| Windows
XP Tips Note:
We are not responsible for any type of damage |
[] Opening Ports or Adding Allowed Programs with
SP2's Firewall
[] Autoexec.nt or Config.nt
Errors
[] Common Control Panel Applets
[] Windows Explorer Opens Search Companion Rather
than the Folder
[] Guest Only Network Access
[] Hiding a XP Computer from Network Neighborhood
[] Easy Way to Share Multiple Folders
[] Not Viewing Zip Files as Folders
[] Setting Capslock, Numlock, Scroll Lock
[] Restoring Desktop Icon to the Quicklaunch
Bar
[] Network Access After Norton Anti-Virus Install
[] Configure for Auto-Logon
[] Services You Can Disable
[] Cleaning the Prefetch Directory
[] Not Displaying Logon, Logoff, Startup and Shutdown
Status Messages
[] Repair Install
[] NTOSKRNL Missing or Corrupt
[] HAL.DLL Missing or Corrupt
[] Corrupted or Missing \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG
[] NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM Not Found
[] Bringing Up the Shutdown Dialog Box
[] Hiding the Last User Logged On
[] Poweroff at Shutdown
[] Remembering Folder Settings
[] Preventing Applications from Stealing the Focus
[] Disable Explorer Thumbnail View
[] Disable Shared Documents
[] Removing Thumbs.db Files
[] Enable / Disable the Task Manager
[] Clearing the Page File on Shutdown
[] No GUI Boot
[] Using the Classic Search in Explorer
[] Changing Drive Letters
[] Changing the Registered Owner
[] Decreasing Boot Time
[] Hide/Unhide Logon Names
[] WindowsXP Command Line Utilities
[] Creating an Automated Install of WindowsXP
[] Disabling Hibernation
[] Increasing System Performance
[] Common Command Console Utilities
[] Automatically Ending Non-Responsive Tasks
[] Changing the Internet Explorer Title
[]Changing Programs That Start Automatically Go
to top
|
| Opening
Ports or Adding Allowed Programs with SP2's FirewallGo
to top |
1.Click
on Start / Run
2.Enter in firewall.cpl
3.Click on the Exceptions tab
Adding a Port for Internet Access:
1.Click on the Add Port button
2.Name it whatever you want
3.Enter in the ports you want to open
Adding a Program for Internet Access
1.Click on Add Program... button
2.A list of all installed programs will be displayed
3.Highlight the one you want to include for
Internet access
4.Click on the OK button
|
| Autoexec.nt
or Config.nt Errors |
If
you are getting errors similar to:
The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS
and Microsoft Windows applications. Choose 'Close'
to terminate the application.
Try copying the file from \windows\repair directory
to the one that is in the \windows\system32 directory. |
| Common
Control Panel Applets |
The
follow are some common Control Panel Applets that are located in the
\windows\system32 directory.
If you find yourself using any of these frequently,
then you can simply make shortcuts to them on
your desktop.
appwiz.cpl
>>Add/Remove Programs
desk.cpl >> Display Properties
firewall.cpl >> Firewall Settings
inetcpl.cpl >> Internet Options
mmsys.cpl >> Sound and Audio
ncpa.cpl >> Network Connections
nusrmgr.cpl >> User Accounts
powercfg.cpl >> Power Options
sysdm.cpl >>System Properties
wscui.cpl >> Security Center
wuaucpl.cpl >> Automatic Updates
Configuration Go
to Top
|
| Windows
Explorer Opens Search Companion Rather than the Folder |
If
the Windows Explorer opens up the Search Companion rather than opening
up the actual folder, the default setting for opening a folder is changed.
