For more great tips try
Microsoft Windows XP tip page.
Fix
Virtual Memory Problems
The
combination of RAM (physical memory) and page file size (virtual
memory) is the amount of memory your Windows XP computer has
available to use. The best way to fix this is to load up your
machine with RAM, but that costs money. The free way to fix this is
to increase the size of your page file. Here's how:
-
Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
-
Make sure the Control Panel is in Classic View and
then open the System applet.
-
In the System Properties dialog box, click on the
Advanced tab. On the Advanced tab, click the Settings button
inside of the Performance frame.
-
In the Performance Options dialog box, click on the
Advanced tab. On the Advanced tab under Virtual Memory, click on
the Change button.
-
In the Virtual Memory dialog box, click on the drive
that already has a page file size listed in the Paging File Size
(MB) column. Select the Custom Size option. Assuming that you have
at least 2000 MB of disk space free (you'll see the amount of free
space next to the Space available entry), put in the value of 1000
in both the Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB) text boxes.
Click OK.
-
Click OK in the Performance Options dialog box. Click
Apply and then OK in the System Properties dialog box. You may be
asked to restart the computer. Click Yes to restart the computer.
This procedure
sets a static page file. By default, Windows XP uses a dynamic page
file, which means the OS resizes the page file depending on how much
virtual memory is needed. Dynamic page files conserve disk space,
but it decreases performance because of the overhead involved in
growing and shrinking the page file.
Reallocate Disk Space for Shrinking Drives
Unfortunately,
there's no freeware application that will allow you to do this, but
you can use Partition Magic 8.0. I've used Partition Magic for years
and it has never let me down. Check it out at:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030114TI-Partition_Magic8
Note: If you
have Windows XP Pro, you can resize partitions that are on disks
that you've converted from "basic" to "dynamic" by extending a
simple volume to include unallocated disk space. This is done using
the Disk Management tool in the Computer Management Console.
However, there are several caveats: XP doesn't support dynamic disks
on portable computers, and if you dual/multi-boot with other
operating systems (other than Windows 2000), those OSs won't
recognize the dynamic disk. Also, you can't convert back to basic
without losing all your data. Besides, this wouldn't help Larry
because all the space on his disk has been allocated to partitions.
In any event, we've had some problems with dynamic disks in the past
(and lost data as a result), so we recommend always using a third
party application to resize partitions instead.
Stop
Internet Explorer from Dialing Up Your Modem
Spyware,
scumware, viruses and more all like to take advantage of software
features that were meant to make things easier for you. One common
spyware ploy is to use the dial-up settings in Internet Explorer
that allow it to dial-up to the Internet. If you've ever wondered
why your modem seems to dial for no reason, there's a good chance
that some spyware or scumware used the Internet Explorer settings to
dial out and call home to the evil doers. Here's how you can fix the
problem:
-
Open Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu, and
click Internet Options.
-
Click the Connections tab on the Internet Options
dialog box.
-
On the Connections tab, select the Never dial a
connection option. Click Apply and then click OK.
The modem will
not automatically dial when you open the browser after you make this
change. This isn't a problem, since you can use the modem link on
your desktop to dial the modem yourself, when you want to connect,
safe from spyware and Scumware.
Connecting to Multiple Remote
Desktops on Your Private Network
Windows XP
computers running Remote Desktop on your home or Peer to Peer
networks. It would be great to be able to connect to all of these
computers over the Internet, but that usually requires multiple IP
addresses bound to the Internet interface of your cable or DSL
router. To make all of your Remote Desktops available from the
Internet using just a single Internet IP address:
-
Click Start, click the Run command and type in "regedit"
(without the quotes) to open the Registry Editor.
-
Browse to the following location in the left pane
HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp
-
In the right pane, right click on PortNumber and click
the Modify command.
-
In the Edit DWORD dialog box, click the decimal option
and change the port number to whatever you want. Click OK and
restart your computer.
-
Log into your router and use port forwarding to
forward the port you chose to your IP address on the network.
-
Now when connecting to your computer from another
computer, you have to type the following in the connection box for
remote desktop
YourIPaddress:YourNewPort (that is a colon in the middle). For
example: 66.245.178.25:3388
How to
Share Your Printer with Other Network Users
Before the
Internet became so popular, the main reason for connecting computers
to each other on a network was to share files and printers. Maybe
you have a home or office network that shares an Internet connection
but you haven't connected your computers to a shared printer yet. If
you're not sharing your printer, it's time to do it now! Here's how:
-
On the computer that's connected to the printer, click
the Start button and then click on Printers and Faxes.
