Download Windows Installer 2.0 for Win 95, 98, Me:
//www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=32831
-------------------------------
To say the least, Win98
isn't very secure.
But NT/Win2K/XP are more secure, and sometimes extremely so (depending
on how they're set up). The logon passwords in these OSes are real; and
they can be very difficult to circumvent.
But it can be done, as is explained in some depth here:
//www.ntsecurity.net/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=9527
-------------------------------
Your latest issue includes a comment on Microsoft's Smart Tags
( //www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-01-31.htm#3 )...
For those of you who have web pages to maintain, including
personal web pages, you can disable Smart Tags for your site by
inserting the following line between and in the
html:
-------------------------------
//www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp Click on find (at
the bottom of the page) for all 492 Microsoft downloads.
Regards, Tony Freitas
-------------------------------
The other minor trouble listed on the site I found had to do with your favorite
archive manager, WinZip. If the Explorer shell extensions are installed, XP can
(and I quote) "...exhibit slow file transfer performance running on an Ethernet
network with the Microsoft Client over TCP/IP." I guess it can cause a painful
slowdown or even a locking-up effect. Uninstalling the shell extensions is supposed
to fix the problem
-------------------------------
ASP on XP Home Edition IIS?
http://coveryourasp.com/Snippet.asp?snip=48
The short answer is no, you cannot run Active Server Pages services on the included
version of Internet Information Server included with Windows XP Home Edition.
However, a few workarounds might allow you to do so. Why you'd want to do so,
is another question entirely, but for the tinkerers that want to try their hand at
working with web applications, this might help get you started. The best solution
is to have Windows XP Professional, as there are some limitations to the
Home Edition, as you might expect, and as the name implies.
-------------------------------
Administering Win2K Domains From Windows XP Clients
//www.microsoft.com/technet/columns/profwin/pw0202.asp?frame=true
Professor Windows covers an administration topic that IT departments
are running into as they begin to evaluate or even rollout Windows XP
to corporate desktops. Administering Windows 2000 server environment
from Windows XP clients requires a separate admin pack to be installed,
as the Windows 2000 version of the client tools does not work properly.
Read up on the finer points of administration from a Windows XP workstation
before you take a wrong turn.
-------------------------------
"I have heard many XP users complaining they can not delete certain file
types. Almost always they are videos. I finally found that XP keeps a list
of files recently used by media player. This list is at
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ MediaPlayer \ Player \ RecentFileList.
Once the entry for the movie is deleted the file can be deleted.
-------------------------------
//www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/using/productdoc/en/default.asp?url=/windowsxp/home/using/productdoc/en/ntcmds.asp
-------------------------------
DRIVERS
Make a backup of all currently installed drivers:
Download link: wdrvbck1.exe
The README.txt file in full:
WinDriversBackup Personal Edition.....by JerMar Software Corp. A complimentary, freely
distributable Windows utility.
This software is provided free of charge. This software DOES NOT install spy-ware
or ad-ware software. When you install WinDriversBackup all you get is WinDriversBackup.
There are no strings attached. Please enjoy the software. If you like it share it.
WinDriversBackup Personal Edition is freely distributable and is not for sell.
Copyright JerMar Software Corp. 2002
JerMar Software Corp.
www.jermar.com
PMB 403
16505 "A" S.E. First St.
Vancouver, WA 98684
360-885-3224
-------------------------------
On a more entertaining note, do you remember the music that played when
you first started Windows XP? Ya know, the one that sounded like an Enigma
tune? If you wanna hear it again, you can find it at
C:\ WINDOWS \ system32 \ oobe \ images \ title.wma
Of course, if you want to free up 3 MB worth of space, you can delete it
and the intro.wmv file sitting next to it.
-------------------------------
1) You may have noticed when you go to Add/Remove programs and
try to delete extra Windows components (like Messenger, which
I don't want), you only a few items. If you want all possible
Windows components you can uninstall, go into the \Windows\Inf
directory, edit SYSOC.INF and remove the word "hide" and
replace it with, well nothing. [I.E. replace instances of
",HIDE," with ",,"] You can then add/install all the Windows
components possible, including Windows Messenger.
2) re NTFS, there's one thing you can do to increase
performance. The OS marks the timestamps a folder when you
access it. You can turn this off by Opening the registry and
Changing
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate
to 1. Naturally if the key does not exist you should create it ...
-------------------------------
HOW TO: Create a Multiple-Boot System in Windows XP (Q306559)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q306559
How to Triple Boot to Windows NT, Windows 95/98, and MS-DOS (Q157992)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q157992
How to Set Up Dual Boot After You Install Windows (Q153762)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q153762
Dual-Boot Installation May Not Prompt for Default Location for Windows
XP Installation (Q305873)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q305873
The Purpose of the Boot.ini File in Windows XP (Q314081)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314081
HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP (Q289022)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q289022
Purpose of the BOOT.INI File in Windows 2000 or Windows NT (Q99743)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q99743
Multibooting with Windows 2000 and Windows XP
//www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/administration/management/mltiboot.asp
Do you have information about multi-booting Windows that other SFNL
readers should hear about? Send it my way, and if I publish it I'll
give you credit in the newsletter:
mailto:sfnl@scotfinnie.com?subject=Multiboot
-------------------------------
NTFS Part III: How to Make NTFS Go Faster
//www.scotfinnie.com/newsletter/21.htm#filesys
NTFS Part II: More on the NTFS File System
//www.scotfinnie.com/newsletter/20.htm#filesys
NTFS Part I: Lowdown on the NTFS File System
//www.scotfinnie.com/newsletter/19.htm#filesys
-------------------------------
Windows Update hasn't been faring too well lately; it's caused a few users some unnecessary headaches. It'll say something along the lines of: "Here, I think you need this patch." When, in fact, you don't. Mike Vigneau passed along an interesting tip for those of us who want to know what's happening when we're using this particular Microsoft tool. This tweak has been confirmed with Windows XP and 2000 systems, although it may work in earlier versions of Windows as well. What we're going to do is set the transfer dialog to "debug" mode. This way, we can keep an eye on what's happening - at each stage in the process. Fire up the Registry editor and fly to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Active Setup. Enter a new String Value and label it: "SteppingMode" (sans quotes). Edit the String and give it a value of Y. The next time you use Windows Update, its actions should be a little more descriptive. If you ever wish to disable the verbosity, simply switch this value to N.
