Enable XP ClearType

XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. 

It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. 

To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, 

select Properties, Appearance, Effects, 

select ClearType from the second drop-down menu 

and enable the selection. 

Expect best results on laptop displays. 

If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry 

HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.

Kill task from command prompt

You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 

'taskkill /pid' and the task number, 

or 

'tskill' and the process number. 

Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system. 

(Professional Edition only)

Disable uneccessary XP services

WINDOWS XP starts a number of background services automatically, many are unessential and can be disabled or set to start manually to improve performance and security.

The following applies to Home Users; ie who have a stand-alone pc / are not conncted to a Network, but may be having an Internet Connection.

Please note that this list has been collated and compiled from various sources on the net, for ready reference, for those who "dont know about it" !

The following must always be set on AUTOMATIC :

Application Layer Gateway
Automatic Updates
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Cryptographic Services
Com+ Event System
DCOM Server Process Launcher
DHCP Client
DNS Client
Event Log
IPSEC Services
Logical Disk Manager
Network Connections
Plug and Play
Print Spooler
Protected Storage
Remote Access Connection Manager
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) (NEVER disable this)
Security Center
Security Accounts Manager
Shell Hardware Detection
System Event Notification
System Restore Service
Task Scheduler (if you dont use Norton or Bootvis,
it can be made into Manual)
Themes
WINDOWS AudioWINDOWSW*NDOW$ Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing
W*NDOW$ Management Instrumentation


The following may be DISABLED (or set to MANUAL as reqd) :

Alerter
ASP.NET State Service
Clipbook
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Error Reporting Service
Fast User Switching Compatibility
Help and Support (Manual)
HID Input Service
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
Indexing Service
Infrared Monitor
Machine Debug Manager
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Network DDE
Network DDE DSM
Network Location Awareness (NLA)
Performance Logs and Alerts
Portable Media Serial Number Service
QoS RSVP
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Registry
Routing and Remote Access
Secondary Logon
Security Center
Smart Card
SSDP Discovery Service
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telnet
Terminal Services
Upload Manager
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Volume Shadow Copy
WebClient
Windows Time
Windows User Mode Driver Framework
Wireless Zero Configuration
WMI Performance Adapter

Hidden feature on Windows Xp

1. Application Secrets.

Defrag
Secret - Hidden Command Line Switch
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Run" and Type defrag c: -b to defragment the Boot and Application Prefetch information. Similar to what BootVis invokes.

Paint
Secret - Image Trails
Instructions - Open an image and hold down Shift then drag the image around to create an image trail.

Secret - 10 X zoom
Instructions - Open an image and select the magnifying glass icon. Left-click exactly on the line below the 8 X.


2. OS Secrets.

Add/Remove
Secret - Hidden Uninstall Options
Instructions - Warning: Proceed at your own risk.
Browse to C:\Windows\inf\ and make a backup copy of sysoc.inf. Then open the original file C:\Windows\inf\sysoc.inf in notepad. Go to "Edit" and select "Replace". In "Find what" type, hide and in "Replace with:" type, then select "Replace All", save and close the file. Go to the control panel, "Add/Remove", select "Add/Remove Windows Components". You will now see many more Windows components to uninstall. Do not remove anything with no label or that you do not recognize or fully understand what it does. Doing so can break certain functionality in Windows.

Control Panel
Secret - Hidden Control Panel Extensions
Instructions - Download and install Tweak UI, launch, go to "Control Panel" and check any item not selected, then "Apply" and "OK". You will now see the hidden control panel extensions.

Device Manager
Secret - Hidden Devices
Instructions - Go to the control panel, "System" icon, "Hardware" tab and select "Device Manager". Select View and Show hidden devices.

Music
Secret - Music from the Installer
Instruction - Browse to C:\Windows\system32\oobe\images\title.wma and play

Shutdown
Secret - Display Hibernate Option on Shut Down dialog.
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Turn Off Computer" and press either Shift key to change "Stand By" button to "Hibernate".


