Windows level1 + Level2+ Level3 Information

Icon Spacing on Desktop
Icons displayed on the desktop are spaced according to values defined in the display properties. To change these values, perform the following steps:
Start the Display Control Panel applet (go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and click Display).
Select the Appearance tab.
Under Item, select Icon Spacing (Horizontal) and modify the size.
Select Icon Spacing (Vertical) and modify the size.
Click OK to close all dialog boxes.
Note: For the change to take effect, you need to unselect Auto Arrange from the Arrange Icons context menu that displays when you right-click the desktop.
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View Thumbnails In Folder Window
Do you have a hard time identifying photos or graphics images by their names only? Opt to view thumbnails, or mini-versions of the images, right inside their folder window.
Open the folder that contains the graphics you want to identify
Select View, Thumbnails.
Now you can find what you need at a glance. What's more, this setting sticks for that folder until you turn it off.
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Display the QuickLaunch Toolbar
By default, Windows XP does not show the QuickLaunch toolbar as did Windows 98.To enable it:
Right click on an open area of the toolbar
Select Toolbars
Select Quick Launch
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Ungroup Taskbar Items
By default, Windows XP groups similar taskbar items on the same taskbar button, for example, if you have four folder windows open, you'll see a single button that reads "4 Windows Explorer." If you prefer, you can view each open window on its own taskbar button. Right-click a blank area of the Taskbar and select Properties. On the Taskbar tab of the resulting dialog box, deselect "Group similar taskbar buttons" and click OK.
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Display a Photo on your Desktop
If you would like to display your favorite picture on your desktop, Windows XP makes this a simple task. Here's how:
Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the picture file and right-click it.
In the resulting right-click menu, look for the "Open With" option. Choose to Open it in Internet Explorer.
Once Internet Explorer has opened your picture file, right-click the image and select "Set as Background".
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Installing Wallpaper on the PC
One thing that I change a lot is the desktop wallpaper. I get tired of looking at the same thing day in and day out. Using Google Images or Yahoo Images, you can go out into the Internet and find millions of background photo's to use. Here's how:
Open your browser and type in: www.google.com
Select the Google Images tab
Type in your screen size, then use a one or two word description of what you are looking for. Here are a few example searches:
1024x768 hawaii sunset
1024x768 nascar
1024x768 lakes
1024x768 mountains
1024x768 waterfall
...you get the idea
Note: Replace the 1024x768 with your screen size. If you do not know what your screen size is, simply right click an open area of your desktop and select Graphic Options>> Graphic Properties from the resulting menus.
Open the image from its thumbnail view to full-size view.
Once you have selected the photo that you would like to use as your background, right click the image and choose the "Set as background" option. Your selected background will now reside on your desktop. Change this as often as you like, you'll never run out of photo's. [Top]
Transparent Desktop Icons
If you would like the background of the desktop icons to have a transparent appearance, here's how:
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> System
Once at the System Properties windows, select the Advanced tab
Under the Performance category, select the Settings button
In the Performance Options windows select the Visual Effects tab
Scroll down the list of settings and place a checkmark next to the entry titled: Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop.
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Tool Tips will not display on Taskbar
This is a known bug that really doesn't have a "fix". There are however, things that may help. Here are a few tips that have been known to help:Method #1:With your Desktop in view, single left click an empty area, then press the F5 key on your keyboard. This should reset the desktop.Method #2:Right click your Taskbar>> Properties>> Uncheck the entry titled: Keep the taskbar on top of other windows. Click Apply, then OK. Reverse the process and re-check the aforementioned entry. Click Apply, then OK.Method #3:Most of the time a simple reboot will fix this issue.
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Change Title Bar Colors
The Title Bar is designed to quickly inform you of which program, document or web site you have open windows for. The Active Title Bar will inform you of which window you are currently viewing.
The default colors for the title bars are basic blue with white writing. If you would like to change this to your own color of choice, here's how:
Right-click on an empty area of your desktop.
Choose Properties.
Click the Appearance Tab.
Click the Advanced button.
Choose Active Title Bar or Inactive Title Bar from the 'Item' drop-down menu.
Change Color 1 and Color 2 to your color of choice.
Press Apply when you're finished.
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Remove Unwanted Hidden Programs
If you want to remove programs that are installed with Windows but are not visible in "Add/Remove Windows Components" (such as MSN Messenger in WinXP), edit a file called "C:\WINDOWS\INF\SYSOC.INF". Go to: Start>> Run>> type in: C:\WINDOWS\INF\SYSOC.INF [Enter]In there you will find a listing of programs, and you will note that some programs have the word 'hide' at the end. Simply remove the word 'hide' but leave the preceding comma. Examples:BEFORE:msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 AFTER:msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7 Exit saving changes.Now when you open Add/Remove Windows Components, you will see the now viewable, in this example, "Windows Messenger".
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Using ClearType Method
Windows XP has a feature called ClearType. This text rendering method exists to smooth the appearance of the on-screen text. To try this method:
Right-click an empty area on your Desktop.
Select Properties
In the resulting Display Properties window, select the Appearance tab
Click the Effects button
Choose ClearType from the drop-down menu named: "Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts".
Select OK and OK again to see how it looks
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Using Favorites in Windows XP Help
The Windows Help Files in Windows XP is packed full of useful information. One feature that I use a lot is the Favorites. If you find a topic that you may want to re-visit in the future, you can click the Favorites tab and save it by clicking the Add button.
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Display the Quick Launch Bar
If you are a frequent multi-tasker, you may want to consider using the Quick Launch bar. The Quick Launch bar resides in your taskbar next to your Start button. It makes it very easy for you to launch frequently used programs with a single click. Another convenient feature of the Quick Launch bar is the "Show Desktop" icon. When you click this icon, it will minimize all active windows and show only your desktop. Click it again and everything will return as it was.To display the Quick Launch bar:
Right click an empty area of your taskbar
Select Properties from the resulting menu
Place a checkmark in the box titled: "Show Quick Launch" under the "Taskbar appearance" section of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window
Click Apply and then click OK to exit the window
To add a program to your Quick Launch bar, simply drag the program from either the desktop or the All Programs menu to the Quick Launch bar. To delete a program from the Quick Launch bar, right click the program and select Delete. [Top]
Making text transparent on desktop icons
Four criteria must be met to have transparent text on your desktop icon.1. Go to Start>> Right Click My Computer>> Properties>> Advanced tab>> Performance Settings>> Visual Effects tab.The entry "use drop shadows for icon labels..." must be checked 2. Right click any blank area of your desktop>> Arrange Icons by...>> The entry "Lock Web Items on Desktop" entry must be unchecked.3. Having any web content on your desktop will not allow transparency to work. Here's how to check for web content:Right click a blank area of your desktop>> Properties>> Desktop tab>> Customize Desktop button>> Web tab>> make sure all checkboxes are unchecked. 4. Wallpaper must be an image file, not HTML.