-------------------------------
There's a Microsoft Knowledgebase (KB) article that gives step-by-step
instructions on how to use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and
Group Policy Editor to modify your system so that you can copy files
from your hard disk to floppy (or other removable media) under Recovery
Console, as well as other useful improvements.
HOW TO: Add More Power to Recovery Console By Using Group Policy in
Windows XP (Q310497)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q310497
Don Arrowsmith adds this bit of help for Windows XP Home edition users:
"The KB article states that it applies to both XP Pro and XP Home, but
the Group Policy Editor is only supplied with XP Pro. Here's how to
modify Windows XP Home edition to allow full floppy disk access via
Recovery Console using the Registry Editor:
1. Start RegEdit (Start > Run > type regedit > press Enter) and locate
the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole
2. Modify the SecurityLevel value from 0 to 1.
3. Modify the SetCommand value from 0 to 1.
When you run the Recovery Console, the administrator password is
normally blank for Win XP Home so just press Enter when prompted. To
enable floppy disk access, each time you enter the Recovery Console you
must type a specific environment variable and press Enter:
Set AllowRemovableMedia = True
Note: This command is not case sensitive but the spaces before and
after the = are required.
How to Install and Use the Recovery Console in Windows XP (Q307654)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q307654
Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console (Q314058)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314058
Description of the Windows 2000 Recovery Console (Q229716)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q229716
-------------------------------
"I've been having problems with Windows XP's Search feature from day one. When I search, it starts the process, seems to pause for a while, then resumes. Searches seem to take forever; while it's 'paused,' all of my CPU cycles seem to go to the search. Windows seems to be (temporarily) locked up. Well, after thinking about it, I decided to disable Windows XP's ZIP file integration and - lo and behold - Windows once again searches the way other versions did. On the Run command line in the Start Menu, enter: 'regsvr32 %windir%\ system32\ zipfldr.dll /u' (sans quotes or spaces between the backslashes). To reinstall the functionality, repeat the process without the '/u' switch. I was pulling my hair out over this." Me too! Perhaps in a future OS revision, they'll allow us to deselect the automatic compressed archive Search feature. Until then, I might suggest storing all non-essential ZIP files on a separate drive (or system).
-------------------------------
it is possible to get on a domain using the Home Edition. This can be accomplished with the free and widely-available Xteq X-Setup 6.1 by navigating to the 'Network \ Auto Login \ Windows NT/2K/XP \ Settings' option. Simply enter the appropriate information and click the 'Apply Changes' button. On next reboot, you can then join domains with Windows XP Home Edition. Problem solved." It was noted that the latest version of TweakUI could also do the trick, but seeing as Microsoft has temporarily suspended the download (to "fix" the oversight), X-Setup is a more viable, short and long- term option.
-------------------------------
Registry Run Keys
WinXP: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q314866
Win2K: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q137367
There are several areas in the registry where applications can be configured to automatically run when a Windows computer is started. Windows 2000 and Windows XP have some key differences that system administrators might want to know about. The locations and notes about how each of the two operating systems treats these registry entries are explained in these two KB articles. Windows XP adds accommodation for couple of nice prefix characters that can alter the normal processing of startup procedures as well.
----------------
Why do I get the message "data is invalid" when installing a device driver under WindowsXP? This error appears to be due to a protection problem in the Windows registry and can occur with a variety of drivers (sound cards and SCSI drivers have been reported). To fix this problem, go to Start, Run... and type "regedit" without the quotes to run the Registry Editor. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ENUM\PCI
You will see a number of keys of the form "VEN_xxxx", where xxxx are strings like "1102&DEV_0004&SUBSYS_00011103&REV_04". Under each of these folders will be another folder with a long numerical name. Open each folder and look for the "DeviceDesc" which matches the hardware you are trying to install. Right Click on the "VEN_xxxx" for that device and select 'Permissions' and then tick "Allow" for "Full Control". Close Regedit and then continue with the installation of your device.
This worked for me and I?m really happy that it did as it was making my life miserable. If you install the cards and then load windows xp you don?t get this problem. Adding the card later produces trouble.
----------------
When you send an instant message to a friend, pull up a Web page, or download your e-mail, you're establishing a network connection with a remote computer. These connections are cached; the next time you reach out to touch someone, the communication will be quicker. Sometimes, as Lockergnomie Brian Kowald points out, it's proper to flush this cache. Windows 2000 / XP users are well aware of IPCONFIG, the command line network tool. It's time to switch on the switches! Use "/flushdns" (sans quotes) to clear the stored connection data. Use this when your Internet connection is working, but one or two locations aren't resolving. You also might consider doing this before you walk away from the computer (to cover your tracks). So, how can someone see where you've been recently? IPCONFIG, in conjunction with the "/displaydns" switch, will tell all. Now, do you miss the GUI- driven WINIPCFG? You'll want to get WNTIPCFG, which can easily be found through Google.
