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Tips & Tricks (Choose a Tip from the Tip Selector on the Right)
Add Album art to a Music Folder
If you have some album art that you would like to apply to a folder, just save the image as folder.jpg and place it in the appropriate folder. Then, Windows XP will automatically use that image as the thumbnail for that folder and will use that image in Media Player. Windows Media Player will automatically do this for you if you choose to Find Album Info when in Windows Media Player.

Automatically Defrag drives with a new context menu item
Create a new Registry import file named context_defrag.inf (or click here to Download it) in Notepad (be sure to save 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="$"

[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 copmlete, the windows just disappears.

To remove this functionality, Open regedit.exe and navigate to the following location:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\

Then delete the Defrag folder and close Regedit.

Add/Remove optional features of Windows XP
To expand ths list of applications you can remove from Windows XP, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct drive letter for your vesion of Windows) and open the sysoc.inf file. The lines that include the text hide or HIDE will not show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, perform a search and replace ,hide with , (a comma). Now there will be more Applications that you can remove from Windows XP.

Remove the Shared Documents folders from My Computer
Open the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateFolders

You'll see a sub-key named {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. If you delete this, all of the Shared Documents folders (which are normally under the group called "Other Files Stored on This Computer") will be gone.

You do not need to reboot your system to see the change.

Display the Advanced Sharing Tab in Folder Properties
To make the system display the advanced sharing tab, simply open up Folder Options (My Computer, Tools, Folder Options) and navigate to the View tab. In the Advanced settings section, scroll down to the bottom and uncheck Use simple file sharing (Recommended). Now you will have Advanced Sharing Options when you go to a file/folder's properties.

Use the ultimate configuration tool (Professional Edition only)
To open this tool, select Start and then Run, then type the following:
gpedit.msc
Then Press Enter. Now you will see GPEDIT which allows you to edit certain features of Windows XP.

Speed up the Start Menu
To Speed up the Start Menu, open up the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and navigate to the following Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\MenuShowDelay

By Default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller value, such as 1, to speed it up.

If this doesn't work, then try the following:
Navigate to Display Properties then Appearance then Effects and turn off the option titled Show menu shadow. You will get a much better overall performance.
Note: Do not set the value to 0 or your start menu will not function properly.

Enable ClearType on the Welcome Screen!
To Enable ClearType on the Welcome Screen, open the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and look for the following keys:

HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Desktop\FontSmoothing (String Value)
HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Desktop\FontSmoothingType (Hexadecimal DWORD Value)

Make sure both of these values are set to 2 and you'll have ClearType enabled on the Welcome Screen and on each new user by default.

Stop Windows Messenger from Auto-Starting
If you're not a big fan of Windows Messenger, you can simply delete the following Registry Key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Run\MSMSGS

After doing so, Windows Messenger will no longer start when you logon. However, if you run any program that requests the use of Windows Messenger (such as Outlook Express), the registry key will be re-created, and Windows Messenger will load on Startup again. For this reason, I recommend you look at How to Completely Remove Windows Messenger

Display Hibernate Option on the Shut Down dialog
On some Computers, Hibernate is not displayed on the Shutdown Dialog Box. To display it, hold SHIFT when the Shutdown dialog box is open and hibernate will be displayed. After doing this a few times, Hibernate will be displayed by default.

Disable Error Reporting
As many of you would have noticed - every time a Microsoft program crashes in Windows XP - an Error Report dialog appears, asking you if you would like to send the information to Microsoft. If you would like to disable it then do the following:

  1. Open Control Panel
  2. Click on Performance and Maintenance
  3. Click on System
  4. Then click on the Advanced tab
  5. Click on the error reporting button at the bottom of the window.
  6. Select Disable error reporting.

Change HTML error pages in Internet Explorer
If you would like to to customize your Internet Explorer error messages, write an error message that you want to see (as HTML) and store it somewhere on you harddisk, open Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AboutURLs

Edit the appropriate keys to link to the relevant file that you have created.

Add EFS Options to the Shortcut Menu
The Encrypting File System (EFS) in Windows XP lets you encrypt files in an NTFS volume. If you add the option to encrypt or decrypt file to this menu, when a user right-clicks a file or folder on an NTFS volume, the option to Encrypt or Decrypt appears in the list of options. Note that the EFS feature isn't included in Windows XP Home Edition.

To add EFS options to the shortcut menu

   1. In the Run dialog box, type regedit.
   2. Navigate to the subkey
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

   3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
   4. Enter EncryptionContextMenu for the value name, and 1 for the Value Data.