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Turn any folder into a taskbar toolbar
If you would like to turn a folder into a taskbar toolbar, here's how:
Be sure that your taskbar is unlocked by right clicking an empty area of the toolbar. If there is a checkmark next to "Lock the Toolbar", then click once on that entry to uncheck it. Then, drag the desired folder to the space between taskbar button area and the clock. While dragging, you may see a "no-entry" cursor (which is a circle with a diagonal slash), once that disappears, you can drop your folder into the taskbar button area. Resize it however you would like. You can even turn this toolbar into a menu by resizing it until only the name is showing. To delete this button, simply right click it and select "Close Toolbar".
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Cleanup Your Desktop
Windows XP has a feature known as the Desktop Cleanup Wizard that locates rarely used shortcuts and gives you the option to remove them. Here's how to access the Desktop Cleanup feature:
Right click an empty area of your Desktop.
Select Properties from the resulting menu.
Under the General tab, select the Desktop tab and then the Customize Desktop button.
Note: While in the Desktop Items window, you have an option to run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days. To enable this, place a checkmark in the box under the "Desktop cleanup" category.
Click the Clean Desktop Now button.
The Desktop Cleanup Wizard will now be evoked. You will see a list of desktop shortcuts that you haven't used in 60 days. Simply uncheck the ones that you would like to remove and they will be swept away to a folder called "Unused Desktop Shortcuts". If you ever need to retrieve a removed shortcut, just drag the shortcut out of the file and back on to your desktop.
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Windows XP Desktop Themes
Desktop themes are predefined elements that help you to personalize the appearance of your computers desktop, which includes your background, screen saver, icons, colors, mouse pointers and sounds.
There are many things that you are able to do in Windows XP to personalize your settings. You can use the Windows Classic look as your theme, or switch to another theme or even modify an existing theme. You also have the ability to create new themes (that's tomorrows tip!)Selecting a different desktop theme:1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop>> Click Properties. 2. Click the Themes tab>> Select a new theme in the Theme list. Note: A preview of the theme will now be displayed in the Sample box. 3. Select the theme that you want, and then click OK.
The desktop theme will now be applied to your computer.
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Add Familiar Icons back to your desktop
Windows XP does not put the icons that we were used to seeing on our desktops under Windows 98. But, they have made it possible to add some familiar icons to the desktop quickly and easily. Here's how:
Right click an empty area of your desktop.
Select properties.
Click the Desktop tab.
Select the Customize Desktop button.
Place a checkmark next to any of the available desktop icon entries. The choices are:
My Computer
My Network Places
My Documents
Internet Explorer
Click OK and then OK once again.
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Create invisible titles for your XP desktop icons
In this first step, you will need to make sure that Windows XP is configured to use drop-shadow icon titles. Here's how:
Right-click My Computer and choose Properties.
Click the Advanced tab in the resulting window.
Click the Settings button inside the Performance pane
Click the Visual Effects tab.
Scroll down until you see the entry "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop". If it's not checked, go ahead and check it now.
Click OK.
Now Windows will not include a rectangular background around the icon text.In this next step, we will create our invisible title. Since Windows will not accept a space as a file name, we will need to use a character that is invisible. The ANSI character "0160" is a non-breaking space and is visually indistinguishable from a space. We will need to insert this ANSI character into the icon title box, here's how:
Right click an icon and select Rename (or single click the icon and press F2)
Hold down the Alt key and type 0160 on your numeric keypad, then release the Alt key.
Press Enter.
Note: You will now see a highlighted rectangle that represents the invisible title but a single click on a blank area of your desktop will make this disappear.To make a second icon have an invisible title, just insert the special ANSI character twice into the icon title box. (eg: ALT + 01600160) This is necessary because Windows will not allow duplicate file names.
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Use your digital photos as Windows XP screensavers
Windows XP includes an option that lets you use your digital photos as screensavers. Here's how:
Right click an empty area of your desktop and select Properties.
Click the Screen Saver tab and select My Pictures Slideshow from the Screen Saver drop-down list.
Click Settings and then indicate the folder on your hard drive with the photos you want to use for the screensaver. You can also indicate the size and frequency of the photos, also whether or not to use transition effects.
Finish the task by clicking OK in all open dialog boxes.
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Create a Personal Screensaver
If you would like to create a personal screensaver, here's how:
Right click an empty spot on the desktop
Select Properties>> Screensaver tab.
From the screensaver dropdown list, select 'My Pictures Slideshow'.
Click Settings to adjust picture size, display speed and transition effects.
Pictures are randomly displayed from the My Pictures folder located in My Documents.
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Working with Windows XP Taskbar
The Windows XP taskbar plays an important role in organizing your open tasks. There are many ways in which you can customize your taskbar to help you organize them better. Lets take a look at the Taskbar Properties menu and discuss the options within this menu:Right click on your Start button and select Properties from the resulting menu. Then, click the Taskbar tab (see Figure #1).The options listed in the Taskbar Properties menu are:
Lock the taskbar:When selected, it will lock the taskbar in its current position and will not allow you to re-size it.
Auto-hide the taskbar:When selected, the taskbar will be hidden from plain view until you move your mouse pointer to the bottom of your screen where your taskbar is hiding.
Keep the taskbar on top of other windows: When selected, it will keep the the taskbar visible at all times.
Group similar taskbar buttons: When selected, allows multiple taskbar buttons of similar type to group together. This feature is designed to better organize your tasks and keep the taskbar buttons from getting too small.
Show Quick Launch: When selected, displays the quick launch toolbar to the right of your Start button.
As you will notice, when you select one of the above listed items, Windows will show you a preview of what the selection will change.Figure #1 [Top]
Positioning your Wallpaper image
Windows provides for only two position settings for your wallpaper. Placing it in any other position would require a registry edit. I recommend using a program already designed to perform this task for you. It will be much quicker and safer in the long run. One that I recommend is:Automatic Wallpaper Changer 3.0Author's product description below:
"The AWC is designed to do one thing well: allow you to automatically change your desktop wallpaper on a timed basis. The time between changes is defined as a number of seconds, minutes or hours. The displayed image can be stretched or shrunk for the best fit to the screen, optionally maintaining its aspect ratio, or displayed at its actual size. When displaying a picture the user is not limited to the centre of the screen, as is usually the case in windows, but can choose to display it in any of the four corners of the screen or centered on one of the edges. Additionally you can specify that files smaller than a predefined size should be tiled: again you can specify how the tiles are justified on the screen rather than simply going from the top left. Resizing is performed using a range of resampling methods to ensure the best possible results. After resizing you can apply various levels of sharpening to further improve image quality. You can further refine the list of files to display by filtering on file date or age and by file name. For example all files whose name begins 'XMAS' which you've created in the past 30 days. The AWC is minimized to the system tray rather than to the task bar. To restore it to view just double-click the icon in the tray or right click to pop up a menu. There's even a full set of command line switches so you can customize multiple shortcuts. Image formats supported are *.jpg;*.jpeg;*.gif;*.bmp;*.png;*.rle;*.tga;*.pcx."
Author: Steve Murphy
OS: Win98/WinMe/WinNT 4.x/Windows2000/WindowsXP
Language: English
File Size: 2.90MB

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Change Your Desktop Appearance
If you are looking for a new desktop look, maybe a simple change of font style, size or color will work. Below, I will show you how to customize individual Windows elements on your desktop such as icons, menus and title bars. Here's how:
Right click an empty space on your desktop.
