[b]◄█Ultimate Microsoft Windows XP Tips and Tricks█►[/b] [b]Stage 1[/b] [spoiler][b]Formatting a Partition Greater than 32 GIGs with FAT32 Added 4/27/02[/b] WindowsXP will only format a partition greater than 32 GIGs as NTFS. If you want to format it with FAT32: You can use a regular Win98 Boot disk and use that version of FDISK to create the partition (with Large Hard Drive Support) Reboot with the same boot disk and format WindowsXP will then be able to use the partition with no problems [b]Adding SafeBoot to the Boot Menu Added 4/23/02[/b] You can add Safeboot as an option to the normal XP boot screen Open a command prompt Copy the current c:\boot.ini to another name (just in case) With your favorite text editor, edit c:\boot.ini Copy then edit the current boot line to another line. For example: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect might copy and then change to: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Safeboot" /fastdetect Start MSCONFIG Click on the BOOT.INI tab Highlight the second line with the additional name of Safeboot Check the /SAFEBOOT box with option you want Minimal - Minimal set of drivers Network - With Network Support Dsrepair - Directory Services Repair Minimal (Alternate Shell) - Standard Explorer Desktop You will now have this option every time you start XP [b] No GUI Boot Added 4/23/02[/b] If you don't need to see the XP boot logo, Run MSCONFIG Click on the BOOT.INI tab Check the box for /NOGUIBOOT [b] Speeding the Startup of Some CD Burner Programs Added 4/23/02 [/b] If you use program other than the native WindowsXP CD Burner software, you might be able to increase the speed that it loads. Go to Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Services Double-click on IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service For the Startup Type, select Disabled Click on the OK button and then close the Services window If you dontYou should notice [b Getting Rid of Unread Email Messages Updated 4/20/02] [/b] To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names: Start Regedit For a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail For all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail Create a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDays Give it a value of 0 [b] Using the Internet Explorer Classic Search Added 4/20/02 [/b] If you want to use the classic search engine in the Internet Explorer Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main If it is not there, create a String Value of Use Search Asst Give it a value of no [b] Logging in as Administrator Added 4/11/02 [/b] If you want to log in as Administrator, but it is not show on the Welcome screen, Hold the Ctrl-Alt key and press Del twice. This will bring up the normal login and you can log on as Administrator To unhide the Administrator account show it does show up: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList Unhide the Administrator key by giving it a value of 1 [b] Correcting Fast User Switching Error Added 4/11/02 [/b] If you are getting an error that: A recently installed program has disabled the Welcome screen and Fast User Switching with a reference to CSGina.DLL Start Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon Delete the key GinaDLL [b] Using the Classic Search in Explorer Added 4/11/02 [/b] If you prefer to use the classic search style in Explorer, Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState Add a String Key called Use Search Asst Give it a value of no [b] No To All When Overwriting Files Added 4/5/02 [/b] When overwriting files in the Windows Explorer, there is an option for Yes To All. This would overwrite any files you would normally be prompted for. To have No To All, simply hold down the Shift key while you click on the No option. [b] Re-Installing User Login Pictures Added 4/5/02 [/b] Normally WindowsXP shows assigned pictures for each user on the system. If you have deleted your user pictures, want to know the location, or need to reinstall them, they are stored in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\Default Pictures directory. If you need to reinstall them, they can be expanded from the source CD. The actual files are: airplane.bmp astronaut.bmp ball.bmp butterfly.bmp cat.bmp fish.bmp pink flower.bmp guitar.bmp snowflake.bmp beach.bmp car.bmp chess.bmp dirt bike.bmp dog.bmp drip.bmp duck.bmp frog.bmp horses.bmp kick.bmp lift-off.bmp palm tree.bmp red flower.bmp skater.bmp [b] WINIPCFG for XP Added 4/1/02 [/b] If you like the graphic IP configuration program that comes with Windows98, you can download a similar one for WindowsXP or Windows2000 from Microsoft at: <http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/wntipcfg-o.asp> The actual file is at: WntIpcfg_setup.exe <http://download.microsoft.com/download/win2000platform/wntipcfg/1.00.0.1/nt5/en-us/WntIpcfg_setup.exe> [b] Search Companion Error Added 4/1/02 [/b] When doing a file search, if you get the error A File That Is Required to Run Search Companion Cannot Be Found Log on as an Administrator Click Start Select Run Enter in the command - %systemroot%\inf Right-click the Srchasst.inf file Click Install [b] Installing the Backup Program on the Home Version Added 4/1/02 [/b] By default, the NTBACKUP program is not installed on the home version. You can find it on the CD in the \VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP directory [b] Changing Drive Letters Added 3/30/02 [/b] If you want to change the letters assigned to your fixed or