Raghav's Blog

SYMPTOMS: On a Windows XP-based computer, you may experience one or both of the following behaviors: 1)The Volume icon is no longer displayed in the notification area at the far right of the taskbar. 2)When you try to add the volume control icon to the notification area (in the Sounds and Audio Devices utility in Control Panel, click to select the Place volume icon in the taskbar check box on the Volume tab), you receive the following error message: Windows cannot display the volume control on the taskbar because the Volume Control program has not been installed. To install it use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. As a result, you cannot start the Volume Control program and adjust the volume and sound level settings of your computer . CAUSE: This behavior can occur if the Sndvol32.exe file is damaged or missing. RESOLUTION: To resolve this issue, extract a new copy of Sndvol32.exe from the Windows XP compact disc to the system_root\System32 folder on yo...

If you're serious about attaining your MCSA or MCSE certification, you need hands-on experience with Windows Server 2003 software in a network environment. The MCSA/MCSE Windows Server 2003 Network Simulator from Sybex gives you everything you need to accomplish this, and more! Get the skills you need to approach the Windows 2003 exams with confidence by practicing on labs that cover key topics for exams 70-290, 70-291, 70-293, and 70-294. An affordable alternative to products and courses costing hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, this Simulator allows you to work at your own pace, on your own time, so you get the most out of your exam preparation efforts. Includes 160 lab exercises designed to sharpen the skills needed for the four core Windows 2003 exams: * 70-290: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment * 70-291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure * 70-293: Planning and Maintaining a Micr...

After successfully updating Windows, the operating system will almost always require a restart. This required restart is presented to you in the form of a dialog box that has no close button! This can be extremely annoying especially if you plan to restart at a later time Luckily with a simple command we can disable this dialog box. Here's how: * Click -> Run (This opens the Run dialog box) * cmd and press Enter (This brings up the Command Prompt window) * the command sc stop wuauserv This command stops the service responsible for the popup that asks if you want to restart now or later.

Here is a very helpful list of Windows 2000/XP commands. at (windows XP/2000) Scheduling utility. bootcfg (XP only) This utility allows you to set up your boot options, such as your default OS and other loading options. cacls (XP, 2000, & NT4.0) Changes the ACLs (security Settings) of files and folders. Very similar to chmod in Linux. comp (XP & 2000) This utility is very similar to diff in Linux. Use the /? switch to get examples of command usage. contig (works with NT4.0 and newer) A great defrag utility for NTFS partitions. control (XP only) - unpublished! Allows you to launch control panel applets from the command line. control userpasswords2, for example will launch a helpful local user admin utility. defrag (XP only - NT4.0 and Win2k use conti g) Yes, XP comes with a command line disk defrag utility. If you are running Win2k or NT4.0 there is still hope. Contig is a free defrag program that I describe on the defrag page. diskpart (XP only) Use this command to mana...

Dynamic disks allow for better administration. You can span a volume across multiple dynamic disks or stripe multiple dynamic disks. Dynamic disks also allow you to repair data without the need for restarting the computer. Note: * Only Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Vista Ultimate editions support dynamic disks. * Disks on laptop computers cannot be converted to dynamic. You can enable dynamic disks on a drive by performing the following steps. - Click Start button, right-click Computer , and click Manage . - Expand the plus sign next to Storage under Computer Management . - Click Disk Management . - Right-click the disk you wish to convert, and the click Convert to Dynamic Disk...

Use this quick and very simple way to list all your shared drives and folders using the command line. This works on Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008 across all versions. Here's how you do it: - Click Start -> Run -Type cmd and press Enter (This launches the command prompt) - Type the following code in the command prompt window: wmic share get caption,name,path