Windows XP Desktop Management Tips, Tricks and Tweaks
Icons displayed on the desktop are spaced according to values defined in the display properties. To change these values, perform the following steps:
Note: For the change to take effect, you need to unselect Auto Arrange from the Arrange Icons context menu that displays when you right-click the desktop.
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Do you have a hard time identifying photos or graphics images by their names only? Opt to view thumbnails, or mini-versions of the images, right inside their folder window.
Now you can find what you need at a glance. What's more, this setting sticks for that folder until you turn it off.
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By default, Windows XP does not show the QuickLaunch toolbar as did Windows 98.
To enable it:
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By default, Windows XP groups similar taskbar items on the same taskbar button, for example, if you have four folder windows open, you'll see a single button that reads "4 Windows Explorer." If you prefer, you can view each open window on its own taskbar button. Right-click a blank area of the Taskbar and select Properties. On the Taskbar tab of the resulting dialog box, deselect "Group similar taskbar buttons" and click OK.
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If you would like to display your favorite picture on your desktop, Windows XP makes this a simple task. Here's how:
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One thing that I change a lot is the desktop wallpaper. I get tired of looking at the same thing day in and day out. Using Google Images or Yahoo Images, you can go out into the Internet and find millions of background photo's to use. Here's how:
Note: Replace the 1024x768 with your screen size. If you do not know what your screen size is, simply right click an open area of your desktop and select Graphic Options>> Graphic Properties from the resulting menus.
Your selected background will now reside on your desktop. Change this as often as you like, you'll never run out of photo's.
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If you would like the background of the desktop icons to have a transparent appearance, here's how:
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This is a known bug that really doesn't have a "fix". There are however, things that may help. Here are a few tips that have been known to help:
Method #1: With your Desktop in view, single left click an empty area, then press the F5 key on your keyboard. This should reset the desktop. Method #2: Right click your Taskbar>> Properties>> Uncheck the entry titled: Keep the taskbar on top of other windows. Click Apply, then OK. Reverse the process and re-check the aforementioned entry. Click Apply, then OK. Method #3: Most of the time a simple reboot will fix this issue.
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The Title Bar is designed to quickly inform you of which program, document or web site you have open windows for. The Active Title Bar will inform you of which window you are currently viewing.
The default colors for the title bars are basic blue with white writing. If you would like to change this to your own color of choice, here's how:
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If you want to remove programs that are installed with Windows but are not visible in "Add/Remove Windows Components" (such as MSN Messenger in WinXP), edit a file called "C:\WINDOWS\INF\SYSOC.INF".
Go to: Start>> Run>> type in: C:\WINDOWS\INF\SYSOC.INF [Enter] In there you will find a listing of programs, and you will note that some programs have the word 'hide' at the end. Simply remove the word 'hide' but leave the preceding comma. Examples: BEFORE:msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 AFTER:msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7 Exit saving changes. Now when you open Add/Remove Windows Components, you will see the now viewable, in this example, "Windows Messenger".
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Windows XP has a feature called ClearType. This text rendering method exists to smooth the appearance of the on-screen text. To try this method:
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The Windows Help Files in Windows XP is packed full of useful information. One feature that I use a lot is the Favorites. If you find a topic that you may want to re-visit in the future, you can click the Favorites tab and save it by clicking the Add button.
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If you are a frequent multi-tasker, you may want to consider using the Quick Launch bar. The Quick Launch bar resides in your taskbar next to your Start button. It makes it very easy for you to launch frequently used programs with a single click. Another convenient feature of the Quick Launch bar is the "Show Desktop" icon. When you click this icon, it will minimize all active windows and show only your desktop. Click it again and everything will return as it was.
To display the Quick Launch bar:
To add a program to your Quick Launch bar, simply drag the program from either the desktop or the All Programs menu to the Quick Launch bar. To delete a program from the Quick Launch bar, right click the program and select Delete.
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Four criteria must be met to have transparent text on your desktop icon.
