Windows XP Tips and Trick

You stick with Windows XP, and can you blame? But it is still possible to teach the faithful ol 'us some new tricks...

Give Your Hard Drive a New Icon

Grab IconsExtract (free http://tinyurl.com/2p7c7x) to extract icons from your computer there. When you find one you like, save it in the root directory of the drive you want to change (for example, C:\ Cool_Icon.ico). Next, create a file with Notepad and edit the line you can read [autorun] and the second line, write icon = Cool_Icon.ico. Save and name the file and restart autorun.ini.


Alter the Scroll Bar’s Dimensions

Wider scroll bar can make navigation easier it has a touch screen, and users can benefit from the addition of properties offered by narrowing the scroll bar. Whatever your destination, open the Control Panel Display Properties, click the Appearance tab, click Advanced, select from the menu bar to scroll to the bottom and go wild!

Install Google Desktop, then Hack It!

Google Desktop (free, http://desktop.google.com) throws all of Windows built-in search, but really kicks into high gear the search with the groove, you need to change some settings. Settings menu, make sure that HTTPS is selected to prevent Google from indexing sensitive information. Then click "Add drive or folder" and add the PC to the network so that you can search for files across the network without leaving your chair. Finally, install the plugin TweakGDS (free http://tinyurl.com/2nwxb9), which lets you designate a different folder on your hard drive, or save the Google index.

Uncover ‘No to All’ Option
When you copy multiple fi les from one place to another, Windows prompts you to crash whether duplicates exist. Select "Yes to All" can go a long way in preventing carpal tunnel, but where is "No to all button?" No, but you can force Windows to act as if it does, hold down the Shift down time from RST if you press No.

Delete an Undeletable File

Windows will not allow you to eliminate the en, if it is enabled, which is usually a good thing, but can not write bad news when trying to get rid of the system voltage of bad malware. Fortunately, there to go around. Click Start, click Run and type CMD to the command prompt. Now, press CTRL-ALT-DEL to open Task Manager. Processes tab, highlight explorer.exe and click End Process. Alt-Tab your way to the command prompt and change directory to the file you are trying to remove the cd command (cd C: \ Program Files \ 3DSaver). Then, use the Delete command to remove the offending file (del3DSaver.exe). Alt-Tab back to Task Manager, select New Task under File, then type explorer.exe to bring the Windows shell. Alternately, try Unlocker (free http://ccollomb.free.fr.unlocker/) and delete stubborn files in a GUI thin.

Stay Prepared with a Password Restore Disk

Open User Accounts in the Control Panel and select your account. Click the “Prevent a forgotten password” link in the left-hand pane and follow the prompts. If you’re on a domain, press CTRL-ALTDEL to bring up the Windows Security dialog box and then click Change Password. In the “Log on to” box, click the local computer, select Backup, and then follow the prompts. Both methods require a floppy disk.


Uninstall Hidden Components

Search sysoc.inf in the C: \ Windows \ inf and edit it with Notepad. (If you do not see the inf folder, click Tools, View and select "Show hidden files and folders.") Remove the word HIDE all entries to be displayed, such as WordPad or Pinball, then save the file. These are now displayed in the Add / Remove Windows components list.

Scan System Files for Corruption

Routine installation of malware and evil are only two ways of critical system files can become corrupt, but it is easy to undo the damage done to correct the third-party software. Click on the Start menu, select Run and type sfc / scannow to run XP file system control. Keep your Windows CD handy and insert it in the request.

Automatically Kill Processes and Shut Down Quicker

Teach how to disable Windows without harassing the process does not respond. Open the registry and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel Desktop \. AutoEndTasks Double click and change the value from 0 to 1. DoubleClick WaitToKillApp and then change the value from 5000 to 1000. Finally, double-click HungAppTimeout and change the value from 20,000 to 3,000.

Eliminate Lag and Speed up the Start Menu

A fully loaded rig pays dividends to everything from productivity applications to games, but no matter how fast your machine is the Start menu still lags. To give the menu a needed speed boost, click Start, select Run and type regedit. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop, double click MenuShowDelay in the right pane and change the value from 400 to 5 Reboot and watch your start menu fly!

Apply One Folder’s View to All Folders

XP lets you view folders five different ways, miniatures, paintings, icons, list, details, but what you choose for a file does not apply to them. Of course, you can configure each individual folder, but it takes too long. To apply universally the same point of view, go to My Documents, click Tools, then Folder Options and select the View tab, and click Apply to All Folders.

Install Support Tools for Advanced Diagnostics

To be a true IT ninja, equip yourself with Windows Support Tools (free, http://tinyurl.com/yja7vw), a set of more than 100 troubleshooting utilities aimed at advanced users (view a complete list at http://tinyurl.com/2k42ex). Not all of them are gems, but a few notable standouts include pviewer, for gathering information about running processes on remote computers; msicuu, to remove installer information when a program’s uninstaller gets borked (power outage, for example); and windiff, to compare files and see which is more recent, along with lineby-line code comparisons.

 

Upgrade to Notepad++

Taking notes with Notepad is just a little more advanced than the chiseled into concrete, but we always find our fiction editor using the basic shopping list of quick doodles and writing HTML. With Notepad + + (without http://tinyurl.com/552wn), we can do both at the same time! A tabbed interface is one of the many features included, with an almost infinite range of material options, slide coding, multiview features, and more.

Goodbye MS Paint, Hello Paint.NET

Capable of photo-editing suites are often too expensive if all you're interested in is the occasional Doodle, and the learning curve requires an investment of more time. Solve both problems with Paint.NET (free, www.getpaint.net) that combines ease of use in MS Paint with enough features to unleash your inner Rembrandt!