Windows XP Tested Tips and Tricks

Compress Files and Folders in Windows XP

2008-02-18T00:36:00.000-08:00

Running out of room on your hard disk? Need some extra space to install a new program? Don't worry, Windows XP comes to the rescue. Both Windows XP Professional and Home Edition now include a zip compression utility that you can use to compress files and folders on your hard disk.

* Right–click the file or folder.
* Point to Send To.
* Then click Compressed (zipped) Folder.

This will make a compressed folder, identified by a zipper icon, which displays the same name as the file you compressed. You can also make a compressed folder from scratch, by following these steps:

* Right–click the Desktop.
* Point to New.
* Click Compressed (zipped) Folder.

Set Processes Priority

2008-02-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

Follow this tip to increase the priority of active processes, this will result in prioritisation of processes using the CPU.CTRL-SHIFT-ESC

1. Go to the second tab called Processes,

right click on one of the active processes,

you will see the Set Priority option

2. For example,

your Run your CDwriter program,

set the priority higher, and guess what, no crashed CD’s

How to Create a Password Reset Disk for computers that are part of a domain

2008-02-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Note that this procedure requires one blank, formatted floppy disk. To create a password reset disk for your local user account:

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE. The Windows Security dialog box appears.
2. Click Change Password . The Change Password dialog box appears.
3. In the Log on to box, click the local computer. For example, click Computer (this computer) .
4. Click Backup . The Forgotten Password Wizard starts.
5. On the "Welcome to the Forgotten Password Wizard" page, click Next .
6. Insert a blank, formatted disk in drive A, and then click Next .
7. In the Current user account password box, type your password, and then click Next . The Forgotten Password Wizard creates the disk.
8. When the progress bar reaches 100 percent complete, click Next , and then click Finish . The Forgotten Password Wizard quits and you return to the Change Password dialog box.
9. Remove, and then label the password reset disk. Store the disk in a safe place.
10. In the Change Password dialog box, click Cancel .
11 In the Windows Security dialog box, click Cancel.

If you forget your password, you can log on to the computer with a new password that you create by using the Password Reset Wizard and your password reset disk. To gain access to your local user account on a computer that is a member of a domain, or has been disconnected from a domain:

1. In the Welcome to Windows dialog box, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
2. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type an incorrect password in the Password box, and then click OK .
3. In the Logon Failed dialog box that appears, click Reset . The Password Reset Wizard starts. The Password Reset Wizard lets you create a new password for your local user account.
4. On the "Welcome to the Password Reset Wizard" page, click Next .
5. Insert the password reset disk in drive A, and then click Next .
6. On the "Reset the User Account Password" page, type a new password in the Type a new password box.
7. Type the same password in the Type the password again to confirm box.
8. In the Type a new password hint box, type a hint that will help you remember the password if you forget it. NOTE : This hint is visible to anyone who attempts to log on to the computer by using your user account.
9. Click Next , and then click Finish . The Password Reset Wizard quits and you return to the Log On to Windows dialog box. The password reset disk is automatically updated with the new password information. You do not have to create a new password reset disk.
10 In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your new password in the Password box.
11. In the Log on to box, click the local computer. For example, click Computer (this computer) , and then click OK . You are logged on to the local computer with your local account information.

Automatically defrag drives with a new context menu item

2008-02-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

Create a new Registry import file named context_defrag.inf in Notepad (be sure to save with it with the Save as type set to All Files and not Text Documents) and place the following text inside:
; context_defrag.INF
; Adds Defrag to the right click context menu in Windows XP
[version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"
[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=AddMe
[AddMe]
HKCR,"Drive\Shell\Defrag\command",,,"DEFRAG.EXE %1"Then, right-click and choose Install. This will add a context menu to XP that allows you to automatically defrag drives, using the command line version of the built-in defragmentation utility. To use it, navigate to a drive in My Computer, right-click, and choose Defrag. A command line window will appear, and that drive will be defragged. When it's complete, the window just disappears.

