Lots Of Knowledge

Boot Defragment

A very important new feature in Microsoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This basically means that all boot files are placed next to each other on the disk drive to allow for faster booting. By default this option is enabled but some upgrade users have reported that it isn't on their setup.

1. Start Regedit. 2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction 3. Select Enable from the list on the right. 4. Right on it and select Modify. 5. Change the value to Y to enable and N to disable. 6. Reboot your computer.

Slow Shutdown Some people have noticed that they are experiencing a really slow shutdown after installing Windows XP Home or Professional. Although this can be caused a number of ways, the most clear cut one so far is happening on systems with an NVidia card installed with the latest set of drivers. A service called NVIDIA Driver Helper Service is loading up on start up and for whatever reason doesn't shut itself down properly. The service isn't needed and can also increase the amount of memory available to your system. Here is how to disable it. 1: Go into your Control Panel 2: Select Administrative Tools and then click on Services 3: Right click on the file "NVIDIA Driver Helper Service" and then select STOP. 4: To stop this loading up every time you boot up your PC Right click it again and select properties - then where the option "Startup Type" is shown - make sure it is set at Manual like we have shown in the image below.

To change drive letters To change drive letters (useful if you have two drives and have partitioned the boot drive, but the secondary drive shows up as "D") Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management, Disk Management, then right-click the partition whose name you want to change (click in the white area just below the word "Volume") and select "change drive letter and paths." From here you can add, remove or change drive letters and paths to the partition

Never Re-Activate After Installation

If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to reactivate too. Well not anymore. Just copy wpa.dbl after you activated the first time. It is located in the WINDOWS\system32 folder. Now if you reinstall Windows XP just copy the file back and you're up and running again. How to make My Computer' open in Explore mode with folder list In My Computer click Tools menu, and then click Options. Click the File Types tab.In the list of file types, highlight "(NONE) Folders" Click Advanced button, In the Actions box, highlight "Explore" Click "Set Default" Remove shortcut arrow from desktop icons Here's how you can remove those shortcut arrows from your desktop icons in Windows XP. 1. Start regedit. 2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTlnkfile 3. Delete the IsShortcut registry value. You may need to restart Windows XP.

How to create a boot disk This is quite simple. 1: Go into MY COMPUTER 2: Have a floppy disk in your drive and then RIGHT click on on the floppy drive and then click on FORMAT 3: You will be greeted with a number of options. The one you need to select is "Create an MS-DOS start up disk". 4: Click ok

Note: This requires up to 5 floppy disks and DOES NOT contain ANY CD-ROM drivers to boot from. A proper CD-ROM boot up disk is going to be release by Microsoft after the Windows XP public release. You can however use you old Windows Me start-up disk if you would prefer, as long as you have not upgraded to an NTFS drive. You can also download the complete set of bootdisks from our website, ready to create the six MS boot disks for Windows XP: http://www.freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml

Keyboard Shortcuts When speed counts, the keyboard is still king. Almost all the actions and commands you can perform with a mouse you can perform faster using combinations of keys on your keyboard. These simple keyboard shortcuts can get you where you want to go faster than several clicks of a mouse. You'll work faster on spreadsheets and similar documents, too, because you won't lose your place switching back and forth between mouse and keys. Here are some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts: Copy. CTRL+C Cut. CTRL+X Paste. CTRL+V Undo. CTRL+Z Delete. DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+DELETE Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an item Create shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item Rename selected item. F2 Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Select all. CTRL+A Search for a file or folder. F3 View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4 Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. CTRL+F4 Switch between open items. ALT+TAB Cycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6 Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10 Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESC Display the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu Activate the menu bar in the active program. F10 Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW Refresh the active window. F5 View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE Cancel the current task. ESC

SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing. Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes: Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB Move forward through options. TAB Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option. ALT+Underlined letter Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBAR Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys Display Help. F1 Display the items in the active list. F4 Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. BACKSPACE If you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key and the Application key , you can use these keyboard shortcuts: Display or hide the Start menu. Display the System Properties dialog box. +BREAK Show the desktop. +D Minimize all windows. +M Restores minimized windows. +Shift+M Open My Computer. +E Search for a file or folder. +F Search for computers. CTRL+ +F Display Windows Help. +F1 Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain. + L Open the Run dialog box. +R Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. Open Utility Manager. +U Helpful accessibility keyboard shortcuts: Switch FilterKeys on and off. Right SHIFT for eight seconds Switch High Contrast on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN Switch MouseKeys on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK Switch StickyKeys on and off. SHIFT five times Switch ToggleKeys on and off. NUM LOCK for five seconds Open Utility Manager. +U Keyboard shortcuts you can use with Windows Explorer: Display the bottom of the active window. END Display the top of the active window. HOME Display all subfolders under the selected folder. NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric keypad

(*) Display the contents of the selected folder. NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad (+) Collapse the selected folder. NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-) Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder. LEFT ARROW Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder. RIGHT ARROW

