A better way with Windows XP and 2000, however, is our old pal Compatibility Mode (more about that below). Not only can you make XP/2000 think it is an older version of Windows, you can also specify the display settings, so every time you use that program it will automatically change to 256 colors.
Right-click the program icon and choose Properties (or hold down ALT and double left-click). Select the "Compatibility" tab and look for "Display Settings". Check "Run in 256 Colors", then OK .
You should be able to see the program correctly. When you close out, your display settings will go back to normal.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Clear Shortcut Labels
The solid box behind a shortcut label can be very annoying, especially if you have dozens of icons on your desktop.
It doesn't take much to change this if you have Windows XP.
Right-click "My Computer" and choose Properties (or hold down Alt & double left-click "My Computer") to bring up the Systems Properties window.
Select the "Advanced" tab. Under "Performance" click the "Settings" button. This will bring up the Performance Options window.
Under the "Visual Options" tab, click the "Custom" radio button. You'll see a list of check boxes.
Check off the one that says, "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop". Then "Apply" or "OK" to make the change.
When you go back to your desktop the labels should be clear.
Now you can see your wallpaper better.
It doesn't take much to change this if you have Windows XP.
Right-click "My Computer" and choose Properties (or hold down Alt & double left-click "My Computer") to bring up the Systems Properties window.
Select the "Advanced" tab. Under "Performance" click the "Settings" button. This will bring up the Performance Options window.
Under the "Visual Options" tab, click the "Custom" radio button. You'll see a list of check boxes.
Check off the one that says, "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop". Then "Apply" or "OK" to make the change.
When you go back to your desktop the labels should be clear.
Now you can see your wallpaper better.
Wallpaper That Won't Go Away
Normally, if you pick a different wallpaper the old one will go away...
It's an easy mistake to make. Probably, when you went to save a picture from the web to use as wallpaper, rather than choose "set as background" you slipped and selected "set as desktop item". This basically puts a web page or image over the top of your desktop wallpaper.
What can you do about it?
Just right-click the desktop and choose "Properties". Select the "Desktop" tab then hit the "Customize" button. On the next window click the "web" tab.
Uncheck anything in the white box that says "web pages" and uncheck "Lock Desktop Items".
IPB Image
Click OK then "Apply". Did it go away? If so, hit OK.
Now you can change your wallpaper.
It's an easy mistake to make. Probably, when you went to save a picture from the web to use as wallpaper, rather than choose "set as background" you slipped and selected "set as desktop item". This basically puts a web page or image over the top of your desktop wallpaper.
What can you do about it?
Just right-click the desktop and choose "Properties". Select the "Desktop" tab then hit the "Customize" button. On the next window click the "web" tab.
Uncheck anything in the white box that says "web pages" and uncheck "Lock Desktop Items".
IPB Image
Click OK then "Apply". Did it go away? If so, hit OK.
Now you can change your wallpaper.
Keep Kids Safe Online
Are you worried about what your children or grandchildren will encounter while surfing the web? Letting a kid run loose with a web browser is like letting them walk alone through a bad neighborhood at night. There's just a lot that can go wrong.
Well, if you let them surf with Internet Explorer, you can take control! Here's how:
1. Open Internet Explorer, hit the Tools menu, Internet Options.
2. Click the Content tab. You'll see a "Content Advisor" area. Click the Enable button.
3. You'll get a tabbed screen chock full of exciting security options. The first tab is "Ratings" and it's the first step in the process. It will filter out sites that have an "RASC" rating that doesn't match your preferences, but it will also filter out any site that simply has no rating at all.
For example, Disney.com works great, but NickJr.com (great spot for pre-schoolers) won't come up. Maybe Blue's Clues could do an episode where they find out how to get RASC approval...
4. The next tab is called "Approved Sites" and it's the solution for letting your kids get to sites that do not have an RASC rating yet. You can set this up in one of two ways.
The first, and most difficult method is to manually type in sites you think are OK. Just type in the address of the site in the "Allow this Web site" box and click the "Always" button.
The easy way:
Once Content Advisor is set up with a password (next step), you will get a prompt for that password every time you land on a site without a rating. This screen will give you the option to always allow the site - a much faster way to go.
5. OK, here's the last critical step - setting up a password. Click the General Tab and you'll see the password setup under the "Supervisor Password" area. Click the button and set it up
That's it, your Content Advisor is now set up and ready to filter. Keep in mind that this is not foolproof, but it's a lot better than letting your kids traipse all over the internet unsupervised.
Also, if the kids aren't going to be using the computer, you can easily disable it. Just head back to the content tab and click the "Disable" button in the "Content Advisor" area. That way, you're not getting prompted on every unrated page you visit.
Well, if you let them surf with Internet Explorer, you can take control! Here's how:
1. Open Internet Explorer, hit the Tools menu, Internet Options.
2. Click the Content tab. You'll see a "Content Advisor" area. Click the Enable button.
3. You'll get a tabbed screen chock full of exciting security options. The first tab is "Ratings" and it's the first step in the process. It will filter out sites that have an "RASC" rating that doesn't match your preferences, but it will also filter out any site that simply has no rating at all.
For example, Disney.com works great, but NickJr.com (great spot for pre-schoolers) won't come up. Maybe Blue's Clues could do an episode where they find out how to get RASC approval...
4. The next tab is called "Approved Sites" and it's the solution for letting your kids get to sites that do not have an RASC rating yet. You can set this up in one of two ways.
The first, and most difficult method is to manually type in sites you think are OK. Just type in the address of the site in the "Allow this Web site" box and click the "Always" button.
The easy way:
Once Content Advisor is set up with a password (next step), you will get a prompt for that password every time you land on a site without a rating. This screen will give you the option to always allow the site - a much faster way to go.
5. OK, here's the last critical step - setting up a password. Click the General Tab and you'll see the password setup under the "Supervisor Password" area. Click the button and set it up
That's it, your Content Advisor is now set up and ready to filter. Keep in mind that this is not foolproof, but it's a lot better than letting your kids traipse all over the internet unsupervised.
Also, if the kids aren't going to be using the computer, you can easily disable it. Just head back to the content tab and click the "Disable" button in the "Content Advisor" area. That way, you're not getting prompted on every unrated page you visit.
Speed Up the Start Menu in Windows XP
The Start Menu take a quite a while to display the list of programs installed. In order to get Windows XP to display the list faster, you will have to edit some registry settings. Remember to back up your regitry before making any changes.
To speed up, goto Start > Run and type regedit. This will open the registry window. Then navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Scroll down in the Right panel and double click on "menushowdelay". In the Value Data box, change the default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1 or even 0. Click OK You should now find a significant increase in the startmenu speed.
To speed up, goto Start > Run and type regedit. This will open the registry window. Then navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Scroll down in the Right panel and double click on "menushowdelay". In the Value Data box, change the default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1 or even 0. Click OK You should now find a significant increase in the startmenu speed.
Improving Serial Port Performance
You can get more out of your serial connection and gets your modem working its fastest with the help of Device Manager.
Go to Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager. This will show you a list of all the devices attached to your PC. Look for the Port (COM) communication port. Right click and select Properties, and click the port settings tab. Increase the bits per second from "9600" to "128000" and Flow Control to "Hardware". Then, click on the Advance tab and set the Receive and Transmit buffers to Maximum. Click OK and close all Windows.
Go to Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager. This will show you a list of all the devices attached to your PC. Look for the Port (COM) communication port. Right click and select Properties, and click the port settings tab. Increase the bits per second from "9600" to "128000" and Flow Control to "Hardware". Then, click on the Advance tab and set the Receive and Transmit buffers to Maximum. Click OK and close all Windows.
Tweak UI for Windows XP
It will gives u access to quite a few system settings that are otherwise not readily available, and can help gain that extra inch of power from XP. You can download it by c clicking here.
Note:THIS IS NOT FOR NOVICE OR NEW USER OF WINDOWS!!!
Note:THIS IS NOT FOR NOVICE OR NEW USER OF WINDOWS!!!
Ripping Digital Music
You want to rip music from an audio CD to your computer's hard diskâ€â€in other words, copy it to your PC in a digital format, so that you can listen to it on your PC, or on a portable MP3 player.
Here is how to do it
Windows Media Player offers built-in tools for ripping music and storing it in a variety of formats, including MP3 and WMA. (Note: versions of Windows Media Player older than version 10 cannot rip music into the MP3 format, without buying extra software.) Here's how to do it:
Run Windows Media Player by choosing Start All Programs Accessories Entertainment Windows Media Player.
Click the Rip button.
Insert the CD whose music you want to rip into your CD drive.
Windows Media Player will show a list of all the tracks on the CD, but there may be no information associated with each track. To have Windows Media Player search the Internet for information about the CD and each track, click Find Album Info.
Windows Media Player will display the name of your album. If the information is correct, click Finish. If it's not, click Search to see if it can find the information in your existing music database, or else click Edit, and you can manually enter information about the album and each track.
Depending on the information that Windows Media Player finds, it may not find all the information about each track. After it populates the information, you can edit any track by right-clicking it, choosing Edit, and typing in the new information.
Put a check box next to each track that you want to rip, and uncheck the box next to each that you don't want to rip.
Before ripping your music, choose the audio format, and the quality of the files that you will rip. Choose Tools--Options--Rip Music, and from the Format drop-down box, choose an audio format, either MP3, or one of several WMA formats. Then choose the audio quality by moving the slider under Audio quality to the left for less quality, and to the right for higher quality. Generally, a rate of 128 Kbps is considered almost CD quality, while bit rates above that provide higher quality. The higher the quality, the larger each file.
When you've chosen audio quality and format, and checked all the tracks you want to rip, click Rip Music. Windows Media Player will show you its overall progress, as well as its progress of ripping each track.
When you're done, you can play your music by clicking the Library button. Your new tracks will appear there. To play any one, double-click it.
Here is how to do it
Windows Media Player offers built-in tools for ripping music and storing it in a variety of formats, including MP3 and WMA. (Note: versions of Windows Media Player older than version 10 cannot rip music into the MP3 format, without buying extra software.) Here's how to do it:
Run Windows Media Player by choosing Start All Programs Accessories Entertainment Windows Media Player.
Click the Rip button.
Insert the CD whose music you want to rip into your CD drive.
Windows Media Player will show a list of all the tracks on the CD, but there may be no information associated with each track. To have Windows Media Player search the Internet for information about the CD and each track, click Find Album Info.
Windows Media Player will display the name of your album. If the information is correct, click Finish. If it's not, click Search to see if it can find the information in your existing music database, or else click Edit, and you can manually enter information about the album and each track.
Depending on the information that Windows Media Player finds, it may not find all the information about each track. After it populates the information, you can edit any track by right-clicking it, choosing Edit, and typing in the new information.
Put a check box next to each track that you want to rip, and uncheck the box next to each that you don't want to rip.
Before ripping your music, choose the audio format, and the quality of the files that you will rip. Choose Tools--Options--Rip Music, and from the Format drop-down box, choose an audio format, either MP3, or one of several WMA formats. Then choose the audio quality by moving the slider under Audio quality to the left for less quality, and to the right for higher quality. Generally, a rate of 128 Kbps is considered almost CD quality, while bit rates above that provide higher quality. The higher the quality, the larger each file.
When you've chosen audio quality and format, and checked all the tracks you want to rip, click Rip Music. Windows Media Player will show you its overall progress, as well as its progress of ripping each track.
When you're done, you can play your music by clicking the Library button. Your new tracks will appear there. To play any one, double-click it.
Finding Out Who Opened or Modified a File Last
To find who opened or modified a file last, you have to enable auditing on that file. To enable auditing, you have to enable auditing at the system level and then enable auditing on the particular object (in this case a file) in which you are interested.
Using a graphical user interface
1. Do the following to enable auditing at the system level:
2.From Administrative Tools, open the Local Security Policy snap-in (secpol.msc).
3. In the left pane, expand Local Policies and click on Audit Policy.
4. In the right pane, double-click Audit object access.
5.Check the boxes beside Success or Failure (as needed).
6. Click OK.
Now you need to enable auditing on the target file(s) or folder(s):
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. In the left pane, browse to the parent folder of the file or folder on which you want to enable auditing. Click on the parent folder. This displays the list of subfolders and files in the right pane.