1. Go to Start>> Right Click My Computer>> Properties>> Advanced tab>> Performance Settings>> Visual Effects tab. The entry "use drop shadows for icon labels..." must be checked 2. Right click any blank area of your desktop>> Arrange Icons by...>> The entry "Lock Web Items on Desktop" entry must be unchecked. 3. Having any web content on your desktop will not allow transparency to work. Here's how to check for web content: Right click a blank area of your desktop>> Properties>> Desktop tab>> Customize Desktop button>> Web tab>> make sure all checkboxes are unchecked. 4. Wallpaper must be an image file, not HTML.
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If you would like to turn a folder into a taskbar toolbar, here's how:
Be sure that your taskbar is unlocked by right clicking an empty area of the toolbar. If there is a checkmark next to "Lock the Toolbar", then click once on that entry to uncheck it. Then, drag the desired folder to the space between taskbar button area and the clock. While dragging, you may see a "no-entry" cursor (which is a circle with a diagonal slash), once that disappears, you can drop your folder into the taskbar button area. Resize it however you would like. You can even turn this toolbar into a menu by resizing it until only the name is showing. To delete this button, simply right click it and select "Close Toolbar".
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Windows XP has a feature known as the Desktop Cleanup Wizard that locates rarely used shortcuts and gives you the option to remove them. Here's how to access the Desktop Cleanup feature:
Note: While in the Desktop Items window, you have an option to run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days. To enable this, place a checkmark in the box under the "Desktop cleanup" category.
The Desktop Cleanup Wizard will now be evoked. You will see a list of desktop shortcuts that you haven't used in 60 days. Simply uncheck the ones that you would like to remove and they will be swept away to a folder called "Unused Desktop Shortcuts". If you ever need to retrieve a removed shortcut, just drag the shortcut out of the file and back on to your desktop.
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Desktop themes are predefined elements that help you to personalize the appearance of your computers desktop, which includes your background, screen saver, icons, colors, mouse pointers and sounds.
There are many things that you are able to do in Windows XP to personalize your settings. You can use the Windows Classic look as your theme, or switch to another theme or even modify an existing theme. You also have the ability to create new themes (that's tomorrows tip!)
Selecting a different desktop theme: 1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop>> Click Properties. 2. Click the Themes tab>> Select a new theme in the Theme list. Note: A preview of the theme will now be displayed in the Sample box. 3. Select the theme that you want, and then click OK.
The desktop theme will now be applied to your computer.
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Windows XP does not put the icons that we were used to seeing on our desktops under Windows 98. But, they have made it possible to add some familiar icons to the desktop quickly and easily. Here's how:
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In this first step, you will need to make sure that Windows XP is configured to use drop-shadow icon titles. Here's how:
Now Windows will not include a rectangular background around the icon text.
In this next step, we will create our invisible title. Since Windows will not accept a space as a file name, we will need to use a character that is invisible. The ANSI character "0160" is a non-breaking space and is visually indistinguishable from a space. We will need to insert this ANSI character into the icon title box, here's how:
Note: You will now see a highlighted rectangle that represents the invisible title but a single click on a blank area of your desktop will make this disappear.
To make a second icon have an invisible title, just insert the special ANSI character twice into the icon title box. (eg: ALT + 01600160) This is necessary because Windows will not allow duplicate file names. Join Computer Hardware Course By Computers At Good Discount
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Windows XP includes an option that lets you use your digital photos as screensavers. Here's how:
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If you would like to create a personal screensaver, here's how:
Pictures are randomly displayed from the My Pictures folder located in My Documents.
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The Windows XP taskbar plays an important role in organizing your open tasks. There are many ways in which you can customize your taskbar to help you organize them better.
Lets take a look at the Taskbar Properties menu and discuss the options within this menu: Right click on your Start button and select Properties from the resulting menu. Then, click the Taskbar tab (see Figure #1). The options listed in the Taskbar Properties menu are:
As you will notice, when you select one of the above listed items, Windows will show you a preview of what the selection will change.
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Windows provides for only two position settings for your wallpaper. Placing it in any other position would require a registry edit. I recommend using a program already designed to perform this task for you. It will be much quicker and safer in the long run. One that I recommend is:
Automatic Wallpaper Changer 3.0 Author's product description below:
"The AWC is designed to do one thing well: allow you to automatically change your desktop wallpaper on a timed basis. The time between changes is defined as a number of seconds, minutes or hours.
