Ok … it’s actually not the time for speaking about Windows XP, isn’t it ? All people speak about Microsoft ’s new ‘Golden Boy’, Windows Vista, so why should i write about Windows XP ? It’s because many people (especially in my country) still use it for the main operating system of their PC in many edition, Home Edition, Professional Edition and of course … ‘Pirated Edition‘ . Another main reason was the price of Windows Vista. It’s very very expensive for us to get it, i’d prefer buy a new laptop than buy this OS.

Back to Windows XP, i think most of you had already known that there were some utilities embedded with it which were also installed in your computer. These utilities could be easily accessed from the start menu (Start ->All Programs->Accessories). Yeah … even my little niece could tell them all easily, e.g. Notepad, Calculator, Wordpad, etc. But, did you know that there were tons of hidden utilities in Windows XP ?

There were at least 43 utilities which had been concealed by Microsoft from the start menu and some of them were very useful for the system maintenance. Since there were so many utilities in the internet, and many of them also brought ‘unexpected guest’ for your PC like spyware, malware, virus, trojan etc, so for your (PC’s) safety, i think it’s better for you to know these hidden utilities.

I’m sure that some advanced users (including me) had already used these hidden utilities manually, so it might be not a big news. But i write this to share my knowledge with the others who had less experiece with Windows XP, so, if you do not like to run the utilities manually, you can use an utility to do all the stuff. It’s a freeware for creating the shortcut of the hidden utilities in the start menu, so you do not have to type it manually from the Run window (don’t worry, it doesn’t contain spyware, trojan or something else).

Donwload Link 1 - Download Link 2

If you have already downloaded the file, install it (you must have an administrator account to do this). Then from the start menu, choose All Program -> XP Addons, and you will see all of the hidden utilities of Windows XP .

These were the previews of some useful Hidden Utilities of Windows XP :

1. (System) Configuration Utility (could be accessed from Run -> msconfig).

The most common utility for system maintenance among the administrators. It can be used for StartUp Settings, including : StartUp Selection, Initial Files, Windows Service, and Startup Programs. I usually use this utility to disable unuseful startup programs to improve windows startup speed.

2. DirectX Diagnostic Tool (could be accessed from Run -> dxdiag)

Another common utility for gamers and video editing users. This utility is used for checking directX components of Windows, including display, sound, music etc. You can also determine if your VGA or sound settings are working properly with this utility.

3. Disk Management (could be accessed from Run -> diskmgmt.msc)

You can use this utility to perform disk-related tasks, such as creating partitions and volumes, formatting them, and assigning drive letters.

4. Dr.Watson Diagnostic Tool (could be accessed from Run -> drwtsn32)

If you have experienced an unknown error while running a program and you still do not know the cause, you should try this utility. You can also see the log file of the errors or crash and the list of the programs which have the troubles.

5. Event Viewer (could be accessed from Run -> eventvwr)

As the name suggest, this utility can provide us with the information of ‘events’ which had been occured in Windows, eg. error reports, application process, system process etc. You can also use it for tracking the errors which had been previously occured in windows.

6. Express Install Wizard/IExpress (could be accessed from Run -> iexpress)

Still use another program to make self-extracting/installing package ? Hehe … you should check this utility out .

7. Performance/System Monitor (could be accessed from Run -> perfmon)

You can easily watch your current system performance graphics, logs and system alerts with this utility.

8. Private Character Editor (could be accessed from Run -> eudcedit)

 
Another interesting utility of Windows XP . You can create up to 6,400 unique characters (such as special letters and logos) for use in your font library. PCE contains basic tools for creating and editing characters, along with more advanced options.

9. Registry Editor (could be accessed from Run -> regedit)

It’s absolutely the most famous utility of Windows since the Windows 95 era. You can easily edit the database which stores settings and options for the operating system with this utility. This is maybe the most powerful utility for customizing Windows system, but you should use it with caution, otherwise you won’t be able to use your Windows anymore .

10. Task Manager (could be accessed from Run -> taskmgr or simply press Ctrl-Alt-Del buttons)

You can watch and manage the system process, performance, background applications and the active users of your computer. You could also run new task, shut down or restart windows with this utility. Because of its powerful abilities, this utility is usually become one of the first target to be locked by virus or trojan while infecting the computer.

11. Text to Speech Narrator (could be accessed from Run -> narrator)

"Oh my God ! I tell ya, the Windows was speaking !", Hehehe … this could be the funniest utilities of Windows (it’s useful indeed for people with low vision ).

12. Windows Migration Manager/Wizard (could be accessed from Run -> migwiz)

If you have a new computer and you don’t have time to configure the settings (internet explorer, outlook express or display settings) for it, you can use this utility. It could also transfer any files from your old computer into the one as long as you have direct cable connection or LAN.

