How to Remove Windows XP's Messenger

theoretically, you can get rid of it (as well as a few other things). Windows
2000 power users should already be familiar with this tweak.

Fire up the Windows Explorer and navigate your way to the %SYSTEMROOT%
\ INF folder. What the heck is that thingy with the percentage signs? It's a
variable. For most people, %SYSTEMROOT% is C:\Windows. For others, it
may be E:\WinXP. Get it? Okay, on with the hack! In the INF folder, open
sysoc.inf (but not before making a BACKUP copy first). Before your eyes
glaze over, look for the line containing "msmsgs" in it. Near the end of that
particular line, you'll notice that the word "hide" is not so hidden. Go ahead
and delete "hide" (so that the flanking commas are left sitting next to one
another). Save the file and close it. Now, open the Add and Remove
Programs applet in the Control Panel. Click the Add / Remove Windows
Components icon. You should see "Windows Messenger" in that list. Remove
the checkmark from its box, and you should be set. NOTE: there are other
hidden system components in that sysoc.inf file, too. Remove "hide" and the
subsequent programs at your own risk.

Set the Search Screen to the Classic Look

When I first saw the default search pane in Windows XP, my instinct was to
return it to its classic look; that puppy had to go. Of course, I later discovered
that a doggie door is built into the applet. Click "Change preferences" then
"Without an animated screen character." If you'd rather give it a bare-bones
"Windows 2000" look and feel, fire up your Registry editor and navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \

Explorer \ Cabinet State.

You may need to create a new string value labeled "Use Search Asst" and set
it to "no".

Upgrading to Windows XP

You can upgrade a computer that runs Windows 98, 98SE, or Me to Windows
XP Home Edition. Those same versions, along with Windows NT Workstation
4.0 and Windows 2000 Professional, can be upgraded to Windows XP
Professional.

(1).To ensure a smooth upgrade and avoid networking problems, follow

these tips before starting the upgrade:

(2)Install all network cards. XP will detect them and automatically install the
right drivers.
(3)Have your Internet connection available. The XP setup process will
connect to a Microsoft server to download the latest setup files, including
changes that have been made since XP was released.

Some programs are incompatible with XP and can cause networking

problems. Un-install these programs. After the upgrade is complete and the
network is working, re-install XP-compatible versions of these programs:
Internet Connection Sharing, NAT, Proxy Server Anti-Virus Firewall.

New Sound Blaster Drivers

With the loads of problems reported by users with SoundBlaster cards on

Windows XP Creative has stepped up and offered drivers for at least some
models of their Sound Blaster cards, but check your particular model closely.
I have downloaded the SB128 drivers and my sound problems have been
resolved..! So they do work.

How to Upgrade Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition Profiles

to Windows XP Domain User Profiles

This guide describes how to upgrade a Microsoft Windows 98-based, or

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition-based client that has user profiles to a
Microsoft Windows XP-based client.

The following steps enable the Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition
(Me) profiles to be retained throughout the process.

Your best method to retain the profiles is to join the domain during the
upgrade installation process.
Otherwise, you must use a workaround method to transfer the profile
information over to the Windows XP profile.

During the upgrade installation process, at the networking section, the

administrator is offered the choice to join a domain or a workgroup.
If you join the domain at this juncture, you ensure that all the existing
profiles are migrated successfully to the Windows XP-based installation.

If you did not join the computer to the domain during the upgrade process,
you must use the following workaround method:
 Join the upgraded computer to the target domain.

All applicable users must log on and log off (which generates a profile).

Copy the appropriate Application Data folder from the Windows 95, Windows
98, and Windows Me profiles to the newly created user profiles.

How to make your Desktop Icons Transparent

Go to control Panel > System, > Advanced > Performance area > Settings
button Visual Effects tab "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"

Speed up your browsing of Windows 2000 & XP machines

Here's a great tip to speed up your browsing of Windows XP machines. Its

actually a fix to a bug installed as default in Windows 2000 that scans shared
files for Scheduled Tasks. And it turns out that you can experience a delay as
long as 30 seconds when you try to view shared files across a network
because Windows 2000 is using the extra time to search the remote
computer for any Scheduled Tasks. Note that though the fix is originally
intended for only those affected, Windows 2000 users will experience that
the actual browsing speed of both the Internet & Windows Explorers improve
significantly after applying it since it doesn't search for Scheduled Tasks
anymore. Here’s how:

Open up the Registry and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace

Under that branch, select the key:

{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}

And delete it.

