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Windows XP
Tips & Tricks

This is one of the oldest articles I had written on this site. I have kept it for old times sake.

Why Linux? These days, I don't use the NSA snooping software called Windows XP. I use Ubunutu Linux full time. Instead, I use XP only to work on my website, which is based on ASP/IIS. Even then, I use XP as a VirtualBox virtual machine inside Ubuntu. Unless, you are heavily invested in the latest version of Photoshop or AutoCAD, I would strongly suggest you use Ubuntu too.

If you are planning on buying Windows, please stop! Try Ubuntu first. Ubuntu is totally free. It comes with a free office productivity suite called OpenOffice that contains drop-in replacements and even better ones than those in Microsoft Office. OpenOffice can create documents that are fully compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

And, OpenOffice is not the only free product available in Ubuntu. It has tons of other free software. You will be amazed by the amount of alternatives that Ubuntu Linux offers you. You can also play many Windows games and applications using the Windows emulator Wine. For more information, read my Ubuntu and Gnome Diary.

If you want to get Ubuntu, go to www.Ubuntu.com and download their Ubuntu ISO image file. Use a CD-burning program to burn the ISO image to a CD. Next, boot from the CD (You need to set the CD as the first boot device in the BIOS setup.) and start the Ubuntu installer. If you are not familiar with all this, just ask your neighbourhood or office geek to help you out.

If you do not want to give up Windows just yet but would like to give Ubuntu or some other Linux a try, then read my article How To Dual-Boot or Multi-Boot Operating Systems.

Installation

• If you want Windows XP to be installed on a hard disk partition of your choice, then during the installation procedure at the Setup Options screen, click on Advanced Options and check the I want to choose the install drive letter and partition during Setup.
• For the ideal partition setup, create three primary partitions and one extended partion with the biggest space alloted for the extended partition. Inside the extended partion, create logical partitions as when the need arises. Never create partitions that take up the entire space. Always calculate the space you require and create a partition of that size.
• Numerous shortcomings have been discovered in Windows XP since it was released and Microsoft has released several Service Packs to patch these up. These special packs can be downloaded free from the Microsoft's website. Many computer magazines carry the latest special packs on their cover CDs. Get one from a friend and install it if downloading it via the Net is a problem.
• Windows XP needs at least 128 MB of system RAM. If your laptop shares the RAM with the onboard video card, then make sure the installed RAM is more than 128 MB.

Drivers

• The first thing you should be doing after installing Windows XP is to install the Windows XP drivers of your motherboard.
• Next, check Device Manager to see if there are any hardware that have not been recognised or have a yellow question mark against them. Get the Windows XP drivers for these devices and install them. Start installing your applications only after your hardware and drivers have been properly installed.

Logon

• It is always better to have a logon procedure for your sessions. If by default this was disabled, enable it. Go to Control Panel » User Accounts » Change the way users log on and off. Here, uncheck the box at Use Welcome Screen and click on Apply Options.
• For security reasons, many people set the logon window to require Ctrl+Alt+Del. On stand-alone machines, there is only a roundabout way to bring this behaviour. Type gpedit.msc in the Run dialog box. Click on Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options. On the right-hand pane, double-click on Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL and select Disabled.
• To change the log-on picture, go to Control Panel » User Accounts » Change an account. Here, click on your user account. Now, click on Change My Picture and then Browse for more pictures. Here, select a picture of your choice and it will appear in the logon window.
• If after creating or modifying the user account you are not able to log in, just press the Enter key (You may not have set any password.) Or, change the UserID to Administrator and try with the same password. This will work if the administrator account has not changed. After logging in as Administrator, change the password of your account.
• As soon as you log on, Windows Messenger will also start. To prevent this, start Windows Messenger and go to Tools » Options » Preferences and uncheck the checkboxes for Run this program when Windows Starts and Allow this program to run in the background.
• Sometimes, the Computers Near Me might be missing from My Network Places. To get it back, create/modify the Last Domain (string) value in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer to 0,0,Unknown.
• You can put a message box just before someone logs on to your Windows PC by creating the following string values under the key HLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon\: LegalNoticeCaption (title of the message box) and LegalNoticeText (contents of the message).

Boot Menu

• If you have more than one operating system, then you will see a boot menu after the computer completes the POST (Power On Self Test). After you install Windows XP, Windows XP will become the default choice in the boot menu. To change this, go to Control Panel » System » Advanced » Startup and Recovery » Settings » Default Operating System and select the OS that you want to be made default.
• To change the number of seconds that the boot menu is displayed (after which the default OS is loaded), change the Time to display list of operating systems. My suggestion would be 5 seconds.
• If you have Linux and some other OS installed in your machine, wouldn't you like to load it from the Windows boot menu? If so, read the How To Multi-Boot Operating Systems.

