Display a legal message or any other message when windows starts

If you would like to display a legal message or any other message in a pop-up window when windows starts read below:

Start>Run>regedit
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Modify the key legalnoticecaption with what you want to name the window.

Modify the key legalnoticetext with what you want the window to say.

Restart.


We can install this as a server function if you would like to deploy this as a company wide policy on all user computers. We just helped a client deploy this out to 100+ users to be in compliance with their ITAR regulations. For more information contact us at www.mcdacre8tiveconsultinggroup.com

Shutting off check disk at startup

Does your computer run through a check disk every time you computer starts up? We will be helping a client tomorrow resolve this issue. It is a simple process to shut it off, there are actually multiple ways to do it, but here is a simple way.

Method 1: Using CHKNTFS utility
CHKNTFS is a utility that has been developed by Microsoft to disable disk checking on certain drives at Windows startup. To use this utility go to Start –> Run –> cmd.

If you want to disable check disk on C: drive, use the following command on command prompt.

chkntfs /X C:

If you want to disable check disk on two or more drives, just keep on adding the drives:

chkntfs /X C: D: E:

This will disable check disk on C, D and E drives.

If you want to restore what you have done, that is, enable automatic disk checking on all the drives again, just run the following command:

chkntfs /D

This will restore all the drives to automatic disk checkup.

Locking your computer

It is always a good idea to lock your computer when you are away from it. You can do the traditional WinKey+L and it will lock it, or you can create a desktop icon to click on.

This is a cool little tool to lock your computer faster.....try it out.

Right-click on your desktop > New > Shortcut


In Location box, type (or copy/paste)


%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

Click Next. Give a name box type a name for the shortcut (i.e. Lock Computer)

Click Finish.

Then select an appropriate icon for it and you are done.

How about a practical joke....

I have been posting a lot of fixes, tips, etc... Time for a good joke that you can pull on a collegue. When he/she is away from their desk hold down the alt key, then the ctrl key and press the down cursor key. The screen will temporarily switch off, when it comes back on the screen will be upside down!

I think this will only work on XP.

To get the screen back just repeat the process with the up cursor.

To make it even funnier tell the person that this is a keyboard fault, hold the relevant keys in to switch the screen back and bang the keyboard on the desk, the screen will switch back. When your work colleague moves from his/her desk again switch it back, sit back and enjoy as they bang the keyboard on the desk!!!

Calibrate your display in Windows 7

I have received at least 2 or 3 calls about the graphics on Windows 7 not being clean and clear. There is no difference really, they didn't do anything crazy between XP/Vista and Windows 7. If you would like to calibrate your display to make sure you are getting the picture you desire try this out, its a cool little tool.

Windows 7 includes a new tool to help you calibrate the correct gamma, contrast, brightness and color settings for your specific display.

Just click on the Start Button and type in dccw and hit Enter.

Then follow the on screen directions and adjust the sliders so that the test picture look like the “Good” sample picture.

Can you recover a deleted mailbox in exchange 2003?

We recently helped a client who deleted a mailbox in Exchange 2003, and they were nervous that they could not recover that information.
The answer is YES, you can recover it!!!

Remember, in Exchange 2003 and even in Exchange 2000, if you delete a mailbox, it really isn't deleted. The mailbox goes into a disconnected state for a default of 30 days. This period of 30 days is called the mailbox retention period, and you can reconnect the mailbox during that 30 days. At the end of the 30 day mailbox retention period the mailbox is then deleted and completely purged from the system. You can also delete the mailbox by choosing the purge it at any time.

This also means that if you mistakenly delete a mail-enabled user account, you can recreate that user object, and then reconnect that mailbox during the mailbox retention period. You should configure the deleted mailbox retention period at the mailbox store object level.

To Delete a Mailbox in Exchange 2000/2003:

1.Right-click the user in Active Directory Users and Computers.
2.Click Exchange Tasks.
3.Click Next on the Welcome page of the Exchange Task Wizard.
4.Click Delete Mailbox.
5.Click Next, click Next, and then click Finish. The mailbox is now flagged for deletion and will be permanently deleted at the end of the mailbox retention period unless you recover it.

To Reconnect (or Recover) a Deleted Mailbox:

1.In Exchange System Manager, locate the mailbox store that contains the disconnected mailbox.
2.Click the Mailboxes object under the mailbox store.
3.If the mailbox is not already marked as disconnected (the mailbox icon appears with a red X), right-click the Mailboxes object, and then click Cleanup Agent.
4.Right-click the disconnected mailbox, and then click Reconnect. Pick the appropriate user from the dialog box that appears.
5.Click OK. Now you see that the old mailbox is no longer listed under the name of the old user. Instead it has the name of the user it was reconnected to.

Note: Only one user may be connected to a mailbox because all globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) are required to be unique across an entire forest.

To Configure the Mailbox Retention Period:

1.Right-click the mailbox store, and then click Properties.
2.On the Limits tab, change the Keep deleted mailboxes for (days) default setting of 30 to the number of days you want.
3.Click OK.

If you would like assistance with recovering exchange mailboxes or configuring your active directory, contact us at MCDA Cre8tive Consulting Group, Inc and we will be more than happy to assist you.

Quickbooks Situation

Situation - You need to write a refund check for an upfront deposit for a job (order) that was cancelled.

Here is a tip that might be able to help you out.

1. Create an invoice for the customer.
2. On the invoice, enter the item for the cancelled project or work.
3. Create a credit memo for the entire amount of the deposit.
4. Apply the credit to the invoice
5. Open the credit memo again and from there create a refund check (use a liability account under the EXPENSES tab.

If you have problems or this is not resolving your issue, please call us at MCDA Cre8tive Consulting Group, Inc. and one of our talented consultants will be happy to assist you.