24.6.09
23.6.09
Computer Tips [PG.11]
Computer Tips
Explorer Tips
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1.Using the Explorer's SEND TO Feature
When you right click on a file, SEND TO is one of the options.
To add other directories or programs, simply drag them to the SEND TO folder that is directly under the directory where you installed Win95.
This will allow you to quickly move files to commonly used areas.
For example, you can SEND TO applications like WinZip.
2.Starting the Explorer from the Current DOS Directory
To start Explorer from whatever subdirectory you are in when shelled out in DOS: Type "Start .\"
The Explorer will start in that very same directory
"Start ..\" will start the Explorer one directory above the current one.
"Start \" will start the Explorer at the root of the drive.
3.Explorer Shortcut Keys
F4 - Displays the Combo Box
F5 - Refresh the display
Ctrl+G - Go to a specific directory
Ctrl+Z - Undo last action
Backspace - Go up one directory
4.Starting Explorer when opening a Folder
To have an Explorer window be the default when you open up a Folder: Open up any folder.
Select View / Options
Select File Types
Go down to Folder
Click on Edit
Highlight Explore
Click on Set Default
Click on Close
Click on Close again
Now when you open a folder, you will get an Explorer window with the programs or shortcuts in the right panel
and the regular explorer window in the left panel.
5.Expanding All Subfolders in Explorer
To quickly have Explorer expand all subfolders for a selected drive or folder,
simply press the asterisk (*) key on the numeric keypad
6.Easier File Copying with Explorer
One difference between Explorer and File Manager is that with File Manager
you could open up two windows to more easily copy files between drives.
To do the same thing with Explorer: Close all running applications
Start two copies of Explorer
Press Ctrl-Esc to bring up the task bar
Right click on an open space
Select Tile Horizontally or Vertically depending on your preference
Your two Explorer sessions will now split the screen and you can copy between them by
dragging files like before.
7.Starting Explorer with No Drives Expanded
Normally when you start the Explorer, it expands the folders on the root of the C: Drive.
For those computers with multiple hard drives plus CD ROM Drives, this might not always be what you want.
If you want it to start without expanding any drives, use the following switches: EXPLORER /n, /e, /select, c:\
This will work with NT 4.0 as well
8.Opening a DOS Prompt in the Directory You Want
You can use the Explorer to easily open up a DOS window to a specific directory. From Explorer Option Menu select File Types
Highlight the object for Folder - NOT File Folder
Click the Edit button
From the 'Edit File Type' panel click the 'New' button
Action is '&Goto DOS Prompt'
Application used is C:\windows\command.com /k cd %1
Select OK, then Close and Close.
Now from Explorer secondary (right) click the folder you want to go to in DOS
From the menu select 'GotDOS Prompt' (or hit G) and you are in that directory with a DOS windows
For Win NT 4.0 same tip, but substitute cmd.exe for command.com)
9.Added Non-Expanded Explorer when Right Clicking on a Folder
Adding a second Explorer to the menu that pops up when right clicking on any folder or the Start Button.
This is handy to be able to open Explorer non-expanded and also for being able to open a second Explorer (non-expanded) while already in Explorer. Open My Computer
Choose View-Options-File Types
Select the File Folder file type
Click Edit
For ACTION, type EXPLORER2
For APPLICATION USED, type C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n,/e,/select,C:\
Click OK and close all windows
Run REGEDIT
Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
Locate and expand DIRECTORY
Locate and expand SHELL
Locate and expand EXPLORER2
Select COMMAND
On the right window RIGHT CLICK on DEFAULT
Select MODIFY
Remove the space and %1 at the end of the line
Click OK and close REGEDIT
EXPLORER2 will show up and launch a non-expanded view of Explorer whenever you right-click on the START BUTTON or any folder, even if you are already in Explorer.
The whole procedure can be done in REGEDIT, but this may be safer for users not experienced with REGEDIT
10.Automatically Adjusting Right-Panel Column Widths
The column widths in the right hand panel of the Explorer might not be the correct sizes to display all the file information.
To automatically adjust all the columns at once to show all the information, Click somewhere on the right-hand panel
Simply press the Ctrl-+ key.
The Name, Size, Type and Modified columns will automatically adjust themselves to display all their information.
Note: The + is the one on the numeric keyboard
11.Hiding the File Menu in the Explorer
To hide the File Menu in Explorer: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a new Binary Value
Name it NoFileMenu
Give it a value of 01 00 00 00
Reboot the computer
12.Changing the Explorer's Web View Background
If you use Web View for your Explorer, you can change the background that appears. Edit or recreate the file >C:\Windows\Web\Wvleft.bmp
Make sure you keep the file dimensions the same 182x237 pixels
13.Keeping Filenames in the Case You Want
To stop Windows from changing the case of your filenames to upper or lower case: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced
Double-click DontPrettyPath (or create this key with a type of REG_DWORD if it doesn't exist)
Set the value to 1 to keep the case as you type it or 0 to adjust the case as Explorer requires
Click OK
Close Regedit
14.Resetting Graphics PreView in Explorer
For Windows98, ME or Windows 2000, if you have View as Web Page enabled but do not see a picture preview in Explorer: Start Regedit
Go to Registry key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ file type \ ShellEx \ {BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}
Make sure the Default Value "{7376D660-C583-11d0-A3A5-00C04FD706EC}"
15.Changing Drive Labels in Explorer (Windows2000 and XP)
Normally the Explorer shows drive labels as "Compact Disk", "Removable Disk" ect. To change the name of this label for specific drives:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer
Create a key called DriveIcons
Within DriveIcons, create another key with the drive letter you want to change (..\DriveIcons\K)
Create another within the drive letter key called DefaultLabel
Give the Default Value for this key the label you want to appear for that drive letter. (Jazz Drive etc.)
Restart the computer
16.Changing Drive Icons in Explorer
To change the icon used for specific drives in Explorer Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer
Create a key called DriveIcons
Within DriveIcons, create another key with the drive letter you want to change (..\DriveIcons\K)
Create another key within the drive letter key called DefaultIcon
Set the default value equal to the icon you want to use.
If you have a file that has more than one icon in it, such as a DLL file, use the standard C:\full_path\icon_file.dll,x
where x is the number of the icon within the file icon_file.dll.
17.Changing the Default Sound in Explorer
You can change the default sound heard when navigating to folders in the Explorer. Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ AppEvents \ Schemes \ Apps\ Explorer \ Navigating\ .current
Change the default value to the wav file you want to use.
Leaving it blank will turn off the sound.
This also changes the default sound when opening a page in the Internet Explorer.
18.Removing Right-Click Items
When you right click on a folder or file with the Explorer, a list of options is available.
As more applications get installed, this list may get too large for you. To remove items from the list:
Note the text of the item you want to remove
Start Regedit
Go to the following sections in the Registry and delete the subkey with the string you noted in Step 1.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\file
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
Explorer Tips
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1.Using the Explorer's SEND TO Feature
When you right click on a file, SEND TO is one of the options.
To add other directories or programs, simply drag them to the SEND TO folder that is directly under the directory where you installed Win95.
This will allow you to quickly move files to commonly used areas.
For example, you can SEND TO applications like WinZip.
2.Starting the Explorer from the Current DOS Directory
To start Explorer from whatever subdirectory you are in when shelled out in DOS: Type "Start .\"
The Explorer will start in that very same directory
"Start ..\" will start the Explorer one directory above the current one.
"Start \" will start the Explorer at the root of the drive.
3.Explorer Shortcut Keys
F4 - Displays the Combo Box
F5 - Refresh the display
Ctrl+G - Go to a specific directory
Ctrl+Z - Undo last action
Backspace - Go up one directory
4.Starting Explorer when opening a Folder
To have an Explorer window be the default when you open up a Folder: Open up any folder.
Select View / Options
Select File Types
Go down to Folder
Click on Edit
Highlight Explore
Click on Set Default
Click on Close
Click on Close again
Now when you open a folder, you will get an Explorer window with the programs or shortcuts in the right panel
and the regular explorer window in the left panel.
5.Expanding All Subfolders in Explorer
To quickly have Explorer expand all subfolders for a selected drive or folder,
simply press the asterisk (*) key on the numeric keypad
6.Easier File Copying with Explorer
One difference between Explorer and File Manager is that with File Manager
you could open up two windows to more easily copy files between drives.
To do the same thing with Explorer: Close all running applications
Start two copies of Explorer
Press Ctrl-Esc to bring up the task bar
Right click on an open space
Select Tile Horizontally or Vertically depending on your preference
Your two Explorer sessions will now split the screen and you can copy between them by
dragging files like before.
7.Starting Explorer with No Drives Expanded
Normally when you start the Explorer, it expands the folders on the root of the C: Drive.
For those computers with multiple hard drives plus CD ROM Drives, this might not always be what you want.
If you want it to start without expanding any drives, use the following switches: EXPLORER /n, /e, /select, c:\
This will work with NT 4.0 as well
8.Opening a DOS Prompt in the Directory You Want
You can use the Explorer to easily open up a DOS window to a specific directory. From Explorer Option Menu select File Types
Highlight the object for Folder - NOT File Folder
Click the Edit button
From the 'Edit File Type' panel click the 'New' button
Action is '&Goto DOS Prompt'
Application used is C:\windows\command.com /k cd %1
Select OK, then Close and Close.
Now from Explorer secondary (right) click the folder you want to go to in DOS
From the menu select 'GotDOS Prompt' (or hit G) and you are in that directory with a DOS windows
For Win NT 4.0 same tip, but substitute cmd.exe for command.com)
9.Added Non-Expanded Explorer when Right Clicking on a Folder
Adding a second Explorer to the menu that pops up when right clicking on any folder or the Start Button.
This is handy to be able to open Explorer non-expanded and also for being able to open a second Explorer (non-expanded) while already in Explorer. Open My Computer
Choose View-Options-File Types
Select the File Folder file type
Click Edit
For ACTION, type EXPLORER2
For APPLICATION USED, type C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n,/e,/select,C:\
Click OK and close all windows
Run REGEDIT
Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
Locate and expand DIRECTORY
Locate and expand SHELL
Locate and expand EXPLORER2
Select COMMAND
On the right window RIGHT CLICK on DEFAULT
Select MODIFY
Remove the space and %1 at the end of the line
Click OK and close REGEDIT
EXPLORER2 will show up and launch a non-expanded view of Explorer whenever you right-click on the START BUTTON or any folder, even if you are already in Explorer.
The whole procedure can be done in REGEDIT, but this may be safer for users not experienced with REGEDIT
10.Automatically Adjusting Right-Panel Column Widths
The column widths in the right hand panel of the Explorer might not be the correct sizes to display all the file information.
To automatically adjust all the columns at once to show all the information, Click somewhere on the right-hand panel
Simply press the Ctrl-+ key.
The Name, Size, Type and Modified columns will automatically adjust themselves to display all their information.