-------------------------------
I don't always get along with the GUI. Sure, it's all pointy and clicky, but sometimes I need the full skinny. When Windows shows its splash screen as it boots, there's stuff going on in the background. But what? Only the shadow knows - and now, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine, you can see what's going on under the hood, too! Windows 9x users know that they can disable the startup "logo" through TweakUI (or any other god-given Windows customization utility). But what about those of us "stuck" running 2000 / XP? We'll need to edit the BOOT.INI file (as opposed to the legacy MSDOS.SYS file). MSCONFIG has a special tab for it, but if need be, you could use Notepad. Be careful, though. One wrong move and there could be hell to pay. Add the /SOS switch (complete with forward slash) to the end of the initialization string. Reboot. Ah, so that's what it's been doing and loading all this time! To get back to the boring old boot up, just remove that switch and you'll be gold. Or black, if you use Windows XP. Power users will appreciate this tip more than anybody else on the planet.
-------------------------------
Modifying Windows XP Zip Support
//www.ntfaq.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=24720
Windows XP supports the ability to uncompress .ZIP compressed files, which is handy for an out-of-the-box installation, but after installing WinZip or other more feature-rich application, the two can argue about which wants to open the files. Disabling the Windows XP support for .ZIP files is quite simple, requiring an unregistration of the appropriate .DLL as follows:
regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll
The /u switch signifies an unregistration of the .DLL. If you wish to re-enable the support, run the same command, but without the /u switch.
-------------------------------
File associations are tricky. However, they're (kinda) easier to manage through Windows 2000 / XP. How, you ask? Well, if you know what to enter, you can get stuff done pretty quickly (even if your typing skills aren't up to scratch). Okay, let's say you want to restore the default program association for GIF files. On the command line, type: ASSOC.[EXT]= (removing the brackets and substituting the file extension instead of EXT). If the file type does not have a default association, you'll be prompted for one the next time you open it. Now, how about changing the default color scheme for future command line sessions? Launch the registry editor and cascade out to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Command Processor. Double-click the DefaultColor entry to tweak it. This entry will be in Hexadecimal code. The first character is your background color, the second character will be your foreground (text) color.
------------------------
Two Microsoft MVPs were involved in bringing you this cool tip for
Windows XP users who dial-up to the Internet. Doug Knox, who brought
you Method 2 for multibooting earlier in this issue, sent me an email
recently pointing out this tip by another Microsoft MVP, Kelly Theriot.
When you have a dial-up connection established, and you try to use Fast
User Switching feature to switch to another user, the dial-up
connection drops. Kelly's solution is to click Start > Run > and type
"regedit" without the quotation marks to launch the System Registry
Editor. Navigate to this area of the Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Right-click any blank area in the right pane. Choose New > String
value. Name the new value KeepRASConnections. Double click the new
value, type 1 (that is, the number "1"), click OK. Reboot the computer.
This tip can also be used, says Doug Knox, to allow the Windows XP
Guest account to access the Internet via dial-up (normally considered
impossible). Simply make the change, log on to an account that does
have dial-up access, and make the connection. Then use Fast User
Switching to switch to the Guest account. The connection remains active
and the Guest account can browse the Net.
//www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_f.htm#xp_fast_user
----------------
MSKB Q311220 - Description of the Dynamic Update Feature in Windows XP Setup
-------------------------------
Disabling Outlook Express in Windows XP
By Carl Beehler
If you haven't noticed by now, Outlook Express cannot be removed from Windows XP. If you delete its components from \Program Files\Outlook Express\ , Windows File protection will instantaneously re-install the files without any warning. It's spooky just how fast those files reappear (Especially with WFP supposedly 'disabled').
There is a way, however, to make XP say uncle and FINALLY stop trying to reinstall the files. Please remember that testing in my environment has shown no adverse effects in doing this, but my testing has been a little less than extensive. Perform this at your own risk.
Prerequisites:
NTFS file system
Simple file sharing disabled
Account with local administrator privileges
Procedure:
Log in as a local administrator. Navigate to \Program Files\Outlook Express
Right-click on the Outlook Express folder. Click on the 'Security' Tab.
Click on the 'Advanced' button. De-select the 'Inherit from parent the permission....' checkbox. In the dialog box that pops up, select 'Remove'. Close the 'Advanced' dialog box and click OK when the warning pops up.
Back in the Security tab of the Properties dialog, add the currently logged in local administrator account, making sure to give the account full control. Close the properties Dialog.
Now, for the fun part: go into the Outlook Express folder and delete all of the files. A WFP dialog will pop up announcing that something terrible has happened to your computer! It can't reinstall Outlook Express!
Click cancel. XP will whine once more that not reinstalling Outlook 'may affect Windows stability'. Click yes, and it will give up.
Delete the Outlook Express icon from the Start Menu, and you'll be finished. Windows won't try to reinstall the files again.
-------------------------------
Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
-------------------------------
Some users have noticed that Windows XP can be slow when trying to access a folder full of media files (i.e. AVI/MPEG/DAT). Although I can't find anything on Microsoft's Web site that addresses this problem, it was still brought to our attention that there is a fix. Now, this fix will require you to edit your registry so I will STRONGLY refer you to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - Q322755 for the steps on how to back up your registry (REMEMBER: registry tweaking can be tricky!). Click the Start button, go to the Run command, type "Regedit," and click OK. Once inside the Registry Editor, click Edit, then Find. In the "Find What" field, type in "{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}" (without the quotes) and click Find Next. Once the Registry Editor finds this folder, you will see that inside it is a folder named InProcServer32. Click on this folder, and delete both registry keys inside. Now, just exit the Registry Editor and reboot. With any luck, this will get rid of this sluggishness for you Windows XP users
-------------------------------
There is a little- documented trick to get XP to recognise an early ACPI- compliant BIOS when it won't do so by itself. But it requires a completely fresh reload (no OS on hdd). You setup, and when it says " for SCSI adapters press F6" press F5. This will soon give you a scroll list of hardware types to choose from, where you can set it to the ACPI type. I had to do this with a MYCOMP AI5VG+ board that XP refused to think was ACPI compliant. After the install power management works beautifully."
