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A nice feature of the Windows NT, 2000, XP Operating Systems is the "Local Group Policy
Editor" This is a flexible Change and Configuration Management tool. This tool includes options
for registry-based policy settings, security settings, software installation, scripts, startup,
shutdown, logon, logoff, and folder redirection.
To invoke the Local Group Policy Editor, select Start and then Run, then type:
gpedit.msc
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Enable ClearType
Microsoft states, "With Windows XP, ClearType delivers improved font display resolution over
traditional anti-aliasing. It improves readability on color LCD monitors with a digital interface,
such as those in laptops and high-quality flat desktop displays. Readability on CRT screens can
also be somewhat improved."
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Or you can use a small utility called "ERUNT" which stands for: The Emergency Recovery
Utility NT. This is an emergency registry backup and restore utility for Windows NT/2000/XP
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NOTE: Please keep in mind that using the export style of backup is not a complete backup of the
Windows registry. ERUNT is a very good backup program and is a complete backup of the
registry, but I believe the System Restore (SR) feature that comes with XP is the best and safest
way to backup. With SR, you'll have a months worth of clean registry backup copies to choose
from (assuming the chosen restore point was in fact clean to start with). Remember, each restore
point overwrites the next. Now, If you use ERUNT, you could be restoring a copy of your
registry that is much older than a month, whereby you would lose any programs and/or changes
that you've made after making your backup copy. So, you can see that the SR is best because you
can always choose a restore point that is very recent.
Click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
304449 HOW TO: Start System Restore Tool From Command Prompt
283073 HOW TO: Disable the System Restore Configuration User Interface
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XP Design Goals
Below, are the design goals for Windows XP Operating System.
Richer communications. Real-time voice, video and application-sharing will enable people to
communicate more effectively.
Enhanced mobility. Mobile users' ability to access their information any time, anywhere will be
further improved.
Improved help and support. Users will be able to easily connect to people and resources for help
whenever they need it.
Simple digital photos and video. Windows XP will make it easy to create, organize and share
digital memories.
Exciting music and entertainment. Windows XP will deliver the best experience for the
discovery, download, personalization and playback of high-quality audio and video content.
Enabling of the "connected home." Windows XP will give people an easy way to share
information, devices and Internet connections within the home.
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Upgrade Paths
Both Home and Professional can be upgraded from Windows 98, Windows 98SE, and Windows
ME. Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and Windows XP Home can all be upgraded to Windows
XP Professional. Windows 95 is not a supported upgrade path from either version.
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Tasklist.exe
Microsoft has replaced tlist.exe with tasklist.exe in XP. Tlist.exe lets you list all the processes
running on your machine and the associated task name and memory usage. Tasklist.exe replicates
all the functionality of the original utility. For information about tasklist.exe, type the following at
the XP command prompt: tasklist /?
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Note: The above procedure will work only if you've made no significant hardware changes.
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Note:For the change to take effect, you need to unselect Auto Arrange from the Arrange Icons
context menu that displays when you right-click the desktop.
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Perform a ScanDisk in XP
XP and Win2K don't include the DOS SCANDISK Utility. However, you can perform the same
task using XP's and Win2K's Error Checking feature. To access this feature, perform the
following steps:
Open Windows Explorer.
Right-click the drive you want to check, and select Properties from the context menu.
Select the Tools tab.
Under Error Checking, click Check Now.
If you want the scan to automatically attempt to make repairs or check the disk for bad sectors,
select those options and click Start.
Close Windows Explorer.
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PowerToys for XP
As with previous versions of Windows, Microsoft has released a set of great utilities to enhance
the Windows experience.
939 KB Download
8 Min @ 28.8 kbps
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This change configures the system to halt after encountering a system failure error, which allows
you to investigate the problem error in more detail. You'll then have to manually restart the
system.
Keep in mind that you'll have to work fast in order to make the change before the system reboots.
You may have better luck making the change if you launch the system in Safe Mode.
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Encrypted Files
Windows XP and Windows 2000 both include the Encrypting File System (EFS). If you have
NTFS permissions to a file that another user has encrypted, you will receive an "access is denied"
error.
To determine whether a file is encrypted, perform the following steps to enable the view
attributes option in Windows Explorer:
Start Windows Explorer.
From the View menu, select Details.
Select the Attributes option, and click OK.
If a file has an E attribute, that file is encrypted. Only the user who encrypted the file or the
recovery agent user can decrypt the file.
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Defrag.exe
One of the problems with the welcome addition of the disk defragmenter in Windows 2000 is that
it has no command-prompt equivalent. As a result, you can't easily schedule the defragmenter to
run. To address this problem, Microsoft included defrag.exe in Windows XP for command-level
disk defragmentation.
The command format is: defrag <volume> [-a] [-f] [-v] [-?] volume drive letter or mount point (d:
or d:\vol\mountpoint) -a Analyze only -f Force defragmentation, even if free space is low -v
Verbose output -? Display this help text
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Windows XP MSCONFIG
The Windows XP utility Msconfig (Microsoft Configuration) is useful for configuring various OS
elements:
Startup type (e.g., which drivers are loaded, whether system.ini/win.ini are parsed)
Which parts of system.ini are used
Which parts of win.ini are used
Which commands run at start-up
Which services start
boot.ini options
With the boot.ini option, you can check the current entries, specify additional options, and
configure the timeout.
Start Msconfig (Start, Run, msconfig.exe).
Select the BOOT.INI tab.
The dialog box displays the current OSs.
Click Check All Boot Paths to go through all the entries and ensure that they relate to a true
installation.
If you select an actual installation, you can then set the various boot options, such as basevideo
and SOS.
Once finished, click OK.
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Bootcfg
Bootcfg is a new addition to the Windows XP recovery console. You use this command to modify
the boot.ini file, which contains the choices at system startup (in a multiboot environment,
boot.ini contains the list of all the OSs and lets you choose one).
The Bootcfg command recognizes Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT. It doesn't
recognize Windows 9x. Bootcfg has the following options:
/default-Sets the default OS (modifies the default= line in boot.ini).
/add-Scans the computer for OSs and lets you add located installations. You can also specify
optional boot switches.
/rebuild-Same as /add except /rebuild automatically recreates boot.ini with all found installations
if the user confirms.
/scan-Identifies current installations but doesn't modify boot.ini.
/list-Scans the boot.ini files and displays each entry.
/redirect-Enables redirection of the boot loaded to a specific port and baud rate (this option is
useful for the Headless Administration options).
/disableredirect-Disables the redirection configured with /redirect.
Bootcfg is simply an extra tool. You can still modify boot.ini directly with Notepad (after
removing read-only, system, and hidden attributes-attrib c:\boot.ini -r -s -h). Or you can use the
System Control Panel applet or Msconfig
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Disabling Hibernation
The Hibernation feature can be somewhat of a resource hog. If you don't plan to use it, you may
as well disable it. Here's how:
Go to Start> Settings> Control Panel.
Select the Power Options Icon
Click on the Hibernation icon
Uncheck Enable Hibernation
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System Information
When you view the System Information, you will find much useful information such as, the
length of time that XP has ran since rebooting. To find this information and more follow the
instructions below:
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Here's how:
1. Go to Start> Run, then type in: regedit Press [Enter] on your keyboard.
2. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \
MenuShowDelay
3. By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller value (like 0) to speed it up.
Note: If your still experiencing a slow speed of the Start Menu, even after using the above tip,
then you might try the following:
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Personal Support
Have you ever made the mistake of telling friends or co-workers that you know something about
computers and then get tasked with fixing all of their computer ailments? Well, as nice as it is to
give your time for free, it's is even nicer if it doesn't take tons of time to fix them. With any
version of Windows XP it can be pretty simple. If the other party has an Internet Connection, all
they have to do is send you a Remote Assistance request then you will be able to connect to their
computer to fix a wide array of troubleshooting tasks such as; file associations, registry settings,
set system options and much more. But beware...they'll surely be so impressed that they will tell
all of their friends about you.
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Note: WinXP will not let you mess with the boot partition or system partition since both contain
items required to boot and run winXP. Thus, you should use the install process to format system
and boot drive.
1. Insert your XP CD in the drive while running your current installation of XP.
2. You will be given some options here. You can select:
Clean Install
New Installation
Advanced
...and others I believe. But since this tutorial teaches a Clean Installation of XP, select "Clean
Install".
3. Put a checkmark in the box to "designate where you want to install XP" (or some such dialog).
Typically, you will choose to install XP on your C: drive.
4. Next, you will need to select the file system you wish to use. I recommend selecting NTFS as
it is more sucure than the FAT32 system.
5. Setup will then format the partition you chose and then you can install XP clean on that
partition. Be sure that if you have more than one partition, you select the correct one.