Note: The + is the one on the numeric keyboard
11.Hiding the File Menu in the Explorer
To hide the File Menu in Explorer: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a new Binary Value
Name it NoFileMenu
Give it a value of 01 00 00 00
Reboot the computer
12.Changing the Explorer's Web View Background
If you use Web View for your Explorer, you can change the background that appears. Edit or recreate the file >C:\Windows\Web\Wvleft.bmp
Make sure you keep the file dimensions the same 182x237 pixels
13.Keeping Filenames in the Case You Want
To stop Windows from changing the case of your filenames to upper or lower case: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced
Double-click DontPrettyPath (or create this key with a type of REG_DWORD if it doesn't exist)
Set the value to 1 to keep the case as you type it or 0 to adjust the case as Explorer requires
Click OK
Close Regedit
14.Resetting Graphics PreView in Explorer
For Windows98, ME or Windows 2000, if you have View as Web Page enabled but do not see a picture preview in Explorer: Start Regedit
Go to Registry key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ file type \ ShellEx \ {BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}
Make sure the Default Value "{7376D660-C583-11d0-A3A5-00C04FD706EC}"
15.Changing Drive Labels in Explorer (Windows2000 and XP)
Normally the Explorer shows drive labels as "Compact Disk", "Removable Disk" ect. To change the name of this label for specific drives:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer
Create a key called DriveIcons
Within DriveIcons, create another key with the drive letter you want to change (..\DriveIcons\K)
Create another within the drive letter key called DefaultLabel
Give the Default Value for this key the label you want to appear for that drive letter. (Jazz Drive etc.)
Restart the computer
16.Changing Drive Icons in Explorer
To change the icon used for specific drives in Explorer Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer
Create a key called DriveIcons
Within DriveIcons, create another key with the drive letter you want to change (..\DriveIcons\K)
Create another key within the drive letter key called DefaultIcon
Set the default value equal to the icon you want to use.
If you have a file that has more than one icon in it, such as a DLL file, use the standard C:\full_path\icon_file.dll,x
where x is the number of the icon within the file icon_file.dll.
17.Changing the Default Sound in Explorer
You can change the default sound heard when navigating to folders in the Explorer. Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ AppEvents \ Schemes \ Apps\ Explorer \ Navigating\ .current
Change the default value to the wav file you want to use.
Leaving it blank will turn off the sound.
This also changes the default sound when opening a page in the Internet Explorer.
18.Removing Right-Click Items
When you right click on a folder or file with the Explorer, a list of options is available.
As more applications get installed, this list may get too large for you. To remove items from the list:
Note the text of the item you want to remove
Start Regedit
Go to the following sections in the Registry and delete the subkey with the string you noted in Step 1.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\file
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
Computer Tips [PG.10]
Computer Tips
Desktop Tips [Pg.3]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
21.Adding Shortcuts to Desktop Without "Shortcut To" text
Start Regedit
Go to:HKEY_USERS \ .Default \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
Add binary value to Explorer:link="00,00,00,00"
Now You can make Shortcuts to desktop without Shortcut To" text.
22.Changing the clock to 24-Hour Time
To change the display of the clock on the taskbar to 24-hour format:
Open the Control Panel
Double-click on the Regional Settings icon
Click on the Time tab
In the Time style section select H:mm:ss
23.Changing or Removing the Start Menu Icons
Download Microangelo and install it.
Create a blank.ico file.
Put it in a directory (C:\Windows. Then double click on the Microangelo Engineer to run it.
When you get it up on the screen click on the "start" tab. You will see a list of all the icons in the start menu.
Highlight the first one (programs) and select "Change". It will bring up a dialog box - select "browse".
Go to the directory that contains the blank icon and select it. Hit OK until you get back to the main
Engineer window and do all the rest exactly the same way.
When you have finished changing them all to the blank icon, Hit "Apply".
Hit your start button and look to see if all the icons are invisible. (They should be.)
Close out Micro Engineer and you're finished.
24.Adding Drive to the SendTo List
I have recently found that if you want to send something from A: drive or from any where to any drive, you can just make a short cut of that drive in subdirectory SENDTO.
For example I have two hard drives, a Floppy Drive, and a CDROM
After I have make a copy of each of my drive I will be able to send a whole directory of E:\XXX from the CDROM drive to A: drive or any other drive that i have had made the short c t in the SENDTO subdir of WINDOWS.
25.Customizing the Start Button's Name and Icon
To change the name of the Start button: Copy EXPLORER.EXE in your Windows directory to another directory
Start a hex editor (I've been using Diskedit from Norton)
Edit EXPLORER.EXE
Search for the string 53 00 74 00 61 00 72 00 74
This is the word Start with the letters separated by a null character
The section you are in should also have the words "There was an internal error..." also separated with the null character immediately following
Now just replace the Start letters with any of your choice (up to 5 characters only)
Exit Windows
Boot to DOS
Copy your new Explorer file over the original
To change the Start button icon:
Copy USER.EXE in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory to another directory
Use an icon editor that can replace icons in executable files
Edit USER.EXE and replace the flag icons with the icon of your choice
Boot to DOS
Copy the new USER.EXE
The same can be done with NT 4.0, just the offset will be different but the location to just before "There was an internal error..." is the same.
26.Create a Control Panel menu directly below the Start Button
Click the Start Button once with your right mouse button. You should see a right-button menu (called a context menu because it offers different choices in different contexts).
You should see the items Open, Explore, and Find on the context menu. Click Explore with your left mouse button.
An Explorer file management window should open. A directory tree should appear in the left pane, with the right pane displaying the contents of the Start Menu folder.
Right-click any empty space within the right pane. A context menu should appear. Click New and then Folder.
The Explorer will create a highlighted icon called New Folder. Type in the following string, all on one line, replacing the words New Folder with this new line. You must type the period, the curly braces, all four hyphens, and the hexadecimal numbers exactly as shown. After the closing curly brace, press Enter.
Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Other Folders can be added following the same instructions. Dial-Up Networking.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Inbox.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
My Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Network Neighborhood.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Desktop.{00021400-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Briefcase.{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Fonts.{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}
27.Turn Off Window Animation
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows.
This tip makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster especially for those that don't have
super fast video cards. Open Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Control panel
Desktop
WindowMetrics
Right Mouse Click an empty space in the right pane.
Select new/string value.
Name the new value MinAnimate.
Doubleclick on the new string value (MinAnimate) and click on "Modify"
Enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On then hit
Close Regedit and all programs then reboot.
28.To speed up the Start Menu
Start the REGEDIT program
Search for the word desktop
This should be in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {00021400...
Right Click on the right panel
Pick NEW / String Value.
Name it MenuShowDelay, all one word.
Select a value from 1-10, 1 being the fastest.
Exit REGEDIT
Restart Windows
29.To change the Startup and Logoff screens
Startup Screen
Create a 320x400 bitmap in the root directory and name it LOGO.SYS
You can use LOGOW.SYS file in the Windows directory as a starter
Logoff Screens
There are several files called LOGOX.SYS
They are actually bitmaps 320x400 that just have a different extension
The hidden one in the root directory LOGO.SYS is the startup logo.
There are two files in the Windows directory.
LOGOW.SYS is the Wait while Shutting down ... screen
LOGOS.SYS is the You may now shut-off or Reboot screen
To edit them, rename them with a BMP extension and use your favorite graphic editor
You can edit these files or create you own
They just need to be the same size
Desktop Tips [Pg.3]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
21.Adding Shortcuts to Desktop Without "Shortcut To" text
Start Regedit
Go to:HKEY_USERS \ .Default \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
Add binary value to Explorer:link="00,00,00,00"
Now You can make Shortcuts to desktop without Shortcut To" text.
22.Changing the clock to 24-Hour Time
To change the display of the clock on the taskbar to 24-hour format:
Open the Control Panel
Double-click on the Regional Settings icon
Click on the Time tab
In the Time style section select H:mm:ss
23.Changing or Removing the Start Menu Icons
Download Microangelo and install it.
Create a blank.ico file.
Put it in a directory (C:\Windows. Then double click on the Microangelo Engineer to run it.
When you get it up on the screen click on the "start" tab. You will see a list of all the icons in the start menu.
Highlight the first one (programs) and select "Change". It will bring up a dialog box - select "browse".
Go to the directory that contains the blank icon and select it. Hit OK until you get back to the main
Engineer window and do all the rest exactly the same way.
When you have finished changing them all to the blank icon, Hit "Apply".
Hit your start button and look to see if all the icons are invisible. (They should be.)
Close out Micro Engineer and you're finished.
24.Adding Drive to the SendTo List
I have recently found that if you want to send something from A: drive or from any where to any drive, you can just make a short cut of that drive in subdirectory SENDTO.
For example I have two hard drives, a Floppy Drive, and a CDROM
After I have make a copy of each of my drive I will be able to send a whole directory of E:\XXX from the CDROM drive to A: drive or any other drive that i have had made the short c t in the SENDTO subdir of WINDOWS.
25.Customizing the Start Button's Name and Icon
To change the name of the Start button: Copy EXPLORER.EXE in your Windows directory to another directory
Start a hex editor (I've been using Diskedit from Norton)
Edit EXPLORER.EXE
Search for the string 53 00 74 00 61 00 72 00 74
This is the word Start with the letters separated by a null character
The section you are in should also have the words "There was an internal error..." also separated with the null character immediately following
Now just replace the Start letters with any of your choice (up to 5 characters only)
Exit Windows
Boot to DOS
Copy your new Explorer file over the original
To change the Start button icon:
Copy USER.EXE in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory to another directory
Use an icon editor that can replace icons in executable files
Edit USER.EXE and replace the flag icons with the icon of your choice
Boot to DOS
Copy the new USER.EXE
The same can be done with NT 4.0, just the offset will be different but the location to just before "There was an internal error..." is the same.
26.Create a Control Panel menu directly below the Start Button
Click the Start Button once with your right mouse button. You should see a right-button menu (called a context menu because it offers different choices in different contexts).
You should see the items Open, Explore, and Find on the context menu. Click Explore with your left mouse button.
An Explorer file management window should open. A directory tree should appear in the left pane, with the right pane displaying the contents of the Start Menu folder.
Right-click any empty space within the right pane. A context menu should appear. Click New and then Folder.
The Explorer will create a highlighted icon called New Folder. Type in the following string, all on one line, replacing the words New Folder with this new line. You must type the period, the curly braces, all four hyphens, and the hexadecimal numbers exactly as shown. After the closing curly brace, press Enter.
Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Other Folders can be added following the same instructions. Dial-Up Networking.{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Inbox.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
My Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Network Neighborhood.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Desktop.{00021400-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Briefcase.{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Fonts.{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}
27.Turn Off Window Animation
You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize windows.
This tip makes navigating Windows 95 a lot faster especially for those that don't have
super fast video cards. Open Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Control panel
Desktop
WindowMetrics
Right Mouse Click an empty space in the right pane.
Select new/string value.
Name the new value MinAnimate.
