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Increasing the Folder Cache

The default setting for WindowsXP is to cache the Explorer settings for 400 folders.
To increase it:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam
3. Change the value of BagMRU  to any size you want (hex)

1000 - 3e8
2000 - 7d0
3000 - bb8
4000 - fa0
5000 - 1388

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Hiding the Last User Logged On

If you use the standard NT style of login and want to hide the last user:

1. Start the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options
3. Scroll down to Interactive logon: Do not display last user name
4. Set it to Enable

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Power off at Shutdown

If your computer does not turn off the power when doing a shutdown,
you may need to edit the registry. I have all the correct BIOS and Power settings and still needed to do this.

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
3. Edit the key PowerOffActive and give it a value of 1
4. You can do the same in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Remembering Folder Settings

If XP does not remember your folder settings, delete or rename the following registry keys

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]

Download the registry file by clicking here 

 Stop Password Expiration

If you want to do this for all users, enter:

Start / Run / net accounts /maxpwage:unlimited

If you are getting an error message that your password is about to expire:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon
2. Select Manage
3. Go to Local Users and Groups / Users
4. Right-click on the user you want to change
5. Select Properties
6. On the General tab, check Password never expires
7. Click OK

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Installing Java Virtual Machine

If you are getting errors when browsing the web to install Java Virtual Machine,

You can still download it from Microsoft (version 3809)
It is now included in Service Pack1

You can also download Sun's version

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Preventing Applications from Stealing the Focus

To prevent applications from stealing the focus from the window you are working

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop

3. Edit the key ForegroundLockTimeout

4. Give it a value of 00030d40

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Disable Explorer Thumbnail View

If you want disable the Explorer's ability to show the Thumbnail View ,

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced \

3. Change ClassicViewState to 1

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Adding Environment Variables

Since any version of NT does not use an autoexec.bat file,
to add environment variables to WindowsXP:

1. Right click on My Computer

2. Select Properties

3. Click on the Advanced tab

4. Click on the Environment Variables button

5. From here you can change it for the system or just the current user.

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Disable Passport Pop-Up

Normally, WindowsXP will prompt you 10 times that You Need a Passport to use WindowsXP Internet communication features...

To disable this

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ MessengerService

3. Edit the binary key PassportBalloon

4. Give it a value of 0A (0A 00 00 00)

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Show Hidden Devices

You can show hidden devices in the Device Manager. One way is by making a simple registry change. The other is through a batch file.

Registry Change:

1. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ ControlSet001 \ Control \ Session Manager \ Environment

2. Create a string DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES

3. Give it a value of 1

Batch File

@Echo Off
Prompt $p$g
set DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1
start devmgmt.msc
exit

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Spell Check Not Working With Outlook Express and Office97

This is simply due to a missing or corrupted DLL file

1. Go to the i386 directory of your XP source files
2. Run Expand  csapi3t1.dl_  csapi3t1.dll (Note: If your source files are on a CD, you will need to put a path before the csapi3t1.dll since you can't write to the CD).
3. Copy the file to the Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Proof directory

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Disable Shared Documents

To disable the Shared Documents folder that shows up on the network

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer \

3. Create a new DWORD Value

4. Give it the name NoSharedDocuments

5. Give it a value of 1

6. Log off or reboot

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Disable the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon's menu

To Disable the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon's menu:

1. Start regedit.exe
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Conferencing\Mcpt
3. Create a new string value (Click on Edit > New > String Value).
4. Name the value Nx
5. Double-click on it and set it's value to 1
6. Close the registry

Now the menu options will be grayed out.

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Prevent the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon from appearing in the notification tray

To Prevent the Remote Desktop Sharing (RDS) icon from appearing in the notification tray:

1. Click Start, then Run.
2. Type services.msc and then click ok.
3. Scroll down until you find the NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing service
4. Double-click on it.
5. Click on the Log On tab.
6. Uncheck Allow service to interact with desktop
7. Click OK then close the services window.
8. Reboot (You must reboot).

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Printing a Directory

WindowsXP does not allow you to use previously describe methods for printing the contents of a directory.
To do this requires the creation of a small batch file which is then added to your right-click options.