-
In the Printers and Faxes window, right click on your
printer and click the Sharing command.
-
The default setting is to not share the printer.
Select the Share this printer option. In the Share name text box,
type in the name for the printer. Other people will use this name
to connect to your printer.
-
Click the Additional Drivers button. You can install
printer drivers to support other operating systems used by remote
computers that will print to your printer. Just put a checkmark in
the checkbox for the operating system(s) you want to support and
click OK. A dialog box will appear asking you to insert the CD or
disk that has the printer drivers. Install the drivers as
indicated. Click OK in the Additional Drivers dialog box. Click
Apply and click OK in the printer's Properties dialog box.
-
Go to the computer that needs to print to your
printer. Open the Printers and Faxes window.
-
Click the Add a printer link on the left side of the
window. Click Next in the Welcome to the Add Printer Wizard dialog
box.
-
On the Local or Network Printer page, select the A
network printer, or A printer attached to another computer option.
Click Next.
-
On the Specify a Printer page, select the Connect to
this printer option and type in the path to your printer. The path
is \\computername\printername. The Computer name is the name of
the computer that is directly hooked up to the printer. The
printer name is the name you assigned to the printer when you
shared it. Click Next.
-
On the Default Printer page, select Yes to make the
printer the default printer. Click Next.
-
Click Finish on the last page of the Wizard.
Remote users can
print to the printer right away. You don't need to restart the
computer.
Change
the Windows Log On Screensaver
The logon
screen saver is the screen saver you see when no one is logged onto
the computer. That default Windows XP logon screen saver isn't very
interesting, as all it does is flash a banner that says "Windows XP"
in different places every second or two. How about using a screen
saver of your choice? You'll have to edit the Registry (and exercise
the usual caution when doing so) but it's not difficult; just follow
these steps:
-
Click Start and then click Run. Type Regedt32 into the
Open text box and click OK.
-
Navigate to the following Registry key:
HKEY USERS\DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
-
Look in the right pane of the Registry Editor and find
the entry for SCRNSAVE.E X E (no spaces between the E's and X).
Double click on it.
-
In the Edit String dialog box, replace the logon.scr
entry with the name of the screen saver you want to use. For
example, if you want to use the 3D Pipes screen saver, type in
sspipes.scr. It's important that your screen saver be in the
WINDOWS\System32 folder, so make sure it is before you do this (if
the screensaver you want to use is in a different location, you
can copy it to this folder). Click OK to save the changes.
-
Close the Registry Editor.
The new logon
screen saver will be used the next time you restart the computer.
Make Windows desktop icon
background transparent
Each week, we
get a few questions from readers about how to make the icon text box
transparent, so that no "box" appears in the description. This is a
really nice feature that's new to Windows XP (you could do it by
using add-ins in previous versions of Windows). This feature should
be enabled by default, but sometimes it gets turned off. Here's how
you can turn it back on:
-
Click on the Start button. Click on Control Panel.
-
Make sure the Control Panel is in Classic View. Double
click on the System icon.
-
In the System Properties dialog box, click the
Advanced tab.
-
On the Advanced tab, click on the Settings button in
the Performance frame.
-
On the Performance Options dialog box, scroll through
the list of options and select Use drop shadows for icon labels on
the desktop.
-
Click Apply and then click OK. Click OK again in the
System Properties dialog box.
The changes
should take place immediately.
Clean
Up Email Messages
One thing that
I really hate about forwarding email messages is that there are
often a million of those little ">" characters in them, indicating
material quoted from another message. While you can configure
Outlook or Outlook Express to not add more of them to your messages,
you're still stuck with those that were already there when you
received the mail. If this bugs you, here's some good news. There
are two FREEWARE utilities that automatically remove those
characters from text. One of them is emailSTRIPPER the second
program is StripMail. A nice thing about both programs is that you
don't have to install them. Just click the downloaded file and run
it!
emailSTRIPPER:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=021217TI-emailSTRIPPER
StripMail:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=021217TI-StripMail
Thinking of a Windows XP Upgrade?
Try the Upgrade Advisor
If you
currently running Windows 98 or Windows ME and are thinking of
upgrading to Windows XP. The first thing you need to do before
taking the plunge is to see if your current computer and programs
support Windows XP. The upgrade advisor will detect any required
updates to your computer and automatically download them if you
wish.
