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Do you know that windows XP has a hidden movie with it.
Type a small command to have a look at it.
Watch and Enjoy!!!
Go to start—> Run and type the following command
telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
and hit enter!!
That's it!!
Now enjoy it with some snacks to eat!!
When the power button in the CPU is pressed , by default our system shuts down.
We can change this setting , letting XP ask us what to do whenever the power button is pressed.
How you can do??
Right click on the desktop and select properties.
Now in the Display properties window click on the screensaver tab.
Click the Power button in the bottom. This opens Power option properties window.
Click on the advanced tab.
Under Power buttons there will be two drop down menus “When I press the power button on my computer” and “When I press the sleep button on my computer”
In those menus select “ask me what to do” as shown in the figure.
Click apply and ok and restart your system.
Now whenever the power or sleep button is pressed XP opens Turn off computer window and lets you decide what to do!!!
Here are some browser shortcuts that can be really helpful while browsing.
Opening a site:
.com - Ctrl+Enter
For example type Google in the address bar and press ctrl+enter . This will take you to www.google.com. Got the point !?? Need not type www & .com!!!
.net - Shift + Enter
.org - Shift + Ctrl + Enter
Open the site in new tab
Alt+ Ctrl + Enter
Bookmarking a site
Ctrl+D
Close a Browser tab
Ctrl+W
Searching
A specific word can be searched in the site
Ctrl + F
Text Size
Ctrl and + for larger text
Ctrl and – for smaller text
Enjoy Fast Surfing!!!
You can have one-click access to your local drives (can have to many parts of your computer too!!).
No need to double-click my computer and then again double-click on the local drive.
How you can do?
Right click start button and select properties.
Then go to customize
Click Advanced in the “Customize Start Menu Window”.
You’ll now see a start menu items scroll bar.
Now scroll down to My computer and select the radio button , “Display as Menu”.
Click ok and apply.
That's it.
Now you can see your local drives displayed as menu when you place your mouse pointer over My computer in the start menu.
!!!!!!!!One-click access!!!!!!!!!!
When you right click on my computer and click properties , the properties window opens. In the general tab have you ever seen a manufacturer’s logo ??
While working with CSC i saw their logo in that place.
Its their manufacture and they have branded it.
Does it gives a weird feeling that its their computer and not yours??
Don’t worry we can change it and make it look like the way we want!!
How you can do it??
Just follow these simple steps.
1. Select or create an image.
2. The picture should be no more than , 180*115 pixels and should be a bitmap file. (Use some image editor if you don’t have such!)
3. Now save it as oemlogo.bmp in c:\windows\system32 folder.
4. Half done!! Now open notepad type the following code, (in the space after “=” type whatever you like to appear.
[General]
Manufacturer=
Model=
[Support Information]
Line1=
Line2=
5. Save the file, as oeinfo.ini and select all files in file type, and in the same location c:\windows\system32 folder.
6.Voila !!! Its yours now!!!
7. Now the window will look like (like i edited),
8. When you click on support information,
Happy Tweaking!!!!
We can hide a user account in welcome screen , if its necessary to do.
Microsoft hides certain system accounts by default , these accounts support certain background processes. We need not know much of these.
We can use the same steps to hide a user account.
How you can do ??
Follow the steps:
1. Open regedit
2. Follow the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList.
3. In the right panel right-click and select NEW—>DWORD value and give the name of the account to be hidden.
4. Close the registry editor and restart the system.
5. Now the user account can be seen hidden in the windows logon screen .
6. To login through that account press ctrl+alt+delete twice when you are in the log on screen and give the user name and password to login.
Note: Its always a good habit to back up registry before we make any changes to the registry. Its easy to revert back to the original state if anything goes wrong after changes are made.
Every time we activate our windows with Microsoft , all activation stuff is saved in a file called “Wpa.dbl”
We can backup this file so that every time we reinstall windows
How you can do?
Backup the file Wpa.dbl
C:\windows\system32\Wpa.dbl
Go to this location and copy the file before you reinstall windows.
Why not we give names to recycle bin??
It's cool to see it with the name we have given to it!!
Garbage collector
Trash bin
Whatever you feel good to it , you can rename it!!
How you can do??
follow the steps:
1. Open run, type regedit and go to the registry editor
2. Locate HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\
3. In the right pane , double click on LocalizedString or right click on LocalizedString and select Modify to modify the registry value.
4. You should see the default value of “@%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll,-8964″. Delete or remove the default value and key in your desired new recycle bin’s name in text, for e.g. give “Trash Barrel” (without quotes).
5. Refresh your desktop or Windows Explorer by pressing F5.
You will see the new ‘recycle bin’ name.
You can also modify the text of InfoTip, commonly known as tooltip what display description about Recycle Bin when the mouse pointer is placed on Recycle Bin icon.
The default text that is displayed is “Contains files and folders that you have deleted.”
We can even change this!!!
How you can do??
In the same right panel , Simply double click on InfoTip, or right click on InfoTip and select Modify to change the text of the info tip.