To correct this:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ Directory \ shell
Edit the default value to be explorer or none |
| Guest
Only Network Access |
If
you try and connect to an XP computer and are shown a logins screen with
only the computername/Guest,
You may need to change one of the Local Security Policies:
Got to Control Panel - Administrative Tools
Go to Local Policies - Security Options
Check teh Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts
Set it to Classic - local users authenticate as themselves |
| Hiding
a XP Computer from Network Neighborhood |
If
you want to share files from a XP computer,
yet want to remove it from showing up in the Network Neighborhood,
Run net config server /hidden:yes |
| Easy
Way to Share Multiple Folders |
If
you need to share multiple folders, running the program SHRPUBW.EXE will
bring up a simple dialog box to let you:
Browse to the folder you want to share
Enter in a Share name
Ender in a Share description
Set permissions. Several choices are available
Restart the process from within the same program Go
to top |
| Not
Viewing Zip Files as Folders |
If
you want to turn of WindowsXP showing Zip files as folders,
just run:
regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll |
| Setting
Capslock, Numlock, Scroll Lock |
If
you want to set the startup state for any or all of these keys,
you just need to edit the registry.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Keyboard
Open InitialKeyboardIndicators
Change the value to one of the following numbers
0 - All Keys off
1 - Caps Lock on
2 - Num Lock on
4 - Scroll Lock on
For multiple keys, add their values:
3 - Caps Lock and Num Lock on
5 - Caps Lock and Scroll Lock on
6 - Num Lock and Scroll Lock on
7 - Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock on
Log off and back on again |
| Restoring
Desktop Icon to the Quicklaunch Bar |
If
you mistakenly deleted the icon for the Desktop on the Quicklaunch toolbar
Go to C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Quick Launch
(where user_name is replaced by your login name)
Create a Text file called ShowDesktop.SCF with the following contents:
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop Go
to top |
| Network
Access After Norton Anti-Virus Install |
Sometimes
you can't access a WinXP computer after installing Norton Anti-Virus.
There might be a variety of errors at the other computer depending on
the operating system.
On the XP computer, in the Event Viewer / System log, there will be the
following error:
The server's configuration parameter "irpstacksize" is too small
for the server to use a local device.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters
Edit the IRPStackSize
Give it a value of 15
Reboot the computer |
| Configure
for Auto-Logon |
If
you are the only person using the computer and what to have it automatically
log you on,
Start / Run / "control userpasswords2" - no quotes
Uncheck User must enter a user name and password to use this computer
|
|
Services You Can Disable |
There
are quite a few services you can disable from starting automatically.
This would be to speed up your boot time and free resources.
They are only suggestions so I suggestion you read the description of
each one when you run Services
and that you turn them off one at a time.
Some possibilities
are:
Alerter - Sends alert messages to specified users that are connected
to the server computer.
Application Management - Allows software to tap directly into the Add/Remove
Programs feature via the Windows Installer technology.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service - The Background Intelligent
Transfer service is used by programs (such as Windows AutoUpdate) to
download files by using spare bandwidth.
Clipbook - ClipBook permits you to cut and paste text and graphics over
the network.
Error Reporting Service - Allows applications to send error reports
to Microsoft in the event of an application fault.
Fast User Switching - Windows XP allows users to switch quickly between
accounts, without requiring them to log off.
Help and Support - Allows the XP Built-in Help and Support Center to
run.
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service - You don't need this if you have other
software to create CDs.
Indexing Service - Indexes contents and properties of files on local
and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible
querying language.
IP SEC - Manages IP security policy and starts the ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE)
and the IP security driver. If you are not on a domain, you likely don't
need this running.
Messenger - Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between
clients and servers. This is how a lot of pop-up windows start appearing
on your desktop.
Net Logon - Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events
for computers in a domain. If you are not on a domain, you don't need
this running
Network DDE - Provides network transport and security for Dynamic Data
Exchange (DDE) for programs running on the same computer or on different
computers.
NT LM Security Support Provider - Provides security to remote procedure
call (RPC) programs that use transports other than named pipes.