The displayed image can be stretched or shrunk for the best fit to the screen, optionally maintaining its aspect ratio, or displayed at its actual size. When displaying a picture the user is not limited to the centre of the screen, as is usually the case in windows, but can choose to display it in any of the four corners of the screen or centered on one of the edges. Additionally you can specify that files smaller than a predefined size should be tiled: again you can specify how the tiles are justified on the screen rather than simply going from the top left. Resizing is performed using a range of resampling methods to ensure the best possible results. After resizing you can apply various levels of sharpening to further improve image quality. You can further refine the list of files to display by filtering on file date or age and by file name. For example all files whose name begins 'XMAS' which you've created in the past 30 days. The AWC is minimized to the system tray rather than to the task bar. To restore it to view just double-click the icon in the tray or right click to pop up a menu. There's even a full set of command line switches so you can customize multiple shortcuts. Image formats supported are *.jpg;*.jpeg;*.gif;*.bmp;*.png;*.rle;*.tga;*.pcx."
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If you are looking for a new desktop look, maybe a simple change of font style, size or color will work. Below, I will show you how to customize individual Windows elements on your desktop such as icons, menus and title bars. Here's how:
Note: Not all appearance options will be available for all of the listed options. For example, you will not be able to change the font on elements that do not display text. This option will be greyed out.
Figure #1
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You have control over what icons you would like to appear in the taskbar. If you do not want an icon to show, follow the instructions below:
Note: If you click the Restore Defaults button in the Customize notifications window, this will place ALL icons in the "Hide inactive icons" status.
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Your computer should successfully complete the shut down process.
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For an easy way to create a toolbar for your favorite Windows XP folders such as "My Documents" or "My Pictures", all you have to do it drag the XP folder to the right, left or top of the desktop. The toolbar will then snap into place. Right click an open part of the toolbar to see the customizing options.
You can even add additional toolbars in the existing toolbar by right clicking an empty part and select "Toolbars". Then simply select a new toolbar or browse for a new toolbar to add. To delete the new toolbar, right click it and select "Close Toolbar".
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If you would like to create a popup menu on your taskbar that contains all of your frequently accessed programs, here's how:
Your newly created folder will now reside within the taskbar. To easily see the contents of this folder, click the double arrows (usually to the right of the name) to view its contents. If you would like to remove this new folder from the taskbar, right click an empty portion of the taskbar and select Toolbars. Then click the "New Folder" entry within the resulting list.
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If you would like to have a handy icon on your desktop that starts a remote desktop session from your home computer to an office computer, here's how:
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XP and Win2K don't include the DOS SCANDISK Utility. However, you can perform the same task using XP's and Win2K's Error Checking feature. To access this feature, perform the following steps:
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Windows XP default speed of the Start Menu is very slow. You can fix that by editing a Registry Key.
Here's how:
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You can adjust the graphics and splash screen effects in XP. This uses up some memory and slows XP down. Follow the steps below to pick up some noticeable speed by taking out some of the fancy stuff that XP does behind the scenes:
Don't worry, XP will still look and feel like XP.
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You have undoubtedly seen the yellow balloons that appear at certain times in the notification area. For instance, when you connect or disconnect the network cable, you'll see a message notifying you of the network's state. Most of the time, these balloons are quite useful, because they replace dialog boxes displayed in previous versions.
But sometimes these balloons can be very annoying. For example, if you don't have much free space on your hard drive, the balloons will keep reminding you of low disk space. You might like the first notification, but probably not the fifth, sixth, and so on. Fortunately, you can disable them by opening your favorite registry editor and going to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Create a new DWORD value with the name "EnableBalloonTips" and set it to 0. This setting should disable all notification balloons for the user. If you want to disable only low-disk-space balloons, set the "NoLowDiskSpaceChecks" DWORD value to 1. If this value is not in the same location as the previous one, create it manually. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When people write programs, most of them design their product to automatically launch at the systems startup. Is it really necessary for these programs to be running? Only key programs such as anti-virus and firewall programs need to be running at system startup. The other programs should be re-configured to start only when needed.