Batch File

On the root of the C: drive, create a batch file called print_directory.bat with the following lines:

@echo off
dir %1 /o:g > c:\directory.txt
start /w notepad /p c:\directory.txt
del c:\directory.txt
exit

Note: dir %1 /o:g will print with any directories listed first. You can add whatever other switches you like

Adding to the Explorer Right Click

1. Start the Explorer

2. Go to Tools / Folder Options

3. On the File Types tab, click File Folder.

4. Click Advanced button and then click New.

5. In the Action box, type Print Directory (or whatever text you want to appear).

6. In the Application used to perform action box, type C;\print_directory.bat, and then click OK.

7. Click OK, click OK, and then click Close

Fixing the Registry

Sometimes after adding the right click with the Explorer, the default setting for opening a folder is changed.
To correct this:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Directory \ shell
3. Edit the default value to be explorer or none

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Removing Thumbs.db Files

When viewing a folder with the Thumbnail view, WindowsXP creates a thumbs.db file.
This is a cache of the current pictures in that directory.
If you want to turn this feature off and save a little disk space

1. Start the Windows Explorer

2. Go to Tools / Folder Options / View

3. In the first section under Files and Folders, check Do not cache thumbnails

4. Now you can search for the thumbs.db file on your computer and remove them. No more should be created.

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Enable / Disable the Task Manager

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\

3. Create the Dword value DisableTaskMgr

4. Give it a value of 0 to enable it

5. Give it a vaule of 1 to disable it

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Saving Desktop Settings

If you desktop or folders on your desktop do not retain their settings:

Start Regedit

1. Go HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Program Manager\Restrictions

2. Create or edit the DWORD value NoSaveSettings

3. Give it a value of 0

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Hiding the Windows Version on the Desktop

If your version of WindowsXP is displaying on the desktop and
you would like to remove it:

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop

3. Edit or Create the DWORD entry PaintDesktopVersion

4. A value of 0 will hide the version from the desktop

5. Logoff or reboot

To make this change for all future users, edit
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop in the same manner.

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Using Media Player 6.4

If you want to use the older version of Microsoft Media Player 6.4, it is still on your computer.

Make a shortcut on your desktop to the:
C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\mplayer2.exe file

You can also change the file associations from this program to set it as the default for all media types.

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 Controlling the Desktop Cleanup Wizard

By default, the Desktop Cleanup Wizard will pop up every 60 days to cleanup your desktop.

To stop this:

1. Right click on the desktop.
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Desktop tab
4. Click on the Customize Desktop button
5. Uncheck Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard

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 Clearing the Page File on Shutdown

Another way to set the computer to clear the page file without directly editing the registry is:

1. Click on the Start button
2. Go to the Control Panel
3. Administrative Tools
4. Local Security Policy
5. Local Policies
6. Click on Security Options
7. Right hand menu - right click on "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Page file"
8. Select "Enable"
9. Reboot

If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdown
3. Set the value to 1

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Restoring Access to CD ROMs

If after you remove CD Burning software, you can no longer access your CD ROM's,
the following registry keys need to be deleted:

Locate and delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values under the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Reinstalling WindowsXP

If you need to reinstall WindowsXP and want to keep all your current installed applications and settings:

1. Start WindowsXP

2. Go to the location of your source files

3. Run WINNT32 /unattend

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Setting the Dir Command to Display Filenames on the Left

Previous versions of Windows displayed the filenames on the left hand side when you run the dir command.
WindowsXP changes this and the default it to put it on the right.

To change this back:

1. Right click on My Computer

2. Click on Properties

3. Click on the Advanced tab

4. Click on the Environment Variables button

5. Click on New button

6. Enter the Variable name: dircmd

7. Enter the Variable value: /-n

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Dell Computer Not Keeping Correct Time

If your Dell computer is loosing time while the computer is turned on,
You can run the following commands:

1. Start / Run / CMD
2. Net stop w32time
3. w32tm /unregister
4. w32tm /unregister
5. w32tm /register
6. Net start w32time

You can also download a Dell Patch to do the same process automatically

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Fix Browsing Delay to Win98/ME Computers

