computer tricks, tips and tweaks

Search For Hidden Or System Files In Windows XP

2009-08-05T06:46:00.003-07:00

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:

1. Click Start, click Search, click All files and folders, and then click More advanced options.

2. 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 Processes Priority

2009-08-05T06:46:00.001-07:00

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

1. Press CTRL-SHIFT-ESC to open the Task Manager.

2.Go to the second tab called Processes, right click on one of the active processes, you will see the Set Priority option

For example, your Run your CDwriter program , set the priority higher, and guess what, no crashed CD's

How to Remove Windows XP's Messenger?

2009-08-05T06:45:00.001-07:00

Open Windows Explorer and navigate your way to the C:\windows\ INF folder.
In the INF folder, look for sysoc.inf.
After creating a backup of this file. Open it in the notepad.
Look for the line containing "msmsgs" in it. Near the end of that particular line, you'll notice the word "hide".
Delete the word "hide", leving the quatation marks empty i.e. "".
Save the file and close it.
Open the Add and Remove Programs from the Control Panel.
Click the Add / Remove Windows Components icon. You should see "Windows Messenger" in that list. Remove the checkmark from its box, and you should be set.

Change the Size of Your Mouse and Keyboard Buffer

2009-08-05T06:44:00.001-07:00

You sometimes may get an error message telling you that you have an overflow in your mouse buffer or keyboard buffer. When that happens, it means the buffer isn't large enough and you need to increase its size. To increase your mouse buffer, run the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Mouclass\Parameters , and find the MouseDataQueueSize subkey. The default setting is 100 (64 hex). Increase the decimal number to increase the size of the buffer; then exit the Registry and reboot. You may need to try several different settings until you find the right one.

To increase the keyboard buffer, look for the KeyboardDataQueueSize subkey in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Kbdclass\Parameters . The default setting is 100 (64 hex). Increase the number to increase the size of the buffer; then exit the Registry and reboot. Again, you may need to try several different settings until you find the right one.

Set Permissions for Shared Files and Folders

2009-08-05T06:43:00.003-07:00

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:
• Open Control Panel, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
• Click the View tab, and scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Settings list.
• Clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.
• 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.

Note: 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.

Allow Laptops to Enter Power-Saving State (Increase the USB Polling Interval)

2009-08-05T06:43:00.001-07:00

Some laptops' processors may not be able to enter their power-saving state, even when they're idle, because USB polling fools the processor into thinking that the laptop is active. Your system polls your USB ports once every millisecond to see whether a device is present. So, even if a device isn't present, it continues that polling. The problem is that some laptop processors won't go into their power-saving state because the constant polling makes it think that the laptop is active.

With a Registry hack, you can increase the polling interval from the default of one millisecond, letting the processor enter its power-saving state. Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000}\0000 . Create the new DWORD value IdleEnable and set the data value to a number between 2 and 5 . This will set the polling interval, in milliseconds. If there are additional subkeys for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000} (such as 0001 , 0002 , etc.), repeat the procedure and create the IdleEnable DWORD in each of them. Exit the Registry. You may need to reboot for the new setting to go into effect. You also may need to try several different values until you find one that works.

How to make your Desktop Icons Transparent

2009-08-05T06:42:00.003-07:00

Go to ontrol Panel > System, > Advanced > Performance area > Settings button Visual Effects tab "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"

Change the Default Location for Installing Programs

2009-08-05T06:42:00.001-07:00

XP uses the C:\Program Files directory as the default base directory into which new programs are installed. However, you can change the default installation drive and/or directory by using a Registry hack. Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion . Look for the value named ProgramFilesDir. By default, the value will be C:\Program Files . Edit the value to any valid drive or folder; XP will use that new location as the default installation directory for new programs.

Display Your Message At Windows Startup

2009-08-05T06:41:00.003-07:00

1. Open registry editor (click on start > run. then type "regedit" and press enter)
2. Goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>policies>system
3. On the right you can find
"legalnoticecaption"
"legalnoticetext"
4. Right click in them AND CLICK MODIFY to add you own notice or custom message
"legalnoticecaption"="enter your notice caption"
"legalnoticetext"="enter your legal notice text"

Disable the Disk Cleanup Warning

2009-08-05T06:41:00.001-07:00

If your hard disk has what XP decides is too little space left on it, the operating system will pop up a warning and recommend that you run Disk Cleanup. But you may be like me and not want a virtual nanny nagging you to clean up your mess. You can turn off the warning with a Registry hack. Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer . Create a DWORD value called NoLowDiskSpaceChecks and give it a value of 1 . Exit the Registry and reboot.

SEARCHING FOR XP KEY?

2009-08-05T06:40:00.003-07:00

Here is a way to get XP product code from CD itself!!!
Just explore the WINDOWS XP CD,
there is a folder called i386,
open the folder I386 then open the file UNATTEND.TXT

Most Useful Windows Shortcut Keys

2009-08-05T06:40:00.001-07:00

ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items

Change the Amount of Time Before Programs Time Out

2009-08-05T06:39:00.003-07:00

When an application hangs and no longer responds, XP displays a dialog box that prompts you to kill the application or wait a while longer. By default, the dialog box appears after the application hasn't responded for five seconds.