Click Properties.
Click on the Appearance tab.
Click the Advanced button.
In the Advanced Appearance windows under the "Item:" category, when you open this list, you can change the appearance of the following options:3D ObjectsActive Title BarActive Window BorderApplication BackgroundCaption ButtonsDesktopIconIcon Spacing (Horizontal)Icon Spacing (Vertical)Inactive Title BarInactive Window BorderMenuMessage BoxPalette TitleSelected ItemsToolTipWindow
Note: Not all appearance options will be available for all of the listed options. For example, you will not be able to change the font on elements that do not display text. This option will be greyed out.
Once you've selected an item from the listed options, if available for that item, you can make the following changes (see Figure #1):
Under Item:
In the Size box, select a font size.
In the Color box, select a color.
Under Font:
Select the Font that you would like to use.
In the Size box, select a font size.
In the Color box, select a color.
To make your font appear bold, click the B.
To make your font appear in Italics, click the I.
When you are finished making all of your changes, click OK twice to save these settings.
Figure #1
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Hide Inactive Icons
You have control over what icons you would like to appear in the taskbar. If you do not want an icon to show, follow the instructions below:
Right click an empty area of your taskbar.
Select Properties from the resulting menu.
Click the "Customize" button at the bottom right of the notification area.
Click an item that you would like to change within this menu. Once clicked a drop-down menu will appear that has three options:
Hide when inactive
Always hide
Always show
Select one of the options, click OK and then click Apply.
Note: If you click the Restore Defaults button in the Customize notifications window, this will place ALL icons in the "Hide inactive icons" status.
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XP Pro Won't Completely Shutdown
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Power Options.
Select the APM tab.
Place a checkmark in the "Enable Advanced Power Management support" check box.
Click OK and exit the Control Panel.
Your computer should successfully complete the shut down process.
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Add Toolbars on the Windows XP Desktop
For an easy way to create a toolbar for your favorite Windows XP folders such as "My Documents" or "My Pictures", all you have to do it drag the XP folder to the right, left or top of the desktop. The toolbar will then snap into place. Right click an open part of the toolbar to see the customizing options.You can even add additional toolbars in the existing toolbar by right clicking an empty part and select "Toolbars". Then simply select a new toolbar or browse for a new toolbar to add.To delete the new toolbar, right click it and select "Close Toolbar".
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Place a custom popup menu on your taskbar
If you would like to create a popup menu on your taskbar that contains all of your frequently accessed programs, here's how:
Go to Start>> Accessories>> Windows Explorer.
With Windows Explorer open, select a location for a new folder. Then, go to File>> New>> Folder.
Name the new folder whatever you would like and then place all of your frequently used programs in this folder.
Next, right click an empty portion of your taskbar then select Toolbars>> New Toolbar from the resulting menu.
With the New Toolbar window showing, browse to the location of your new folder. Once the new folder is selected, click OK.
Your newly created folder will now reside within the taskbar. To easily see the contents of this folder, click the double arrows (usually to the right of the name) to view its contents. If you would like to remove this new folder from the taskbar, right click an empty portion of the taskbar and select Toolbars. Then click the "New Folder" entry within the resulting list.
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Create a Shortcut That Starts Remote Desktop
If you would like to have a handy icon on your desktop that starts a remote desktop session from your home computer to an office computer, here's how:
Go to Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> Communications>> Remote Desktop Connection.
Click Options
Configure your office computer connection settings
Click "Save as"
Enter a name for your shortcut (eg: Office Session), then click Save.
Now, open the Remote Desktops folder.
Right click the newly created file (Office Session), select Create Shortcut from the resulting menu.
Drag the shortcut on to the home computers desktop.
To start the Remote Desktop session connecting your home computer to your office computer, simply double click the new Shortcut


Perform a ScanDisk in XP
XP and Win2K don't include the DOS SCANDISK Utility. However, you can perform the same task using XP's and Win2K's Error Checking feature. To access this feature, perform the following steps:
Open Windows Explorer.
Right-click the drive you want to check, and select Properties from the context menu.
Select the Tools tab.
Under Error Checking, click Check Now.
If you want the scan to automatically attempt to make repairs or check the disk for bad sectors, select those options and click Start.
Close Windows Explorer.
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Speed up the Start Menu
Windows XP default speed of the Start Menu is very slow. You can fix that by editing a Registry Key. Here's how:
Go to Start> Run, then type in: regedit Press [Enter] on your keyboard.
Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay
By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller value (like 0) to speed it up. Note: If your still experiencing a slow speed of the Start Menu, even after using the above tip, then you might try the following:
Navigate to Display Properties> Appearance> Advanced
Turn off the option titled Show menu shadow . You will get much better overall performance.
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Feel the need for speed?
You can adjust the graphics and splash screen effects in XP. This uses up some memory and slows XP down. Follow the steps below to pick up some noticeable speed by taking out some of the fancy stuff that XP does behind the scenes:
Click your Start button on bottom left of your tool bar.
Choose control panel>> System>> Advanced.
Under 'Performance' click Settings and select "Adjust for best performance".
Now, scroll down to the last two options in that menu and uncheck them:
Use drop shadows
Use visual styles
Apply the change.
Don't worry, XP will still look and feel like XP.
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Disable Notification Balloon Tips
You have undoubtedly seen the yellow balloons that appear at certain times in the notification area. For instance, when you connect or disconnect the network cable, you'll see a message notifying you of the network's state. Most of the time, these balloons are quite useful, because they replace dialog boxes displayed in previous versions. But sometimes these balloons can be very annoying. For example, if you don't have much free space on your hard drive, the balloons will keep reminding you of low disk space. You might like the first notification, but probably not the fifth, sixth, and so on. Fortunately, you can disable them by opening your favorite registry editor and going to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Create a new DWORD value with the name "EnableBalloonTips" and set it to 0. This setting should disable all notification balloons for the user. If you want to disable only low-disk-space balloons, set the "NoLowDiskSpaceChecks" DWORD value to 1. If this value is not in the same location as the previous one, create it manually.
If you don't want to mess with the registry, you can use the Tweak UI utility to do this for you. Run Tweak UI and go to the Taskbar option. Tweak UI is part of the PowerToys, which are available free from Microsoft. Download safely right here from 5 Star Support.
939 KB Download8 Min @ 28.8 kbps
Note: As always, back up your registry prior to making any changes.
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Programs Running at System Startup
When people write programs, most of them design their product to automatically launch at the systems startup. Is it really necessary for these programs to be running? Only key programs such as anti-virus and firewall programs need to be running at system startup. The other programs should be re-configured to start only when needed. Having a lot of programs running at once is very taxing to your system resources and if enough of them are running can cause errors in your operating system, usually memory type errors. Another noticeable problem is a slowing in your boot process. Do you have a computer that is taking a couple of minutes to boot up?To stop these programs from running at startup, locate the program and re-configure it to NOT run at startup. This is usually found in the programs Properties. Or alternately, you can use Microsoft's System Configuration Utility to accomplish this. Here's how:
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: msconfig [Enter] or Click OK.
Click the Startup tab.
Uncheck any program listed here to stop it from running.