6. Install your Windows XP Operating System.
Get yourself a Windows 98 boot-diskette with fdisk. Delete all partitions and THEN boot from
the CD. If XP's setup finds formatted partitions, it proceeds without user intervention. If it doesn't
find any, setup will prompt you for partitioning and formatting.
If you are not able to boot from your CD-ROM, try changing the boot order in your BIOS so that
your CD-ROM boots first.
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Now you can find what you need at a glance. What's more, this setting sticks for that folder until
you turn it off.
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You can multiply the virtual memory size by 1.5 times the amount of physical memory. So if
your system has 128 MB of physical memory, you can set the amount to 192 MB. Click the
'Custom-size' radio-button and enter '192' in both the 'Initial size (MB)' and 'Maximum size (MB)'
fields. Click the 'Set' and 'OK' button to apply your settings.
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Disabling Startup Programs
Is the Notification area, on the left-hand side of your task bar cluttered with icons? Does it take
ages to start up your PC? It might be caused by software programs you installed on your system.
After the software is installed, a small icon is placed in the Notification area. The icon facilitates
quick access to the software. If you do not use some of these icons, disable them and save
precious physical memory. Decide which program icons you use regularly and whether you want
to keep these in the Notification area. I recommend keeping virus scanners and printer/scanner
icons.
Click on 'Start', 'Run', type 'msconfig' in the 'Open' field and click OK to open the System
Configuration Utility window below. Click on the 'Startup' tab to get a list of all your system's
startup programs. Tick the boxes of the programs you want to disable and click OK to continue.
Reboot your system and check if everything is working fine. You can always re-enable the
disabled startup programs by re-opening the System Configuration Utility and ticking the boxes
of the disabled items. Reboot your system for the changes to take effect.
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But sometimes these balloons can be very annoying. For example, if you don't have much free
space on your hard drive, the balloons will keep reminding you of low disk space. You might like
the first notification, but probably not the fifth, sixth, and so on. Fortunately, you can disable
them by opening your favorite registry editor and going to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
Create a new DWORD value with the name "EnableBalloonTips" and set it to 0. This setting
should disable all notification balloons for the user. If you want to disable only low-disk-space
balloons, set the "NoLowDiskSpaceChecks" DWORD value to 1. If this value is not in the same
location as the previous one, create it manually.
If you don't want to mess with the registry, you can use the Tweak UI utility to do this for you.
Run Tweak UI and go to the Taskbar option. Tweak UI is part of the PowerToys, which are
available free from Microsoft. Download safely right here from 5 Star Support.
939 KB Download
8 Min @ 28.8 kbps
Note: As always, back up your registry prior to making any changes.
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The next time you're online and there happens to be an available update, you'll be prompted to
install it.
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Windows will start creating your disk. This should only take a minute or so. Be sure to label it
before putting it away.
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[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
"ScanCode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
====End cut-and-paste (omit this line)
Note: Do not use if you've already remapped other keys, because you'll lose those remappings!
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To enable it:
Right click on an open area of the toolbar
Select Toolbars
Select Quick Launch
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Disabling Hibernation
If you don't want to use up the disk space taken by Hibernation, or don't need to use it at all, you
can easily disable it.
Open up the Control Panel
Power Options icon
Click on the Hibernation tab
Uncheck Enable Hibernation
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Folder Memory Setting
Windows XP remember the view settings for the 400 most recently used folders by default. Once
that figure has been reached, it will start overwriting the data of the oldest folder. Below you will
find a registry tweak that will increase the number of folders from 400 to 5000. The information
is stored in two registry keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam
Open Windows Explorer and go to Tools>> Folder Options>> View>> Advanced Settings.
Ensure that "Remember each folder's view settings" is checked.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter]
Navigate to: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
Right-click on "Shell", then follow to New>> Key>> DWORD Value.
Name this item "BagMRU Size" (without quotation marks) Ensure there is a space between
BagMRU and Size.
Double-click BagMRU Size, give it a "Decimal" value of 5000, then click OK.
Now navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam.
Create another BagMRU Size DWORD Value for "ShellNoRoam". Again, give it a "Decimal"
value of 5000, then click OK.
Close the registry and reboot your computer.
Windows XP will now remember 5000 folder view settings instead of 400.
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Method #1:
To create a new zip file in Windows Explorer, click the File menu>> New>> Compressed
(zipped) Folder. A new folder will appear. Enter a file name making sure that you use .zip at the
end. Press Enter on your keyboard to save it.
Method #2:
Right-click an open area of your desktop and select Compressed (zipped) Folder from the
resulting menu. As in method #1, name and save your folder the same way.
Note: In methods #1 and #2, you will need to drag and drop files into these folders once they are
created. This is easily done by double-clicking your newly created folder to open it. Then drag a
chosen file and drop it into your folder. If you are just wanting to copy a file, use drag and drop.
If you want to move the file from its location into your folder, use drag and drop while holding
down the Shift key.
Right-click a selected file or folder and choose Send To>> Compressed (zipped) Folder. This will
create a new zip folder with a .zip extension. As an example; sending a file named AnyFile.txt to
a compressed folder using this method, will automatically be named AnyFile.zip. If you double
click your new Zip Folder, you will see that it contains AnyFile.txt.
You can also send multiple files to one Compressed Zip Folder using this method. All you would
have to do it use your CTRL key while clicking individual files, or click the first file, hold down
the SHIFT key and click the last file. In either case, once you have all of the files highlighted
(selected), just use the above instructions for method #3 to create a Compressed Zip Folder
containing all of your selected files. In using this procedure, Windows XP will create a file name
automatically. If you would like to change the name, simply right-click the folder and choose
rename.
Note: Now that you have create a Zip Folder, you can password protect it. Open your folder then
click the File Menu>> Add a Password... In the resulting dialog box, type in your password then
again in the field below to confirm it. Click OK. To remove your password, open your zip folder,
click the File Menu and select Remove Password.
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Protecting Your PC
A very important and often overlooked method of PC security is keeping your Operating System
up-to-date. Falling behind in your updates will only compromise the systems integrity by giving
hackers a way in. Checking for updates is easy using Internet Explorer:
Open Internet Explorer>> Tools>> Windows Update. Windows XP users can benefit from
Windows Automatic Update Feature.
How does Automatic Updates work? When you turn on Automatic Updates, Windows routinely
checks the Windows Update Web site for high-priority updates that can help protect your
computer from the latest viruses and other security threats. These updates can include security
updates, critical updates, and service packs. Depending on the setting you choose, Windows
automatically downloads and installs any high-priority updates that your computer needs, or
notifies you as these updates become available.
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Automatic Updates
In yesterdays tip, we discussed the importance of updating your computer to keep it safe and
secure. In today's tip, we'll discuss your updating options. Do you want to let Windows update
your system automatically? Or, do you want to run your updates manually? The link supplied
below will give detailed instruction on how to:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;306525#4
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Right-click "My Computer" and select "Properties". Click the "System Restore" tab and check
the box "Turn off System Restore" then click OK.
Run your virus scan. Once it is complete, follow the instructions above in reverse to Enable
System Restore.
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Usually the easiest way to stop a print job is to double-click its icon in the system tray to open the
"printer queue folder". Then click on the print job that you would like to cancel and press the
delete key on your keyboard.
Or, you can right click the print job and select "Cancel" from the resulting menu.
If neither of the above will work for you. Try turning the printer off and restarting it. You should
be prompted to resume your print job. You can then select "Cancel" from that menu.
How to prevent spyware
Spyware and other unwanted software can invade your privacy, bombard you with pop-up
windows, slow down your computer, and even make your computer crash. Here are several ways
you can help protect your computer against spyware and other unwanted software.
On This Page:
Step 1: Update your software
Step 2: Adjust Internet Explorer security settings
Step 3: Use a firewall
Step 4: Surf and download more safely
Step 5: Download and install anti-spyware protection
Step 1: Update your software:
If you use Windows XP, one way to help prevent spyware and other unwanted software is to
make sure all your software is updated. First, visit Windows Update to confirm that you have
Automatic Updates turned on and that you've downloaded all the latest critical and security
updates.
Step 2: Adjust Internet Explorer security settings
You can adjust your Internet Explorer Web browser's security settings to determine how much-or
how little-information you are willing to accept from a Web site. Microsoft recommends that you
set the security settings for the Internet zone to Medium or higher.
To view your current Internet Explorer security settings:
1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools and then click Internet Options.
2. Select the Security tab.
For a step-by-step guide to adjusting your settings without blocking content from sites that you
trust, see Working with Internet Explorer 6 Security Settings.
If you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and you use Internet Explorer to browse the
Web, your browser security settings for the Internet zone are already set to Medium by default.
Internet Explorer in Windows XP SP2 also includes a number of features to help protect against
spyware and many other kinds of deceptive or unwanted software.