Performance Logs and Alerts - Collects performance data from local or
remote computers based on preconfigured schedule parameters, then writes
the data to a log or triggers an alert. If you don't need to monitor
your performance logs, then you don't need this service.
Portable Media Serial Number - Retrieves the serial number of any portable
music player connected to your computer
QOS RSVP - Provides network signaling and local traffic control setup
functionality for QoS-aware programs and control applets.
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager - Manages and controls Remote Assistance.
If you are not using Remote Desktop you don't need this service.
Remote Registry - Enables remote users to modify registry settings on
this computer.
Routing & Remote Access - Offers routing services to businesses
in local area and wide area network environments. Allows dial-in access.
Secondary Login - Enables starting processes under alternate credentials.
This is what allows you to run an application as another user.
Smart Card - Manages access to smart cards read by this computer.
Smart Card Helper - Enables support for legacy non-plug and play smart-card
readers used by this computer.
SSDP Discovery Service - Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home
network.
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper - Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT)
service and NetBIOS name resolution. This should not be needed in today's
network environment.
Telnet - Enables a remote user to log on to this computer and run programs,
and supports various TCP/IP Telnet clients.
Uninterruptible Power Supply Service - Manages an uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) connected to the computer.
Universal Plug and Play Device Host - Provides support to host Universal
Plug and Play devices
Upload Manager - Manages synchronous and asynchronous file transfers
between clients and servers on the network.
Volume Shadow Copy Service - Manages and implements Volume Shadow Copies
used for backup and other purposes.
Web Client - Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify
non-local files across the Internet.
Wireless Zero Configuration - Provides automatic configuration for the
802.11 adapters
WMI Performance Adapter - Provides performance library information from
WMI HiPerf providers.
|
| Cleaning
the Prefetch Directory |
WindowsXP
has a new feature called Prefetch. This keeps a shortcut to recently used
programs.
However it can fill up with old and obsolete programs.
To clean this periodically go to:
Star / Run / Prefetch
Press Ctrl-A to highlight all the shorcuts
Delete them Go
to top |
| Not
Displaying Logon, Logoff, Startup and Shutdown Status Messages |
To
turn these off:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system
If it is not already there, create a DWORD value named DisableStatusMessages
Give it a value of 1 |
| Repair
Install |
If
XP is corrupted to the point where none of the previous solutions get
it to boot,
you can do a Repair Install that might work as well as keep the current
settings.
Make sure you have your valid WindowsXP key.
The whole process takes about half an hour depending on your computer
If you are being prompted for the administrator's password, you need to
choose the 2nd repair option, not the first.
Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD
At the second R=Repair option, press the R key
This will start the repair
Press F8 for I Agree at the Licensing Agreement
Press R when the directory where WindowsXP is installed is shown. Typically
this is C:\WINDOWS
It will then check the C: drive and start copying files
It will automatically reboot when needed. Keep the CD in the drive.
You will then see the graphic part of the repair that is like during a
normal install of XP (Collecting Information, Dynamic Update, Preparing
Installation, Installing Windows, Finalizing Installation)
When prompted, click on the Next button
When prompted, enter your XP key
Normally you will want to keep the same Workgroup or Domain name
The computer will reboot
Then you will have the same screens as a normal XP Install
Activate if you want (usually a good idea)
Register if you want (but not necessary)
Finish
At this point you should be able to log in with any existing accounts.
Go
to top
|
| NTOSKRNL
Missing or Corrupt |
If
you get an error that NTOSKRNL not found:
Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation
of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
Change to the drive that has the CD ROM.