The default value is “@%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll,-22915″, change it to another description that you want the tooltip to be.
Refresh the desktop to make it effective.
Note: Its always a good habit to back up registry before palying with it!!
A tool that can be used to restore the operation of windows XP.
Restores operation of Windows XP
Windows uses the information from registry that was saved during last shutdown.
How you can do??
1. Start your computer, press F8 key when Windows begins to start.
Pressing F8 opens Windows Advanced Options menu.
2. Use your ARROW keys to select Last Known Good Configuration , and then click OK.
Select Microsoft Windows XP,if a start menu appears,and then click OK.
The steps are as follows,
1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
-or-
Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
2. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
3. Under System Startup, click Edit.
Alternative method:
You can also edit boot.ini through command prompt through the command edit boot.ini
Passwords that we type in for your user account in XP is not secure as in most cases it is a simple one remember and this allows others to guess or crack our passwords.
There is a feature in XP where we can request a strong and secure password.
How can you do it?
Procedure to set the password complexity for your user account
Follow this path
control panel -> administrative tools -> Local security Policy -> account policy -> password policy
Enable the "password must meet complexity requirement”
That’s it!!!
The applications on your Windows XP computer are running slowly. the system has only 100 MB free disk space.
How can you improve performance?
For a system to run normally , it is recommended that there should be at least 200-500MB of free hard disk drive space available.
So, to increase the free disk space in the system we recommend the following solutions ,
1.disk cleanup &
2. removing unwanted applications & unwanted data from the system.
Disk cleanup is the utility provided by Microsoft
Follow the steps below in your XP machine to use Disk Cleanup utility
Start--> All programs-->Accessories-->System Tools-->Disk cleanup.
Removing unwanted applications & unwanted data from the system will increase free disk space in the system.
Finally make sure that there is at least 200-500 mb free disk space is available in the system.
Disaster recovery helps when machine status is crucial and helps to recover system settings and keep them intact.
How you can do??
Follow the steps
I. Backup system state data
1. Go to System tools -->Backup and than enter.
2. Click advanced mode --> Select Backup --> Click System State box -->enter the backup
media like that --> \\servername\shared name\backup file name.bkf (or) Select browse and then
click entire network--> select shared folder --> click finish.
3. Click start backup --> Advanced --> Choose backup type like Normal, Incremental and
Differential -->OK-->Click start Backup -->Finally hit close button.
II. Restore system state data
1. Click start -->All programs --> Accessories -->System tools -->Backup and than enter.
2. Click advanced mode -->Select Restore and Manage Media --> Select backup file and start restore.
The “send error report to Microsoft” message pops up when any program ends in an unusual way.
But this can be disabled.
How you can do it??
Follow the steps
Start -> Settings -> Control Panel
Click on -> System icon
Click on -> Advanced tab
Click on -> Error Reporting button at the bottom of the window
Select -> Disable error reporting radio button.
Click -> OK and OK again
That's it!!
A scenario where your Shared folders will be visible in the network neighborhood but your XP machine will not show up in the network neighborhood.
How you can do it?
1. Open command prompt.
2. Type the command “'net config server /hidden:yes” and press enter.
3. That's it.
Now your XP machine wont be visible in the My Network places.
After installing windows XP and when you restart your machine you get the following error : “STOP:INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE” and you are unable to start your Windows XP machine.
Reasons
1. Partition may not be set active.
2. Error in boot device.
Solution
1. Place the xp cd in the cd-rom.
2. Select the repair (pressing R)option and enter through the Console option.
3. While the process was going Press SHIFT+F10.
4. Type " FIXBOOT " press Enter.
5. Type " FIXMBR " press Enter.
Now restart your system
There are two ways to block websites for users, either in a network or home.
First one is by doing it through browsers, its easy and all browsers now in use support this feature.
But when there are many browsers used its necessary to do those steps in all browsers.
Second one is doing it manually and its quite simple. Provided there is no need to do it in each and every browser.
How you can do it?
Follow these steps:
Either through command prompt or explorer go to this path C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts and open the hosts file using notepad or WordPad.
Locate the line 127.0.0.1 localhost . Its at the bottom.
Assume that we are going to block yahoo.com
To block the website yahoo.com, just add this text
(Note: Its necessary to block access to system32 files for users)
Forgot your XP admin password?
The password can be reset without using any third party tool.
How you can do it?
1. Have your bios set to boot from CD. Now keep the XP bootable disk in the cd drive and restart the system.
2. Proceed as normal XP installation and when you get to the Welcome Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows.
3. The Licensing Agreement will come next - Press F8.
4. The next screen is the Setup screen that gives you the option to do a Repair. Press R to begin the Repair process.
5. Setup will now check the disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.
6. After the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot.
7.Setup will resume automatically (do not press any key after reboot)
8. On the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10.
This opens a command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.
9. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Now it gives graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.
10. Now simply pick the account you need to change or remove password .
11.To log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password.
12.After the changes are done ,close the windows, exit the command box and continue with the Repair
13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password.
Have a nice day!!!
