Fix Blank Icons in Windows by Rebuilding the Icon Cache

If you’re using Windows and find that icons for common files are displaying as blank icons, it’s because your icon cache is corrupted. Learn, in this guide, how to rebuild the icon cache in Windows Vista /7.

To rebuild the cache, you’ll need to delete a file that is hidden by default. If you have not yet changed this default follow the steps in the next section. Otherwise skip to the “Delete and Rebuild the Icon Cache” section.

Show Hidden Files

To show hidden files:

1. Open Computer, press the Alt key, click Tools > Folder options…
   
2. Click the View tab, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives, and click OK.
   

Delete and Rebuild the Icon Cache

To delete the icon cache:

1. Open computer, type %username%\AppData\Local in the address box, and press Enter:
   
   
2. Delete IconCache.db.

To rebuild the icon cache, simply restart your computer. Now, you should see the correct icons again:
Before:

After:

Purge Stalled Print Jobs

Don’t you just hate it when your printer mess up ? I most certainly do. Every once in a while, a document get stuck in the spooler system. No documents will print. And if you don’t catch it right away you end up with a stack of documents piling up in your print queue.

Well you can perform this by two way...

1.Manually

First off: Make sure all print jobs are complete and that no new print jobs are being submitted.

1. Open Services.msc (Click the Start Button and type in: “Services” in the search box)
   
Locate the Print Spooler Service, and stop it (Right Click, Choose STOP)
2. Open an explorer window, and navigate to the folder: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
   
   (Copy the above URL and paste it in the Explorer Adressfield)
3. Delete the SPL- and SHD-files with the lowest number (which should be the file causing problems). Or to be safe, delete everything.
   (Files in the Printers are named xxxx.spl or xxxx.shd where xxxx is a hexadecimal number)
4. Now go back to the Services Window and Start the Print Spooler Service.

2. The DOS way…

Prefer using the Command Prompt ? OKAY, here’s how:

1. Open the Command Prompt as Adminstrator (Click the Start-button and type CMD, then Right Click CMD.EXE in the search results and choose “Run as Administrator”)
2. Type Net Stop Spooler
   (This will stop the Print Spooler Service)
3. Type  cd\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
4. Type Del *.* (and Confirm to delete)
5. Type Net Start Spooler to Start the Print Spooler Service again

Restore Opened Windows Explorer Windows on Reboot

Do you frequently have the same folders open when using your PC? i.e. your My Documents, My Music, Homework folders etc? If you do, it may be a little tedious to open these folders when you log off and on or restart your computer.
Here’s a quick tip to restore these folders when you restart or log off and on.

Restore Opened Folders (Windows XP)

To restore open folders in Windows XP
1. Open Computer (Winkey+E.)
2. Click Tools > Folder Options…
3. Click the View tab, check Restore previous folder windows at logon, and click OK.

Restore Opened Folders (Windows Vista/7)

To restore open folders in Windows Vista/7
1. Open Computer (Winkey+E.)
2. Press the ALT key and click Tools > Folder Options…
3. Click the View tab, check Restore previous folder windows at logon, and click OK.





Now when you restart your computer or log off and on, the folders you had open previously will be opened for you.

How to Create a Windows Installation Flash Drive

What you need in order to make Windows Installable Flash Drive.

1. Installation CD/DVD (original of course)
2. USB Flash Disk
3. Win2Flash Software

Win2Flash has two options: Wizard and Advanced. The Advanced settings allows you to control how your Flash Drive is formatted, which windows version to use and so on. For most users, the wizard will suffice.

1. After you unzip the Win2Flash software, insert the Windows Setup Disk and connect your USB Flash Drive.
2. Start Win2Flash and click the Wizard button, and Click Next (Twice)
3. In the Basic Parameter Window, choose the Windows Files and Flash Drive Path.
4. Click Next
5. Now Win2Flash will ask to format your Flash Drive and start copying the setupfiles.
6. Close the application when done (There is no Exit Button).