You may need to have Administrative Rights to edit the Registry.

Restrict a User's Logon Hours
To change when a user can logon, do the following:

1) Open Help and Support and type logon hours in the search box.
2) Go to Full text matches and click on Net user. See the examples for settings a user's logon hours.
Some examples would be:

   net user johnsw /time:M-F,08:00-17:00
   net user johnsw /time:M-F,8am-5pm
   net user marysl /time:M,4am-5pm;T,1pm-3pm;W-F,8:00-17:00
   net user johnsw /time:all (This means that the user can always log on)

3) Open a Command Prompt window.
4) Enter the appropriate net user command for the user(s) you wish to restrict access for.

Lock a computer
To Lock a computer you must first be using the "Domain Style" logon type. To do this go to Control Panel and select User Accounts.
Click Change the way a user logs on or off and deselect Use the Welcome Screen. Note: All other users must be logged off to do this.
Now, whenever a user is logged on you can simply press CTRL+ALT+DELETE and Select Lock Computer.

Create a Shortcut to lock your computer
To create an even quicker means of securing your computer, you can place a shortcut on your desktop to lock your computer:

   1. Right-Click and open area of your desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.
   2. In the location box, type

   %windir%\System32 undll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

   3. Click Next, in the Name box type a name for the shortcut such as Lock Computer, and then click Finish.

NOTE: You must be using the "Domain Style" Logon type to be able to lock your computer.
See Lock a Computer to find out how to do this.

Create Your Own Logon Message
You can create a message that will appear when you log on to your computer.

   1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit and the click OK.
   2. In the Registry Editor, drill down to the following key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
   3. Right-click LegalNoticeCaption, click Modify, type something like My Windows XP Machine, and then click OK.
   4. Right-Click LegalNoticeText, click Modify, and then type your logon message.
   5. Close the editor and your new message will appear at every logon.

This tip applies to computers that are part of a domain or that use the "Domain Style" logon type. For Standalone, peer-to-peer networks or Workgroups the custom screen appears just before the Welcome screen.

Auto Logon to Windows XP
You can configure Windows XP to automate the logon process if your computer is not part of a domain.

   1. Click Start, click Run, and type control userpasswords2.
   2. Clear the Users must enter a username and password to use this computer check box.
   3. Click Apply.
   4. Enter the username and password you wish to automatically log on with, and then click OK.
   5. Click OK again and you're all done.

Convert to NTFS
There are several reasons that you may wish to convert a volume to NTFS. Such as the ability to stop users from accessing each other's files and the ability to Encrypt files.
To convert a volume to NTFS do the following:

   1. Open Command Prompt (Start, Run, cmd)
   2. In the command prompt window type
   convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs
   For example, typing convert D: /fs:ntfs would convert Drive D to NTFS.

You may need to choose to perform the conversion next time the computer starts if the volume is currently in use.

Stop users from accessing each other's files
To Stop users from accessing each other's files all you need to do is Convert to NTFS, after that all your files can only be accessed by users you choose.

Make your computer Dual Boot
Dual Boot means that you can have multiple Operating Systems installed on one Computer. To do this you must first either have two seperate hard drives or have a partitioned hard drive.
NOTE: Partitioning your hard drive will result in loss of all data on your hard drive!
If you already have two hard drives or have a partitioned hard drive skip the next step.

To Partition a Hard Drive:
1. Insert a Windows 98 Boot Disk in your computer and Restart it.
2. When Prompted, Choose to boot without CD-ROM Support.
3. When Command prompt starts, type fdisk.
4. When prompted, choose Y to enable Large Hard-Disk Support.
5. Select the Option to delete any current partitions.
6. When all Current Partitions have been deleted, Choose the Option to Create a new Partition.
7. Select A Primary Partition and when prompted choose NOT to use the maximum file size available.
8. Choose a suitable size for this partition (This will be Your Partition for the earlier operating system).
9. When the primary partition has been created, you will automatically be prompted to create a Secondary Partition.
10. By Default, the default file size for this partition will be the maximum available. Choose this option.
11. When you have created the Secondary Partition you will be prompted to create a logical drive, do NOT do this!
12. Return to the main menu and activate the second partition, then create a logical drive on the secondary/extended partition.
13. After doing this, you will need to reset the system. LEAVE THE BOOT DISK IN THE DRIVE!
14. Choose NO CD-ROM Support and when you are presented with Command Prompt type format C: /v:DISK1.
15. When this drive has been formatted, you can format the next partition. Format Drive D by typing format D: /v:DISK2.
16. When you have finished formatting the two partitions, they are ready for use. Install the earlier version of windows on drive C.
NOTE: YOU MUST INSTALL THE EARLIER VERSION OF WINDOWS ON DRIVE C ONLY!

