Factors that Effect The Data Recovery on the computer

You have deleted and lost many important files in your life so far and have asked each time how to get it back. The best thing about a PC is that files are not really lost forever that is if you act almost immediately almost everything can be recovered as traces are left everywhere:

1) Its much easier to recover a file from an NTFS drive than a FAT drive and its important to note that most USB sticks and external storage devices have FAT type systems.

2) Fragmentation of the file also effects the chances of recovery .While it is possible to recover fragmented files from NTFS drives whereas recovering a fragmented file from FAT drive is next to impossible.

3) The age of the file is another factor. If a newly reated file is deleted , its hard to recover it .

4) Securely delted files also cannot be recovered. If you are losing a lot of data due to accidental deletion or file corruption then you must onsider using a shareware data recovery program.


Emergency Tips

1) Disable write access - If you notice any data loss then don't write anything on the affected disk drive .Start the reovery program and save the restored files on an external data carrier.

2) Don't Install anything - Do'nt install any recovery program if you want to scan the system partition for the lost data .Instead , use the portable version of the data recovery program from a CD.

3) In case of Hardware defects its always better to take the hard drive to the data recovery center as further accessing the hard drive will only degrade the hard drive more.

Associations in a Jiffy

To associate files of a certain type with a different program:

1. Hold down the [Shift] key while right-clicking on a file of that type.

2. Click on Open With from the context menu.

3. Select the program you want to open files of this type with and enable 'Always use this program to open this type of file'. Henceforth, the file will always open with this program when double-clicked.

Adding Items to Send To

Send To is an option available when you right click any file in Windows. You can use this feature not only for copying or moving files, but also for quickly opening files with programs they are not associated with it. For example, you could create a shortcut to Notepad and send any ASCII text file (like .HTM files) to Notepad.

1. Browse to the \Windows\SendTo folder using Windows Explorer.

2. Right-click an empty space on the window and select New > Shortcut.

3. In the Create Shortcut window, use the Browse button to select the program or the directory for the shortcut.

4. Click Next and Finish to create the shortcut.

Cascading Menus on Clicking Start

Cascading menus of folders like Control Panel or Printers can be very handy at the start menu. Here’s how to get them there:

1. Right click the Start button and click on
Explore.

2. Create a new folder and type the following string, all on one line, replacing the words New Folder with this new line. You must type the period, the curly braces, all four hyphens, and the hexadecimal numbers exactly as shown.

Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

Briefcase.{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}

Dial Up Networking.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}

Fonts.{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}

Inbox.{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

Internet Cache.{7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}

Neighborhood.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}

My Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}

Recycle Bin.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

Subscriptions.{F5175861-2688-11d0-9C5E-00AA00A45957}

URL History.{FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}

How to do automatic logon in Windows

If Windows asks you for a user name and password every time it is started, you can have it log on automatically:

1. Open the Registry Editor ,by typing Start> Run > Regedit and navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon and add the following String values:

AutoAdminLogon
DefaultPassword
DefaultUserName

2. Double-click on each of them to enter their respective data. Set the value of AutoAdminLogon to 1. Enter your user name and password in the DefaultUserName and DefaultPassword items respectively.

How to do System Configuration

A very useful tool included with Windows XP is the System Configuration Utility. The System Configuration Utility makes fiddling with programs to launch at Startup or editing autoexec.bat, config.sys etc. a lot easier. This utility also allows you to create a backup of your system files—it is also a good idea to use this before you begin making changes. To lauch this application:

1. Select Start > Run

2. Type msconfig in the Open box.

Now press the tabs to perform the required operation

How to do automatic maintenence?

The Windows Maintenance Wizard can automate a lot of the routine system maintenance tasks. To open this wizard:

1. Choose Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks.

2. Follow the steps to configure the Task Scheduler to regularly run Scandisk, Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup.

How To Clean your Desktop?

To hide all the icons on your Desktop and disable it completely:

1. Click Start > Run, type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer.

3. Add a DWORD value and name it No Desktop.

4. Change its value to 1.

5. Close the Registry Editor and restart
Windows.

How to Permanently delete the Files

To permanently Delete files without moving them to the Recycle Bin, hold down the Shift key while pressing Delete. To stop using recycle bin altogether:

1. Right-click the Recycle Bin and click on Properties.

2. On the Global Tab, select Do not move files to the Recycle Bin. If you enable Configure drives independently, you can set this up for the drives you want to.

How Restart only Windows and not Bios

When restarting Windows, you don't always need to go through the BIOS initialisation and POST.

1. Click Start > Shut Down to bring up the Shut Down Windows dialog box.

2. Select Restart.

3. Hold down the [Shift] key as you click on Ok. This will restart only Windows.
This is particularly useful when you change some registry entries or a few system settings

How to boost up your Modem Speed!!

Even if your modem is working well, the baud rate of your COM port might not allow you to reach top-speeds. To improve the port's speed:
For Windows XP
1. Click Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager

2. Under the Device Manager tab, click the '+' sign next to Ports (COM & LPT).

3. Select the port your modem uses (usually COM2), click Properties, and on the Port Settings tab set the Bits per second to 115200 bps.

You will find considerable improvement in your browsing speed!!