System Settings

• Windows XP may display an annoying "Low Disk Space" warning in the notification area (system tray) whenever free disk space in any drive goes below a minimum threshold. To disable this behaviour, open REGEDIT, create a DWORD value "NoLowDiskSpaceChecks" on the right-side pane for the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and give it a value 0.
• In the System Failure section in the Startup and Recovery tab, there is a checkbox for Send an administrative alert. If you have no use for this, uncheck it.
• If debugging information is of no value to you, select none from the listbox at Write debugging information.
• To save space, turn off System Restore by selecting the checkbox at Turn of System Restore on all drives in the System Restore tab.
• If automatic updates feature bugs you, then turn it off by checking the radio button at the Turn off automatic updating. I want to update my computer manually in the Automatic Updates tab. Just make sure you have installed the latest special packs and patches and antivirus updates prior to this.
• To prevent Windows XP sending or accepting remote connections uncheck the checkboxes at the Remote tab.
• In Windows XP, the Device Manager is buried under a lot of windows. For easy access to it, create a shortcut for devmgmt.msc.

Services

Windows XP, unlike Windows 9x/Me, has easily configurable background processes. In NT-based systems such as Windows XP, there are so many of them running at the same time that turning off some useless services will help in performance. If you turn the setting for these services to Manual, then they will not hog so much resources and will come up only when asked to. Right-click on My Computer and select Manage. Here, choose Services to look at the list of services that are running. Some of the Automatic services here can be changed to Manual. DO NOT TRY THESE TIPS if you do not understand them properly.

• If you have no use for Automatic Updates, then change it manual.
• If you do not want to start processes logged in as a different user, change Secondary Logon to manual.
• If you do not use Task Scheduler, then turn off Task Scheduler service to manual.
• If you do not have a printer, turn the Print Spooler service to manual.
• If you are unlikely to use a wireless network or device, then turn off Wireless Zero Configuration service to manual.
• If your computer is a standalone machine and is not connected to a LAN/WAN, then set Alerter, Computer Browser, Messenger services to Manual. The Messenger service is not to be confused with MSN Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger. It is used to broadcast messages on a network, then set it to manual. This service is a source of annoyance that is known as "Messenger Spam." If the Messenger service is very important to you but you don't want spam messages, then you have to block the ports 135, 137-139 and 445 in your firewall.

Desktop

• The Windows XP special effects department can take a lot of memory and CPU time. Disabling these can increase performance. For this, go to Control Panel » System » Advanced » Performance » Settings » Visual Effects » Adjust for best performance.
• Do you miss the volume control icon in the system tray? Then, go to Control Panel » Sounds and Audio Devices » Device Volume and check the Place Volume icon in the taskbar.
• The Quicklaunch toolbar by default may be disabled. Enable it by going to Control Panel » Taskbar and Start Menu » Taskbar Appearance » Show Quick Launch.
• You can add icons to the QuickLaunch toolbar for easy access to your favorite programs, folders, websites, etc. For this, create the shortcuts on your desktop and drag them to the QuickLaunch toolbar.
• When you add icons in the QuickLaunch toolbar, you will find that the toolbar does not resize itself. To allow this, right-click on the taskbar and click on the Lock the Taskbar option.
• If you want to create another toolbar. The create a folder and put your shortcuts in it. Now, right-click on the taskbar and choose New Toolbar from the Toolbar menu. In the dialog box, select the folder that you had just created.
• The system tray, by default, hides icons that are not currently active. To change this behaviour, right-click on the taskbar, click on Properties to go to Taskbar and Start Menu Properties and uncheck the Hide Inactive Icons checkbox. Or, you could click on the Customize button to display the Customize Notifications. You can then choose to selectively display or hide system tray icons listed there.
• Windows XP's short and fat Start menu can be a pain in your wrist. Your favorite program could be hidden in deep recess under it. For easy access, navigate to the program in the Start menu and right-click on its option and select Pin to Start menu.
• In Windows XP, the Active Desktop settings has been hidden away. It is not where it used to be in previous versions of Windows. It is available at Control Panel » Display » Customize Desktop » Web.

Explorer

• People who find the new Windows Explorer windows a bit confusing, should make use of the Favorites menu instead to navigate easily to different locations. Open those folders or locations that you often visit, select the Add to Favorities options in the Favorites menu. Whenever you feel lost, just pull down the Favorites menu and select the folder you want to go to.
• Windows XP's Search feature searches inside zip files (compressed folders) too. This can slow down the process. To stop this behaviour, enter regsvr32 \winnt\system32\zipfldr.dll /u in the Run dialog box (Start Menu). You might want to use a program like WinZip to deal with compressed folders. To get that functionality back, use the same line without the /u switch.
• The search pane of Windows Me/2000 was more user friendly than that of Windows XP. So, if you want to return the Windows Me/2000 interface, then open up Regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState. On the right-hand side, create a string value Use Search Asst and give it a value no, and ye shall be blessed.
• If you like the Explorer's lean-mean look of yesteryears and want to avoid the miserable sidebar, go to Folder Options » Tasks and select Use Windows Classic Folders.
• In the Details view of Windows Explorer, if you right-click on a column heading, you will be able to customize the view with other hidden headings.