This is key that instructs Windows to search for Scheduled Tasks. If you like
you may want to export the exact branch so that you can restore the key if
necessary.

This fix is so effective that it doesn't require a reboot and you can almost
immediately determine yourself how much it speeds up your browsing
processes.
 Set up and Use Internet Connection Sharing

With Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows XP, you can connect one
computer to the Internet, then share the Internet service with several
computers on your home or small office network. The Network Setup Wizard
in Windows XP Professional will automatically provide all of the network
settings you need to share one Internet connection with all the computers in
your network. Each computer can use programs such as Internet Explorer
and Outlook Express as if they were directly connected to the Internet.
You should not use this feature in an existing network with Windows 2000
Server domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, DHCP servers, or systems
configured for static IP addresses.

Enabling ICS

The ICS host computer needs two network connections. The local area
network connection, automatically created by installing a network adapter,
connects to the computers on your home or small office network. The other
connection, using a 56k modem, ISDN, DSL, or cable modem, connects the
home or small office network to the Internet. You need to ensure that ICS is
enabled on the connection that has the Internet connection. By doing this,
the shared connection can connect your home or small office network to the
Internet, and users outside your network are not at risk of receiving
inappropriate addresses from your network.
When you enable ICS, the local area network connection to the home or
small office network is given a new static IP address and configuration.
Consequently, TCP/IP connections established between any home or small
office computer and the ICS host computer at the time of enabling ICS are
lost and need to be reestablished. For example, if Internet Explorer is
connecting to a Web site when Internet Connection Sharing is enabled,
refresh the browser to reestablish the connection. You must configure client
machines on your home or small office network so TCP/IP on the local area
connection obtains an IP address automatically. Home or small office
network users must also configure Internet options for Internet Connection
Sharing. To enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Discovery and Control
on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium
Edition computers, run the Network Setup Wizard from the CD or floppy disk
on these computers. For ICS Discovery and Control to work on Windows 98,
Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers,
Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later must be installed.

To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection

You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to
complete this procedure.
Open Network Connections. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then
double–click Network Connections.)

Click the dial–up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you want to
share, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this
connection.

On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect
through this computer's Internet connection check box.
If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer on
your home or small office network attempts to access external resources,
select the Establish a dial–up connection whenever a computer on my
network attempts to access the Internet check box.

If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared Internet
connection, select the Allow other network users to control or disable the
shared Internet connection check box.

Under Internet Connection Sharing, in Home networking connection, select

any adapter that connects the computer sharing its Internet connection to
the other computers on your network. The Home networking connection is
only present when two or more network adapters are installed on the
computer.

To configure Internet options on your client computers for Internet

Connection Sharing

Open Internet Explorer. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click
Internet Explorer.)

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.

On the Connections tab, click never dial a connection, and then click LAN
Settings.

In Automatic configuration, clear the automatically detect settings and Use

automatic configuration script check boxes.

In Proxy Server, clear the Use a proxy server check box.

Set Processes Priority

 Follow this tip to increase the priority of active processes; this will result in
prioritization of processes using the CPU.

CTRL-SHIFT-ESC

1. Go to the second tab called Processes, right click on one of the active
processes, you will see the Set Priority option

2. For example, your Run your CDwriter program , set the priority higher, and
guess what, no crashed CD’s

Set Permissions for Shared Files and Folders

Sharing of files and folders can be managed in two ways. If you chose
simplified file sharing, your folders can be shared with everyone on your
network or workgroup, or you can make your folders private. (This is how
folders are shared in Windows 2000.) However, in Windows XP Professional,
you can also set folder permissions for specific users or groups. To do this,
you must first change the default setting, which simple file is sharing. To
change this setting, follow these steps:
•Open Control Panel, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
•Click the View tab, and scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Settings list.
•Clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.
•To manage folder permissions, browse to the folder in Windows Explorer,
right–click the folder, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab, and
assign permissions, such as Full Control, Modify, Read, and/or Write, to
specific users.