What are XP powerToys PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after the product has been released to manufacturing, but before the next project has begun. These toys add fun and functionality to the Windows experience. We've taken great care to ensure that PowerToys operate as they should. But please note that these programs are not part of Windows and are not supported by Microsoft. For this reason, Microsoft Technical Support is unable to answer questions about PowerToys The PowerToys are installed into the directory you specify during setup. Typically this is the system32 directory. To uninstall the PowerToys, Open the control Panel. Launch the Add/Remove Programs control panel applet. Find the PowerToys for Windows XP entry, and choose Modify/Remove. From here you can remove specific toys or all of them. Faster User Switcher Note: You cannot use this toy if fast user switching is not enabled. What it is: With Fast User Switching enabled on Windows XP, this PowerToy allows you to switch users without having to use the logon screen. Special requirements: This PowerToy requires a Windows key on your keyboard. How to use: Press the Windows key then the Q key to activate; release and press Q to switch to a different user tile, then release both Q and Windows key to switch to that user. Shell Player What it is: This PowerToy plays MP3 files and WMA files from the taskbar. How to use: Right click on the taskbar, click toolbars, then click "Audio Player." If the taskbar is locked and you want to resize the player, you will have to unlock it. This will allow you to access the play list editor and view all the buttons. Task Switcher What it is: Replaces the existing Alt + Tab application switching mechanism of Windows XP. It provides a thumbnail preview of windows in the task list and is compliant with the new Windows XP visual style. How to use: (NOTE: You must log off and then log on again for the changes to take effect). Use just as you do the existing Alt + Tab mechanism by pressing the Alt key and the Tab key to activate. While holding down the Alt key, press the Tab key to cycle through running applications. To move backwards, press Shift + Alt + Tab. Release all keys when the desired application is highlighted. Open Command Window Here What it is: This PowerToy adds an "Open Command Window Here" context menu option on file system folders. This gives users a quick way to open a command window (cmd.exe) pointing at a selected folder in the Explorer UI. How to use: After installation, right click on the folder you would like to have a quick launch command window for. Tweak UI What it is: Provides access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface. How to use: Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, TweakUI for Windows XP.

PowerToy Calc What it is: Graphing calculator How to use: Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, PowerToy Calc Bulk Resize for Photos What it is: Allows you to make a new, resized copy of your selected pictures in the same folder they are currently located in. You can opt to resize one or many pictures (as a batch). How to use: Right click any image(s) and select Resize Pictures in the context menu. ISO Image Burner What it is: Allows you to burn an ISO Image using a CD-ROM burner that is compatible with Windows XP How to use: Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, ISO Burner Slide Show Generator What it is: Generate a slideshow when burning a CD How to use: Add only images to a CD-ROM using Windows XP Explorer, then Write these files to disk. A new task is presented in the wizard for generating the autorun for the slideshow. Virtual Desktop Manager What it is: Manage up to 4 desktops from the Windows Shell Taskbar. How to use:Right click on the taskbar, click toolbars, then click "Desktop Manager." If the taskbar is locked and you want to resize the manager, you will have to unlock it. Background Wallpaper switcher What it is: Allows you to switch the background image periodically. How to use: Access this PowerToy by right clicking the desktop, click properties. It has added a new tab that will allow you to specify the interval as well as the directory to obtain the images from. Taskbar Magnifier What it is: Allows you to magnify part of the screen from the taskbar. How to use:Right click on the taskbar, click toolbars, then click "Taskbar Magnifier." If the taskbar is locked and you want to resize the magnifier, you will have to unlock it. Slide Show Wizard What it is: This wizard helps you create a slide show of your digital pictures. When you're done, you can put your slide show on the Web so that your family and friends can view it. How to use: Launch the Wizard from the Start Menu under All ProgramsPowertoys for Windows XPSlide Show Wizard. Follow the steps of the wizard to select and arrange your pictures, choose from a few simple options, and then save a Web-ready HTML slide show to a folder.

Turn off Welcome screen Open User Accounts in Control Panel. Click Change the way users log on or off

Unlocking WinXP's setupp.ini WinXP's setupp.ini controls how the CD acts. IE is it an OEM version or retail? First, find your setupp.ini file in the i386 directory on your WinXP CD. Open it up, it'll look something like this: ExtraData=707A667567736F696F697911AE7E05 Pid=55034000 The Pid value is what we're interested in. What's there now looks like a standard default. There are special numbers that determine if it's a retail, oem, or volume license edition. First, we break down that number into two parts. The first five digits determines how the CD will behave, ie is it a retail cd that lets you clean install or upgrade, or an oem cd that only lets you perform a clean install? The last three digits determines what CD key it will accept. You are able to mix and match these values. For example you could make a WinXP cd that acted like a retail cd, yet accepted OEM keys. Now, for the actual values. Remember the first and last values are interchangable, but usually you'd keep them as a pair: Retail = 51882335 Volume License = 51883 270 OEM = 82503 OEM So if you wanted a retail CD that took retail keys, the last line of your setupp.ini file would read: Pid=51882335 And if you wanted a retail CD that took OEM keys, you'd use: Pid=51882OEM Note that this does NOT get rid of WinXP's activation. Changing the Pid to a Volume License will not bypass activation. You must have a volume license (corporate) key to do so.

Dual Boot XP A computer can be configured to let you choose between two or more operating systems each time you restart the computer. With multibooting, you can choose which operating system to run or specify a default OS if no selection is made during the restart process. Computers Containing Multiple Windows 2000 or Windows XP Partitions Before installing Windows 2000 and Windows XP on the same machine, you need to prepare your system with different partitions (a process that divides a hard disk into separate sections that can be formatted for use by a file system. Partitions typically have different drive letters such as C or D). One OS per partition It’s important to install each operating system on a different partition and install the applications used with each operating system on the same partition as the OS. If an application is used with two different operating systems, install it on two partitions. Placing each operating system in a separate partition ensures that it will not overwrite crucial files used by the other OS. Install Latest OS Last In general, you should install the most recent OS last—after you have installed all other operating systems on the target computer. In this case, you should install Windows 2000 and then install Windows XP. Unique Computer Name You can set up a computer so that it has multiple installations of Windows XP on multiple partitions. However, you must use a different computer name for each installation if the computer participates in a Windows 2000 Server domain. Because a unique security identifier (SID) is used for each installation of Windows XP on a domain, the computer name for each installation must be unique—even for multiple installations on the same computer. Checklist Summary To configure a computer containing Windows 2000 and Windows XP, review the following guidelines: Install each operating system on a separate drive or disk partition. Install Windows XP after you have installed Windows 2000. When you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), by default, the installation is placed on a partition on which no other operating system is located. You can specify a different partition during Setup. Don’t install Windows XP on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed with the NTFS file system compression feature. On any partition where you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), you will need to re-install any programs, such as word processing or e-mail software, after Setup is complete. Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with that system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating systems, you need to install separate copies of the programs in each of the operating system partitions. If the computer is on a Windows 2000 Server domain, each installation of Windows XP on that computer must have a different computer name. Computers Containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP Setting up a computer to run Windows XP as well as an earlier operating system such as