-------------------------------
I haven't been to many IT shops that don't have a stealth MP3 or game server in a corner somewhere In order to keep your secret, you may wish to apply this registry trick that will prevent the server from registering with the browser service. You can still attach to shares and other resources by name, but it simply won't appear in browse lists.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ LanmanServer \ Parameters
Value Name: Hidden
Type: REG_DWORD
Data: 1 for hidden - 0 for visible
-------------------------------
Just a few little tidbits about the Welcome Screen in XP:
To keep a particular user from appearing on the Welcome
Screen:
1. Open the registry Click on Start->Run and type 'regedit'
(without quotes) and click "Ok"
2. Go to [line may wrap]
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList\
3. Right-click in the empty space of the right pane
4. Click New > DWORD Value
5. Name it exactly the same as the username you want to hide.
6. The Value data of this key should be '0'
Also, when you're at the Welcome Screen, you can hit
"CTRL+ALT+DELETE" twice in succession (I usually hold "CTRL"
and "ALT" & just hit the "DEL" key twice) to bring up the
classic login. Hit the "ESC" key to return to the welcome
screen.
Change the XP Welcome Screen entirely!
- Manually //www.tweakxp.com/tweakxp/display.asp?id=1426
- Using a utility called "Changer"
//www.tweakxp.com/tweakxp/display.asp?id=1485
-------------------------------
customize the Places bar through registry changes. Two
examples are
//www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=133
//www.winscriptingsolutions.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=21539
The easiest way to manage and customize the Place Bar entries
is through a download (Places.exe) available from Microsoft
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q260/1/90.ASP
. Once you run Places.exe, it creates a bunch of files, but
the only important one is Places.dll which you move to the
windows\system directory. You then use Star/ run and type
Regsvr32 windows\system\Places.dll
Now Word and other applications have a new option on the Tool
menu called Set Places from which you can add your own folder
choices
-------------------------------
There are several ways to skin this cat, but one tip that is truly
useful is this simple Registry edit that makes user accounts invisible.
The best part is that it takes only about a minute to accomplish. Here
are the steps:
1. Open the Start Menu, select Run, type "regedit" (without the
quotation marks) and press Enter. That opens the System Registy Editor.
2. On the left pane of the Registry Editor (RegEdit), select
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (which is abbreviated to HKLM below). Then navigate
to this location:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
\SpecialAccounts\UserList
3. With UserList open in the left pane, right-click any blank area on
the right pane and choose New > DWORD Value.
4. Give the new icon the exact name as the user account you want to
hide. Then press Enter.
5. Repeat the steps for each additional user you want to hide.
You're done. You can test it by choosing Start > Log Off > Switch User
(if that's available). If you don't see Switch User, then use Log Off,
but this will shut down all your apps and documents. To reverse it,
just delete the icon you added.
-------------------------------
XP boot disks, from Microsoft
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];310994
-------------------------------
-- For Windows XP Professional (only) --
Open the Command Prompt, type one of the lines below, and press Enter:
tasklist /svc
tasklist /svc | more
make Task Manager display the PID number of each task,
Task Manager's default setting doesn't show
PIDs, make it do so by choosing its View > Select Columns dialog. Then
place check beside "PID" and click OK.
A Description of Svchost.exe in Windows XP (314056):
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314056
//www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml
-------------------------------
SYSOC.INF located in either c:\winnt\inf\
or c:\windows\inf\ in Windows 2000 and XP
-------------------------------
Keep yourself as an admin, just as you want to do. Now go to Start | Run and type in 'control userpasswords2' (sans quotes) and uncheck 'Users must enter a username and password to use this computer.' Then, as you hit OK to finish the changes, it will ask you who will be logged into the XP machine automatically. Put your son in and reboot. It won't ask you again. If you want to login as yourself or an admin, just go Start | Logoff and you'll be able to login as someone else."
-------------------------------
In some cases, a hybrid setup is good: For example, I put XP itself in an
NTFS partition, but leave the rest of the hard drive FAT32 for easy DOS
access. I also place the XP swap file/paging file in a FAT32 partition to
gain a little extra speed. And I keep a DOS-based NTFS file reader
available just in case something bad happens to the NTFS partition (it
normally can't be seen or accessed from DOS.)
-------------------------------
XP KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;301583.
MICROSOFT BASELINE SECURITY ANALYZER
//www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/tools/Tools/MBSAhome.asp
-------------------------------
Bootvis is a free Microsoft tool (only for XP) to monitor
what happens when the system starts. It also has an
optimization function that places all the programs that need
to start with the system at the "front" of the harddisk, thus
speeding boot performance. Get it at
//www.microsoft.com/whdc/hwdev/platform/performance/fastboot/default.mspx
-------------------------------
www.langa.com/
Hi Fred, Like many people running a home LAN using XP machines,
I have trouble with very slow browsing files on the network.
I've searched & tried all the suggested solutions, but none
worked. Today, while playing with the network settings, I found
a solution which works for me )
I used the following method- My Network Places, View Network
Connections. Select Advanced menu & Advanced Settings. Select
the Provider Order tab. I changed the Provider Order to
Microsoft Windows Network, followed by Web Client Network and
then Microsoft Terminal Services last on the list. ---Alan
That can help, Alan, depending on how your system is set up: What you're
doing is tuning the order in which Windows will search for network
resources, and placing the best/fastest access methods first.
There's more tuning you can do, too. See
//www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-01-16.htm#4 , for example.