3. In the right pane, right-click on the target file or folder and select Properties.
4. Select the Security tab.
5. Click the Advanced button.
6. Select the Auditing tab.
7. Click the Add button.
8. Enter the user or group you want to audit access for (use the Everyone principal to audit all access) and click OK.
9. In the Auditing Entry dialog box, select the types of access you want to audit. You have to select Success events separately from Failure events. Click OK when you are done.
10. Click Apply.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft doesn't provide a tool to configure the audit settings of files. However, you can do this with the setacl.exe tool. It is available fordownload.
Here is an example of setting an audit entry on the file d:\myimportantfile.txt for all failed access attempts by the Everyone principal:
> setacl -on "d:\myimportantfile.txt" -ot file -actn ace -ace
"n:everyone;p:full;m:aud_fail;w:sacl"
Note: Be careful when enabling auditing on a frequently accessed set of files or folders. The number of audit messages in the Security event log can grow quickly with just a few accesses of the file. Monitor the Security event log closely after initially enabling auditing just to make sure you don't flood it.
Using a graphical user interface
1. Do the following to enable auditing at the system level:
2.From Administrative Tools, open the Local Security Policy snap-in (secpol.msc).
3. In the left pane, expand Local Policies and click on Audit Policy.
4. In the right pane, double-click Audit object access.
5.Check the boxes beside Success or Failure (as needed).
6. Click OK.
Now you need to enable auditing on the target file(s) or folder(s):
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. In the left pane, browse to the parent folder of the file or folder on which you want to enable auditing. Click on the parent folder. This displays the list of subfolders and files in the right pane.
3. In the right pane, right-click on the target file or folder and select Properties.
4. Select the Security tab.
5. Click the Advanced button.
6. Select the Auditing tab.
7. Click the Add button.
8. Enter the user or group you want to audit access for (use the Everyone principal to audit all access) and click OK.
9. In the Auditing Entry dialog box, select the types of access you want to audit. You have to select Success events separately from Failure events. Click OK when you are done.
10. Click Apply.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft doesn't provide a tool to configure the audit settings of files. However, you can do this with the setacl.exe tool. It is available fordownload.
Here is an example of setting an audit entry on the file d:\myimportantfile.txt for all failed access attempts by the Everyone principal:
> setacl -on "d:\myimportantfile.txt" -ot file -actn ace -ace
"n:everyone;p:full;m:aud_fail;w:sacl"
Note: Be careful when enabling auditing on a frequently accessed set of files or folders. The number of audit messages in the Security event log can grow quickly with just a few accesses of the file. Monitor the Security event log closely after initially enabling auditing just to make sure you don't flood it.
Changing the Resolution of Thumbnails in Windows Explorer
You can use Windows Explorer to display thumbnails of images in any folder, by choosing View--Thumbnails. By default, those thumbnails are 96 pixels and of a relatively high quality and resolution. But you want to change the size or resolution of the thumbnails, to make them larger so that they're easier to view, or to make them smaller and a lower resolution, because when you have large, high-quality thumbnails, you require more RAM to display them all.
Recipe 5.15. Changing the Resolution of Thumbnails in Windows Explorer
Problem
You can use Windows Explorer to display thumbnails of images in any folder, by choosing View Thumbnails. By default, those thumbnails are 96 pixels and of a relatively high quality and resolution. But you want to change the size or resolution of the thumbnails, to make them larger so that they're easier to view, or to make them smaller and a lower resolution, because when you have large, high-quality thumbnails, you require more RAM to display them all.
Using the Registry
1. Open the Registry Editor (Start-Run-Regedit)and go to HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Exp lorer.
2. Create a new DWORD value called ThumbnailSize.
3. When you edit the value data, choose Hexadecimal as the base.
4. In the value data box, enter a number between 32 and 96. The larger the number, the higher the resolution, and the higher the quality of the thumbnails.
5. Exit the Registry Editor. The resolution of the thumbnails will change without your having to reboot.
Note:Be careful before making your thumbnails larger, because doing so can slow down browsing through your system using Windows Explorer. Also, not all systems will allow you to display thumbnails larger than 96 pixels, so it may not work on yours. However, you should be able to make them smaller on any system.
Recipe 5.15. Changing the Resolution of Thumbnails in Windows Explorer
Problem
You can use Windows Explorer to display thumbnails of images in any folder, by choosing View Thumbnails. By default, those thumbnails are 96 pixels and of a relatively high quality and resolution. But you want to change the size or resolution of the thumbnails, to make them larger so that they're easier to view, or to make them smaller and a lower resolution, because when you have large, high-quality thumbnails, you require more RAM to display them all.
Using the Registry
1. Open the Registry Editor (Start-Run-Regedit)and go to HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Exp lorer.
2. Create a new DWORD value called ThumbnailSize.
3. When you edit the value data, choose Hexadecimal as the base.
4. In the value data box, enter a number between 32 and 96. The larger the number, the higher the resolution, and the higher the quality of the thumbnails.
5. Exit the Registry Editor. The resolution of the thumbnails will change without your having to reboot.
Note:Be careful before making your thumbnails larger, because doing so can slow down browsing through your system using Windows Explorer. Also, not all systems will allow you to display thumbnails larger than 96 pixels, so it may not work on yours. However, you should be able to make them smaller on any system.
Turning Off Balloon Tips
You want to turn off balloon tips, which frequently don't give any useful information, especially for experienced users, and are more distracting then they are useful, particularly when they show up in the Notification Area.
Using the Registry
1. Open the Registry Editor (Start-Run-regedit)and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
2. Create a new DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips.
3. Give it a value of 0.
4. Exit the Registry and restart. Balloon tips will be turned off. To turn them on, either delete the DWORD value, or else give it a value of 1.
Using the Registry
1. Open the Registry Editor (Start-Run-regedit)and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
2. Create a new DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips.
3. Give it a value of 0.
4. Exit the Registry and restart. Balloon tips will be turned off. To turn them on, either delete the DWORD value, or else give it a value of 1.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Free Office - Open Office
you can download office from here
http://download.openoffice.org/index.html
Open office is an alternate to microsoft office. it has a lot of new features which are not available in MS office.
http://download.openoffice.org/index.html
Open office is an alternate to microsoft office. it has a lot of new features which are not available in MS office.
Getting Rid of Undeletable Desktop Icons
You want to delete "undeletable" desktop icons such as the Recycle Bin, Outlook, and Internet Explorer, but you can't delete them by highlighting them and pressing the Delete key. Unnecessary desktop icons take up screen real estate, clutter the interface, and use system RAM.
Using the Registry
1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\ NameSpace. Here's where you'll find various special desktop icons, such as the Recycle Bin. They're not listed by name, but instead by class ID (CLSID), a unique identifier, such as {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} for the Recycle Bin.
2. Find the CLSID of the desktop icon you want to delete.
Here are the CLSIDs for desktop objects
My Computer - {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin - {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Microsoft Outlook - {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Internet Explorer - {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}
The Internet - {3DC7A020-0ACD-11CF-A9BB-00AA004AE837}
My Network Places - {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Briefcase - {85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Dial-Up Networking - {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
America Online - {955B7B84-5308-419c-8ED8-0B9CA3C56985}
3. Delete the key of the icon that you want gone from the desktop, such as {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} for the Recycle Bin.
4. Exit the Registry, go to your desktop, and hit F5 to refresh the screen. The icon should now be gone.
5. On some systems, the icons may not be immediately deleted. Instead, after making the Registry change, you might have to right-click on the icon and choose Delete.
6. If you want to restore the icon, re-create the key that you deleted.
-----------------------------
Using downloadable software
TweakUI, one of a suite of free, unsupported utilities from Microsoft called PowerToys for Windows XP, can also hide these undeletable icons. Get it from
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
After you install it and run it, go to the Desktop section, and you'll see a list of icons that can't otherwise be deleted. Uncheck the box next to any that you don't want to show up on your desktop, and click on OK. The icons will be immediately removed. To make them appear again, check the box next to them.
Note:Some CLSIDs that you'll find in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace can be deleted from the desktop without having to edit the Registry, but when you try to delete them, they may give you a special warning message. For example, depending on your system, when you try to delete Microsoft Outlook from the desktop, you get the warning message "The Outlook Desktop icon provides special functionality and we recommend that you do not remove it." If you'd like, you can edit that message so that it displays whatever you want. In the CLSID's subkey, for example {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} for Microsoft Outlook, you'll find the value Removal Message. Edit its value to whatever text you want, save it, and whenever someone tries to delete it, your warning message will appear.
Also, keep in mind that when you remove desktop icons, you're only removing icons, not the underlying feature or program. So, for example, the Recycle Bin still works even if you remove its icon. To open the Recycle Bin, go to C:\RECYCLER and open the folder inside it. To restore an item that's been deleted, right-click on it and choose Properties Restore. You can delete items from the folder as you would any other item.
Using the Registry
1. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\ NameSpace. Here's where you'll find various special desktop icons, such as the Recycle Bin. They're not listed by name, but instead by class ID (CLSID), a unique identifier, such as {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} for the Recycle Bin.
2. Find the CLSID of the desktop icon you want to delete.
Here are the CLSIDs for desktop objects
My Computer - {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin - {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Microsoft Outlook - {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Internet Explorer - {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}
The Internet - {3DC7A020-0ACD-11CF-A9BB-00AA004AE837}
My Network Places - {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Briefcase - {85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Dial-Up Networking - {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
America Online - {955B7B84-5308-419c-8ED8-0B9CA3C56985}
3. Delete the key of the icon that you want gone from the desktop, such as {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} for the Recycle Bin.
4. Exit the Registry, go to your desktop, and hit F5 to refresh the screen. The icon should now be gone.
5. On some systems, the icons may not be immediately deleted. Instead, after making the Registry change, you might have to right-click on the icon and choose Delete.
6. If you want to restore the icon, re-create the key that you deleted.
-----------------------------
Using downloadable software
TweakUI, one of a suite of free, unsupported utilities from Microsoft called PowerToys for Windows XP, can also hide these undeletable icons. Get it from
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
After you install it and run it, go to the Desktop section, and you'll see a list of icons that can't otherwise be deleted. Uncheck the box next to any that you don't want to show up on your desktop, and click on OK. The icons will be immediately removed. To make them appear again, check the box next to them.
Note:Some CLSIDs that you'll find in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace can be deleted from the desktop without having to edit the Registry, but when you try to delete them, they may give you a special warning message. For example, depending on your system, when you try to delete Microsoft Outlook from the desktop, you get the warning message "The Outlook Desktop icon provides special functionality and we recommend that you do not remove it." If you'd like, you can edit that message so that it displays whatever you want. In the CLSID's subkey, for example {00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} for Microsoft Outlook, you'll find the value Removal Message. Edit its value to whatever text you want, save it, and whenever someone tries to delete it, your warning message will appear.
Also, keep in mind that when you remove desktop icons, you're only removing icons, not the underlying feature or program. So, for example, the Recycle Bin still works even if you remove its icon. To open the Recycle Bin, go to C:\RECYCLER and open the folder inside it. To restore an item that's been deleted, right-click on it and choose Properties Restore. You can delete items from the folder as you would any other item.
Moving a New Microsoft Application to Another Windows XP Sys
You want to move a Microsoft application from one Windows XP system to another because you want to be able to reuse your settings on the new system. If you merely installed the application on the new system, you would lose all of your settings.
Here is how you do it:
1.Install the software on your new PC.
2. Connect the old and the new PC, either over a network, or via a null modem serial cable.
3. On the PC that has the settings you want to transfer, run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard by choosing Start--All Programs--Accessories--System Tools--Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
4. Click Next on the introductory screen, then from the following screen choose Old computer, and click Next.
5. On the Select a transfer method screen that appears, choose the method you're using to connect the two computers (direct cable, network, etc.). If you choose a network, or Other, select the folder location on your new PC where you want to transfer the settings. Click Next.
(In some instances, if you choose a network as the way to transfer your settings, the wizard will not be able to recognize the network. If that happens, choose Other. That will let you browse through your network for a location, even though the Network choice didn't recognize your network.)
6.The "What do you want to transfer" screen appears next. You can choose to transfer settings, files, or both files and settings. Make your choice.
7. You now have to choose what settings to transfer. The default is settings for applications and Windows such as taskbar options and Outlook Express, specific folders such as Desktop, Fonts, My Documents, and My Pictures, and file type associations (what files open with what programs). To add or remove settings, select the "Let me select a custom of files and settings" checkbox, and then click Next.
