Considering the following scenario:

• On a Windows Vista-based computer, you modify the Settings.ini file to customize the Windows Sidebar. This file is located in the following folder:
  

  %ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar

• You install hotfix 943411 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1 on the computer.

In this scenario, when you log on to the computer with a user account that has never logged on to the computer before, the Windows Sidebar customizations are lost.

Note: The Windows Sidebar customizations include the following settings:

• Whether the Windows Sidebar should start when Windows Vista starts
• Whether the Windows Sidebar should be visible on the desktop or should be displayed as a tray icon
• Which gadgets should be displayed by default. These may include OEM gadgets

If you loved TweakUI in Windows XP, then you’ll love Ultimate Windows Tweaker in Vista. Give access to over 130 different settings to customize Vista. Keep reading →

The Notification Area is next to the clock in the Taskbar. It’s where you’ll generally find icons for different Vista tools, as well as additional software you may have installed. Some of the icons may not be useful to you, and there is a way to choose which are shown, while having others hidden. Some may not want any icons, and if this is the case, there is a way to simply disable that area. Keep reading →

When I shutdown my computer, I tend to walk away, so it really doesn’t matter how long it takes. If there is some reason that you hang around and wait for it to shutdown (perhaps waiting to close the lid on a laptop), then you may want the shutdown process to be a little faster. When Vista, like older versions of Windows, is told to shutdown, there is a set amount of time that it waits for things like services to properly shutdown. You can control how long it waits through a simple registry setting. Keep reading →

So you used one of the previous tips to remove the Recycle Bin from your desktop, but now you want to empty it. Can’t simply right-click on it to do that now. What to do? Here’s how to do it from the command line. Keep reading →

For those that are big fans of the command prompt, it often saves time to be able to open a command prompt from a folder you are currently browsing. There are a few ways to do this, and as Toby and Martin suggest at the 64 Bit World Forums, both are very easy. Keep reading →

If you’re not happy with something in Windows Vista, odds are you can change it, either through additional software, or by opening the hood and tweaking it a bit. The ‘Customization’ section of ITsVISTA is where you’ll find tips and tricks related to changing the way Vista works by these alternative or advanced options that can’t be handled through the standard ‘Configuration’ options.