3. Game Secrets

FreeCell
Secret - Instant Win
Instruction - Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 during game play. Then you will be asked if you want to Abort, Retry or Ignore. Choose Abort, then move any card to instantly win.

Secret - Hidden Game Modes
Instruction - In the "Game" menu choose "Select Game". Enter -1 or -2 to activate the hidden game modes.

Minesweeper
Secret - Reveal Mines
Instructions - Minimize or close all running applications. Launch Minesweeper, then type xyzzy. Next hold down either shift key for one second. Now when you move the mouse cursor over a Minesweeper square you will see a tiny pixel in the top left corner of your desktop screen. This pixel will change to black when your mouse moves over a mine. You may need to change you desktop background to a solid color other then white or black to see the pixel.

Pinball
Secret - Extra Balls
Instructions - Type lmax at the start of a new ball to get extra balls.

Secret - Gravity Well
Instructions - Type gmax at the start of a new game to activate Gravity Well.

Secret - Instant Promotion
Instructions - Type rmax at the start of a new game to go up in ranks.

Secret - Skill Shot
Instruction - Launch the ball partially up the chute past the third yellow light bar so it falls back down to get 75.000 points. There are six yellow light bars that are worth a varying amount of points :
First: 15.000
Second: 30.000
Third: 75.000
Fourth: 30.000
Fifth: 15.000
Sixth: 7.500

Secret - Test MOde
Instructions - Type hidden test at the start of a new ball to activate Test Mode. No notification will be given that this is activated but you can now left-click the mouse button an drag the ball around.

Secret - Unlimited Balls
Instructions - Type bmax at the start of a new ball. No notificatin will be given that this is activated but when a ball is lost a new ball will appear from the yellow wormhole indefinitely. Once this is activated you will be unable to activate other secrets without restarting the game.

Solitaire
Secret - Instant Win
Instruction - Press Alt + Shift + 2 during game play to instantly win.

Secret - Draw single cards in a Draw Three game
Instruction - Hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift while drawing a new card. Instead of drawing three cards you will only draw one.

Increasing the Folder Cache

The default setting for WindowsXP is to cache the Explorer settings for 400 folders.
To increase it:

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell NoRoam
3. Change the vaule of BagMRU to whatever size you want (hex)

1000 - 3e8
2000 - 7d0
3000 - bb8
4000 - fa0
5000 - 1388

Make any Folder INVISIBLE in Windows XP

Have you ever wondered, how can you make a folder invisible without even using any kind of softwares in windows XP?
Well, here is the answer to that. It is very much possible and Windows will help us in doing this.
How? Lets see the answer

1. Create any new Folder.
2. Right click and go to Rename, remove the content, press “Alt” and type “0160″. The Folder name would become NIL.
3. Now go on to the properties of the folder and click “Customize”, and click “Change Icon”.
4. Here you will find some icons without any kind of images.
5. Select any of these images and click “OK”. You will now see that your folder is now invisible.
If you will select it then it will be shown like this.

But in a normal manner when you will open your Drive/Folder, it will be Invisible

Install the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on Windows XP Home

Windows XP contains an enough practical utility to backup and restore files. 

If you have Windows XP version pro, you will find it by clicking to “Start menu” then “All Programs”, “Accessories”, “System Tools”. 

On the other hand if you have Windows XP family version you will not find it because it is not includes inside by defect.

On the other hand for the users of family Windows XP, you have the possibility of installing it by your CD of installation of Windows. 

Open the contents of Cd in your Windows Explorer, direct in the file “VALUEADD”, then “MSFT” then “NTBACKUP”. Here you will find a file of installation named “NTBACKUP”.

It any more but does not remain you to launch this file to start the installation of the utility Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. 

After the installation, you should finally have it in the menu to start (which I indicated above).

Uninstall Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2

Uninstall the SP1 of Windows XP

At the time of the installation of Windows XP, you indicated certainly to the system to safeguard your old configuration to retrogress. After a few weeks of use, if you are finally decided to keep the SP1, you can remove the files of installation.

