How to set the homepage in Internet Explorer using the registry

Recently I had a situation where a user couldn't re-set her homepage using the normal Internet Explorer (IE) options.

This was a problem as the site that was set to her homepage no longer existed and every time she launched IE she would get 'Page not found'.

In order to resolve this i applied the following registry hack :

1. Winkey + R or Start menu run
2. Type 'regedit'
3. Go to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"Start Page"="http://www.supportingtech.com/"
4. Change the website to the one you require and you are done.

* Please note that the registry is a very important part of the operating system and you should use extreme caution when making changes.

Specify username and password within an FTP URL address

If you are using Windows explorer to access an FTP site you will know that you enter the username and hostname to be taken to the relevant site i.e. ftp:// username@hostname/. You would then be prompted for your password which you would enter into a dialogue box.

However, there is a short cut you can use to take you straight into the directory by just adding or clicking URL. The structure of this is as follows :

ftp:// username : password@hostname/

Although, this is a time saver it does have its dangers with regard to security. For example, the password will be visible in plain text and the username and password can be retrieved from your explorer/browser history if someone else accesses your pc.