Now you are ready to install XP.
- Insert the Windows XP Setup CD when you are in Windows 98 and choose New Installation.
- Enter The Product Key and then Click on Advanced options and Check I want to choose the drive letter and partition during Setup.
- Now you can install Windows XP - Half Way through setup you will be prompted to choose a partition to install XP on. Make Sure you choose the one without an operating system currently installed on.
Wasn't that quick and easy?

Hiding the Last User logged on
If you use the Standard "Domain Style" Logon type 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

Adding SafeBoot to the Boot Menu
You can add Safeboot as an option to the normal XP boot screen

1. Open My Computer, Click on Tools, Then Folder Options.
2. Click on the View tab, Then Select Show Hidden Files and Folders and uncheck Hide Protected Operating System Files.
3. Open C:\boot.ini
4. Create a new line Under the line that looks something like
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
and copy and paste in the blank line below so that it looks something like
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional SafeBoot" /fastdetect /safeboot:minimal.
5. Save and Exit. If you get problems saving, go to the file, right-click it and click properties and uncheck Read-Only.

Disabling Windows File Protection
If you have experienced some problems like I have, in that Windows XP so very kindly restricts you from changing or deleting some of your own files in Your Documents, even if you're an administrator, then disabling windows file protection temporarily may allow you to delete them.

Simply find the Key SFCDisable in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon and edit it the value to FFFFFF9D.
Note: If you want to re-enable File Protection, just re-set the value to 0.

Log on as Main Administrator without using Safe mode
If you are using the "Domain Style" Logon type then all you have to do is logon to the account Administrator as you would normally. However, If you are using the Welcome Screen Logon System all you need to do is Hold CTRL+ALT and then press DELETE twice at the Welcome Screen. Now you can enter the username as Administrator and the password you created for the Administrator account. If you don't Remember creating an Administrator Password, or just forgot it, see How to change the main Administrators Password.

How to Change the Main Administrators Password
First of all, You must be logged on as an Administrator to change the Main Administrator Accounts password. If you are, then go to Start, then Run and Type control userpasswords2. Then Click on the button that says Reset Password at the bottom of the screen. Simply enter the password twice and the Password will then be changed.

Disable Balloon Tips
To disable those annoying Balloon Tips in Windows XP, open the registry and browse to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\Advanced

Then create a DWORD value, call it EnableBalloonTips, leave the value set to 0.
Note: You may need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Show the Main Administrator on the Welcome Screen
To Show the Main Administrator on the Welcome Screen, open the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and locate the Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList\Administrator
and give it the value 1.
To Remove the Administrator from the Welcome Screen, just delete the value.
Note : If Administrator does not appear in the UserList Key, just add "Administrator" as a DWORD Value.

Change the CHKDSK countdown time
When you schedule CHKDSK to run at the next boot, the system will prompt you to press a key to cancel the operation while CHKDSK is running. The system will display a countdown during that cancel period. The default value is 10 seconds. To Change this open up Regedit and locate:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\AutoChkTimeOut
You can change the value to anything from zero to 259,200 seconds (3 days). With a timeout of zero, there is no countdown and you cannot cancel the operation.

Command Prompt Autorun
To make Command Prompt (CMD) automatically run a Batch File when it starts, Open regedit (Start, Run, regedit) and locate the following key-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun
and change the Value to the File Location of the Batch file you wish CMD to run.
Note: If the Autorun Value Doesn't exist Just Create it as a String Value.

Remove Shut Down from the Welcome Screen
To Remove the Shut Down button from the Welcome Screen, go to Control Panel then Double-Click on Administrative Tools and open Local Security Policy. Open the Security Options folder under Local Policies and scroll down to Shutdown: Allow system to be Shut Down without having to log on. When you have found it, double-click on it and set it to Disabled. Then Click OK.

Disable Particular Users/Groups from Shutting Down
To Disable Particular Users/Groups from Shutting Down, go to Control Panel the Double-Click on Administrative Tools and open Local Security Policy. Open the User Rights Assignment folder under Local Policies and scroll down to Shut down the system. When you have found it, double-click on it and Add/Remove the Users and/or Groups depending on whether you want them to be able to shut down or not.