Features of Windows Live Mail
Enhanced security
Automated filtering of junk email which also includes spam and phishing messages.
Interface
Has a stylish, clean and friendly interface that can be changed as per user requirements.
Multiple email accounts
Windows Live Mail supports multiple email accounts setup including Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo!Mail .
Photo e-mail
High resolution photographs can be sent through email as thumbnails. Full sized photo will be displayed only when requested.
RSS Feeds
Feeds subscribed from websites and blogs can be delivered straight away to your inbox with this feature.
Windows Live mail takes relatively less time for email search and the mail search utility is placed on the top for easy access.
Additional feature that comes with windows live , Windows Live Writer is an easy way to update blogs. It has easy html editing features, and supports number of plug-ins that can be additionally added from MSN.
Quick views shows particular categories from your email and news accounts.
Windows XP by default provides a service that can enable remote users modify registry settings of other computers in network. A Registry Security Hole. But this service can be disabled
How you Can do?
1. Open control panel.
2. Go to Administrative tools –> Services
3. Locate the “RemoteRegistry” in the right side panel.
4. Right click on it and select Properties.
5. In General tab , click Startup type menu and select Disabled.
6. Click OK and restart the system for changes to take effect.
Keyboard shortcuts 
Basic keyboard shortcuts
1. CTRL+C (Copy)
2. CTRL+X (Cut)
3. CTRL+V (Paste)
4. CTRL+Z (Undo)
5. DELETE (Delete)
6. SHIFT+DELETE (To Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
7. CTRL while dragging an item (To Copy the selected item)
8. F2 key (To Rename the selected item)
9. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (To Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop)
10. CTRL+A (Select all)
11. F3 key (To Search for a file or a folder)
12. ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
13. ALT+F4 (Closes the active item, or quits the active program)
14. ALT+ENTER (Displays the properties of the selected object)
15. ALT+SPACEBAR (Opens the shortcut menu for the active window)
16. ALT+TAB ( Switch between the open items)
17. ALT+ESC ( Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
18. F6 key ( Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
19. F4 key (Displays the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
20. ALT+SPACEBAR (Displays the System menu for the active window)
21. CTRL+ESC (Displays the Start menu)
22. BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
23. Press SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive to prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing
24. CTRL+SHIFT+ESC (For opening Task Manager)
25. Windows Logo (Displays or hides the Start menu)
26. Windows Logo+BREAK (Displays the System Properties dialog box)
27. Windows Logo+D (Displays the desktop)
28. Windows Logo+M (Minimizes all of the windows)
29. Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restores the minimized windows)
30. Windows Logo+E (Opens My Computer)
31. Windows Logo+F (Searches for a file or a folder)
32. CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Searches for computers)
33. Windows Logo+F1 (Displays Windows Help)
34. Windows Logo+ L (Locks the keyboard)
35. Windows Logo+R (Opens the Run dialog box)
36. Windows Logo+U (Opens Utility Manager)
Simple tweaking that can speed up your Firefox browser
I heard about this tweak and i tried it personally. I can now witness the change. Just give it a try!!!
How You Can Do It?
Follow the steps:
1. Start your Firefox 
2. In the address bar type “about:config”.
3. It directs you to a page where it displays number of options and their values based on the plugins
4. In filter option bar type , ”network.http.pipelining” and press Enter.
5. Double click on network.http.pipelining and it’ll be set to true.
6. Now double click on “pipelining.maxrequests”. Set the integer value from default “4” to some higher value like “10”.
7. Done. That's it!!!
8. Restart your browser.
Increase disk space on your computer without deleting any files on the system
1. Delete Temp files:
Go to Start > Run type %temp > press enter.
In the Temp folder, select and delete all files at this location.
Empty your recycle bin.
2. Delete Temporary Internet files and backup files:
Open My computer -->right click on the required drive say. C--> properties
Click on Disk Cleanup
This will open a Disk cleanup window
Select the temporary Internet files, recycle bin, setup log files, temporary files, office setup files and other files that are not necessary.
Click OK.
This cleans up system deleting all unnecessary files , increasing disk space.
How to make Internet Explorer run fast??
Two reasons that can slow down your Internet explorer run slow:
1. Saved web history,
2. Saved encrypted pages.
Reduce size of saved web history
It’s advisable to store two days web history while saving a week’s or more than that web history will certainly reduce the performance.
How you can do?
1. In Internet Explorer
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, in the History section, find the Days to keep pages in history: box. Type "1" or “2” (no.of.days) in this box.
3. Click OK
This is how you can set up Internet Explorer to reduce saved pages history. I always prefer to have just a day’s history to be saved.
Saved Encrypted pages
Internet Explorer can save encrypted pages. These pages require usernames and passwords. Pages are messed up to hide sensitive information.
How you can do?
1. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click on the Advanced tab.
3. In the Settings section, scroll down to the Security section. Check the "Do not save encrypted pages to disk" option.
4. Click OK.
This how you can set up Internet Explorer not to save encrypted Web pages
All these settings can be applied based on the user requirements.
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