You can set file and folder permissions only on drives formatted to use NTFS,
and you must be the owner or have been granted permission to do so by the
owner.

Search For Hidden Or System Files In Windows XP

The Search companion in Windows XP searches for hidden and system files
differently than in earlier versions of Windows. This guide describes how to
search for hidden or system files in Windows XP.

Search for Hidden or System Files By default, the Search companion does not
search for hidden or system files. Because of this, you may be unable to find
files, even though they exist on the drive.
To search for hidden or system files in Windows XP:
Click Start, click Search, click All files and folders, and then click More
advanced options.

Click to select the Search system folders and Search hidden files and folders
check boxes.

NOTE: You do not need to configure your computer to show hidden files in
the Folder Options dialog box in Windows Explorer to find files with either the
hidden or system attributes, but you need to configure your computer not to
hide protected operating system files to find files with both the hidden and
system attributes. Search Companion shares the Hide protected operating
system files option (which hides files with both the system and hidden
attributes) with the Folder Options dialog box Windows Explorer.

Restricting Logon Access

If you work in a multiuser computing environment, and you have full

(administrator level) access to your computer, you might want to restrict
unauthorized access to your "sensitive" files under Windows 95/98.
One way is to disable the Cancel button in the Logon dialog box.
Just run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Network/Logon

Create the "Logon" subkey if it is not present on your machine: highlight the
Network key -> right-click in the left hand Regedit pane -> select New ->
Key -> name it "Logon" (no quotes) -> press Enter. Then add/modify a
DWORD value and call it "MustBeValidated" (don't type the quotes). Double-
click it, check the Decimal box and type 1 for value.
Now click the Start button -> Shut Down (Log off UserName) -> Log on as a
different user, and you'll notice that the Logon Cancel button has been
disabled.

Remove the Recycle Bin from the Desktop

If you don't use the Recycle Bin to store deleted files , you can get rid of its
desktop icon all together.

Run Regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/explor
er/Desktop/NameSpace
 Click on the "Recycle Bin" string in the right hand pane. Hit Del, click OK.

How to Rename the Recycle Bin

To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, open Regedit and go
to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want (don't type any
quotes).

Provide Remote Assistance When Using a NAT Device

You can provide Remote Assistance to a friend who uses a Network Address
Translation (NAT) device by modifying the Remote Assistance invitation
using XML. Network Address Translation is used to allow multiple computers
to share the same outbound Internet connection. To open a Remote
Assistance session with a friend who uses a NAT device:

1. Ask your friend to send you a Remote Assistance invitation by e–mail.

2. Save the invitation file to your desktop.

3. Right–click the file, and then click Open With Notepad. You'll see that the
file is a simple XML file.
4.Under the RCTICKET attribute is a private IP address, such as
192.168.1.100.
5. Over–write this IP address with your friend's public IP address. Your friend
must send you his or her public IP address: they can find out what it is by
going to a Web site that will return the public IP address, such as
http://www.dslreports.com/ip.
6. Save the file, and then double–click it to open the Remote Assistance
session.

Now, you'll be able to connect and provide them with the help they need. So
that your inbound IP connection is routed to the correct computer, the NAT
must be configured to route that inbound traffic. To do so, make sure your
friend forwards port 3389 to the computer they want help from.
 Ports That Are Used by Windows Product Activation

Windows Product Activation uses the following ports:

80 - HTTP
443 - HTTPS

NTFS vs. FAT

To NTFS or not to NTFS—that is the question. But unlike the deeper

questions of life, this one isn't really all that hard to answer. For most users
running Windows XP, NTFS is the obvious choice. It's more powerful and
offers security advantages not found in the other file systems. But let's go
over the differences among the files systems so we're all clear about the
choice. There are essentially three different file systems available in
Windows XP: FAT16, short for File Allocation Table, FAT32, and NTFS, short
for NT File System.