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 requires addressing compatibility issues among different file systems: NTFS, FAT, and FAT32. Normally, NTFS is the recommended file system because it supports important features, including the Active Directory™ service and domain-based security. However, using NTFS as the only file system on a computer that contains both Windows XP and Windows NT is not recommended. On these computers, a FAT or FAT32 partition containing the Windows NT 4.0 operating system ensures that when started with Windows NT 4.0, the computer will have access to needed files. In addition, if Windows NT is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first partition on the disk, it is recommended that the system partition also be formatted with FAT. This is because earlier operating systems, with one exception, can't access a partition if it uses the latest version of NTFS. The one exception is Windows NT version 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, which has access to partitions with the latest version of NTFS, but with some limitations. Even the latest Service Pack does not provide access to files using the new features in NTFS. Windows NT 4.0 cannot access files that have been stored using NTFS features that did not exist when Windows NT 4.0 was released. For example, a file that uses the new encryption feature won’t be readable when the computer is started with Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, which was released before the encryption feature existed. Note: If you set up a computer so that it starts with Windows NT 3.51 or earlier on a FAT partition, and Windows XP on an NTFS partition, when that computer starts with Windows NT 3.51, the NTFS partition will not be visible. Checklist Summary To configure a computer containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP, review the following guidelines: As explained above, using NTFS as the only file system on a computer containing both Windows XP and Windows NT is not recommended. Make sure that Windows NT 4.0 has been updated with the latest released Service Pack available for download before installing Windows XP. Install each operating system on a separate drive or disk partition. When you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), by default, the installation is placed on a partition on which no other operating system is located. You can specify a different partition during Setup. Don’t install Windows XP on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed with the NTFS file system compression feature. On any partition where you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), you will need to re-install any programs, such as word processing or email software, after Setup is complete. Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with that system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating systems, you need to install separate copies of the programs in each of the operating system partitions. If the computer is on a Windows NT Server or Windows 2000 Server domain, each installation of Windows XP on that computer must have a different computer name. Computers Containing MS-DOS or Windows 9x and Windows XP As explained above you need to address file system compatibility to ensure a multibooting configuration with these earlier operating systems and Windows XP. Remember to install the latest operating system last otherwise important files may be overwritten. Checklist Summary To configure a computer containing Windows XP and Windows 9x or MS-DOS, review the following guidelines:

On computers that contain MS-DOS and Windows XP: MS-DOS must be installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT. If MS-DOS is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first partition on the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting Windows XP could be overwritten. On computers that contain Windows 95 and Windows XP: As in the case above, Windows 95 must be installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT. (For Windows 95 OSR2, FAT32 may be used.) If Windows 95 is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first partition on the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT (or FAT32 for Windows 95 OSR2). Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available while you are running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes that you will access only with Windows 95. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting Windows XP could be overwritten. On computers that contain Windows 98 (or Windows ME) and Windows XP: As in the cases above, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (ME) must be installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT or FAT32. If Windows 98 or Windows ME is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first partition on the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT or FAT32. Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available while you are running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes that you will access only with Windows 98. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting Windows XP could be overwritten. Installation and How to : The order of installation is critical if you want a successful multiboot installation. In general terms, install non–Microsoft operating systems and earlier versions of the Windows operating system first. This would mean installing UNIX or Linux operating systems first; then Windows 95 or Windows 98 or Windows Me; then Windows NT; and finally, Windows 2000 and/or Windows XP. (In the unlikely event that you’re installing MS–DOS, you can install that either before or after UNIX– or Linux–based operating systems, and generally I’d opt for before.) It’s also important to understand that, without using a third–party product to help out, you can’t install non-Microsoft operating systems, or Windows 95 and Windows 98 on the same computer, and that you can install only a single version of Windows95/98/Me. But you can install as many different versions of Windows NT and later versions of the Windows operating system as you have available logical drives, with the sole caveat that you must install all Windows NT versions before you install any Windows 2000 or Windows XP versions. Let’s take a typical installation. Our target computer must be able to boot into Windows 98, Windows NT 4 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Professional. We have a 2–GB partition to hold our programs and the whole thing must fit on a single 10–GB hard drive. No problem. First, we partition the hard drive into two partitions: a 2–GB primary partition, and an 8-GB extended partition using FDisk. In the extended partition, we’ll create four logical volumes—D, E, F and G—to hold our remaining operating systems and our programs.

After the disk is partitioned, format the primary partition using the FAT16 file system and install Windows 98 on it. So far so good. Now, format your D drive with FAT16 as well. Eventually, you’ll install your programs on D drive. Next, install Windows NT 4 Workstation. You will install this on any of the logical volumes not already used (either E drive, F drive or G drive) and choose NTFS as your file system. Leave D drive alone, because your applications go there where they’re visible to all operating systems. When you install Windows NT, it recognizes that you already have Windows 98 on the computer. Then it automatically sets up for dual booting between Windows 98 and Windows NT by creating a boot.ini file, which creates a menu of available operating systems. After you have Windows NT 4 installed, immediately apply Service Pack 6, before you install Windows 2000. Finally, install Windows 2000 and Windows XP, each in its own logical volume. Again, choose NTFS as the file system. As you install them, they are automatically added to the boot.ini file on your C drive, which lets you choose operating systems at start up.