Step 3: Use a firewall
While most spyware and other unwanted software come bundled with other programs or originate
from unscrupulous Web sites, a small amount of spyware can actually be placed on your
computer remotely by hackers. Installing a firewall or using the firewall that's built into Windows
XP provides a helpful defense against these hackers.
Step 4: Surf and download more safely
The best defense against spyware and other unwanted software is not to download it in the first
place. Here are a few helpful tips that can protect you from downloading software you don't
want:
-Only download programs from Web sites you trust. If you're not sure whether to trust a program
you are considering downloading, ask a knowledgeable friend or enter the name of the program
into your favorite search engine to see if anyone else has reported that it contains spyware.
-Read all security warnings, license agreements, and privacy statements associated with any
software you download.
-Never click "agree" or "OK" to close a window. Instead, click the red "x" in the corner of the
window or press the Alt + F4 buttons on your keyboard to close a window.
-Be wary of popular "free" music and movie file-sharing programs, and be sure you clearly
understand all of the software packaged with those programs.
Step 5: Download and install anti-spyware protection
Microsoft currently offers anti-spyware beta software for download; more information is
available on Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) site.
Additional security tools to help block, detect, and remove unwanted software from your
computer are available on the Security Downloads resources page.
Note: Microsoft is not responsible for the quality, performance, or reliability of third-party tools.
Source: Microsoft
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You are running out of disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or
unnecessary files, click here.
When free disk space reaches 80 MB, you receive the following message for 30 seconds, every
four hours, twice per session:
You are running very low on disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or
unnecessary files, click here.
When free disk reaches 50 MB, you receive the following message for 30 seconds, every five
minutes, until free space is above 50 MB:
You are running very low on disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or
unnecessary files, click here.
Note: There is a registry value you can set to disable this feature. To disable low disk space
checks, follow these steps, log off, and then log on again: Follow these steps, and then quit
Registry Editor:
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type NoLowDiskSpaceChecks, and then press ENTER.
5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. Type 1, and then click OK.
Source: Microsoft
Full Screen feature
The Windows Full Screen Feature is very helpful when you are in search of a file within a very
large folder. For instance, when you open your My Documents folder, press the F11 key on your
keyboard to activate the Full Screen Feature. This will make the whole folder viewable within the
screen instead of having to scroll down in search of your file. To revert back to your regular
screen, just press the F11 key again.
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Saving Space
All Windows Operating Systems have a folder on the hard drive where various applications
temporary files are stored. On occasion, it is a good idea to relieve your hard drive of these
unneeded files. There are a couple different ways you can find these files:
1. Open Windows Explorer and in the Address field type: %temp% (including the percent signs)
[Enter]. You will then be taken to that folder.
2. Click Start>> Run, and type: %temp% [Enter] Any of these temporary files that are found
using the above methods are safe to delete.
Note: Sometimes the files are still in use, so deleting them works best immediately following a
reboot.
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Note: The bit in parenthesis is the actual command that is issued, which you can perform yourself
from a command prompt.
Source: Microsoft KB Article
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As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk
performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible.
The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to
see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
Important: Be sure to close all files before running the Error Checking Utility. Any unsaved data
will be lost.
Source: Microsoft
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Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your
computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored
neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals, optimally monthly, certain events
warrant running the utility outside of the monthly rule of thumb.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the
defragmentation process will take.
To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. After the
defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.
Source: Microsoft
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-In Windows XP, go to Start>> My Network Places. Here, you will find a list of the other
computers on your LAN (Local Area Network).
-In Windows 98, double-click the Network Neighborhood icon on your Desktop to see a list of
the other computers on the network.
In either case, if the other computers have file sharing enabled, you should be able to open
documents stored on them or copy files to your PC. If you don't see or can't access the other
computers in My Network Places or Network Neighborhood, then chances are file sharing is not
properly configured.
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Clear unwanted items from the "Open With" list
When you right click a file, you may see an option called 'Open With', which lists a number of
programs on your computer to open that file with. If you would like to remove some of these
options from this list, here's how:
Warning: The following tip involves editing the Windows Registry. Please make sure that you
make a backup copy of the registry prior to making any changes.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: REGEDIT [Enter] or Click OK.
Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \
FileExts
Click once on the 'FileExts' entry to empty its contents into the right pane.
Find the extension you wish to edit and click on the "+" sign to expand OpenWithList (see Figure
#1)
Right click on the one that you would like to delete, then select Delete.
Figure #1
Note: Deleting the item from the above registry key may not remove it from the Open With list.
Some items may still reside in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT registry key which is common for
all user profiles.
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(Figure #1)
(Figure #2)
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Now you can use your numeric keypad to control your mouse cursor.
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Muted sound
If you find that your DVD or CD won't play music any longer or if you are not getting any sound
from your system at all. Try the following troubleshooting steps for help:
Make sure the Mute feature is not turned on by trying one or more of the following steps:
Try Pressing the Mute button on the keyboard. By pressing this button, it will toggle the ON/OFF
and will give you onscreen notification. Press this button until you receive a Mute OFF
notification.
Double click the volume control icon on the taskbar. When the Master Volume window appears,
make sure that the "Mute" check boxes do not have a check marks.
Check to make sure that other devices not listed in the Master Volume window are not muted.
Here's how:
With the Master Volume window showing, go to Options>> Properties (see Figure #1).
Place a check in the volume controls that you would like to view (see Figure #2).
Click OK.
The Master Volume window will now show the additional selected devices. Uncheck any Mute
check boxes for these devices.
Figure #1
Figure #2
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While searching for old programs to delete from your system, you'll probably notice that some
components are not there. Well, they really are there, Windows just has them hidden. The most
common Windows program that is hidden and marked for removal by many PC users is MSN
Messenger. Here's how you can tell Windows not to hide these components.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: notepad.exe C:\windows\inf\sysoc.inf
In notepad, select Edit from the toolbar.
Click the Replace button.
In the "Find What" text area type HIDE
Leave the "Replace With" text area blank.
Click Replace All.
Exit the Replace window.
In notepad again, select File from the toolbar and click Save.
All of the hidden Windows components will now be visible in Add/Remove programs.
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This will invoke the Hardware Update Wizard. Follow the onscreen instructions or visit the
manufactures web site to locate an updated driver.
If the new driver fails, you can easily reinstall the old driver. Here's how:
Open the Device Manager (steps 1-4 above).
Expose the desired device, right click it and then select Properties.
Choose the Driver tab.
Select the Roll Back Driver button (see Figure #2).
Figure #1
Figure #2
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Windows Update is a very important tool that serves to protect or improve upon your computers
functionality. In some cases, you may encounter problems due to an update that did not install
correctly. If this happens, here is how you can uninstall the update package:
If it is an updated device drive that is causing the problem, here's how you can uninstall the
updated driver and go back to the previous one.
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> System
Click the Hardware tab
Select Device Manager
Double click the offending device
Click the Driver tab
Select Roll Back Driver
Method #2
Using System Restore, you can quickly and easily take your system back to a restore point before
installing the update. Here's how:
Go to Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> System Restore
Tick the task that states "Restore my computer to an earlier time"
Click Next, then follow the onscreen instructions
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Driver Verifier will remain active until you turn it off. Here's how:
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Note: Replace the 1024x768 with your screen size. If you do not know what your screen size is,
simply right click an open area of your desktop and select Graphic Options>> Graphic Properties
from the resulting menus.
Open the image from its thumbnail view to full-size view.
Once you have selected the photo that you would like to use as your background, right click the
image and choose the "Set as background" option.
Your selected background will now reside on your desktop. Change this as often as you like,
you'll never run out of photo's.
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Open Internet Explorer, then go to Tools>> Internet Options>> Content tab>> Enable tab (under
the Content Advisor section)>> General button (in the Content Advisor window)>> Create
Password button (under Supervisor Password section).
If you should forget your password, there is a way to work around this issue, here's how:
Warning: The following instructions involves editing the Windows registry. Incorrect editing can
have severely adverse effects on your operating system. I recommend that you do a backup of the
Windows registry prior to making any modifications.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
Drill down to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\P
OLICIES\RATINGS
Right click on the "Ratings" entry and then select Delete. Exit the Registry editor.
Now you can open IE and disable the Content Advisor.
Once you are prompted for the Supervisor Password, leave the password box blank and then click
OK.
You can now re-enable the Content Advisor feature and create a new Supervisor Password.
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Method #1:
With your Desktop in view, single left click an empty area, then press the F5 key on your
keyboard. This should reset the desktop.
Method #2:
Right click your Taskbar>> Properties>> Uncheck the entry titled: Keep the taskbar on top of
other windows. Click Apply, then OK. Reverse the process and re-check the aforementioned
entry. Click Apply, then OK.