FAT16
The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and
it's showing its age. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy
drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard
disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3
characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator. The biggest
advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating
systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of
UNIX. The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number
of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of
each cluster has to get larger. In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32
kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32
KB of space. FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or
advanced security using access control lists.

FAT32
The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is
really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a
much larger number of clusters per partition. As such, it greatly improves the
overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system. However,
FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important
additional limitation—many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will
not work with FAT32—most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as
well. Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP
computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network—
they don't need to know (and generally don't really care) what your
underlying file system is.
The Advantages of NTFS
The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a
completely different file system from FAT. It provides for greatly increased
security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even encryption. It is the
default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing
an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want
to convert your existing file systems to NTFS. Don't worry. If you've already
upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a
problem. You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point. Just
remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without
reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to.

The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating
systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've
booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system
administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at
least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This
partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special
drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself
out of the hole you'd just dug into. But with the enhanced recovery abilities
built into Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I don't think it's
necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.

When to Use FAT or FAT32

If you're running more than one operating system on a single computer , you
will definitely need to format some of your volumes as FAT. Any programs or
data that need to be accessed by more than one operating system on that
computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly FAT32 volume. But keep
in mind that you have no security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volume—any
one with access to the computer can read, change, or even delete any file
that is stored on a FAT16 or FAT32 partition. In many cases, this is even
possible over a network. So do not store sensitive files on drives or partitions
formatted with FAT file systems.

Make your Folders Private

•Open My Computer
•Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:), unless
you have more than one drive on your computer).
•If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the
contents of this drive.
•Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.
•Double-click your user folder.
•Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.
•On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have
access to it check box.

Note

•To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.

•This option is only available for folders included in your user profile. Folders
in your user profile include My Documents and its subfolders, Desktop, Start
Menu, Cookies, and Favorites. If you do not make these folders private, they
are available to everyone who uses your computer.
•When you make a folder private, all of its subfolders are private as well. For
example, when you make My Documents private, you also make My Music
and My Pictures private. When you share a folder, you also share all of its
subfolders unless you make them private.
•You cannot make your folders private if your drive is not formatted as NTFS
For information about converting your drive to NTFS

IP address of your connection

Go to start/run type 'cmd'

then type 'ipconfig'

Add the '/all' switch for more info.

How to use Windows Update Properly

If you want to save your files to your hard drive, so after a format you dont
have to download them all again, here's How:

- Logon to Windows Update

- Choose Windows Update Catalogue (left hand pane)

- Choose Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems (right hand
pane)

- Choose your version and language then Search

- Choose one the following:

- Critical Updates and Service Packs
- Service Packs and Recommended Downloads
- Multi-Language Features (0)

- Once chosen simply click on what you want to download and then back at
the top click Review Download Basket

- You are taken to the next page where at the top you can specify where the
downloads are to be saved.

- Click Download now. Each patch will make a directory under the root of the
folder you saved them to.
Once finished you need to go to where you saved the file (s) to and then
simply install all your patches.

Install/Enable NetBEUI Under WinXP

If for some reason you need to install NetBEUI then follow these instructions.

**Note - You will need the WinXP CD in order to to this!

Support for the NetBIOS Extended User Interface protocols (also called
NetBEUI or NBF) in Windows XP has been discontinued. If your configuration
requires temporary use of NetBEUI for Windows XP, follow these steps:

To install the NETBEUI protocol:

- Locate the Valueadd/msft/net/netbeui directory on your Windows XP

CD.Copy nbf.sys into the %SYSTEMROOT%SYSTEM32DRIVERS directory.

- Copy netnbf.inf into the %SYSTEMROOT%INF directory.

- In Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections and then click
Network Connections.

- Right-click the connection you want to configure, and then click Properties.

- On the General tab, click the INSTALL button to add the NetBEUI protocol.

How to remove the Default Picture and Fax Preview Action

Go To Start > Run and type `Regedit` and press `ok`

Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Classes/CLSID/{e84fda7c-

1d6a-45f6-b725-cb260c236066}/shellex
Deleted the MayChangeDefaultMenu key.