Having a lot of programs running at once is very taxing to your system resources and if enough of them are running can cause errors in your operating system, usually memory type errors. Another noticeable problem is a slowing in your boot process. Do you have a computer that is taking a couple of minutes to boot up? To stop these programs from running at startup, locate the program and re-configure it to NOT run at startup. This is usually found in the programs Properties. Or alternately, you can use Microsoft's System Configuration Utility to accomplish this. Here's how:
Note: Make sure that you do not disable your anti-virus or firewall software. Depending on how many you had to uncheck, you could notice much better performance from your operating system.
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To save on Random Access Memory (RAM), Windows uses your Page File as a sort of cache. This can slow down your PC's overall performance. To remedy this situation, Windows XP has an option that allows users to clear the Page File when you shut down Windows. While this tweak tends to lengthen the shutdown time, it does have its performance benefits.
To set the computer to clear the page file without directly editing the registry is:
To clear the page file using the Windows Registry:
Be sure to make a backup copy of your registry prior to making any changes to it.
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In an effort to make Windows XP a better and more stable operating system, Microsoft has included Error Reporting in the latest release. Whenever an application has to close because of an error, it asks that a report be sent to Microsoft for study and evaluation. Sending the report is optional, but users can benefit from the error log that is generated if they wish to study it or print a hard copy. If you find error reporting objectionable and want it disabled, here's how:
By default, WindowsXP will request to report application errors to Microsoft. To turn this off:
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Windows Messenger is a Windows XP default systems program that is automatically installed. If you have no need for this program and would like to free up a bit of space on your hard drive, you can uninstall it. Here's how:
On XP Systems without SP1:
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
On XP Systems WITH SP 1:
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Speed Up Windows XP by Disabling the Indexing Service:
The Indexing service can create an index of all the files and the content of many of those files in order to make finding things much faster. While Windows XP's heart is in the right place, this sounds better than it is in practice. The Indexing service is more effective in its ability to slow down your computer than its ability to speed file searches. Here's how to disable the Indexing service:
You don't need to restart the computer. The next time the computer starts, the Indexing service will not run automatically.
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If you want to access display configurations not normally listed (e.g. 256 colors)
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In XP, the Documents And Settings folder holds all user information, including configuration settings, favorites, and cookies. The Documents And Settings\Username\Cookies folder is where XP stashes cookies. You can control how your computer processes these cookies.
For instance, you can block cookies from sites that use personal identification without your consent. To increase your security, try out the other privacy settings in this dialog. The lowest level is Accepts all Cookies while the highest level Blocks All Cookies. You'll have options in-between such as; low, medium and medium-high which will have descriptions on what they filter. Keep in mind that rejecting cookies may limit your actions on some Web sites.
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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. Memory (also called "RAM" for Random Access Memory) is much faster than the hard disk. Perform the following steps to boost your XP computer's performance:
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Backup on the Home edition of XP is not installed by default.
The backup application on the retail version is located on the XP CD in the Valueadd folder, Some OEM's include backup, but some OEM's elect not to supply the additional folder. Place the XP CD in the CD drive and select Additional Functions, then browse the CD. CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP. The readme file includes additional information on installing backup. Once installed, it can be accessed from Start, All Programs, Accessories, System, Backup.
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Here is a very simple yet very affective way to improve your systems performance.
You should notice a big improvement (depending on how many features you've disabled) in your computers performance while still keeping the same look and feel of your Windows application.
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System Restore, a Windows XP feature, is similar to the "Last Known Good Configuration" in Windows NT and Windows 2000. You can use System Restore to restore the computer to a previous state, using the backups that it makes of selected system files and program files. However, "Last Known Good Configuration" restores the computer back to the last state that Windows determines might work, whereas System Restore gives you a choice of previous states to restore the computer back to. That is, System Restore maintains multiple restore points instead of one last restore point.