Doubleclick on the new string value (MinAnimate) and click on "Modify"
Enter a value of 0 for Off or 1 for On then hit
Close Regedit and all programs then reboot.
28.To speed up the Start Menu
Start the REGEDIT program
Search for the word desktop
This should be in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {00021400...
Right Click on the right panel
Pick NEW / String Value.
Name it MenuShowDelay, all one word.
Select a value from 1-10, 1 being the fastest.
Exit REGEDIT
Restart Windows
29.To change the Startup and Logoff screens
Startup Screen
Create a 320x400 bitmap in the root directory and name it LOGO.SYS
You can use LOGOW.SYS file in the Windows directory as a starter
Logoff Screens
There are several files called LOGOX.SYS
They are actually bitmaps 320x400 that just have a different extension
The hidden one in the root directory LOGO.SYS is the startup logo.
There are two files in the Windows directory.
LOGOW.SYS is the Wait while Shutting down ... screen
LOGOS.SYS is the You may now shut-off or Reboot screen
To edit them, rename them with a BMP extension and use your favorite graphic editor
You can edit these files or create you own
They just need to be the same size
Computer Tips [PG.9]
Computer Tips
Desktop Tips [Pg.2]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
11.Full Window Drag ( Without Plus! )
Start Regedit
Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER /ControlPanel /Desktop /DragFullWindows
On "DragFullWindows" properties change 0 to 1
12.Getting Screen Shots
If you need to get a screen shot, and you do not have a screen capture program, try this: Hit the Print Screen key. This copies a bitmap of the full screen into the Windows clipboard. Start up a graphics editor and paste it in.
Alt + Print Screen will capture only the active window.
13.Increasing the Size of the Scroll Bar
How to adjust the width of the scroll bar:
Select Properties
Select the Appearance tab
Go to the item list and find scrollbar.
Increasing the value in the Size field will increase the scrollbar width.
14.Customizing Individual Folder Icons
To change a folder's icon: Open Notepad and enter two lines,
[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=file name,number
(e.g. IconFile=C:\Icon\CustomFolder.ico,0)
Save the file as DESKTOP.INI in the folder you wish to change.
Click Start -> Run, type in the command line,
ATTRIB +S "folder name"
(e.g. ATTRIB +S "C:\Custom Folder")
Open Explorer or My Computer and refresh (press F5 key).
This tip only work Windows 95/NT 4.0 + IE 4.0 with shell integration, or Windows 98/NT 5.0.
15.Removing the Recycle Bin
To remove Recycle Bin from the desktop: Run REGEDIT.
Find NAMESPACE key in left pane (HKEY_Local_Macine \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Explorer \ Desktop \ Namespace)
Expand NAMESPACE (click '+' box)
Delete the value RECYCLE BIN in right pane
16.Adding Send To the Recycle Bin
Add a SHORTCUT TO THE RECYCLE BIN in your SEND TO folder. That way you can just right click on a file you want to delete, and send it to the recycle bin without having to confirm each time.
17.Having Icons with No Name
Normally you have to have a name for an icon, just spaces are not allowed.
To create an icon with no name attached: Make sure NumLock is on
Highlight the Icon you want to change
Right-Mouse click and select Rename
While holding down the Alt key, type 0160
Now the icon will have no name below it.
To Create Multiple Icons with No Name - From John R.
Follow directions detailed above
With the second icon simply add one space-bar character AFTER the 0160 number.
Each successive icon gets an additional space-bar character at the end (to prevent a duplicate naming error).
18.Moving the Start Button
How to move or close the start button! Click on the Start button
Press the Esc key
Press the Alt and the - keys together
This will give you a menu, you can move or close
But if you move it you need to use the arrow keys and not the mouse.
19.Aligning Drop-Down Menus to the Right
All dropdown menus can be aligned to the right.
This features becomes useful when trying to access
menus with submenus that appear directly to the right.
Open the Registory editor (e.g. regedit.exe)
Goto \\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Create a string entry called "MenuDropAlignment"
Set its value to 1
Reboot
Note: Will not work under NT 4.0.
20.Changing Drive Icons
To change a drive's icon when you open My Computer Create a file called AUTORUN.INF on the root of your hard drive
Enter the lines
[autorun]
ICON=Name of the ICON file
For the name of the icon file you can either specify the path and name (e.g. ICON=C:\WINDOWS\ICONS\MY_ICON.ICO) or
a specific icon in a library (e.g. ICON=ICONFILE.DLL,2
Desktop Tips [Pg.2]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
11.Full Window Drag ( Without Plus! )
Start Regedit
Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER /ControlPanel /Desktop /DragFullWindows
On "DragFullWindows" properties change 0 to 1
12.Getting Screen Shots
If you need to get a screen shot, and you do not have a screen capture program, try this: Hit the Print Screen key. This copies a bitmap of the full screen into the Windows clipboard. Start up a graphics editor and paste it in.
Alt + Print Screen will capture only the active window.
13.Increasing the Size of the Scroll Bar
How to adjust the width of the scroll bar:
Select Properties
Select the Appearance tab
Go to the item list and find scrollbar.
Increasing the value in the Size field will increase the scrollbar width.
14.Customizing Individual Folder Icons
To change a folder's icon: Open Notepad and enter two lines,
[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=file name,number
(e.g. IconFile=C:\Icon\CustomFolder.ico,0)
Save the file as DESKTOP.INI in the folder you wish to change.
Click Start -> Run, type in the command line,
ATTRIB +S "folder name"
(e.g. ATTRIB +S "C:\Custom Folder")
Open Explorer or My Computer and refresh (press F5 key).
This tip only work Windows 95/NT 4.0 + IE 4.0 with shell integration, or Windows 98/NT 5.0.
15.Removing the Recycle Bin
To remove Recycle Bin from the desktop: Run REGEDIT.
Find NAMESPACE key in left pane (HKEY_Local_Macine \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Explorer \ Desktop \ Namespace)
Expand NAMESPACE (click '+' box)
Delete the value RECYCLE BIN in right pane
16.Adding Send To the Recycle Bin
Add a SHORTCUT TO THE RECYCLE BIN in your SEND TO folder. That way you can just right click on a file you want to delete, and send it to the recycle bin without having to confirm each time.
17.Having Icons with No Name
Normally you have to have a name for an icon, just spaces are not allowed.
To create an icon with no name attached: Make sure NumLock is on
Highlight the Icon you want to change
Right-Mouse click and select Rename
While holding down the Alt key, type 0160
Now the icon will have no name below it.
To Create Multiple Icons with No Name - From John R.
Follow directions detailed above
With the second icon simply add one space-bar character AFTER the 0160 number.
Each successive icon gets an additional space-bar character at the end (to prevent a duplicate naming error).
18.Moving the Start Button
How to move or close the start button! Click on the Start button
Press the Esc key
Press the Alt and the - keys together
This will give you a menu, you can move or close
But if you move it you need to use the arrow keys and not the mouse.
19.Aligning Drop-Down Menus to the Right
All dropdown menus can be aligned to the right.
This features becomes useful when trying to access
menus with submenus that appear directly to the right.
Open the Registory editor (e.g. regedit.exe)
Goto \\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Create a string entry called "MenuDropAlignment"
Set its value to 1
Reboot
Note: Will not work under NT 4.0.
20.Changing Drive Icons
To change a drive's icon when you open My Computer Create a file called AUTORUN.INF on the root of your hard drive
Enter the lines
[autorun]
ICON=Name of the ICON file
For the name of the icon file you can either specify the path and name (e.g. ICON=C:\WINDOWS\ICONS\MY_ICON.ICO) or
a specific icon in a library (e.g. ICON=ICONFILE.DLL,2
Computer Tips [PG.8]
Computer Tips
Desktop Tips [Pg.1]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1.Creating a New E-Mail Shortcut
To create a shortcut that will open your default e-mail program starting a new e-mail, Right click on an open area of the desktop
Select New / Shortcut
For the Command Line, enter mailto:
For the title enter something like New E-Mail
When you click on this your default e-mail program should start with a new e-mail form.
2.Creating 3D Window Effect
You can create a nice 3D effect for your windows Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Colors
Make sure the following setting are there:
ButtonHilight=128 128 128
ButtonShadow=255 255 255
3.Creating Shutdown, Restart and Logoff Icons
To create the icons, create a shortcut on the desktop. For Shutdown, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindows
For Restart, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindowsexec
For Logoff, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 0
4.Having your Favorites and Start Menus Sort Alphabetically
If your Start Menu Program or Favorites are not sorting alphabetically, it is easy to fix this: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/MenuOrder
Under here is are Favorites and Start Menu folders
In each there is a value called Order
Simply delete (or rename this) and restart Winodws
Your Favorites or Start Menus should now sort alphabetically
5.Increasing the Icon Cache
Run Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
Create a new string called Max Cached Icons
Give it a value of 10000
This will increase response time in windows and give the Shellicon cache file more elbow room
6.Make Icons 256 Color 16-Bit
Open the Registry
Hit Ctrl+F
Type Shell Icon BPP
When found, right click the Shell Icon BPP icon
Click Modify
Change the value from 4 to 16
Click Ok
Close the registry
Restart your computer
7.Removing Shortcut Arrows
An easy way to remove those irritating arrows from your desktop shortcut icons and not change their properties Right click the Desktop / Properties / Appearance tab
Select Item
Scroll for Icon
The default size is 32
Change this to 30
Clicking Apply
8.Adding the Control Panel to the Start Menu
Open up the Explorer
Go to \WINDOWS\Start Menu
Right click in the right-hand panel
Add a new folder
Name it Control Panel.{21ec2020-3aea-1069-a2dd-08002b30309d}
This makes getting to the Control Panel items a little easier
9.Making Desktop Changes Permanent
To make changes to the Desktop like window size, positon after rebooting: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a New Binary Value
Name it NoSaveSettings
Give it a value of 01 00 00 00
10.Changing a Folder's Icon
To change the icon of a Folder on desktop: Using the Explorer, move the folder from the Desktop directory to another directory on the hard drive
Right click on the new folder and select "Create Shortcut"
Move the shortcut to the Desktop
Right click and select a new icon
Desktop Tips [Pg.1]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1.Creating a New E-Mail Shortcut
To create a shortcut that will open your default e-mail program starting a new e-mail, Right click on an open area of the desktop
Select New / Shortcut
For the Command Line, enter mailto:
For the title enter something like New E-Mail
When you click on this your default e-mail program should start with a new e-mail form.