8. From the screen that appears, add new files and settings, or remove existing ones. Click Next when you're done.
9. The wizard will gather the files and settings, and save them in the location you've chosen. Click Finish when you're done.
10. Go to the computer onto which you're going to transfer the settings. If you've copied the settings to a removable disk, put the removable disk in its drive.
11. Run the run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on the computer onto which you're transferring settings.
12. Click Next on the introductory screen, then from the following screen choose New computer, and click Next.
13. From the screen that appears, choose "I don't need the Wizard Disk. I have already collected my files and settings from my old computer." Click Next and Next again from the screen that appears.
14. From the screen that appears, choose the location where the wizard should look for your settings, for example, direct cable connection, floppy drive, or other. Use other if you've saved it to a removable drive, network drive, or to a location on your new PC. If you choose other, browse to the location of where you saved your settings. Select the folder where the data is stored.
15. Click Next. The wizard will gather your settings and apply them. When it's done, click Next and then Finish. Your settings are now transferred to your new computer.
Note:The wizard only transfers settings, not the application itself. So you have to remember to first install the application on the new computer before running the wizard. Simply copying the program's folders, files, and executables from your old computer to your new computer won't work, because there may be Registry settings the program requires, as well as DLLs and other files that it may have installed in folders that you don't know about.
Keep in mind that the File and Settings Transfer Wizard works with Microsoft applications, but with only a very few non-Microsoft applications. So don't count on using it if you want to transfer settings for any applications other than those written by Microsoft.
--------------------------------
For more details about using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, see
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/crawford_november12.mspx
PCmover from LapLink
http://www.laplink.com/products/pcmover/overview.asp
will move entire applications and settings from one PC to another, as will Alohabob PC Relocator
http://www.alohabob.com/
Here is how you do it:
1.Install the software on your new PC.
2. Connect the old and the new PC, either over a network, or via a null modem serial cable.
3. On the PC that has the settings you want to transfer, run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard by choosing Start--All Programs--Accessories--System Tools--Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
4. Click Next on the introductory screen, then from the following screen choose Old computer, and click Next.
5. On the Select a transfer method screen that appears, choose the method you're using to connect the two computers (direct cable, network, etc.). If you choose a network, or Other, select the folder location on your new PC where you want to transfer the settings. Click Next.
(In some instances, if you choose a network as the way to transfer your settings, the wizard will not be able to recognize the network. If that happens, choose Other. That will let you browse through your network for a location, even though the Network choice didn't recognize your network.)
6.The "What do you want to transfer" screen appears next. You can choose to transfer settings, files, or both files and settings. Make your choice.
7. You now have to choose what settings to transfer. The default is settings for applications and Windows such as taskbar options and Outlook Express, specific folders such as Desktop, Fonts, My Documents, and My Pictures, and file type associations (what files open with what programs). To add or remove settings, select the "Let me select a custom of files and settings" checkbox, and then click Next.
8. From the screen that appears, add new files and settings, or remove existing ones. Click Next when you're done.
9. The wizard will gather the files and settings, and save them in the location you've chosen. Click Finish when you're done.
10. Go to the computer onto which you're going to transfer the settings. If you've copied the settings to a removable disk, put the removable disk in its drive.
11. Run the run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on the computer onto which you're transferring settings.
12. Click Next on the introductory screen, then from the following screen choose New computer, and click Next.
13. From the screen that appears, choose "I don't need the Wizard Disk. I have already collected my files and settings from my old computer." Click Next and Next again from the screen that appears.
14. From the screen that appears, choose the location where the wizard should look for your settings, for example, direct cable connection, floppy drive, or other. Use other if you've saved it to a removable drive, network drive, or to a location on your new PC. If you choose other, browse to the location of where you saved your settings. Select the folder where the data is stored.
15. Click Next. The wizard will gather your settings and apply them. When it's done, click Next and then Finish. Your settings are now transferred to your new computer.
Note:The wizard only transfers settings, not the application itself. So you have to remember to first install the application on the new computer before running the wizard. Simply copying the program's folders, files, and executables from your old computer to your new computer won't work, because there may be Registry settings the program requires, as well as DLLs and other files that it may have installed in folders that you don't know about.
Keep in mind that the File and Settings Transfer Wizard works with Microsoft applications, but with only a very few non-Microsoft applications. So don't count on using it if you want to transfer settings for any applications other than those written by Microsoft.
--------------------------------
For more details about using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, see
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/crawford_november12.mspx
PCmover from LapLink
http://www.laplink.com/products/pcmover/overview.asp
will move entire applications and settings from one PC to another, as will Alohabob PC Relocator
http://www.alohabob.com/
Forcing Older Programs to Use Windows XP Common Controls
You want programs written for earlier versions of Windows to use the rounded, XP-type common graphical controls for things such as checkboxes and buttons. Normally, when you run an older program in XP, the operating system applies an XP-type frame around it, with rounded title bars. But the older program itself still uses its older style interface.
To force older programs to use XP-type common controls, you have to create a manifest fileâ€â€a specifically formatted XML fileâ€â€and place it in the same folder as the older program.
The manifest file should be almost exactly the same for each older program that you want to use XP common controls, changing only the name and description of the program itself.
Following is the code to put in your manifest file. Note that for "Description of Program" you should enter a description for the program, and for "Program Name" you should enter the name of the program.
To create the file, open Notepad, type the following text into it, and save it to the same folder as the executable file of the program you want to force to use XP common controls. Give it the same name as the program's executable file, but with an extension of .manifest. So, for example, if the program's executable file were named oldprogram.exe, you'd give the manifest file the name oldprogram.exe.manifest.
Use the following code to create a .manifest file to force an older program to use XP common controls:
Description of Program
When you create the manifest file, the program will not only use XP common controls in the older Windows application, but will also apply whatever current XP theme you're using. If you don't want to use the XP common controls any longer, delete the manifest file or rename it. Also, keep in mind that the manifest file will not necessarily work with every older Windows application, such as old versions of Microsoft Money.
If you want to force an older Windows program to use XP's common controls, but don't want to have to go through the trouble of creating a manifest file, you can download XPME for Windows from
http://www.tlhouse.co.uk/XPME.shtml
Run it and select the program that you want to use common controls. The program automatically creates a manifest file for you. XPME is freeware.
To force older programs to use XP-type common controls, you have to create a manifest fileâ€â€a specifically formatted XML fileâ€â€and place it in the same folder as the older program.
The manifest file should be almost exactly the same for each older program that you want to use XP common controls, changing only the name and description of the program itself.
Following is the code to put in your manifest file. Note that for "Description of Program" you should enter a description for the program, and for "Program Name" you should enter the name of the program.
To create the file, open Notepad, type the following text into it, and save it to the same folder as the executable file of the program you want to force to use XP common controls. Give it the same name as the program's executable file, but with an extension of .manifest. So, for example, if the program's executable file were named oldprogram.exe, you'd give the manifest file the name oldprogram.exe.manifest.
Use the following code to create a .manifest file to force an older program to use XP common controls:
When you create the manifest file, the program will not only use XP common controls in the older Windows application, but will also apply whatever current XP theme you're using. If you don't want to use the XP common controls any longer, delete the manifest file or rename it. Also, keep in mind that the manifest file will not necessarily work with every older Windows application, such as old versions of Microsoft Money.
If you want to force an older Windows program to use XP's common controls, but don't want to have to go through the trouble of creating a manifest file, you can download XPME for Windows from
http://www.tlhouse.co.uk/XPME.shtml
Run it and select the program that you want to use common controls. The program automatically creates a manifest file for you. XPME is freeware.
Checking Drivers with the Driver Verifier Tool
You need to determine which drivers are loaded and the characteristics about them.
1. Click Start, then select Run.
2. Type in 'verifier' without quotes and click OK.
3. In the Driver Verifier Manager dialog, with the Create standard settings radio button selected under Select a Task, click Next.
4. To see the analysis of all drivers on your system, select the Automatically Select All Drivers Installed on This Computer radio button, and click Finish.
5. Your choices will be stored and you will receive a pop-up indicating that you must reboot for the changes to take effect. Click OK, then reboot at your convenience.
6. After rebooting your PC, re-run Verifier to see the analysis of all running drivers and the state they are in.
Windows' device driver verification tool will trace the loading and activity of any device driver you choose. This tool is intended for developers and low-level system engineers, but it can tell you which drivers are or have been loaded during Windows operation and help you debug them in case you experience system or device crashes.
1. Click Start, then select Run.
2. Type in 'verifier' without quotes and click OK.
3. In the Driver Verifier Manager dialog, with the Create standard settings radio button selected under Select a Task, click Next.
4. To see the analysis of all drivers on your system, select the Automatically Select All Drivers Installed on This Computer radio button, and click Finish.
5. Your choices will be stored and you will receive a pop-up indicating that you must reboot for the changes to take effect. Click OK, then reboot at your convenience.
6. After rebooting your PC, re-run Verifier to see the analysis of all running drivers and the state they are in.
Windows' device driver verification tool will trace the loading and activity of any device driver you choose. This tool is intended for developers and low-level system engineers, but it can tell you which drivers are or have been loaded during Windows operation and help you debug them in case you experience system or device crashes.
Revealing Hidden Devices
1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
2. Select the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.
3. Select View, then select Show Hidden Devices from the menu.
Note the appearance of dozens of new items appearing under Network adapters, system devices, and a new non-Plug and Play drivers device grouping.
2. Select the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.
3. Select View, then select Show Hidden Devices from the menu.
Note the appearance of dozens of new items appearing under Network adapters, system devices, and a new non-Plug and Play drivers device grouping.
Keeping USB Devices from Disappearing
Every so often, a USB device fails to be recognized and usable even though it has been connected for as long as the PC has been running.
Using the USB cable
1. Unplug the USB device and wait for Windows to signal the disconnect, or for 30 to 60 seconds to be sure Windows knows the device is gone.
2. Reconnect the USB device and wait for Windows to recognize it again.
Using a graphical user interface
1.Click Start, then right-click My Computer and select Properties.
2. Select the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.
3. Locate and expand the USB device, right-click on it, then select Properties.
4. If the device properties dialog includes a power management tab, click on it.
5. Uncheck the box next to Allow the Computer to Turn Off This Device to Save Power.
6. Click OK, then close Device Manager.
Using the USB cable
1. Unplug the USB device and wait for Windows to signal the disconnect, or for 30 to 60 seconds to be sure Windows knows the device is gone.
2. Reconnect the USB device and wait for Windows to recognize it again.
Using a graphical user interface
1.Click Start, then right-click My Computer and select Properties.
2. Select the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.
3. Locate and expand the USB device, right-click on it, then select Properties.
4. If the device properties dialog includes a power management tab, click on it.
5. Uncheck the box next to Allow the Computer to Turn Off This Device to Save Power.
6. Click OK, then close Device Manager.
Using System Restore to Recover from a Hardware-Induced Prob
Using a graphical user interface
Log on to Windows using an account with administrator rights.
Navigate Start All Programs Accessories System Tools, and then click System Restore.
On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore My Computer to an Earlier Time, then click Next.
On the Select a Restore Point Page, click the most recent or a specific checkpoint in the On This List, click a Restore Point list, then click Next.
Click OK to accept the changes listed.
Click Next on the Confirm Restore Point Selection page.
After the system restarts, log on using an account with administrator rights.
Click OK to acknowledge the System Restore Restoration Complete page.
Using a command-line interface
Restart your computer, and then press F8 during the initial startup to start your computer in Safe Mode with a command prompt.
Log on using an account with administrator rights.
Enter the following command at the command prompt:
> %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
Press the Enter key and follow the instructions to restore your computer to a previous state.
Log on to Windows using an account with administrator rights.
Navigate Start All Programs Accessories System Tools, and then click System Restore.
On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore My Computer to an Earlier Time, then click Next.
On the Select a Restore Point Page, click the most recent or a specific checkpoint in the On This List, click a Restore Point list, then click Next.
Click OK to accept the changes listed.
Click Next on the Confirm Restore Point Selection page.
After the system restarts, log on using an account with administrator rights.
Click OK to acknowledge the System Restore Restoration Complete page.
Using a command-line interface
Restart your computer, and then press F8 during the initial startup to start your computer in Safe Mode with a command prompt.