The first
thing to do is see if you qualify for an upgrade. To answer that
question visit:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=021217TI-Qualify
If you do
qualify for an upgrade, then head on over to the link below and
click the Download the Upgrade Advisor link at the bottom of the
page. The upgrade advisor file is over 50 MB, so unless you want to
tie up your phone line for a few hours, you should use a high speed
DSL or cable connection to do this. If you don't have a high speed
connection, get a friend who has one to download the advisor for you
and burn it to a CD.
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=021217TI-Advisor
Quick Tip: Run Internet Explorer in Full Screen Mode
Ever run into
a Web page that just begs to be seen in Full Screen mode? We don't
mean just maximizing the browser window; we mean having the browser
take up the entire screen, with only the browser buttons showing.
This one is really easy. Just press the F11 key on your keyboard and
watch the browser expand. Press F11 again to make the browser return
to its previous size.
Quick
Tip: Turn of the “Send Error to Microsoft”
Now Microsoft
promises that the data they collect will only be used for solving
users' problems and that it will never be used for marketing
purposes. Nevertheless, many users are not comfortable with sending
off a message to the "mothership" each time they experience a
problem and are annoyed with having to click the "Do not send"
button every time to prevent it. The good news is that you can turn
off this error reporting "feature" if you want: right click My
Computer, select Properties, select Advanced, select Error Reporting
and check the Disable error reporting box.
Finding
Your IP Address
Sometimes you
need to be able to tell people what your IP address is so that they
can connect to your computer over the Internet. There are several
ways you can find your IP address in Windows XP. Try these out:
-
If your network connection icon is in the system tray
(near the clock in the taskbar), right click on it and click the
Status command. Click on the Support tab. You'll see your IP
address and other information. If you want even more information,
click on the Details button.
-
Click Start, click Run and type cmd in the Open text
box. In the command prompt window, type: ipconfig /all You will
see detailed information about your network connections, including
your IP address.
-
Go to a Web site like
ShieldsUp and run
the Shields Up utility. It will test your security and identify
your IP address.
Calculate Your RAM and Pagefile Requirements
How much RAM
does your computer need? How large should your pagefile be? You need
the right amount of RAM and pagefile space if you want your computer
to run as fast as possible. Here are some things you can do to
figure out how much you need:
-
The pagefile is typically set to be 1.5 to 2
times the amount of RAM. This is a generic opinion and might not
meet your specific needs. However, as a rule of thumb, we set our
pagefiles to twice the amount of RAM, or 1 GB. We prefer the 1 GB
setting if there's enough free disk space.
-
Windows XP really needs a minimum of 256 MB of
RAM if you want to have acceptable performance when doing heavy
multitasking. Most users will benefit from having 512 MB of RAM.
You probably don't need more than that unless you have specific
needs, such as a memory intensive application like a graphics or
CAD package, or you're running multiple virtual machines in VMWare.
-
Right click on the taskbar and click Task
Manager. In the Task Manager, click on the Performance tab. Look
at the entries in the Commit Charge frame. The Peak entry gives
you an indication of the maximum amount of memory used by your
computer since the last time it was started. The optimum amount of
RAM is equal to this value (assuming the computer has been running
for a few days and you've run your typical programs during that
time). Notice the Limit entry. This is the total of your RAM and
pagefile. We like the limit to be at least twice the Peak value.
If you can't buy more RAM, you can increase your pagefile size to
increase the Limit value.
Experiment with
different pagefile sizes based on these guidelines and see if you
notice a performance enhancement.
Remove the "My Recent Documents"
Menu Item
The "My Recent
Documents" menu shows what documents you've had open, and you might
not want this to be public knowledge if you share the computer.
Here's how you remove it.
-
Right click the taskbar and click Properties.
-
In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box,
click on the Start Menu tab. On the Start menu tab, click on the
Customize button (we're assuming that you're not using the Classic
Start menu).
-
In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, click on the
Advanced tab. On the Advanced tab, remove the checkmark from the
List my most recently opened documents checkbox. Click OK.
-
Click Apply and then click OK in the Taskbar and Start
Menu Properties dialog box.
View
and Remove Cookies
It used to be
that you could see the files in the Temporary Internet Files folder
using Windows Explorer. Life isn't always that easy in XP; it seems
some installations will display these files when you navigate to
Documents and Settings\[username]\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files, and others won't. If you come up blank when you try to view
these files in Explorer you can use Internet Explorer and the
command prompt to see the files. Here's how:
-
Open Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu and click
the Internet Options command.