2.Creating 3D Window Effect
You can create a nice 3D effect for your windows Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Colors
Make sure the following setting are there:
ButtonHilight=128 128 128
ButtonShadow=255 255 255
3.Creating Shutdown, Restart and Logoff Icons
To create the icons, create a shortcut on the desktop. For Shutdown, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindows
For Restart, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindowsexec
For Logoff, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 0
4.Having your Favorites and Start Menus Sort Alphabetically
If your Start Menu Program or Favorites are not sorting alphabetically, it is easy to fix this: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/MenuOrder
Under here is are Favorites and Start Menu folders
In each there is a value called Order
Simply delete (or rename this) and restart Winodws
Your Favorites or Start Menus should now sort alphabetically
5.Increasing the Icon Cache
Run Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer
Create a new string called Max Cached Icons
Give it a value of 10000
This will increase response time in windows and give the Shellicon cache file more elbow room
6.Make Icons 256 Color 16-Bit
Open the Registry
Hit Ctrl+F
Type Shell Icon BPP
When found, right click the Shell Icon BPP icon
Click Modify
Change the value from 4 to 16
Click Ok
Close the registry
Restart your computer
7.Removing Shortcut Arrows
An easy way to remove those irritating arrows from your desktop shortcut icons and not change their properties Right click the Desktop / Properties / Appearance tab
Select Item
Scroll for Icon
The default size is 32
Change this to 30
Clicking Apply
8.Adding the Control Panel to the Start Menu
Open up the Explorer
Go to \WINDOWS\Start Menu
Right click in the right-hand panel
Add a new folder
Name it Control Panel.{21ec2020-3aea-1069-a2dd-08002b30309d}
This makes getting to the Control Panel items a little easier
9.Making Desktop Changes Permanent
To make changes to the Desktop like window size, positon after rebooting: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a New Binary Value
Name it NoSaveSettings
Give it a value of 01 00 00 00
10.Changing a Folder's Icon
To change the icon of a Folder on desktop: Using the Explorer, move the folder from the Desktop directory to another directory on the hard drive
Right click on the new folder and select "Create Shortcut"
Move the shortcut to the Desktop
Right click and select a new icon
Computer Tips [PG.7]
Computer Tips
Networking Tips [Pg.2]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
11.Increasing Modem Performance
To increase modem performance when connecting to the Internet: Disable compression on your modem
In SYSTEM.INI under 386enh section put in: COMxBUFFER=1024 (x is your modem port number )
Add AT%C0 (that's a zero),to the extra settings line of your modem's properties.
Switch errror correction off
12.To Find Your IP Address
To find your IP address when connected: Open Explorer
In the Windows folder find the file WINIPCFG.
Drag a shortcut onto your screen.
Now when you are online you can double click the shortcut to see your IP address and other data.
13.Using UNC Network Names with Files
As already mentioned, you can use long file names in an MS DOS Box.
But you can even use UNC-style network names. Example: DIR \\server\share1\dir1
will give you all files on the computer named "server", in the share named "share1" and in the directory "dir1".
This does not work with CD, but it will work with MD, RD, DIR, COPY, MOVE, REN, and so on.
I use this in combination with a batch file to copy files to a number of computers on a network
14.Changing the Number of Rings Before Dial-Up Server Answers
To change the number of rings before Dial up Networking Server answers: Find the INF file for the modem in the \WINDOWS\INF directory. The filename will begin with "mdm" and end with characters desciptive of the manufacturer, ie. "supra" for Supra Express modem.
Make a copy of this file.
Edit this file with notepad and look for a string "HKR, Answer, 1,, "ATA".
Change to HKR, Answer, 1,, "None".
A few lines up from this should be the line HKR, Monitor, 1,, "ATS0=0" Change the value of the S0 register to the number of rings you would like to have the modem answer on.
Remove the modem by using the Control panel System Device Manager.
Reinstall the modem using the REFRESH Button.
This should install the modem using the updated INF file.
15.Resetting Forgotten Dial-Up Server Password
If you forget the password you set for you Dial-Up Server
simply delete (or rename) the RNA.PWL file in the WINDOWS directory
16.Monitoring Your Dial-Up Connection
There are some system checks you can use to see how good your ISP and Phone lines are.
You either net OEM SR2 or the ISDN Accelerator Pack 1.1 installed Make sure SYSMON is installed. You can add this through the Control Panel / Add New Programs
Run SYSMON
Select Edit / Add Item
Click on Dial-Up Networking Adapter
Select CRC Errors
Click on OK
If you have lots of CRC errors, either the phone lines or your modem is having problems.
You can also add Framing Errors and Timeout Errors if you are still having problems and your
17.Fixing a problem with Shortcuts that keep network UNC connections
By default, when you create a shortcut to a network application, both the Drive letter and UNC connection are stored as part of the shortcut.
The reasoning that if the drive letter gets reassigned or deleted, the UNC connection will serve as an additional way to ensure that the application is available.
This can also be a problem because when you want to re-assign the drive to a new server, it will still make the connection to the old one through the UNC To disable this feature, there is a program called SHORTCUT.EXE in the Admin / Apptools / Envvars directory.
Execute the program with a -? to see a description of the available switches.
18.Starting a Dial-Up Connection from the Command Line
You can dial your ISP from a command line. This can make it easy to create a batch file that will
do things like dial, start your e-mail and web browser. The syntax is:
rundll rnaui.dll,RnaDial connectoid
Note: The RnaDial and connectoid components of the command line are case sensitive
19.Device Contention when trying to use a Modem
Occasionally, when trying to use your modem, you might get the following errors: Another program is using the selected Telephony device. Try again after the other program completes.
or
Cannot initialize port
The state of Windows 95 device contention is determined by the value for the "COM n AutoAssign=x"
setting in the [386Enh] section of the System.ini file,
where n is the number of the serial port and x is a value from -1 to 1000.
The default setting in Windows 95 is -1. This setting causes Windows 95 to not release a serial port previously used
by a non-Windows-based program.
If you need hot-swapping capability between an MS-DOS-based communications program and a Windows-based communication program,
add the following entry to the [386Enh] section of the System.ini file:
Com n AutoAssign=0
20.Unable to Browse the Network
If you do not have a logon password, Windows95 might have problems when you try and browse the network.
Try the following steps to solve the problem. Start REGEDIT
Go to Hkey_Local_Machine \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current_version \ Network \ Real mode net
Delete the line that says AUTOLOGON=0
Save the changes and reboot the system
21.Auto-Dialing for 32-bit Internet Applications
If your 32-bit Internet applications do not automatically invoke your
Windows 95 Dialer, here is a way I found to enable this feature. First, bring up an internet application such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.
Next, manually dial into your internet provider by double-clicking your connection icon.
Once connected, go to the Control Panel and double-click on the Internet icon.
Once the window open, uncheck the checkbox titled "Dial whenever an Internet Connection is needed".
Click the check box again and make sure there is a check in the checkbox.
Next, click the APPLY button.
Finally , click the OK button.
Once you do this, close your internet application and disconnect from your internet provider.
Re-start your Internet application and the Windows 95 dialer should start up.
NOTE: From my experience, all Internet applications will be effected and will automatically start the Windows 95 dialer.
22.Changing your Modem's Initialization String
Start REGEDIT
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Class \ Modem \ 0000 \ Init
Change the settings to the values for your modem
23.Increasing the Modem Timeout
If your modem it timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages,
you might try increasing the timeout period. To change it:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Services / Class / Modem / XXXX / Settings
Where XXXX is the number of your modem
Move to the right panel and double click on Inactivity Timeout
The number of minutes for a timeout should be entered between the brackets.
For example, a US Robotics Sportster could have S19=<30> to set it to 30 minutes.
24.Potential problems leaving 16-bit winsock.dll's
If you re having problems getting some of your winsock applications
to work under Win95, make sure you delete any old 16-bit winsock.dll's. If this file is in the directory were the application resides, it could
cause problems. Programs that could have problems like this are:
Ewan.exe (Telnet app)
WSIRC.exe (IRC app)
WSGopher.exe (Gopher app)
NX.Exe (NewsXpress)
Netscape v.1.0
We found that if the software listed above is in the same directory as the
Trumpet Winsock.dll file, then they will NOT work under the MS-TCP/IP stack.
Networking Tips [Pg.2]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
11.Increasing Modem Performance
To increase modem performance when connecting to the Internet: Disable compression on your modem
In SYSTEM.INI under 386enh section put in: COMxBUFFER=1024 (x is your modem port number )
Add AT%C0 (that's a zero),to the extra settings line of your modem's properties.
Switch errror correction off
12.To Find Your IP Address
To find your IP address when connected: Open Explorer
In the Windows folder find the file WINIPCFG.
Drag a shortcut onto your screen.
Now when you are online you can double click the shortcut to see your IP address and other data.
13.Using UNC Network Names with Files
As already mentioned, you can use long file names in an MS DOS Box.
But you can even use UNC-style network names. Example: DIR \\server\share1\dir1
will give you all files on the computer named "server", in the share named "share1" and in the directory "dir1".
This does not work with CD, but it will work with MD, RD, DIR, COPY, MOVE, REN, and so on.
I use this in combination with a batch file to copy files to a number of computers on a network
14.Changing the Number of Rings Before Dial-Up Server Answers
To change the number of rings before Dial up Networking Server answers: Find the INF file for the modem in the \WINDOWS\INF directory. The filename will begin with "mdm" and end with characters desciptive of the manufacturer, ie. "supra" for Supra Express modem.
Make a copy of this file.
Edit this file with notepad and look for a string "HKR, Answer, 1,, "ATA
Change to HKR, Answer, 1,, "None".
A few lines up from this should be the line HKR, Monitor, 1,, "ATS0=0
Remove the modem by using the Control panel System Device Manager.
Reinstall the modem using the REFRESH Button.
This should install the modem using the updated INF file.
15.Resetting Forgotten Dial-Up Server Password
If you forget the password you set for you Dial-Up Server
simply delete (or rename) the RNA.PWL file in the WINDOWS directory
16.Monitoring Your Dial-Up Connection
There are some system checks you can use to see how good your ISP and Phone lines are.
You either net OEM SR2 or the ISDN Accelerator Pack 1.1 installed Make sure SYSMON is installed. You can add this through the Control Panel / Add New Programs
Run SYSMON
Select Edit / Add Item
Click on Dial-Up Networking Adapter
Select CRC Errors
Click on OK
If you have lots of CRC errors, either the phone lines or your modem is having problems.
You can also add Framing Errors and Timeout Errors if you are still having problems and your
17.Fixing a problem with Shortcuts that keep network UNC connections
By default, when you create a shortcut to a network application, both the Drive letter and UNC connection are stored as part of the shortcut.
The reasoning that if the drive letter gets reassigned or deleted, the UNC connection will serve as an additional way to ensure that the application is available.
This can also be a problem because when you want to re-assign the drive to a new server, it will still make the connection to the old one through the UNC To disable this feature, there is a program called SHORTCUT.EXE in the Admin / Apptools / Envvars directory.
Execute the program with a -? to see a description of the available switches.
18.Starting a Dial-Up Connection from the Command Line
You can dial your ISP from a command line. This can make it easy to create a batch file that will
do things like dial, start your e-mail and web browser. The syntax is:
rundll rnaui.dll,RnaDial connectoid
Note: The RnaDial and connectoid components of the command line are case sensitive
19.Device Contention when trying to use a Modem
Occasionally, when trying to use your modem, you might get the following errors: Another program is using the selected Telephony device. Try again after the other program completes.
or
Cannot initialize port
The state of Windows 95 device contention is determined by the value for the "COM n AutoAssign=x"
setting in the [386Enh] section of the System.ini file,
where n is the number of the serial port and x is a value from -1 to 1000.
