Microsoft

How to Stop CHKDSK from Running on Every Boot Up

by Michael Sheehan on April 25, 2013

in Application, Fix It, General, How To, HTD Tech Tip, Microsoft, Software

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Recently, my Windows 7 computer started running a CHKDSK each and every time that it booted up. For those that don’t know, the CHKDSK utility is a way that Windows validates the system file structure and integrity of your computer’s hard drive. You can scan your hard drive with it or run it with a fix (/f) flag to correct issues on your local hard drive. But, when time is critical, many of us don’t want to wait around while the system is scanned, especially if for some reason, it is happening each and every time you start up. When that happens, you either have a serious problem with your computer, or somehow your system has been automatically set to do this scan.

CHKDSK starting

CHKDSK starting

While I don’t condone stopping these scans, especially if your system does indeed have problems, having this run every single time you start up borders on maddening! So after some digging, research and testing, I have found the way to prevent this from happening.

Just a little disclaimer, while I did test this on my machine and it, thus far, did work, if something goes horribly wrong while you do the steps below, I’m not responsible for any data loss or corruption or any issues in general…you are assuming all the risks associated with these steps.

Steps to Prevent CHKDSK from Running on Every Computer Restart

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How to Remove Little Black Square Paragraph Formatting & Page Break in Microsoft Word

by Michael Sheehan on March 18, 2013

in Fix It, General, How To, HTD Tech Tip, Microsoft, Software

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Recently, I received a panicked email from my step-mom wondering why a page break could not be removed from Microsoft Word. Normally, if you click on the “show paragraphs” button (¶), you can see a page break or section break. However, in this case, there was no line signifying a section break or page break when the formatting was revealed. However, there was a little black square right near paragraph that I believed to be causing the issue. But removing that formatting is not the most intuitive. Eventually I figured it out though.

Mysterious page break

Mysterious page break

Above you can see the page having the issue. There was a page break occurring but when revealing the formatting, all that you could see what a little black square on the paragraph after. But to correct the issue, the steps are relatively easy. Here’s what you do.

How to Remove Little Black Square Paragraph Formatting

Microsoft Word allows you to set up all sorts of formatting of your text, paragraphs, sections and document. But sometimes it’s not as intuitive as you might think to do things. Here’s how you can remove those pesky section or page breaks that aren’t immediately obvious. [click to continue…]

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How To Disable Java in Chrome, Firefox, Safari & Internet Explorer on Mac OS or Windows to Prevent 0-Day Exploit

by Michael Sheehan on January 11, 2013

in Apple, Application, Fix It, General, Google, How To, HTD Tech Tip, Microsoft, Safety, Security, Software, Tech News

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If you have been reading any of the Technical publications online, you will probably know that there is currently an exploit in Java that affects most internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer on systems that have Java installed. This is being called a zero-day or 0-day exploit which essentially means that there is a security vulnerability in an application that is so new (“day zero”) that the developers have not had time or the opportunity to patch or correct the security issue. If you think about a disease outbreak, this is day zero of the outbreak and no vaccinations have been created yet.

Java-skull

This Java vulnerability is currently in the wild and affecting systems. This currently identified exploit allows for remote code execution which means that if your system is vulnerable, an unauthorized and/or unauthenticated user on your system can launch arbitrary code without your knowledge. In some lab tests conducted by security firm AlienVault Labs, they were able to use the exploit to launch the Windows calculator. This exploit is already in the hands of hackers around the world and until Oracle who now manage the Java code line release a patch or update the software, it will remain a clear and present danger.

So, are you scared yet? You should be! The only way, currently, to prevent your system from being compromised is to fully disable Java in your browser. This is actually the recommendation from the United States Department of Homeland Security (US-CERT).