If you experience a 30 second or so delay when browsing to Windows98 or WindowsME computers,
delete the following registry key on the Windows2000 computer.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer / RemoteComputer / NameSpace {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Formatting a Partition Greater than 32 GIGs with FAT32

WindowsXP will only format a partition greater than 32 GIGs as NTFS.
If you want to format it with FAT32:

1. You can use a regular Win98 Boot disk and use that version of FDISK to create the partition (with Large Hard Drive Support)

2. Reboot with the same boot disk and format

3. WindowsXP will then be able to use the partition with no problems

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Adding Safe Boot to the Boot Menu

You can add Safeboot as an option to the normal XP boot screen

1. Open a command prompt
2. Copy the current c:\boot.ini to another name (just in case)
3. With your favorite text editor, edit c:\boot.ini
4. Copy then edit the current boot line to another line. For example:
   multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
   might copy and then change to:
   multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional Safeboot" /fastdetect
5. Start MSCONFIG
6. Click on the BOOT.INI tab
7. Highlight the second line with the additional name of Safeboot
8. Check the /SAFEBOOT box with option you want
   Minimal - Minimal set of drivers
   Network - With Network Support
   Dsrepair - Directory Services Repair
   Minimal (Alternate Shell) - Standard Explorer Desktop
9. You will now have this option every time you start XP

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No GUI Boot

If you don't need to see the XP boot logo,

1. Run MSCONFIG
2. Click on the BOOT.INI tab
3. Check the box for /NOGUIBOOT

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Speeding the Startup of Some CD Burner Programs

If you use program other than the native WindowsXP CD Burner software,
you might be able to increase the speed that it loads.

1. Go to Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Services
2. Double-click on IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
3. For the Startup Type, select Disabled
4. Click on the OK button and then close the Services window

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 Getting Rid of Unread Email Messages

To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names:

1. Start Regedit
2. For a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
3. For all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UnreadMail
4. Create a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDays
5. Give it a value of 0

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Using the Internet Explorer Classic Search

If you want to use the classic search engine in the Internet Explorer

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. If it is not there, create a String Value of Use Search Asst
4. Give it a value of no

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Logging in as Administrator

If you want to log in as Administrator, but it is not show on the Welcome screen,

1. Hold the Ctrl-Alt key and press Del twice.
2. This will bring up the normal login and you can log on as Administrator

To unhide the Administrator account so it does show up:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList
3. Unhide the Administrator key by giving it a value of 1

 Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Correcting Fast User Switching Error

If you are getting an error that:
A recently installed program has disabled the Welcome screen and Fast User Switching
with a reference to CSGina.DLL

1. Start Regedit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Delete the key GinaDLL

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Using the Classic Search in Explorer

If you prefer to use the classic search style in Explorer,

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
3. Add a String Key called Use Search Asst
4. Give it a value of no

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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No To All When Overwriting Files

When overwriting files in the Windows Explorer, there is an option for Yes To All.
This would overwrite any files you would normally be prompted for.

To have No To All, simply hold down the Shift key while you click on the No option.

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 Re-Installing User Login Pictures

Normally WindowsXP shows assigned pictures for each user on the system.
If you have deleted your user pictures, want to know the location, or need to reinstall them,
they are stored in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\Default Pictures
directory.

If you need to reinstall them, they can be expanded from the source CD. The actual files are:
airplane.bmp
astronaut.bmp
ball.bmp
butterfly.bmp
cat.bmp
fish.bmp
pink flower.bmp
guitar.bmp
snowflake.bmp
beach.bmp
car.bmp
chess.bmp
dirt bike.bmp
dog.bmp
drip.bmp
duck.bmp
frog.bmp
horses.bmp
kick.bmp
lift-off.bmp
palm tree.bmp
red flower.bmp
skater.bmp

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 WINIPCFG for XP

If you like the graphic IP configuration program that comes with Windows98,
you can download a similar one for WindowsXP or Windows2000 from Microsoft at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/wntipcfg-o.asp

The actual file is at:
WntIpcfg_setup.exe

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 Search Companion Error

When doing a file search, if you get the error A File That Is Required to Run Search Companion Cannot Be Found

1. Log on as an Administrator
2. Click Start
3. Select Run
4. Enter in the command - %systemroot%\inf
5. Right-click the Srchasst.inf file
6. Click Install

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Installing the Backup Program on the Home Version

By default, the NTBACKUP program is not installed on the home version.