The default setting in Windows 95 is -1. This setting causes Windows 95 to not release a serial port previously used
by a non-Windows-based program.
If you need hot-swapping capability between an MS-DOS-based communications program and a Windows-based communication program,
add the following entry to the [386Enh] section of the System.ini file:
Com n AutoAssign=0
20.Unable to Browse the Network
If you do not have a logon password, Windows95 might have problems when you try and browse the network.
Try the following steps to solve the problem. Start REGEDIT
Go to Hkey_Local_Machine \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current_version \ Network \ Real mode net
Delete the line that says AUTOLOGON=0
Save the changes and reboot the system
21.Auto-Dialing for 32-bit Internet Applications
If your 32-bit Internet applications do not automatically invoke your
Windows 95 Dialer, here is a way I found to enable this feature. First, bring up an internet application such as Netscape or Internet Explorer.
Next, manually dial into your internet provider by double-clicking your connection icon.
Once connected, go to the Control Panel and double-click on the Internet icon.
Once the window open, uncheck the checkbox titled "Dial whenever an Internet Connection is needed".
Click the check box again and make sure there is a check in the checkbox.
Next, click the APPLY button.
Finally , click the OK button.
Once you do this, close your internet application and disconnect from your internet provider.
Re-start your Internet application and the Windows 95 dialer should start up.
NOTE: From my experience, all Internet applications will be effected and will automatically start the Windows 95 dialer.
22.Changing your Modem's Initialization String
Start REGEDIT
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Class \ Modem \ 0000 \ Init
Change the settings to the values for your modem
23.Increasing the Modem Timeout
If your modem it timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages,
you might try increasing the timeout period. To change it:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Services / Class / Modem / XXXX / Settings
Where XXXX is the number of your modem
Move to the right panel and double click on Inactivity Timeout
The number of minutes for a timeout should be entered between the brackets.
For example, a US Robotics Sportster could have S19=<30> to set it to 30 minutes.
24.Potential problems leaving 16-bit winsock.dll's
If you re having problems getting some of your winsock applications
to work under Win95, make sure you delete any old 16-bit winsock.dll's. If this file is in the directory were the application resides, it could
cause problems. Programs that could have problems like this are:
Ewan.exe (Telnet app)
WSIRC.exe (IRC app)
WSGopher.exe (Gopher app)
NX.Exe (NewsXpress)
Netscape v.1.0
We found that if the software listed above is in the same directory as the
Trumpet Winsock.dll file, then they will NOT work under the MS-TCP/IP stack.
Computer Tips [PG.6]
Computer Tips
Networking Tips [Pg.1]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1.Using More Than One Modem at a Time
(Win98, WinME and Win2000)
If you have two phone lines in your home and want to use them both to dial out,
you can use MultiLink, which will effectively double your connection speed. Create a dial-up connection like your normally would.
Right click on the icon and select Properties
Click on the Multilink tab
Click on Use additional devices
Click on the Add
Click on the other modem you would like to use
If your ISP allows, you can use the same phone number, otherwise enter an additional phone number to dial.
You should now connect with both modems.
You can confirm this by opening up your dial up connection in the System Tray after you connect.
2.Seeing Servers Your Are Connected To When OnLine
To see what servers you are connected to when on the Internet
Simply run Netstat
3.Backing Up Your ISP Settings
If you want to save your ISP settings (name, phone, login id etc.) for future installations: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ RemoteAccess
Select Registry / Export Registry
Make sure Selected branch is checked
For the name, enter any name that will help you remember the purpose of the .reg file
Now if you need to restore your ISP settings after a new installation of Windows, you just need to import this file
4.Forcing Alpha-Numeric Passwords
In order to force passwords that just use alpha-numeric characters Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Network
Create a DWORD entry called AlphanumPwds
Give it a value of 1
5.Speeding Up Internet Searches
When you go to a web site, the first thing that happens is that a query goes out to the DNS server for IP address of the web site.
In order to eliminate this query, you can simply add the IP address and web name into the HOSTS file in the Windows directory.
To find the IP address, just PING the web name (ping www.microsoft.com) For example, Microsoft would be:
207.46.130.149 www.microsoft.com #.url
You can do this for all the sites you regularly visit.
6.Auto-Dial Internet Connections (Win98)
If Win98 is not automatically dialing your Internet Connection: Open up the Dial Up Networking box
Click on Connections / Settings
Uncheck Prompt for information before dialing.
7.Opening the Make New Connection Dialog Box
This command line will pop up the "Make new connection" window. rundll rnaui.dll,RnaWizard /1
8.Help Stop Modem Disconnects
If you modem goes offline frequently, it may be due to a temporary lost carrier. To lengthen the time the modem will go offline after the carrier is lost, change the modem properties. Open up the Control Panel
Double click on the Modem icon
Click on Properties / Connection / Advanced
In the Extra Settings, enter S10=10
This will enable the modem to stay connected without a carrier for up to 10 seconds.
9.Speeding Up Your Modem's Dialing
For Win95, to make that modem dial much faster: Open up the Control Panel
Double click on the Modem icon
Click on Properties / Connection / Advanced
In the Extra Settings enter S11=x , where x is how many milliseconds each tone sounds. Try S11 = 1, then dial, you'll be surprised.
10.Showing Your Actual Modem's Connection Speed
Normally when you open up the modem icon in the system try, it shows the port connect speed.
So see your actual modem speed: Go Control Panel
Open up the Modems icon
Click Properties
Click on the Connection tab
Click the Advanced button
In the Extr Settings, put ATW2L0 (the last character is a zero)
Networking Tips [Pg.1]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1.Using More Than One Modem at a Time
(Win98, WinME and Win2000)
If you have two phone lines in your home and want to use them both to dial out,
you can use MultiLink, which will effectively double your connection speed. Create a dial-up connection like your normally would.
Right click on the icon and select Properties
Click on the Multilink tab
Click on Use additional devices
Click on the Add
Click on the other modem you would like to use
If your ISP allows, you can use the same phone number, otherwise enter an additional phone number to dial.
You should now connect with both modems.
You can confirm this by opening up your dial up connection in the System Tray after you connect.
2.Seeing Servers Your Are Connected To When OnLine
To see what servers you are connected to when on the Internet
Simply run Netstat
3.Backing Up Your ISP Settings
If you want to save your ISP settings (name, phone, login id etc.) for future installations: Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ RemoteAccess
Select Registry / Export Registry
Make sure Selected branch is checked
For the name, enter any name that will help you remember the purpose of the .reg file
Now if you need to restore your ISP settings after a new installation of Windows, you just need to import this file
4.Forcing Alpha-Numeric Passwords
In order to force passwords that just use alpha-numeric characters Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Network
Create a DWORD entry called AlphanumPwds
Give it a value of 1
5.Speeding Up Internet Searches
When you go to a web site, the first thing that happens is that a query goes out to the DNS server for IP address of the web site.
In order to eliminate this query, you can simply add the IP address and web name into the HOSTS file in the Windows directory.
To find the IP address, just PING the web name (ping www.microsoft.com) For example, Microsoft would be:
207.46.130.149 www.microsoft.com #.url
You can do this for all the sites you regularly visit.
6.Auto-Dial Internet Connections (Win98)
If Win98 is not automatically dialing your Internet Connection: Open up the Dial Up Networking box
Click on Connections / Settings
Uncheck Prompt for information before dialing.
7.Opening the Make New Connection Dialog Box
This command line will pop up the "Make new connection" window. rundll rnaui.dll,RnaWizard /1
8.Help Stop Modem Disconnects
If you modem goes offline frequently, it may be due to a temporary lost carrier. To lengthen the time the modem will go offline after the carrier is lost, change the modem properties. Open up the Control Panel
Double click on the Modem icon
Click on Properties / Connection / Advanced
In the Extra Settings, enter S10=10
This will enable the modem to stay connected without a carrier for up to 10 seconds.
9.Speeding Up Your Modem's Dialing
For Win95, to make that modem dial much faster: Open up the Control Panel
Double click on the Modem icon
Click on Properties / Connection / Advanced
In the Extra Settings enter S11=x , where x is how many milliseconds each tone sounds. Try S11 = 1, then dial, you'll be surprised.
10.Showing Your Actual Modem's Connection Speed
Normally when you open up the modem icon in the system try, it shows the port connect speed.
So see your actual modem speed: Go Control Panel
Open up the Modems icon
Click Properties
Click on the Connection tab
Click the Advanced button
In the Extr Settings, put ATW2L0 (the last character is a zero)
Computer Tips [PG.5]
Computer Tips
Windows XP Twenty Use Full Tips & Tweaks! [ Pg.5 ]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1) Shutdown Button on Desktop
Right click on ur Desktop and create new Shortcut and type “C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Shutdown.exe –s” without quotes in the popup box which will appear asking for a path of shortcut . Now when u will double click this shortcut it will give u shutdown message and ur computer will shutdown after some seconds. U can customize ur shutdown button with same icon which original shutdown have Just go to the properties of ur shortcut and click change icon tab select any icon u like and click apply.
Similarly u can also put restart button on ur desktop just replace –s in above line by –r
If u don’t want shutdown button on ur desktop u can the go to start >run and type
Shutdown –s or –r they will do the same job. If someone tries to shutdown u remotely on the net then u can stop shutdown process but typing shutdown –a in Run.
Shutdown –s = Shutdown & restart
Shutdown –r = Restart
Shutdown –a = To abort shutdown
2) Cracking windows xp admin and user passwords.
I hope u guys liked tip given for resetting passwords in first part. If u have guest or limited user account on PC than that control userpasswords2 tip does not help u much. Windows will still ask u admin password for resetting users passwords .
Ok go and Download a tool called CIA COMMANDER this is just what we want. This tool will create a copy protected bootable floppy which will allow u to boot any computer and also help u to get into any NTFS partition .First select floppy as first bootable device from BIOS. CIA shows u every thing to u in GUI.
After booting CIA will allow u to reset any user password even administrator’s password. It also includes a file manager, registry editor and a text/hex editor. Present version of CIA does not support FAT partitions but sooner its new version will even support FAT partition based system.
I have read on some tutorials about a tool called NTFS Pro which looks almost like CIA .
3) Correcting System Hang at Startup
If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access the Start
button or theTaskbar, it may be due to one specific service (Background Intelligent
Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch for this but it didn't
work for me. Here's what you do
Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service.
Disable it, apply the changes & reboot.