Log on using an account with administrator rights.
Enter the following command at the command prompt:
> %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
Press the Enter key and follow the instructions to restore your computer to a previous state.
Move the Paging File in Windows XP
The paging file is the area on the hard disk that Windows uses as if it were random access memory (RAM) This is sometimes known as "virtual memory." By default, Windows stores this file on the same partition as the Windows system files. You can increase the performance of Windows, and increase free space on the boot partition, by moving this file to a different partition.
... Log on to the computer as Administrator.
... Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
... Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
... Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance, click Settings.
... Click the Advanced tab, and then under Virtual memory, click Change.
... In the Drive [Volume Label] list, click a drive other than the one on which Windows is installed (Windows is usually installed on the drive C). Under Total paging file size for all drives, note the value that is displayed next to Recommended.
... Click Custom size, and then type the recommended value in the Initial size (MB) box. Type the maximum size that you want to allow for paging in the Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.
... In the Drive [Volume Label] box, click the drive on which Windows is installed (usually the drive C), and then use one of the following steps:
... If you do not want a paging file on the drive, click No paging file, and then click Set. A message similar to the following message appears: If the pagefile on volume C: has an initial size of less than 126 megabytes, then the system may not be able to create a debugging information file if a STOP error occurs.
Continue anyway?
... Click Yes.
... If you want to keep the minimum size of the paging file on the drive, click Custom size, and then type a value that is equal to or greater than the amount of RAM in the computer in the Initial size (MB) box. Type that same value in the Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set. The following message appears: The changes you have made require you to restart your computer before they can take effect.
... Click OK, click OK, click OK.
... Then click Yes when you are prompted to restart the computer.
... Log on to the computer as Administrator.
... Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
... Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
... Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance, click Settings.
... Click the Advanced tab, and then under Virtual memory, click Change.
... In the Drive [Volume Label] list, click a drive other than the one on which Windows is installed (Windows is usually installed on the drive C). Under Total paging file size for all drives, note the value that is displayed next to Recommended.
... Click Custom size, and then type the recommended value in the Initial size (MB) box. Type the maximum size that you want to allow for paging in the Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.
... In the Drive [Volume Label] box, click the drive on which Windows is installed (usually the drive C), and then use one of the following steps:
... If you do not want a paging file on the drive, click No paging file, and then click Set. A message similar to the following message appears: If the pagefile on volume C: has an initial size of less than 126 megabytes, then the system may not be able to create a debugging information file if a STOP error occurs.
Continue anyway?
... Click Yes.
... If you want to keep the minimum size of the paging file on the drive, click Custom size, and then type a value that is equal to or greater than the amount of RAM in the computer in the Initial size (MB) box. Type that same value in the Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set. The following message appears: The changes you have made require you to restart your computer before they can take effect.
... Click OK, click OK, click OK.
... Then click Yes when you are prompted to restart the computer.
Creating a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition
how to create a Windows boot disk to access a drive with a faulty boot sequence on an Intel x86-processor-based computer. This Windows boot disk can access a drive that has the Windows NT file system (NTFS) or
File allocation table (FAT) file system installed. The procedures in this article can be useful to work around the following boot problems:
... Corrupted boot sector.
... Corrupted master boot record (MBR).
... Virus infections.
... Missing or corrupt NTLDR or Ntdetect.com.
... Incorrect Ntbootdd.sys driver.
This boot disk can also be used to boot from the shadow of a broken mirror, although you may need to change the Boot.ini file to do that. This Windows boot disk cannot be used for the following problems:
... Incorrect or corrupt device drivers that have been installed into the Windows System directory.
... Boot problems that occur after the OSLOADER screen. To work around or fix these problems, run the Emergency Repair disk, load the last known good control set, or reinstall Windows, if necessary. The Windows floppy disk must include the files NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, Boot.ini, and the correct device driver for your hard drive.
Note: The NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, and Boot.ini files usually have their file attributes set to System, Hidden, and Read-Only. You do not need to reset these attributes for this disk to work properly.
Method 1: You Do Not Have Access to a Computer Running Windows
... Create a copy of the first Windows Setup disk using the diskcopy command, and then delete all files on the new disk.
... Copy the Ntdetect.com and NTLDR files from the i386 folder on the CD-ROM to the new disk.
... Rename the NTLDR file to "Setupldr.bin".
... Create a Boot.ini file. The following example works for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed under \WINNT; however, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends upon the configuration of the Windows System you want to boot:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT"
... If your computer boots from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard drive or a SCSI adapter that does not have a built in BIOS, replace the scsi(0) with multi(0).
If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntbootdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini, you do not need to do this.
... Start your computer using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.
Method 2: You Have Access to a Computer Running Windows
... Format a floppy disk using the Windows format utility.
... Copy NTLDR from the Windows Setup CD-ROM, Windows Setup floppy disk, or from a computer running the same version of Windows as the computer you want to access with the boot floppy. You may need to expand this file from NTLDR._ to NTLDR by using the following command line:
1. expand ntldr._ ntldr
... Copy the Ntdetect.com file to the disk.
... Create a Boot.ini file or copy one from a running Windows computer, and then modify it to match the computer you are trying to access. The following example works for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed under \WINNT; however, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends upon the configuration of the Windows computer you are trying to access:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT"
... If your computer starts from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard drive, replace the scsi(0)with multi(0).
... If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntbootdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini, you do not need to do this.
... Start using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.
Troubleshooting You may encounter one or more of the following problems when you attempt to start your computer using your Windows boot floppy disk: If the path pointing to the system files is incorrect or includes the drive letter, you may receive the following error message: Windows could not start because of the following ARC firmware boot configuration problem: Did not properly generate ARC name for HAL and system paths. Please check the Windows . documentation about ARC configuration options and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed. If an incorrect SCSI driver has been selected or the Ntbootdd.sys file does not exist, you may receive the following message: Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could not read from selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware. Please check the Windows . documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed.
File allocation table (FAT) file system installed. The procedures in this article can be useful to work around the following boot problems:
... Corrupted boot sector.
... Corrupted master boot record (MBR).
... Virus infections.
... Missing or corrupt NTLDR or Ntdetect.com.
... Incorrect Ntbootdd.sys driver.
This boot disk can also be used to boot from the shadow of a broken mirror, although you may need to change the Boot.ini file to do that. This Windows boot disk cannot be used for the following problems:
... Incorrect or corrupt device drivers that have been installed into the Windows System directory.
... Boot problems that occur after the OSLOADER screen. To work around or fix these problems, run the Emergency Repair disk, load the last known good control set, or reinstall Windows, if necessary. The Windows floppy disk must include the files NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, Boot.ini, and the correct device driver for your hard drive.
Note: The NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, and Boot.ini files usually have their file attributes set to System, Hidden, and Read-Only. You do not need to reset these attributes for this disk to work properly.
Method 1: You Do Not Have Access to a Computer Running Windows
... Create a copy of the first Windows Setup disk using the diskcopy command, and then delete all files on the new disk.
... Copy the Ntdetect.com and NTLDR files from the i386 folder on the CD-ROM to the new disk.
... Rename the NTLDR file to "Setupldr.bin".
... Create a Boot.ini file. The following example works for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed under \WINNT; however, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends upon the configuration of the Windows System you want to boot:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT"
... If your computer boots from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard drive or a SCSI adapter that does not have a built in BIOS, replace the scsi(0) with multi(0).
If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntbootdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini, you do not need to do this.
... Start your computer using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.
Method 2: You Have Access to a Computer Running Windows
... Format a floppy disk using the Windows format utility.
... Copy NTLDR from the Windows Setup CD-ROM, Windows Setup floppy disk, or from a computer running the same version of Windows as the computer you want to access with the boot floppy. You may need to expand this file from NTLDR._ to NTLDR by using the following command line:
1. expand ntldr._ ntldr
... Copy the Ntdetect.com file to the disk.
... Create a Boot.ini file or copy one from a running Windows computer, and then modify it to match the computer you are trying to access. The following example works for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed under \WINNT; however, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends upon the configuration of the Windows computer you are trying to access:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT"
... If your computer starts from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard drive, replace the scsi(0)with multi(0).
... If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntbootdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini, you do not need to do this.
... Start using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.
Troubleshooting You may encounter one or more of the following problems when you attempt to start your computer using your Windows boot floppy disk: If the path pointing to the system files is incorrect or includes the drive letter, you may receive the following error message: Windows could not start because of the following ARC firmware boot configuration problem: Did not properly generate ARC name for HAL and system paths. Please check the Windows . documentation about ARC configuration options and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed. If an incorrect SCSI driver has been selected or the Ntbootdd.sys file does not exist, you may receive the following message: Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could not read from selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware. Please check the Windows . documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed.
Stop Password Expiration
After you have run Windows XP for a while, you may receive this message when you log on: "Your password will expire in 14 days.....". By default, Windows XP is set up with passwords which will expire after 42 days. And 14 days in advance, Windows will start warning you of this fact.
... Go to Start > Run > type control userpasswords2
... Select the Advanced tab in the User Accounts window.
... Press the Advanced button below the Advanced user management header.
... Select Users in the Local Users and Groups.
... In the right pane, right-click the user name for which you want to change the setting, and select Properties.
... On the General tab, check Password never expires.
... Click Apply and OK (all the way out).
... Go to Start > Run > type control userpasswords2
... Select the Advanced tab in the User Accounts window.
... Press the Advanced button below the Advanced user management header.
... Select Users in the Local Users and Groups.
... In the right pane, right-click the user name for which you want to change the setting, and select Properties.
... On the General tab, check Password never expires.
... Click Apply and OK (all the way out).
Disable Error Reporting
... Open Control Panel.
... Click on Performance and Maintenance.
... Click on System.
... Then click on the Advanced tab.
... Click on the error-reporting button on the bottom of the windows.
... Select Disable error reporting.
... Click OK. Click OK.
... Click on Performance and Maintenance.
... Click on System.
... Then click on the Advanced tab.
... Click on the error-reporting button on the bottom of the windows.
... Select Disable error reporting.
... Click OK. Click OK.
Use the Ultimate Configuration Tool (Professional Edition)
One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists. It's called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short. To invoke this editor:
... Select Start and then Run, then type the following: gpedit.msc After you hit Enter, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify virtually every
feature in Windows XP without having to resort to regedit.
... Select Start and then Run, then type the following: gpedit.msc After you hit Enter, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify virtually every
feature in Windows XP without having to resort to regedit.
Use the Ultimate Configuration Tool (Professional Edition)
One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists. It's called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short. To invoke this editor:
... Select Start and then Run, then type the following: gpedit.msc After you hit Enter, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify virtually every
feature in Windows XP without having to resort to regedit.
... Select Start and then Run, then type the following: gpedit.msc After you hit Enter, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify virtually every
feature in Windows XP without having to resort to regedit.
Do Not Highlight Newly Installed Programs
Tired of that annoying little window that pops up to tell you that new software is installed? If it gets in the way when you’re logging off, turn it off completely. To do this:
... Click Start, right-click at the top of the Start menu where your name is displayed, and then click Properties.
... In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, on the Start Menu tab, click Customize.
... Click the Advanced tab, and then clear the Highlight newly installed programs check box.
... Click OK, and then click OK again.
... Click Start, right-click at the top of the Start menu where your name is displayed, and then click Properties.
... In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, on the Start Menu tab, click Customize.
... Click the Advanced tab, and then clear the Highlight newly installed programs check box.
... Click OK, and then click OK again.
Change Drive Letters in Windows XP
When you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive. When you want to change drive letters, follow these steps:
... Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
... Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you'll see your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.
... Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive
Letter and Paths.
... Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you want
to assign, and then click OK.
... Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
... Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you'll see your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.
... Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive
Letter and Paths.
... Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you want
to assign, and then click OK.
Reduce 10 Second Scandisk Wait Time
Start MS Dos Prompt (Start run CMD), and type: CHKNTFS /T:4
where 4 is the amount of wait time.
CHKNTFS /?
for more info.
where 4 is the amount of wait time.
CHKNTFS /?
for more info.
Performance Increase Through My Computer
Easy enough tweak to usually find out about it on your own, but still, some of us still don't find it right away. So here it is:
... Start > right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
... Click on the "Advanced" tab.
