries. In contrast, Free Registry Defrag just removes the gaps within the database.

Windows and third party applications constantly write to and remove data from the Registry database. This produces empty areas in the Registry and data become fragmented (scattered) within the Registry file. This process is comparable to disk fragmentation. However, running a disk defrag tool won’t help to reduce Registry defragmentation. Disk defrag tools don’t change the contents of files, while a Registry defrag tool alters the database. This is why Registry defragmentation usually compacts, i.e., reduces, the size of the Registry file.

(more…)

Rate this tool: (3 votes, average: 1.67 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Submit favorite free admin tool | Free admin tools index | Browse free admin tools

• Internet Explorer 9 news – IEBlog: Channel9 interviews:
• RTM’d today: Windows Server 2008 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant, Second Edition
• Public download of Office 2010 beta and SharePoint 2010 beta:
• Windows native boot from VHD roundup Good overview

Did you ever wonder how your website looks in Internet Explorer 1? Then you should try Internet Explorer Collection. It allows you to run multiple IE versions at the same time. The collection comes with the following IE editions: 1.0, 1.5., 2.01, 3.0, 3.01, 3.03, 4.01, 5.01, 5.5, 6.0, 6.0 SP2, 7.0, and 8.0.

I tried Internet Explorer Collection on Vista and Windows XP. IE 1.0 only runs on Windows NT and Windows 95. Some of the older browser versions crashed every now and then under Vista. My impression is that the collection works better on an XP machine.

I think versions older than IE 6 don’t really play a noticeable role anymore. Last month, nine 4sysops visitors were using Internet Explorer 5.5 and two were running 5.01. That is good because 4sysops doesn’t really look good with those browsers.

According to Google Analytics, there were also 31 visitors who were using version 999.1. We now have the final proof that time travel is possible. Yeah, it appears some technology historians are accessing 4sysops from the far future. For the sake of completeness, among the IE users, 9.21% use IE6, 29.25.% IE7 and 61.48% IE8. Just in case you are an IE6 user, don’t you think, it is time for an update?

(more…)

• Windows Azure opens for business on Jan. 1, 2010
• Windows 7 Application Compatibility List for IT Professionals More than 5,500 applications are in this list.
• SSL Renegotiation Attack Becomes Real

The Active Directory Recycle Bin is a great new feature of Windows Server 2008 R2 that allows you to restore accidentally deleted Active Directory objects. If you want to have similar functionality for Windows Server 2008 with a free utility, then you should have a look at the Directory Service Comparison Tool (DSCT). But DSCT can do even more: It not only allows you to restore deleted objects, it also lets you undo attribute changes. The tool requires at least a Server 2008 domain controller, .NET 3.5, and (Microsoft Management Console) MMC 3.0.

(more…)

Rate this tool: (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Submit favorite free admin tool | Free admin tools index | Browse free admin tools

• Office 2010 beta and Sharepoint 2010 beta are available for download on Technet and MSDN
• Free Microsoft Press eBook: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008
• Microsoft confirms ‘detailed’ Windows 7 exploit
• Hackers outwit Windows 7 activation
• System Center Roadmap