While this is a desirable feature, in some cases it should be temporarily turned off. For example, If the computer is infected with a virus, it is possible that the virus could be backed up by System Restore. So, if you spend the time to remove the infection from your system, system restore could actually restore the virus to your system the next time it is used. IMPORTANT NOTES: You must be logged in as an Administrator to do this. If you are not logged in as an Administrator, the System Restore tab will not be displayed. If you do not know how to log in as Administrator, contact your system administrator (if you are on a network), the computer manufacturer, or installer. Turning off System Restore will clear out all previous restore points. To turn off Windows XP System Restore: NOTE: These instructions assume that you are using the default Windows XP Start Menu and have not changed to the Classic Start menu. To re-enable the default menu, right-click Start, click Properties, click Start menu (not Classic) and then click OK.
To turn on Windows XP System Restore:
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Below, you will find the following information:
Here are some common Control Panel Applets that are located in the \windows\system32 directory.
If you are using any of these on a regular basis, you might find it useful to create a desktop icon for simple one click access.
In order to run these Applets:
Go to Start>> Run. Type in the applet of choice: (eg: To open Password Properties)
password.cpl
Hit Enter on your keyboard or click OK.
To create a desktop shortcut:
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In an effort to help Windows XP users free up more hard drive space, you can remove all restore points except for the most recent through Window's Disk Cleanup Utility. Here's how:
Click Start>> Run. Type in: CLEANMGR [Enter]
Now, all the System Restore points (except the recent one) are cleared and more hard disk space will be free.
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The maximum size of your Internet Explorer browser cache is ### megabytes. Generally, cache sizes above 80 megabytes can actually waste disk space and create poor computer performance.
Here is how to adjust your IE cache size:
Note: The faster the connection, the lower the number. I have DSL so I use 5MB and this works fine for me.
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Use Disk Cleanup to improve the performance of your computer by removing unnecessary files. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to: -Remove temporary Internet files. -Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets). -Empty the Recycle Bin. -Remove Windows temporary files. -Remove optional Windows components that you don't use. -Remove installed programs that you no longer use. Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later. To use Disk Cleanup 1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean. 2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. Choose the files that you want to delete. 3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK. 4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes. After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing noticeably better. Source: Microsoft [Top] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: The values for the tweaks listed below are a recommended value only and represent what has worked best on a variety of systems. If you are not comfortable trying this tweak for your system, please do not attempt it.
Note: With this feature on, you will not be given a prompt to save Windows.
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Windows XP has firewall capabilities built into the operating system. To configure the settings for your network connection, follow the instructions below:
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If you would like to disable Windows messenger, here's how:
Note: In Windows XP Home edition, Administrative Tools is in Performance and Maintenance
To permanently disable Messenger:
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You can download the registry file (below) or follow the instruction to do it manually.
Download the Registry File
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The default Windows XP installation contains a number of unnecessary services that are started by default. Extra running services consume CPU cycles and memory. To free up system resources and tune your operating system for optimum performance, you can stop and disable the services. The list (below) details those that may be unnecessary:
NOTE: I recommend disabling one at a time. If you notice problems in your programs, then undo what you have done.
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The default setting for WindowsXP is to cache the Explorer settings for 400 folders.
To increase it:
1000 - 3e8
2000 - 7d0 3000 - bb8 4000 - fa0 5000 - 1388
Or...you can download the registry file (below) that will set the folder cache to 5000.
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This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with WinXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It will probably work with networked machines as well but I haven't tried it in that configuration. This is for windows XP only, it does not work on win2000.
I use 3 Com cards so I don't know how it works on others at this point. It does not involve editing the registry. This tweak assumes that you have let WinXP create a connection on install for your cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print sharing - and client for Microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that WinXP will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try this. In the "My Network Places" properties (right click on the desktop icon and choose properties), highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK
Why it works, it seems that windows XP, in its zeal to make sure every base is covered installs two separate versions of the NIC card. One you do not normally see in any properties. Remember the "netcap/?" command above showing two different adapters? The LAN one is the one you see. The invisible one loads everything down and its like your running two separate cards together, sharing a connection among two cards, this method breaks this "bond" and allows the NIC to run un-hindered.
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Below, you will find tips to keeping your Windows XP Operating System running as reliable as possible.