Method #3:
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The categories of information you can expect to find in this tool are:
Installed Components
Hardware Resources
Installed Applications
Software Environment
Internet Explorer
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Off-Line Web Browsing
Here is a feature that I have personally never used, but I have always had a reliable Internet
connection. If you are not so lucky, then you may find this feature useful at times. To configure
IE for offline browsing:
Open up the web site of choice and click the Favorites button.
Select Add to Favorites...
Tick the box that reads; "Make available offline"
Note: If you would like to be able view even linked pages of this selected web site, you can click
the "Customize" button and follow the Offline Favorite Wizard to help you determine how much
content you would like to make available offline.
Select a favorites folder to place it in
Click OK
The de-selected web page will no longer show in this menu when re-entered.
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Note: If you don't know what it is or you are unsure of something, just leave it alone.
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Right click Custom Colors and select Export from the resulting menu. Choose a location to save
it to and click Save. Do the same for the "Patterns" entry.
Once you copy the file to the second computer, just double click the file to import.
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Installing Fonts
Windows comes with a great deal of different fonts selections, but there are those of you that
need more. Windows makes it easy to add new fonts to your system.
Your new font will now be available for all Windows applications to use.
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Monitor System Performance
Windows XP has a handy little utility for monitoring your system performance. To access this
utility:
Press CTRL + ALT + DEL on your keyboard and select the Performance tab.
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Obtain Version Information
Using the Windows Registry, you can quickly and easily find your Windows version, build and
service pack information for Windows NT, 2000, XP.
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In the resulting menu, select Edit>> Select All [Delete] Then select Yes.
The Disk Cleanup Utility should run much better for you now!
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XP's built-in Administrator account is hidden from the welcome screen when a user account with
admin privileges exists and is enabled. XP Home Edition allows you to login as built-in
administrator in safe mode only. In XP Professional, just press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice at the
Welcome Screen then type in your admin password into the resulting classic logon window that
appears. Below, you will find two methods to have the admin account display in the welcome
screen.
[1] TweakUI:
Once you logoff, the welcome screen should now list Administrator login.
Warning: Be sure to make a backup copy of the registry prior to making any changes.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows
NT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon/SpecialAccounts/UserList
Right-click an empty space in the right pane and select New DWORD Value. Type in the word
Administrator as the value. Double-click this new value, and enter 1 as the data. Close the
registry editor.
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2. Right click any blank area of your desktop>> Arrange Icons by...>> The entry "Lock Web
Items on Desktop" entry must be unchecked.
3. Having any web content on your desktop will not allow transparency to work.
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1. Tap the F8 key during boot, right after the BIOS info switches to a black screen.
-OR-
Select the BOOT INI tab>> Place a check in the /SafeBoot checkbox>> Click Apply>> Then
OK. Reboot your system for the change to take affect.
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EasyCleaner is a small program which searches Windows' registry for entries that are pointing
nowhere. Deleting these entries will speed your computer up. But as you already might know,
deleting entries from registry can be dangerous for your computer, so it is wise to make a backup
of your registry. EasyCleaner also lets you delete all kinds of unnecessary files like temps,
backups etc. You can search for duplicate files and you can view some interesting info about your
disk space usage! ToniArts may not be held accountable in any way if EasyCleaner affects your
computer in a negative way. Here's a list of some features:
Finds invalid registry entries - deleting them speeds up your computer up to 20%!
Finds duplicate files - deleting them will free disk space!
Finds all unnecessary files like backups, temps etc.
Very user friendly!
Shows some interesting info about your disk space usage.
Very customizable.
Uses only little amount of recourses while running!
Huge help file which gives you every little detail about EasyCleaner!
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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Single click on the "Desktop" entry to empty its contents into the right pane. Now, find the
following entry:
WaitToKillAppTimeout
Double click the entry and increase the value. (10000=10 seconds)
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Enable CD burning service
Windows XP gives you the ability to burn CDs without adding additional software. However, this
feature isn't enabled by default. Here's how to start the service:
Go to Start>> Administrative Tools>> Services.
Right-click IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service, then choose Properties.
Change the Startup Type to Automatic.
Select Start>> click OK.
Reboot your system
To burn files to a CD-R or CD-RW, individually select the desired files and/or folders and drag
them to the CD burner device. Right-click the device, and choose Write These Files To CD. To
empty the burn queue, simply right click the device and choose Delete temporary Files. IMAPI:
Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface
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http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=322756
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory
Management
Single click once on "Memory Management" to empty its contents into the right pane. Double
click on ClearPageFileAtShutdown, then change the value to 1.
Note: If the value does not exist, add the following value:
Value Name: ClearPageFileAtShutdown
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1
Warning: Be sure to make a backup copy of your registry prior to making any changes.
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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg
Click the last string entry (eg: startupreg & run) to empty its contents into the right pane. Look
for entries that reference your specific Trojan file. Delete the strings that contain such reference.
Be sure that you do not delete any string values in the left pane.
Close the Registry Editor when completed. Restart your computer normally.
Update your Antivirus software and run a full system scan. If your antivirus software states that
your system is clean, you will now need to remove all of your restore points as the virus may
reside there. The next time that you would use system restore, you will re-infect your system.
Note: If everything seems to be running well at this point, delete the backup copy of your
registry. Then, empty your recycle bin.
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The on-screen keyboard will now be displayed at the bottom of your screen. You can move it
anywhere you would like just as you can with any other window.
Once you have the on-screen keyboard displayed, you can click the "Keyboard" button and select
the type of keyboard to be displayed (see figure #1).
Then, click the "Settings" button to select the mode you would like it to operate in (see figure
#2).
Figure #1
Figure #2
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Note: Using long file names can greatly reduce the figure listed.
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http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
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Go to Start>> Right click My Computer>> Select 'Manage' from the resulting menu.
Once in the console, select Event Viewer. Then double click any highlighted events within the
Application or System categories to view the details on what the problem could be.
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Go to Start>> Right click My Computer>> Select 'Manage' from the resulting menu. Then, open
Services and Applications and click Services. Now the right pane will have all of the services
listed in alphabetical order. To disable a service, right click the entry and select "Stop" from the
resulting menu. If it is already disabled, then "Stop" will be greyed out.
Note: Disable only if your computer is not networked and you are the sole user.
Services:
Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service (slows the hard drive)
Messenger
Net Logon (not necessary unless networked on a domain)
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for added security)
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for added security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for added security)
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for added security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service (this leaves TCP Port 5000 open)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telnet (disabled for added security)
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks)
Workstation
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Choose Hibernate from Shutdown Dialog
If you would like to Hibernate your computer instead of selecting the default "Standby" setting.
You will first need to be sure that Hibernation is enabled in your Power Options. Here's how:
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Power Options>> Hibernate tab>> Place a checkmark next to
"Enable hibernation".
Once Hibernation is enabled, go to the shutdown dialog (Start>> Turn Off Computer) and hold
down the Shift key. Standby will now turn in to Hibernate. Release the Shift key and it changes
back to Standby.
Standby
Standby mode is a power control option created to save energy for laptop computing. When in
Standby mode, your computer is put into a power conservation mode. It will shut down the
monitor and hard disk while keeping track of the files that you currently have open. This is a
great method for taking a break from your computer because the computer wakes up very quickly
from Standby mode. Standby mode is not designed for long term use. Leaving your computer in
Standby mode overnight is probably pushing your laptop batteries limits.
Hibernate
Hibernation mode is also a power control option designed for much longer shutdown periods
without actually shutting down the system completely. When you select the Hibernate option, an
image of your current work is stored in a special file on your hard drive and then the computer is
almost completely shut down. When you wake your computer back up, it will take less time than
a normal Shut Down would, but much longer than from the Standby option because the computer
will go through the actual boot sequence. The benefit of hibernation mode versus actually
shutting down is that you can hibernate while in the middle of a work project without saving the
work. I'm not a big fan of using the Hibernate option, but it is there in the event you need to shut
down for a long period in a big hurry.
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Start>> Control Panel>> Power Options>> Advanced tab>> Uncheck the entry "Prompt for
password when computer resumes from standby".
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Click and hold the click on any chosen file. When you start to drag the file press the:
Control key to force a Copy
Shift key to force a Move
Alt key to force a Create Shortcut
While holding the key down, release the mouse click to complete the operation.
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With all application windows minimized, drag any folder to the edge of your computer screen
(top or right side) and then drop the folder. The folder will now snap into position as a toolbar.
From here, you can drag it towards the center of your screen and it will become a floating toolbar.
