Archive for the ‘Windows 7’ Category
Restore missing d3dx9_26.dll file on Windows systems
Errors concerning a missing d3dx9_26.dll usually come up in connection with games and have to do with DirectX. If you are facing such an error, there are two steps you can try out to fix the issue. Before we get to these however, be warned:
Do not download any dll files separately from websites offering dll downloads. It is not safe to do this! Here are the steps you can try out to make things work:
1. Install the version of DirectX that comes with the game you try to play. In most cases, some version of DirectX is included on the game disk. Usually these are versions that have been tested for compatibility with the game they come with and contain everything you need.
2. If there is no DirectX installer included on the game disk or the error comes up in a different context, you can just try to update DirectX from Microsoft’s website. This way you can be sure you are downloading safe content that usually gives you a complete package of the dlls you need.
Reorder accounts in Thunderbird (Windows)
There’s one important feature missing in Thunderbird that you will need when working with many different accounts, that is, reordering them. You won’t find any option for this in the settings, nor is there any obvious way. The only one I found involved editing the prefs.js file (close Thunderbird while doing so!), that is located in C:\Users\user-name\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\[profile-name]:
Some people suggest changing the order of the user_pref(“mail.accountmanager.accounts”) parameter but this did nothing for me. What worked instead was setting the user_pref(“mail.accountmanager.defaultaccount”, “accountx“) parameter.
Setting it will put one account at the top of the list – by repeating this process, you can order your accounts the way you want it! Just replace the number of the account (marked with x in the text above) with the one you want top.
Activate the title bar in Mozilla Thunderbird 17 again
Starting with the Mozilla Thunderbird 17, the classic title bar has been hidden in Thunderbird. To get the classic title bar back, follow these steps:
- Start Mozilla Thunderbird.
- Open the config editor by clicking on Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> General -> Config Editor (button)
- Navigate to the setting “mail.tabs.drawInTitlebar” in the config editor and set it to “false” by double clicking on the line.
- Close the config editor and restart Thunderbird
Click on
Change screen orientation in Windows
In the age of widescreens, Windows offers a really helpful function for viewing documents, or just play pranks on your friends. With a simple key-combination, you can rotate your screen into any direction – flip it upside-down, or lay it on the side:
To rotate the screen, press Ctrl + Alt + Arrow key. The arrow you press determines what direction the screen will be turned. This feature is useful especially if you can set your screen resolution to fill the screen while it lies on the side – flip your monitor on the side afterwards and you’ve got the perfect size and resolution for viewing documents.
Read ext4 partitions from Windows 7
Linux partitions are usually not visible under Windows operating systems. While it’s not recommended to write on a Linux partition from Windows, you can read files from there without too much of a great danger. However, a tool is needed for that – an example for that is DiskInternals Linux Reader.
You can download the reader at DiskInternals’ homepage: http://www.diskinternals.com/linux-reader/
To browse the files on the Linux filesystems, you need to install the application and browse them through it – they’re not shown in the Windows explorer as the other hard disks and partitions are. Download the application and follow the installer to correctly install it. You’ll find an overview of all the available file systems listed:
To read or save files to a Windows system, just double- or right-click the item and select the appropriate action!
How to add games to the game index of Windows 7
The Windows 7 games index, which is accessible through Games in the main menu, usually imports all game executables that are installed on your system. But if it fails to recognize a game, it can be difficult to figure to figure out how to add it afterwards.
The trick to add items is to look for the executable of it, which is located in the folder you installed it in, and to just drag and drop it in the Games window. To hide it again, just right-click it and select the appropriate option.
Remove wireless connections in Windows 7
If for some reason, you have a wireless connection stuck in your system’s selection that doesn’t go away, it’s not that easy to figure out how to do so:
To remove such an entry,
- left-click on the connections icon and on Open Network and Sharing Center
- in the left pane, click on Manage wireless networks
- click on the network you want to remove once
- click on Remove network above the list
Change selection box color in Windows 8 and 7
The selection box that appears when you hold the left mouse-button and drag your mouse away is blue by default on all versions of Windows. However you can change this setting by using two registry values in Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Open the registry by typing regedit into the Windows 7 menu search on Windows 7 or by right-clicking the bottom left corner on Windows 8 and opening a Run… prompt. Enter regedit into it.
- In the registry you will see a tree structure on the left pane – in it, browse for Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors and click it once.
- On the right pane, look for the value of HotTrackingColor. It is given in three values representing the ratios of red, green and blue that range from 0 to 255. Enter values that mix to the color you want to have (you can check the color values in a graphic editor).
- Do the same for he value of Hilight.
These two values also alter the color of hyperlinks and the color of highlighted text. After you set the values, close the registry and reboot your machine. Afterwards the selection box should have the color you chose.
The two different values each stand for a different part of the box – the first determines the color of the inner transparent space, the second determines the color of the non-transparent border. This means you can have different colors for each.
Uninstall VirtualBox Guest Additions on Ubuntu and Windows 7
Ubuntu:
To uninstall VirtualBox Guest Additions on Ubuntu and similar operating systems, mount the virtual disk again that you used to install them – to do that, click on the Devices menu on the virtual machines top menu bar and select Install Guest Additions. If you get a pop-up about auto-start procedures just cancel it.
Now that the virtual disk is mounted, open a terminal and look for the contents of the disk in the /media folder.
ls /media
In my case, the disk is named VBOXADDITIONS_4.1.10_76795. This name may vary depending on the version of VirtualBox you have installed. Now uninstall the guest additions (don’t forget to adjust the path):
sudo sh /media/VBOXADDITIONS_4.1.10_76795/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run uninstall
Windows:
You can uninstall the guest additions just like any other program on a Windows machine: Click on Uninstall a program in the Control Panel and search for the version you installed. Select it and click on the Uninstall button above the program list.
Disable Autoplay on Windows 7
If you are one of those who like to deal with inserted DVDs, USB keys and other removable media yourself, the Autoplay feature of Windows will most likely do nothing but being clicked away by you.
If you want to save yourself a pop-up and a click you can disable Autoplay. To do so, open the menu and type in gpedit.msc. The group policies window will open and you’ll see a navigation pane on its left. Browse it for
Local Computer Policy > User/Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > AutoPlay Policies
Pick User or Computer Configuration depending on the range you want your settings to have. On the right pane, there should now be some settings, on of them being Turn off AutoPlay. DOuble-click it for the configuration window to open.
On the left, click the Enabled radio button. On the options pane you can choose between turning AutoPlay off for all media or just for CDs or removable media drives (since those are the most common I’d recommend to choose that). When you’re done, click Apply and exit the group policies. Next time you insert something you won’t be bothered with pop-ups.