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Scan Disk isn't available in Windows XP. In XP there's Check Disk, which can be run from the command line (chkdsk), or by right clicking a drive in Windows Explorer and choosing Properties > Tools > Error-checking.
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In Windows Device Manager, (Start>> Control Panel>> System>> Hardware tab>> Device Manager) open the IDE ATA/ATAP Controllers leaf, then open the IDE channel that your burner is on, then right click the proper IDE Channel and select "Properties">> Advanced Settings tab.
For the device that corresponds to your burner, make sure "DMA if available" is selected for Transfer mode rather than "PIO mode." To find out whether your burner is Device 0 or Device 1, look at it under Device Manager>>DVD/CD-ROM drives and check properties. The Location: field in the drive's general properties corresponds to the Device number for this setting.
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A great new feature in Microsoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This places all boot files next to each other on the disk to allow for faster booting. By default this option is enabled but on some builds it is not enabled. Below, you will find information on how to Enable/Disable this feature:
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Click Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> System Restore.
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You can also launch System Restore window by typing the command below, in the RUN box:
%SystemRoot%\System32\restore\rstrui.exe
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Start >> Run. Type in : regedit [Enter]
Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\services HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupfolder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg
Warning: Improper use of the Windows registry can cause severe problems within your operating system. Be sure to back up the registry prior to making any changes.
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By default, Windows XP allocates 12% of your disk space to system restore (SR). This equates to about 90 days worth of restoration points. Due to the amount of changes the average computer user makes in a 90 day period, makes a 90 day restoration unrealistic. I recommend changing your SR setting to allocate about 4% of your disk space. This will give you around 2 or 3 weeks worth of restore points while saving 8% of your disk space.
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There are many tasks that you can have Windows XP handle for you automatically. A few commonly chosen tasks are:
To schedule a task:
It may be necessary for you to use the "Browse" button located at the "Scheduled Task Wizard" window to schedule certain tasks not found in the Applications list. Included in the wizard are prompts that will ask for the frequency you would like to run your task and any password that you would like to create for the task.
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There are many ways to improve the boot speed in Windows XP, one quick way is to disable any unused devices in the Windows XP device manager. For example, if you do not use a floppy drive on your system or you have an extra unused network card, then disabling these items may make sense.
Note: If you don't know what it is or you are unsure of something, just leave it alone. To perform this task:
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Over time, you may notice that the Disk Cleanup Utility takes longer and longer to sort files or won't complete the cleanup process. This is usually caused by a full TEMP directory, corrupt temp files or a heavily fragmented hard disk. Try cleaning out the temp files using the method below, then perform a disk defragmentation:
Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> Disk Defragmenter. To clean TEMP files: Go to Start>> Run, type in: %temp% [Enter] In the resulting menu, select Edit>> Select All [Delete] Then select Yes. The Disk Cleanup Utility should run much better for you now!
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Many of the services provided in Windows XP are not needed and in many cases can either slow down your system or add certain security risks. Below, is a list of services that you can disable to create a safer and faster system. You can access the listed services through the Computer management Console:
Go to Start>> Right click My Computer>> Select 'Manage' from the resulting menu. Then, open Services and Applications and click Services. Now the right pane will have all of the services listed in alphabetical order. To disable a service, right click the entry and select "Stop" from the resulting menu. If it is already disabled, then "Stop" will be greyed out.
Note: Disable only if your computer is not networked and you are the sole user. Services: Alerter Clipbook Computer Browser Fast User Switching Human Interface Access Devices Indexing Service (slows the hard drive) Messenger Net Logon (not necessary unless networked on a domain) Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for added security) Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for added security) Remote Procedure Call Locator Remote Registry (disabled for added security) Routing & Remote Access (disabled for added security) Server SSDP Discovery Service (this leaves TCP Port 5000 open) TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Telnet (disabled for added security) Universal Plug and Play Device Host Upload Manager Windows Time Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks) Workstation
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Windows XP instability is often caused by corrupt or out-of-date drivers. I know I like to keep my system with updated drivers whenever possible. But, there are times when updating the driver you find yourself in a blue screen. Well, this situation used to cause all kinds of problems for users until the Driver Rollback Feature came. Now, if you are faced with a driver that fails to update, or became corrupt, you can roll back to the previous driver version very easily. Here's how:
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete this task.