13. Windows Network Chat (could be accessed from Run -> winchat)

You can simply use this utility to chat with someone within a LAN. Actually, you can also disturb someone with this utility (don’t try that at your office or school. It is very dangerous ).

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Reference and Links :

- Windows Online and Offline Help

- English Wikipedia

- http://xpg.in/totalcmd/forum/

- Rapidshare 

What a busy day. I had another chance to accompany Japanese scientists in a survey for 3 days. It would have been taken in another city which laid on the equator line, Pontianak. The purpose was to repair some troubles of Wind Profiler Radar at LAPAN site in the riverside city. Wind Profiler Radar (WPR) is an important instrument for us, meteorologist and some scientists, since it has abilities to measure the wind speed and direction at various elevation (height) above the ground. The data provided from WPR will give us some useful information to determine the phenomenon which has been occured in the atmosphere, such as MJO (Madden Julian Oscillation, Kelvin Wave etc.).

Speaking about the scientists … ah, i forgot to tell you that there were two scientists whom i accompanied with. These two were quite different with the previous scientists i’d known. They were more serious and did not like to speak too much (especially in English ). One of them was Hiroyuki Hasiguchi-san, a scientist from Kyoto University and another one was Takao Nakagawa-san, an engineer of Sumitomo Electric Co.

Pontianak, a city surrounded with Kapuas River, the longest river in Indonesia, was remind me with towns of east borneo, since they were in the same island with this city. Because its location which was excactly on the equator line, the climate was quite hot, especially in the daytime. That’s why this city was quite famous among the meteorologist which had long interest in tropical meteorology.

Supadio, the airport of Pontianak, was not as big as my hometown airport (Sepinggan), but it was big enough for mid-sized aircraft like Boeing 737 to land safely. There were some unique moments at the first time when i came to this city, especially about the toilet at the airport. It was very very small toilet. So, i think you can imagine what would happen when a small toilet’s entered by a large number of people. Yes … there would be a ‘chaos’ inside . I could even hear some people (male of course)whispered funny words like “Uwahhh … uenak tenannn !!!” or “Duh, bakal seember nih yg keluar” during the ‘process’ at the toilet .

The LAPAN people in Pontianak were very friendly. I really impressed with a young man at LAPAN, who could speak Japanese fluently. Man … i really felt like a dumb compared with him and because the japanese prefer to speak japanese, they really enjoyed talking with him. But it’s OK … nobody’s perfect including me and we are friends (honestly, i also enjoyed talking with him ). It seemed that i had to learn much more about Japanese.

IPDN lagi … IPDN lagi. Entah apa yang ada di benak para praja IPDN ini. Bukannya mengurangi atau menghilangkan aksi kekerasan yang sudah mendarah daging di institusinya, eh malah menambah daftar panjang korban yg tewas karena penganiayaan para prajanya. Korban yang apes kali ini bukan praja IPDN sendiri, melainkan warga lokal di Jatinangor. Masalahnya juga sepele, cuman gara-gara api rokok korban yang tidak sengaja mengenai salah seorang praja, akhirnya si korban dikeroyok sampe akhirnya meninggal dunia setelah sebelumnya sempat diselamatkan satpam di lokasi kejadian.

Belum lepas dr ingatan, kematian Cliff Muntu, praja IPDN yang dianiaya rekan-rekannya sendiri. Sekarang malah warga non-IPDN yang jadi korban. Ini sudah jadi bukti yg nyata kalo IPDN sudah benar-benar ’sakit’ luar dalam. Mulai dari Rektor sampe Praja kayaknya sudah menjadikan kekerasan sebagai ‘menu’ harian mereka. Seperti yg sudah-sudah, mereka seolah dengan santainya melakukan aksi tutup mulut atas kejadian yang melibatkan praja-prajanya. "Penganiyaan itu kan masih dugaan … " itu kata yg keluar dari mulut orang-orang ‘kuat’ IPDN, tanpa sadar kalo masyarakat luas sudah muak dengan kelakuan arogan dan brutal mereka.

Saya dulu termasuk salah satu orang yang kurang setuju kalo IPDN dibubarkan, karena menurut saya itu nggak akan menyelesaikan masalah. Tapi kejadian kemarin akhirnya mengubah pendapat saya terhadap IPDN. Enough is enough.

Institusi ini harus dibubarkan !!! 

Mungkin ini nggak akan menyelesaikan masalah secara langsung, tapi setidaknya pembubaran IPDN akan menghentikan kebrutalan yang seolah sudah jadi trademark IPDN, termasuk sikap arogan para pimpinan institusi yg berada di bawah Departemen Dalam Negeri ini. Kalaupun dipertahankan, saya pikir masyarakat sudah tidak lagi menganggap IPDN sebagai tempat yang ‘aman’ untuk menjamin masa depan putra-putrinya, ditambah lagi sebagian kepala daerah di beberapa propinsi sudah menyatakan tak akan mengirim kontingen dari daerahnya untuk menimba ilmu di IPDN. Ibaratnya, IPDN sudah di-blacklist oleh masyarakat luas. Kalo sudah nggak ada kepercayaan dr masyarakat luas, buat apa dipertahankan lagi kan ??