Here are some quick How-To’s for disabling Java in your browsers. Covered are Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer. [click to continue…]

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7 Essential Windows Hotkey Keyboard Combinations You Should Know and Use

by Michael Sheehan on December 4, 2012

in Application, Fix It, General, How To, Microsoft, Software

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I’m all about working efficiently when I’m on my computers whether they are Macs or PCs. And, for some reason, I simply hate having to drag my mouse over to an application or button to do something that should be quick. Luckily, both Apple and Microsoft have built in a series of hotkey commands or keyboard commands to save you just a few extra seconds, mouse clicks or button pushes. I won’t talk about the Mac, simply because I use a launcher app to do just about everything (it’s called LaunchBar, by the way). I have an equivalent one on my Windows machines as well called Launchy.

But on Windows, there are some things that an app launcher cannot do. These tasks are typically things that you do repeatedly like lock your computer, open file explorer or minimize all open windows to see your desktop. Some of the keyboard shortcuts below can reduce your clicks from multiple to just one. One thing to note, if your computer doesn’t have a Windows key on it, most of these keyboard shortcuts won’t be very useful. The Windows key is usually in the lower left part of your keyboard. Note that all of these have been tested on Windows 7. They should also work on Windows Vista and possibly on Windows XP. I have not tested on Windows 8 as I don’t have it (yet).

Windows-hotkey

Listed below are my favorite Windows Hotkey keyboard shortcuts. When I mention “Windows” that is the key shown above. And the “+” doesn’t mean use the plus key, it means “in combination with.” I hope you find them useful!

  • Windows + E –> Opens Windows Explorer (the file browser)
  • Windows + L –> Locks your computer screen. This is essential if you are walking away from your computer quickly (be sure you have a password!)
  • Windows + D –> Minimizes all open windows to show your Desktop quickly. This is especially useful for those people who save lots of files to their Desktop.
  • Windows + F –> Brings up the Windows file search for quickly finding files on your computer’s hard drive.
  • Windows + (#) –> Launches the first 10 applications in your taskbar. First, the “#” symbol stands for an actual number. The number is tied to the order of applications in your taskbar. So, if Internet Explorer is the first application in your taskbar (next to the Start button), then clicking Windows + 1 (the one key) will launch IE. In the picture below, Windows + 6 will launch Windows Live Writer.
    task-bar
  • Windows + Pause/Break –> Launches your System Properties. This is handy to find out your machine name, system information like RAM, system type and what version of Windows you have. The Pause/Break button is usually at the top left of your keyboard.
  • Ctrl + Shift + Esc –> Opens the Windows Task Manager. This is great if you need to close a program or see how your system resources are. Note that this is a 3-key combo.
    resource-monitor

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How To Find Where Outlook Stores Temporary Attachments – Ones that Don’t Appear in “Recent Items” in Microsoft Office

November 8, 2012
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Here’s the scenario. You receive an email attachment in Microsoft Outlook. You open that attachment directly from the email message, make a bunch of edits (and perhaps save them along the way) and close your Office document. Then a while later, you want to go back to that document, only to find that it does [...]

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How to Easily Edit Hosts Files on Mac & PC using Free Editors: Gas Mask (Mac) or HostsMan (PC)

October 11, 2012
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If you have ever come across a situation where you need to edit your Hosts file on your Mac or PC, I’m sure that you have discovered that it is a bit of a pain. For starters, on either platform, you need to have elevated privileges, namely that of the administrator. Then you have to [...]

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How To Set the Default Address Book in Microsoft Outlook 2010

June 28, 2012
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I recently got a new computer at my work and got Microsoft Outlook 2010 installed on it. However, I kept running into problems as I was trying to send emails to people within my organization. I would type in their name and Outlook wouldn’t find it. I would then click the “To:” button and no [...]

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How To Create a “Work” Menu Like Office 2004/2008 in Microsoft Word 2011 for Mac

May 4, 2012
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While I truly like Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac (you can see my review of it here on the Microsoft Office for Mac Blog), there are some folks who have complained about a feature being removed from previous versions, specifically, the “Work” menu that was present in previous versions of Word in Office for Mac [...]

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