Exit the Configuration Utility and reboot your system. Note: Make sure that you do not disable your anti-virus or firewall software.Depending on how many you had to uncheck, you could notice much better performance from your operating system.
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Clearing the Page File on Shutdown
To save on Random Access Memory (RAM), Windows uses your Page File as a sort of cache. This can slow down your PC's overall performance. To remedy this situation, Windows XP has an option that allows users to clear the Page File when you shut down Windows. While this tweak tends to lengthen the shutdown time, it does have its performance benefits.
To set the computer to clear the page file without directly editing the registry is:
Click on the Start button
Go to the Control Panel
Administrative Tools
Local Security Policy
Local Policies
Click on Security Options
Right hand menu - right click on "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
Select "Enable"
Reboot
To clear the page file using the Windows Registry:
Be sure to make a backup copy of your registry prior to making any changes to it.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
Navigate to the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Click once on the entry titled: "Memory Management". Its contents will now appear in the right pane.
In the right pane. Locate an entry titled: "ClearPageFileAtShutdown". Right click this entry and select "Modify".
Chance the Value to "1". This will enable this feature.
Exit the Windows Registry and reboot your system when prompted.
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Enable/Disable Error Reporting in Windows XP
In an effort to make Windows XP a better and more stable operating system, Microsoft has included Error Reporting in the latest release. Whenever an application has to close because of an error, it asks that a report be sent to Microsoft for study and evaluation. Sending the report is optional, but users can benefit from the error log that is generated if they wish to study it or print a hard copy. If you find error reporting objectionable and want it disabled, here's how:
By default, WindowsXP will request to report application errors to Microsoft. To turn this off:
Right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop
Select Properties / Advanced
Click on the Error Reporting tab
Check Disable error reporting
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Uninstall Windows Messenger
Windows Messenger is a Windows XP default systems program that is automatically installed. If you have no need for this program and would like to free up a bit of space on your hard drive, you can uninstall it. Here's how:On XP Systems without SP1:
Click Start >> Run Then type the following:
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
Press [ENTER]
Restart Windows
On XP Systems WITH SP 1:
Control Panel
Add / Remove Programs
Click on "Add/Remove Windows Components" on the left
UNcheck "Windows Messenger"
Click "Next"
Click "Finish"
Reboot
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Disabling the Indexing Service
Speed Up Windows XP by Disabling the Indexing Service:The Indexing service can create an index of all the files and the content of many of those files in order to make finding things much faster. While Windows XP's heart is in the right place, this sounds better than it is in practice. The Indexing service is more effective in its ability to slow down your computer than its ability to speed file searches. Here's how to disable the Indexing service:
Click Start and click the Run command.
In the Open text box, type services.msc and click OK.
In the right pane of the Services console, find the Indexing Service. A quick way to get there is to click on the first entry in the right pane and then press the "I" key on the keyboard.
Double click on the Indexing Service entry.
In the Indexing Service Properties dialog box, click the down arrow in the Start type drop down list box and select Manual.
If the service is started, you can stop it now by clicking the Stop button.
You don't need to restart the computer. The next time the computer starts, the Indexing service will not run automatically.
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Display Configurations
If you want to access display configurations not normally listed (e.g. 256 colors)
In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab
Click the Advanced button
Click the Adapter tab
Click the List all modes button
Select the resolution, color depth, and refresh rate that you want and click OK
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Watch Your Cookies
In XP, the Documents And Settings folder holds all user information, including configuration settings, favorites, and cookies. The Documents And Settings\Username\Cookies folder is where XP stashes cookies. You can control how your computer processes these cookies.
Click Start >> Control Panel >> Network And Internet Connections >> Internet Options.
Click the Privacy tab, then use the slider bar to modify your cookie settings.
For instance, you can block cookies from sites that use personal identification without your consent. To increase your security, try out the other privacy settings in this dialog. The lowest level is Accepts all Cookies while the highest level Blocks All Cookies. You'll have options in-between such as; low, medium and medium-high which will have descriptions on what they filter. Keep in mind that rejecting cookies may limit your actions on some Web sites.
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Speed up Windows XP
Speed Up Windows XP by Keeping the Operating System in Memory
One thing you can do to speed up Windows XP is to make sure that key operating system functions stay in memory. Memory (also called "RAM" for Random Access Memory) is much faster than the hard disk. Perform the following steps to boost your XP computer's performance:
Click the Start button. Click the Run command and type regedit in the Open text box. Click OK. As always, be very careful when editing the Registry.
In the Registry Editor, go to the following registry key:HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Right click the DisablePagingExecutive entry in the right pane of the Registry editor and click Modify.
In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, type the number "1" (without the quotes) in the Value data field. Click OK.
Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
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Home Edition Back Up
Backup on the Home edition of XP is not installed by default.The backup application on the retail version is located on the XP CD in the Valueadd folder, Some OEM's include backup, but some OEM's elect not to supply the additional folder.Place the XP CD in the CD drive and select Additional Functions, then browse the CD.CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.The readme file includes additional information on installing backup.Once installed, it can be accessed from Start, All Programs, Accessories, System, Backup.
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XP Performance Tweak
Here is a very simple yet very affective way to improve your systems performance.
Start >> Right Click on My Computer and select Properties.
Click the "Advanced" tab
Select "Settings" in the Performance section.
Disable any or all of 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
You should notice a big improvement (depending on how many features you've disabled) in your computers performance while still keeping the same look and feel of your Windows application.
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Turn off/on system restore
System Restore, a Windows XP feature, is similar to the "Last Known Good Configuration" in Windows NT and Windows 2000. You can use System Restore to restore the computer to a previous state, using the backups that it makes of selected system files and program files. However, "Last Known Good Configuration" restores the computer back to the last state that Windows determines might work, whereas System Restore gives you a choice of previous states to restore the computer back to. That is, System Restore maintains multiple restore points instead of one last restore point.While this is a desirable feature, in some cases it should be temporarily turned off. For example, If the computer is infected with a virus, it is possible that the virus could be backed up by System Restore. So, if you spend the time to remove the infection from your system, system restore could actually restore the virus to your system the next time it is used. IMPORTANT NOTES:You must be logged in as an Administrator to do this. If you are not logged in as an Administrator, the System Restore tab will not be displayed. If you do not know how to log in as Administrator, contact your system administrator (if you are on a network), the computer manufacturer, or installer.Turning off System Restore will clear out all previous restore points.To turn off Windows XP System Restore:NOTE: These instructions assume that you are using the default Windows XP Start Menu and have not changed to the Classic Start menu. To re-enable the default menu, right-click Start, click Properties, click Start menu (not Classic) and then click OK.
Click Start.
Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all drives"
Click Apply.
As noted in the message, this will delete all existing restore points. Click Yes to do this.
Click OK.
Proceed with what you need to do; for example, virus removal. When you have finished, restart the computer and follow the instructions in the next section to turn on System Restore.
To turn on Windows XP System Restore:
Click Start.
Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Uncheck "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all drives."
Click Apply, and then click OK.