Semoga pemerintah bisa mengambil langkah yang benar dalam menyikapi kejadian ini. Jangan terlena dengan nama besar IPDN di masa lalu. Pandanglah dengan hati nurani. Bagaimana bila putra-putri anda mengalami nasib yg sama seperti korban-korban IPDN sebelumnya, yg kasusnya seolah ditutup2i ? Apakah anda tetap akan diam saja ? Gimana mau jadi lurah, camat atau gubernur kalo sejak awal sudah dididik seperti pembunuh ? Mau jadi apa bangsa ini kalo pemimpinnya brutal seperti itu ?

Finally, the damn tooth had been taken out of my mouth. The surgery was faster than i expected, and it seemed that it was not a difficult one. There was only a dentist and her assistant who have done it. The dentist was very skillful that she even could still sing a song while drilling my tooth !!

Honestly, i felt a bit scared yesterday, especially during the injection process. Fortunately, it was just a little pain, and i did not feel anything on the right side of my mouth after that. It was completely numb. Then the dentist started her job, covering my face with some kind of special fabric, leaving my mouth open. By the sound of it, i could feel that my tooth had been drilled and pulled out. It was quite fast.

I felt something weird with mouth after the surgery. I could not even spit properly. The dentist said it was normal reaction by the medicine, and the numb feeling would dissapear within 1 or 2 hours later. The doctor said that i could bring my tooth back if i wanted to. I felt horrible just by looking at the tooth and the blood which covered it, so i refuse it (haha scary .. ).

Despite the expensive cost of the surgery and medicines, there was such a view in the room. Ehm … the assistants of the dentiest were pretty !! Especially the one who assisted the dentist during surgery … ck .. ck .. ck …  UI  Students really … ouch my mouth … .

Akhirnya selesai juga algoritma  program nggak jelas ini. Gw sampe harus nginap di kantor buat ngerjain, itupun baru ketemu algoritma yg paling sesuai pagi ini. Lain kali gw harus lebih pintar-pintar nerima kerjaan, nggak lembek, ntar malah stress kayak gini. Sebenarnya program ini cuman dilanjutkan aja dr proyek tahun lalu yg berakhir nggak jelas juga. Makanya ntar gw nggak tau apa bakal dikasih honor atau nggak. Bodoh jg. Ngerjain habis2an sampe kerjaan utama di kantor terbengkalai dan itupun nggak jelas honornya. Kadang2 gw ngerasa bersalah sama bos dan orang2 di kantor ini, dan tentu saja, kepada negara ini, soalnya gw pake fasilitas negara buat ngerjain obyekan dr luar. Cih.

Sempat gw berpikir untuk berhenti sejenak jd programmer, soalnya pikiran lebih banyak tersita ke sana. Gw pingin lebih konsentrasi ke science, ngolah data-data meteo, bikin eksperimen kecil2an untuk penelitian pribadi dan … udah pasti, berburu beasiswa lagi. Kalaupun bikin program, gw pingin yg bukan komersil tp untuk kepentingan scientific.

Sekolah …. entah kapan gw bisa dapat kesempatan sekolah lagi ? Kadang nggak enak banget kalo orang2 pd nanyain itu. Apalagi orang di tempat gw kerja dulu. Seolah2 mereka nggak yakin gw bisa sekolah lg. Tentu saja nggak akan bisa sekolah kalo waktu luang gw habis cuman buat program. Kapan gw bisa belajar yg lain ???

Ah udahlah, yg penting program-program ini harus selesai dulu, baru gw pikir langkah selanjutnya. Besok gw mesti bedah mulut buat ngangkat gigi yg tumbuhnya nggak normal. Gara2 gigi ini, gw sampe nggak tidur 2 malam minggu lalu. Ongkosnya lumayan mahal, tp nggak apa2lah, daripada ntar sakitnya kumat pas gw lagi kerja.

Kayaknya jadwal kegiatan gw dua minggu ini bakalan padat, malam ini ngeberesin program, rabu besok bedah ke RSCM, kamis besoknya ke kantor ngurus administrasi buat berangkat ke Pontianak sama ikutan tutorial MATLAB dr bos, senin, selasa dan rabu depan udah ke Pontianak sama peneliti Jepang. Makanya program ini harus selesai paling nggak malam ini atau kamis nanti. Singkatnya kayak orang2  bilang, ketik C spasi D, Capeeekk …. deeeee ….