removable drives: Right Click on My Computer Select Manage Select Disk Management For a Fixed Disk: Select it Right click Select Change Drive Letter and Path Click on the Edit button Enter in the letter you want to use For a Removable Disk: In the lower, right hand panel, right click on the Disk or CD ROM # Select Change Drive Letter and Path Click on the Edit button Enter in the letter you want to use [b] Turn off the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer as the Default Image Viewer Updated 3/29/02 [/b] You can also change the file associations for the specific file types you want. Open the Windows Explorer Go to Tools / Folder Options / File Types Scroll down to the extension you want to change Click on the Change button Select the program you want to associate with that extension Click on the OK button Added 3/4/02 If the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is set as the default for many of your graphic file types, you can remove it so other graphics programs can be used. Run Regedit Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / SystemFileAssociations / image / ShellEx / ContextMenuHandlers Delete the key ShellImagePreview [b] Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords Added 3/23/02 [/b] Although you can log in locally without a password, by default, WindowsXP Pro does not allow network users to access the computer without a password. Typically you will receive an Unknown error 31 if this is the case. To change this setting: Run gpedit.msc Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options Double click on Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only Disable this option [b] Changing the Default DOS Window Properties Added 3/22/02 [/b] If you want to change the default DOS windows properties like: • Size • Color • Font • Buffer Size • Window / Full Screen Open up a DOS window Right click on the Title Bar Select Defaults Make any of the changes you like All subsequent DOS windows will assume these defaults [b] Changing the Registered Owner Added 3/20/02 [/b] Start Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion From there you can edit the name in the Registered Owner key [b] Stop Password Expiration Added 3/18/02 [/b] If you are getting an error message that your password is about to expire: Right click on the My Computer icon Select Manage Go to Local Users and Groups / Users Right-click on the user you want to change Select Properties On the General tab, check Password never expires Click OK [b] Opening a Command Prompt to a Particular Directory from Explorer Added 3/18/02 [/b] If you want to open a command prompt to a directory that is selected in the Explorer: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Directory \ shell Create a new key called Command Give it the value of the name you want to appear in the Explorer. Something like Open DOS Box Under this create a new key called command Give it a value of " cmd.exe cd %1 " (no quotes) Now when you are in the Explorer, right click on a folder, select Open DOS Box, and a command prompt will open to the selected directory. [/spoiler] Stage 2 [spoiler] [b] Adding Time Servers Added 3/18/02 [/b] With WindowsXP, you can double-click on the time in the System Tray and connect to Time Servers on the Internet to synchronize with. To add to the list of available servers: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DateTime\Servers Add new string keys named 2, 3, etc. with a value of the time server you want to use. [b] Creating a Boot Floppy Added 3/14/02 [/b] To create a bootable floppy from within WindowsXP: Insert a floppy into the A: drive Open the Explorer Right click on the A: Drive Select Format Check Create an MS-DOS startup disk Click on the Start button This will create a Millennium boot disk [b] Changing the Login Screen Saver Added 3/8/02 [/b] If you want to change the screen saver that runs at the login prompt: Start Regedit Go to HK_USERS / .DEFAULT / Control Panel / Desktop Double click on SCRNSAVE.EXE Enter in the screen saver you want to use [b] Running NetMeeting Added 3/8/02 [/b] To run NetMeeting: Do a Start / Run Enter conf Answer the prompts along the way for name, e-mail etc. [b] Set the Online Registration as Being Completed Added 3/4/02 [/b] You can set WindowsXP to assume the online registration has been completed. Run Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion Create a String Value called RegDone Give it a value of 1 [b] Decreasing Boot Time Added 3/4/02 [/b] Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXP The program is called BootVis <http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/bootvis_file.exe> Uncompress the file. Run BOOTVIS.EXE For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup. Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line) Then run Trace / Optimize System Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays Note how much the time has decreased Mine went from approximately 39 to 30 seconds. [b] Re-Enabling System Restore Added 3/3/02 [/b] If you previously disabled system restore through the Group Policy Editor, the option to start it again does not show in the System Properties. You can re-enable it again by: Run the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) Go to Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / System / System Restore Set Turn off System Restore and Turn off Configuration to Disable Right click on My Computer Select Manage Go to Services and Applications / Services Scroll down to System Restore Service Set it for Automatic Click on the Start button to start the service Close down this window Go back to the Group Policy Editor and configure both to Not configured Now when you right click on My Computer, there should be a tab for System Restore and you can configure how much space will be used. [b] Hide/Unhide Logon Names Added 3/3/02 [/b] If you want to hide or unhide the names of users that are displayed on the initial logon screen: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList Add a DWORD with the name of the user account you want to hide Make sure it has a value of 0 If there is an existing account, you can unhide it by giving it a value of 1 [b] Reinstalling the TCP/IP Protocol Added 3/2/02 [/b] If you've worked on previous versions of Windows, there are times when you need to completely reinstall the TCP/IP protocol stack. This is typically due to corrupted files. To do this with XP, you need to run a small script: netsh int ip reset [ log_file_name ] the log_file_name needs to be specified. e.g. netsh int ip reset ip_reset.txt [b] Renaming the Start Button Added 2/25/02 [/b] To rename the start button, you will need a hex editor. My preference is UltraEdit Copy the \windows\explore.exe file to a new name (e.g. explorer_1.exe) With the hex editor, open that file and go to offset 412b6 You will see the word start with blanks between each letter Edit it be any 5 characters or less Save the file Boot to DOS Copy the existing c:\windows\explorer.exe to explorer.org Copy explorer_1.exe to explorer.exe You will also need to replace the explorer.exe in the c:\windows\system32\dllcache file as well with the new one. Note: If the partition is NTFS and you can't access the files from DOS: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon. Change the value of Shell from Explorer.exe to explorer_1.exe [b] Rollback a Device Driver Added 2/18/02 [/b] If you install a device drive that does not work correctly, you can restore the previous one fairly easily. Log in with an administrator account Right click on My Computer Select Properties Click on the Hardware tab Click on the Device Manager button Go to the device you want to reconfigure Click on the Driver tab Click on the Roll Back Drive button [b] Selecting What Details to Display in the Explorer Added 2/3/02 [/b] To add or remove items to be displayed in the Explorer when using the Details View Start the Explorer Go to View / Choose Details Right click on the columns by Name and check or uncheck any item you want displayed Available options are: • Owner • Name • Size • Type • Date Modified • Status • Attributes • Author • Title • Subject • Category • Pages • Comments • Copyright • Date Created • Date Accessed • Attributes • Artist • Album Title • Year • Track Number • Genre • Duration • Bit Rate • Protected • Camera Model • Date Picture Taken • Dimensions • Company • Description • File Version • Product Name • Product Version [b] Closing Multiple Taskbar Items Submitted 2/3/02 [/b] If you hold down the Control Key when you click on the taskbar icons, it selects multiple tasks. Then you can simply right-click on the selected items and choose close group. This tip works with all windows, not just one applications. If you have the cal, ie, notepad and solitaire open, it will close them all, unlike the group similar items command that only lets you close all of one type (ex: all IE or all notepads). Submitted by Terry Cadieux <mailto:netfinder@sympatico.ca> [b] Remembering Outlook / Outlook Express Password Submitted 1/26/02 [/b] On systems, Outlook or Outlook Express will not remember the e-mail password, which would then need to be entered in each time. To solve the problem: Open Registry Editor Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft Right Click Protected Storage System Provider Choose the Permissions option Click the Advanced box near the bottom right hand corner. This should open another box, Towards the bottom of this box there should be two tick boxes, make sure that both of them are ticked. Click Apply, another box will open Click Yes, then Click OK and OK again. Left Click the + next to Protected Storage System Provider and Delete any sub folder in this tree. (Right clicking and choose the delete option or press the delete key and choosing yes to delete) Shutdown and Restart Computer. Submitted by Naste <mailto:naste1@ihug.co.nz> [b] Turning Off the Firewall Added 1/26/02 [/b] If you want to turn off the firewall for your computer: Go to Start / Settings / Network Connections Right click on the network connection you want to change Select Properties Click on the Advanced tab Uncheck the box in Internet Connection Firewall [b] Grouping Similar Taskbar Buttons Added 1/26/02 [/b] When you open more than one document in the same program and then minimize each document, rather that showing separate icons on the taskbar for each document, WindowsXP groups them under a single icon for that application. If you want to group, or ungroup, similar taskbar buttons, Right click on the Taskbar Select Properties Check or Uncheck Group similar taskbar buttons [b] Turning Off the Guest Account Added 1/22/02 [/b] For security purposes, you might want to turn off the Guest account Open up the Control Panel Click on User Accounts Click on Change an account Click on the Guest account Click Turn off the guest account [b] Original NT Style Logon Screen Updated 1/19/02 [/b] If you want to have the original NT style windows logon screen with XP, simply hold