-
In the Internet Options dialog box, click on the
General tab. In the Temporary Internet Files frame, click on the
Settings button.
-
In the Settings dialog box, click on the View Files
button.
-
This opens up a window that allows you to view the
files in your Temporary Internet Files folder. You can also delete
them from here.
There might be
some hidden folders that don't show up in Temporary Internet Files
folder (such as the folder that holds Outlook attachments you open).
You can see these by using the command prompt. Open the command
prompt and type: cd c:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Local
Settings\Temporary Internet Files Replace the drive letter with the
drive where your temporary Internet files are stored and replace
"username" with your user name. You may see folders in the command
prompt window that weren't visible in the GUI window. You can change
to the folder, view and delete files in the hidden folder if you
wish.
How to Prevent Data Loss and
Corruption Due to Power Failures
Have you
noticed slow downs, lock ups and blue screens on your new Windows XP
computer? There's a good chance that there's nothing wrong with
Windows XP or your computer hardware. The fact is that the quality
of the power we get from the utilities isn't what it used to be.
There are perceptible increases and decreases in power that can
wreck havoc on your Windows XP computer. The solution is a UPS
(Uninterruptible Power Supply). A UPS guarantees a smooth flow of
power and protects you from data loss, program and operating system
corruption in the event of a power failure. You can make the Windows
XP Power Management feature work with your UPS to protect your
system. Here's how:
-
Click Start and then click Control Panel.
-
Make sure the Control Panel is in Classic View, and
then open the Power Options applet
-
In the Power Options Properties dialog box, click on
the Alarms tab
-
On the Alarms tab, put a checkmark in the Activate
critical battery alarm when power level reaches checkbox, and move
the slider to 20%
-
Click the Alarm Action button
-
In the 'Critical Battery Alarm Actions' dialog box,
put a checkmark in the 'Sound Alarm' checkbox. Put a checkmark in
the 'When the alarm goes off, the computer will' checkbox, and
then select the 'Hibernate' option from the drop down list box.
Put a checkmark in the 'Force stand by or shutdown even if a
program stops responding' checkbox. This might cause loss of open
files, but your program file and operating system will be
protected, as will the rest of your files.
-
Click OK, then click Apply and then OK.
When you get your
UPS in place, there's an excellent chance that those random blue
screens and lock up will go away.
How to Use Remote Desktop to Connect to a Computer on Your Network
The Remote
Desktop feature provides one of the most compelling reasons to get
Windows XP Professional. If you run a small office or home office,
you might have two or three computers, with your main computer
running Windows XP. Maybe you have a laptop and a desktop, with the
laptop running Windows 98 or Windows ME. Wouldn't it be nice to see
your Windows XP desktop computer on your wireless laptop? You bet!
Here's how:
-
On the machine to which you want to connect over the
network, click Start and click Control Panel. Make sure the
Control Panel is in classic mode and then click the System icon.
-
Click on the Remote tab in the System Properties
dialog box. Put a checkmark in the Allow users to connect remotely
to this computer checkbox. Click on the Select Remote Users button
and make sure your user account is included on the list. Click
Apply and then click OK. Be sure to leave this computer running so
that you can connect to it from another computer over the network.
You can make your computer secure while it's still running by
pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL and locking it.
-
Go to the other computer that you want to use to
connect to the Windows XP computer. If the other computer is
running Windows XP, you can skip this step. Put in your Windows XP
CD-ROM (your vendor did give you your CD, right?). The CD
will autorun and you'll see the option Perform additional tasks.
Click that option. On the next screen, you'll be asked what you
want to do. Click Setup Remote Desktop Connection. This will start
the installation Wizard. Finish the installation and go to the
next step.
-
Click Start, point to Programs or All Programs
(depending on your operating system), point to Accessories, point
to Communications and click on Remote Desktop Connection. In the
Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, type in the name (or IP
address) of the computer to which you want to connect and click
Connect.