Stop Password Expiration

2008-02-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

After you have run Windows XP for a while, you may receive this message when you log on: "Your password will expire in 14 days.....". By default, Windows XP is set up with passwords which will expire after 42 days. 14 days in advance, Windows will start warning you of this fact. If you do not want your passwords to expire:

1. Go to Start > Run and in the Open: box type control userpasswords2
2. Select the Advanced tab in the User Accounts window
3. Press the Advanced button below the Advanced user management header
4. Select Users in the Local Users and Groups
5. In the right pane, right-click the user name for which you want to change the setting, and select Properties
6. On the General tab, check Password never expires
7. Click Apply and OK (all the way out)

Increase your cable modem or DSL speed in XP

2008-01-28T01:22:00.000-08:00

This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with winXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It will probably work with networked machines as well but I haven't tried it in that configuration. This is for windows XP only, it does not work on win2000. I use 3 Com cards so I don't know how it works on others at this point. It does not involve editing the registry. This tweak assumes that you have let winXP create a connection on install for your cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print sharing - and client for microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that winxp will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try this. In the "My Network Places" properties (right click on the desktop icon and choose properties), highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK

1. From the windows XP cd in the support directory from the support cab, extract the file netcap.exe and place it in a directory on your hard drive or even in the root of your C:\ drive.

2. Next, open up a command prompt window and change directories to where you put netcap.exe. then type "netcap/?". It will list some commands that are available for netcap and a netmon driver will be installed. At the bottom you will see your adapters. You should see two of them if using a 3Com card. One will be for LAN and the other will be for WAN something or other.

3. Next type "netcap/Remove". This will remove the netmon driver.

4. Open up control panel / system / dev man and look at your network adapters. You should now see two of them and one will have a yellow ! on it. Right click on the one without the yellow ! and choose uninstall. YES! you are uninstalling your network adapter, continue with the uninstall. Do not restart yet.

5. Check your connection properties to make sure that no connection exists. If you get a wizard just cancel out of it.

6. Now re-start the machine.

7. After re-start go to your connection properties again and you should have a new connection called "Local area connection 2". highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.

8. Choose connection properties and uncheck the "QOS" box

9. Re-start the machine

10. After restart enjoy the increased responsivness of IE, faster page loading, and a connection speed boost. Why it works, it seems that windows XP, in its zeal to make sure every base is covered installs two seperate versions of the NIC card. One you do not normally see in any properties. Remember the "netcap/?" command above showing two different adapters? The LAN one is the one you see. The invisible one loads everything down and its like your running two separate cards together, sharing a connection among two cards, this method breaks this "bond" and allows the NIC to run un-hindered.

Increase BROADBAND bandwidth

2008-01-28T01:09:00.000-08:00

This is for broad band connections.

I didn’t try it on dial up but might work for dial up. Make sure your logged on as actually "Administrator". do not log on with any account that just has administrator privileges.

start - run - type

gpedit.msc

expand the "local computer policy" branch
expand the "administrative templates" branch
expand the "network branch"
Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in left window

in right window double click the "limit reservable bandwidth" setting
on setting tab check the "enabled" item
where it says "Bandwidth limit %" change it to read 0Effect is immediate on some systems, some need to re-boot. This is more of a "counter what XP does" thing. In other words, programs can request up to 20% of the bandwidth be reserved for them, even with QoS disabled, this is no big deal and most programs do not request it. So, although QOS has caused a big stink because people think it reserves 20% of their bandwidth, you can still disable it, just to be sure.

Use the ultimate configuration tool (Professional Edition only)

2008-01-28T00:29:00.000-08:00

One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists.

It's called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short.

To invoke this editor, select Start and then Run, then type the following:

gpedit.msc

After you hit

ENTER,

you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify virtually every feature in Windows XP without having to resort to regedit.

AVI File Fix in Windows XP

2007-12-31T01:25:00.000-08:00

If you have any AVI files that you saved in Windows 9x, which have interference when opened in Windows XP, there is an easy fix to get rid of the interference: Open Windows Movie Maker. Click View and then click Options. Click in the box to remove the check mark beside Automatically create clips. Now, import the movie file that has interference and drag it onto the timeline. Then save the movie, and during the re-rendering, the interference will be removed.

How to Convert FAT to NTFS file system

2007-12-31T01:13:00.000-08:00

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS, perform the following steps.

Click Start, click Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd and then click OK.

At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS:NTFS.

Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

NOTE: Although the chance of corruption or data loss during the conversion from FAT to NTFS is minimal, it is best to perform a full backup of the data on the drive that it is to be converted prior to executing the convert command. It is also recommended to verify the integrity of the backup before proceeding, as well as to run RDISK and update the emergency repair disk (ERD).

Install/Enable NetBEUI Under WinXP

2007-12-31T01:07:00.001-08:00

If for some reason you need to install NetBEUI then follow these instructions.

**Note - You will need the WinXP CD in order to to this!

Support for the NetBIOS Extended User Interface protocols (also called NetBEUI or NBF) in Windows XP has been discontinued. If your configuration requires temporary use of NetBEUI for Windows XP, follow these steps:

To install the NETBEUI protocol:

- Locate the Valueadd/msft/net/netbeui directory on your Windows XP CD.Copy nbf.sys into the %SYSTEMROOT%SYSTEM32DRIVERS directory.

- Copy netnbf.inf into the %SYSTEMROOT%INF directory.

- In Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections and then click Network Connections.

- Right-click the connection you want to configure, and then click Properties.

- On the General tab, click the INSTALL button to add the NetBEUI protocol.

How to use Windows Update Properly

2007-12-31T01:03:00.000-08:00

If you want to save your files to your hard drive, so after a format you dont have to download them all again, here's How:

- Logon to Windows Update

- Choose Windows Update Catalogue (left hand pane)

- Choose Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems (right hand pane)

- Choose your version and language then Search

- Choose one the following:

- Critical Updates and Service Packs
- Service Packs and Recommended Downloads
- Multi-Language Features (0)

- Once chosen simply click on what you want to download and then back at the top click Review Download Basket

- You are taken to the next page where at the top you can specify where the downloads are to be saved.

- Click Download now. Each patch will make a directory under the root of the folder you saved them to.
Once finished you need to go to where you saved the file (s) to and then simply install all your patches.

Make your Folders Private

2007-12-31T00:53:00.000-08:00

•Open My Computer

•Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:), unless you have more than one drive on your computer).

•If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the contents of this drive.

•Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.

•Double-click your user folder.

•Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.

•On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box.

Note

•To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.

•This option is only available for folders included in your user profile. Folders in your user profile include My Documents and its subfolders, Desktop, Start Menu, Cookies, and Favorites. If you do not make these folders private, they are available to everyone who uses your computer.

•When you make a folder private, all of its subfolders are private as well. For example, when you make My Documents private, you also make My Music and My Pictures private. When you share a folder, you also share all of its subfolders unless you make them private.

•You cannot make your folders private if your drive is not formatted as NTFS For information about converting your drive to NTFS

NTFS vs. FAT

2007-12-31T00:41:00.000-08:00

To NTFS or not to NTFS—that is the question. But unlike the deeper questions of life, this one isn't really all that hard to answer. For most users running Windows XP, NTFS is the obvious choice. It's more powerful and offers security advantages not found in the other file systems. But let's go over the differences among the files systems so we're all clear about the choice. There are essentially three different file systems available in Windows XP: FAT16, short for File Allocation Table, FAT32, and NTFS, short for NT File System.

FAT16

The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and it's showing its age. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator. The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of UNIX. The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get larger. In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32 kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32 KB of space. FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or advanced security using access control lists.

FAT32

The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a much larger number of clusters per partition. As such, it greatly improves the overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system. However, FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important additional limitation—many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will not work with FAT32—most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as well. Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network—they don't need to know (and generally don't really care) what your underlying file system is.

The Advantages of NTFS

The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a completely different file system from FAT. It provides for greatly increased security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even encryption. It is the default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to convert your existing file systems to NTFS. Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a problem. You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point. Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to.

The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself out of the hole you'd just dug into. But with the enhanced recovery abilities built into Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I don't think it's necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.

When to Use FAT or FAT32

If you're running more than one operating system on a single computer (see Dual booting in Guides), you will definitely need to format some of your volumes as FAT. Any programs or data that need to be accessed by more than one operating system on that computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly FAT32 volume. But keep in mind that you have no security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volume—any one with access to the computer can read, change, or even delete any file that is stored on a FAT16 or FAT32 partition. In many cases, this is even possible over a network. So do not store sensitive files on drives or partitions formatted with FAT file systems.