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Be sure that your taskbar is unlocked by right clicking an empty area of the toolbar. If there is a
checkmark next to "Lock the Toolbar", then click once on that entry to uncheck it. Then, drag the
desired folder to the space between taskbar button area and the clock. While dragging, you may
see a "no-entry" cursor (which is a circle with a diagonal slash), once that disappears, you can
drop your folder into the taskbar button area. Resize it however you would like. You can even
turn this toolbar into a menu by resizing it until only the name is showing. To delete this button,
simply right click it and select "Close Toolbar".
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1. Go to Start
2. Right click on My Computer
3. You will now see a similar image to that of my illustration below
(Click to enlarge)
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Once you have the information in view, you can Print this information by clicking the Print
button located in the toolbar above the list of information.
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Personally, I prefer a speedier computer than to have my files found a millionth of a second
faster. Here's how to disable this feature:
Note: A quick method of locating items here is to click once in the right pane and then press the
letter "I" on your keyboard. That will take you to the start of the services that start with "I".
The next time you restart your computer, the Indexing Service will not run automatically.
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A Windows setup dialog box will now appear. Here, you can read about the Recovery Console
option. After you're done reading, click YES to confirm the installation.
Once you restart your computer, you will now see "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" on
the startup menu.
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If you are seeing random system crashes or periodical restarts, it may help you to know what the
most common reasons for Windows XP to become unstable.
Bad Memory Module:
Having a bad memory module will cause these issues. To troubleshoot this, you will need to
either swap out a module for a known good module one at a time until you find the bad module.
Or, remove one module at a time and reboot your system. Repeat this process as necessary until
you find the bad module.
Overheating:
Once your systems processor reaches a certain temperature, the system will shut itself down. The
most common reason for overheating is a dirty fan not being able to spin fast enough to cool the
processor. Or, a fan has just gone bad. Once you've gained access to the inside of your case, look
and listen for a faulty fan. If they all appear to be working, it may not be a bad idea to go ahead
and clean them while you are in there.
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The Recovery Console is mostly used for bringing a non-booting machine back from the dead. If
you accidentally deleted a file that is keeping your system from booting, you can use the
Recovery Console to copy the file from your CD-ROM to your hard drive. Or, if a particular
service is preventing proper system function, then you can use the Recovery Console to
reconfigure the service to restore proper system functionality.
In any case, it is important for you to become familiar with the Recovery Console so that you can
restore your computer in the event something should go wrong.
Using either the Microsoft Windows XP startup disks or the Windows XP CD-ROM, you can run
the Recovery Console. Here's how:
Startup Disks:
If you do not have the startup disks, you can use the following MSKB article to create them:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994/
CD-ROM:
If you are going to use the Windows XP CD-ROM to run the Recovery Console, you will first
need to configure your BIOS to start from the CD-ROM.
1. Insert either media method (listed above) into the proper drive.
Note: When using the CD-ROM, select any on-screen options that will allow the computer to
start from the CD-ROM.
2. When you get to the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press R on your keyboard to start the
Recovery Console.
3. If you have a dual-boot or a multi-boot system, select the installation that you need to access
from the Recovery Console.
4. When prompted, enter the administrator password. If there is no password, leave it blank and
just press Enter on your keyboard.
5. This will take you to the command prompt where you can enter the proper command to
diagnose your problem and/or repair your installation.
Note: At the command prompt, you can access a list of command options: type: help
Press ENTER
Note: For information regarding specific commands, type: help commandname (using the actual
command name after "help")
Press ENTER
6. When you are ready to exit the Recovery Console, type: exit
Press ENTER
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Auto Logon to Windows XP
Windows XP has the ability to store your password and other pertinent information in the registry
so that you can automate the logon process. Keep in mind though, while this is a very convenient
method, it has its security risks. Anyone using your computer will have access to your account
and your network. Only use this setting if the other people within your network are trusted.
Warning: This tweak involves editing the Windows registry. Mistakes made while editing can
have serious effects on your Windows installation. Be sure that you have made a backup copy of
the registry prior to making any changes.
Note: If the DefaultPassword entry does not exist. You will need to create this entry. Here's how:
a. Hold your mouse over the right pane and right click an empty area.
b. Click New>> String Value.
c. A new entry at the bottom of the right pane will now appear. Name it DefaultPassword. Press
Enter.
d. Now, double click your new DefaultPassword entry and type in your password in the Value
Data box.
Back in the right pane, locate the entry titled AutoAdminLogon. Double click this entry and
change the value from 0 to 1. Click OK. The "1" entry turns the feature ON and the "0" turns the
feature OFF.
Note: If the AutoAdminLogon entry does not exist, follow the instructions above and create this
new string entry.
Exit the Windows Registry and restart your computer.
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Erase Files from a CD-RW
If you have a computer that is equipped with a CD recorder and it supports CD-RW (re-writable)
discs, then you will be able to easily erase and reuse the CD-RW disc. Here's how:
1. Place the CD-RW disc you would like to reuse in your CD-RW drive.
2. Go to Start>> My Computer
3. In My Computer, right-click the CD-RW drive, and then click Open.
A temporary storage area is now displayed. This storage area is where files are held before they
are copied to the CD. You will find the files listed in the "Files Ready to Be Written to the CD"
box.
5. Click Next. The "Erasing the CD" dialog box is displayed along with a progress bar.
6. When the process is completed, you will receive a message in the notification area. You can
now reuse your CD-RW disc.
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Fortunately, this occurrence does not happen very often at all. But, if you do find an instance
where you have already installed a particular update, but Windows is asking you to install it
again. This is due to an update that did not register correctly.
To fix this, you will need to delete the registry key associated with the update, then reinstall the
update. Here's how:
Warning: Making mistakes while editing the Windows Registry can have serious effects on your
Windows installation. Be sure to make a backup copy prior to making any changes.
At the Windows update web page, note the KB article number (six digits) associated with the
incorrectly registered update.
Click once on the SP2 entry to empty its contents into the right pane.
In the right pane, locate the KB article number that you noted earlier.
Right click the KB article number and select Delete from the resulting menu.
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Note: While in the Desktop Items window, you have an option to run the Desktop Cleanup
Wizard every 60 days. To enable this, place a checkmark in the box under the "Desktop cleanup"
category.
Click the Clean Desktop Now button.
The Desktop Cleanup Wizard will now be evoked. You will see a list of desktop shortcuts that
you haven't used in 60 days. Simply uncheck the ones that you would like to remove and they
will be swept away to a folder called "Unused Desktop Shortcuts". If you ever need to retrieve a
removed shortcut, just drag the shortcut out of the file and back on to your desktop.
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Recover your XP Password
If you have forgotten your XP password, there is a small utility that will recover it for you:
http://www.lostpassword.com/windows-xp-2000-nt.htm
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If it is listed in the BIOS but the CD/DVD Drive no longer functions, then a ribbon cable could
have come loose. If that is not the case either, try uninstalling the device in Device Manager.
Here's how:
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> System>> Hardware tab>> Device Manager button.
In Device Manager, locate and expand the entry titled "DVD/CD-ROM drives".
Right click the appropriate drive and select "Uninstall" from the resulting menu.
When prompted, confirm that you would like to remove the selected device.
At the "Action" menu, select "Scan for hardware changes".
Click out of the Device Manager and the Control Panel.
If none of the above has worked, it is likely that your CD or DVD Drive no longer functions.
Replace the drive with a compatible drive. See your manufactures web site for details.
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Be sure to check to make sure that your hard disk has sufficient space available to create the file
you are trying to create. To check your available hard disk space:
Go to Start>> My Computer
Right click on your primary hard drive (usually C:\).
Check the space available against the file size you are trying to create.
Note: Your hard disk space should have at least twice the available space for the file size you're
trying to create. If you are lacking in hard disk space, then continue reading below.
If the folder you are trying to create a file in has too large of a file size, then Windows will not
accept it. Also, if the folder has any corrupt files in it, new files will not be accepted. To correct
this issue, create a new folder and save your file in the new folder. Here's how:
Note: Do not attempt to try to create a folder within the corrupt folder.
From the application your would like the folder to reside in, go to File>> New>> Folder.
Type the file name for your new folder.
Open both the new folder and the old folder side by side. Drag the file from the old folder (right
click>> Cut) and drop (CTRL>> V) it into the new one.
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Some game manufactures use a copy protection verification test. But with high-speed drives, the
disc may spin so quickly that the test fails. If the test does not pass, the software will not install.
Do get around this issue, try turning off DMA (Direct Memory Access) in your Device Manager.
Here's how:
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> System>> Hardware tab>> Device Manager tab.
Go to the "View" menu and make sure that "View devices by type" is selected.
Expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers entry (double click).
Double click Secondary IDE Channel entry.
Select the Advanced Settings tab.
Under the Device 0 category and next to the Transfer Mode entry, you will find a drop down
menu that lists two entries:
DMA if available
PIO Only
If "DMA if available" is showing, select PIO Only. Click OK.