-
You'll need to log on after making the connection. Log
on and work just as you would if you were right in front of the XP
computer. You can run programs installed on the XP machine, even
if you don't have those programs on the computer you're using. All
processing is actually done on the XP computer. When you're done,
log off as you usually do. No one else will be able to use the XP
computer while you're logged on to it, so you don't have to worry
about someone trying to "share" the computer :)
Backing Up the Registry, Made Easy
There are
actually several ways to back up the Registry:
-
Use the System Restore tool to create a Restore Point
-
Use the ntbackup program and back up the "system
state"
-
Use the Registry Editor to back up individual Registry
"keys"
-
Restart the computer using the "Last Known Good"
option
System Restore is
the easiest and more comprehensive tool, but all four of these
methods will work to protect you. If you're the extra careful type,
back up the Registry using all 4 methods! Check out the System
Restore tips here:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030708TI-Backup_registry
Put Your Keyboard Shortcuts into Overdrive
How about
making a keyboard shortcut that allows you to open the CD drive? A
shortcut for changing the speaker volume? A shortcut for
automatically entering pre-defined text? We thought you would like
it! Check out Hotkeycontrol XP:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030708TI-keyboard_shortcuts
We've used
this tool and it's a ton of fun. It's also free, so check it out!
Copy a Picture of Your Desktop
A cool Windows
XP feature that we use every day when helping people work with and
fix their computers. You can copy a picture of your desktop and
paste it into an email or the Windows "paint" program. Try this:
-
Press the PrtScn key on the keyboard.
-
Click Start, click the Run command and then type
mspaint in the Open text box and click OK.
-
In Microsoft Paint, click the Edit menu and click the
Paste command. Voila!
Your entire
desktop appears in the window. You can edit the picture in Paint.
Then click the Edit menu, click Select All. Then click Edit, click
Copy. Now you can paste the edited copy into a Word document, an
email message or into almost anything!
BTW (By The
Way)– you can use the CTRL+C to copy something to the clipboard and
the CTRL+V to paste the contents of the clipboard into something.
And if you have a more sophisticated graphics program installed,
such as Adobe PhotoShop, Corel PhotoPaint or Jasc Paint Shop Pro,
you can edit the desktop screenshot in that, instead.
Remove Tray Icons with a Registry Hack
Is your
Windows XP computer under your control or deluged with tray icons?
You know, those 37 icons sitting next to the clock? Are they taking
up way too much room in your taskbar? If so, you can whack ‘em with
this Registry hack:
-
Click the Start button. Click the Run command
and type Regedit in the Open text box. Click OK.
-
In the Registry Editor, go to the following
registry key:
HKEY LOCAL MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \
CurrentVersion \ policies \ Explorer
-
Click the Edit menu, point to New, and click
DWORD Value.
-
Press the ENTER key on the keyboard. Right
click on New Value #1 and click the Rename command. Type in the
new name "NoTrayItemsDisplay" (without the quotes) and press
ENTER.
-
In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, put a
number "1" (without the quotes) in the Value data text box. Click
OK.
-
Close the Registry Editor
Log off and log
back on. No more tray icons! Go back and change the
NoTrayItemsDisplay value to 0 (zero) if you want to see the tray
icons again.
Control Inactive Tray Icon
Behavior
Speaking of
tray icons, maybe you're just the opposite of the person who wants
them to go away. Maybe you want to *always* see *all* of the tray
icons! You don't want the inactive icons to disappear. If so, just
do this:
-
Click Start and click Control Panel. Change to
Classic View and double click on the Taskbar and Start Menu icon.
-
On the Taskbar tab in the Taskbar and Start
Menu Properties dialog box, find the Hide inactive icons checkbox
and remove the checkmark from the checkbox by clicking on it.
-
Click Apply and then click OK. The tray icons
will no longer disappear.
Record a Custom Startup Sound
Wouldn't it be
cool to hear your own voice saying "Time to get to work!" coming out
of the computer speakers when Windows XP starts up? You bet! Here's
how:
-
Click Start, point to All Programs and point to
Accessories. Point to Entertainment and click on Sound Recorder.
-
Click the Record button and record your sound
clip to the desktop (or wherever you want to save the file).
-
Click Start and click Control Panel. Switch to
Classic View in the Control Panel window. Double click on the
Sounds and Audio Devices entry in the Control Panel.
-
In the Sounds and Audio Devices Properties
dialog box, click the Sounds tab.
-
In the Programs events list, find the Start
Windows entry. Click on the Start Windows entry and then click the
Browse button.
-
Locate the .wav file you saved to your desktop
or other location and select it in the Browse for Start Windows
sound dialog box. Click OK.
-
Click Apply and then click OK in the Sounds and
Audio Devices Properties dialog box.
-
Restart the computer and listen to your own
voice when you start your day.
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