Do not highlight newly installed programs
To Stop Windows from Highlighting newly installed programs on the Start Menu, Right-Click on an unused area of the taskbar and click on Properties, then select the Start Menu tab and click on Customize, click on the Advanced tab and uncheck Highlight newly installed programs then press OK, and OK again.

Change Number of Windows before Grouping Occurs
Open the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and find the key
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Explorer\Advanced\TaskbarGroupSize

Change the Value to one of the following options depending on which one suits you best:

- Group app with "oldest" window first (default) -      0
- Group app with most windows open first -              1
- Group any app with at least two windows open -    2
- Group any app with at least three windows open - 3
- Group any app with at least four windows open -   4

The first and second option tells Windows only to use grouping when the space in your taskbar is getting short. This means, while there there is enough space in your taskbar to display all Windows no grouping will be done. Option three to five tell Windows to ALWAYS use grouping, regardless if there is enough space to display all windows.

Completely Remove Windows Messenger
Locate SYSOC.INF in the \Windows\INF folder (hidden file and folder), Open it in Notepad and locate the line:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Remove the word "hide" from the line and save the file. You will now have an entry in add/remove programs.
Now you can go to Add/Remove programs and remove Windows Messenger.

OR (XP Pro Only) leave it installed, but tell Windows to never let it run. If you're running XP Professional, you can use GPEDIT.MSC to prevent Messenger from loading. Otherwise, even disabling it in startup won't cause it to "always" not run.
- Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC
- Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Messenger
- You can now modify whether it starts initially and/or whether it's to run at all.

Turn on your firewall
Microsoft included a firewall in Windows XP to keep you safe from hackers while you cruise the Internet. How do you know that the Internet Connection Firewall is on? Go to the Control Panel and double-click the Network Connections icon. In the dial-up, DSL, or cable connection dialog that appears, check the Status column. If your firewall is on, it should say Firewalled. If it doesn't, right-click on the connection and click on Properties, Go to the Advanced tab and Tick the Checkbox that is next to the message "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet".

Change the text in the Internet Explorer title bar
In regedit navigate to this key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
change the value of the string "Window Title" to whatever you want on the title bar of Internet Explorer - to have no title except the title of the web pages you are browsing do not enter anything for a value.

Stop Password Expiration
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)

Create a Password Reset Disk
Microsoft has enhanced security features in XP including the ability to create a floppy diskette to recover your password in case it is forgotten. To Create the Disk:
          - Click Start
          - Click Control Panel
          - Click User Accounts
          - Click on the account which you want to create a password disk
          - Click Prevent a forgotten password which starts the Forgotten Password Wizard. This is found under Related Tasks
          - Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A, and click Next
          - Enter the password in the Current user account password box

To use the recovery disk, at the Welcome screen:

          - Click the user name whose password is on the recovery disk
          - Click the question mark button
          - This causes the "Did you forget your password" message to appear.
          - Click use your password reset disk
          - This will start the Password Reset Wizard.
From this point, just follow the wizard's instructions and you will be able to set a new password. It is different if you are part of a domain.

Create Windows XP Setup Boot Floppy Disks
The Windows XP startup disk allows computers without a bootable CD-ROM to perform a new installation of the operating system. The Windows XP startup disk will automatically load the correct drivers to gain access to the CD-ROM drive and start a new installation of Setup. You cannot upgrade from a Windows XP startup disk.
Windows XP Home Edition startup disks will not work for Windows XP Professional installations and vice-versa.
Windows XP Professional floppy boot disk here and Windows XP home edition floppy boot disk here.

Change Thumbnail Size
You can change the size of the Thumbnails view in My Computer by opening up the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and navigating to the following location:
Current user only:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
All users:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
Add a new DWORD value called ThumbnailSize and give it a hexidecimal value that is between 32 and 256, inclusive (that is, the lowest possible value is 32 and the highest is 256): A value of 32 will give you the smallest possible thumbnails, and 256 will give you the biggest. Experiment a bit to find your sweet spot.

Kill XP splash screen
You can disable the Windows XP splash screen, but you should be aware that removing the splash screen will also cause you not to see any boot-up messages, such as chkdsk, but it should boot a little quicker also.
          - Enter msconfig (Start, Run, msconfig)
          - Select the "BOOT.INI" tab
          - Click On the line that looks like multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(0)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
             Which should be highlighted by default, and check the "NOGUIBOOT" box.
If you need to go back, or have trouble, you can simply remove the new switch from your boot.ini file.

Stop Messenger Spam
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. 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 network, 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.