Logging On to Your computer

After you've installed Windows XP Professional, you can configure common settings, including user accounts and network connections. If you already have a user account, log on to your computer with that account name and password. If you don't have a user account, you must first log on as the administrator to create one. Log On as the Administrator Until you set up a user account on your computer, you need to log on as the Administrator. For security reasons, you should create a user account for yourself and a user account for each person who may be using the computer. After you complete Setup, your computer restarts and the “Log On to Windows” dialog box appears. To log on as the Administrator In “Log On to Windows,” type Administrator and the password you assigned to the administrator during Setup. Click OK. If a message appears informing you that the system could not log you on, verify that CAPS LOCK is not turned on, and then retype your password. IMPORTANT Running Windows XP as an administrator makes the system vulnerable to unnecessary security risks. Instead, use your user account to perform routine tasks such as running programs, working on documents, and visiting Internet sites.

Making Older Programs Run under Windows XP Some programs designed for earlier versions of Windows won't run under Windows XP. Until you can get your hands on a program upgrade for Windows XP, you can try running the program in one of Windows XP Compatibility Modes by following these steps: 1. Double-click the desktop shortcut called Run in Compatibility Mode that's automatically installed there when you install Windows XP to open a full-size Help and Support window with instructions and controls for starting an application in Compatibility Mode. You can also open this window by clicking Start on the Windows taskbar and then clicking Help and Support on the Start menu. Next, click the Find Compatible Hardware and Software for Windows XP link and then click the Program Compatibility Wizard link at the bottom of the window navigation pane. 2. Read the instructions on the Welcome to Programs Compatibility Wizard screen, paying particular attention to the warning about not using Compatibility Mode on programs, such as anti-virus software and backup tools, that specifically prohibit their use on future editions of the operating system before you click the Next button. 3. In the next screen, click the radio button indicating how you want to locate the program you want to run: I Want to Choose from a List of Programs, I Want to Use the Program in the CD-ROM Drive, or I Want to Locate the Program Manually. 4. If you selected the I Want to Choose from a List of Programs radio button, click the name of the program you want to run in the list that appears before you click Next. If you selected the I Want to Locate the Program Manually radio button, type the path to the program in the text box that appears or click the Browse button and locate it in the Please Select Application dialog box and select the Open button before you click Next. 5. In the next screen, called Select a Compatibility Mode for the Program, click the radio button for the version of Windows under which your program used to run or was designed to run: Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 5), Microsoft Windows 98/Windows Me, or Microsoft Windows 2000. 6. In the next screen called Select Display Settings for the Program, click the check box or boxes for the display settings that are recommended for running the program. These check box options include: 256 Colors, 640 x 480 Screen Resolution, and Disable Visual Themes. 7. Click the Next button to advance to the Test Your Compatibility Settings screen where you can verify your selections for the program. 8. If your settings are correct, click the Next button to run the program in compatibility mode. If Windows XP can run the program in the selected Compatibility Mode, the program then launches in a separate window. If Windows can't run the application, you receive an alert box indicating that there's a problem. In such a case, you have to contact the software manufacturer and get an upgrade for the application that's specifically designed for the Windows XP operating system. Note that when you exit the program that you're running in compatibility mode, Windows automatically returns you to the Program Compatibility Wizard in the Help and Support window.

Volume Icon in Taskbar It's really handy to have access to the Volume Control panel in the event you quickly need to move the volume slider up or down. In its default state, XP ships with almost a clean slate for both the desktop and taskbar. So, if you'd like to place the volume control icon in the taskbar, you're going to need to make a little adjustment. To place the volume control icon in the taskbar, follow these steps: Single-click the Start menu. Single-click Control Panel. Single-click Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices. Single-click Sounds and Audio Devices to launch the Sound and Audio Devices properties. On the Volume tab, locate the text labeled "Device Volume" and place a check mark next to the text labeled "Place volume icon in the taskbar." Single-click Apply. You should now have the volume icon in the taskbar. Now all you need to do is double-click this icon to bring up your Volume Control panel.

Backup / Restore the Registry To Backup/Restore the Windows Registry: Windows 9x For XP 2000 click here 1. If you are in MSDOS, at the C:\Windows prompt type 2. Attrib -s -r -h C:\Windows\System.dat (press Enter) 3. Attrib -s -r -h C:\Windows\User.dat (press Enter) To make the backup copies type: 1. copy C:\Windows\System.dat C:\Windows\System.000 (press Enter) 2. copy C:\Windows\User.dat C:\Windows\user.000 (press Enter) To Restore the Registry 1. copy C:\Windows\System.000 C:\Windows\System.dat (press Enter) 2. copy C:\Windows\User.000 C:\Windows\user.dat (press Enter) Add Open With to all files You can add "Open With..." to the Right click context menu of all files.This is great for when you have several programs you want to open the same file types with. I use three different text editors so I added it to the ".txt" key. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\Shell 3. Add a new Key named "OpenWith" by right clicking the "Shell" Key and selecting new 4. Set the (Default) to "Op&en With..." 5. Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking the "OpenWith" Key and selecting new 6. Set the (Default) to "C:\Windows\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1", C:\ being your Windows drive. You must enter the "OpenAs_RunDLL %1" exactly this way. Customize the System Tray You can add your name or anything you like that consists of 8 characters or less. This will replace the AM or PM next to the system time. But you can corrupt some trial licenses of software that you may have downloaded. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International 3. Add two new String values, "s1159" and "s2359" 4. Right click the new value name and modify. Enter anything you like up to 8 characters. If you enter two different values when modifying, you can have the system tray display the two different values in the AM and PM. Lock Out Unwanted Users Want to keep people from accessing Windows, even as the default user? If you do not have a domain do not attempt this. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon 3. Create a dword value "MustBeValidated"