CD i386
expand ntkrnlmp.ex_ C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
If WindowsXP is installed in a different location, just make the necessary
change to C:\Windows
Take out the CD ROM and type exit |
| HAL.DLL
Missing or Corrupt |
If
you get an error regarding a missing or corrupt hal.dll file, it might
simply be the BOOT.INI file on the root of the C: drive that is misconfigured
Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation
of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
Type bootcfg /list to show the current entries in the BOOT.INI file
Type bootcfg /rebuild to repair it
Take out the CD ROM and type exit |
| Corrupted
or Missing \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG |
If
you get the error:
Windows could not start because the following files is missing or corrupt
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM or \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE
Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation
of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
Enter in the administrator password when requested
cd \windows\system32\config
Depending on which section was corrupted:
ren software software.bad or ren system system.bad
Depending on which section was corrupted
copy \windows\repair\system
copy \windows\repair\software
Take out the CD ROM and type exit
Go to top |
| NTLDR
or NTDETECT.COM Not Found |
If
you get an error that NTLDR is not found during bootup,
If you have FAT32 partitions, it is much simpler than with NTFS.
Just boot with a Win98 floppy and copy the NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM files
from the i386 directory to the root of the C:\ drive.
For NTFS:
Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD.
At the first R=Repair option, press the R key
Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation
of Windows you want to repair.
Typically this will be #1
Enter in the administrator password when requested
Enter in the following commands (X: is replaced by the actual drive letter
that is assigned to the CD ROM drive.
COPY X:\i386\NTLDR C\:
COPY X:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\
Take out the CD ROM and type exit |
| Bringing
Up the Shutdown Dialog Box |
Create
a new txt file somewhere on your system, open it and put in this one line:
(new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application")).ShutdownWindows();
Save and Close the file. Change the extension to js and your got it.
You can make a shortcut to that file to make it easy to shut down your
system. |
| Hiding
the Last User Logged On |
If
you use the standard NT style of login and want to hide the last user:
Start the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
Go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings /
Local Policies / Security Options
Scroll down to Interactive logon: Do not display last user name
Set it to Enable Go
to top |
| Poweroff
at Shutdown |
If
your computer does not turn off the power when doing a shutdown,
you may need to edit the registry. I have all the correct BIOS and Power
settings and still needed to do this.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Edit the key PowerOffActive and give it a value of 1
You can do the same in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop |
| Remembering
Folder Settings |
If
XP does not remember your folder settings, delete or rename the following
registry keys
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags] |
| Preventing
Applications from Stealing the Focus |
To
prevent applications from stealing the focus from the window you are working
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
Edit the key ForegroundLockTimeout
Give it a value of 00030d40 |
| Disable
Explorer Thumbnail View |
If
you want disable the Explorer's ability to show the Thumbnail View ,
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion
\ Explorer \ Advanced \
Change ClassicViewState to 1 Go
to top |
| Disable
Shared Documents |
To
disable the Shared Documents folder that shows up on the network
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion
\ Policies \ Explorer \
Create a new DWORD Value
Give it the name NoSharedDocuments
Give it a value of 1
Log off or reboot |
| Removing
Thumbs.db Files |
When
viewing a folder with the Thumbnail view, WindowsXP creates a thumbs.db
file.
This is a cache of the current pictures in that directory.
If you want to turn this feature off and save a little disk space
Start the Windows Explorer
Go to Tools / Folder Options / View
In the first section under Files and Folders, check Do not cache thumbnails
Now you can search for the thumbs.db file on your computer and remove
them. No more should be created. |
| Enable
/ Disable the Task Manager |
Start
Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
Create the Dword value DisableTaskMgr
Give it a value of 0 to enable it
Give it a vaule of 1 to disable it Go
to top |
| Clearing
the Page File on Shutdown |
Another
way to set the computer to clear the pagefile without directly editing
the registry is:
Click on the Start button
Go to the Control Panel
Administrative Tools
Local Security Policy
Local Policies
Click on Security Options
Right hand menu - right click on "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory
Pagefile"
Select "Enable"
Reboot
If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory
Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdown
Set the value to 1 |
| No
GUI Boot |
If
you don't need to see the XP boot logo,
Run MSCONFIG
Click on the BOOT.INI tab
Check the box for /NOGUIBOOT |
| Using
the Classic Search in Explorer |
If
you prefer to use the classic search style in Explorer,
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
Add a String Key called Use Search Asst
Give it a value of no Go
to top |
| Changing
Drive Letters |
If
you want to change the letters assigned to your fixed or removable drives:
Right Click on My Computer
Select Manage
Select Disk Management
For a Fixed Disk:
Select it
Right click
Select Change Drive Letter and Path
Click on the Edit button
Enter in the letter you want to use
For a Removable Disk:
In the lower, right hand panel, right click on the Disk or CD ROM #
Select Change Drive Letter and Path
Click on the Edit button
Enter in the letter you want to use |
| Changing
the Registered Owner |
Start
Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
From there you can edit the name in the Registered Owner key |
| Decreasing
Boot Time |
Microsoft
has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes
to boot to WindowsXP
The program is called BootVis
Uncompress the file.