How to Convert FAT to NTFS file system

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS, perform the following steps.

Click Start, click Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd and then click OK.

At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS:NTFS.

Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

NOTE: Although the chance of corruption or data loss during the conversion
from FAT to NTFS is minimal, it is best to perform a full backup of the data on
the drive that it is to be converted prior to executing the convert command.
It is also recommended to verify the integrity of the backup before
proceeding, as well as to run RDISK and update the emergency repair disk
(ERD).

AVI File Fix in Windows XP

If you have any AVI files that you saved in Windows 9x, which have
interference when opened in Windows XP, there is an easy fix to get rid of
the interference: Open Windows Movie Maker. Click View and then click
Options. Click in the box to remove the check mark beside Automatically
create clips. Now, import the movie file that has interference and drag it onto
the timeline. Then save the movie, and during the re-rendering, the
interference will be removed.

Mustek 600 CP scanner or other software unable to install on XP

If you have a piece of software that refuses to install because it says that you
are not running Windows 2000 (such as the Win2K drivers for a Mustek
scanner!!) you can simply edit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows
NT/CurrentVersion/ProductName
to say Microsoft Windows 2000 instead of XP and it will install. You may also
have to edit the version number or build number, depending on how hard the
program tries to verify that you are installing on the correct OS. I had to do
this for my Mustek 600 CP scanner (compatibility mode didn't help!!!) and it
worked great, so I now have my scanner working with XP (and a tech at
Mustek can now eat his words). BTW, don't forget to restore any changes you
make after you get your software installed.

How do I enable advanced security settings like found in Windows

2000

Open windows explorer then click on Tools->Folder Options

Click on the View Tab.

Scroll to the bottom and deselect (uncheck) the option that reads 'use simple
file sharing'

This will allow you to see the security tab when viewing the properties of a
file/folder.

Hide 'User Accounts' from users

Go to Start/Run, and type:

GPEDIT.MSC

Open the path

User Config > Admin Templates > Control Panel

doubleclick "Hide specified Control Panel applets"

put a dot in 'enabled', then click 'Show"

click Add button,

type "nusrmgt.cpl" into the add box

Force users to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to Logon

(XPPro only)
 Go to start/run,

and type control userpasswords2

Copy Files and Folders to CD

To copy files and folders to a CD

•Insert a blank, writable CD into the CD recorder.

•Open My Computer.

•Click the files or folders you want to copy to the CD. To select more than
one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want. Then,
under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy this file, Copy this folder, or Copy the
selected items.

•If the files are located in My Pictures, under Picture Tasks, click Copy to CD
or Copy all items to CD, and then skip to step 5.

•In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive, and then click
Copy.

•In My Computer, double–click the CD recording drive. Windows displays a

temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD.
Verify that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD appear
under Files Ready to be Written to the CD.

•Under CD Writing Tasks, click Write these files to CD. Windows displays the
CD Writing Wizard. Follow the instructions in the wizard.

Notes:

•Do not copy more files to the CD than it will hold. Standard CDs hold up to
650 megabytes (MB). High–capacity CDs hold up to 850 MB.

•Be sure that you have enough disk space on your hard disk to store the
temporary files that are created during the CD writing process. For a
standard CD, Windows reserves up to 700 MB of the available free space. For
a high–capacity CD, Windows reserves up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of the available
free space.
 •After you copy files or folders to the CD, it is useful to view the CD to
confirm that the files are copied. For more information, click Related Topics.
To stop the CD recorder from automatically ejecting the CD

•Open My Computer.

•Right–click the CD recording drive, and then click Properties.

•On the Recording tab, clear the Automatically eject the CD after writing
check box.

20 things you didn't know about Windows XP

You've read the reviews and digested the key feature enhancements and
operational changes. Now it's time to delve a bit deeper and uncover some
of Windows XP's secrets.

1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows
were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of
its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All
Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will
produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these,
type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at
later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).

2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the
Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc';
then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows
Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the
Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many
interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer
behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).