[Top]
Common Control Panel Applets
Below, you will find the following information:
Common Control Panel Applets
How to run these applets
Create a Desktop Shortcut
Here are some common Control Panel Applets that are located in the \windows\system32 directory.If you are using any of these on a regular basis, you might find it useful to create a desktop icon for simple one click access.
Applet
Description
access.cpl
Accessibility Options
appwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs
desk.cpl
Display Properties
findfast.cpl
FindFast
firewall.cpl
Firewall Settings
hdwwiz.cpl
Add New Hardware Wizard
inetcpl.cpl
Internet Options
intl.cpl
Regional settings
joy.cpl
Joystick Properties
main.cpl
Mouse Properties
main.cpl keyboard
Keyboard Properties
mmsys.cpl sounds
Sound Properties
ncpa.cpl
Network Connections
ncpl.cpl
Network Properties
nusrmgr.cpl
User settings
password.cpl
Password Properties
powercfg.cpl
Power Management
sticpl.cpl
Scanners and Cameras
sysdm.cpl
System Properties
telephon.cpl
Phone and Modem options
timedate.cpl
Date and Time Properties
tweakui.cpl
TweakUI
wscui.cpl
Security Center
wuaucpl.cpl
Automatic Updates Configuration
In order to run these Applets:
Go to Start>> Run. Type in the applet of choice: (eg: To open Password Properties)
password.cpl
Hit Enter on your keyboard or click OK.
To create a desktop shortcut:
Right click a blank area of your desktop
Select New>> Shortcut
Type the Applet of choice in the text box (eg: desk.cpl) Click Next.
Type the name of your new icon (eg: Display Properties) Click Finish.
[Top]
Clear all restore points except recent one
In an effort to help Windows XP users free up more hard drive space, you can remove all restore points except for the most recent through Window's Disk Cleanup Utility. Here's how:Click Start>> Run. Type in: CLEANMGR [Enter]
Select the hard disk partition and press OK
At the top of the dialog, click the tab More Options
Under System Restore section, click the button "Clean up..."
Now, all the System Restore points (except the recent one) are cleared and more hard disk space will be free.
[Top]
Adjust Browser Cache
The maximum size of your Internet Explorer browser cache is ### megabytes. Generally, cache sizes above 80 megabytes can actually waste disk space and create poor computer performance.Here is how to adjust your IE cache size:
Start Internet Explorer
Select Tools >> Internet Options >> General tab
Under Temporary Internet Files click the Settings button.
In the box for the amount of disk space to use, enter a value between 5 and 80 megabytes.
Click OK to accept the changes.
Note: The faster the connection, the lower the number. I have DSL so I use 5MB and this works fine for me.
[Top]
Free Up Disk Space
Use Disk Cleanup to improve the performance of your computer by removing unnecessary files. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.Use Disk Cleanup to:-Remove temporary Internet files.-Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).-Empty the Recycle Bin.-Remove Windows temporary files.-Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.-Remove installed programs that you no longer use.Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.To use Disk Cleanup1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean. 2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. Choose the files that you want to delete.3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes. After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing noticeably better. Source: Microsoft [Top]
Improve Windows XP Menu Response and Shutdown Speeds
Note: The values for the tweaks listed below are a recommended value only and represent what has worked best on a variety of systems. If you are not comfortable trying this tweak for your system, please do not attempt it.
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
Drill down to the following registry key:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Click once on the entry titled: Desktop
The contents of the "Desktop" entry will now be displayed in the right pane.
Double click the entry titled: HungAppTimeout
Change the "Value data" to a value of: 4000
This change will control the delay that Windows uses to start the shutdown process. (1000 = one second)
Double click the entry titled: MenuShowDelay
Change the "Value data" to a value of: 20
This change will control the delay that Windows uses to display a menu or sub-menu.
Double click the entry titled "AutoEndTasks"
Change the "Value data" to a value of: 1
Changing this value to "1" will turn ON this feature and will now automatically close all running applications when shutting down Windows.
Note: With this feature on, you will not be given a prompt to save Windows.
[Top]
Configuring the Firewall for your Network Connection
Windows XP has firewall capabilities built into the operating system. To configure the settings for your network connection, follow the instructions below:
Go to Start
Select Control Panel
Select Network Connection
Right click your network connection to the Internet
Select Properties
Select the Advanced tab
Under the Windows Firewall section, click the Settings button to configure your firewall settings to meet your personal needs.
[Top]
Disable Windows Messenger
If you would like to disable Windows messenger, here's how:
Select "Start"
Choose "Control Panel"
Choose "Administrative Tools"
Note: In Windows XP Home edition, Administrative Tools is in Performance and Maintenance
Choose "Services"
Right-click on "Messenger"
Select "Stop"
To permanently disable Messenger:
Right click "Messenger"
Select "Properties"
Change "Startup Type" to "Disabled" and click "OK"
[Top]
Automatically Ending Non-Responsive Tasks
You can download the registry file (below) or follow the instruction to do it manually.
Go to Start >> Run, type in: REGEDIT
Drill to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER >>Control Panel >>Desktop >>AutoEndTasks
Set the value to be 1 In the same section, change the WaitToKillAppTimeout to the number of milliseconds you want.
Download the Registry File
[Top]
XP Services
The default Windows XP installation contains a number of unnecessary services that are started by default. Extra running services consume CPU cycles and memory. To free up system resources and tune your operating system for optimum performance, you can stop and disable the services. The list (below) details those that may be unnecessary:
NOTE: I recommend disabling one at a time. If you notice problems in your programs, then undo what you have done.
Alerter: Notifies selected users and computers of administrative alerts.
Application Layer Gateway Services: Provides support for 3rd party protocol plugins for Internet Connection Sharing and the Internet Connection Firewall.
Application Management: Provides software installation services such as Assign, Publish, and Remove.
Automatic Updates: Enables the download and installation of critical Windows updates.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service: Uses idle network bandwidth to transfer data.
ClipBook: Enables ClipBook Viewer to store information and share it with remote computers. If the service is stopped, ClipBook Viewer will not be able to share information with remote computers.
COM+ Event System: Supports SENS (System Event Notification Service), which provides automatic distribution of events to subscribing COM (Component Object Model) components.
COM+ System Application: Manages the configuration and tracking of COM+ (Component Object Model) based components.
Computer Browser: Maintain an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers.
Cryptographic Services: Provides three management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds & removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates.
DHCP Client: Manages network configuration by registering and updating IP addresses and DNS names.
Diskeeper: Controls the Diskeeper service.
Distributed Link Tracking Client: Maintains links between NTFS files within a computer or across computers in a network domain.
Distributed Transaction Coordinator: Coordinates transactions that span multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and file systems.
DNS Client: Resolves and caches Domain Name System (DNS) names for this computer.
Error Reporting Service. Allows error reporting for services and applications running in non-standard environments.
Event Log: Enables event log messages issued by Windows-based programs and components to be viewed in Event Viewer.
Fast User Switching Compatibility: Provides management for applications that require assistance in a multiple user environment.
Help and Support: Enables Help and Support Center to run on this computer.
Human Interface Device Access: Enables generic input access to Human Interface Devices (HID), which activates and maintains the use of predefined hot buttons on keyboards, remote controls, and other multimedia devices.