-------------------------------
disable Messenger:
Right-click: 'My Computer' icon and select 'Manage'
Open: Services and Applications
Open: Services
Open: 'Messenger' Service
Click: Stop button
Change 'Startup Type' to DISABLE
Click OK to close everything
http://grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger.htm
-------------------------------
//www.laurenceholbrook.com/TechnicalInformation/Win2KProfessionalCommonDialogBox.html
-------------------------------
Changing the location of the My Documents folder
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;221837
How to Establish a Common Favorites Folder with Windows NT
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;158787
"How to Change the Location of the Windows AddressBook" in Outlook Express
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;156828
-------------------------------
DBXtract:
//www.oehelp.com/DBXtract/Default.aspx
Outport:
http://outport.sourceforge.net/
-------------------------------
www.langa.com/
This isn't exactly what we discussed in the last issue with regard to RAM
disks and possibly loading the entire OS into RAM
(//www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-10-02.htm#2 ) --- but it's in
that vein:
Fred, What do you think of this suggestion?
Speed Up Windows XP by Keeping the Operating System in Memory:
One thing you can do to speed up Windows XP is to make sure
that key operating system functions stay in memory. Perform the
following steps to pep up your XP computer's performance:
1. Click the Start button. Click the Run command and type
regedit in the Open text box. Click OK. As always, be very
careful when editing the Registry.
2. In the Registry Editor, go to the following registry key
HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Memory Management
3. Right click the DisablePagingExecutive entry in the right
pane of the Registry editor and click Modify.
4. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, type the number "1"
(without the quotes) in the Value data field. Click OK.
5. Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Thanks ---Mike Craig
It's an interesting idea: If you have enough RAM, you can keep the major
portion of your OS in live memory, instead of having portions of it
spooled out to disk, pending re-use. But it can cause trouble, as this
item, "The DisablePagingExecutive Setting May Cause Windows 2000 to
Hang," shows: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=323608
But if you want to try it, then Mike's method may work or you can find
similar items elsewhere, such as in the "Tweaking Guide" at
//www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Guides/winxptweak/index.html ;
the DisablePagingExecutive tweak is on page 3 of that article.
-------------------------------
Recommended Use Of System Restore:
//www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020711S0009
Backup Options
//www.langa.com/backups/backups.htm
Chkdsk:
//www.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315265&Product=winxp
Defrag:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314848&Product=winxp
Cleanup:
//www.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315246&Product=winxp
-------------------------------
"Note: For a RAM drive you will have to sacrifice part of your available RAM. If you are low on RAM, you might not want to do this. If you have typically 256MB or more and only use your computer for 'normal' tasks other than gaming, you should be OK. Also, you will be able to vary the size of your RAM drive depending on what you want to use it for.
Download this file: XP RAMdisk download. http://download.microsoft.com/download/win2000ddk/sample01/1/NT5/EN-US/Ramdisk.exe
Extract it and note the location where you extracted the files.
Go to Control Panel | Add Hardware | Choose From a List | Other Devices | Have Disk. The 'disk' is the location where you extracted the files. Your RAM drive is now installed. However, it will only have a size of 1MB.
"Now, we're going to adjust the size and drive letter of your RAM drive. Note: we are going to alter some registry keys. Backup (Export) your Registry before you begin, or at least note everything you changed.
Go to Start | Run and type in "regedit".
Navigate to this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Ramdisk \ Parameters.
"DriveLetter" is set by default to "Z:". You can change this if you like.
To change the size of your RAM drive, change the hexadecimal value of "DiskSize" (double-click it to do so): 800000 for an 8MB RAM drive, or 1060000 for a 16MB RAM drive, or 1600000 for an 22MB RAM drive. You can enter different sizes as you wish, but for general use, 8 or 16MB is plenty.
Reboot for the changes to take effect.
"Now, to set default file locations to the RAM drive. You can set Internet cache and surfing files to your RAM drive. One distinct advantage to doing this is that your web surfing will be faster since you are accessing these files from RAM and not from the hard drive, which is much slower.
"Those who know how to find these in the Registry will know what to do. For those who don't, or don't feel brave enough, I suggest using the program X-Teq's X-Setup. An advantage of X-Setup is that it's easier to undo any Registry changes you make. Note any changes you make. You can do any or all of these:
Navigate to: System / File System / Folders / System / Windows Folders #1, and type in the cache folder as
"Z:\Temporary Internet Files"
In Windows Folders #3, you can change the default for Recent if you want.
In System / File System / Folders / Data / Internet Explorer Folders, do the same with Cookies and History.
Reboot for the changes to take effect.
-------------------------------
http://dslnuts.com/files/CABLENUT_UPDATE.exe
//www.clankiller.com/tech/WinXP/fstweaks.php
//www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa/
http://dslnuts.com/DSLwiring.shtml
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
Minimize Metadata in Microsoft Word 2002
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q290945
-----------------------
problem: folders in the right-hand side of Exposer have the default option of 'Search'
solution:
regedit: HCR\Directory\shell -- double-click (Default) in the right-hand pane and change the value to 'None'
======================
problem: try to convert ntfs to fat32 and it fails
open a command prompt at the drive to change, type COMPACT /U /S /A /I /F *.*
www.powerquest.com/support/primus/id2136.cfm
============
To configure the search to include all file types:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex\FilterFilesWithUnknownExtensions
set to 1
============
To get a quick help for all the commands you can enter from the command box:
hh.exe ms-its:C:\WINDOWS\Help\ntcmds.chm::/ntcmds.htm
============
This tweak will launch WindowsMediaPlayer with the 'AboveNormal' priority setting when opening a mediafile.
Having trouble watching a movie when you also have a lot of background processes going on?