the Ctrl-Alt keys and press the delete key twice. The following Update Submitted by: Steven Pennypacker <mailto:spennypacker@nc.rr.com> To make a permanent change so the logon screen is always like the traditional NT4/2000 style: Go to the Control Panel Open up User Accounts Click Change the way users log on and off Uncheck Use the Welcome screen Click on Apply Options [b] Turning Off the Built-In CD Burner Added 1/15/02 [/b] If you want to turn off the ability to using the built-in CD burner software that comes with WindowsXP: Open up the Explorer Right click on the drive that is your CD burner Select Properties Click on the Recording tab Uncheck Enable CD recording on this drive [b] Hiding System Tray Icons Added 1/10/02 [/b] With WindowsXP, you can manually select how you want individual icons in the System Tray to be displayed. Right click on the Taskbar Select Properties Check Hide inactive icons Click on the Customize button This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to select one of three options for your applications: Hide when inactive, Always hide, or always show Highlight current or past applications and make any changes you like. A small arrow will now appear in the System Tray that will allow you to show or hide these icons. [b] Faster Task Switching [/b] Added 1/6/02 If you installed WindowsXP Power Tools from Microsoft, when you press Alt-Tab to switch between running applications, you get a screen that shows a small graphic of the window that is of that application along with its icon. This also takes a long time to display. (Or at least longer than I'm comfortable with) You can speed this up and revert back to previous ways task switching is displayed. To Turn This Off After Your Reboot: Run MSCONFIG Click on the Startup tab Uncheck Taskswitch Click on the OK button If you want to keep working, click on Exit without Restart To Turn This Off Immediately: Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete Click on the Processes tab Highlight TaskSwitch.exe Click on the End Process tab Click on the Yes button [/spoiler] Stage 3 [spoiler] [b] WindowsXP Command Line Utilities [/b] Added 1/5/02 While there are a lot of command line utilities in WindowsXP, here are some that I have been using lately. bootcfg - Configures, queries, or changes Boot.ini file settings. driverquery - Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties. getmac - Returns the media access control (MAC) address and list of network protocols associated with each address for all network cards in each computer gpresult - Displays Group Policy settings and Resultant Set of Policy (RSOP) for a user or a computer netsh - You can use commands in the Netsh Interface IP context to configure the TCP/IP protocol schtasks - Schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a specific time systeminfo - Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system [b] Disabling Error Reporting [/b] Added 12/5/01 By default, WindowsXP will request to report application errors to Microsoft. To turn this off: Right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop Select Properties / Advanced Click on the Error Reporting tab Check Disable error reporting [b] Adding a Title for the Command Prompt Title Bar [/b] Added 11/27/01 If you create a batch file that might take a while to run, you can add a title to the command prompt title bar it by simply adding the line: title YOUR TEXT where YOUR TEXT would be replaced by whatever text you want to show. [b] Increasing Graphics Performance [/b] Added 11/27/01 By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items. Most simply slow down their display. To turn these off selectively: Right click on the My Computer icon Select Properties Click on the Advanced tab Under Performance, click on the Settings button To turn them all of, select Adjust for best performance My preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging [b] Creating an Automated Install of WindowsXP [/b] Added 11/12/01 On the WindowsXP CP, in the SUPPORT\TOOLS directory, there is a file called DEPLOY.CAB. Extract the programs DEPLOY.CHM (help file) and SETUPMGR.EXE (main program) Run SETUPMGR and answer the prompts. This will create both a unattend.bat and unattend.txt file you can use for automated installs. Note: The batch file might need some minor modification for file locations but it is fairly basic. [b] Creating a Shutdown/Reboot Icon [/b] Added 11/11/01 WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer. To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop: Right click on an open area of the desktop Select New / Shortcut Enter in "shutdown -s -t 00" - no quotes Press the Next button For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button. For a reboot, enter "shutdown -r -t 00" Shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}] [-f] [-m [\\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy] Parameters • -l - Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence. • -s - Shuts down the local computer. • -r - Reboots after shutdown. • -a - Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period. • -f - Forces running applications to close. • -m [\\ComputerName] - Specifies the computer that you want to shut down. • -t xx - Sets the timer for system shutdown in xx seconds. The default is 20 seconds. • -c "message" - Specifies a message to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. You can use a maximum of 127 characters. You must enclose the message in quotation