Provide Remote Assistance When Using a NAT Device

2007-12-31T00:39:00.000-08:00

You can provide Remote Assistance to a friend who uses a Network Address Translation (NAT) device by modifying the Remote Assistance invitation using XML. Network Address Translation is used to allow multiple computers to share the same outbound Internet connection. To open a Remote Assistance session with a friend who uses a NAT device:

1. Ask your friend to send you a Remote Assistance invitation by e–mail.

2. Save the invitation file to your desktop.

3. Right–click the file, and then click Open With Notepad. You'll see that the file is a simple XML file.

4.Under the RCTICKET attribute is a private IP address, such as 192.168.1.100.

5. Over–write this IP address with your friend's public IP address. Your friend must send you his or her public IP address: they can find out what it is by going to a Web site that will return the public IP address, such as http://www.dslreports.com/ip.

6. Save the file, and then double–click it to open the Remote Assistance session.

Now, you'll be able to connect and provide them with the help they need. So that your inbound IP connection is routed to the correct computer, the NAT must be configured to route that inbound traffic. To do so, make sure your friend forwards port 3389 to the computer they want help from.

Remove the Recycle Bin from the Desktop

2007-12-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

If you don't use the Recycle Bin to store deleted files , you can get rid of its desktop icon all together.

Run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/explorer/Desktop/NameSpace

Click on the "Recycle Bin" string in the right hand pane. Hit Del, click OK.

Search For Hidden Or System Files In Windows XP

2007-12-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

The Search companion in Windows XP searches for hidden and system files differently than in earlier versions of Windows. This guide describes how to search for hidden or system files in Windows XP.

Search for Hidden or System Files By default, the Search companion does not search for hidden or system files. Because of this, you may be unable to find files, even though they exist on the drive.

To search for hidden or system files in Windows XP:
Click Start, click Search, click All files and folders, and then click More advanced options.

Click to select the Search system folders and Search hidden files and folders check boxes.

NOTE: You do not need to configure your computer to show hidden files in the Folder Options dialog box in Windows Explorer to find files with either the hidden or system attributes, but you need to configure your computer not to hide protected operating system files to find files with both the hidden and system attributes. Search Companion shares the Hide protected operating system files option (which hides files with both the system and hidden attributes) with the Folder Options dialog box Windows Explorer.

Set Permissions for Shared Files and Folders

2007-12-30T17:45:00.000-08:00

Sharing of files and folders can be managed in two ways. If you chose simplified file sharing, your folders can be shared with everyone on your network or workgroup, or you can make your folders private. (This is how folders are shared in Windows 2000.) However, in Windows XP Professional, you can also set folder permissions for specific users or groups. To do this, you must first change the default setting, which is simple file sharing. To change this setting, follow these steps:

1. Open Control Panel, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.

2. Click the View tab, and scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Settings list.

3. Clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.

4. To manage folder permissions, browse to the folder in Windows Explorer, right–click the folder, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab, and assign permissions, such as Full Control, Modify, Read, and/or Write, to specific users.

You can set file and folder permissions only on drives formatted to use NTFS, and you must be the owner or have been granted permission to do so by the owner.

How to Rename the Recycle Bin

2007-12-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon,

open Regedit and go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want

(don't type any quotes).

How to make your Desktop Icons Transparent

2007-12-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

Go to Control Panel

> System,

> Advanced

> Performance area

> Settings button Visual Effects tab

"Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"

Now your Desktop Icons are Transparent

Restricting Logon Access

2007-12-30T16:35:00.000-08:00

If you work in a multiuser computing environment, and you have full (administrator level) access to your computer, you might want to restrict unauthorized access to your "sensitive" files under Windows 95/98.

One way is to disable the Cancel button in the Logon dialog box.

Just run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Network/Logon

Create the "Logon" subkey if it is not present on your machine:

highlight the Network key

-> right-click in the left hand Regedit pane

-> select New -> Key

-> name it "Logon" (no quotes)

-> press Enter.

Then add/modify a DWORD value and call it "MustBeValidated" (don't type the quotes).

Double-click it, check the Decimal box and type 1 for value.