Remove the Shortcut Arrow
To remove the white arrow in the left corner of a shortcut, open the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and find the following key -
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Lnkfile\
Then Delete the IsShortcut value from this Key.
Note: Deactivating the Shortcut arrow will also disable any shortcut key defined for your shortcuts!
You may need to Restart your Computer before the Changes will take effect.

Change the OEM Picture
To Change the OEM Logo BMP that is displayed when you go to System Properties (Winkey + Pause), Simply find a BMP you wish to use and name it OEMLOGO.BMP. Then go to Start, Run and enter:
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32
Then Copy and Paste the BMP into this folder and it will then be displayed as your OEM logo.

Change the Welcome Screen's Screen Saver
To Change the Screen saver that is displayed on the Welcome Screen, go to the Registry Editor (Start, Run, regedit) and browse to:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
Change the value SCRNSAVE.EXE to the path of the Screen Saver that you wish to use on the Welcome Screen.
You can also change how long it takes for the Screen Saver to Display. Just edit the Value ScreeenSaveTimeOut to the number of Seconds you wish for the Screen Saver to take to display. Also, Make sure that the value ScreenSaveActive is set to 1.

Rip tracks to MP3 in Windows Media Player
To Rip tracks off a CD to MP3 Audio, you will need to download an MP3 Power Pack for Windows Media Player XP. An Excellent FREE MP3 Encoder is available to download from the Downloads Section now.

Add a Background image to the Internet Explorer Toolbar
In order to add a background bitmap to the Internet Explorer toolbar, you must first find or create a BMP that you wish to use. Once you have done that, open the Registry editor (Start, Run, regedit) and go to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar
Then, add a String value (Right-click, New, String Value) and call it BackBitmapIE5
change the value of this string to the path of the BMP you wish to be displayed as the toolbar background and it should then display when you open Internet Explorer.
NOTE: If Internet Explorer is open, you will need to re-open it to see the changes.

Hide Drives in Explorer
If you do not wish all drives to be visible in Windows Explorer, open the Registry editor (Start, Run, Regedit) and go to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Policies\Explorer

Create a DWORD value called NoDrives. Next, you will need to find out what value you need to put in this registry key so that it corresponds to the drive that you wish to hide. To find out what key you will need to add Click Here. When you have found out what value you need to add to this key, enter it. After you log off and back on again, that drive should no longer appear in Explorer.
You can also Download the JC-XP Drive Hider Which will automate this process for you.
Click Here to Download the Program

How To Use Microsoft Narrator
Want to hear your computer talk? Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility, Narrator. Or press the Windows key plus the letter "U" to open the Utility Manager. Microsoft Narrator, an accessibility option designed to assist readers who are blind or have impaired vision, starts automatically.
Once you've read through the intro screen (or let the Narrator do it), click OK and you'll see a dialog box of Narrator options. Assuming you want to leave Narrator running, select the desired options, then minimize its dialog box. And if you've opened the Utility Manager, feel free to close it. To turn Narrator off, click the Exit button or right-click its taskbar item and select Close.

Reduce Temporary Internet File Space
The temporary internet files clutter your hard drive with copies of each page visited. These can build up over time and take up disk space. Even more bothersome is that instead of getting new pages each time, IE often takes the page out the temporary internet files. This can be a problem if you are viewing a website that is updated all the time. If you are on a slow connection such as a 56K or lower then this can be good but if you are on a fast broadband connection, then you can get away with decreasing the size of your temporary internet files to just one MB without the performance decreasing.

XP Won’t Completely Shutdown
If, When you Shut Down your Computer, The Computer does not fully Shut Down and instead, just displays a message such as "You can now turn your computer off", then performing the following steps should help fix this problem:
- Goto Control Panel, then goto Power Options.
- Click on the APM Tab, then check the "Enable Advanced Power Management support."
- Shut down your PC.
Your PC should now successfully complete the Shut Down process.

Modify Items in the "Send To" Menu
When you right click on an object in Explorer, A menu called Send to appears, which lets you send that file to various places.
To Modify the items in this list:
- Go to Start, Run
- Type %USERPROFILE%\SendTo
- You are now in the SendTo Menu, delete Items, or Add Shortucts to locations that you want to appear in the Send To Menu.

Install the Recovery Console as a Startup Option
To install the Recovery Console as a startup option:
With Windows running, insert the Setup CD into your CD-ROM drive.
Click Start and select Run.
Type the following where D: is the CD-ROM drive letter:
D:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons
Follow the instructions on the screen.
NOTE: To run the Recovery Console, restart your computer and select the Recovery Console option from the list of available operating systems.

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