Exit Device Manager and Control Panel.
Restart your system
Note: Once the verification process completes and your game software is successfully installed,
you can turn DMA back on using the above method.
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Warning: The following tip requires a registry edit. Mistakes made in the Windows registry can
cause serious problems with your operating system. Be sure to make a backup copy of your
registry prior to making any changes.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
Drill down to the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile
Delete the IsShortcut registry value.
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Here's how:
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Mouse>> Pointers tab
Next to Schemes, click the drop-down arrow and select a scheme to preview its pointers.
Click OK to apply the scheme of choice to your desktop.
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Microsoft Narrator
A great accessibility feature for the visually impaired is Microsoft Narrator. To enable this
feature:
Go to Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> Accessibility>> Narrator (alternately, you can press
the Windows key + U).
Once you click on Narrator, it will start automatically. The narrator will guide you through all of
the available options. To disable the Narrator, click Exit of right click and close the taskbar item.
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If you would like to automatically enable the status monitor each time there is an active
connection, here's how:
From the connection properties dialog box, select the "General" tab, then select Properties. Place
a checkmark in the "Show icon in taskbar notification area when connected". Click OK and close
all other networking connection windows.
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It will now permanently reside in the top left pane of your Start Menu. To remove this item from
the Start Menu, just right click it and select Delete.
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If you have more than one computer in your home network and you would like to share the
printer between the two, Windows XP makes this an easy task. Here's how:
Opened the Printers and Faxes folder on the computer that is currently connected to the printer.
Now let's connect to it and print from other computers on the network.
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Desktop themes are predefined elements that help you to personalize the appearance of your
computers desktop, which includes your background, screen saver, icons, colors, mouse pointers
and sounds.
There are many things that you are able to do in Windows XP to personalize your settings. You
can use the Windows Classic look as your theme, or switch to another theme or even modify an
existing theme. You also have the ability to create new themes (that's tomorrows tip!)
Note: A preview of the theme will now be displayed in the Sample box.
3. Select the theme that you want, and then click OK.
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The following list highlights the individual desktop theme elements and their locations on the
Display Properties dialog box tab or in Control Panel:
To change the background design, the color, or the position of the background design on your
screen, click the Desktop tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
To change the icons on your desktop, click the Desktop tab in the Display Properties dialog box,
and then click Customize Desktop.
To change the screen saver, click the Screen Saver tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
To change the color scheme, the window and button styles, or the font size, click the Appearance
tab in the Display Properties dialog box.
To change the color, the size, and the font settings of individual window elements, click the
Appearance tab in the Display Properties dialog box, and then click Advanced.
To change your mouse pointer scheme or the appearance of individual pointers, click the Pointers
tab in the Mouse Properties dialog box. (Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other
Hardware, and then click Mouse.)
To change a sound scheme or to apply a sound to individual program events, click the Sounds tab
in the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box. (Click Start, click Control Panel, click
Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Sounds and Audio Devices.)
When you are finished making your changes, click the Themes tab in the Display Properties
dialog box, then click Apply.
The changes that you make to the theme are saved as Previous theme name (Modified), where
"Previous theme name" is the name of the previous theme. This name is displayed in the Theme
list, and it is the default name of the theme when you modify it but before you save it with a new
name.
Click Save As.
In the Save As dialog box, type a name for your new theme, and then click Save.
Click OK.
Your new theme is displayed in the Theme list and is now applied to your desktop.
New themes are saved in the My Documents folder with the .theme file name extension. For
example, you might name your file MyNewTheme.theme. To open the My Documents folder,
click Start, and then click My Documents.
You can delete any theme that you create, install from a CD-ROM, or download from the
Internet. You cannot delete the themes that are included with Windows XP, such as the Windows
XP and Windows Classic themes.
The desktop theme that you selected is deleted from your hard disk.
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In this first step, you will need to make sure that Windows XP is configured to use drop-shadow
icon titles. Here's how:
Now Windows will not include a rectangular background around the icon text.
In this next step, we will create our invisible title. Since Windows will not accept a space as a file
name, we will need to use a character that is invisible. The ANSI character "0160" is a non-
breaking space and is visually indistinguishable from a space. We will need to insert this ANSI
character into the icon title box, here's how:
Right click an icon and select Rename (or single click the icon and press F2)
Hold down the Alt key and type 0160 on your numeric keypad, then release the Alt key.
Press Enter.
Note: You will now see a highlighted rectangle that represents the invisible title but a single click
on a blank area of your desktop will make this disappear.
To make a second icon have an invisible title, just insert the special ANSI character twice into the
icon title box. (eg: ALT + 01600160) This is necessary because Windows will not allow duplicate
file names.
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Be sure to ask plenty of questions when purchasing a new computer. Feel free to shop around.
The Internet has made shopping for computers very easy and most manufactures web sites have
excellent descriptions and visual references to their systems and system components. If you do a
little homework before you buy your new computer, you will help ensure that your system will
work well for you.
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Click the Screen Saver tab and select My Pictures Slideshow from the Screen Saver drop-down
list.
Click Settings and then indicate the folder on your hard drive with the photos you want to use for
the screensaver. You can also indicate the size and frequency of the photos, also whether or not to
use transition effects.
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You can even add additional toolbars in the existing toolbar by right clicking an empty part and
select "Toolbars". Then simply select a new toolbar or browse for a new toolbar to add.
To delete the new toolbar, right click it and select "Close Toolbar".
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If you need to change this information after Windows has been set up, it will be necessary to
change it in the Windows registry.
Caution: Prior to making changes in the Windows registry, be sure to make a backup copy.
Making errors while following this information can create serious problems in your Windows
installation. Continue at your own risk.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
Single click the "CurrentVersion" entry to empty its contents into the right pane.
In the right pane, locate and double click the entry "RegisteredOrganization".
Under the "Value data" type the new name that you would like to use. Click OK.
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Your program will now launch the way that you have pre-selected.
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The image will now be available to edit. From here you can print it, save it to a file or post it to
the Web like the screen capture below.
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First method:
The next time you start Internet Explorer the Links folder will not be recreated.
Second Method:
Using Windows Explorer find the location of your Favorites folder (e.g. C:\Documents and
Settings\User Name\Favorites) within that folder will be a sub-folder named Links.
Right click the "Links" folder and select Properties. Check the Hidden checkbox and click OK.
From now on the Links folder should be hidden from the Favorites list. This works for any other
folder or link on the favorites menu as well.
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If there are damaged, deleted or corrupt system files involved, Safe Mode may not be an option.
You may need to use the Recovery Console for help.
Note: If your system is a dual-boot or multi-boot system, choose the appropriate installation
using the arrow keys, then press Enter.
Alternate method:
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: msconfig [Enter]
Select the BOOT.INI tab
Check the box titled "/SAFEBOOT"
Click Apply and then exit the Configuration Utility.
Windows will now be configured to restart in Safe Mode and will continue this way until you
uncheck the /SAFEBOOT box.
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Lets take a look at the Taskbar Properties menu and discuss the options within this menu:
Right click on your Start button and select Properties from the resulting menu. Then, click the
Taskbar tab (see Figure #1).
As you will notice, when you select one of the above listed items, Windows will show you a
preview of what the selection will change.
Figure #1
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Pictures are randomly displayed from the My Pictures folder located in My Documents.
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3D Objects
Active Title Bar
Active Window Border
Application Background
Caption Buttons
Desktop
Icon
Icon Spacing (Horizontal)
Icon Spacing (Vertical)
Inactive Title Bar
Inactive Window Border
Menu
Message Box
Palette Title
Selected Items
ToolTip
Window
Note: Not all appearance options will be available for all of the listed options. For example, you
will not be able to change the font on elements that do not display text. This option will be greyed
out.
Once you've selected an item from the listed options, if available for that item, you can make the
following changes (see Figure #1):
Under Item:
Under Font:
When you are finished making all of your changes, click OK twice to save these settings.
Figure #1
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Using the computer that has the printer that you would like to share connected to it. Go to:
Start>> Control Panel>> Printers and Faxes.
In the Printers and Faxes window, right click the default printer and select Sharing.. from the
resulting menu.
In your printers properties window, tick the Share this printer option and click OK.
Your printer will now be available for other computers on your network to print from.
Using the networked computer, connect to your newly created shared printer:
Start>> Control Panel>> Printers and Faxes.
Click Add a Printer.
Using the Add Printer Wizard, choose to browse for a network printer when prompted.
That's it! Enjoy the freedom of printing from any computer within your network.
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Synchronizing Files
Question:
I have two separate computers that I keep photo files on. Is there a way to copy the files from one
to the other so that both computers have the exact same files? Currently, I have many files that
are the same on both, but many are different.