... See the "Performance" section? Click "Settings".
... Disable the following:
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show Shadows under menus
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Use a background image for each folder type
Use common tasks in folders
There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster.
... Start > right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
... Click on the "Advanced" tab.
... See the "Performance" section? Click "Settings".
... Disable the following:
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show Shadows under menus
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Use a background image for each folder type
Use common tasks in folders
There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster.
Shutdown XP Faster
Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable this useless sound.
... Click Start button.
... Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds.
... Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and OK.
Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.
... Click Start button.
... Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds.
... Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and OK.
Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.
Speeding Up Your Pentium 2 by 50%
We all know that you really shouldn't try to run Windows XP on anything less that about a Pentium 3 of some sort if you are out for speedy operations and amazing reaction times, but for those of us with the good old Pentium 2's who want to see just how well we can run XP, we have to tweak as much as we can where-ever we can. A real killer to the system's performance is Windows Media Player. Although it may look desirable and fancy with it's
rounded off edges and 3rd-Dimensional appearance, the truth is, it takes up a large amount of that precious processing power. All of these troubles however, lead to one thing in particular with this 'new-look' over-rated music and video player...the Visualizations. The look-great I'll admit but like a lot of software these days, it has no purpose. If you run the task manager, and click the Performance tab along the top, you'll see that when Windows Media Player is running and nothing else is active, it takes up around 50% of the processors power. Once these visualizations are turned off, it barely takes up 2-3% of the processors power, which leaves much more room for other applications to work efficiently.
Here's how to disable the feature:
-> Open Media Player.
-> Make sure the Now Playing tab on the left is selected.
-> Click the View menu along the top.
-> Go down to Now Playing Tools.
-> In the sub-menu that has just 'popped-out', uncheck Show Visualization.
rounded off edges and 3rd-Dimensional appearance, the truth is, it takes up a large amount of that precious processing power. All of these troubles however, lead to one thing in particular with this 'new-look' over-rated music and video player...the Visualizations. The look-great I'll admit but like a lot of software these days, it has no purpose. If you run the task manager, and click the Performance tab along the top, you'll see that when Windows Media Player is running and nothing else is active, it takes up around 50% of the processors power. Once these visualizations are turned off, it barely takes up 2-3% of the processors power, which leaves much more room for other applications to work efficiently.
Here's how to disable the feature:
-> Open Media Player.
-> Make sure the Now Playing tab on the left is selected.
-> Click the View menu along the top.
-> Go down to Now Playing Tools.
-> In the sub-menu that has just 'popped-out', uncheck Show Visualization.
XP Game Compatibility
You want to know if all your favorite games are still going to run under Windows XP. Remember what happened when we tried to run games on our Windows 2000 machines? Sometimes we were a little disappointed. Windows 2000 was made more for corporate applications than "Quake," but true techno-geeks know they don't have to sacrifice death matches for a robust business environment -- at least not anymore.
Windows XP has shown an impressive track record of game compatibility. Some of the standard games, such as "Tiger Woods Golf," "NHL 2001," "Max Payne," and "Unreal" on our Windows XP Professional machine were specifically slated for Windows 95 and 98, and were shown not to work in Windows 2000. The installation in XP was as smooth as silk. The games ran quickly and beautifully -- not a problem in sight (except for my bad chip shot -- Tiger was hanging his head in shame).
Some less-sophisticated programs may not run as smoothly, older applications such as the Atari 2600 Classic Game Collection, did not appreciate the Windows XP environment. In this case you can use the Application Compatibility Wizard, found in the accessories menu. XP includes integrated compatibility layers to mimic older versions of Windows, so if your program does not work in Windows XP, the compatibility wizard will walk you through the process of getting even your favorite DOS games up and running. Atari Classic Game Collection run very well in the Windows 95 environment, at 256 colors and 640x480 screen resolution. So setting XP to always run Atari application in this environment, and everything was smooth sailing after that.
One final tip about compatibility: Don't run the compatibility wizard if your program appears to be running well in the normal environment, as the wizard will give you an error message. In general, XP has great program compatibility, so you can upgrade your operating system without giving up all your old favorites.
Windows XP has shown an impressive track record of game compatibility. Some of the standard games, such as "Tiger Woods Golf," "NHL 2001," "Max Payne," and "Unreal" on our Windows XP Professional machine were specifically slated for Windows 95 and 98, and were shown not to work in Windows 2000. The installation in XP was as smooth as silk. The games ran quickly and beautifully -- not a problem in sight (except for my bad chip shot -- Tiger was hanging his head in shame).
Some less-sophisticated programs may not run as smoothly, older applications such as the Atari 2600 Classic Game Collection, did not appreciate the Windows XP environment. In this case you can use the Application Compatibility Wizard, found in the accessories menu. XP includes integrated compatibility layers to mimic older versions of Windows, so if your program does not work in Windows XP, the compatibility wizard will walk you through the process of getting even your favorite DOS games up and running. Atari Classic Game Collection run very well in the Windows 95 environment, at 256 colors and 640x480 screen resolution. So setting XP to always run Atari application in this environment, and everything was smooth sailing after that.
One final tip about compatibility: Don't run the compatibility wizard if your program appears to be running well in the normal environment, as the wizard will give you an error message. In general, XP has great program compatibility, so you can upgrade your operating system without giving up all your old favorites.
What upgrade paths does Windows XP support
XP Home Edition and XP Professional are available in full and upgrade versions. If you're upgrading from a qualifying OS, you can purchase the less-expensive upgrade version; otherwise, you need to purchase the full version. However, even if you purchase the full version, XP doesn't support all upgrade paths. Review the following table to determine whether XP supports your upgrade path:
Current Version Win XP Home Win XP Pro
Win 3.1/3.11 No No
Windows 95 No No
Windows 98/98SE Yes Yes
Windows ME Yes Yes
Windows NT 3.51 No No
Windows NT 4.0 No Yes
Windows 2000 Pro No Yes
Windows XP Home N/A Yes
Windows XP Pro No N/A
Current Version Win XP Home Win XP Pro
Win 3.1/3.11 No No
Windows 95 No No
Windows 98/98SE Yes Yes
Windows ME Yes Yes
Windows NT 3.51 No No
Windows NT 4.0 No Yes
Windows 2000 Pro No Yes
Windows XP Home N/A Yes
Windows XP Pro No N/A
Use Hibernate and Standby to Conserve Batteries
The Hibernate function in Windows XP Professional can make the batteries in your laptop computer last longer.
Windows XP supports the industry standard power management technology known as the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), which enables the operating system to control power to your computer and peripheral devices. The power management features in Windows XP include Hibernate and Standby. Hibernate saves an image of your desktop with all open files and documents, and then it powers down your computer. When you turn on power, your files and documents are open on your desktop exactly as you left them. Standby reduces the power consumption of your computer by cutting power to hardware components you are not using. Standby can cut power to peripheral devices, your monitor, even your hard drive, but maintains power to your computer memory so you dont lose your work.
Power Management Performance
Windows XP wakes from Hibernate faster than any earlier version of Windows. So you can preserve your batteries without taking time to close all your files and shut down, and then restart and open all your files when you are ready to work again. If you need to leave your computer, you can just leave it. Windows XP can automatically put your computer into Hibernate mode after a specified period of inactivity. Or Windows XP can detect when your batteries are running low, and then automatically put your computer in Hibernate mode to save your work before the battery fails. To put your computer into hibernation, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option.
To automatically put your computer into hibernation
You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to complete this procedure.
1. Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.)
2. Click the Hibernate tab, select the Enable hibernate support check box, and then click Apply.
If the Hibernate tab is unavailable, your computer does not support this feature.
Click the APM tab, click Enable Advanced Power Management support, and then click Apply.
The APM tab is unavailable on ACPI compliant computers. ACPI automatically enables Advanced Power Management, which disables the APM tab.
4. Click the Power Schemes tab, and then select a time period in System hibernates. Your computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified amount of time.
To manually put your computer into hibernation
You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of either the Administrators or Power Users group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.
1. Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.)
2. Click the Hibernate tab, and then select the Enable hibernate support check box.
If the Hibernate tab is not available, your computer does not support this feature.
3. Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box.
4. Click Start, and then click Shut Down. In the What do you want the computer to do drop-down list, click Hibernate.
If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional with Fast User Switching turned on, the Shut Down menu will present the options to Stand By, Turn Off, or Restart your computer. Hold down the Shift key, and the Stand By button will change to Hibernate.
Windows XP supports the industry standard power management technology known as the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), which enables the operating system to control power to your computer and peripheral devices. The power management features in Windows XP include Hibernate and Standby. Hibernate saves an image of your desktop with all open files and documents, and then it powers down your computer. When you turn on power, your files and documents are open on your desktop exactly as you left them. Standby reduces the power consumption of your computer by cutting power to hardware components you are not using. Standby can cut power to peripheral devices, your monitor, even your hard drive, but maintains power to your computer memory so you dont lose your work.
Power Management Performance
Windows XP wakes from Hibernate faster than any earlier version of Windows. So you can preserve your batteries without taking time to close all your files and shut down, and then restart and open all your files when you are ready to work again. If you need to leave your computer, you can just leave it. Windows XP can automatically put your computer into Hibernate mode after a specified period of inactivity. Or Windows XP can detect when your batteries are running low, and then automatically put your computer in Hibernate mode to save your work before the battery fails. To put your computer into hibernation, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option.
To automatically put your computer into hibernation
You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to complete this procedure.
1. Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.)
2. Click the Hibernate tab, select the Enable hibernate support check box, and then click Apply.
If the Hibernate tab is unavailable, your computer does not support this feature.
Click the APM tab, click Enable Advanced Power Management support, and then click Apply.
The APM tab is unavailable on ACPI compliant computers. ACPI automatically enables Advanced Power Management, which disables the APM tab.
4. Click the Power Schemes tab, and then select a time period in System hibernates. Your computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified amount of time.
To manually put your computer into hibernation
You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of either the Administrators or Power Users group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.
1. Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.)
2. Click the Hibernate tab, and then select the Enable hibernate support check box.
If the Hibernate tab is not available, your computer does not support this feature.
3. Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box.
4. Click Start, and then click Shut Down. In the What do you want the computer to do drop-down list, click Hibernate.
If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional with Fast User Switching turned on, the Shut Down menu will present the options to Stand By, Turn Off, or Restart your computer. Hold down the Shift key, and the Stand By button will change to Hibernate.
POWERDOWN ISSUES.
Powerdown issues are quite distinctive from shutdown issues. I define a shutdown problem as one wherein Windows doesnt make it at least to the OK to shut off your computer screen. If Windows gets that far, or farther, then it has shut down correctly. However, the computer may not powerdown correctly after that. This is a different problem, and I encourage that people reporting these issues to make a very clear distinction in their labeling.
When Windows XP wont powerdown automatically, the APM/NT Legacy Power Node may not be enabled. To enable this, right-click on the My Computer icon, click Properties | Hardware | Device Manager | View. Check the box labeled. Show Hidden Devices. If its available on your computer, there will be a red X on the APM/NT Legacy Node. Try enabling it and see if this resolves the powerdown problem.
This should resolve the powerdown issue in most cases. However, other factors can sometimes interfere with correct powerdown functioning. In that case, consider the following tips:
-> If you are changing the default power settings in the BIOS, it can lead to a powerdown problem. Restoring all BIOS power settings to default will likely fix it.
When Windows XP wont powerdown automatically, the APM/NT Legacy Power Node may not be enabled. To enable this, right-click on the My Computer icon, click Properties | Hardware | Device Manager | View. Check the box labeled. Show Hidden Devices. If its available on your computer, there will be a red X on the APM/NT Legacy Node. Try enabling it and see if this resolves the powerdown problem.
This should resolve the powerdown issue in most cases. However, other factors can sometimes interfere with correct powerdown functioning. In that case, consider the following tips:
-> If you are changing the default power settings in the BIOS, it can lead to a powerdown problem. Restoring all BIOS power settings to default will likely fix it.
SHUTDOWN WORKS, BUT ITS REAL SLOW.
If it appears that Win XP is not shutting down, give it some time. Some users have reported a minute or longer for shutdown to visibly start. Thus far, it appears that this is a consequence of software that is running when shutdown is attempted, and it also may have something to do with particular hardware. If you are experiencing this problem, be sure to close all running programs before attempting shutdown and see if this solves your problem. If so, then you can determine, by trial and error, which program(s) are involved.