You can find it on the CD in the \VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP directory

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Changing Drive Letters

If you want to change the letters assigned to your fixed or removable drives:

1. Right Click on My Computer
2. Select Manage
3. Select Disk Management

For a Fixed Disk:

1. Select it
2. Right click
3. Select Change Drive Letter and Path
4. Click on the Edit button
5. Enter in the letter you want to use

For a Removable Disk:

1. In the lower, right hand panel, right click on the Disk or CD ROM # 
2. Select Change Drive Letter and Path
3. Click on the Edit button
4. Enter in the letter you want to use

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 Turn off the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer as the Default Image Viewer

You can also change the file associations for the specific file types you want.

1. Open the Windows Explorer
2. Go to Tools / Folder Options / File Types
3. Scroll down to the extension you want to change
4. Click on the Change button
5. Select the program you want to associate with that extension
6. Click on the OK button

If the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is set as the default for many of your graphic file types,
you can remove it so other graphics programs can be used.

1. Run Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / SystemFileAssociations / image / ShellEx / ContextMenuHandlers
3. Delete the key ShellImagePreview

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Allowing Network Access with Blank Passwords

Although you can log in locally without a password, by default, WindowsXP Pro does not allow network users to access the computer without a password. Typically you will receive an Unknown error 31 if this is the case.

To change this setting:

1. Run gpedit.msc
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options
3. Double click on Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only
4. Disable this option

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 Changing the Default DOS Window Properties

If you want to change the default DOS windows properties like:

• Size
• Color
• Font
• Buffer Size
• Window / Full Screen

1. Open up a DOS window
2. Right click on the Title Bar
3. Select Defaults
4. Make any of the changes you like
5. All subsequent DOS windows will assume these defaults

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 Changing the Registered Owner

1. Start Regedit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
3. From there you can edit the name in the Registered Owner key

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Opening a Command Prompt to a Particular Directory from Explorer

If you want to open a command prompt to a directory that is selected in the Explorer:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT  \ Directory \ shell
3. Create a new key called Command
4. Give it the value of the name you want to appear in the Explorer. Something like Open DOS Box
5. Under this create a new key called command
6. Give it a value of " cmd.exe cd %1 " (no quotes)
7. Now when you are in the Explorer, right click on a folder, select Open DOS Box, and a command prompt will open to  the selected directory.

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Adding Time Servers

With WindowsXP, you can double-click on the time in the System Tray and connect to Time Servers on the Internet to synchronize with.
To add to the list of available servers:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DateTime\Servers
3. Add new string keys named 2, 3, etc. with a value of the time server you want to use.

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 Creating a Boot Floppy

To create a bootable floppy from within WindowsXP:

1. Insert a floppy into the A: drive
2. Open the Explorer
3. Right click on the A: Drive
4. Select Format
5. Check Create an MS-DOS startup disk
6. Click on the Start button
7. This will create a Millennium boot disk

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 Changing the Login Screen Saver

If you want to change the screen saver that runs at the login prompt:

Start Regedit

1. Go to HK_USERS / .DEFAULT / Control Panel / Desktop
2. Double click on SCRNSAVE.EXE
3. Enter in the screen saver you want to use

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 Running NetMeeting

To run NetMeeting:

1. Do a Start / Run
2. Enter conf
3. Answer the prompts along the way for name, e-mail etc.

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 Set the Online Registration as Being Completed

You can set WindowsXP to assume the online registration has been completed.

1. Run Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion
3. Create a String Value called RegDone
4. Give it a value of 1

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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Decreasing Boot Time

Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXP
The program is called BootVis

1. Uncompress the file.
2. Run BOOTVIS.EXE
3. For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays
4. This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
5. After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.
6. Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)
7. Then run Trace / Optimize System
8. Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays
9. Note how much the time has decreased

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 Re-Enabling System Restore

If you previously disabled system restore through the Group Policy Editor,
the option to start it again does not show in the System Properties.
You can re-enable it again by:

1. Run the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
2. Go to Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / System / System Restore
3. Set Turn off System Restore and Turn off Configuration to Disable
4. Right click on My Computer
5. Select Manage
6. Go to Services and Applications / Services
7. Scroll down to System Restore Service
8. Set it for Automatic
9. Click on the Start button to start the service
10. Close down this window
11. Go back to the Group Policy Editor and configure both to Not configured
12. Now when you right click on My Computer, there should be a tab for System Restore and you can configure how much space will be used.