3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a
new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter
'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the
shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your
computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will
do the same.

4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as

Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything.
Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the
word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs
in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will
be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.

5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of
interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers'
for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring
performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled
tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of
options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.

6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this

is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN.
Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network
setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't
know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.

7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by
using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process
number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about
what's going on in your system.

8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast
machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by
typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind
later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.

9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but

doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you
were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you
the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the
desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the
second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on
laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as
well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control
Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.

10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network
address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get
your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under
the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace
this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to
www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port
3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.

11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back
in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and
 password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is
particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a
program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running
programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can
have unforeseen effects.

12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates,
registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while,
the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity
before that point, run Regedit, go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called
EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.

13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password.
Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which
will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for
Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and
click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user
name and password for the account you want to use.

14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if
you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and
Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty
Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see
the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on
the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your
LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in
notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on
the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.

16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can
speed things along by changing the registry entry
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the
default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.

17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a
set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other
files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to
distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised
groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.

18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the
tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks
 from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can
put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just
call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.

19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box;
Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through
the taskbar buttons.

20. The next release of Windows XP, codenamed Longhorn, is due out late
next year or early 2003 and won't be much to write home about. The next
big release is codenamed Blackcomb and will be out in 2003/2004.

Using Remote Desktop

You must first enable the Remote Desktop feature on your office computer
so that you can control it remotely from another computer. You must be
logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to
enable Remote Desktop on your Windows XP Professional-based computer.

To setup your office computer to use Remote Desktop:

• Open the System folder in Control Panel. Click Start, point to Settings,
click Control Panel, and then double-click the System icon.
• On the Remote tab, select the Allow users to connect remotely to this
computer check box, as shown below.
• Ensure that you have the proper permissions to connect to your
computer remotely, and click OK.
• Leave your computer running and connected to the company network
with Internet access. Lock your computer, and leave your office.

The Remote Desktop Connection client software allows a computer

running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition,
Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 to control your
Windows XP Professional computer remotely. The client software is
available on the installation CD for Windows XP Professional and
Windows XP Home Edition. The client software is installed by default on
computers running Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home
Edition.

To install Remote Desktop Connection software on a client computer

• Insert the Windows XP compact disc into your CD-ROM drive.

• When the Welcome page appears, click Perform additional tasks, and
then click Setup Remote Desktop Connection as shown below.
 • When the installation wizard starts, follow the directions that appear on
your screen.

Once you have enabled your Windows XP Professional computer to

allow remote connections, and installed client software on a Windows-
based client computer, you are ready to start a Remote Desktop
session.

To create a new Remote Desktop Connection

• Open Remote Desktop Connection. (Click Start, point to Programs or All

Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then
click Remote Desktop Connection.)
• In Computer, type the computer name for your computer running
Windows XP Professional that has Remote Desktop enabled and for
which you have Remote Desktop permissions
• Click Connect.
• The Log On to Windows dialog box appears.
• In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your user name, password,
and domain (if required), and then click OK. The Remote Desktop
window will open and you will see the desktop settings, files, and
programs that are on your office computer. Your office computer will
remain locked.
• Nobody will be able to work at your office computer without a
password, nor will anyone see the work you are doing on your office
computer remotely. Note: To change your connection settings, (such
as screen size, automatic logon information, and performance options),
click Options before you connect.

To open a saved connection

• In Windows Explorer, open the My DocumentsRemote Desktops folder.

• Click the .Rdp file for the connection you want to open. Note: A Remote
Desktop file (.rdp) file contains all of the information for a connection
to a remote computer, including the Options settings that were
configured when the file was saved. You can customize any number
of .rdp files, including files for connecting to the same computer with
different settings. For example, you can save a file that connects to
MyComputer in full screen mode and another file that connects to the
same computer in 800×600 screen size. By default, .rdp files are saved
 in the My DocumentsRemote Desktops folder. To edit an .rdp file and
change the connections settings it contains, right-click the file and
then click Edit.

To log off and end the session

• In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Start, and then click
Shut Down.
• The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears.
• In the drop-down menu, select Log Off , and then click OK.