IIS Admin: This service should only be enabled if you run the personal version of IIS on Windows XP
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service: Manages CD recording using Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface (IMAPI).
Indexing Service: Indexes contents & properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language.
Infrared Monitor: This service should only be disabled if you do not have an IR port on your computer, or if you do not use IR communications.
Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS): Provides network address translation, addressing, name resolution and/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small office network.
IPSEC Services: Manages IP security policy and starts the ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) and the IP security driver.
Logical Disk Manager: Detects and monitors new hard disk drives and sends disk volume information to Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service for configuration.
Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service: Configures hard disk drives and volumes.
McAfee Firewall: This service is only for those that use McAfee Firewall software.
McShield: McAfee on Access Scanner.
Messenger: Transmits netsend and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This service is not related to Windows Messenger.
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider: Manages software-based volume shadow copies taken by the Volume Shadow Copy service.
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing: Enables an authorized user to access this computer remotely by using NetMeeting over a corporate intranet.
Network Connections: Manages objects in the Network and Dial-Up Connections folder, in which you can view both local area network and remote connections.
Network DDE: Provides network transport and security for Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) for programs running on the same computer or on different computers.
Network DDE DSDM: Manages Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) network shares.
Network Location Awareness (NLA): Collects and stores network configuration and location information, and notifies applications when this information changes.
NVIDIA Driver Helper Service: If you use a NVIDIA graphics card with Detonator drivers you will have this service.
Performance Logs and Alerts: Collects performance data from local or remote computers based on preconfigured schedule parameters, then writes the data to a log or triggers an alert.
Plug and Play: Enables a computer to recognize and adapt to hardware changes with little or no user input.
Portable Media Serial Number: Retrieves the serial number of any portable music player connected to your computer.
Print Spooler: Loads files to memory for later printing.
Protected Storage: Provides protected storage for sensitive data, such as private keys, to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users.
QoS RSVP: Provides network signaling and local traffic control setup functionality for QoS-aware programs and control applets.
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager: Creates a connection to a remote network whenever a program references a remote DNS or NetBIOS name or address.
Remote Access Connection Manager: Creates a network connection.
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager: Manages and controls Remote Assistance.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC): Provides the endpoint mapper and other miscellaneous RPC services.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locater: Manages the RPC name service database.
Remote Registry: Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer
Removable Storage: Manages removable media, drives, and libraries.
Routing and Remote Access: Offers routing services to businesses in local area and wide area network environments.
Secondary Logon: Enables starting processes under alternate credentials.
Security Accounts Manager: Stores security information for local user accounts.
Server: Supports file, print, and named pipe-sharing over the network for this computer.
Shell Hardware Detection: This provides support for docking a laptop or other related external hardware devices.
Smart Card: Manages access to smart cards read by this computer.
Smart Card Helper: Enables support for legacy non-plug and play smart-card readers used by this computer.
SSDP Discovery Service: Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home network.
System Event Notification: Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events.
System Restore Service: Performs system restore functions.
Task Scheduler: Enables a user to configure and schedule automated tasks on this computer.
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper: Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution.
Telephony: Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices and IP based voice connections on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service.
Telnet: Enables a remote user to log on to this computer and run programs, and supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients, including UNIX-based and Windows-based computers.
Terminal Services: Allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display of desktops and applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, and Terminal Server.
Themes: Provides user experience theme management.
Uninterruptible Power Supply: Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer.
Universal Plug and Play Device Host: Provides support to host Universal Plug and Play devices.
Upload Manager: Manages synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network.
Volume Shadow Copy: Manages and implements Volume Shadow Copies used for backup and other purposes.
WebClient: Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify Internet-based files.
Windows Audio: Manages audio devices for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly.
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA): Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras.
Windows Installer: Installs, repairs and removes software according to instructions contained in .MSI files.
Windows Management Instrumentation: Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating system, devices, applications and services.
Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions: Provides systems management information to and from drivers.
Windows Time: Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network.
Wireless Zero Configuration: Provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters.
WMI Performance Adapter: Provides performance library information from WMI HiPerf providers.
Workstation: Creates and maintains client network connections to the remote servers.
World Wide Web Publishing: This service should only be disabled if you're not running the personal version of IIS on your computer.
[Top]
Increasing the Folder Cache
The default setting for WindowsXP is to cache the Explorer settings for 400 folders.To increase it:
Go to Start >> Run
Type in: Regedit
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam
Change the vaule of BagMRU to whatever size you want (hex):
1000 - 3e82000 - 7d03000 - bb84000 - fa05000 - 1388
Or...you can download the registry file (below) that will set the folder cache to 5000.

[Top]
Increase DSL Speed
This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with WinXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It will probably work with networked machines as well but I haven't tried it in that configuration. This is for windows XP only, it does not work on win2000.I use 3 Com cards so I don't know how it works on others at this point. It does not involve editing the registry. 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
From the windows XP cd in the support directory from the support cab, extract the file netcap.exe and place it in a directory on your hard drive or even in the root of your C:\ drive.
next, open up a command prompt window and change directories to where you put netcap.exe. then type "netcap/?". It will list some commands that are available for netcap and a netmon driver will be installed. At the bottom you will see your adapters. You should see two of them if using a 3Com card. One will be for LAN and the other will be for WAN something or other.
Next type "netcap/Remove". This will remove the netmon driver.
Open up control panel / system / dev man and look at your network adapters. You should now see two of them and one will have a yellow ! on it. Right click on the one without the yellow ! and choose uninstall. YES! you are uninstalling your network adapter, continue with the uninstall. Do not restart yet.
Check your connection properties to make sure that no connection exists. If you get a wizard just cancel out of it.
Now re-start the machine.
After re-start go to your connection properties again and you should have a new connection called "Local area connection 2". 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.
Choose connection properties and uncheck the "QOS" box
Re-start the machine
After restart enjoy the increased responsiveness of IE, faster page loading, and a connection speed boost. Why it works, it seems that windows XP, in its zeal to make sure every base is covered installs two separate versions of the NIC card. One you do not normally see in any properties. Remember the "netcap/?" command above showing two different adapters? The LAN one is the one you see. The invisible one loads everything down and its like your running two separate cards together, sharing a connection among two cards, this method breaks this "bond" and allows the NIC to run un-hindered.
[Top]
Making XP as Stabile as Possible
Below, you will find tips to keeping your Windows XP Operating System running as reliable as possible.
Only use hardware that is on the Hardware Compatibility List. This ensures that the products and drivers went through rigorous testing and are supported by Microsoft. If you're trying to use a Win9x or Windows 2000 driver to make your legacy hardware work, you'll probably start having stability issues.
Place your system are on a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), not just a surge protector. Power fluctuations over time can lead to unexplained system problems and data loss.
If you can, always try to install Windows XP on a clean system, instead of upgrading a current installation.
Be selective with your software. Third party software isn't always written to Microsoft's standards, and can cause instabilities. Games and freeware/shareware utilities are the usual culprits, but poorly written system utilities can cause problems as well. Constantly installing and uninstalling various programs may leave behind residual registry entries and system files that can slow a system over time, and cause instabilities.