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 Hide/Unhide Logon Names

If you want to hide or unhide the names of users that are displayed on the initial logon screen:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList
3. Add a DWORD with the name of the user account you want to hide
4. Make sure it has a value of 0
5. If there is an existing account, you can unhide it by giving it a value of 1

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 Reinstalling the TCP/IP Protocol

If you've worked on previous versions of Windows,
there are times when you need to completely reinstall the TCP/IP protocol stack.
This is typically due to corrupted files.

To do this with XP,
you need to run a small script:

netsh int ip reset [ log_file_name ]

the log_file_name needs to be specified.

e.g.
netsh  int  ip  reset  ip_reset.txt

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 Renaming the Start Button

To rename the start button, you will need a hex editor.
My preference is UltraEdit

1. Copy the \windows\explore.exe file to a new name (e.g. explorer_1.exe)
2. With the hex editor, open that file and go to offset 412b6
3. You will see the word start with blanks between each letter
4. Edit it be any 5 characters or less
5. Save the file
6. Boot to DOS
7. Copy the existing c:\windows\explorer.exe to explorer.org
8. Copy explorer_1.exe to explorer.exe
9. You will also need to replace the explorer.exe in the c:\windows\system32\dllcache file as well with the new one.

Note: If the partition is NTFS and you can't access the files from DOS:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon.
3. Change the value of Shell from Explorer.exe to explorer_1.exe

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Rollback a Device Driver

If you install a device drive that does not work correctly,
you can restore the previous one fairly easily.

1. Log in with an administrator account
2. Right click on My Computer
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Hardware tab
5. Click on the Device Manager button
6. Go to the device you want to reconfigure
7. Click on the Driver tab
8. Click on the Roll Back Drive button

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 Selecting What Details to Display in the Explorer

To add or remove items to be displayed in the Explorer when using the Details View

1. Start the Explorer
2. Go to View / Choose Details
3. Right click on the columns by Name and check or uncheck any item you want displayed

Available options are:

• Owner
• Name
• Size
• Type
• Date Modified
• Status
• Attributes
• Author
• Title
• Subject
• Category
• Pages
• Comments
• Copyright
• Date Created
• Date Accessed
• Attributes
• Artist
• Album Title
• Year
• Track Number
• Genre
• Duration
• Bit Rate
• Protected
• Camera Model
• Date Picture Taken
• Dimensions
• Company
• Description
• File Version
• Product Name
• Product Version

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 Closing Multiple Taskbar Items

If you hold down the Control Key when you click on the taskbar icons,
it selects multiple tasks. Then you can simply right-click on the selected items and choose close group.

This tip works with all windows, not just one applications. If you have the cal, ie, notepad and solitaire open, it will close them all, unlike the group similar items command that only lets you close all of one type (ex: all IE or all notepads).

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 Remembering Outlook / Outlook Express Password

On systems, Outlook or Outlook Express will not remember the e-mail password,
which would then need to be entered in each time.

To solve the problem:

1. Open Registry Editor
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft
3. Right Click Protected Storage System Provider
4. Choose the Permissions option
5. Click the Advanced box near the bottom right hand corner. This should open another box, Towards the bottom of this box there should be two tick boxes, make sure that both of them are ticked. Click Apply, another box will open Click Yes, then Click OK and OK again.
6. Left Click the + next to Protected Storage System Provider and Delete any sub folder in this tree. (Right clicking and choose the delete option or press the delete key and choosing yes to delete)
7. Shutdown and Restart Computer.