One specific solution for this was provided by Microsoft support. In Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services. (You can also get this by launching SERVICES.MSC from a Run box. This utility is also built into the Computer Management console.) Stop the Nvidia Driver Helper service. Many other friends quickly confirmed that this solved this extremely slow shutdown†problem for them.
One specific solution for this was provided by Microsoft support. In Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services. (You can also get this by launching SERVICES.MSC from a Run box. This utility is also built into the Computer Management console.) Stop the Nvidia Driver Helper service. Many other friends quickly confirmed that this solved this extremely slow shutdown†problem for them.
Shut down problems...
Some users have gotten an error message similar to the following when attempting either to shutdown or restart Win XP:
STOP 0000009F, DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
STOP 0x0000001E: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
STOP 0x000000D1: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
TechNet and the Microsoft Knowledge Base have numerous articles discussing this type of error condition; for example, these. As a review of these articles will show, these are commonly device driver problems, but may also be caused by troublesome software (such as the notorious CrashGuard), or a problem in a system service. MSKB article Q262575 discusses a shutdown problem of this type, known to exist in Windows 2000 due to a resource (IRQ) conflict, if you have PACE Interlok anti-piracy software installed. This problem may occur in Windows XP as well.
Microsoft advises the following as one approach to these problems: Restart the computer. Press F8 during the restart and select Last Known Good Configuration.If you catch the problem when it first occurs (meaning you likely have installed only one or two drivers or new service), this will return you to a previous working condition. (Would System Restore accomplish the same thing? I dont know, and dont have a broken system to test it on.)
Microsoft reported similarly that these STOP code error message occur when Windows XP is trying to shut down devices. He says that he has seen this twice: once with Logitech Quickcam installed (with an unsupported driver), and once with a USB DSL modem that would hang if it wasnt disconnected before shutdown.
STOP 0000009F, DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
STOP 0x0000001E: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
STOP 0x000000D1: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
TechNet and the Microsoft Knowledge Base have numerous articles discussing this type of error condition; for example, these. As a review of these articles will show, these are commonly device driver problems, but may also be caused by troublesome software (such as the notorious CrashGuard), or a problem in a system service. MSKB article Q262575 discusses a shutdown problem of this type, known to exist in Windows 2000 due to a resource (IRQ) conflict, if you have PACE Interlok anti-piracy software installed. This problem may occur in Windows XP as well.
Microsoft advises the following as one approach to these problems: Restart the computer. Press F8 during the restart and select Last Known Good Configuration.If you catch the problem when it first occurs (meaning you likely have installed only one or two drivers or new service), this will return you to a previous working condition. (Would System Restore accomplish the same thing? I dont know, and dont have a broken system to test it on.)
Microsoft reported similarly that these STOP code error message occur when Windows XP is trying to shut down devices. He says that he has seen this twice: once with Logitech Quickcam installed (with an unsupported driver), and once with a USB DSL modem that would hang if it wasnt disconnected before shutdown.
Add/Remove optional features of Windows XP
For some reason, Microsoft has removed the ability to specify which Windows components you want to install during interactive Setup, and when you go into Add/Remove Windows Components in the Control Panel, you still don't have the full list of applications and applets you can add and remove. Thankfully, this is easy to fix.
To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows XP after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct drive letter for your version of Windows) and open the sysoc.inf file. Under Windows XP Professional Edition RC1, this file will resemble the following by default:
[Version] Signature = "$Windows NT$"
DriverVer=06/26/2001,5.1.2505.0
[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp4 0ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
msnexplr=ocmsn.dll,OcEntry,msnmsn.inf,,7
smarttgs=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,msnsl.inf,,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7
[Global]
WindowTitle=%WindowTitle%
WindowTitle.StandAlone="*"
The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global search and replace for , hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma). Then, save the file, relaunch Add/Remove Windows Components, and tweak the installed applications to your heart's content.
Cool, eh? There are even more new options now under "Accessories and Utilities" too.
Remove Windows Messenger
It seems that a lot of people are interested in removing Windows Messenger for some reason, though I strongly recommend against this: In Windows XP, Windows Messenger will be the hub of your connection to the .NET world, and now that this feature is part of Windows, I think we're going to see a lot of .NET Passport-enabled Web sites appearing as well. But if you can't stand the little app, there are a couple of ways to get rid of it, and ensure that it doesn't pop up every time you boot into XP. The best way simply utilizes the previous tip:
If you'd like Windows Messenger to show up in the list of programs you can add and remove from Windows, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct drive letter for your version of Windows) and open sysoc.inf (see the previous tip for more information about this file). You'll see a line that reads:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Change this to the following and Windows Messenger will appear in Add or Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows Components, then , and you can remove it for good:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows XP after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct drive letter for your version of Windows) and open the sysoc.inf file. Under Windows XP Professional Edition RC1, this file will resemble the following by default:
[Version] Signature = "$Windows NT$"
DriverVer=06/26/2001,5.1.2505.0
[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp4 0ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
msnexplr=ocmsn.dll,OcEntry,msnmsn.inf,,7
smarttgs=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,msnsl.inf,,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7
[Global]
WindowTitle=%WindowTitle%
WindowTitle.StandAlone="*"
The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global search and replace for , hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma). Then, save the file, relaunch Add/Remove Windows Components, and tweak the installed applications to your heart's content.
Cool, eh? There are even more new options now under "Accessories and Utilities" too.
Remove Windows Messenger
It seems that a lot of people are interested in removing Windows Messenger for some reason, though I strongly recommend against this: In Windows XP, Windows Messenger will be the hub of your connection to the .NET world, and now that this feature is part of Windows, I think we're going to see a lot of .NET Passport-enabled Web sites appearing as well. But if you can't stand the little app, there are a couple of ways to get rid of it, and ensure that it doesn't pop up every time you boot into XP. The best way simply utilizes the previous tip:
If you'd like Windows Messenger to show up in the list of programs you can add and remove from Windows, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct drive letter for your version of Windows) and open sysoc.inf (see the previous tip for more information about this file). You'll see a line that reads:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Change this to the following and Windows Messenger will appear in Add or Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows Components, then , and you can remove it for good:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
Add Album Art to any Music Folder
This is easily my favorite tip! One of the coolest new features in Windows XP is its album thumbnail generator, which automatically places the appropriate album cover art on the folder to which you are copying music (generally in WMA format). But what about those people that have already copied their CDs to the hard drive using MP3 format? You can download album cover art from sites such as cdnow.com or amguide.com, and then use the new Windows XP folder customize feature to display the proper image for each folder. But this takes time--you have to manually edit the folder properties for every single folder--and you will lose customizations if you have to reinstall the OS. There's an excellent fix, however.
When you download the album cover art from the Web, just save the images as folder.jpg each time and place them in the appropriate folder. Then, Windows XP will automatically use that image as the thumbnail for that folder and, best of all, will use that image in Windows Media Player for Windows XP (MPXP) if you choose to display album cover art instead of a visualization. And the folder customization is automatic, so it survives an OS reinstallation as well. Your music folders never looked so good!
Album cover art makes music folder thumbnails look better than ever!
Change the location of the My Music or My Pictures folders
In Windows 2000, Microsoft added the ability to right-click the My Documents folder and choose a new location for that folder in the shell. With Windows XP, Microsoft has elevated the My Music and My Pictures folders to the same "special shell folder" status of My Documents, but they never added a similar (and simple) method for changing those folder's locations. However, it is actually pretty easy to change the location of these folders, using the following method.
Open a My Computer window and navigate to the location where you'd like My Music (or My Pictures) to reside. Then, open the My Documents folder in a different window. Drag the My Music (or My Pictures) folder to the other window, and Windows XP will update all of the references to that folder to the new location, including the Start menu.
When you download the album cover art from the Web, just save the images as folder.jpg each time and place them in the appropriate folder. Then, Windows XP will automatically use that image as the thumbnail for that folder and, best of all, will use that image in Windows Media Player for Windows XP (MPXP) if you choose to display album cover art instead of a visualization. And the folder customization is automatic, so it survives an OS reinstallation as well. Your music folders never looked so good!
Album cover art makes music folder thumbnails look better than ever!
Change the location of the My Music or My Pictures folders
In Windows 2000, Microsoft added the ability to right-click the My Documents folder and choose a new location for that folder in the shell. With Windows XP, Microsoft has elevated the My Music and My Pictures folders to the same "special shell folder" status of My Documents, but they never added a similar (and simple) method for changing those folder's locations. However, it is actually pretty easy to change the location of these folders, using the following method.
Open a My Computer window and navigate to the location where you'd like My Music (or My Pictures) to reside. Then, open the My Documents folder in a different window. Drag the My Music (or My Pictures) folder to the other window, and Windows XP will update all of the references to that folder to the new location, including the Start menu.
Some Windows Short cut keys
I would appreciate if u guyz contribute some shortcut keys
task manager shortcut --> ctrl + shift + Esc.
ctrl + shift + clicking on hyperlink - opens page in new window (works in firefox too!)
ctrl + click a file and then draging it creates a copy of that file.
Windows key + e Opens Windows Explorer
Refresh webpage - Ctrl + R
Windows key + e Opens Windows Explorer
ctrl + shift + click a file and then draging it creates a shortcut of that file.
Alt + F4 close the window currently being used
or
If no windows are open then it brings you to a shut down screen
windows key + m minimizes all windows
windows key + f open the search window
windows key + L locks your station
F9-Volume Up
F10-Volume Down
windows key + pause/break key opens up system properties.
if multiple windows are opened:
alt + tab - will show the next page under the currently viewed one
task manager shortcut --> ctrl + shift + Esc.
ctrl + shift + clicking on hyperlink - opens page in new window (works in firefox too!)
ctrl + click a file and then draging it creates a copy of that file.
Windows key + e Opens Windows Explorer
Refresh webpage - Ctrl + R
Windows key + e Opens Windows Explorer
ctrl + shift + click a file and then draging it creates a shortcut of that file.
Alt + F4 close the window currently being used
or
If no windows are open then it brings you to a shut down screen
windows key + m minimizes all windows
windows key + f open the search window
windows key + L locks your station
F9-Volume Up
F10-Volume Down
windows key + pause/break key opens up system properties.
if multiple windows are opened:
alt + tab - will show the next page under the currently viewed one
Create a Password Reset Disk
If you are running Windows XP Professional as a local user in a workgroup environment, you can create a password reset disk to log onto your computer when you forget your password. To create the disk:
1.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
2.Click your account name.
3.Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password.
4.Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard to create a password reset disk.
5.Store the disk in a secure location, because anyone using it can access your local user account.
1.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
2.Click your account name.
3.Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password.
4.Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard to create a password reset disk.
5.Store the disk in a secure location, because anyone using it can access your local user account.
How to remove the Default Picture and Fax Preview Action
Go To Start > Run and type `Regedit` and press `ok`
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Classes/CLSID/{e84fda7c-1d6a-45f6-b725-cb260c236066}/shellex
Deleted the MayChangeDefaultMenu key.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Classes/CLSID/{e84fda7c-1d6a-45f6-b725-cb260c236066}/shellex
Deleted the MayChangeDefaultMenu key.
Never Re-Activate After Installation
If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to reactivate too. Well not anymore. Just copy wpa.dbl after you activated the first time. It is located in the WINDOWS\system32 folder. Now if you reinstall Windows XP just copy the file back and you're up and running again.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Set Processes Priority
Follow this tip to increase the priority of active processes, this will result in prioritisation of processes using the CPU.
CTRL-SHIFT-ESC
1.Go to the second tab called Processes, right click on one of the active processes, you will see the Set Priority option
2.For example, your Run your CDwriter program , set the priority higher, and guess what, no crashed CD
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
CTRL-SHIFT-ESC
1.Go to the second tab called Processes, right click on one of the active processes, you will see the Set Priority option
2.For example, your Run your CDwriter program , set the priority higher, and guess what, no crashed CD
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
Set up and Use Internet Connection Sharing
With Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows XP, you can connect one computer to the Internet, then share the Internet service with several computers on your home or small office network. The Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP Professional will automatically provide all of the network settings you need to share one Internet connection with all the computers in your network. Each computer can use programs such as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express as if they were directly connected to the Internet.