4) Editing explorer in windows xp
Editing explore in windows xp is very easy with available tools its not as difficult like old dos based tedious method here u need just one tool called RESOURCE HACKER
It is a resource viewer it will show u Resources in any 32bit Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 executable files (including exe’s, dll’s, ocx’s and cpl’s) . ok go in to ur windows directory and find explorer.exe and make its two copies name them
As explorer_1 and explorer_2 .exe respectively and keep them in windows folder only. We will edit explorer_1 and will keep explorer_2 as backup copy if anything goes wrong. Open explorer_1.exe in resource hacker and go to String table and edit whatever u want to even u can change start button by ur name or anything else
After editing even a single word do not forget to click the COMPILE button. Change icon or u can change animated message such as when u install a new programs so when u go to all programs a animated message comes “New Program Installed” u can change it by ur sentence etc. now we have edited the explore_1 now go To File menu in Resource hacker and save it as explorer_1.exe it will ask u that explorer_1.exe is already present do u want to replace it, click YES. Now we have our edited explorer.
Now restart ur computer in safe mode with command prompt by pressing F8 during booting process . Now we will copy explorer_1.exe on explorer.exe by typing command Copy C:\windows\explorer_1.exe C:\windows\explorer.exe
Now restart ur computer and what u will seeing that u r working with ur edited explorer. If anything goes wrong than just copy explorer_2.exe on explorer.exe by same process.
5) Speed Up Detailed View in Explorer
If you like to view your files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" view here is a tweak to speed up the listing of file attributes:
Viewing files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" mode shows various attributes associated with each file shown. Some of these must be retrieved from the individual files when you click on the directory for viewing. For a directory with numerous and relatively large files (such as a folder in which one stores media, eg: *.mp3's, *.avi's etc.), Windows Explorer lags as it reads through each one. Here's how to disable viewing of unwanted attributes and speed up file browsing:
Open Windows Explorer.
Navigate to the folder which you wish to optimize.
In "Details" mode right-click the bar at the top which displays the names of the attribute columns.
Uncheck any that are unwanted/unneeded.
Explorer will apply your preferences immediately, and longs lists of unnecessary attributes will not be displayed.
Likewise, one may choose to display any information which is regarded as needed, getting more out of Explorer.
6) Remove Hibernation File
If you do not use hibernation, make sure you do not have it enabled, which reserves disk space equal to your RAM. If you have a hidden file on the root directory of your C-drive called hiberfil.sys, hibernation is enabled. To remove that file:
Go to Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, Hibernate tab, and uncheck the Enable hibernation box.
7) Change Drive Letters in Windows XP
When you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive. When you want to change drive letters, follow these steps:
Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you’ll see your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.
Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you want to assign, and then click OK.
8) Do Not Highlight Newly Installed Programs
Tired of that annoying little window that pops up to tell you that new software is installed? If it gets in the way when you’re logging off, turn it off completely. To do this:
Click Start, right-click at the top of the Start menu where your name is displayed, and then click Properties.
In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, on the Start Menu tab, click Customize.
Click the Advanced tab, and then clear the Highlight newly installed programs check box.
Click OK, and then click OK again.
9) Change the Default Opening Folder in Windows Explorer
By default, Windows Explorer opens showing the My Documents folder. To change the default setting so that all top–level drives and folders are shown, follow these steps:
Click Start > Programs > Accessories, then right–click Windows Explorer, and click Properties.
Under Target field, which reads %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe, add to make the line read:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:\
Click OK.
10) Identify a 16-bit Program
Use Windows Explorer to open the folder that contains the program's executable (.exe) file.
Right-click the .exe file, and then click Properties.
A 16-bit program does not have a Version tab in this dialog box.
11) Use the Desktop Cleanup Wizard in Windows XP
To start the Desktop Cleanup Wizard:
Click Start , and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes under Pick a category.
Under or pick a Control Panel icon , click Display. The Display Properties dialog box is displayed.
In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop. The Desktop Items dialog box is displayed.
Under Desktop cleanup , click to clear the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days check box if you do not want the Desktop Cleanup Wizard to automatically start every 60 days.
Click Clean Desktop Now. The Desktop Cleanup Wizard starts.
12) Remove Unwanted Shortcuts
In the Welcome to the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, click Next.
In the Shortcuts dialog box, a list of shortcuts are displayed in the Shortcut to Clean Up list. The shortcuts that you click are removed from the desktop and placed in the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder on the Windows desktop.
If you do not want a shortcut to be removed from the desktop, click to clear the check box for that shortcut, and then click Next when you are finished.
In the Completing the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, view the items in the Shortcuts box to confirm that you want them removed from the desktop, and then click Finish.
The Desktop Cleanup Wizard moves the selected shortcuts to the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder and then quits.
13) Restore Shortcuts
If a shortcut that you want is removed, follow these steps to restore the shortcut:
On the Desktop, double-click the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder. The Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is displayed. Note: If the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is maximized, click the Restore Down button (appears to the left of the red Close button).
Drag the shortcut that you want to the Windows desktop.
Close the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box.
14) How to Turn On Automatic Updates
Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click System.
Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click one of the following options:
- Download the updates automatically and notify me when they are ready to be installed. (This is the default setting.)
- Notify me before downloading any updates and notify me again before installing them on my computer.
15) How to Turn Off Automatic Updates
Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click System.
Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Turn off automatic updating. I want to update my computer manually.
16) How to Update Your Files Manually by Using Windows Update
If you choose not to use automatic updating, you can still install specific updates from the Windows Update Web site. Windows Update is a catalog of items such as drivers, security fixes, critical updates, the latest Help files, and Internet products that you can download to keep your computer up-to-date.
Click Windows Update in Help and Support Center.
On the Windows Update home page, click Scan for updates.
Click Yes when you are prompted to install any required software or device drivers.
17) How to Have Windows Remind You About Pending Updates
Click Remind Me Later in the Automatic Updates dialog box before you download or install the update.
In the Reminder dialog box, you can specify the amount of time Windows should wait before reminding you.
If the reminder is for downloading, Windows reminds you only when you are connected to the Internet.
If the reminder is for installing, Windows reminds you according to the schedule that you specify.
18) How to Download Available Updates
If you configured automatic updating to notify you before downloading any updates, an icon is displayed in the notification area each time new updates are found.
Double-click the icon in the notification area.
Do either of the following steps:
If you want Windows to download an update, make sure that the check box beside it is selected.-or-
If you do not want Windows to download an update, click to clear the check box beside it.
Your selected updates are downloaded in the background; this behavior allows you to continue working uninterrupted. Downloading does not interfere with or slow down other network activity, such as Internet browsing.
When downloading is finished, the icon is displayed in the notification area to notify you that updates are ready to be installed.
19) How to Pause or Resume Downloading
After the download process has started, you can pause or resume downloading at any time. If you close your Internet connection or restart your computer after pausing a download process, Windows automatically resumes the download process the next time you are connected to the Internet.
During the download process, click the icon that is displayed in the notification area, and then click Pause.
When you are ready for Windows to start downloading again, click the Automatic updating icon, and then click
Resume.
Restore an Update that You Previously Declined
If you decide not to download a specific update, you can prompt Windows Update to offer that update again.
Click Start , click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Restore Declined Updates.
20) Using the Ultimate Configuration Tool (Professional Edition Only)
One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists. It's called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short. It just like old Poledit.exe.
To start this editor:
Select Start and then Run, then type the following:
gpedit.msc
After you hit Enter, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify almost every feature in Windows XP without having to go to regedit
Windows XP Twenty Use Full Tips & Tweaks! [ Pg.5 ]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1) Shutdown Button on Desktop
Right click on ur Desktop and create new Shortcut and type “C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\Shutdown.exe –s” without quotes in the popup box which will appear asking for a path of shortcut . Now when u will double click this shortcut it will give u shutdown message and ur computer will shutdown after some seconds. U can customize ur shutdown button with same icon which original shutdown have Just go to the properties of ur shortcut and click change icon tab select any icon u like and click apply.
Similarly u can also put restart button on ur desktop just replace –s in above line by –r
If u don’t want shutdown button on ur desktop u can the go to start >run and type
Shutdown –s or –r they will do the same job. If someone tries to shutdown u remotely on the net then u can stop shutdown process but typing shutdown –a in Run.
Shutdown –s = Shutdown & restart
Shutdown –r = Restart
Shutdown –a = To abort shutdown
2) Cracking windows xp admin and user passwords.
I hope u guys liked tip given for resetting passwords in first part. If u have guest or limited user account on PC than that control userpasswords2 tip does not help u much. Windows will still ask u admin password for resetting users passwords .
Ok go and Download a tool called CIA COMMANDER this is just what we want. This tool will create a copy protected bootable floppy which will allow u to boot any computer and also help u to get into any NTFS partition .First select floppy as first bootable device from BIOS. CIA shows u every thing to u in GUI.
After booting CIA will allow u to reset any user password even administrator’s password. It also includes a file manager, registry editor and a text/hex editor. Present version of CIA does not support FAT partitions but sooner its new version will even support FAT partition based system.
I have read on some tutorials about a tool called NTFS Pro which looks almost like CIA .
3) Correcting System Hang at Startup
If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access the Start
button or theTaskbar, it may be due to one specific service (Background Intelligent
Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch for this but it didn't
work for me. Here's what you do
Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service.
Disable it, apply the changes & reboot.
4) Editing explorer in windows xp
Editing explore in windows xp is very easy with available tools its not as difficult like old dos based tedious method here u need just one tool called RESOURCE HACKER
It is a resource viewer it will show u Resources in any 32bit Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 executable files (including exe’s, dll’s, ocx’s and cpl’s) . ok go in to ur windows directory and find explorer.exe and make its two copies name them
As explorer_1 and explorer_2 .exe respectively and keep them in windows folder only. We will edit explorer_1 and will keep explorer_2 as backup copy if anything goes wrong. Open explorer_1.exe in resource hacker and go to String table and edit whatever u want to even u can change start button by ur name or anything else
After editing even a single word do not forget to click the COMPILE button. Change icon or u can change animated message such as when u install a new programs so when u go to all programs a animated message comes “New Program Installed” u can change it by ur sentence etc. now we have edited the explore_1 now go To File menu in Resource hacker and save it as explorer_1.exe it will ask u that explorer_1.exe is already present do u want to replace it, click YES. Now we have our edited explorer.
Now restart ur computer in safe mode with command prompt by pressing F8 during booting process . Now we will copy explorer_1.exe on explorer.exe by typing command Copy C:\windows\explorer_1.exe C:\windows\explorer.exe
Now restart ur computer and what u will seeing that u r working with ur edited explorer. If anything goes wrong than just copy explorer_2.exe on explorer.exe by same process.
5) Speed Up Detailed View in Explorer
If you like to view your files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" view here is a tweak to speed up the listing of file attributes:
Viewing files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" mode shows various attributes associated with each file shown. Some of these must be retrieved from the individual files when you click on the directory for viewing. For a directory with numerous and relatively large files (such as a folder in which one stores media, eg: *.mp3's, *.avi's etc.), Windows Explorer lags as it reads through each one. Here's how to disable viewing of unwanted attributes and speed up file browsing:
Open Windows Explorer.
Navigate to the folder which you wish to optimize.