Here's what to do:
1. Create a new textfile in the root of c:\, but instead of giving it the .txt extension you name it wmp_AboveNormal.bat
2. Right-click this file and choose 'Edit', you'll see it'll open notepad. Put this line in:
start /AboveNormal C:\"Program Files"\"Windows Media Player"\wmplayer.exe %1 %*
3. Save (make sure you save it as .bat, not as .txt) and close.
Now all you have to do is register your mediafiles to this batchfile. Here's how to do that:
4. In Windows Explorer choose Tools>Folder Options >File Types
5. Scroll down(press A) to the AVI filetype
6. Click 'Change' and point to c:\wmp_AboveNormal.bat . Click OK and Close.
Now everytime you dubbleclick an .avi WMP will open with the 'AboveNormal' -priority setting ! (Repeat steps 4-6 to register all mediatypes you want to be opened this way.)
============
Type in net user then the name of the account then * and press enter. heres an example: net user administrator * or net user "Joe Smith" * . Put the name in quotes if it contains spaces.
============
open the boot.ini file in Notepad
To disable the Startup Screen change to line to read as below. The change is shown in red.
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /sos
============
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Registry Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Data Type: REG_DWORD [Dword Value] // Value Name: NoLowDiskSpaceChecks
Modify/Create the Value Name [NoLowDiskSpaceChecks] according to the Value Data listed above.
Value Data: [0 = NoLowDiskSpaceChecks Disabled / 1 = NoLowDiskSpaceChecks Enabled]
Exit Registry and Reboot
============
1. Goto > Start > Run
2. Type regedit - click ok
3. Navigate to - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\RecentFileList
4. Look at the window panel on the right - delete all that you wish removed from media player recent list
5. Right click on RecentFileList and goto Permissions..
6. Check the deny access box for any account on the machine.
This should make it so nobody on the machine has read/write accesss to recent file list so it will never save any media played in this folder. WMP works fine with this.
============
to replace Notepad, you have to copy the new version to:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache
=====================================http://members.aol.com/axcel216/========
display the Administrator (master: Admin/Sysadmin) account on the Windows XP Welcome logon screen, fire up Regedit (or Regedt32) and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList
Create (if not present) a new Value: right-click on an empty spot in the right hand pane -> select New -> DWORD [REG_DWORD] Value -> name it Administrator -> click OK -> double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 1 -> click OK.
=================================http://members.aol.com/axcel216/============
"To disable WFP, start Regedit or Regedt32 and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Add/modify the "SFCDisable" DWORD [REG_DWORD] Binary entry to read FFFFFF9D.
Reboot when done.
To (re)enable WFP modify "SFCDisable" to read 0."
These are all allowed "SFCDisable" values:
0 = enable WFP/SFC.
1 = disable WFP/SFC with nag prompt at (re)boot to reenable it. :(
2 = disable WFP/SFC without nag prompt at (re)boot to reenable it. :)
4 = enable WFP/SFC but disable all popups.
FFFFFF9D = disable WFP/SFC completely.
=============================fat32 && ntfs============
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307881 - FAT 32 to NTFS
To change from FAT 32 to NTFS file system for more stability, security and less fragmentation, open the command prompt and type:
Convert C: /FS:NTFS
"C" being the drive you wish to convert. Make sure there is a space between the C: and the foward slash (/). Once you press enter it will ask you for confirmation and press Y. Then press Y and enter once more to reboot.. This also works for windows XP Home.
===
ntfs 2 fat32 -- open a command prompt at the drive to change, type COMPACT /U /S /A /I /F *.*
www.powerquest.com/support/primus/id2136.cfm
=====
DISABLE LAST ACCESS
This Windows NT4/2000/XP Registry hack speeds up disk access performance ONLY IF using the NTFS file system, for disk management applications that list/edit directory structures, like Windows Explorer, File Manager [FM: located in %systemroot% = included ONLY with WinNT 3.xx/4.0, but removed by Microsoft from Win2000/XP :(], the DIR console command etc.
By default every time a directory is accessed or displayed, its "Last Access" date + time stamp is updated by the OS.
To stop this time wasting annoyance and speed up the interface, run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
In the right hand pane look for the "NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate" DWORD [REG_DWORD] Value.
If present: edit the Decimal Value to read 1.
If absent: create a new DWORD Value: right-click on an empty spot in the right hand pane -> select New -> DWORD Value -> name it "NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate" -> double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 1 -> click OK.
To revert to the OS default setting (always update NTFS "Last Access"): change 1 to read 0 in the Decimal box or delete "NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate".
Close the Registry editor and reboot to see the change.
=========
* By default NTFS will automatically update timestamps whenver a directory is traversed. This isn't a necessary feature, and it slows down large volumes.
Disable it by pointing regedit to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem and set 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate' to 1.
* NTFS uses disparate master file control tables to store filesystem information about your drives. Over time these core MFT files grow and become fragmented, slowing down all accesses to the drive. By setting aside a little space, MFT's can grow without becoming fragmented. In the same key where you disabled the last access feature creat a new DWORD value called 'NtfsMftZoneReservation' and set it to 2.
===
Contrary to the popular opinion that "Advanced" file security is only available with WinXP Pro, it is also available with WinXP Home edition as well. Specifically, I am referring to the "Security" tab that is available in XP Pro in the properties menu of any file or folder when "Enable simple file sharing" is unchecked in the Tools>Folder Options>View applet. This "Security" tab is the same as WINNT and WIN2K which allows you to use advanced options for file/folder security that apply to groups and users such as Read,Write, Execute, etc. Although Microsoft claims that this is not available in XP Home it is!
First, NTFS must be your file system, this will not work with a FAT file system. To enable "Advanced" security permissions in XP Home simply boot into safe mode, rt-click any file or folder, and now you will have the "Security" tab - just as in XP Pro! Simply make your changes and reboot into normal mode. This is very useful when you have 'limited' users on your computer and they are unable to run certain applications as a limited user - you can simply boot into safe mode, change the permissions according to each user, and reboot! The advanced tab is even there that will give you even more permission options such as inheritance, etc.