You should not use this feature in an existing network with Windows 2000 Server domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, DHCP servers, or systems configured for static IP addresses.
Enabling ICS
The ICS host computer needs two network connections. The local area network connection, automatically created by installing a network adapter, connects to the computers on your home or small office network. The other connection, using a 56k modem, ISDN, DSL, or cable modem, connects the home or small office network to the Internet. You need to ensure that ICS is enabled on the connection that has the Internet connection. By doing this, the shared connection can connect your home or small office network to the Internet, and users outside your network are not at risk of receiving inappropriate addresses from your network.
When you enable ICS, the local area network connection to the home or small office network is given a new static IP address and configuration. Consequently, TCP/IP connections established between any home or small office computer and the ICS host computer at the time of enabling ICS are lost and need to be reestablished. For example, if Internet Explorer is connecting to a Web site when Internet Connection Sharing is enabled, refresh the browser to reestablish the connection. You must configure client machines on your home or small office network so TCP/IP on the local area connection obtains an IP address automatically. Home or small office network users must also configure Internet options for Internet Connection Sharing. To enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Discovery and Control on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers, run the Network Setup Wizard from the CD or floppy disk on these computers. For ICS Discovery and Control to work on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers, Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later must be installed.
To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection
You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to complete this procedure.
Open Network Connections. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double–click Network Connections.)
Click the dial–up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you want to share, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.
On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection check box.
If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer on your home or small office network attempts to access external resources, select the Establish a dial–up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet check box.
If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared Internet connection, select the Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection check box.
Under Internet Connection Sharing, in Home networking connection, select any adapter that connects the computer sharing its Internet connection to the other computers on your network. The Home networking connection is only present when two or more network adapters are installed on the computer.
To configure Internet options on your client computers for Internet Connection Sharing
Open Internet Explorer. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Internet Explorer.)
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the Connections tab, click Never dial a connection, and then click LAN Settings.
In Automatic configuration, clear the Automatically detect settings and Use automatic configuration script check boxes.
In Proxy Server, clear the Use a proxy server check box.
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
You should not use this feature in an existing network with Windows 2000 Server domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, DHCP servers, or systems configured for static IP addresses.
Enabling ICS
The ICS host computer needs two network connections. The local area network connection, automatically created by installing a network adapter, connects to the computers on your home or small office network. The other connection, using a 56k modem, ISDN, DSL, or cable modem, connects the home or small office network to the Internet. You need to ensure that ICS is enabled on the connection that has the Internet connection. By doing this, the shared connection can connect your home or small office network to the Internet, and users outside your network are not at risk of receiving inappropriate addresses from your network.
When you enable ICS, the local area network connection to the home or small office network is given a new static IP address and configuration. Consequently, TCP/IP connections established between any home or small office computer and the ICS host computer at the time of enabling ICS are lost and need to be reestablished. For example, if Internet Explorer is connecting to a Web site when Internet Connection Sharing is enabled, refresh the browser to reestablish the connection. You must configure client machines on your home or small office network so TCP/IP on the local area connection obtains an IP address automatically. Home or small office network users must also configure Internet options for Internet Connection Sharing. To enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Discovery and Control on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers, run the Network Setup Wizard from the CD or floppy disk on these computers. For ICS Discovery and Control to work on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers, Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later must be installed.
To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection
You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to complete this procedure.
Open Network Connections. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double–click Network Connections.)
Click the dial–up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you want to share, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.
On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection check box.
If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer on your home or small office network attempts to access external resources, select the Establish a dial–up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the Internet check box.
If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared Internet connection, select the Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection check box.
Under Internet Connection Sharing, in Home networking connection, select any adapter that connects the computer sharing its Internet connection to the other computers on your network. The Home networking connection is only present when two or more network adapters are installed on the computer.
To configure Internet options on your client computers for Internet Connection Sharing
Open Internet Explorer. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Internet Explorer.)
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the Connections tab, click Never dial a connection, and then click LAN Settings.
In Automatic configuration, clear the Automatically detect settings and Use automatic configuration script check boxes.
In Proxy Server, clear the Use a proxy server check box.
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
making your Desktop Icons Transparent
Go to Control Panel > System, > Advanced > Performance area > Settings button Visual Effects tab "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"
Try the revolutionary next-gen Yahoo! Mail. Click here.
Try the revolutionary next-gen Yahoo! Mail. Click here.
Using the Windows Task Manager
To determine the amount of RAM you'll regain by disabling unnecessary system services, use the Windows Task Manager. Here's how: Before you disable any system services, reboot your system and don't launch any applications. If you have applications that automatically load when you start Windows, hold down the [Shift] key to bypass the Startup folder. Then, right click on the task bar and select Task Manager from the shortcut menu. When you see the Windows Task Manager dialog box, select the Performance tab. Now take note of the Available value in the Physical Memory panel. After you disable those system services you deem unnecessary, reboot your system in the same manner and compare the Available value in the Physical Memory panel to the one that you noted earlier.
Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download.
Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download.
20 things you didn't know about Windows XP
You've read the reviews and digested the key feature enhancements and operational changes. Now it's time to delve a bit deeper and uncover some of Windows XP's secrets.
1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).
2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).
3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.
4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.
5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.
6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.
7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.
8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.
9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.
10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.
12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.
13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.
14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.
16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.
17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.
18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.
19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.
20. The next release of Windows XP, codenamed Longhorn, is due and won't be much to write home about. The next big release is codenamed Blackcomb.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).
2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).
3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.
4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.
5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.
6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.
7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.
8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.
9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.
10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.
12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.
13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.
14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.
16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.
17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.
18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.
19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.
20. The next release of Windows XP, codenamed Longhorn, is due and won't be much to write home about. The next big release is codenamed Blackcomb.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
Backing up your Registry and Restoring it!
Why backup your registry? Because you really can mess up your system editing your registry. I generally tell novice people to stay away from registry editing. Generally registry editing is for people with too much time on their hands and this real desperate urge to mess with their computer, mwhahaha, so lets gets started, umm, but first lets make a backup of the registry:
• Close all programs running on your desktop
• Then go to Start
• Go to Run and type regedit and hit okay. This will open registry editor
• Go to File --->Export...This will open a box where you can save this backup registry file.
• Give it a file name and save it to a folder, hard drive, zip disk, backup hard drive, anywhere that this registry will be safely stored. Make sure the Export range is selected as ALL
• Click Save
• Then make sure to send me large quantities of money (this is an optional step).
Now that you have it backed up its very easy to restore, just do everything you did but when you want to restore it, just go to File--->Import--->Select the backup file and click okay...this will restore you registry back to the default.
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
• Close all programs running on your desktop
• Then go to Start
• Go to Run and type regedit and hit okay. This will open registry editor
• Go to File --->Export...This will open a box where you can save this backup registry file.
• Give it a file name and save it to a folder, hard drive, zip disk, backup hard drive, anywhere that this registry will be safely stored. Make sure the Export range is selected as ALL
• Click Save
• Then make sure to send me large quantities of money (this is an optional step).
Now that you have it backed up its very easy to restore, just do everything you did but when you want to restore it, just go to File--->Import--->Select the backup file and click okay...this will restore you registry back to the default.
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
Changing text in clock
You can add your anything you like that consists of 8 characters or less. This will replace the AM or PM next to the system time. But you cannot do this if you are using any of our software during the trial period; it will corrupt the trial license.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International
3. Add two new String values, "s1159" and "s2359"
4. Right click the new value name and modify. Enter anything you like up to 8 characters.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International
3. Add two new String values, "s1159" and "s2359"
4. Right click the new value name and modify. Enter anything you like up to 8 characters.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
Fixing missing files problem
Type sfc /scannow in the "Run" window with the XP CD in your top CD/DVD drive. Reboot when done
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
Easy Way to Share Multiple Folders
If you need to share multiple folders, running the program SHRPUBW.EXE will bring up a simple dialog box to let you:
Browse to the folder you want to share
Enter in a Share name
Ender in a Share description
Set permissions. Several choices are available
Restart the process from within the same program
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
Browse to the folder you want to share
Enter in a Share name
Ender in a Share description
Set permissions. Several choices are available
Restart the process from within the same program
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
Common Control Panel Applets
The follow are some common Control Panel Applets that are located in the \windows\system32 directory.
If you find yourself using any of these frequently, then here is the shortcuts to to run them
Start-Run and type
appwiz.cpl >>Add/Remove Programs
desk.cpl >> Display Properties
firewall.cpl >> Firewall Settings
inetcpl.cpl >> Internet Options
mmsys.cpl >> Sound and Audio
ncpa.cpl >> Network Connections
nusrmgr.cpl >> User Accounts
powercfg.cpl >> Power Options
sysdm.cpl >>System Properties
wscui.cpl >> Security Center
wuaucpl.cpl >> Automatic Updates Configuration
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
If you find yourself using any of these frequently, then here is the shortcuts to to run them
Start-Run and type
appwiz.cpl >>Add/Remove Programs
desk.cpl >> Display Properties
firewall.cpl >> Firewall Settings
inetcpl.cpl >> Internet Options
mmsys.cpl >> Sound and Audio
ncpa.cpl >> Network Connections
nusrmgr.cpl >> User Accounts
powercfg.cpl >> Power Options
sysdm.cpl >>System Properties
wscui.cpl >> Security Center
wuaucpl.cpl >> Automatic Updates Configuration
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
Autoexec.nt or Config.nt Errors
If you are getting errors similar to:
The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications. Choose 'Close' to terminate the application.
Try copying the file from \windows\repair directory to the one that is in the \windows\system32 directory.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications. Choose 'Close' to terminate the application.
Try copying the file from \windows\repair directory to the one that is in the \windows\system32 directory.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
What's Thumbs.db
It turned out to be pretty innocent, yet unnecessary. The thumbs.db file is generated by the Windows operating system. It is a database file containing the small images displayed when you view a folder in "thumbnail" view (as opposed to tile, icon, list, or detail view). No harm is done by deleting thumbs.db files and there is no need to include them in your system backups. Whether you see these files or not depends on how you have your File Options set. Even if you can't see them, they are probably there (unless you've previously performed the following instructions).
To turn off this feature and save some disk space:
Click the Start button
Select Control Panel (or Settings, then Control Panel)
Select Folder Options
Click the View tab
Check Do not cache thumbnails
Click the Apply button
Click the OK button
Now you can search your computer for thumbs.db files and remove them:
Click the Start button
Click Search (or Find)
Click All files and folders
In the All or part of the file name box type Thumbs.db
Set the Look in pull-down menu to 'All Local Hard Drives' or just the one drive you wish to search
Click Search
A list of the files found appears in the right window
Go to the Edit tab at the top and click Select All
Hit the Delete key on your keyboard
If you're lucky, all the files will be deleted. If not (you may get a message like 'in use' or 'can't be found' or something like that), you will need to delete a group at a time until you find the one(s) that don't want to be deleted.
When I did this on one drive, Search found over 1,500 files! They ranged in size from a few KB to over 100KB, so you can see they were taking up quite a bit of space. I tried to delete them all at once, but I had one that wouldn't delete, so I deleted one page at a time.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
To turn off this feature and save some disk space:
Click the Start button
Select Control Panel (or Settings, then Control Panel)
Select Folder Options
Click the View tab
Check Do not cache thumbnails
Click the Apply button
Click the OK button
Now you can search your computer for thumbs.db files and remove them:
Click the Start button
Click Search (or Find)
Click All files and folders
In the All or part of the file name box type Thumbs.db
Set the Look in pull-down menu to 'All Local Hard Drives' or just the one drive you wish to search
Click Search
A list of the files found appears in the right window
Go to the Edit tab at the top and click Select All
Hit the Delete key on your keyboard
If you're lucky, all the files will be deleted. If not (you may get a message like 'in use' or 'can't be found' or something like that), you will need to delete a group at a time until you find the one(s) that don't want to be deleted.
When I did this on one drive, Search found over 1,500 files! They ranged in size from a few KB to over 100KB, so you can see they were taking up quite a bit of space. I tried to delete them all at once, but I had one that wouldn't delete, so I deleted one page at a time.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
Do you think your History is really being deleted?