And that is it. WinToFlash takes no more than 5 minutes to complete, giving you a hassle free Flash Drive Setup Disk.

Troubleshooting Computer Problems Related To Internet Issues

Today, we rely on the Internet to carry out various functions and it is no fun when your web browser, such as Internet Explorer, develops an error and fails to load. In this article, we will discuss how to resolve common errors associated with Internet Explorer as well as the following topics:

• How to remove additional toolbars from Internet Explorer, such as the yahoo toolbar.
• How to resolve system error 5
• Essential PC maintenance activities that every Windows user should perform to prevent common Windows errors and issues from occurring.

Iexplore.exe Application Error

Iexplore.exe is the executable file of the popular web browser Internet Explorer. You may encounter the following error when you try to start Internet Explorer 6.0 on a Windows XP computer:

“Iexplore.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

Typically, the error occurs when the following conditions hold true:

• Browser Helper Objects (BHO), such as Morpheus, Morpheus Shopping Club, WURLD Shopping Community, or BuyersPort are installed.
• You are logged in to your computer with a limited user account.

The error occurs when the installed BHOs try to make changes to specific system files and registry entries but cannot do so because of limited access. You may perform either of the following tasks to fix the error:

• Log on to your computer as an administrator.
• Remove the BHOs from your computer.

Uninstall Yahoo Toolbar

To achieve this, perform the following steps:

1. Close any open Internet Explorer Window.
2. Click Start and then click Control Panel to open its corresponding window.
3. Next, double-click Add or Remove Programs.
4. Now, locate and select Yahoo Toolbar.
5. Click the Uninstall button.
6. Restart Internet Explorer.

System Error 5

This error occurs if there is a problem with permissions to access another Windows computer. For instance, you may receive the error while trying to access a Windows Vista computer on your network from a Windows XP computer using the Net View command. One of the common causes of this error is Time Synchronization issues. Assuming this is the cause the error, you can resolve the error by performing the following steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and press Enter.
2. At command prompt type NET TIME /QUERYSNTP and press Enter to execute the command.
3. In case an error is reported, type NET TIME /DOMAIN /SET /YES and press Enter.
4. Also, ensure that Time Zones are set correctly.

Essential PC maintenance activities

By regularly performing the following PC maintenance activities you can not only prevent various Window errors, but also resolve various PC performance related issues.

Run malware scans – Install a robust antimalware software, update it regularly, and perform regular malware scans on your entire computer to ensure your Windows PC remains safe from malicious programs.

Update Windows files – Keep the built-in Automatic Update feature enabled to ensure new Windows updates are automatically installed on your computer.

Update third-party drivers – Use a reliable driver update tool or manually update your third-party drivers regularly.

Clean the Windows registry – Clean your Windows registry regularly using a top-rated registry cleaner tool to ensure your registry remains healthy and error-free.

Hide accounts from Windows Welcome Screen

This is a neat little trick for those spy wannabes, or those of you who are paranoid wanting a secret user account on your system. If you have a public available computer, you may want to make sure users log on, using the proper account(s). This can be achieved with a little tweak of the registry. The hidden accounts are of course available for log in, when you know where to look.

1. Open registry editor (regedit.exe)
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> Software -> Microsoft-> Windows NT ->CurrentVersion -> Winlogon
3. Under Winlogon, look for a key named: SpecialAccounts If it’s not there create a New key (in the left pane) with that name.
4. If The SpecialAccounts Key is present, inside there will be another key named: UserList (if not create it). If the UserList Key is present you may find several usernames listed, if the username you want to hide is there, skip to step 6.
5. In the Right Pane, create a new DWORD value, and use the account name that you want to hide.
6. Double click the new DWORD entry and set the value to 0 (zero) To unhide an account later on, set the value to 1 (one)

The next time you log on, the account will be hidden.

Note:-  To access the hidden accounts, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE at the welcome screen to open the “Log on to Windows” dialog box.