Answer:
Yes, this can be done as long as the file names are intended to be the exact same for both
computers. Here's how:
Copy each file in any folder(s) that you wish to transfer from Computer #1. Paste them into the
folder of choice on Computer #2. Once Windows gives a prompt asking if you wish to overwrite
a file, simply choose Yes to all. Do the same thing from Computer #2 to Computer #1.
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It looks like you are looking for something like the Computer Toolkit for Windows. Computer
Toolkit for Windows was designed to help administrators better manage and secure public
computers, such as those in kiosks, libraries, Internet cafes, schools, etc. But the toolkit is useful
for any situation in which multiple persons use the same computer, including family computing
and small business offices where several employees must use the same machine. [More]
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%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,
Windows will now open Windows Explorer at your root directory by default.
Bonus Tip:
You can customize Windows Explorer to open with any folder you would like. For instance,
let's say I would like Windows Explorer to open with "My Pictures" because I am working
with that folder most often. Simple, just follow the above instructions and replace the
"Target" box text with:
Windows Explorer will now open with your My Pictures folder by default.
(Fig. 1)
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Note: If more than a Properties button should appear, then you are right clicking a program
within the Start Menu.
In some cases, I have seen that the Manufacturer Link does not appear in the Start Menu Items
list. If this is your case, you will need to edit the Windows Registry to enable the Start Menu
Items list option. Before editing the Registry, be sure to save a backup copy to a file.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft
\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartMenu\StartPanel\ShowOEMLink
3. Click the "ShowOEMLink" entry once to empty its contents in the right pane.
4. Double click the entry titled: NoOEMLinkINstalled
5. Change its value from "1" to "0"
6. Exit the Windows Registry Editor and restart Windows
The Manufacturer Link should now be viewable in the "Start Menu Items" dialog. Now you can
uncheck this item to hide it from the Start Menu.
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The Disk Defragmenter is not installed on your computer. To install it, double-click the Add or
Remove Programs icon in Control Panel, click the Install/Uninstall tab, and then follow the
instructions on your screen.
Method #2:
Go to Start>> Run. Copy and paste the following command in to the "Open:" text box:
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Method #1:
Windows will now start the System Restore reinstallation. Restart Windows when the procedure
has completed.
Method #2:
1. Go to Start>> Run. Copy and Paste the following in to the "Open:" line:
Windows will now start the System Restore reinstallation. Restart Windows when the procedure
has completed.
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1. Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Taskbar and Start Menu>> Click the Start Menu tab>> Select
the Customize button>> Click the Advanced tab.
2. Scroll the "Start menu items:" list and under the listing titled: System Administrative Tools,
tick either of the two options listed below:
Display on the All Programs menu
Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\Startupreg
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\Startupfolder
3. Expand the "Startupreg" entry by clicking the "+" symbol. You will now notice all of the
disabled items below. Do the same for the "Startupfolder" entry.
4. Once you have located the invalid entry(s), right click and delete.
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Warning: Be careful when editing the default user profile. The change is permanent, so it is a
good idea to make a backup copy of it so that it can easily be returned to its original configuration
in the event something goes wrong.
Note: Many of the files in the profile are hidden by default, you may need to turn on the option
for showing hidden files and folders, here's how:
Go to Start>> My Computer>> Tools>> Folder Options.
Click the View tab
Under Advanced settings, click the Show Hidden files and folders option.
Click OK.
Logoff of the Administrator account, then log back on using the local account information that
you've just created.
Note: Step #2 is important because if you change the default user profile while logged on as
Administrator, you will cause permission issues.
Go to Start>> My Computer>> Local Drive (usually C:/) >> Documents and Settings>> Default
User.
Modify the Template settings as you wish. This will make all new users share the same default
settings.
Logoff the system, then log back on as Administrator.
You will now need to replace the current default user profile with the one that you have just
created, here's how:
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> System>> Advanced tab
Under User Profiles, click the Settings button.
Under Profiles stored on this computer, click the profile that you've just created. Then, click the
"Copy To" button.
In the "Copy To" window and under the "Copy profile to" option, click the Browse button.
In the "Browse doe Folder window, find your default user folder (C:\Documents and
Settings\Default User folder)
Click OK.
Back in the "Copy To" window and under the "Permitted to use" option, click the Change button.
In the resulting window, click Everyone and then click OK.
Note: If the "Everyone" option is not listed, choose the Advanced option, then click "Find Now".
You should now see the Everyone option. Click OK.
Now, when a new user logs on to the computer, Windows XP will use the customized default user
profile.
Note: This template folder can be copied to any Windows XP based machine.
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When you click on a Mailto: link, you may receive the following error message:
Could not perform this operation because the default mail client is not properly installed
The mail client may also invoke several windows followed by the error message:
Action Cancelled
-or-
Note: The following instructions involves editing the Windows Registry. Please be sure to make a
backup copy before making any changes.
Note: Administrators, be sure that all users have READ access to the following Registry key.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
Navigate to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto
Single click the "mailto" entry to view its contents in the right pane.
Right click an empty portion of the right pane.
Select New>> String Value
Name the new string value: URL Protocol
Exit the Windows Registry.
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"The AWC is designed to do one thing well: allow you to automatically change your desktop
wallpaper on a timed basis. The time between changes is defined as a number of seconds,
minutes or hours.
The displayed image can be stretched or shrunk for the best fit to the screen, optionally
maintaining its aspect ratio, or displayed at its actual size. When displaying a picture the user is
not limited to the centre of the screen, as is usually the case in windows, but can choose to
display it in any of the four corners of the screen or centered on one of the edges. Additionally
you can specify that files smaller than a predefined size should be tiled: again you can specify
how the tiles are justified on the screen rather than simply going from the top left.
Resizing is performed using a range of resampling methods to ensure the best possible results.
After resizing you can apply various levels of sharpening to further improve image quality.
You can further refine the list of files to display by filtering on file date or age and by file name.
For example all files whose name begins 'XMAS' which you've created in the past 30 days.
The AWC is minimized to the system tray rather than to the task bar. To restore it to view just
double-click the icon in the tray or right click to pop up a menu.
There's even a full set of command line switches so you can customize multiple shortcuts.
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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
Single click the entry titled: Command Processor to empty its contents in to the right pane.
In the right pane, double click the entry titled: Autorun
Double click the Autorun entry.
Place the actual path that you would like the command prompt to start at in to the "Value data:"
text box.
Exit the Windows Registry.
Example: To set the Startup Directory at: C:\Windows, enter CD /d C:\Windows in the Value data
text box.
Note: If the Autorun entry is not present, create a new string. Here's how:
Right click an empty area of the right pane.
Select New>> String value
Name the new string value: Autorun
Continue with Step #5 above.
Fig #1
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Be sure to make a backup copy of your registry prior to making any changes to it.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory
Management
3. Click once on the entry titled: "Memory Management". Its contents will now appear in the
right pane.
4. In the right pane. Locate an entry titled: "ClearPageFileAtShutdown". Right click this entry
and select "Modify".
5. Chance the Value to "1". This will enable this feature.
6. Exit the Windows Registry and reboot your system.
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Clear Corrupt Event Log Files
A handy Administrative tool for troubleshooting is the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
When viewing your event logs in the Event Viewer, you may come across one or more corrupt
log files. Here is how you can clear these corrupt log files:
Go to Start>> Administrative Tools>> Event Viewer
With the Event Viewer open, locate the corrupt log file.
Right click the corrupt log file and select Properties.
Click the "Clear" button.
Note: It is not possible to rename or delete log files while the Event Log service is running.
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<>If you DO NOT want a page file on this drive, tick the No paging file radio button and then
click the Set button. The following message should now appear:
If the paging file on volume C: has an initial value 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?
Select Yes.
<>If you DO want to keep the page file on this drive, select the Custom size button, then enter a
size of equal or greater value of the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) that you
currently have installed on your system in to the "Initial size (MB)" text box. Enter the same
value for your maximum size, then click the Set button.
The following message should now appear:
The changes you have made require you to restart your computer before they can take effect.
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Protect your data during a power outage
I'm sure that many of you have been victims of data loss due to a power outage. In some cases,
devastated by this event. Most people that need certain safe guards from power outages use a
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). It used to be that a UPS would only be used at places such
as data centers or critical business applications. Since the cost of a UPS has come down
considerably over the years, this is now a cost effective solution for personal computers too.
A UPS is nothing more than a battery backup. So, knowing that the UPS is giving you 'battery'
power during a power outage, you know that you are not going to be able to continue working on
your computer, but you will have enough time to save the work that you've already started. That
is its sole purpose.