Run BOOTVIS.EXE
For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays
This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of
your system startup.
Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red
vertical line)
Then run Trace / Optimize System
Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays
Note how much the time has decreased
Mine went from approximately 39 to 30 seconds. Go
to top |
| Hide/Unhide
Logon Names |
If
you want to hide or unhide the names of users that are displayed on the
initial logon screen:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion
\ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList
Add a DWORD with the name of the user account you want to hide
Make sure it has a value of 0
If there is an existing account, you can unhide it by giving it a value
of 1 |
| WindowsXP
Command Line Utilities |
While
there are a lot of command line utilities in WindowsXP, here are some
that I have been using lately.
bootcfg - Configures, queries, or changes Boot.ini file settings.
driverquery - Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their
properties.
getmac - Returns the media access control (MAC) address and list of network
protocols associated with each address for all network cards in each computer
gpresult - Displays Group Policy settings and Resultant Set of Policy
(RSOP) for a user or a computer
netsh - You can use commands in the Netsh Interface IP context to configure
the TCP/IP protocol
schtasks - Schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a
specific time
systeminfo - Displays detailed configuration information about a computer
and its operating system |
| Creating
an Automated Install of WindowsXP |
On
the WindowsXP CP, in the SUPPORT\TOOLS directory,
there is a file called DEPLOY.CAB.
Extract the programs DEPLOY.CHM (help file) and SETUPMGR.EXE (main program)
Run SETUPMGR and answer the prompts.
This will create both a unattend.bat and unattend.txt file you can use
for automated installs.
Note: The batch file might need some minor modification for file locations
but it is fairly basic. |
| Disabling
Hibernation |
If
you don't want to use up the disk space taken by Hibernation, or don't
need to use it at all,
you can easily disable it.
Open up the Control Panel / Power Options icon
Click on the Hibernation icon
Uncheck Enable Hibernation Go
to top |
| Increasing
System Performance |
If
you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory
Management\DisablePagingExecutive
Set the value to be 1
Reboot the computer |
| Common
Command Console Utilities |
WindowsXP
comes with quite a few console utilities you can easily run from the command
line:
Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
Disk Managment - diskmgmt.msc
Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
Disk Defrag - dfrg.msc
Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc
Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc
Group Policies - gpedit.msc
Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc
Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc
Resultant Set of Policies - rsop.msc
Local Security Settings - secpol.msc
Services - services.msc
Component Services - comexp.msc |
| Automatically
Ending Non-Responsive Tasks |
Start
Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks
Set the value to be 1
In the same section, change the WaitToKillAppTimeout to the number of
milliseconds you want. |
| Changing
the Internet Explorer Title |
Start
Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window
Title
Enter what you want appear in the title bar |
| Changing
Programs That Start Automatically |
WindowsXP
has a similar program, MSCONFIG, that was available in Windows98.
This allows you to view and change what programs are automatically started
each time you log in.
The new version also allows you to view and edit the boot.ini file (as
well as check for errors and use several advanced switches) |
| Go
to top |