4. Set the value to 1 This forced logon can be bypassed in Safe Mode on Windows 9x Disable the Outlook Express Splash Screen You can make OutLook Express load quicker by disabling the splash screen: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express 3. Add a string value "NoSplash" 4. Set the value data to 1 as a Dword value Multiple Columns For the Start Menu To make Windows use multiple Start Menu Columns instead of a single scrolling column, like Windows 9x had, Also if you are using Classic Mode in XP 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Advanced 3. Create a string value "StartMenuScrollPrograms" 4. Right click the new string value and select modify 5. Set the value to "FALSE" Changing Windows' Icons You can change the Icons Windows uses for folders, the Start Menu, opened and closed folder in the Explorer, and many more. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Shell Icons 3. Add a string value for each Icon you wish to change. Example: "3" ="C:\Windows\Icons\MyIcon.ico,0" This will change the closed folders in the Explorer to "MyIcon.ico". Here is a complete list for each value. 0= Unknown file type 1= MSN file types 2= Applications Generic 3= Closed Folder 4= Open Folder 5= 5.25" Drive 6= 3.25" Drive 7= Removable Drive 8= Hard Drive 9= NetWork Drive 10= Network Drive Offline 11= CD-ROM Drive 12= RAM Drive 13= Entire Network

14= Network Hub 28= Shared 15= My Computer 29= Shortcut Arrow 16= Printer 30= (Unknown Overlay) 17= Network Neighborhood 31= Recycle Bin Empty 18= Network Workgroup 32= Recycle Bin Full 19= Start Menu's Program Folders 33= Dial-up Network 34= DeskTop 20= Start Menu's Documents 35= Control Panel 21= Start Menu's Setting 36= Start Menu's Programs 22= Start Menu's Find 23= Start Menu's Help 37= Printer Folder 24= Start Menu's Run 38= Fonts Folder 25= Start Menu's Suspend 39= Taskbar Icon 26= Start Menu's PC Undock 40= Audio CD 27= Start Menu's Shutdown

You need to reboot after making changes. You may need to delete the hidden file ShellIconCache if after rebooting the desired Icons are not displayed. Change Default Folder Locations You can change or delete the Windows mandatory locations of folder like My Documents: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Shell Folders 3. Change the desired folder location, My Documents is normally list as "Personal" 4. Open the Explorer and rename or create the folder you wish. To change the desired location of the Program Files folder 1. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion 2. Change the value of "ProgramFiles", or "ProgramFilesDir" Now when you install a new program it will default to the new location you have selected. Change the Registered Change the User Information You can change the Registered Owner or Registered Organization to anything you want even after Windows is installed. 1) Open RegEdit 2) Got to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion. 3) Change the value of "RegisteredOrganization" or "RegisteredOwner", to what ever you want Opening a DOS Window to either the Drive or Directory in Explorer Add the following Registry Keys for a Directory: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew @="Dos Prompt in that Directory" HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew\command @="command.com /k cd %1" Add or Edit the following Registry Keys for a Drive: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew @="Dos Prompt in that Drive" HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew\command @="command.com /k cd %1" These will allow you to right click on either the drive or the directory and the option of starting the dos prompt will pop up. Changing Exchange/Outlook Mailbox Location To change the location of your mailbox for Exchange: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Windows Messaging Subsystem\ Profiles 3. Go to the profile you want to change 4. Go to the value name that has the file location for your mailbox (*.PST) file 5. Make the change to file location or name

To change the location of your mailbox for Outlook 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Outlook (or Outlook Express if Outlook Express) 3. Go to the section "Store Root" 4. Make the change to file location Add/Remove Sound Events from Control Panel You can Add and delete sounds events in the Control Panel. In order to do that: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Eventlabels. If this key does not exist you can create it and add events. 3. You can add/delete any items you want to or delete the ones you no longer want. Adding an Application to the Right Click on Every Folder Here is how to add any application to the Context Menu when you right click on any Folder. This way you do not have to always go to the Start Menu. When you right click on any folder, you can have access to that application, the same as using Sent To. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell 3. Add a new Key to the "Shell" Key and name it anything you like. 4. Give it a default value that will appear when you right click a folder, i.e. NewKey (use an "&" without the quotes, in front of any character and it will allow you to use the keyboard) 5. Click on the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\NewKey 6. Add a New Key named Command 7. Set the (Default) value of the application you want to run 8. For example: c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe (Include the full path and parameters if you need them) Adding Explore From Here to Every Folder When you want to right click on any folder and want to open up an Explorer window of that folder. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell 3. Add a new Key "RootExplore " under the "Shell" Key 4. Set the (Default) value to "E&xplore From Here " 5. Right Click the "RootExplore " Key and add a new Key "Command"to the RootExplore 6. Set the (Default) value of Explorer.exe /e,/root,/idlist,%i Changing the Location of Windows' Installation Files If you need to change the drive and or path where Windows looks for its installation files: 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Setup 3.Edit the value next to SourcePath Creating a Logon Banner