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 Turning Off the Firewall

If you want to turn off the firewall for your computer:

1. Go to Start / Settings / Network Connections
2. Right click on the network connection you want to change
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Advanced tab
5. Uncheck the box in Internet Connection Firewall

 Grouping Similar Taskbar Buttons

When you open more than one document in the same program and then minimize each document,
rather that  showing separate icons on the taskbar for each document, WindowsXP groups them under a single icon for that application.

If you want to group, or ungroup, similar taskbar buttons,

1. Right click on the Taskbar
2. Select Properties
3. Check or Uncheck Group similar taskbar buttons

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 Turning Off the Guest Account

For security purposes, you might want to turn off the Guest account

1. Open up the Control Panel
2. Click on User Accounts
3. Click on Change an account
4. Click on the Guest account
5. Click Turn off the guest account

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 Original NT Style Logon Screen

If you want to have the original NT style windows logon screen with XP,
simply hold the Ctrl-Alt keys and press the delete key twice.

To make a permanent change so the logon screen is always like the traditional NT4/2000 style:

1. Go to the Control Panel
2. Open up User Accounts
3. Click Change the way users log on and off
4. Uncheck Use the Welcome screen
5. Click on Apply Options

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Turning Off the Built-In CD Burner

If you want to turn off the ability to using the built-in CD burner software that comes with WindowsXP:

1. Open up the Explorer
2. Right click on the drive that is your CD burner
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Recording tab
5. Uncheck Enable CD recording on this drive

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Hiding System Tray Icons

With WindowsXP, you can manually select how you want individual icons in the System Tray to be displayed.

1. Right click on the Taskbar
2. Select Properties
3. Check Hide inactive icons
4. Click on the Customize button
5. This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to select one of three options for your applications:
   Hide when inactive, Always hide, or always show
6. Highlight current or past applications and make any changes you like.
7. A small arrow will now appear in the System Tray that will allow you to show or hide these icons.

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 Faster Task Switching

If you installed WindowsXP Power Tools from Microsoft, when you press Alt-Tab to switch between running applications,
you get a screen that shows a small graphic of the window that is of that application along with its icon.
This also takes a long time to display. (Or at least longer than I'm comfortable with)

You can speed this up and revert back to previous ways task switching is displayed.

To Turn This Off After Your Reboot:

1. Run MSCONFIG
2. Click on the Startup tab
3. Uncheck Taskswitch
4. Click on the OK button
5. If you want to keep working, click on Exit without Restart

To Turn This Off Immediately:

1. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete
2. Click on the Processes tab
3. Highlight TaskSwitch.exe
4. Click on the End Process tab
5. Click on the Yes button

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 WindowsXP Command Line Utilities

While there are a lot of command line utilities in WindowsXP, here are some that I have been using lately.

bootcfg - Configures, queries, or changes Boot.ini file settings.

driverquery - Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties.

getmac - Returns the media access control (MAC) address and list of network protocols associated with each address for all network cards in each computer

gpresult - Displays Group Policy settings and Resultant Set of Policy (RSOP) for a user or a computer

netsh - You can use commands in the Netsh Interface IP context to configure the TCP/IP protocol

schtasks - Schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a specific time

systeminfo - Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system

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Disabling Error Reporting

By default, WindowsXP will request to report application errors to Microsoft.
To turn this off:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop
2. Select Properties / Advanced
3. Click on the Error Reporting tab
4. Check Disable error reporting

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 Adding a Title for the Command Prompt Title Bar

If you create a batch file that might take a while to run,
you can add a title to the command prompt title bar it by simply adding the line:

    title YOUR TEXT

where YOUR TEXT would be replaced by whatever text you want to show.

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 Increasing Graphics Performance

By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, slides etc to menu items.
Most simply slow down their display.

To turn these off selectively:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button
5. To turn them all of, select Adjust for best performance
6. My preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging

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 Creating an Automated Install of WindowsXP

On the WindowsXP CP, in the SUPPORT\TOOLS directory,
there is a file called DEPLOY.CAB.

1. Extract the programs DEPLOY.CHM (help file) and SETUPMGR.EXE (main program)
2. Run SETUPMGR and answer the prompts.
3. This will create both a unattend.bat and unattend.txt file you can use for automated installs.
4. Note: The batch file might need some minor modification for file locations but it is fairly basic.

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 Creating a Shutdown/Reboot Icon

WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer.

