Running SFC without a CD ROM

If you run sfc /scannow and get prompted to insert a CD,
there are a couple of changes you might need to make.
Slipstream your copy of WindowsXP with the latest service pack you have applied.
Once these files are on your hard drive, you can simply make a few registry changes to point to those locations.
Start Regedit
Go to the follow locations and change the path to wherever you copied the source files.
Code:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\ServicePackSourcePath
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath
the last one might not be necessary
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SourcePath Read More!

Setting Capslock, Numlock, Scroll Lock

If you want to set the startup state for any or all of these keys,
you just need to edit the registry.
1.Start Regedit
2.Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Keyboard
3.Open InitialKeyboardIndicators
4.Change the value to one of the following numbers
0 - All Keys off
1 - Caps Lock on
2 - Num Lock on
4 - Scroll Lock on
For multiple keys, add their values:
3 - Caps Lock and Num Lock on
5 - Caps Lock and Scroll Lock on
6 - Num Lock and Scroll Lock on
7 - Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock on
5.Log off and back on again Read More!

Removing Thumbs.db Files

When viewing a folder with the Thumbnail view, WindowsXP creates a thumbs.db file.
This is a cache of the current pictures in that directory.
If you want to turn this feature off and save a little disk space
1.Start the Windows Explorer
2.Go to Tools / Folder Options / View
3.In the first section under Files and Folders, check Do not cache thumbnails
4.Now you can search for the thumbs.db file on your computer and remove them. No more should be created. Read More!

Turn off the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer as the Default Image Viewer

You can also change the file associations for the specific file types you want.
1.Open the Windows Explorer
2.Go to Tools / Folder Options / File Types
3.Scroll down to the extension you want to change
4.Click on the Change button
5.Select the program you want to associate with that extension
6.Click on the OK button
If the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is set as the default for many of your graphic file types,
you can remove it so other graphics programs can be used.
1.Run Regedit
2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / SystemFileAssociations / image / ShellEx / ContextMenuHandlers
3.Delete the key ShellImagePreview
reg file
REGEDIT4

Code:
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\image\ShellEx\ContextM
enuHandlers\ShellImagePreview] Read More!

Decreasing Boot Time in windows

Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXP
The program is called BootVis

1.Uncompress the file.
2.Run BOOTVIS.EXE
3.For a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver Delays
4.This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
5.After the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.
6.Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)
7.Then run Trace / Optimize System
8.Re-Run the Next Boot + Drive Delays
9.Note how much the time has decreased
10.Mine went from approximately 39 to 30 seconds. Read More!

Hide/Unhide Logon Names

If you want to hide or unhide the names of users that are displayed on the initial logon screen:
1.Start Regedit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList
3.Add a DWORD with the name of the user account you want to hide
4.Make sure it has a value of 0
5.If there is an existing account, you can unhide it by giving it a value of 1 Read More!

Remembering Outlook / Outlook Express Password

On systems, Outlook or Outlook Express will not remember the e-mail password,
which would then need to be entered in each time.
To solve the problem:
1.Open Registry Editor
2.Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft
3.Right Click Protected Storage System Provider
4.Choose the Permissions option
5.Click the Advanced box near the bottom right hand corner. This should open another box, Towards the bottom of this box there should be two tick boxes, make sure that both of them are ticked. Click Apply, another box will open Click Yes, then Click OK and OK again.
6.Left Click the + next to Protected Storage System Provider and Delete any sub folder in this tree. (Right clicking and choose the delete option or press the delete key and choosing yes to delete)
7.Shutdown and Restart Computer. Read More!

Hiding System Tray Icons

With WindowsXP, you can manually select how you want individual icons in the System Tray to be displayed.
1.Right click on the Taskbar
2.Select Properties
3.Check Hide inactive icons
4.Click on the Customize button
5.This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to select one of three options for your applications:
Hide when inactive, Always hide, or always show
6.Highlight current or past applications and make any changes you like.
7.A small arrow will now appear in the System Tray that will allow you to show or hide these icons. Read More!

Disabling Error Reporting

By default, WindowsXP will request to report application errors to Microsoft.
To turn this off:
1.Right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop
2.Select Properties / Advanced
3.Click on the Error Reporting tab
4.Check Disable error reporting Read More!

Creating a Shutdown/Reboot Icon

WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer.
To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:
1.Right click on an open area of the desktop
2.Select New / Shortcut
3.Enter in "shutdown -s -t 00" - no quotes
4.Press the Next button
5.For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button.
For a reboot, enter "shutdown -r -t 00"
Shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}] [-f] [-m [\\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]Madx:yy]
Parameters
• -l - Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence.
• -s - Shuts down the local computer.
• -r - Reboots after shutdown.
• -a - Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period.
• -f - Forces running applications to close.
• -m [\\ComputerName] - Specifies the computer that you want to shut down.
• -t xx - Sets the timer for system shutdown in xx seconds. The default is 20 seconds.
• -c "message" - Specifies a message to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. You can use a maximum of 127 characters. You must enclose the message in quotation marks. Read More!