Well, you don't have to do this in *Safe Mode* (XP Home). Although it is a little less intuitive, you can simply go to your command prompt - Start>All Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt. Now type "cacls" in the window (without the quotes). This gives you the ability to add, remove or modify file permissions on files and folders through the command prompt. Type "cacls /?" for help on different options and variables. You do not need to be in safe mode to use this so it makes it a little quicker than using the safe mode security tab GUI.
==
Type cacls ":\System Volume Information" /E /G :F and press ENTER
Note: In this instance, make sure you type the quotation marks as shown in the line above.
Double-click the System Volume Information folder to open.
To remove permissions, type cacls ":\System Volume Information" /E /R at the command prompt to remove all permissions for the user.
======
Do you sit and wait while Explorer seems to take it's time showing the owner of each file/directory that is displayed? If so, then you might find the following useful:
1. Open Explorer and select "Details" under the "View" menu
2. Right click on any of the column headers (such as "Name", "Size", or "Owner")
3. Uncheck "Owner" or any other you don't need.
You should see immediate improvements as you navigate around.
To make this permanent for all folders,
4. Select "Folder Options" from the "Tools" menu
5. Select the "View" tab
6. Click the "Apply to All Folders" button
Now, you will not see "Owner" in any folder. If you want to re-display it, simply follow the instructions above and re-check "Owner" in step 3.
======================================
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom > double click Autorun > 0 = disable, 1= enable
=======================================
"In Windows NT4, 2000 and XP it is possible to initialize Windows in Error Mode, a special debugging mode of the "stripped down" Safe Mode.
In Error Mode a small popup window (basically a core dump) shows up whenever an application crashes, similar (but more detailed) to the well known "This program performed an illegal operation" error message.
To enable this feature, run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows
Modify the "ErrorMode" DWORD [REG_DWORD] Decimal value from 0 to 1.
Reboot when done.
ErrorMode valid Decimal values:
0 = both system and program error popups enabled (default).
1 = system error popups disabled, program error popups enabled.
2 = both system and program error popups disabled."
=============================================
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.
You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure.
If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
=============================================
The icon on the button is contained in the file
9x - (x:\windows\system\)user.exe
2k - (x:\winnt\system32\)user32.dll
In XP it's no icon, but bitmap #143 in explorer.exe.
It can be edited with an icon librarian + editor, or a resource editor (easier). For Win 9x you'll need eXeScope, a resource editor that can handle 16-bit files (user.exe is). The original flag icon has got several not common formats, depending on your OS version. If you want to create all you'll need is the icon suites, but a simple 32 x 32 icon will get resized (a 16 x 16 version added would be good, that's the format the button uses).
The 'Start' text and the bitmap on the menu are contained in (x:\windows\ or x:\winnt\) "explorer.exe". The first can be edited by a HEX editor. Search for a string "530074006100720074" ("Start" separated by null characters). There's several, but the offset for the right string is differing with OS and language versions... but it should be right after this line: "There was an internal error and one of the windows you were using has been closed" or however that sounds in your language :).
Or use a resource editor, once more, much easier :) Find the proper edit at string (table) #37.
The bitmap can be edited by a resource editor too (bitmap #157 and above). More info and all above tools here //www.virtualplastic.net/html/art_hack.html
//www.theeldergeek.com/change_text_on_xp_start_button.htm
NoteToSelf.txt --- Shell= is now at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\
Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon\Shell
=======================================
Legal Notice Dialog Box Before Login
Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon Modify the value named 'LegalNoticeCaption' to represent the caption on the dialog box (e.g. 'WARNING!'). If this value doesn't already exist create it. Modify the value named 'LegalNoticeText' to represent the body of the dialog box (e.g. 'Do Not Attempt to Logon to this system unless you are an authorized user!') Exit your registry and restart Windows, and the next time you boot up you should be presented with the dialog box before logging on.
==================================================
"Search"
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f0-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\DefaultIcon
"Run"
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f3-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\DefaultIcon
==================================================
Branding:
1. Start up Notepad and creat a new registry file (*.reg) and copy and paste the following into it:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}]
@="YOUR TITLE HERE"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\DefaultIcon]
@="YOUR ICON HERE"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\InProcServer32]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,\
64,00,6f,00,63,00,76,00,77,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\Instance]
"CLSID"="{3f454f0e-42ae-4d7c-8ea3-328250d6e272}"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\Instance\InitPropertyBag]
"CLSID"="{13709620-C279-11CE-A49E-444553540000}"
"method"="ShellExecute"
"Command"="YOUR TITLE HERE"
"Param1"="YOUR FUNCTION HERE"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}]
@=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\shellex\MayChangeDefaultMenu]
@=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2559a1f6-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}\ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=dword:00000000
2. Edit where it says YOUR ICON HERE to a path to an icon (ex. c:\\icon.ico), it must be 24x24 pixels and in *.ico format. Use double back slash for path names.
3. Edit both places where it says YOUR TITLE HERE to what you want it to say in the Start Menu (ex. Elranzer Homepage).
4. Edit where it says YOUR FUNCTION here to what you want it to do when you click it, it can be anything... your website, a local HTML document, a program, a Windows funtion, whatever your imagination can provide (ex. //www.elranzer.com).
5. Save this file as brand.reg, double-click it to enterin your information, and refresh Explorer (log off/on) to see it in the Start Menu!! This works in both Home and Professional (and probably 64-Bit Professional) Editions!
====================
Disclaimer: This tip should not be used for pirated keys! It is intended to change from one legitimate key to another. This may be necessary for those who purchased VLK's that were stolen from them, and had new licenses granted by MS. It may also be necessary for those who purchased a used system, and would like to have their key associated with their OS. The use of this information, though freely available in Microsoft's tech articles, is intended for legal use.