marks. [b] Command Line Help Reference [/b] Added 11/11/01 To get a quick help for all the commands you can enter from WindowsXP, simply create a shortcut: hh.exe ms-its:C:\WINDOWS\Help\ntcmds.chm::/ntcmds.htm [b] Using the System File Checker [/b] Added 11/11/01 You can run the System File Checker to verify protected system files. Command line switches are: sfc [/scannow] [/scanonce] [/scanboot] [/revert] [/purgecache] [/cachesize=x] • /scannow - Scans all protected system files immediately. • /scanonce - Scans all protected system files once. • /scanboot - Scans all protected system files every time the computer is restarted. • /revert - Returns the scan to its default operation. • /purgecache - Purges the Windows File Protection file cache and scans all protected system files immediately. • /cachesize=x - Sets the size, in MB, of the Windows File Protection file cache. [b] Disabling Balloon Tips [/b] Added 11/9/01 To turn off balloon tips in applications that support XP Themes: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\ Change the value of EnableBalloonTips from 1 to 0 [b] Speeding Up the Display of Start Menu Items [/b] Added 11/8/01 An easy way to speed up the display of the Start Menu Items is to turn off the menu shadow. Right click on an open area of the Desktop Select Properties Click on the Appearance tab Click on the Effects button Uncheck Show shadows under menus [b] Installing the NetBEUI Protocol [/b] Added 11/7/01 Microsoft no longer supports the NetBEUI protocol as part of WindowsXP. You can add it as a installable protocol by going to the VALUEADD \ MSFT \ NET \ NETBEUI directory on the CD ROM. Note: %SYSTEMROOT% refers to the drive and directory where you installed WindowsXP. Typically this is in the C:\WINDOWS directory Copy the nbf.sys into the %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ directory Copy netnbf.inf into the %SYSTEMROOT%\INF\ directory Open the Network connection properties for your local area network and use "Install..." button to add NetBEUI protocol I included a zipped file <software/xp_netbeui.zip> with the above files and a simple batch file to copy both to the appropriate directories [b] Setting System Time Over the Internet [/b] Added 11/5/01 You can set your system clock to a time server on the Internet. Double-click the time on your taskbar Click the Internet Time tab Check Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server Click on the Update Now button [b] Creating a Password Recovery Disk [/b] Added 11/5/01 In case you forget your password, you can create a password recovery floppy disk beforehand to help you out of this problem. Single-click Start menu Go to the Control Panel / User Accounts Click the User Account On the left hand side, click on Prevent forgotten password You will need to know your password to create the disk. If you don't remember your password sometime in the future, click on the green arrow like normal at the login and you will be prompted to insert the password recover disk. [b] Changing the Default Search Settings [/b] Added 11/5/01 By default, when you start a search, you are prompted for what you want to search for. (e.g. Pictures, Documents, Files, Computers) To change the preferences, simply click on Change preferences From here you can: Turn off the animated screen character Change files and folders search behavior (setting it to Advanced changes the default search screen to be for simply files) Internet search settings Turn off balloon tips [b] Opening an Explorer Window to the Directory You Want [/b] Added 9/4/01 If you want to create a shortcut for the Explorer to a specific directory, include the directory you want in the Target. For example: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, d:\internet would open the Explorer to the D:\INTERNET directory [b] Disabling Hibernation [/b] Added 8/20/01 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 icon Uncheck Enable Hibernation [b] Locking the Workstation [/b] Added 8/19/01 There are two ways you can lock the workstation. With a Windows key + L Create an shortcut rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation [b] Changing the Picture Displayed for a User [/b] Added 8/19/01 You can change the picture that gets displayed for a particular user Go to the Control Panel Select User Accounts Click on the Account to change Click on Change my picture You can then browse to the picture you want to use [b] Displaying the QuickLaunch Toolbar [/b] Added 8/16/01 By default, WindowsXP does not show the QuickLaunch toolbar. To enable it again: Right click on an open area of the toolbar Select Toolbars Select Quick Launch Now you can add programs like with Win98 [b] Increasing System Performance [/b] Added 8/16/01 If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance by having the core system kept in memory. Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive Set the value to be 1 Reboot the computer [b] Clearing the Page File on Shutdown [/b] Added 8/16/01 If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdown Set the value to 1 [b] Removing the MSN Messenger [/b] Added 8/16/01 If you want to remove the MSN Messenger from always starting in the system tray, do Start / Run Then enter in the following string: RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove To remove it completely, see the section Adding / Removing Additional Programs Remove the hide from the line: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 [b] Common Command Console Utilities [/b] Added 8/16/01 WindowsXP comes with quite a few console utilities you can easily run from the command line: Computer Management - compmgmt.msc Disk Managment - diskmgmt.msc Device Manager - devmgmt.msc Disk Defrag - dfrg.msc Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc Group Policies - gpedit.msc Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc Resultant Set of Policies - rsop.msc Local Security Settings - secpol.msc Services - services.msc Component Services - comexp.msc [b] Automatically Ending Non-Responsive Tasks [/b] Added 8/16/01 Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks Set the value to be 1 In the same section, change the WaitToKillAppTimeout to the number of milliseconds you want. [b] Changing the Internet Explorer Title [/b] Added 8/16/01 Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window Title Enter what you want appear in the title bar [b] Changing Visual Effects [/b] Added 8/16/01 To change visual effects such as fade menus, mouse shadow, visual styles on buttons, drop shadows for icons, slide open boxes and buttons etc.: Right click on My Computer Select Properties Click on the Advanced tab Under Performance, click on the Settings button From here you have a list of items you can select [b] Changing System Restore Settings [/b] Added 8/16/01 By default, WindowsXP uses a large amount of hard drive space for storing system restore points. If this is not necessary, you can change the settings. Go to Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools Run System Restore For each drive or partition, you can click on the Setting button to change how much hard drive space is devoted to each one. There is even the option to turn it off for all drives. [b] Configuring the Firewall [/b] Added 8/16/01 WindowsXP has firewall capabilities built into the operating system. For your network connection to the Internet, select Properties Click on the Advanced tab Check the Internet Connection Firewall section Click on the Settings button to change the settings [b] Changing Programs That Start Automatically [/b] Added 8/16/01 WindowsXP has a similar program, MSCONFIG, that was available in Windows98. This allows you to view and change what programs are automatically started each time you log in. The new version also allows you to view and edit the boot.ini file (as well as check for errors and use several advanced switches) [b] Adding / Removing Additional Programs [/b] Added 8/16/01 By default, WindowsXP does not display all the programs you can add or remove. To show this list: Edit the \Windows\Inf\sysoc.inf file In the Components section, simply remove the word hide. This will leave two commas together (like on the rest of the items). Then you can go to the Control Panel / Add or Remove Programs / Add/Remove Windows Components and the new items will be displayed. [Components] NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4 WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7 Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7 Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7 NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7 iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7 com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7 dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7 IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7 TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2 msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6 ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7 fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7 AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7 msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 msnexplr=ocmsn.dll,OcEntry,msnmsn.inf,,7 smarttgs=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,msnsl.inf,,7 RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7 Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7 AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7 CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7 MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7 AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7 Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7 MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7 ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7 [b] Displaying and Configuring the Classic Start Menu [/b] Added 8/16/01 If you prefer the original Start Menu, you can easily switch it back. Right click on the Taksbar Select Properties Click on the Start Menu tab Select Classic Start Menu If you click on the Customize button you can choose to display Administrative Tools, Favorites, Run, and expanding many of the sub-menus like the Control Panel. [b] Increasing File System Caching [/b] Added 8/16/01 To increase the amount of memory Windows will locked for I/O operations: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management Edit the key IoPageLockLimit 4096 - 32megs of memory or less 8192 - 32+ megs of memory 16384 - 64+ megs of memory 32768 - 128+ megs of memory 65536 - 256+ megs of memory [b] Enabling NumLock on by Default [/b] Added 8/16/01 To have numlock turned on for each user: Start Regedit Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard\InitialKeyboardIndicators Change the value from 0 to 2 Turn Numlock on manually Log off and back on again. For all users, make the same change to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard\InitialKeyboardIndicators [/spoiler] Enjoy...

Last edited by Nehpets (2008-08-06 08:24:35)