Now click the Start button -> Shut Down (Log off UserName) -> Log on as a different user, and you'll notice that the Logon Cancel button has been disabled.

Speed up your browsing of Windows XP machines

2007-12-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a great tip to speed up your browsing of Windows XP machines. Its actually a fix to a bug installed as default in Windows 2000 that scans shared files for Scheduled Tasks. And it turns out that you can experience a delay as long as 30 seconds when you try to view shared files across a network because Windows 2000 is using the extra time to search the remote computer for any Scheduled Tasks. Note that though the fix is originally intended for only those affected, Windows 2000 users will experience that the actual browsing speed of both the Internet & Windows Explorers improve significantly after applying it since it doesn't search for Scheduled Tasks anymore. Here's how :

Open up the Registry and go to :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace

Under that branch, select the key :

{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}

and delete it.

This is key that instructs Windows to search for Scheduled Tasks. If you like you may want to export the exact branch so that you can restore the key if necessary.

This fix is so effective that it doesn't require a reboot and you can almost immediately determine yourself how much it speeds up your browsing processes.

Auto logon for Windows XP

2007-12-30T15:56:00.001-08:00

Would you rather not have to log on after your computer starts? If you’re the only person who uses your computer, you can make life a little easier by skipping the Welcome screen completely and having Microsoft Windows XP take you straight to your desktop.

To automatically log on to Windows XP upon startup

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

Note: Remember your user name at the top of the Start menu, because you’ll need it later.

2. In the Open box, type control userpasswords2 and click OK.

3. Clear the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box. Click OK.

4. Click the User name box, type the user name that was displayed on the StartPassword and Confirm Password boxes. Otherwise, leave these boxes blank. Click OK. menu in step 1. If you normally type a password to log on, type your password in both the

5. Auto logon now allows anyone to start and use your computer without typing a password.

Note: Keep in mind that you should not enable auto logon if you need privacy for any files on your computer. If you need to maintain privacy, create separate user accounts for everyone in your home, and protect your account with a password.

Disable the Turn off computer button on the Welcome screen

2007-12-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

By default, the Microsoft Windows XP logon screen displays a Turn off computer button. This display seems convenient, until one of your kids happens to shut down your computer and close all your programs. To prevent this from happening, you can disable the Turn off computer button. You can still shut down your computer; you just have to log on with a computer administrator account first.

Turn off computer button on the Welcome screen

To disable the Turn off computer button on the Welcome screen

1. Log on to your computer as an administrator. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Performance and Maintenance.

3. Click Administrative Tools.

4. Double-click Local Security Policy.

5. Expand Local Policies by clicking the plus sign next to it, and then click Security Options.

6. In the right pane, double-click the Shutdown: Allow system to be shut down without having to log on policy.

7. Click Disabled, and then click OK.

Windows XP removes the Turn off computer button from the Welcome screen—so no more shutting down without logging on!

Add an item to the Send To menu

2007-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

When you right-click a file name or a thumbnail in Microsoft Windows XP, you see a shortcut menu for that file. One of the items on the menu is Send To, which enables you to quickly e-mail a file, copy it to your desktop, or copy it to a floppy disk.

Sometimes what you really want to do is to save a copy of the file to a specific folder on your computer. If you have a folder where you frequently place files, you can add that folder’s name to the list of locations on the Send To menu. This can save you the time of opening another Windows Explorer window and copying the file from one folder to another.

For example, you could create a My Pictures folder and then use the Send To menu to copy your best pictures to that folder.

To add a folder to the Send To menu

1. Click Start. Make note of your user name ("Administrator" in the example below) which is displayed at the top of the Start menu. Then, click My Computer.

2. In the My Computer window, click the Tools menu, and then click Folder Options.

3. Click the View tab. Under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders, and then click OK.

4. In the My Computer window, double-click Local Disk (C:), double-click Documents and Settings, double-click your user name, and then double-click SendTo.

5. Click the File menu, click New, and then click Shortcut.

6. The Create Shortcut Wizard appears. Click the Browse button.

7. In the Browse For Folder dialog box, click the folder you want to add to your Send To menu, and then click OK.

8. Click Next.

9. Click Finish.

Now when you right-click a file and click Send To, the destination you selected will be an option on the Send To menu. You can create shortcuts to local or network programs, files, folders, computers, or Internet addresses.

