David Moss resolves an iTunes problem, looks into secret folders and Windows file sharing without a central server.
iTunes dilemma
Q I use iTunes under Windows and want to use my iPod with it. The problem is I can’t see the iPod in iTunes when I plug it in. I’ve tried scanning for devices, but that hasn’t helped. Is this not possible under Windows?
F Graham
A This is indeed possible and there is a solution available, but it’s one you need to run backups before you try, as it involves editing the Registry. Additionally, deleting the Registry entries I’m about to point you to might cause problems for other applications such as CD-recording software, and they’d need reinstalling were that to be the case, so using System Restore would seem a good idea in that circumstance. If that’s okay by you, take the steps below to see if you can get your iPod to work with Windows. Incidentally, use these same steps if you’re having trouble getting Windows to recognise a USB flash drive or an external hard disk. To potentially fix the problem, do the following. Click on Start | Run and type “regedit” then hit Enter. Navigate to the following keys and delete them:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E980-E325 11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
Those two keys are called the UpperFilters and LowerFilters Registry values. Restart your system after deleting them and hopefully your problem will have gone away.
OS from the off
Q How do I change the default operating system so the one I want is automatically selected at boot time?
U Harriah
A To do this, right-click on My Computer and select Manage from the pop-up menu. When the Computer Management dialog appears, right-click on the Computer Management (Local) entry at the top of the tree and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Click on the Advanced tab of the Computer Management (Local) Properties dialog, look for the Startup and Recovery pane and click on the Settings button. When the Startup and Recovery dialog appears, select the operating system you want to start from the drop-down list box and then click OK. Note that you can also change the default timeout value of 30 seconds while you’re here, if you so desire.
Secret folders revealed
Q We wanted to copy a group of user profiles to new folders on a Windows 2003 Server box, and for security reasons we set the new folders to be hidden, plus we added permissions for the user to be able to access the folder after the move. The problem is that when we make the copy, the hidden attribute is removed, the folders are exposed to view and the user permissions are lost. This is despite utilising the Permitted To Use option when copying.
F Ranier
A I did some research on this, as I used to regularly copy user profiles, but it wasn’t something I’d done in a while. This was quite significant. It turns out that the problem is actually being caused by the Permitted To Use option, and I hadn’t come across it because I hadn’t done any adding of attributes to target folders for quite some time and, when I had, I’d been using Windows 2000 Workstation. According to Microsoft, if you use the Permitted To Use option in the User Profiles setting to change the permissions of a folder that already exists in Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, the folder subtree is deleted and then recreated. Therefore, the attributes that were set on the folder are deleted when the folder is deleted, and aren’t set when the folder is recreated. This behaviour differs from Windows 2000. In Windows 2000, if the target folder that’s selected already exists, it isn’t deleted, and the content of the local profile is copied to the existing folder. Therefore, in Windows 2000, the attributes that were set on the folder aren’t deleted. The solution isn’t to use the Permitted To Use option and instead to use Windows Explorer to set folder permissions after you do the copy. Not the greatest solution, but that’s what seems to be required. For anyone not familiar with the procedure, to set permissions via Windows Explorer, right-click on the folder in question, select Properties from the pop-up menu and then click on the Security tab. Select the Group or User names from the list and then set your Allow and Deny permissions. Click Apply when you’ve finished and then on OK to close the dialog.