If you want to create a Logon Banner: A message box to appear below your logon on. 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go To For Windows 9x and ME HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon For Windows 2000 XP 2003 Vista HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon 3.Create a new String value"LegalNoticeCaption " 4. Enter the Title of the window. What is displayed in the Title Bar. 5. Create a new string value "LegalNoticeText" 6. Enter the text for your message box that will appear even before the Logon window. Creating a Default File Opener If you have a un-registered file type and want to view it instead of having to select Open With. Use Explorer's Right-click and add your program to the right-click options by: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\Shell 3. Right click on "Shell" and create a New Key and name it "Open " 4. Create a New Key under the "Open" key you just created and name it "Command" 5. Set the (Default) value to the path and filename of the program you want to use to open the file type 6. For example: C:\Windows\NOTEPAD.EXE %1 You must use the "%1" for this to work.and a space between the exe and the %1 Deleting Registry Keys from the Command Line There are two ways to delete a key from the Registry from the Command line. At the Windows Command line: RegEdit /l location of System.dat /R location of User.dat /D Registry key to delete You cannot be in Windows at the time you use this switch. Or you can create a reg file as such: REGEDIT4 [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\the key you want to delete] Note the negative sign just behind the[ Then at the Command line type: 1. RegEdit C:\Windows\(name of the regfile). Change/Add Restrictions And Features If you want to make restrictions to what users can do or use on their computer without having to run Poledit, you can edit the Registry. You can add and delete Windows features in this Key shown below. Zero is Off and the value 1 is On. Example: to Save Windows settings add or modify the value name NoSaveSettings to 0, if set to1 Windows will not save settings. And NoDeletePrinter set to 1 will prevent the user from deleting a printer.

The same key shows up at: HKEY_USERS\(yourprofilename)\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer so change it there also if you are using different profiles. 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ CurrentVersion\ Policies 3.Go to the Explorer Key (Additional keys that can be created under Policies are System, Explorer, Network and WinOldApp ) 4.You can then add DWORD or binary values set to 1 in the appropriate keys for ON and 0 for off. NoDeletePrinter - Disables Deletion of Printers NoAddPrinter - Disables Addition of Printers NoRun - Disables Run Command NoSetFolders - Removes Folders from Settings on Start Menu NoSetTaskbar - Removes Taskbar from Settings on Start Menu NoFind - Removes the Find Command NoDrives - Hides Drives in My Computers NoNetHood - Hides the Network Neighborhood NoDesktop - Hides all icons on the Desktop NoClose - Disables Shutdown NoSaveSettings - Don't save settings on exit DisableRegistryTools - Disable Registry Editing Tools NoRecentDocsMenu - Hides the Documents shortcut at the Start button NoRecentDocsHistory- Clears history of Documents NoFileMenu _ Hides the Files Menu in Explorer NoActiveDesktop - No Active Desktop NoActiveDesktopChanges- No changes allowed NoInternetIcon - No Internet Explorer Icon on the Desktop NoFavoritesMenu - Hides the Favorites menu NoChangeStartMenu _ Disables changes to the Start Menu NoFolderOptions _ Hides the Folder Options in the Explorer ClearRecentDocsOnExit - Empty the recent Docs folder on reboot NoLogoff - Hides the Log Off .... in the Start Menu And here are a few more you can play with ShowInfoTip NoTrayContextMenu NoStartMenuSubFolders NoWindowsUpdate NoViewContextMenu EnforceShellExtensionSecurity LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo NoDriveTypeAutoRun NoStartBanner NoSetActiveDesktop EditLevel NoNetConnectDisconnect RestrictRun - Disables all exe programs except those listed in the RestrictRun subkey

This key has many other available keys, there is one to even hide the taskbar, one to hide the control panel and more. I'm not telling you how, as someone may want to play a trick on you. The policies key has a great deal of control over how and what program can run and how one can access what feature. In the System key you can enter: NoDispCPL - Disable Display Control Panel NoDispBackgroundPage - Hide Background Page NoDispScrSavPage - Hide Screen Saver Page NoDispAppearancePage - Hide Appearance Page NoDispSettingsPage - Hide Settings Page NoSecCPL - Disable Password Control Panel NoPwdPage - Hide Password Change Page NoAdminPage - Hide Remote Administration Page NoProfilePage - Hide User Profiles Page NoDevMgrPage - Hide Device Manager Page NoConfigPage - Hide Hardware Profiles Page NoFileSysPage - Hide File System Button NoVirtMemPage - Hide Virtual Memory Button In the Network key you can enter: NoNetSetup - Disable the Network Control Panel NoNetSetupIDPage - Hide Identification Page NoNetSetupSecurityPage - Hide Access Control Page NoFileSharingControl - Disable File Sharing Controls NoPrintSharing - Disable Print Sharing Controls In the WinOldApp key you can enter: Disabled - Disable MS-DOS Prompt NoRealMode - Disables Single-Mode MS-DOS Automatic Screen Refresh When you make changes to your file system and use Explorer, the changes are not usually displayed until you press the F5 key To refresh automatically: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Update 3. Set the value name "UpdateMode" to 1 Disable Password Caching To disable password caching, which allows for the single Network login and eliminates the secondary Windows logon screen. Either use the same password or: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Network 3. Add a Dword value "DisablePwdCaching" and set the value to 1 Changing the MaxMTU for faster Downloads