Create a password reset disk

2007-12-30T15:04:00.000-08:00

If you're running Microsoft Windows XP Professional, you can create a password reset disk that—if you ever forget your password—you can use to log on to your computer. If you forget your password but don’t have a password reset disk, you'll have to reinstall Windows XP to use your computer.

To create a password reset disk

1. Log on your computer as administrator

2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

3. Under Pick a category, click User Accounts.

4. In the User Accounts window, click the account name that you want to create a password reset disk for.

5. Under the Related Tasks section, click Prevent a forgotten password.

6. On the Welcome to the Forgotten Password Wizard page, click Next.

7. Insert a floppy disk into your disk drive. If necessary, select the disk drive you want to use, and then click Next.

Note: If your computer doesn’t have a floppy disk drive, you won’t be able to use this wizard. If you cannot install a floppy disk drive on your computer or laptop, you could consider using a USB-connected floppy disk drive.

8. Type your password, and then click Next.

9. After the Forgotten Password Wizard creates your password reset disk, click Next.

10. Click Finish.

Remove your password reset disk and store it in a safe, secure place. Storing your disk in a secure place is very important because anyone who uses the disk can access your computer without knowing your password. If you ever forget your password, you can use this disk to reset and change your password.

Add a Map Drive button to the toolbar

2007-12-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

If you have more than one computer running Microsoft Windows XP connected to your home network, you can share folders between them so you can open files on one computer even if they’re stored on another. To make it easier to connect to a shared folder, you can add a Map Drive button to your Windows Explorer toolbar. This button provides a fast link to the shared folder.

To add a Map Drive button

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.

2. Right-click the toolbar, and then click Customize.

3. The Customize Toolbar dialog box appears. In the Available toolbar buttonsMap Drive, and then click Add. To be able to remove mapped drives using a toolbar button, select Disconnect, and then click Add. list, click

4. Click Close.

5. The Map Drive button appears on your toolbar. To map a network drive, click the Map Drive toolbar button. The toolbar button has exactly the same effect as clicking the Tools menu and then clicking Map Network Drive.

How to quickly open the ClipBook Viewer

2007-12-30T07:50:00.000-08:00

When you use the Cut or Copy command on the Edit menu, the material you cut or copy is automatically copied to the Clipboard. The Clipboard is a temporary holding area for the items you've cut or copied. You can use the ClipBook Viewer to see the information that you've copied to the Clipboard.

You can also store information permanently in your local ClipBook and share it with other users. The local ClipBook opens when you start ClipBook Viewer.

The ClipBook Viewer isn't listed in the Start menu in Microsoft Windows XP, so if you want quick access to it, just create a shortcut on your desktop.

To open the ClipBook View

1. Right-click your desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.

2. In the location field, type %windir%\system32\clipbrd.exe

3. Click Next

4. Click Finish.

5. Now you can double-click the clipbrd shortcut on your desktop to launch the ClipBook Viewer.

Click Finish.

4. Click Finish.

Create a personal screen saver using your photos

2007-12-29T19:42:00.001-08:00

If you like using a screen saver and have digital photos on your computer, you can easily make your own screen saver using the pictures that you have stored on your PC. You can set up your screen saver in Microsoft Windows XP to display a slide show of some or all of your pictures when you’re not using your computer.

To set up a My Pictures slide show

1. Right-click on the desktop, and then click Properties.

2. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Screen Saver tab. Then, click the Screen saver list, and click My Pictures Slideshow.

3. Click OK.

The next time your screen saver starts, you’ll see a slide show of all the pictures in your My Pictures folder.

Instantly activate a screen saver

2007-12-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

Screen savers were originally intended to prevent monitor burn-in, which could occur if a single image was displayed most of the time. Over time, that image would essentially become etched into the display, making the monitor harder to use. Monitor technology has improved over the years, and screen savers have become more a form of entertainment than a way to avoid burn-in.

Screen savers can be used to display your favorite photos or other images you'd like to see. Sometimes you might want to immediately start your screen saver like you would any other program, without waiting several minutes for it to start automatically.