Networking

• Windows sets the speed of COM ports to 9600 bps by default. To prevent this low speed from being a bottleneck to your dialup Internet connection, change the speed of the COM port used by the network connection that you use for connecting to the Net to 921600 bps by modifying string value of the COM port under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Ports.
• Windows XP offers great support for wireless networks particularly those with WiFi.^* Almost all notebook PCs today are based on Intel Centrino (Duo) or AMD Turion platform, which provide wireless support out-of-the-box. When using wireless devices, there is an enevitable tradeoff between security and ease of use. An unsecured wireless network creates the possibility that someone can hack into your network/PC or just someone you stealing your Internet bandwidth. This is because network packets are sent over the air and special software such as Network Stumbler or AirSnort can sniff these packets and break their encryption code. So, what choices do you have? An accepted industry-practice for securing wireless networks involves the use VPN (Virtual Private Networking) and IP tunneling software.
• An easier solution would be to provide network access based on the MAC addresses of the network client computers. A MAC address is unique and cannot be easily changed because it is a hardware-assigned number. Airports, hotels, restaurants and clubs offering free Wi-Fi Internet access to their patrons can ask for the MAC address of the PCs of their clients and add these to the MAC address table on the wireless access point. This prevents freeloaders lurking in the area from illegitimately using the free service. To obtain the MAC address, customers can be asked to type cmd in the Run dialog box on the Start menu and enter the command ipconfig /all, which displays information about the PC's network adaptor including its MAC address.

* - Wi-Fi does not stand for Wireless Fidelity. It is merely a play on the term Hi-Fi (High Fidelity).

Miscellaneous

• Use software such as Rambooster to cope up with the bigger memory requirements of WinXP.
• You can create some custom menu options to the context menu of My Computer using Regedit. Create a key at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell and give it a name like DM_Command. On the right-side pane, change the default value to Device Manager. Create another key under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\DM_Command called Command. On the right-side pane, change its default value to start devmgmt.msc. Now, close Regedit and right-click on My Computer to see the effect. You can create such custom menu options for any other commands. Your choices are limited only by your imagination. But, do remember that meddling with the Registry is not for novices.
• With the above tip, the order in which your custom menu option appear can be controlled by changing the name of the key that you create under shell. For example, if you name it ZDM_Command, it will appear last in the menu order.
• Similarly, you can create custom menu options for My Network Places too. Just create the keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}\Shell. For Recycle Bin, it should be under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\Shell. The DM_Command stands for Device Manager Command. I chose to name it like that. You can use your imagination when naming these keys, but the Command key is compulsory. You have no freedom on that.
• Create a shortcut for Task Manager (taskmgr.exe) on the Start menu for quick access. This will come useful when you have to turn off or kill any processes. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+Esc for the same purpose.
• If Windows hangs, then open up Task Manager and look for any programs that is shown as Not Responding. Right-click on that program and select End Process. If there are no such processes, then the Windows shell is probably the offending program. Move to the Processes tab and select explorer.exe. Right-click on this and select End Process. When you kill explorer, the desktop and the taskbar will disappear. Now, give the three-button salute and bring up the Task Manager. Select New Task from the File menu and type explorer. This will restore your desktop and taskbar.
• If the above tip fails to revive Windows, trying logging off and logging in again. If that fails too, restart.
• Outlook Express by default might prevent access to certain attachments that it suspects might contain a virus. This is the reason why you get the OE has removed the unsafe attachment error. To prevent this, go to Tools » Options » Security and uncheck the box for Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus.
• Disk Clean Up might seem to hang when it does the "Compress old files" routine. If you wait long enough, it will complete that job, but for most people it seems to "hang." To avoid this, export the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches for safekeeping, just in case you want it back later on. Next, delete the Compress old files key.

© V. Subhash, 2009. All rights reserved.

Moral Volcano is the work of a thinker, astrologer, software programmer, GNU/Linux user, web designer, technical writer, lexicographer, hacker, and amateur photographer named V. Subhash (Me). I have written a fake American Policy for Dummies book. My e-book How To Invest In Stocks PDF eBook is free but not fake. So, I my PDF eBook version of Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary, which was created using the all-text original provided by the Guttenberg project and a free software HTMLDoc. I do not have any time for social notworking sites such as Facebook. They cause a huge loss of productivity in offices where employees have access to Internet. I had a Johnny Bravo fan site but that was gone when Yahoo closed Geocities. Sites such as Facebook, Linked-In, MySpace, Orkut, and Twitter thrive only because spies and marketers feel there is a great need for easy access to demographic and personal information. "Free" pretends to be free for a reason. Otherwise, everything comes with a price tag.