Run regedit (Start>Run>regedit>ok) and go to:
HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents,in
the right pane double click on "oobetimer". This will bring up the hex codes. Change at least one digit of this value to anything but what it originally was. It really doesn't matter. Keep in mind that what you enter must still be in line with the hex-decimal format. (Important: The hex-decimal format consists only of the numbers 1 thru 9 and the letters a through f. Example: If it says "ff d5 71 d6 b3 8d..." Change the "ff" to "1f". You can not change it to let's say "fg" because the value "g" does not exist in the hex-decimal system.) This will deactivate windows. Exit regedit.
Choose Run from start menu again and type in this command: "oobe/msoobe /a" (without the quotes, of course) to get the activation screen. Then you will want to Activate by phone, so Click on "Activate by phone" (no you will not be activating by phone). Click Next.
In the new screen choose the option to change product key, and type in the new product key (Corporate one only). You cannot use the famous blacklisted "FCKGW" key. Enter your new legitimate key....no need to click next. Do not click Update. If you do its ok.. but you don't need to ... you now should reboot. Just close that window, and reboot your system.
Once rebooted check to make sure that you're activated. (Enter the command in step 2 again to verify your activation , you should see "Windows Is Already Activated".)
========================
//www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/default.asp?url=/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/regentry/29931.asp
DisablePagingExecutive
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Data type Range Default value
REG_DWORD 0 | 1 0
Description
Specifies whether user-mode and kernel-mode drivers and kernel-mode system code can be paged to disk when not in use.
Value Meaning
0 Drivers and the kernel can be paged to disk as needed.
1 Drivers and the kernel must remain in physical memory.
Tip
Setting this value to 0 is useful when debugging drivers, because all of the code and data is always memory resident.
-------------------------------
restore the password-in-the-URL by doing the following:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
Find the following keys in the Registry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Main\FeatureControl]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_HTTP_USERNAME_PASSWOR
D_DISABLE]
The create or modify the following
"explorer.exe"=dword:00000000
"iexplore.exe"=dword:00000000
Make sure that you export any existing keys that you change before making
this change, or at least ensure you can roll back either by a Restore point
or a SCANREG/RESTORE.
-------------------------------
//www.scottxp.com/winxp.php#share
the Security tab in Normal mode for XP Home
1.) Download the NT 4 Security Configuration Manager from
//www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/downloads/recommended/scm/default.asp.
2.) Run the scesp4i.exe file and extract all files to a temporary directory.
3.) Right-click on the setup.inf file and choose the install option.
4.) Answer no if asked to overwrite essent.dll.
====================
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer]
Value Name: NoLowDiskSpaceChecks
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = default, 1 = disable messages)
-------------------------------
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\My Computer\Namespace\DelegateFolders.
Locate the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} subkey and delete it. Upon doing so, you will have successfully removed the Shared Documents folder from your computer.
-------------------------------
pro version only?
it adds the encrypt and decrypt options to the shortcut menu for a folder or file. Of course, a word of caution: the following steps do require you to modify the registry, so proceed carefully:
Click Start, point to run, and type regedit.
Within the Registry Editor, navigate to the following subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
Click the Edit menu, point to New, and select Dword value.
Type in EncryptionContextMenu. Configure the value as 1.
You should now be able to encrypt or decrypt any of your folders and files using the shortcut menu.
-------------------------------
Hack can upgrade XP Home to XP Pro Lite
//www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/03/xp_hack/
German computer magazine C'T claims that by changing only 2 bytes from the
file setupreg.hiv in Windows's XP Home kit, users can get access
to certain functions only avalaible in Windows XP Professional, such a
s Remote Desktop, User management and enhanced security features.
C'T writes in its latest print issue (in German only) that you need to copy the
root directory and the i386 directory of the WindowsXP CD to your harddisk, extract
the Bootsector of your WindowsXP CD and change only 2 bytes in i386\Setupreg.hiv
by using Regedit. In fact all you have to do is edit the binary key "default" and
change "01" to "00" and "02" to "00" in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Homekey
\ControlSet001\Services\setupdd, C'T claims.
There is one big drawback, though. Users won't be able to install Service
Pack 2, unless they integrate SP2 in the installation CD.
====================
//www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/software/howto-change-windows-xp-home-to-windows-xp-pro-105486.php
yes indeed, you can?t change an installed Windows but only your Installation
CD (or even a recovery CD in case the manufacturer had not left out important parts)
Here?s the detailed breakdown you asked for.
1. Copy the root directory and the i386 directory of the WindowsXP CD
to your harddisk
2. Extract the Bootsector of your WindowsXP CD
3. Change 2 Bytes in i386\Setupreg.hiv :
a) Open Regedit
b) Highlight HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
c) Menu: File -> Load Structure -> i386\Setupreg.hiv
d) Assign an arbitrary name to the imported structure e.g. ?Homekey?
e) Goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Homekey\ControlSet001\Services\setupdd
f) edit the binary key ?default? and change ?01? to ?00? and ?02? to
?00?
g) Highlight ?Homekey? and select menu: File -> unload structure
4. Burn your new XP Pro CD
5. Install WindowsXP as usual. Your XP Home Key will work.
Note: You cannot apply SP2 to such a WindowsXP Pro, so step 1.b)
might be to integrate SP2 in your Installation CD
Please check the menu-entries as I don?t owe an English copy of
XP and have to guess them.
-------------------------------
To disable the registry editor for another user: Click Start, click Run, and type regedit. Press Enter. Create the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. Within the key, create a new REG_DWORD data type called DisableRegistryTools. Double click the new data type. Use a value of 1 to disable the registry editor. You can also disable the registry editor for all users that log onto the computer by changing the value for DisableRegistryTools under the following registry key to 1: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
-------------------------------
www.fiveanddime.net