In "Details" mode right-click the bar at the top which displays the names of the attribute columns.
Uncheck any that are unwanted/unneeded.
Explorer will apply your preferences immediately, and longs lists of unnecessary attributes will not be displayed.
Likewise, one may choose to display any information which is regarded as needed, getting more out of Explorer.
6) Remove Hibernation File
If you do not use hibernation, make sure you do not have it enabled, which reserves disk space equal to your RAM. If you have a hidden file on the root directory of your C-drive called hiberfil.sys, hibernation is enabled. To remove that file:
Go to Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, Hibernate tab, and uncheck the Enable hibernation box.
7) Change Drive Letters in Windows XP
When you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive. When you want to change drive letters, follow these steps:
Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you’ll see your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.
Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you want to assign, and then click OK.
8) Do Not Highlight Newly Installed Programs
Tired of that annoying little window that pops up to tell you that new software is installed? If it gets in the way when you’re logging off, turn it off completely. To do this:
Click Start, right-click at the top of the Start menu where your name is displayed, and then click Properties.
In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, on the Start Menu tab, click Customize.
Click the Advanced tab, and then clear the Highlight newly installed programs check box.
Click OK, and then click OK again.
9) Change the Default Opening Folder in Windows Explorer
By default, Windows Explorer opens showing the My Documents folder. To change the default setting so that all top–level drives and folders are shown, follow these steps:
Click Start > Programs > Accessories, then right–click Windows Explorer, and click Properties.
Under Target field, which reads %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe, add to make the line read:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:\
Click OK.
10) Identify a 16-bit Program
Use Windows Explorer to open the folder that contains the program's executable (.exe) file.
Right-click the .exe file, and then click Properties.
A 16-bit program does not have a Version tab in this dialog box.
11) Use the Desktop Cleanup Wizard in Windows XP
To start the Desktop Cleanup Wizard:
Click Start , and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes under Pick a category.
Under or pick a Control Panel icon , click Display. The Display Properties dialog box is displayed.
In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop. The Desktop Items dialog box is displayed.
Under Desktop cleanup , click to clear the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days check box if you do not want the Desktop Cleanup Wizard to automatically start every 60 days.
Click Clean Desktop Now. The Desktop Cleanup Wizard starts.
12) Remove Unwanted Shortcuts
In the Welcome to the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, click Next.
In the Shortcuts dialog box, a list of shortcuts are displayed in the Shortcut to Clean Up list. The shortcuts that you click are removed from the desktop and placed in the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder on the Windows desktop.
If you do not want a shortcut to be removed from the desktop, click to clear the check box for that shortcut, and then click Next when you are finished.
In the Completing the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, view the items in the Shortcuts box to confirm that you want them removed from the desktop, and then click Finish.
The Desktop Cleanup Wizard moves the selected shortcuts to the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder and then quits.
13) Restore Shortcuts
If a shortcut that you want is removed, follow these steps to restore the shortcut:
On the Desktop, double-click the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder. The Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is displayed. Note: If the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is maximized, click the Restore Down button (appears to the left of the red Close button).
Drag the shortcut that you want to the Windows desktop.
Close the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box.
14) How to Turn On Automatic Updates
Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click System.
Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click one of the following options:
- Download the updates automatically and notify me when they are ready to be installed. (This is the default setting.)
- Notify me before downloading any updates and notify me again before installing them on my computer.
15) How to Turn Off Automatic Updates
Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click System.
Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Turn off automatic updating. I want to update my computer manually.
16) How to Update Your Files Manually by Using Windows Update
If you choose not to use automatic updating, you can still install specific updates from the Windows Update Web site. Windows Update is a catalog of items such as drivers, security fixes, critical updates, the latest Help files, and Internet products that you can download to keep your computer up-to-date.
Click Windows Update in Help and Support Center.
On the Windows Update home page, click Scan for updates.
Click Yes when you are prompted to install any required software or device drivers.
17) How to Have Windows Remind You About Pending Updates
Click Remind Me Later in the Automatic Updates dialog box before you download or install the update.
In the Reminder dialog box, you can specify the amount of time Windows should wait before reminding you.
If the reminder is for downloading, Windows reminds you only when you are connected to the Internet.
If the reminder is for installing, Windows reminds you according to the schedule that you specify.
18) How to Download Available Updates
If you configured automatic updating to notify you before downloading any updates, an icon is displayed in the notification area each time new updates are found.
Double-click the icon in the notification area.
Do either of the following steps:
If you want Windows to download an update, make sure that the check box beside it is selected.-or-
If you do not want Windows to download an update, click to clear the check box beside it.
Your selected updates are downloaded in the background; this behavior allows you to continue working uninterrupted. Downloading does not interfere with or slow down other network activity, such as Internet browsing.
When downloading is finished, the icon is displayed in the notification area to notify you that updates are ready to be installed.
19) How to Pause or Resume Downloading
After the download process has started, you can pause or resume downloading at any time. If you close your Internet connection or restart your computer after pausing a download process, Windows automatically resumes the download process the next time you are connected to the Internet.
During the download process, click the icon that is displayed in the notification area, and then click Pause.
When you are ready for Windows to start downloading again, click the Automatic updating icon, and then click
Resume.
Restore an Update that You Previously Declined
If you decide not to download a specific update, you can prompt Windows Update to offer that update again.
Click Start , click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Restore Declined Updates.
20) Using the Ultimate Configuration Tool (Professional Edition Only)
One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists. It's called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short. It just like old Poledit.exe.
To start this editor:
Select Start and then Run, then type the following:
gpedit.msc
After you hit Enter, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify almost every feature in Windows XP without having to go to regedit
Computer Tips [PG.4]
Computer Tips
Windows XP Twenty Use Full Tips & Tweaks! [ Pg.4 ]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1) Cracking Windows XP Login Password:
Download the nice and easy Nt/2k/xp password cracker from http://www.astalavista.com/or other way is if u get acess to the computer then go to Start>Run and type “control userpasswords2” without Quotes and a new pop up windows will open and u will reach to user account properties. Here u can Reset the Administrator and any Users password so anytime when u Want to use the Computer start it in safemode pressing F8 at Booting get into the xp as u have Administrator password and go to Controlpanel>Useraccounts and create a New Account .Start Computer Normally and get into WinXP with ur newely made account and do ur job. (Don’t forget to Delete ur newely made account Otherwise u will be in trouble) Delete ur account again starting the computer in Safemode as Administrator and Delete ur Account.
2)Disable XP Boot Logo:
It is possible to disable the XP splash screen, which will slightly speed up the overall boot process. Be aware that removing the splash screen will also cause you not to see any boot-up messages that might come up (chkdsk, convert ... ), but if your system runs without any problems then it should not matter.
Edit boot.ini. Add " /noguiboot" right after "/fastdetect". Upon restarting, the splash screen will be gone. It can be re-enabled by removing the new switch.
3)Turn Off Indexing to Speed Up XP:
Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when you do a search on the hard drive it is faster. There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands like open, close, etc. If you do not do a whole lot of searches on your hard drive then you may want to turn this feature off:
Open My Computer.
Right-click your hard drive icon and select Properties.
At the bottom of the window you'll see "Allow indexing service to index this disk for faster searches," uncheck this and click ok.
A new window will pop up and select Apply to all folders and subfolders.
It will take a minute or two for the changes to take affect but then you should enjoy slightly faster performance.
4)Clean Your Prefetch to Improve Performance:
This is a unique technique for WinXP. We know that it is necessary to scrub registry and TEMP files for Win9X/ME/2000 periodically. Prefetch is a new and very useful technique in Windows XP. However, after using XP some time, the prefetch directory can get full of junk and obsolete links in the Prefetch catalog, which can slow down your computer noticeably.
Open C(system drive):/windows/prefetch, delete those junk and obsolete files, reboot. It is recommended that you do this every month.
5)Performance Increase Through My Computer:
Easy enough tweak to usually find out about it on your own, but still, some of us still don't find it right away. So here it is:
Start > right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
See the "Performance" section? Click "Settings".
Disable the following:
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show Shadows under menus
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Use a background image for each folder type
Use common tasks in folders
There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster.
6)Reduce 10 Second Scandisk Wait Time:
Start MS Dos Prompt (Start run CMD), and type: CHKNTFS /T:4
where 4 is the amount of wait time.
CHKNTFS /?
for more info.
7)DMA Mode on IDE Devices:
Just like Windows 2000, Windows XP still fails to set the DMA mode correctly for the IDE device designated as the slaves on the primary IDE and secondary IDE channels. Most CD-ROMS are capable of supporting DMA mode, but the default in XP is still PIO. Setting it to DMA won't make your CD-ROM faster, but it will consume less CPU cycles. Here's how:
Open the Device Manager. One way to do that is to right-click on "My Computer", select the Hardware tab, and select Device Manager.
Expand "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and double-click on "Primary IDE Channel".
Under the "Advanced Settings" tab, check the "Device 1" setting. More than likely, your current transfer mode is set to PIO.
Set it to "DMA if available".
Repeat the step for the "Secondary IDE Channel" if you have devices attached to it. Reboot.
8)Load Internet Explorer the Fastest Way Possible:
Edit your link to start Internet Explorer to have -nohome after it. For Example: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -nohome
This will load internet explorer very fast because it does not load a web page while it is loading. If you want to go to your homepage after it is loaded, just click on the home button.
9)Easy Way to Adjust LargeSystemCache:
Normally, the tweak I've seen asks you to go into HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management and change the value to either O or 1 to the adjustment the LargeSystemCache.
However, in Windows XP, all you have to do is:
Right-click My Computer.
Select Properties.
Click Advanced.
Choose Performance.
Click Advanced again.
Select either Programs or System Cache under Memory Usage.
Programs = 0 for the registry tweak equivalent
System Cache = 1 for the registry tweak equivalent
10)Shutdown XP Faster:
Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable this useless sound.
Click Start button.
Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds.
Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and OK.
Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.
11)Easily Disable Messenger:
Go into: C:/Program Files/Messenger. Rename the Messenger folder to "MessengerOFF".
This does not slow down Outlook Express or hinder system performance.
12)Turn Off Autoplay for Program CDs:
How can you stop Windows XP from launching program CDs?
Click Start, click Run, type GPEDIT.MSC to open Group Policy in the Microsoft Management Console.
Double-click Computer Configuration, double-click Administrative templates, double-click System, and then click Turn off autoplay.
The instructions on your screen describe how to configure this setting. Click Properties to display the setting dialog.
Click Enabled, and choose CD-ROM drives, then click OK, to stop CD autoplay.
This setting does not prevent Autoplay for music CDs.
13)Synchronize Your Computer Clock with an Internet Time Server:
Does your computer have the right time? If your computer is not part of a domain, you can synchronize your computer clock with an Internet time server. To do so:
Double–click the time on your task bar.
Click the Internet Time tab.
Select the time server you want to use and make sure to select the Automatically synchronize with an Internet time
server check box.
14)Win XP Won’t Completely Shutdown:
Go to Control Panel, then go to Power Options.