To change drive letters

• To change drive letters (useful if you have two drives and have
partitioned the boot drive, but the secondary drive shows up as "D")

Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer

Management, Disk Management, then right-click the partition whose
name you want to change (click in the white area just below the word
"Volume") and select "change drive letter and paths."
From here you can add, remove or change drive letters and paths to
the partition.

Install Windows XP Professional - New Installation

There are three reasons why you may need to install a

new copy of Windows XP:

• Your current operating system doesn’t support an

upgrade to Windows XP Professional.

• Your current operating system supports an upgrade

to Windows XP Professional, but you don’t want to
keep your existing files and personalized settings.

• Your computer does not have an operating system.

The setup process is similar for new installations and

upgrades with a few notable exceptions. For example,
during a new installation, you are able to configure
 Special Options, convert your file system, and create a
new partition for the Windows XP installation.

IMPORTANT
A new installation deletes all programs or system files
from a previous installation.

Special Options

Under Special Options, you have the choice to change

Language, Advanced, and Accessibility settings during the
setup process.

Note: If you are in a country that has recently adopted

the euro as its currency, you may have to modify the
currency settings to display monetary amounts correctly.

For more information, go to Help and Support Center and

type “euro” in the Search box.

Select If you want to...

Language  Choose the primary language and

regions for Windows XP, which affects the
default settings for date, time, currency,
numbers, character sets, and keyboard
layout.

 Choose additional language groups and

character sets to use with the programs you
are running on Windows XP.

Advanced  Change the default location of the Setup

Options files.

 Store system files in a folder other than

the default (Windows) folder

 Copy the installation files from the CD to

the hard disk.
Accessibilit
 Use Narrator or Magnifier during Setup.
y

IMPORTANT
Unless you're an advanced user, it's recommended that
you use the default settings.

Choosing a File System

During a new installation of Windows XP, you may have to

choose which file system your computer should use.
Windows XP Professional supports:

• FAT32: An enhanced version of the file allocation

table (FAT) system that is standard on all Windows
operating systems starting with later (32-bit)
versions of Windows 95. The FAT32 system can be
used on large hard disks, from 512 megabytes (MB)
to 32 gigabytes (GB).
• NTFS: The NT file system (NTFS) is used with the
Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP
operating systems. NTFS provides enhanced
reliability, stability, and security, and supports large
hard disks of up to 2 terabytes (TB).

IMPORTANT
You can convert your file system any time, even after you
install Windows XP, without losing any of your data.

The conversion to NTFS is one–way only; if you convert

your FAT or FAT32 file system to NTFS you can’t convert
your hard disk back to FAT later.

If you’re not sure which file system to use, keep the one
your computer defaults to during Setup. If you want to
change your file system, here are a few
recommendations:

• Use FAT32 if your hard disk is smaller than 32 GB.

• Use FAT32 if you want to install more than one
 operating system on your computer.
• Use NTFS if your hard drive is larger than 32 GB and
you are running only one operating system on your
computer.
• Use NTFS if you want enhanced file security.
• Use NTFS if you need better disk compression.

Disk Partitions

You can create partitions to organize information—for

example, to back up data—or to install more than one
operating system on your computer. A hard disk can
contain up to four partitions.

If you’re performing a new installation, the appropriate

disk partition is selected automatically during Windows XP
Setup unless you click Advanced Options and specify your
own requirements

For more information about configuring, sizing,

reformatting, or converting disk partitions, see your
current online Help before you install or upgrade to
Windows XP Professional.

Windows XP Step-by-Step Installation Instructions

These steps are for a clean install of XP. Read this article for steps on
upgrading your current system to XP.

First, you're going to need to change your BIOS boot order to boot from CD-
ROM. Once you do this you'll then be able to boot your computer from the
Installation CD.

After changing the boot order in BIOS, save the changes, and then reboot
your computer. Make sure your Installation CD is in your CD-ROM. If it is
you'll be prompted to press your space bar to directly boot from CD-ROM
emulation. Press your space bar as soon as you see this message.