There are four Internet settings that can be configured, you can get greater throughput (faster Internet downloads) by modifying a few settings. They are the MaxMTU, MaxMSS and DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlset\ Services\ Class\ net\ 000x (where x is your particular network adapter binding.) 3.Right click on the right panel 4.Select New\String Value and create the value name IPMTU 5.Double click on it and enter then the number you want. The usual change is to 576 6.Similarly, you can add IPMSS and give it a value of 536 (Windows 9X)You can set DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL by adding these string values to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\ CurrentControlset\ Services\ VXD\ MSTCP Set the DefaultRcvWindow to"5840"and the DefaultTTL to "128" Note: These settings will slow down your network access speed slightly, but you will probably not even see the difference if you are using a network card. If you are using Direct Cable you should see a sight difference. Adding Items to the Start Button To add items when you right-click on the Start Button: 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell 3.Right-click on Shell and select New Key 4.Type in the name of the key and press the Enter key 5.In the Default name that shows in the right hand panel, you can add a title with a "&" character in front of the letter for a shortcut 6.Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command 7.For the value of this command, enter the full path and program you want to execute 8.Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will be there. 9.For example, if you want Word to be added, you would add that as the first key, the default in the right panel would be &Word so when you right click on the Start Button, the W would be the Hot Key on your keyboard. The value of the key would be C:\Program Files\Office\Winword\Winword.exe Remove Open, Explore & Find from Start Button When you right click on the Start Button, you can select Open, Explore or Find. Open shows your Programs folder. Explore starts the Explorer and allows access to all drives. Find allows you to search and then run programs. In certain situations you might want to disable this feature. To remove them: 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Find 3.Delete Find 4.Scroll down below Directory to Folder 5.Expand this section under shell 6.Delete Explore and Open Caution: - When you remove Open, you cannot open any folders.

Removing Items from NEW Context Menu When you right-click on the desktop and select New, or use the File Menu item in the Explore and select New a list of default templates you can open up are listed. To remove items from that list: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Do a Search for the string ShellNew in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Hive 3. Delete the ShellNew command key for the items you want to remove. Changing Telnet Window You can view more data if you increase the line count of Telnet. By Default it has a window size of 25 lines. To increase this so you can scroll back and look at a larger number on lines: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Telnet 3. Modify the value data of "Rows" Changing the Tips of the Day You can edit the Tips of the day in the Registry by going to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ explorer\ Tips Disabling Drives in My Computer To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer: 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer 3.Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives 4.Give it a value of 3FFFFFF 5.Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show. Changing the caption on the Title Bar Change the Caption on the Title Bar for OutLook Express or the Internet Explorer: For Outlook Express: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express For IE5 and up use: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\IDENTITIES \{9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B}\ SOFTWARE\ MICROSOFT\ OUTLOOK EXPRESS\5.0 3. Add a string value "WindowTitle" (no space) 4. Modify the value to what ever you like. For no splash screen, add a dword value "NoSplash" set to 1 The Key {9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B} can be any key you find here. Each user has his own Key number. The Key 5.0 is whatever version of IE you have For Internet Explorer: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main 3. Add a string value "Window Title" (use a space) 4. Modify the value to what ever you like.

Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button Normally, when you right button click on the Start button, it allows you to open your programs folder, the Explorer and run Find. In situations where you don't want to allow users to be able to do this in order to secure your computer. 1.Open RegEdit 2.Search for Desktop 3.This should bring you to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory 4.Expand this section 5.Under Shell is Find 6.Delete Find 7.Move down a little in the Registry to Folder 8.Expand this section and remove Explore and Open Now when you right click on the Start button, nothing should happen. You can delete only those items that you need. Note: - On Microsoft keyboards, this also disables the Window-E (for Explorer) and Window-F (for Find) keys. See the section on Installation in the RESKIT to see how to do this automatically during an install. Disabling My Computer In areas where you are trying to restrict what users can do on the computer, it might be beneficial to disable the ability to click on My Computer and have access to the drives, control panel etc. To disable this: 1.Open RegEdit 2.Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D 3.This should bring you to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID section 4.Delete the entire section. Now when you click on My Computer, nothing will happen. You might want to export this section to a Registry file before deleting it just in case you want to enable it again. Or you can rename it to 20D0HideMyComputer4FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D808002B30309D. You can also hide all the Desktop Icons, see Change/Add restrictions. Opening Explorer from My Computer By default, when you click on the My Computer icon, you get a display of all your drives, the Control Panel etc. If you would like to have this open the Explorer: 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ Shell 3 . Add a new Key named "Open" if it does not exists by right clicking "Shell" and selecting new. 4. . Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking "Open" and selecting new 5. Set the (Default) value for the Command Key to "Explorer.exe" or "C:\Windows\Explorer.exe" Recycle Bin Edits Fooling with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menus. Add rename to the menu:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder "Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20 Add delete to the menu: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder "Attributes"=hex:60,01,00,20 Add rename and delete to the menu: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} \ShellFolder "Attributes"=hex:70,01,00,20 Restore the recycle bin to Windows defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion: Restore the icon. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows \CurrentVersion\ explorer\ Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} @="Recycle Bin" Reset Windows defaults. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} \ShellFolder "Attributes"=hex:40,01,00,20 Other edits to the recycle bin icon: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder "Attributes"=hex:40,01,01,20 ... standard shortcut arrow "Attributes"=hex:40,01,02,20 ... a different shortcut arrow "Attributes"=hex:40,01,04,20 ... and still another shortcut arrow "Attributes"=hex:40,01,08,20 ... make it look disabled (like it's been cut) For Windows XP and 2000 also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} For Windows ME also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software\ Classes\ CLSID\ {645FF0405081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} Setting the Minimum Password Length 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Network 3. Now, choose the Edit/New/Binary value command and call the new value MinPwdLen. Press Enter twice and Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length. Add\delete programs to run every time Windows starts You can start or stop programs from executing at boot up by adding or deleting them to/from the run Keys in the Registry. Windows loads programs to start in the following order; Program listed in the Local Machine hive, then the Current User hive, then theWin.ini Run= and Load = lines. then finally programs in your Start Up folder. To add or remove programs in the Registry 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to the desired Key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices 3. Add a new String Value and name it anything you like 4. For the value data, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run. By adding the value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive instead allows the program to start only when that user is logged on. If you add the value to the RunOnce key the program will run once and be removed from the key by Windows. Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows 1.Open RegEdit 2.Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 3.Open the Key LNKFILE 4.Delete the value IsShortcut 5.Open the next Key PIFFILE 6.Delete the value IsShortcut 7.Restart the Windows Turn Off Window Animation You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize Windows. 1. Open RegEdit 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control panel \Desktop\ WindowMetrics 3. Create a new string value "MinAnimate". 4. Set the value data of 0 for Off or 1 for On Changing your Modem's Initialization String 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet \Services \Class \Modem \0000 \Init 3.Change the settings to the new values Increasing the Modem Timeout If your modem it is timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages, you might try increasing the timeout period. To change the Time Out:: 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Services\ Class\ Modem\ XXXX\ Settings Where XXXX is the number of your modem 3. In the right panel and double click on Inactivity Timeout 4.The number of minutes for a timeout should be entered between the brackets. 5.For example, a setting could have S19=<10> to set it to 10 minutes. Removing Programs from Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs Section If you uninstalled a program by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list in the Control Panel. In order to remove it from the list. 1.Open RegEdit 2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\