To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:

1. Right click on an open area of the desktop
2. Select New / Shortcut
3. Enter in "shutdown -s -t 00" - no quotes
4. Press the Next button
5. For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button.

For a reboot, enter "shutdown -r -t 00"

Shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}] [-f] [-m [\\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]

Parameters

• -l - Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence.
• -s - Shuts down the local computer.
• -r - Reboots after shutdown.
• -a - Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period.
• -f - Forces running applications to close.
• -m [\\ComputerName] - Specifies the computer that you want to shut down.
• -t xx - Sets the timer for system shutdown in xx seconds. The default is 20 seconds.
• -c "message" - Specifies a message to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. You can use a maximum of 127 characters. You must enclose the message in quotation marks.

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 Command Line Help Reference

To get a quick help for all the commands you can enter from WindowsXP,
simply create a shortcut:

hh.exe ms-its:C:\WINDOWS\Help\ntcmds.chm::/ntcmds.htm

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 Using the System File Checker

You can run the System File Checker to verify protected system files.

Command line switches are:

sfc [/scannow] [/scanonce] [/scanboot] [/revert] [/purgecache] [/cachesize=x]

• /scannow  - Scans all protected system files immediately.
• /scanonce - Scans all protected system files once.
• /scanboot - Scans all protected system files every time the computer is restarted.
• /revert - Returns the scan to its default operation.
• /purgecache - Purges the Windows File Protection file cache and scans all protected system files immediately.
• /cachesize=x - Sets the size, in MB, of the Windows File Protection file cache.

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 Disabling Balloon Tips

To turn off balloon tips in applications that support XP Themes:

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\

3. Create a DWORD value of EnableBalloonTips

4. Give it a value of 0

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Speeding Up the Display of Start Menu Items

An easy way to speed up the display of the Start Menu Items is to turn off the menu shadow.

1. Right click on an open area of the Desktop

2. Select Properties

3. Click on the Appearance tab

4. Click on the Effects button

5. Uncheck Show shadows under menus

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 Installing the NetBEUI Protocol

Microsoft no longer supports the NetBEUI protocol as part of WindowsXP.

You can add it as a installable protocol by going to the VALUEADD \ MSFT \ NET \ NETBEUI
directory on the CD ROM. 

Note: %SYSTEMROOT% refers to the drive and directory where you installed WindowsXP.
Typically this is in the C:\WINDOWS directory

1. Copy the nbf.sys into the %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ directory
2. Copy netnbf.inf into the %SYSTEMROOT%\INF\ directory
3. Open the Network connection properties for your local area network and use "Install..." button to add NetBEUI protocol

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 Setting System Time Over the Internet

You can set your system clock to a time server on the Internet.

1. Double-click the time on your taskbar
2. Click the Internet Time tab
3. Check Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server
4. Click on the Update Now button

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 Creating a Password Recovery Disk

In case you forget your password, you can create a password recovery floppy disk beforehand to help you out of this problem.

1. Single-click Start menu
2. Go to the Control Panel / User Accounts
3. Click the User Account
4. On the left hand side, click on Prevent forgotten password
5. You will need to know your password to create the disk.
6. If you don't remember your password sometime in the future, click on the green arrow like normal at the login and you will be prompted to insert the password recover disk.

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 Changing the Default Search Settings

By default, when you start a search,
you are prompted for what you want to search for.
(e.g. Pictures, Documents, Files, Computers)

To change the preferences, simply click on Change preferences

From here you can:

1. Turn off the animated screen character
2. Change files and folders search behavior (setting it to Advanced changes the default search screen to be for simply files)
3. Internet search settings
4. Turn off balloon tips

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 Opening an Explorer Window to the Directory You Want

If you want to create a shortcut for the Explorer to a specific directory,
include the directory you want in the Target.

For example:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, d:\internet

would open the Explorer to the D:\INTERNET directory

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 Disabling Hibernation

If you don't want to use up the disk space taken by Hibernation, or don't need to use it at all,
you can easily disable it.

1. Open up the Control Panel / Power Options icon
2. Click on the Hibernation icon
3. Uncheck Enable Hibernation

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 Locking the Workstation

There are two ways you can lock the workstation.

