Windows XP Tips

 

1 - Alphabetize your start menu

Don't you hate how Windows adds new programs to the end of the start menu? The fix is quick and simple, right click on the menu and select sort by name. Ah isn't that better?

 

2 - Modify Settings to Improve Performance

Windows XP uses processor time to handle system performance according to default settings, which can be adjusted for your computing needs. Also, settings that govern visual effects enhance the appearance of the Windows XP interface, but can slow down performance. You can fine–tune settings in Windows XP Professional to improve performance:

  1. Right–click My Computer, and then click Properties.

  2. Click the Advanced tab, and in the Performance area, click Settings.

  3. On the Visual Effects tab, click the Custom radio button, and then select which UI features to disable to improve performance.

  4. Click the Advanced tab, and in the Processor scheduling area, click the Background services radio button. Selecting this option means that background tasks that you want to run while you work, such as backup utilities or print jobs, will share processor time equally with programs.

You may need to be logged on as an Administrator to make these changes. Note that applying these settings may change your current desktop theme.

 

3 - Get Rid of Unwanted Balloon Tips

Open up the Registry Editor and expand the tree to display the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced
Then, created a new DWORD value named EnableBalloonTips and set it to 0x00000000.

 

4 - Don't Ignore the Windows Logo Key

The Windows logo key, located in the bottom row of most computer keyboards is a little-used treasure. Don't ignore it. It is the shortcut anchor for the following commands:
  • Windows: Display the Start menu
  • Windows + D: Minimize or restore all windows
  • Windows + E: Display Windows Explorer
  • Windows + F: Display Search for files
  • Windows + Ctrl + F: Display Search for computer
  • Windows + F1: Display Help and Support Center
  • Windows + R: Display Run dialog box
  • Windows + break: Display System Properties dialog box
  • Windows + shift + M: Undo minimize all windows
  • Windows + L: Lock the workstation
  • Windows + U: Open Utility Manager

 

Remove Shared Documents

Open Regedit(Start- Run- Regedit) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer My Computer NameSpace DelegateFolders There will see a sub-key named {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. By Deleting this you can remove the 'Other Files stored on This Computer' group.

 

Remove shortcut arrow from desktop icons

Here's how you can remove those shortcut arrows from your desktop icons in Windows XP.
  1. Start regedit.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTlnkfile
  3. Delete the IsShortcut registry value.
You may need to restart Windows XP.

 

Close Multiple Windows : Note works in all versions of Windows

If you just opened a number of separate, related windows (a folder inside a folder, and so on), there's an easier way to close them all than one-at-a-time. Hold down the Shift key as you click the X caption button in the upper-right corner of the last window opened. Doing so closes that window and all windows that came before it.

Easy sendto menu modification

first open - X:Documents and SettingsusernameSendTo (it is hidden) where X is your drive letter and username is your username make and delete shortcuts to folders at will

Change the Start Menu Style

Does the new Windows XP Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:
  • Right–click the Start button, and then click Properties.
  • Click Classic Start menu.
  • Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.
By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop.

Speed up the Start Menu

You can use this tip to speed up the Start Menu in Windows XP release candidate 1. You can customize the speed of the Start Menu by editing a Registry Key.
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. Type Regedit in the box, and then click OK.
  3. Expand the menu in the left panel and select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop folder.
  4. Scroll down in the right panel and double click on the MenuShowDelay file.
  5. In the Value Data box, change to default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1.
  6. Click OK.
Caution: Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, you should back up any valued data on your computer.

Not A Tweak, But A Double XP Surprise!

Neither Win2K nor WinME has the ability to create a simple, basic, DOS- based boot floppy (a "startup disk") unless you jump through hoops or do things in nonstandard ways. Because XP is the fusion of Win2K and Win9x/ME, I assumed it would follow the same "no boot floppy" tack. But instead, I was surprised to poke around in XP and see that the format option there does indeed offer a "Create MS-DOS Startup Disk."
As an experiment, I created a startup disk, and all went smoothly. I was able to use the disk to boot my PC without any problems. But when it started up, I got the second surprise. The DOS boot message showed "Microsoft Windows Millennium." To confirm this, I typed "Ver" to see what version of DOS was running, and the screen showed: Windows Millennium [Version 4.90.300]
Although it's very strange to see the WinME startup message on an XP-created floppy, all this means is that Microsoft cribbed a few essential DOS boot files from WinME, and made it so XP can drop them onto a freshly- formatted floppy for you. I'm glad they did: It's a very good thing that Microsoft restored the ability to make a simple boot disk.

Messenger Spam (XP and Window's2000)

If you've received some anonymous messages popping up on your windows XP or 2000 systems, it may be messenger spam, people are taking advantage of the messenger service that allows administrators to monitor servers and send out service messages over corporate networks. Friends of mine have been complaining about it, but now that we know where it's coming from, we can stop it.
open the Control Panel, and then double-click Administrative Tools icon and then double-click the Services entry. In the list of services listed in the resulting Services dialog box, locate the messenger entry, and double-click it. Click the Stop button in the service status section and then in the same dialogue box, change the start-up type to Disable. If you are on a corporate netwrok, check with your administrator before making any changes, and if you are behind a firewall, at work, or at home with some of the cable/dsl routers, then you probably won't have to worry about it at all.

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