Wait a few minutes while the installation begins to copy the preliminary
setup files to your computer. After this completes you'll be ready to start
directing the install process.

You will be asked if you want to perform a new installation, repair an existing
installation, or quit. In this case, you will be performing a new install. Press
the correct key to perform a new installation
Read the terms of the end user license agreement, and press F8 to agree.

The next phase of the installation is real similar to that of Windows 2000. So,
if you're familiar with the Windows 2000 installation process this should be a
cinch.
Basically, you need to decide which partition of your hard drive you will
install Windows XP on. You will have the opportunity to create and/or delete
partitions or just allocate the available disk space to one partition. However,
try to keep your partitions within reasonable size.

We recommend using multiple partitions of 4-8GB, preferably on more than

one hard drive. This will help you back up your data and optimize system
performance later on down the road. Once you have figured out which
partition XP will be installed on it's time to format it.

Choose to format the partition to either FAT32 or NTFS (recommended for

single OS install). You'll also see two additional choices to perform a quick
format of each option. Stick with doing a full format of either option instead.
After you've determined which option is right for you, press the correct key
to format the partition.

This would be a good time to take a break and come back in a few minutes.
The setup program will automatically start copying files after the partition is
formatted.
From this point on, you're going to see each and every file name that's being
copied over to your hard drive appear in the lower left corner. As the file
names go from A to Z, the installation completion percentage will increase.

Choose the region and language.

Type in your name and organization.

Enter your product license key.

Name the computer, and enter an Admin password. Don't forget to write
down your Administrator password. After the installation is complete it would
be extremely wise to create a password restore disk in the event you forget
your Administrator password someday.

Enter the correct date and time.

Choose your network settings. Leave on automatic if you use a dhcp server
to assign IP addresses. If you have static IP address for broadband access,
enter the settings that your ISP has provided you.

Choose workgroup or domain name.

Register this copy of Windows XP if you've installed all the current hardware
on your machine. Otherwise, wait until you've finished installing any
additional hardware so you don't have to activate your copy of XP again.

Add users that will sign on to this computer.

Log in, and update drivers.

Driver install

XP found drivers for all of the hardware in our test machines, with the
exception of a wireless network adapter that was added. Update all drivers
that had updates available for download.

It takes about 30 minutes to perform this installation. After that, you will be a
few personalized settings away from getting started on your XP-experience.
With a little use, the GUI even starts to grow on you.

XP Game Compatibility

You want to know if all your favorite games are still going to run under
Windows XP. Remember what happened when we tried to run games on our
Windows 2000 machines? Sometimes we were a little disappointed. Windows
2000 was made more for corporate applications than "Quake," but true
techno-geeks know they don't have to sacrifice death matches for a robust
business environment -- at least not anymore.

Windows XP has shown an impressive track record of game compatibility. We

ran a number of standard games, such as "Tiger Woods Golf," "NHL 2001,"
"Max Payne," and "Unreal" on our Windows XP Professional machine. Some
of these games were specifically slated for Windows 95 and 98, and were
shown not to work in Windows 2000. The installation in XP was as smooth as
silk. The games ran quickly and beautifully -- not a problem in sight (except
for my bad chip shot -- Tiger was hanging his head in shame).

Some less-sophisticated programs may not run as smoothly, and we found

that some older applications, such as the Atari 2600 Classic Game Collection,
did not appreciate the Windows XP environment. In this case you can use the
Application Compatibility Wizard, found in the accessories menu. XP includes
integrated compatibility layers to mimic older versions of Windows, so if your
program does not work in Windows XP, the compatibility wizard will walk you
through the process of getting even your favorite DOS games up and
running. In this case, we ran the Atari Classic Game Collection in the
Windows 95 environment, at 256 colors and 640x480 screen resolution. Then
we set XP to always run our Atari application in this environment, and
everything was smooth sailing after that.

One final tip about compatibility: Don't run the compatibility wizard if your
program appears to be running well in the normal environment, as the
wizard will give you an error message. In general, XP has great program
compatibility, so you can upgrade your operating system without giving up
all your old favorites.