For that: Go in the file C: /Windows and remove the file $NtServicePackUninstall$. To see this file, it is necessary as a preliminary to configure Windows to post the hidden files and files. Go then in the Control panel/Add or Remove Programs and uninstall the Service Pack 1 for Windows XP. After you uninstall Service Pack 1 icon will disappear.

Uninstall Service Pack 2

Here various methods for which would wish uninstall the Service Pack 2 of Windows XP:

Method 1: Click Start/Control panel/Add or Remove Programs,than notch “Show update” in top of the window and then find “Service Pack 2 Windows XP” and click Change/Remove button.

Method 2: Click Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System restore. Then choose “Restore my computer to an earlier date” and to click on Next, select the date of restoration “Installed Windows XP SP2” and click on Next, wait for few minutes and Windows XP SP2 should be removed.

Method 3: Use of the file masked $NtServicePackUninstall$, Click Start/Run, type c:\windows $NtServicePackUninstall$ \ spuninst \ spuninst.exe in empty field and press on OK. Once the Assistant of Suppression of the Pack Service 2 started Windows XP, click on Next button. Then follow the posted instructions to the screen to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2.

[ via link ]

Guide -Backing up, Formatting, and installing Windows XP

Below is a short and sweet version for backing up, formatting, and then installing Windows XP.

1) Have a backup source DIFFERENT from your primary hard drive*(see note at bottom of guide). This means: a DVD burner, an external hard drive, a networked computer/server, a USB key, etc.)
2) Backup all essential documents/information (i.e. reports, pictures, music, etc.) to that backup source
3) Download all updated drivers for your computer components. This means: motherboard, graphics card, sound card, etc.
4) Make a list of all programs that you would need to reinstall once formatting/installing windows has been completed. PRINT THAT LIST!
5) Download and/or set aside all installers for the programs on your list (plus all relevant serial numbers/activation codes)
6) Download RyanVM's Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack , and integrate the file into your windows installer cd using the integrator program found on that same page. A nice tutorial on how to integrate the file is also on the page. This will integrate all Post-SP2 updates on your windows installer cd so that you won't have to spend time after reinstallation downloading updates from microsoft (note: your cd must already have sp-2 integrated ... if not, you can download sp2 from microsoft, and then integrate it yourself ... ask if that's the case)
7) Burn that new windows cd
8) Download and place in your backup drive Autopatcher. This program has all of the OTHER windows updates that you may need after reinstall. Very handy.
9) Double- and triple-check that you have backed up everything that you should, then CHECK AGAIN!

10) Calm-down because the above steps are the hardest parts

11) Put in new windows cd and then disconnect all network cables/wireless cards
12) Restart
13) Boot from cd
14) Follow prompts - delete old partition. Make new partition using quick ntfs option. Let windows cd load files and it will restart your computer
15) Fill in information microsoft asks for



16) On first boot up after reinstall, reinstall all antivirus, firewall, and antispyware applications. Be sure to restart when needed.
17) Install Autopatcher and install any updates missing from windows cd
18) Reconnect all network cables and reinstall internet service ... immediately update antivirus definitions
19) Activate windows over the internet using on-screen prompts
20) Reinstall all programs from list (hopefully in some sort of order), restarting when necessary.
21) Reload all information/documents from your backup drive onto your main computer drive, and then ...

YOU'RE DONE!!!

Much of the information I've provided above should be evident to most anyone who has SOME computer knowledge. Some are just tips I've found useful when formatting and reinstalling XP myself. If you have any questions, please ask.

Have fun!

*While I do not recommend doing so, it is possible to complete the above guide using just your original hard drive. You can "partition" (split into parts) your hard drive so that it is recognized by Windows as different hard drives. An advantage to having multiple partitions would be that you can have separate partitions for documents, programs, Windows itself, etc. CAUTION: If you are going to try this method, you should definitely BACKUP EVERYTHING before you try to partition.