Boot into "safe mode command prompt" using F8
Go to Root (C:\) by typing CD\
Now type C:\ del index.dat /s (<<spaces required) press enter
The Deleted Files will appear, then just exit for the finale now there really gone.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
Go to Root (C:\) by typing CD\
Now type C:\ del index.dat /s (<<spaces required) press enter
The Deleted Files will appear, then just exit for the finale now there really gone.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
how to put safe mode into start up menu
Make a backup of the current boot.ini file.
Note: The boot.ini file shown below is for illustration purposes only. Your actual boot.ini may vary from this example.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
Using Notepad, edit the original boot.ini (shown above) so it appears as shown below.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional Safe" /fastdetect
The line shown above in red is the line you add. I used the word "Safe" but this can be any word you choose.
Close Notepad and save changes when prompted.
Start the System Configuration Utility by clicking [Start] [Run] and typing msconfig, then click [OK].
Click the BOOT.INI tab.
Highlight the boot line that you added with the word "Safe" or whatever word you chose to add above.
Check the /SAFEBOOT option in the Boot Options box and click on the radio buttons to add whatever options you prefer. I'd suggest the MINIMAL option.
Click [Apply] and [OK] and Restart when prompted.
The option to boot into safe mode will now appear on the boot loader menu
Just add to the end of the line you added:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional Safe" /fastdetect
/safeboot:minimal
The final boot.ini would look like:
Code:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition (1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WIND OWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Safe" /fastdetect /safeboot:minimal
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
Note: The boot.ini file shown below is for illustration purposes only. Your actual boot.ini may vary from this example.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
Using Notepad, edit the original boot.ini (shown above) so it appears as shown below.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional Safe" /fastdetect
The line shown above in red is the line you add. I used the word "Safe" but this can be any word you choose.
Close Notepad and save changes when prompted.
Start the System Configuration Utility by clicking [Start] [Run] and typing msconfig, then click [OK].
Click the BOOT.INI tab.
Highlight the boot line that you added with the word "Safe" or whatever word you chose to add above.
Check the /SAFEBOOT option in the Boot Options box and click on the radio buttons to add whatever options you prefer. I'd suggest the MINIMAL option.
Click [Apply] and [OK] and Restart when prompted.
The option to boot into safe mode will now appear on the boot loader menu
Just add to the end of the line you added:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional Safe" /fastdetect
/safeboot:minimal
The final boot.ini would look like:
Code:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition (1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WIND OWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Safe" /fastdetect /safeboot:minimal
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
Fast User Switching - keep the internet connections live
Open Run and type 'regedit' without quotes and navigate to this key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon
Then right-click the right-hand pane, and select New/String Value, now paste this value
KeepRasConnections
Double click the new key and set it to 1.
now you won't loose your intenet connection when you switch users
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
Then right-click the right-hand pane, and select New/String Value, now paste this value
KeepRasConnections
Double click the new key and set it to 1.
now you won't loose your intenet connection when you switch users
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
prevent malicous cookies from gettin on your box
you need to open security properties...the easiest way to do this, is to double click the tiny planet icon that's on the bottom right of your browser...then hit security, then hit restrickted sites.
now paste the following sites...include the little *...this is a wild charachter, so just include it;
*.valueclick.com
*.valueclick.net
*.phase2media.com
*.admonitor.com
*.admonitor.net
*.190.com
*.flycast.com
add to list as needed
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
now paste the following sites...include the little *...this is a wild charachter, so just include it;
*.valueclick.com
*.valueclick.net
*.phase2media.com
*.admonitor.com
*.admonitor.net
*.190.com
*.flycast.com
add to list as needed
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
Disk Write caching
Windows defaults to write-behind caching, holding data in a memory buffer before writing it to disk. Disabling this function will increase your system performance by writing data immediately to disk. To disable this function, right click on My Computer and choose Properties, or open Control Panel and select System. Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button. Click the plus sign next to Disk Drives and select a drive. Choose Properties and uncheck Write Cache Enabled. Repeat for all drives in your system
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
Turn off disk performance monitors
You can also disable the disk monitoring alone, by running this command which will make it stop monitoring after next boot.
DISKPERF -N
To turn it on again run this command
DISKPERF -YD
It is also said that all this Performance monitoring is mostly done when logged in as Administrator. If one changed the default login to example a Power User, the monitoring should be lowered automaticly.
Why delete messages? Unlimited storage is just a click away.
DISKPERF -N
To turn it on again run this command
DISKPERF -YD
It is also said that all this Performance monitoring is mostly done when logged in as Administrator. If one changed the default login to example a Power User, the monitoring should be lowered automaticly.
Why delete messages? Unlimited storage is just a click away.
Remove hibernation file
If you do not use hibernation, make sure you do not have it enabled, which reserves disk space equal to your RAM. If you have a hidden file on the root directory of your C-drive called hiberfil.sys, hibernation is enabled. To remove that file, go to Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, Hibernate tab, and uncheck the Enable hibernation box.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
Increase speed by tweaking prefetcher settings
This is an unique technique for XP, which could improve the performance significantly by tweaking the prefetcher. Recommended hardware: PIII 800 or higher, 512M RAM or more.
1. run "regedit";
2. goto [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher];
3. Set the value to either 0-Disable, 1-App launch prefetch, 2-Boot Prefetch, 3-Both ("3" is recommended).
4. reboot.
Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download.
1. run "regedit";
2. goto [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher];
3. Set the value to either 0-Disable, 1-App launch prefetch, 2-Boot Prefetch, 3-Both ("3" is recommended).
4. reboot.
Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download.
CD ROM Stops AutoPlaying...
The service: "Shell Hardware Detection" has been set to Manual or Disabled. Go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. Return this service to "Automatic".
Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download.
Download prohibited? No problem. CHAT from any browser, without download.
CDFS Tweaks
Here is the changes that must be made
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem\CDFS
Look for that registry key, if not there, we must create a new key, then add the following values
CacheSize, this must be added as a binary value, then type in this value: ff ff 00 00
Prefetch, this key must be added as a DWORD value, then type in this value: 4000 hex
PrefetchTail, this key must be added as a DWORD value, then type in this value: 4000 hex
After that tweaking, try copying something across from CD, and you will notice it does produce a speed boost, but it becomes apparent after a while of using this tweak, you may or may not see it at first.
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\FileSystem\CDFS
Look for that registry key, if not there, we must create a new key, then add the following values
CacheSize, this must be added as a binary value, then type in this value: ff ff 00 00
Prefetch, this key must be added as a DWORD value, then type in this value: 4000 hex
PrefetchTail, this key must be added as a DWORD value, then type in this value: 4000 hex
After that tweaking, try copying something across from CD, and you will notice it does produce a speed boost, but it becomes apparent after a while of using this tweak, you may or may not see it at first.
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
Correcting System Hang at Startup
If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access the Start button or the Taskbar, it may be due to one specific service (Background Intelligent Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch for this but it didn't work for me. Here's what you do:
1. Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
2. Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service, disable it, apply the changes & reboot.
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
1. Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
2. Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service, disable it, apply the changes & reboot.
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
Monday, August 6, 2007
This tweak enables XP to turn off your computer automaticall
1. Goto /Start/Control Panel/Performance and Maintenance/System.
2. Select the Hardware tab and then select Device Manager.
3. Under the 'View' menu select Show Hidden Devices. Double click NT/Apm/Legacy Interface
Node and enable device. De-select show hidden devices again and re-boot.
Now your PC will shutdown automatically just like good old Windows 98.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
2. Select the Hardware tab and then select Device Manager.
3. Under the 'View' menu select Show Hidden Devices. Double click NT/Apm/Legacy Interface
Node and enable device. De-select show hidden devices again and re-boot.
Now your PC will shutdown automatically just like good old Windows 98.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
Easy Way to Adjust LargeSystemCache
1. Right click My Computer
2. Select Properties
3. Click Advanced
4. Choose Performance
5. Click Advanced again
6. Select either Programs or System Cache under Memory Usage.
Programs = 0 for the registry tweak equilavent
System Cache = 1 for the registry tweak equilavent
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
2. Select Properties
3. Click Advanced
4. Choose Performance
5. Click Advanced again
6. Select either Programs or System Cache under Memory Usage.
Programs = 0 for the registry tweak equilavent
System Cache = 1 for the registry tweak equilavent
Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now
Stop jerky graphics
1.Right click "My Computer"
2.Select "Manage"
3.Click on "Device Manager"
4.Double click on your Zip under "Disk Drives" ( it may be listed as "IMG VP01" or something similar - pick the one that's not a hard drive)
5.Disable the device
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
2.Select "Manage"
3.Click on "Device Manager"
4.Double click on your Zip under "Disk Drives" ( it may be listed as "IMG VP01" or something similar - pick the one that's not a hard drive)
5.Disable the device
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
Swap File Tweak
For Users with 256 MB RAM or more this tweak will boost their Windows- and Game-Performance.
What it does: It tells Windows not to use any Swap File until there is really no more free RAM left.
Open the System Configuration Utility by typing msconfig.exe in the RUN command. There in your System.ini you have to add "ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1" under the 386enh section.
Restart your Windows and enjoy better Game performance
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
What it does: It tells Windows not to use any Swap File until there is really no more free RAM left.
Open the System Configuration Utility by typing msconfig.exe in the RUN command. There in your System.ini you have to add "ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1" under the 386enh section.
Restart your Windows and enjoy better Game performance
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
Boot XP faster
1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device 0 or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device 0 or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.
Did you know? You can CHAT without downloading messenger. Click here
Restoring Access to CD ROMs
If you removed CD Burning software, or for some other mystical reason, can not longer access your CD ROM's,
in most cases following registry keys needs to be deleted:
Locate and delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values under the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
in most cases following registry keys needs to be deleted:
Locate and delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values under the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
Install XP from DOS
If XP will not install from the CD or if you have a new drive with no operating system on it yet try these:
Install Windows XP from the hard drive with Windows 98 already installed:
Boot Windows 98
Insert the XP CD into your CD reader
Explore Windows XP through My Computer
Copy i386 folder to C:\
Go into C:\i386 folder and double click on winnt32.exe to launch the setup from the hard drive
Install Windows XP from DOS (ie. no OS on a new hard drive):
Boot with a Windows 98 Start Up disk
Insert the Windows 98 CD into the CD reader
Run smartdrv.exe from the Win98 directory on the windows 98 CD (file caching)
Type cd.. to back up to the root directory
Insert Windows XP CD into the CD reader
Copy the i386 folder to C:\
Go into C:\i386 folder on C: and type winnt.exe to launch the setup from the hard drive.
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
Install Windows XP from the hard drive with Windows 98 already installed:
Boot Windows 98
Insert the XP CD into your CD reader
Explore Windows XP through My Computer
Copy i386 folder to C:\
Go into C:\i386 folder and double click on winnt32.exe to launch the setup from the hard drive
Install Windows XP from DOS (ie. no OS on a new hard drive):
Boot with a Windows 98 Start Up disk
Insert the Windows 98 CD into the CD reader
Run smartdrv.exe from the Win98 directory on the windows 98 CD (file caching)
Type cd.. to back up to the root directory
Insert Windows XP CD into the CD reader
Copy the i386 folder to C:\
Go into C:\i386 folder on C: and type winnt.exe to launch the setup from the hard drive.
5, 50, 500, 5000. Store N number of mails in your inbox. Click here.
Get Rid Of Pesky Un-Signed Driver Installation Warnings
Many new drivers aren't signed by Microsoft so WinXP will warn you or even prevent you from installing new drivers for a device. To prevent this warning or to allow new un-signed drivers to be installed do the following:
1. Go to start/run/ then type secpol.msc
2. Browse to local policies/security options
3. Change "Devices: Unsigned driver installation behavior" setting to Silently succeed.
4. Reboot Computer.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
1. Go to start/run/ then type secpol.msc
2. Browse to local policies/security options
3. Change "Devices: Unsigned driver installation behavior" setting to Silently succeed.
4. Reboot Computer.
Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. Click here for happy ending.
Windows XP boot defragment feature
A great new feature in Microsoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This places all boot files next to each other on the disk to allow for faster booting. By default this option in enables but on some builds it is not so below is how to turn it on.
Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOpt imizeFunction
Select Enable from the list on the right.
Right on it and select Modify.
Change the value to Y to enable and N to disable.
Reboot your computer.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOpt imizeFunction
Select Enable from the list on the right.
Right on it and select Modify.
Change the value to Y to enable and N to disable.
Reboot your computer.
Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. Click here to know how.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