This can cause problems. For example, if a program is doing heavy-duty calculations in the background, it won't respond until the calculation is done, so the operating system will report that the application is hung, even though it isn't. You can use a Registry hack to increase or decrease the amount of time it takes before XP reports that the program has hung.

Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop . Select the HungAppTimeout entry and edit it to input a new value, in milliseconds. The default is 5000 . Exit the Registry. You may need to reboot for the new setting to take effect. Try increasing the number in increments of 1,000 until you find a number that works.

Hiding 'User Accounts' from users

2009-08-05T06:39:00.001-07:00

Go to Start/Run, and type: GPEDIT.MSC

Open the path User Config > Admin Templates > Control Panel

doubleclick "Hide specified Control Panel applets"

put a dot in 'enabled', then click 'Show"

click Add button,

type "nusrmgt.cpl" into the add box

Automatically Close Programs at Shutdown

2009-08-05T06:37:00.005-07:00

When you shut down Windows, if you have any programs running you'll get a message box warning you that a program is still running. You then have to close the program and tell XP again to shut down. It's a fairly pointless warning—better yet would be if XP automatically killed the programs without issuing the warning. That way, you wouldn't get error messages and wouldn't have to close each individual application before shutting down your computer.

To have XP automatically close programs at shutdown, run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop . Edit the AutoEndTasks key so that is has a value of 1 . If the key doesn't exist, create it as a DWORD value and give it the value of 1 . To disable it, either delete the key, or set the value to 0 .

Change the Names of the Registered User and Company

2009-08-05T06:37:00.003-07:00

When you install XP or when it comes factory-fresh on a PC, a username and company name are entered as the owner of the system. And that's the way it stays, like it or not. But a Registry hack will let you change both. Run the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion , and look for the values RegisteredOwner and RegisteredOrganization. Edit their value data to whatever username and company name you want.

How to Convert FAT to NTFS file system:

2009-08-05T06:37:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

NOTE: A backup of your data is strongly recommended before performing the FAT to NTFS conversion.

Disable XP Shutdown

2009-08-05T06:36:00.003-07:00

There may be times when you want to make sure that XP can't be inadvertently shut down. You can use a Registry hack to disable the normal Shut Down. Run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. Create a new DWORD value named NoClose with a data value of 1 . Exit the Registry and reboot in order for the change to take effect. You won't be able to shut down Windows in the normal manner from now on; you'll have to run Task Manager by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete or right-clicking on the Toolbar, choosing Task Manager, and then using the Task Manager's Shut Down menu to close Windows. If you want to reenable normal shutdowns, delete the NoClose value.

Determining IP address of your connection

2009-08-05T06:36:00.001-07:00

Go to start/run type 'cmd'

then type 'ipconfig'

Add the '/all' switch for more info.

Misc. Internet Tips

2009-07-16T05:36:00.001-07:00

* When you're searching for something on the Web using, say, Google, put quotes around phrases that must be searched together. For example, if you put quotes around "electric curtains," Google won't waste your time finding one set of Web pages containing the word "electric" and another set containing the word "curtains."

* You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screenful.. Add the Shift key to scroll back up.

* You can open the Start menu by tapping the key with the Windows logo on it.

* You can switch from one open program to the next by pressing Alt+Tab (Windows) or Command-Tab (Mac).

* You can also enlarge the entire Web page or document by pressing the Control key as you turn the wheel on top of your mouse. On the Mac, this enlarges the entire screen image.

* You can enlarge the text on any Web page. In Windows, press Ctrl and the plus or minus keys (for bigger or smaller fonts); on the Mac, it's the Command key and plus or minus.

* You can double-click a word to highlight it in any document, e-mail or Web page.

* You can hide all windows, revealing only what's on the computer desktop, with one keystroke: hit the Windows key and "D" simultaneously in Windows, or press F11 on Macs (on recent Mac laptops, Command+F3; Command is the key with the cloverleaf logo). That's great when you want examine or delete something you've just downloaded to the desktop, for example. Press the keystroke again to return to what you were doing.

Speed up your browsing of Windows 2000 & XP machines

2009-05-31T03:14:00.001-07:00

Using this tip you can speed up your browsing of Windows XP machines. It actually fixes a bug installed as default in Windows 2000 that scans shared files for Scheduled Tasks and saves you as much as 30 seconds when you try to view shared files across a network.

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.

How to Rename the Recycle Bin

2009-05-28T06:08:00.001-07:00

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 (without quotes).

Remove the Recycle Bin from the Desktop

2009-05-28T06:07:00.001-07:00

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.

Make your Folders Private

2009-05-23T06:37:00.001-07:00

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

How to use Google for soving math equations?

2009-05-23T06:36:00.001-07:00

* You can use Google to do math for you. Just type the equation, like 23*7+15/3=, and hit Enter.

NTFS vs. FAT

2009-03-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

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.