Don't run third party themes or freeware screensavers - Many of these are written by amateurs, and you just never know what you're getting. Screensavers look nice, but are usually unnecessary with modern displays. Try choosing the "blank screen" option as a screensaver, or have the monitor power down when not in use.
Don't run third party system utilities - Many of the "system utility" packages on the market don't work as well as advertised, and can cause more problems than they solve. Think carefully before installing these. In our opinion, they're just not worth it.
Avoid over-tweaking of your Operating System. Once it is installed, set it up the way you like, then leave it alone. In a survey of corporate help desk calls, 80% of problems were traced back to something that the user did themselves. This usually involves constant tweaking and experimenting that leads to instability issues.
Perform routine system maintenance. This means performing a full virus scan, defrag, and cleaning out the temp files routinely. You should also check event logs for potential problems, and keep up on the latest system updates from Microsoft.
[Top]
Accessing Scan Disk
Scan Disk isn't available in Windows XP. In XP there's Check Disk, which can be run from the command line (chkdsk), or by right clicking a drive in Windows Explorer and choosing Properties > Tools > Error-checking.
[Top]
Enable DMA Mode for DVD Writer
In Windows Device Manager, (Start>> Control Panel>> System>> Hardware tab>> Device Manager) open the IDE ATA/ATAP Controllers leaf, then open the IDE channel that your burner is on, then right click the proper IDE Channel and select "Properties">> Advanced Settings tab.
For the device that corresponds to your burner, make sure "DMA if available" is selected for Transfer mode rather than "PIO mode." To find out whether your burner is Device 0 or Device 1, look at it under Device Manager>>DVD/CD-ROM drives and check properties. The Location: field in the drive's general properties corresponds to the Device number for this setting.
[Top]
Enable or Disable Boot Defrag
A great new feature in Microsoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This places all boot files next to each other on the disk to allow for faster booting. By default this option is enabled but on some builds it is not enabled. Below, you will find information on how to Enable/Disable this feature:
Go to Start>> Run>> Type in: regedit [Enter]
Drill down to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction
Single click on BootOptimizeFunction to empty its contents into the right pane
Right click "Enable" from the list in the right pane
Select Modify from the resulting menu
Change the value to Y to enable and N to disable
Reboot your computer for the change to take effect
[Top]
Create a System Restore point
Click Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> System Restore.
-OR-
You can also launch System Restore window by typing the command below, in the RUN box:
%SystemRoot%\System32\restore\rstrui.exe
Click Create a restore point, and then click Next.
In the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this restore point. System Restore will automatically add the date and time that this Restore Point was created.
To finish creating this restore point, click Create.
[Top]
Remove Unwanted Entries in Startup (MSCONFIG)
Start >> Run. Type in : regedit [Enter]
Navigate to:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\servicesHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupfolderHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg
Warning: Improper use of the Windows registry can cause severe problems within your operating system. Be sure to back up the registry prior to making any changes.
[Top]
System Restore Setting
By default, Windows XP allocates 12% of your disk space to system restore (SR). This equates to about 90 days worth of restoration points. Due to the amount of changes the average computer user makes in a 90 day period, makes a 90 day restoration unrealistic. I recommend changing your SR setting to allocate about 4% of your disk space. This will give you around 2 or 3 weeks worth of restore points while saving 8% of your disk space.
[Top]
Schedule Windows XP Maintenance Tasks
There are many tasks that you can have Windows XP handle for you automatically. A few commonly chosen tasks are:
Running the Disk Defragmenter
Backing up your system
Emptying the Recycle Bin To schedule a task:
Click Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> Scheduled Tasks.
Double-click the Add Scheduled Tasks icon to start the Scheduled Task Wizard.
Follow the on-screen instructions to select the task to perform. It may be necessary for you to use the "Browse" button located at the "Scheduled Task Wizard" window to schedule certain tasks not found in the Applications list. Included in the wizard are prompts that will ask for the frequency you would like to run your task and any password that you would like to create for the task. [Top]
Disable unneeded devices in Device Manager
There are many ways to improve the boot speed in Windows XP, one quick way is to disable any unused devices in the Windows XP device manager. For example, if you do not use a floppy drive on your system or you have an extra unused network card, then disabling these items may make sense. Note: If you don't know what it is or you are unsure of something, just leave it alone.To perform this task:
Right click on My Computer and select Properties.
From the Hardware tab, select Device Manager.
Expand the various categories to locate unused devices.
Right click the devices and select Disable.
[Top]
Disk Cleanup Utility Hangs
Over time, you may notice that the Disk Cleanup Utility takes longer and longer to sort files or won't complete the cleanup process. This is usually caused by a full TEMP directory, corrupt temp files or a heavily fragmented hard disk. Try cleaning out the temp files using the method below, then perform a disk defragmentation:Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> Disk Defragmenter.To clean TEMP files:Go to Start>> Run, type in: %temp% [Enter] In the resulting menu, select Edit>> Select All [Delete] Then select Yes.The Disk Cleanup Utility should run much better for you now!
[Top]
Disable certain services
Many of the services provided in Windows XP are not needed and in many cases can either slow down your system or add certain security risks. Below, is a list of services that you can disable to create a safer and faster system. You can access the listed services through the Computer management Console:
Go to Start>> Right click My Computer>> Select 'Manage' from the resulting menu. Then, open Services and Applications and click Services. Now the right pane will have all of the services listed in alphabetical order. To disable a service, right click the entry and select "Stop" from the resulting menu. If it is already disabled, then "Stop" will be greyed out.Note: Disable only if your computer is not networked and you are the sole user.Services:Alerter Clipbook Computer Browser Fast User Switching Human Interface Access Devices Indexing Service (slows the hard drive) Messenger Net Logon (not necessary unless networked on a domain) Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for added security) Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for added security) Remote Procedure Call Locator Remote Registry (disabled for added security) Routing & Remote Access (disabled for added security) Server SSDP Discovery Service (this leaves TCP Port 5000 open) TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Telnet (disabled for added security) Universal Plug and Play Device Host Upload Manager Windows Time Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks) Workstation
[Top]
Driver Rollback Feature
Windows XP instability is often caused by corrupt or out-of-date drivers. I know I like to keep my system with updated drivers whenever possible. But, there are times when updating the driver you find yourself in a blue screen. Well, this situation used to cause all kinds of problems for users until the Driver Rollback Feature came. Now, if you are faced with a driver that fails to update, or became corrupt, you can roll back to the previous driver version very easily. Here's how:
Be sure to log in as Administrator.
Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Administrative Tools
Double click "Computer Management"
Double click "Device Manager"
Click the plus (+) symbol next to the device title to expose the device you were trying to update
Now, right click on the device and select "Properties"
Click the "Driver" tab
Select the "Roll Back driver" button
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete this task.
[Top]
Monitor System Performance
Windows XP has a handy little utility for monitoring your system performance. To access this utility:
Press CTRL + ALT + DEL on your keyboard and select the Performance tab.
[Top]
Cleaning out Windows Registry
There are many third party software on the market that will do the job. One that I have used for several years and have been very satisfied with is a program called EasyCleaner. Best of all, it's FREE!