Click on the APM tab, then check the "Enable Advanced Power Management support."
Shut down your PC.
It should now successfully complete the Shut Down process.
15)Adjust Various Visual Effects:
Open up the Control Panel.
Go under System and click on the Advanced tab.
Click settings under Performance options.
You can now change various graphical effects (mainly animations and shadows).
16)Disable Error Reporting:
Open Control Panel.
Click on Performance and Maintenance.
Click on System.
Then click on the Advanced tab.
Click on the error-reporting button on the bottom of the windows.
Select Disable error reporting.
Click OK. Click OK.
17)Increase Your Cable Modem or DSL Speed in XP:
This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with WinXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It may also work with networked machines as well.
This tweak assumes that you have let WinXP create a connection on install for your cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print sharing - and client for Microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that WinXP will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try this.
In the "My Network Places" properties (right-click on the desktop icon and choose properties), highlight the connection
then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the
bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.
18)Stop Jerkey Graphics:
If you are connected to a LAN and have problems with jerkey graphics, this might be the solution:
Right-click "MyComputer".
Select "Manage".
Click on "Device Manager".
Double-click on your NIC under "Network Adapters".
In the new window, select the "Advanced" tab.
Select "Connection Type" and manually set the value of your NIC. (Not "Auto Sense" which is default.).
You should reboot.
19)Speeding Up Your Old Shit Pentium by 50%:
We all know that you really shouldn't try to run Windows XP on anything less that about a Pentium 3 of some sort if you are out for speedy operations and amazing reaction times, but for those of us with the good old Pentium 2's who want to see just how well we can run XP, we have to tweak as much as we can where-ever we can. A real killer to the system's performance is Windows Media Player. Although it may look desirable and fancy with it's rounded off edges and 3rd-Dimensional appearance, the truth is, it takes up a large amount of that precious processing power. All of these troubles however, lead to one thing in particular with this 'new-look' over-rated music and video player...the Visualizations. The look-great I'll admit but like a lot of software these days, it has no purpose. If you run the task manager, and click the Performance tab along the top, you'll see that when Windows Media Player is running and nothing else is active, it takes up around 50% of the processors power. Once these visualizations are turned off, it barely takes up 2-3% of the processors power, which leaves much more room for other applications to work efficiently.
Here's how to disable the feature:
Open Media Player.
Make sure the Now Playing tab on the left is selected.
Click the View menu along the top.
Go down to Now Playing Tools
20) Turn Off System Restore to Save Space:
By default, Windows XP keeps a backup of system files in the System Volume Information folder. This can eat up valuable space on your hard drive. If you don't want Windows to back up your system files:
Open the Control Panel.
Double-click on System.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check "Turn off System Restore on all drives".
Hit Apply.
You may now delete the System Volume Information folder.
Windows XP Twenty Use Full Tips & Tweaks! [ Pg.4 ]
Page : 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- 10 -- 11
1) Cracking Windows XP Login Password:
Download the nice and easy Nt/2k/xp password cracker from http://www.astalavista.com/or other way is if u get acess to the computer then go to Start>Run and type “control userpasswords2” without Quotes and a new pop up windows will open and u will reach to user account properties. Here u can Reset the Administrator and any Users password so anytime when u Want to use the Computer start it in safemode pressing F8 at Booting get into the xp as u have Administrator password and go to Controlpanel>Useraccounts and create a New Account .Start Computer Normally and get into WinXP with ur newely made account and do ur job. (Don’t forget to Delete ur newely made account Otherwise u will be in trouble) Delete ur account again starting the computer in Safemode as Administrator and Delete ur Account.
2)Disable XP Boot Logo:
It is possible to disable the XP splash screen, which will slightly speed up the overall boot process. Be aware that removing the splash screen will also cause you not to see any boot-up messages that might come up (chkdsk, convert ... ), but if your system runs without any problems then it should not matter.
Edit boot.ini. Add " /noguiboot" right after "/fastdetect". Upon restarting, the splash screen will be gone. It can be re-enabled by removing the new switch.
3)Turn Off Indexing to Speed Up XP:
Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when you do a search on the hard drive it is faster. There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands like open, close, etc. If you do not do a whole lot of searches on your hard drive then you may want to turn this feature off:
Open My Computer.
Right-click your hard drive icon and select Properties.
At the bottom of the window you'll see "Allow indexing service to index this disk for faster searches," uncheck this and click ok.
A new window will pop up and select Apply to all folders and subfolders.
It will take a minute or two for the changes to take affect but then you should enjoy slightly faster performance.
4)Clean Your Prefetch to Improve Performance:
This is a unique technique for WinXP. We know that it is necessary to scrub registry and TEMP files for Win9X/ME/2000 periodically. Prefetch is a new and very useful technique in Windows XP. However, after using XP some time, the prefetch directory can get full of junk and obsolete links in the Prefetch catalog, which can slow down your computer noticeably.
Open C(system drive):/windows/prefetch, delete those junk and obsolete files, reboot. It is recommended that you do this every month.
5)Performance Increase Through My Computer:
Easy enough tweak to usually find out about it on your own, but still, some of us still don't find it right away. So here it is:
Start > right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
Click on the "Advanced" tab.
See the "Performance" section? Click "Settings".
Disable the following:
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show Shadows under menus
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Use a background image for each folder type
Use common tasks in folders
There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster.
6)Reduce 10 Second Scandisk Wait Time:
Start MS Dos Prompt (Start run CMD), and type: CHKNTFS /T:4
where 4 is the amount of wait time.
CHKNTFS /?
for more info.
7)DMA Mode on IDE Devices:
Just like Windows 2000, Windows XP still fails to set the DMA mode correctly for the IDE device designated as the slaves on the primary IDE and secondary IDE channels. Most CD-ROMS are capable of supporting DMA mode, but the default in XP is still PIO. Setting it to DMA won't make your CD-ROM faster, but it will consume less CPU cycles. Here's how:
Open the Device Manager. One way to do that is to right-click on "My Computer", select the Hardware tab, and select Device Manager.
Expand "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and double-click on "Primary IDE Channel".
Under the "Advanced Settings" tab, check the "Device 1" setting. More than likely, your current transfer mode is set to PIO.
Set it to "DMA if available".
Repeat the step for the "Secondary IDE Channel" if you have devices attached to it. Reboot.
8)Load Internet Explorer the Fastest Way Possible:
Edit your link to start Internet Explorer to have -nohome after it. For Example: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -nohome
This will load internet explorer very fast because it does not load a web page while it is loading. If you want to go to your homepage after it is loaded, just click on the home button.
9)Easy Way to Adjust LargeSystemCache:
Normally, the tweak I've seen asks you to go into HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management and change the value to either O or 1 to the adjustment the LargeSystemCache.
However, in Windows XP, all you have to do is:
Right-click My Computer.
Select Properties.
Click Advanced.
Choose Performance.
Click Advanced again.
Select either Programs or System Cache under Memory Usage.
Programs = 0 for the registry tweak equivalent
System Cache = 1 for the registry tweak equivalent
10)Shutdown XP Faster:
Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable this useless sound.
Click Start button.
Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds.
Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and OK.
Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.
11)Easily Disable Messenger:
Go into: C:/Program Files/Messenger. Rename the Messenger folder to "MessengerOFF".
This does not slow down Outlook Express or hinder system performance.
12)Turn Off Autoplay for Program CDs:
How can you stop Windows XP from launching program CDs?
Click Start, click Run, type GPEDIT.MSC to open Group Policy in the Microsoft Management Console.
Double-click Computer Configuration, double-click Administrative templates, double-click System, and then click Turn off autoplay.
The instructions on your screen describe how to configure this setting. Click Properties to display the setting dialog.
Click Enabled, and choose CD-ROM drives, then click OK, to stop CD autoplay.
This setting does not prevent Autoplay for music CDs.
13)Synchronize Your Computer Clock with an Internet Time Server:
Does your computer have the right time? If your computer is not part of a domain, you can synchronize your computer clock with an Internet time server. To do so:
Double–click the time on your task bar.
Click the Internet Time tab.
Select the time server you want to use and make sure to select the Automatically synchronize with an Internet time
server check box.
14)Win XP Won’t Completely Shutdown:
Go to Control Panel, then go to Power Options.
Click on the APM tab, then check the "Enable Advanced Power Management support."
Shut down your PC.
It should now successfully complete the Shut Down process.
15)Adjust Various Visual Effects:
Open up the Control Panel.
Go under System and click on the Advanced tab.
Click settings under Performance options.
You can now change various graphical effects (mainly animations and shadows).
16)Disable Error Reporting:
Open Control Panel.
Click on Performance and Maintenance.
Click on System.
Then click on the Advanced tab.
Click on the error-reporting button on the bottom of the windows.
Select Disable error reporting.
Click OK. Click OK.
17)Increase Your Cable Modem or DSL Speed in XP:
This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with WinXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It may also work with networked machines as well.
This tweak assumes that you have let WinXP create a connection on install for your cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print sharing - and client for Microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that WinXP will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try this.
In the "My Network Places" properties (right-click on the desktop icon and choose properties), highlight the connection
then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the
bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.
18)Stop Jerkey Graphics:
If you are connected to a LAN and have problems with jerkey graphics, this might be the solution:
Right-click "MyComputer".
Select "Manage".
Click on "Device Manager".
Double-click on your NIC under "Network Adapters".
In the new window, select the "Advanced" tab.
Select "Connection Type" and manually set the value of your NIC. (Not "Auto Sense" which is default.).
You should reboot.
19)Speeding Up Your Old Shit Pentium by 50%:
We all know that you really shouldn't try to run Windows XP on anything less that about a Pentium 3 of some sort if you are out for speedy operations and amazing reaction times, but for those of us with the good old Pentium 2's who want to see just how well we can run XP, we have to tweak as much as we can where-ever we can. A real killer to the system's performance is Windows Media Player. Although it may look desirable and fancy with it's rounded off edges and 3rd-Dimensional appearance, the truth is, it takes up a large amount of that precious processing power. All of these troubles however, lead to one thing in particular with this 'new-look' over-rated music and video player...the Visualizations. The look-great I'll admit but like a lot of software these days, it has no purpose. If you run the task manager, and click the Performance tab along the top, you'll see that when Windows Media Player is running and nothing else is active, it takes up around 50% of the processors power. Once these visualizations are turned off, it barely takes up 2-3% of the processors power, which leaves much more room for other applications to work efficiently.
Here's how to disable the feature:
Open Media Player.
Make sure the Now Playing tab on the left is selected.
Click the View menu along the top.
Go down to Now Playing Tools
20) Turn Off System Restore to Save Space:
By default, Windows XP keeps a backup of system files in the System Volume Information folder. This can eat up valuable space on your hard drive. If you don't want Windows to back up your system files:
Open the Control Panel.
Double-click on System.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check "Turn off System Restore on all drives".
Hit Apply.
You may now delete the System Volume Information folder.