If you have unsaved data and are away from your computer during a power outage, you can
configure your 'Power Option' settings to ensure that your computer will go in to Hibernate mode
before the battery backup power is gone. Once a computer enters Hibernate mode, it takes all of
the data that is in memory and stores it on your hard drive. Here is how to configure this setting:
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Performance and Maintenance>> Power Options.
In Power Option Properties, select the Hibernate tab.
Place a checkmark in the checkbox titled: Enable hibernation. Click Apply
Click the Power Schemes tab.
In the Power Schemes drop down menu, select Max Battery from the list.
In the "System hibernates" category, select a time that is less than your maximum backup battery
life. Click Apply
Exit all windows.
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Store all of your passwords on one secure database
If you have a long list of user names and passwords used for a variety of different frequently
accessed programs, then it will interest you to know that there is a free utility that uses a high
level encryption to keep these sensitive items safely stored in its database. This free utility is
called "KeePass". It is an open-source password manager designed to store all of your passwords
and user names in a safe and secure way, and all on one database.
Download: http://keepass.info/download.html
Note: To get familiar with this powerful utility, you can browse their help files. Click on the "?"
for help.
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TweakUI PowerToy for Windows XP
The developers of the Windows XP Operating System have made available to the general public
and for free, a powerful tool that makes performing certain changes to the user interface (UI) a
simple process. Many people do not feel comfortable making changes to the user interface
through the Windows Registry, so this is a perfectly safe alternative. While browsing the
TweakUi utility, you can find many helpful descriptions of what certain changes are and how
they effect the operating system.
As you navigate through the many categories, just know that any change you make can be
undone by simply reversing the step in which you made the change. In most cases, a change is
made in just a couple of mouse clicks.
There are many useful tweaks that aide in the customization of the operating system to create
either better performance or improve functionality. But, since tweaking is more of a personal
preference, I will leave it to you to explorer the hundreds of possibilities on your own. Click the
following link for a free TweakUI download for Windows XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx [Top]
There are a number of different switches that you can use to perform different functions in
Windows Explorer. Below you will see the switch and a description of its function:
explorer /n
This switch uses the default setting for showing only the root of the drive that Windows is
installed.
explorer /e
This switch also uses the default setting for exposing the root drive. However, you can easily
switch folders in this view as both the right and left panes are viewable.
explorer /e,c:\windows
In this example, Windows Explorer will open the Windows folder in the root drive.
explorer /e,c:\windows\fonts
This example shows that you can go a step further and open Windows Explorer with the focus on
the "Fonts" folder held within the Windows folder of the root drive. Replace "fonts" with any
other folder within the Windows folder that you would like to view.
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Your newly created folder will now reside within the taskbar. To easily see the contents of this
folder, click the double arrows (usually to the right of the name) to view its contents. If you
would like to remove this new folder from the taskbar, right click an empty portion of the taskbar
and select Toolbars. Then click the "New Folder" entry within the resulting list.
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You will now see an "Applying Attributes" window that will remove all of the indexing on the
selected drive. It is possible that you could see some errors resulting from the indexing removal.
Do not be alarmed, the errors are a result of either that a file is write protected and could not have
indexing removed or possibly a file is currently in use and cannot be changed.
To continue, we need to turn the actual Indexing Service off. Here's how:
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: services.msc [Enter] or click OK.
With the Services window open, scroll the list of services until you find "Indexing Service".
Double click the Indexing Service entry.
In the resulting Properties menu, click the drop down menu titled: "Startup type:
Select "Disabled".
Click Apply and exit all windows.
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BIOS Settings
As your system boots, Windows has created a method to gain access to the BIOS settings. Most
commonly, this entails pressing the DELETE key on your keyboard repeatedly as the system
boots. If you have created a BIOS password, you will be prompted as some point to enter it. If
you have forgotten your BIOS password, we have a web page that can help:
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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Single left click the "Desktop" entry to empty its contents in to the right pane.
Scroll the right pane to locate an entry titled: MenuShowDelay
Double click MenuShowDelay.
Change the "value data" number. The default delay value for the start menu is 400. Select a lesser
number to speed this process. I've got mine set to 0.
Click OK and exit the Registry Editor.
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"-Shortcut" Fix
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rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
Note: It may be best to copy and paste the command (above) for accuracy sake.
Click Next
Enter a name for your new shortcut (eg: Lock System).
Click Finish
Alternately, you can always just press the Windows key + "L" on your keyboard which will do
the very same thing. Some people just like having the shortcut to click.
Now that you have the Shortcut residing on your Desktop. You can change the actual icon to
something other than the default icon. Here's how:
Right click the new shortcut on your Desktop.
Select Properties.
Select the Shortcut tab
Click the Change Icon button.
In the textbox titled: "Look for icons in this file", type in: shell32.dll
Click OK
Click any of the available icons from the list.
Click OK
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Important: Be sure to store this disk in a safe place. Anyone having access to it can easily access
your information.
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Reformat your dates
Excel 2000 has some new four-digit date formats. To reformat your dates, go to the Format menu,
select Cells, click the Number tab, and select Date from the Category list. Scroll down the Type
list to view the available four-digit formats. You can also format dates on the fly if you enter your
data using the syntax m/d/yyyy.
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3D Objects:Sets the background color of the Excel row numbers and column letters, and also the
inactive sheet tabs. The font color sets the color of the row numbers and column letters, and the
text on inactive sheet tabs.
Selected Items:Sets the color of the highlighting Excel uses to indicate which cells are selected.
This highlighting is a muted version of the color you specify.
ToolTip:Sets the default background color for worksheet comments. The font color sets the
default color for comment text. You can also change the background and font colors for
individual comments. For more information about changing comment colors, type format
comments in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Excel Help window, click
Search, and then click the topic "Change the appearance of a comment."
Window:Sets the sheet background color. The font color sets the default color for data you enter
in cells, and the color of the text on the active sheet tab. You can also change font and
background colors for individual cells or an entire sheet. For more information about changing
colors of cells and worksheets, type format worksheets in the Office Assistant or on the Answer
Wizard tab in the Excel Help window, and then click Search.
Changing the gridline color: You can set this color in Excel. On the Tools menu, click Options,
click the View tab, and, under Window options, click the color you want in the Color list.
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Type a line break: Press ALT+ENTER to start a new line while you're typing or editing data.
Wrap text automatically: Click the cell, click Cells on the Format menu, click the Alignment tab,
and then select the Wrap text check box. Data in the cell will then wrap to fit the column width.
You can make the column wider or narrower to adjust the width of the data. For more
information, type change column width in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the
Excel Help window, and then click Search.
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Have you ever had a column of text that you wanted to move into a row so that you could use the
text as column labels in a table? Or, have you ever had a row of data that you wanted to move
into a table in which the data is organized in columns? It would be tedious to move the data
manually, one item at a time. Instead, you can use the Paste Special command to transpose a
column of data to a row of data, and vice versa.
Follow these steps to transpose a row of data into a column or data, or vice versa:
Select the cells that you want to switch.
Click Copy on the Edit menu.
Select the upper-left cell of the paste area. The paste area must be outside the copy area.
On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
Select the Transpose check box.
Data from the top row of the copy area appears in the left column of the paste area, and data from
the left column appears in the top row.
For more information on options in the Paste Special dialog box, click the ? in the upper-right
corner of the dialog box, and then click the option you want to learn more about.
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Be sure to use number format for the cell where you enter this formula (click Cells on the Format
menu, click the Number tab, and then click Number under Category). If you don't format the cell
with number format, Excel assumes the result has the same format as the cells used in the
calculation, and displays the result as a date instead of a number.
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In Microsoft Excel, you can calculate a running (or cumulative) total in a column or row of cells
by using a combination of absolute and relative references in a formula that uses the SUM
function. A B
1 100 100
2 200 300
3 300 600
4 400 1000
5 500 1500
For example, to keep a running total of cells A1 through A5 in column B (for example, B1
contains the value from A1, B2 contains A1+A2, B3 contains A1+A2+A3, etc.), set up the
worksheet as follows:
Enter the formula=SUM($A$1:A1) into cell B1, as shown here. A B
1 100 =SUM($A$1:A1)
2 200
3 300
4 400
5 500
A B
1 100 =SUM($A$1:A1)
2 200
3 300
4 400
5 500
The $A$1 (absolute reference) will be constant in each cell, while the A1 (relative reference) will
be updated in each successive cell to refer to the adjacent cell in column A, as shown here:
A B
1 100 =SUM($A$1:A1)
2 200 =SUM($A$1:A2)
3 300 =SUM($A$1:A3)
4 400 =SUM($A$1:A4)
5 500 =SUM($A$1:A5)
For more information on using absolute and relative references in Excel, type cell and range
references in the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Excel Help window, and
then click Search. For more information on the SUM function, type SUM worksheet function in
the Office Assistant or on the Answer Wizard tab in the Excel Help window, and then click
Search.
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