Q: I don't know what has happened, but suddenly my Windows Media Player icon is missing from my desktop. Any idea how I can replace that back to my desktop?

A: Sure. Go to Start>> Programs. Right click on Media Player. Select "Send To", then "Desktop Shortcut".

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Q: I accidentally deleted my Recycle Bin. How can I restore it?

A: No problem, here's how:

1. Click the Windows button.

2. Type the following in to the Search text box: control desk.cpl,,@Web

3. Press Enter on your keyboard.

4. In the Desktop Icon Settings window, place a checkmark in the Recycle Bin checkbox.

5. Click OK.

Alternately, to access the Desktop Icon Settings, right click the Desktop and select Personalize from the resulting menu. From the left pane, select Change desktop icons.

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Q: When I disable a program using MSCONFIG and then I restart my computer it returns a popup notification that I have a blocked program. Is there any way to disable this notification?

A: The best way to accomplish this is to go back in to MSCONFIG and turn the program back on and then reboot. Go in to your Programs (Start>> Programs) and locate the actual program that you would like to disable. Try right clicking the program and select Properties. In there, you should find an option for disabling this program from automatically starting when Windows is started.

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Q: I have a machine with a new installation of Vista Home on it. I would like to be able to remote desktop with my other XP Pro and Vista business machines to this Vista Home machine. I can't seem to find out how this is done.

A: Vista Home does not support the Remote Desktop feature. You would need either the Business or Ultimate versions.

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Q: I just purchased a new computer that has Vista Premium on it. I can't seem to find Windows Fax. Can you please tell me where to find it?

A: I'm sorry, but Vista Home and Premium do not offer Windows Fax. You would have to either purchase a 3rd party software to accomplish this or upgrade to either Vista Ultimate or Business edition. It is unknown at this time if Microsoft plans to incorporate this in to any of their Service Packs at a later time.

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DreamScene is only available in the Vista Ultimate edition as an Ultimate Extra.

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Q: Yesterday I did a defrag of my machine and now my taskbar area has shrunk and only two of the icons are now showing. I can drag the dotted line out to view the others, but when I reboot it goes back to only showing the two icons. How can I get the taskbar back to the way it was before the defrag?

A: No problem. Here's how:

1. Right click an empty area to the left of your taskbar icons

2. Uncheck by clicking the option titled: Lock the Taskbar

3. Now, drag the dotted line out to the desired size to show all of your icons

4. Right click again in an empty area inside your taskbar

5. Click the "Lock the Taskbar" option once again

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Q: I have been using Virtual PC 2007 for the last few days without any problems. However, this morning when I booted my machine, Virtual PC came up briefly for a moment and then minimized to my taskbar. I can open Virtual PC from the taskbar but I would like it to open automatically on the desktop as it once did. Is there any setting that can be changed in order to make it open on my desktop?

A: Virtual PC will remember the last position it was in when your system is shut down and will restart in that position. So, just open Virtual PC to your desktop, then restart your computer. It will now open to your desktop.

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Answer:

Remote Desktop:

Remote Desktop allows remote access to a machine without a user being present at the other end. Remote Desktop uses an account the pre-exists with a user name and password and is set up in the list of Remote Desktop users. When attempting a remote connection in this method, you will need to know the IP address or if on a local area network, you will need to know the computers name and password.

Remote Desktop only works between the following Windows Versions:

• Windows XP Professional

• Vista Business

• Vista Ultimate

Remote Assistance:

Remote Assistance allows remote access to a machine but in this method both users must be present. If Remote Assistance is needed on one end (usually for troubleshooting purposes), the user sends an invitation to connect via instant message or e-mail to a trusted person who can help. For security purposes, all sessions are encrypted and password protected.

Remote Assistance works for all XP and Vista versions.

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Q: I used to be able to set background pictures as my background on my Vista Premium machine. However, when I attempt it now all I get is a black screen. My Gadgets still show up on the desktop but no image is shown. How can I get the background image to show again?

A: Apparently this happens when one of the following changes are made to your policy settings:

• Hide and disable all items on the desktop on a domain controller

• Disable all items in Windows Vista

A Hotfix is available for this issue. Click the link below for the contact information for the Hotfix:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934008

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Q: When I press CTRL + ALT + DEL, it brings up my Task Manager. I used to have an assortment of tabs at the top of the window but they are gone. How can I get these tabs back?

A: Somehow, you have placed you task manager in 'tiny footprint mode'. To toggle back and forth between tiny footprint and regular mode, simply double click the border (next the to "End Tasks" button).

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Q: At random times, when I click one of my desktop shortcuts, I am taken to the program and then my desktop icon goes missing leaving only the name of the shortcut on the desktop. A reboot will fix the problem, but how can I stop this from happening.

A: I have heard of others having the same issue. I'm not quite sure why this is happening, but in most cases just single left click an empty area of your desktop and then press the F5 key on your keyboard to refresh the desktop.

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Q: Can you tell me why my DreamScene makes my computer run slowly?

A: There are a few reasons why DreamScene could cause computer performance issues:

1. You may not have a good enough video card installed in your system to achieve peak DreamScene performance.

2. The size of the video file may be too large.

3. You may not be using the correct file format for your video file. It is recommended that you use the MPG file extension for optimal performance. The WMV file extension is also supported in DreamScene. Even though an MPG file format tends to create a larger file size than WMV, it takes less resources to run an MPG file.

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1. Go to Start

2. In the Search field, type in: Notepad

3. Press Enter on your keyboard

4. With Notepad open, copy and paste the following:
   
   [Shell]
   Command=2
   IconFile=shell32.dll,34
   [Taskbar]
   Command=ToggleDesktop
    

5. Select File>> Save As

6. Open the "Save as type" menu and select "All Files (*.*)"

7. In the "File name" textbox, type in: Show Desktop.scf

8. Select the Browse Folders button

9. Select Desktop

10. Select Save

11. With the Show Desktop icon now showing on your desktop, press the Shift key on your keyboard and right click your Show Desktop icon.

12. Select "Add to Quick Launch" from the resulting menu. Alternately, you can simply drag and drop the Show Desktop icon on to your Quick Launch bar.

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Q: I'm not happy with Vista's sidebar from taking up the space on my desktop. Is there a way that I can disable this feature?

A: Yes, you can. Here's how:

1. With Windows Vista Booted to your desktop, right click the Sidebar

2. Select Properties

3. Click inside the "Start sidebar when Windows starts" checkbox to uncheck this option

4. Click OK and reboot your system

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