To add a shortcut to your desktop that you can double-click to instantly start your screen saver

1. Click the Start button, and then click Search.

2. In the Search Results window, click All files and folders.

3. In the All or part of the file name box, type *.scr. Then, click Search.

4. You will see a list of screen savers in the search results. Pick the screen saver you want. You can preview it by double-clicking it. To add a shortcut to your desktop, right-click the file, click Send To, and then click Desktop.

Now you can instantly start your screen saver by double-clicking the icon on your desktop.

Speed up menu display

2007-12-29T19:30:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Windows XP uses many visual effects to provide a rich, friendly interface. One of these settings allows menus to fade into view when you open them. This visual effect is so smooth that you may never have noticed it; however, the effect does cause menus to take a little longer to appear.

On a fast computer, this shouldn't be an issue. But on a computer that isn’t responding as quickly as you'd like, you can make menus display faster.

To speed up menu display:

1. Click Start. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

2. Click the Advanced tab. In the Performance area, click Settings.

3. On the Visual Effects tab in the Performance Options dialog box, clear the Fade or slide menus into view check box.

4. Click OK

5. In the System Properties dialog box, click OK.

6. Now when you click a menu, it will appear almost instantly.

Set your windows so they all have the same view

2007-12-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

Windows XP lets you show the contents of folders in a variety of ways, such as a simple or detailed list of the files, or as thumbnail images. Each folder in My Computer or My Documents can have its own view. That’s useful for folders like My Music or My Pictures, because you can look at your digital photos in Thumbnails or Filmstrip view, and see your song titles in Tiles view. But changing the view for every folder can be time-consuming.

If you prefer to have all your folder contents displayed in a particular way, you can save yourself some time by changing the view for all the folders on your computer at once.

To set your windows so they all have the same view

1. Click Start, and then click My Documents.

2. Click the Views button, and then click the view you want to apply to all folders.

3. Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.

4. Click the View tab, and then click Apply to All Folders.

5. Click Yes.

6. Click OK.

The next time you open a folder, it will be displayed using the view you chose. To restore your original folder settings, repeat steps 1-3. Then, in step 4, click Reset All Folders.

Simplify using your mouse: change double-click to single-click

2007-12-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

When you browse the Web with Microsoft Internet Explorer, links open with a single click. Yet, when you browse My Computer or My Documents, a single click lets you select a file or folder, but you have to double-click to open it.

If you'd rather single-click to open files and folders, you can change the setting on your mouse (don't worry, this process doesn't require any double clicks).

To change the settings on your mouse

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.

2. Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.

3. Click Single-click to open an item. Then, click OK.

Now you can navigate folders and open files with a single rather than a double click. If you need to select a file, simply hold your mouse over the file for a few seconds without clicking.

Tired of chasing your mouse? Use keyboard shortcuts

2007-12-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

The mouse, one of the greatest advances in computing history, provides you with an intuitive point-and-click method for using your computer. Depending on the type of work you're doing, however, sometimes using a mouse actually slows you down. If you are a good typist, taking your hands away from the keyboard to move the mouse can use up a few seconds. Over the course of a full day, you could save several minutes by using keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse.

You can use your keyboard instead of your mouse to do these three tasks:

1. Start Program

2. Navigate Menu

3. Minimized, Maximized and Closed windows

Start a program using a keyboard shortcut

The Start menu is great for finding programs, but its multiple levels of folders can be time consuming to navigate. If there is a program you start frequently, you should set a keyboard shortcut for it so that you can start the program without taking your hands off the keyboard.

To set a keyboard shortcut to start a program

1. Click the Start menu, and then click All Programs. Right-click the program that you want to start with a keyboard shortcut, and then click Properties.

2. Click in the Shortcut key box. Now press the letter on your keyboard that you want to use to start the program. Make it easy to remember—for example, press I for Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Note: You can use either uppercase or lowercase letters when creating your keyboard shortcuts—and when accessing them later. In the Shortcut key box, Microsoft Windows XP automatically adds Ctrl + Alt + before the key you pressed. When you want to start the program, hold down both the CTRL and ALT keys simultaneously, while also pressing the letter you chose. This way, your program won't start every time you type that letter.

3. Click Ok

4. Now test your shortcut. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys, and then press the letter you chose.