There are numerous programs that you can use to partition your hard drive ... I typically suggest a commercial program like Partition Magic for this type of situation. Other solutions that I recommend are GParted or many Linux live cds (which are all free), but the most important item I can relay is to

BACKUP EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU TRY PARTITIONING!!!

Stop Running XP as Administrator

One of the things EVERYONE does is run WinXP as an Administrator and to be honest, this irritates the hell out of me.

Now before I get inundated with email with the likes of "well, I have to run it as an Admin else nothing works!" WRONG SPACE BOY!!! You just have to know how to use the "Admin Account".

Now, realizing running as an Admin on the local machine makes life a lot easier what people fail to understand is it also makes life VERY convenient for the folks who write BUGS, VIRUSES, and SPYWARE. That's right folks, if you ran your system as USER with limited rights all the nasty people in the world would have a much more difficult time getting the nasty stuff on your PC since most of the services and programs they want to run on your PC require some sort of service or Admin approval.

"Well, I can't install applications if I don't run as an Admin!" - Again... WRONG SPARKLES!! See, when you setup the PC it MADE an Admin account (but left the password blank which I don't understand at all) then it made a user account which, during the Windows XP install, gave you Admin rights so installing apps was easy. What people don't seem to realize is, you can install any application you want as long as you know the Admin password (which should always be different than the user account).

If you want to install an application while running as a standard user all you have to do is right-click on the app and choose "Run as...", then hit the check box next to "Following User". Put in Administrator and the password for the Administrator. If you have not set a password for the administrator (by default the Admin account's password is... **gulp**... left blank) then set one for the Administrator now:

- Right-click "My Computer" and choose "Manage"
- In the left hand column you will see "Local Users and Groups" - double click it
- Highlight Users
- Looking the right hand column. Right-Click on Administrator and choose "set password" (remember to keep this password different than the rest of the account passwords).

All Done...

Now, when you want to install and application or make a change to the system you can use the Run As command and, if you run into to much trouble you can always log back into the Administrator account and make changes.

Now, lets just say you're ego simply can't take running as a standard user. Okay, I get that so what other options are their? How about running as a Power User? Yea, has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Okay so what's the difference between a power user and a standard user? Ah... this page will help with that.

Now, during the initial machine setup I normally will leave the default admin account tied to the first account made on the system until I have installed all the applications, Windows updates, and the rest of the applications I need. After that, I simply remove the Admin rights to the account and use either a Power User profile or a Standard user profile depending on whom I'm setting up on the system. If I need to install an application or a utility it's pretty simple to just right click on the application I want to install and choose "Run As...".

So, lets say you are reading this article and you think "this guys BRILLIANT! I have to send him cash!" Hey... I can try.

No, seriously let's say you're thinking about trying this out just to see what's it's like. How do you remove the Admin account from your current account? Simple.

- Log off Windows XP.
- If you have the default multi-user Windows XP logon menu - hit ctrl-alt-del TWICE.
- In the new login box type Administrator and the password for the Administrator. If you never set a Administrator password just hit enter. Make sure you set a password for the Admin!
- Right-click "My Computer" and choose "Manage"
- In the left hand column you will see "Local Users and Groups" - double click it
- Highlight Users
- Looking the right hand column. Right-Click on the user account you want to modify and choose - Properties
- Click the "Member Of" tab, highlight Administrator and choose remove.
- Click Ok and your all set.

Logoff the Admin account and log back in to the account you just modified and take a tour. See what you like and don't like. If you want to try running as a "Power User" follow the steps in the last section but, instead of removing an account click: Add - Advanced - Find Now - and choose Power User. Once you add the Power User make sure you remove the regular User account (you don't need that anymore).

Bottom line is this:
You do NOT need to be an admin to read email, play games, or browse the web. The protection of running as a standard user or even as a power user far outweighs the small inconvenience you might bump up against. On top of that... if you set your kids up as just standard users think of the all the times they're going to need that "password" to install an app that, well you might not want them to install.

Folder Options not available in Tools Menu

Many peoples find that in their windows Tools -> Folder Options is not visible, they also can't access it from the Control Panel. I have seen so many threads for this problem recently in our forum, I searched in forum and found more than 15 threads for this problem.