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Windows XP has a handy little utility for monitoring your system performance. To access this utility:
Press CTRL + ALT + DEL on your keyboard and select the Performance tab.
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There are many third party software on the market that will do the job. One that I have used for several years and have been very satisfied with is a program called EasyCleaner. Best of all, it's FREE!
EasyCleaner is a small program which searches Windows' registry for entries that are pointing nowhere. Deleting these entries will speed your computer up. But as you already might know, deleting entries from registry can be dangerous for your computer, so it is wise to make a backup of your registry. EasyCleaner also lets you delete all kinds of unnecessary files like temps, backups etc. You can search for duplicate files and you can view some interesting info about your disk space usage! ToniArts may not be held accountable in any way if EasyCleaner affects your computer in a negative way. Here's a list of some features:
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I have found that the Indexing Service slows down the system more by having this feature enabled. Windows provides this description of the Indexing Service feature: "Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language."
Personally, I prefer a speedier computer than to have my files found a millionth of a second faster. Here's how to disable this feature:
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A handy Administrative tool for troubleshooting is the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). When viewing your event logs in the Event Viewer, you may come across one or more corrupt log files. Here is how you can clear these corrupt log files:
Note: It is not possible to rename or delete log files while the Event Log service is running.
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Windows XP has improved the ScanDisk feature from the Windows 98 days. It is now called CHKDSK Error Checking. This tool accomplishes the same thing as ScanDisk did though. It will check for file system errors and bad sectors on your hard disk. Here's how to use CHKDSK:
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The Page File (by default) is loaded on to the boot partition of your hard drive as are all of the Windows system files. Windows uses this page file as a sort of Random Access Memory. It is not necessary for the Page File to be on the boot partition, so if you would like to move it to a different partition, you will increase system performance along with free up some space on your boot partition. Here's how:
<>If you DO NOT want a page file on this drive, tick the No paging file radio button and then click the Set button. The following message should now appear:
If the paging file on volume C: has an initial value of less than 126 megabytes, then the system may not be able to create a debugging information file if a STOP error occurs. Continue Anyway? Select Yes. <>If you DO want to keep the page file on this drive, select the Custom size button, then enter a size of equal or greater value of the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) that you currently have installed on your system in to the "Initial size (MB)" text box. Enter the same value for your maximum size, then click the Set button. The following message should now appear: The changes you have made require you to restart your computer before they can take effect. Click OK (OK your way out of all open windows). When given a prompt to restart your system, click Yes.
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The developers of the Windows XP Operating System have made available to the general public and for free, a powerful tool that makes performing certain changes to the user interface (UI) a simple process. Many people do not feel comfortable making changes to the user interface through the Windows Registry, so this is a perfectly safe alternative. While browsing the TweakUi utility, you can find many helpful descriptions of what certain changes are and how they effect the operating system.
As you navigate through the many categories, just know that any change you make can be undone by simply reversing the step in which you made the change. In most cases, a change is made in just a couple of mouse clicks. There are many useful tweaks that aide in the customization of the operating system to create either better performance or improve functionality. But, since tweaking is more of a personal preference, I will leave it to you to explorer the hundreds of possibilities on your own. Click the following link for a free TweakUI download for Windows XP: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
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The purpose of this service is to constantly index all of the files on your system so that when you use the search function, your search will provide fast and accurate results. The draw back to this is that it is a constant resource drain. If you rarely use the search function to search for files on your computer, I recommend turning the Disk Indexing service off. Here's how:
You will now see an "Applying Attributes" window that will remove all of the indexing on the selected drive. It is possible that you could see some errors resulting from the indexing removal. Do not be alarmed, the errors are a result of either that a file is write protected and could not have indexing removed or possibly a file is currently in use and cannot be changed.
To continue, we need to turn the actual Indexing Service off. Here's how:
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The tweak below requires making a change in the Windows Registry. Be sure to make a backup copy of the registry prior to making any changes.
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1 comment:
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