Uninstall 3.Delete any programs here. If you have a problem locating the desired program open each key and view the DisplayName value The Fix for Grayed Out Boxes The File Types tab in Explorer's View / Options menu lets you edit most of your file types, but certain settings cannot be changed. The default action for a batch file, for instance, runs the batch file instead of opening it via Notepad or Wordpad. Thus, when you double-click on AUTOEXEC.BAT, a DOS window opens, and the file executes. If you want to change this default action and edit a batch file when you double-click on it, however, the File Types tab does not let you do so; the Set Default button for the file type called MS-DOS Batch File is always grayed out. The button is grayed out because HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT's batfile key contains an EditFlag value entry. Such entries are used throughout the Registry to prevent novice users from altering certain system settings. The binary data in batfile's EditFlag reads d0 04 00 00. If you change this value to 00 00 00 00, you can then change any of the batch file settings. Do not, however, indiscriminately zero out EditFlag; if you do so in a system ProgID such as Drive or AudioCD, it completely disappears from the File Types list. For ProgIDs that are linked to extensions, set all EditFlags to 00 00 00 00. For system ProgIDs, replace EditFlag data with 02 00 00 00. If you wish to have access to some buttons while leaving others grayed out, you must know the function of each EditFlag bit. The last two bytes of data are always zero, but most bits within the first two bytes have a specific effect: •

Byte 1, bit 1: Removes the file type from the master list in the File Types tab (select View / Options under Explorer) if it has an associated extension.

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Byte 1, bit 2: Adds the file type to the File Types tab if it does not have an associated extension.

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Byte 1, bit 3: Identifies a type with no associated extension.

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Byte 1, bit 4: Grays out the Edit button in the File Types tab.

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Byte 1, bit 5: Grays out the Remove button in the File Types tab.

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Byte 1, bit 6: Grays out the New button in the Edit File Type dialog (select the Edit button in the File Types tab).

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Byte 1, bit 7: Grays out the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog.

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Byte 1, bit 8: Grays out the Remove button in the Edit File Type dialog.

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Byte 2, bit 1: Prevents you from editing a file type's description in the Edit File Type dialog.

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Byte 2, bit 2: Grays out the Change Icon button in the Edit File Type dialog.

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Byte 2, bit 3: Grays out the SetDefault button in the Edit File Type dialog.

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Byte 2, bit 4: Prevents you from editing an action's description in the Edit Action dialog (select the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog).

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Byte 2, bit 5: Prevents you from editing the command line in the Edit Action dialog.

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Byte 2, bit 6: Prevents you from setting DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) fields in the Edit Action dialog.

The EditFlags value for Drive, for instance, is d2 01 00 00 in Hex (1101 0010 0000 0001 in binary). Bits 2, 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 1 is on in byte 2. The EditFlag for batfile is d0 04 00 00 in Hex or 1101 0000 0000 0100 in binary. In this case, bits 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 3 is on in byte 2. Bits 4, 5, and 6 of byte 2 apply only to actions that are protected. EditFlags with action keys (such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open) determine protection. If byte 1, bit 1 of such an EditFlag is 0 (or if there is no EditFlag), then the action is protected. If byte 1, bit 1 is 1, then the action is unprotected. Protection on system files To enable protection on system files such as the KnownDLLs list, add the following value; 1. Open RegEdit 2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Control\ SessionManager 3. Create the a Dword value and name it "ProtectionMode " 4. Set the Value to1

Password Recovery Disk Take preventive measures against losing user-level passwords. It doesn't matter if you never again remember a Windows user password. Thanks to XP's Forgotten Password Wizard, your conscience will be free and clear -- should your mind happen to accidentally misplace your user password. I highly suggest you create a password recovery disk the minute you create your user account. Why? In order to create a password recovery disk you're going to need your password. Write it down the minute you create your user account and then proceed to creating your very own password recovery disk. Here's how to launch the Forgotten Password Wizard: Single-click Start menu, Control Panel, and User Accounts. Click your user account name. Under Related Tasks on the left, click "Prevent forgotten password" to launch the wizard. Now that you've launched the wizard, let it walk you through creating the recovery disk. Make sure the disk you use is formatted and in the drive. After it's finished creating the disk, label it and stash it away for an emergency. If you happen to forget your password, all you need to do is click your user icon at the logon screen. Even though you don't have your password, go ahead and click the green arrow just like you would to finish logging on to your computer. This will launch a little yellow dialog box directing you to use your password recovery disk.