So I decided to post this tutorial, in this tutorial I'll tell the reasons which can cause this problem and their solutions:

1.) You can enable Folder Options by simply editing the Windows Registry! Just type regedit in RUN dialog box and it'll open Registry Editor, now goto following keys:

Code:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

And in right-side pane, check whether a DWORD value named NoFolderOptions exists or not? If it exists then either change its value to 0 or delete it.


2.) If you are not familiar with Editing the registry, then u can simply download the registry tweak from here and then simply run the file:

www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/folderoptions.reg


3.) But sometimes u can find that regedit is also disabled, when u'll try to open regedit or run the downloaded reg file, u'll get error:

Quote:
Registry Editor has been disabled by administrator.
Its a symptom of "RONTOKBRO" Trojan!

4.) If its not a virus problem and someone disabled Registry Editor in ur system, then u can enable it again by following any of following methods:


a.) Type gpedit.msc in RUN dialog box and goto:

User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System

in right-side pane, set "Prevent access to Registry editing tools" to either Not Configured or Disabled.

b.) Just type following in RUN dialog box and press :

Code:

REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableRegistryTools /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Hide the Name of the Last User

I've switched to the classic logon screen, but now the username of the last person who used the computer is shown. From a security standpoint, this is not an improvement!

To hide this username, you must dive into the Windows Registry. Go to Start -> Run, type regedit, and click OK. In the Registry Editor window, expand the branches on the left side to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\NT\Cu rrentVersion\Winlogon.
(Notice that this is in the Windows NT branch, not the Windows branch).
Create a new value in this key: right-click Winlogon and select New String Value, type DontDisplayLastUserName for its name, and press Enter. Double-click the new value, type 1 in the "Value data" field, and click OK.

Get xp key from cd !

There is a Way to get xp product code from cd itself, It really works!!
I was once wondering around d XP CD......n got dis!!
Jst try it out.....

Just explore the cd then open the folder I386 then open the file UNATTEND.TXT and scroll down to the last line.
You have a product code.

Have fun!!!
Now u'll never need to search for a product code for xp again...!!!!

Restart a pc via Remote desktop

How to restart your computer via remote desktop? There are couple of ways you can do this

1. Alt+F4 is one of the easiest ways you can do it. Then select the Restart.
2. Ctr+Alt+End and the select the Restart
3. Start > Run > then type shutdown.exe

Change Windows XP Home to Windows XP Professional

Follow these steps

1. Copy the root directory and the i386 directory of the WindowsXP CD to your hard drive.

2. Extract the Bootsector of your Windows XP CD. You can use BBIE to do this.

3. Click START–>RUN–>REGEDIT

4. Highlight HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

5. Click FILE–>LOAD HIVE and select the Setupreg.hiv file
This file is located in the i386 folder. Use the one you extracted to your hard drive from your Windows XP CD.

6. Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Homekey\ControlSet001\Services\setupdd

7. Edit the DEFAULT key and change the following values:

01 to 00
02 to 00

8. Change the name to the value HOMEKEY to anything.

9. Locate the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Homekey\ControlSet001\Services\setupdd

Edit the DEFAULT key and change the following values:

01 to 00
02 to 00
10. Highlight HOMEKEY and select FILE–>UNLOAD HIVE

Multiple Yahoo Messenger or Activating Polygamy Yahoo Messenger

Here is a way by which we can activate multiple yahoo messenger on single pc  simultaneously. 

Just you have to follow some easy steps:- 

1. Go to start > Run, write regedit and Press Enter

2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Yahoo/Pager/Test

3. Right Click on folder  Test  and go to New > DWORD Value and you will get a file named New Value #1, Rename it as Plural and press enter.

4. Double Click on the file Plural and You will get a window named Edit DWORD Value

5. Type 1 inside 'Select the Value data' and press enter and Close the registry editor window. Now you can launch multiple windows and use different ID's.

Happy Chatting