Tag: beginners

Open Command Window (cmd) / Program as an Administrator in Windows 7

Post author By msigeek Team
Post date July 15, 2010
No Comments on Open Command Window (cmd) / Program as an Administrator in Windows 7

Consider you have a situation where, you need to work with applications which needs administrator privileges. Just invoking the application shortcut / command window will not help in Windows 7, as you will be running in as a Standard User. (Read User Account Control to understand more in detail). You will need to launch the program in an elevated context to run it as an administrator. A simple right-click on the program/shortcut and choose ‘Run As Administrator’.

However, you cannot follow this method all-time. Especially, when you need to this more frequent. Here is a simple technique (using Application Shortcuts) which will help you in elevating programs.

If you want to implement this alongside the executable itself, you will need to create a RunasAdmin or RunAsInvoker Shim for this purpose. – Read this Article for more information.

Step 1: Create a Shortcut for the application. You can either use Pinning feature, where you can pin an application to the start-menu or the task-bar. You can also create it on the desktop. In this example, Let’s choose a Command Window (cmd). (You can use this technique for any application)

Step 2: Right Click and goto the properties of the Command Prompt, Select the ‘Shortcut’ tab.

Step 3: Goto Advanced Tab, And select the ‘Run As Administrator’ checkbox in the Advanced Properties.

This will ensure that, this shortcut will run the program in elevated context all the time. You can always invoke the other default shortcut from the start menu, to launch the application in the standard User mode (if you really need to).

Tags beginners, howto, Tips, Windows 7

Guest Posts Microsoft

Top tips for utilizing AutoCAD LT 2011 and Windows 7 – Seven for 7

Post author By msigeek Team
Post date July 13, 2010
No Comments on Top tips for utilizing AutoCAD LT 2011 and Windows 7 – Seven for 7

Hi Folks, after a long gap we are back with the Guest Posts on this weblog. Today, we have Kate Morrical who talks about the Top tips for utilizing AutoCAD LT 2011 on the Windows 7 platform. She explains on how a user can leverage the features available in Windows 7 and get the best experience while working on AutoCAD LT 2011. As the Technical Marketing Manager for AutoCAD LT, Kate works closely with the AutoCAD LT Product Development & Marketing teams and with AutoCAD LT users through discussion groups, her blog, and events such as Autodesk University and AUGI CAD Camps.

Kate’s thoughts on msigeek weblog – “MSIGeek.com is a great resource for learning more about making the most of MS technology, including design firms looking for the best ways to optimize the compatibility between Windows 7 and Autodesk products like AutoCAD LT 2011. Your How-To and Best Practices articles provide helpful, real-world ways to work smarter and faster. Thanks for putting all this valuable information in one place!”

Over to Kate’s article –

You know that the Windows 7 Professional operating system is designed to meet business needs by delivering better performance, helping you get more done faster, and safeguarding your work. Here are seven tips for using features in Windows 7 to speed up everyday tasks in AutoCAD LT 2011.

1. Use thumbnail previews to navigate between open DWG files

Quickly locate and switch between open AutoCAD LT 2011 drawing files by hovering your cursor over the taskbar icon to display thumbnail images of each open drawing. Switch between drawings by clicking on thumbnails, or use the red X to quickly close a file from the thumbnail.

2. Locate recent files with jump lists

Right-click on a program icon in the taskbar to display a jump list of your ten most recently-opened files. Open an item on the list simply by clicking on it, or drag-and-drop files to attach them to e-mails or copy them to a different folder. Use the pushpin icon to make sure that important files always stay on the list. Jump lists are also available for your frequently-used programs in the Start menu.

3. Pin your favorite programs for easy access

Pin AutoCAD LT and other programs you use on a regular basis to the taskbar with the option in the right-click menu, and launch them with a single click. You can also store favorite programs on the Start menu. While your most frequently-used programs will show up there automatically, you can keep them there permanently by right-clicking on the program and selecting “Pin to Start Menu.”

4. Quickly resize program windows with Snap

Use Snap to display two programs side by side on your screen, without overlap, simply by dragging one window to the left of the screen and the other to the right. Easily reference your email, spreadsheet, or other program while working in AutoCAD LT 2011. Drag a single program to the top of the screen to have it fill your entire display.

5. Find files faster with Instant Search

Search is faster in Windows 7—libraries and other popular file locations are indexed so results appear as soon as you type in the first few letters of your keyword, whether in the Start menu or in the search box available in every Windows Explorer window. To make your search even more efficient, matching files and folders are grouped by category, and keywords are highlighted to make the list even easier to scan. Filter your results by type, date, size, or author to further narrow your search.

6. Safeguard your work with Backup and Restore

No matter how much care you take with your files, accidents can happen—drives can fail, files can become corrupted, and “copy” can even become “delete.” That’s when you need Windows Backup to store copies of your important files on an external drive and update them periodically so they’re as current as possible. When you need to retrieve a file, the Restore function lets you select the entire backup file or specific files and folders. You can even specify whether to restore files to their original location or a new one.

7. Manage default printers with Location Aware Printing

When you run AutoCAD LT on a laptop, you can take your computer with you, but chances are you leave your printer behind. With Location Aware Printing, you can set a different default printer for every network you connect to. Then, when you change networks, Windows automatically sends documents to the correct printer.

About Kate Morrical – As the Technical Marketing Manager for AutoCAD LT, Kate works closely with the AutoCAD LT Product Development & Marketing teams and with AutoCAD LT users through discussion groups, her blog, and events such as Autodesk University and AUGI CAD Camps. She has over 10 years of experience with Autodesk products, starting with AutoCAD R14, and has been blogging about AutoCAD LT since April 2007. Kate is a licensed professional engineer in Maryland, and was employed as an engineer and CAD Manager for a 30-person office of a structural engineering firm before joining Autodesk. For the latest in AutoCAD LT news, tips and tricks check out Kate’s blog, LT Unlimited, at http://ltunlimited.typepad.com

Tags beginners, guest, Tips, Windows 7

General Microsoft

Microsoft Training for End Users – Productivity and Learning Hub

Post author By msigeek Team
Post date June 16, 2010
No Comments on Microsoft Training for End Users – Productivity and Learning Hub

Microsoft has developed the Productivity Hub to help support your ongoing end user training efforts in your organisations. The Hub is a SharePoint Server 2007 site collection that serves as a learning community and is fully customizable. It provides a central place for your training efforts, and includes training content from Microsoft’s core products. Microsoft also provides ongoing and updated content packs.

The Hub uses SharePoint Server’s social networking capabilities, such as blogs and discussion groups. In addition, it offers the Coach program, a change management feature to help you train end users to self-help, reducing the burden on your training and IT staff. The Coach program impacts productivity in a collaborative and positive way.

What the Productivity Hub is:

Format: Pre-loaded SharePoint site collection, optimized for Web 2.0 functionality and easily deployed within SharePoint Server 2007 environment.
Content: Convenient end user productivity training in a variety of formats (documents, videos, podcasts, etc.). Receive free quarterly updates of content that you will learn about through the Productivity blog.
Blog: The Productivity blog offers tips and tricks for end user productivity. Use it as is, or your training staff can use the posts as their own to help them get started in running an internal blog.
Train the trainer: Includes IT/Manager section to aid with deployment of the site collection, and guidance to develop the Coach program.
Products: Office 2007 System applications, SharePoint Server 2007, Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8.

You can also download additional content packages that expand the training materials you can make available through the Hub. The Productivity Hub can be accessed here!