EasyCleaner is a small program which searches Windows' registry for entries that are pointing nowhere. Deleting these entries will speed your computer up. But as you already might know, deleting entries from registry can be dangerous for your computer, so it is wise to make a backup of your registry. EasyCleaner also lets you delete all kinds of unnecessary files like temps, backups etc. You can search for duplicate files and you can view some interesting info about your disk space usage! ToniArts may not be held accountable in any way if EasyCleaner affects your computer in a negative way. Here's a list of some features:
Finds invalid registry entries - deleting them speeds up your computer up to 20%!
Finds duplicate files - deleting them will free disk space!
Finds all unnecessary files like backups, temps etc.
Very user friendly!
Shows some interesting info about your disk space usage.
Very customizable.
Uses only little amount of recourses while running!
Huge help file which gives you every little detail about EasyCleaner!
And much more...
Current Version
Author
Requirements
License
Language
V2.06 Build 7
ToniArts
4868mb RAMWindows 95/98/ME/NT 3.51 (or newer)/2000/XP
Freeware
Multilingual

[Top]
Disable the Indexing Service
I have found that the Indexing Service slows down the system more by having this feature enabled. Windows provides this description of the Indexing Service feature: "Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language."Personally, I prefer a speedier computer than to have my files found a millionth of a second faster. Here's how to disable this feature:
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: services.msc [Enter] or click OK
The Services console will now appear. In the right pane, scroll down to find the Indexing Service.Note: A quick method of locating items here is to click once in the right pane and then press the letter "I" on your keyboard. That will take you to the start of the services that start with "I".
Double click the Indexing Service entry.
In the Indexing Service Properties window and under "Startup type:", click the arrow for the drop-down menu.
Select "Disable" from the menu.
Click Apply, then OK.The next time you restart your computer, the Indexing Service will not run automatically.
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Clear Corrupt Event Log Files
A handy Administrative tool for troubleshooting is the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). When viewing your event logs in the Event Viewer, you may come across one or more corrupt log files. Here is how you can clear these corrupt log files:
Go to Start>> Administrative Tools>> Event Viewer
With the Event Viewer open, locate the corrupt log file.
Right click the corrupt log file and select Properties.
Click the "Clear" button.
Note: It is not possible to rename or delete log files while the Event Log service is running.
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What happened to ScanDisk?
Windows XP has improved the ScanDisk feature from the Windows 98 days. It is now called CHKDSK Error Checking. This tool accomplishes the same thing as ScanDisk did though. It will check for file system errors and bad sectors on your hard disk. Here's how to use CHKDSK:
Go to Start
Right click My Computer
Select Properties (see fig.1). With this Properties window open you can view how much space is occupied on your hard drive and view the free space. You can even to a disk cleanup on this drive as well.
Click the Tools tab (see fig.2) With the Tools window open, click the Check Now button. Once you are done with the CHKDSK tool, now is a good time to perform a Defragmentation of your Hard Disk which is located directly below the CHKDSK tool (see fig.2).
Fig.1 [Click]
Fig. 2 [Click]


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Move the Page File to a different partition
The Page File (by default) is loaded on to the boot partition of your hard drive as are all of the Windows system files. Windows uses this page file as a sort of Random Access Memory. It is not necessary for the Page File to be on the boot partition, so if you would like to move it to a different partition, you will increase system performance along with free up some space on your boot partition. Here's how:
Be sure that you are logged in as Administrator, then go to Start>> Control Panel>> Performance and Maintenance>> System.
Select the Advanced tab.
Under Performance, click the Settings button.
Select the Advanced tab.
Under Virtual Memory, click the Change button.
In the Drive [Volume Label] list, select a drive other than the one the Windows Operating System is installed on (usually Windows is installed on the C: drive).
Under the Virtual Memory category, make a note of the "Total paging file size for all drives" recommended value. Click the Change button.
Tick the Custom size radio button, then enter the recommended value in the "Initial size (MB):" text box.
Enter in the "Maximum size (MB) that you would like. Usually this setting is double the initial size.
Click the Set button.
Next, back in the Drive [Volume Label] box, select the drive that Windows is installed on (usually C:). Follow ether steps below that would apply:
<>If you DO NOT want a page file on this drive, tick the No paging file radio button and then click the Set button. The following message should now appear:If the paging file on volume C: has an initial value of less than 126 megabytes, then the system may not be able to create a debugging information file if a STOP error occurs. Continue Anyway?Select Yes.<>If you DO want to keep the page file on this drive, select the Custom size button, then enter a size of equal or greater value of the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) that you currently have installed on your system in to the "Initial size (MB)" text box. Enter the same value for your maximum size, then click the Set button.The following message should now appear:The changes you have made require you to restart your computer before they can take effect.Click OK (OK your way out of all open windows).When given a prompt to restart your system, click Yes.
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TweakUI PowerToy for Windows XP
The developers of the Windows XP Operating System have made available to the general public and for free, a powerful tool that makes performing certain changes to the user interface (UI) a simple process. Many people do not feel comfortable making changes to the user interface through the Windows Registry, so this is a perfectly safe alternative. While browsing the TweakUi utility, you can find many helpful descriptions of what certain changes are and how they effect the operating system. As you navigate through the many categories, just know that any change you make can be undone by simply reversing the step in which you made the change. In most cases, a change is made in just a couple of mouse clicks.There are many useful tweaks that aide in the customization of the operating system to create either better performance or improve functionality. But, since tweaking is more of a personal preference, I will leave it to you to explorer the hundreds of possibilities on your own. Click the following link for a free TweakUI download for Windows XP:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
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Windows Search Disk Indexing Service
The purpose of this service is to constantly index all of the files on your system so that when you use the search function, your search will provide fast and accurate results. The draw back to this is that it is a constant resource drain. If you rarely use the search function to search for files on your computer, I recommend turning the Disk Indexing service off. Here's how:
Go to Start>> Accessories>> Windows Explorer
Right click your root hard drive where Windows is installed (usually C:\), then select Properties.
Uncheck the checkbox titled: "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching"
Click Apply.
At the next prompt, select the entry titled: "Apply changes to [root drive], subfolders and files"
You will now see an "Applying Attributes" window that will remove all of the indexing on the selected drive. It is possible that you could see some errors resulting from the indexing removal. Do not be alarmed, the errors are a result of either that a file is write protected and could not have indexing removed or possibly a file is currently in use and cannot be changed.To continue, we need to turn the actual Indexing Service off. Here's how:
Go to Start>> Run. Type in: services.msc [Enter] or click OK.
With the Services window open, scroll the list of services until you find "Indexing Service".
Double click the Indexing Service entry.
In the resulting Properties menu, click the drop down menu titled: "Startup type:
Select "Disabled".
Click Apply and exit all windows.
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Speed up the Start Menu
The tweak below requires making a change in the Windows Registry. Be sure to make a backup copy of the registry prior to making any changes.
Click Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Single left click the "Desktop" entry to empty its contents in to the right pane.
Scroll the right pane to locate an entry titled: MenuShowDelay
Double click MenuShowDelay.
Change the "value data" number. The default delay value for the start menu is 400. Select a lesser number to speed this process. I've got mine set to 0.
Click OK and exit the Registry Editor.