1. With a Windows key + L
2. Create an shortcut rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

 Changing the Picture Displayed for a User

You can change the picture that gets displayed for a particular user

1. Go to the Control Panel
2. Select User Accounts
3. Click on the Account to change
4. Click on Change my picture
5. You can then browse to the picture you want to use

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 Displaying the Quick Launch Toolbar

By default, WindowsXP does not show the Quick Launch toolbar.
To enable it again:

1. Right click on an open area of the toolbar
2. Select Toolbars
3. Select Quick Launch

Now you can add programs like with Win98

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 Increasing System Performance

If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive
3. Set the value to be 1
4. Reboot the computer

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Removing the MSN Messenger

If you want to remove the MSN Messenger from always starting in the system tray, do

1. Start / Run
2. Then enter in the following string: RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

To remove it completely, see the section Adding / Removing Additional Programs

Remove the hide  from the line:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7

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 Common Command Console Utilities

WindowsXP comes with quite a few console utilities you can easily run from the command line:

Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
Disk Managment - diskmgmt.msc
Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
Disk Defrag - dfrg.msc
Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc
Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc
Group Policies - gpedit.msc
Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc
Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc
Resultant Set of Policies - rsop.msc
Local Security Settings - secpol.msc
Services - services.msc
Component Services - comexp.msc

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 Automatically Ending Non-Responsive Tasks

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks
3. Set the value to be 1
4. In the same section, change the WaitToKillAppTimeout to the number of milliseconds you want.

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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 Changing the Internet Explorer Title

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window Title
3. Enter what you want appear in the title bar

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 Changing Visual Effects

To change visual effects such as fade menus, mouse shadow, visual styles on buttons, drop shadows for icons, slide open boxes and buttons etc.:

1. Right click on My Computer
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button
5. From here you have a list of items you can select

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 Changing System Restore Settings

By default, WindowsXP uses a large amount of hard drive space for storing system restore points.
If this is not necessary, you can change the settings.

1. Go to Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools
2. Run System Restore
3. For each drive or partition, you can click on the Setting button to change how much hard drive space is devoted to each one.
4. There is even the option to turn it off for all drives.

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 Configuring the Firewall

WindowsXP has firewall capabilities built into the operating system.

1. For your network connection to the Internet, select Properties
2. Click on the Advanced tab
3. Check the Internet Connection Firewall section
4. Click on the Settings button to change the settings

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 Changing Programs That Start Automatically

WindowsXP has a similar program, MSCONFIG, that was available in Windows98.
This allows you to view and change what programs are automatically started each time you log in.

The new version also allows you to view and edit the boot.ini file (as well as check for errors and use several advanced switches)

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 Adding / Removing Additional Programs

By default, WindowsXP does not display all the programs you can add or remove.
To show this list:

Edit the \Windows\Inf\sysoc.inf file

In the Components section, simply remove the word hide.
This will leave two commas together (like on the rest of the items).
Then you can go to the Control Panel / Add or Remove Programs / Add/Remove Windows Components and the new items will be displayed.

[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
msnexplr=ocmsn.dll,OcEntry,msnmsn.inf,,7
smarttgs=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,msnsl.inf,,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7


Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7

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 Displaying and Configuring the Classic Start Menu

If you prefer the original Start Menu, you can easily switch it back.

1. Right click on the Taskbar
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Start Menu tab
4. Select Classic Start Menu
5. If you click on the Customize button you can choose to display Administrative Tools, Favorites, Run, and expanding many of the sub-menus like the Control Panel.

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 Increasing File System Caching

To increase the amount of memory Windows will locked for I/O operations:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
3. Edit the key IoPageLockLimit

4096 - 32megs of memory or less
8192 - 32+ megs of memory
16384 - 64+ megs of memory
32768 - 128+ megs of memory
65536 - 256+ megs of memory

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 Enabling NumLock on by Default

To have numlock turned on for each user:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard\InitialKeyboardIndicators
3. Change the value from 0 to 2
4. Turn Numlock on manually
5. Log off and back on again.
6. For all users, make the same change to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard\InitialKeyboardIndicators

Download the registry file by clicking here 

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