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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

How to Partition & Format a Master Hard Disk/Slave

IMPORTANT: If you use the following steps on a hard disk that is not empty, all of the data on that hard disk is permanently deleted. How to Partition a Master Hard Disk. To partition a master hard disk, run the fdisk command: Insert the Startup disk in the floppy disk drive, restart your computer, and then use one of the following methods, depending on your operating system. For a Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Me Startup disk: When the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup menu is displayed, select the Start computer without CD-ROM support menu option, and then press ENTER. At a command prompt, type fdisk, and then press ENTER. For a Windows 95 Startup disk: At a command prompt, type fdisk, and then press ENTER. If your hard disk is larger than 512 MB, you receive the following message: Your computer has a disk larger than 512 MB. This version of Windows includes improved support for large disks, resulting in more efficient use of disk space on large drives, and allowing disks over 2 GB to be formatted as a single drive. IMPORTANT:If you enable large disk support and create any new drives on this disk, you will not be able to access the new drive(s) using other operating systems, including some versions of Windows 95 and Windows NT, as well as earlier versions of Windows and MS-DOS. In addition, disk utilities that were not designated explicitly for the FAT32 file system will not be able to work with this disk. If you need to access this disk with other operating systems or older disk utilities, do not enable large drive support. Do you wish to enable large disk support? If you want to use the FAT32 file system, press Y and then press ENTER. If you want to use the FAT16 file system, press N, and then press ENTER. For additional information about the FAT32 and FAT16 file systems. After you press ENTER, the following Fdisk Options menu is displayed:
1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
2. Set active partition
3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive
4. Display partition information
5. Change current fixed disk drive
Note that option 5 is available only if you have two physical hard disks in the computer. Press 1 to select the Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive menu option, and then press ENTER. Press 1 to select the Create Primary DOS Partition menu option, and then press ENTER. After you press ENTER, you receive the following message: Do you wish to use the maximum available size for primary DOS partition? After you receive this message, use one of the following methods, depending on the file system that you selected. For a FAT32 File System If you press Y for the FAT32 file system (in step 2) and you want all of the space on the hard disk to be assigned to drive C, press Y, and then press ENTER.Press ESC, and then press ESC to quit the Fdisk tool and return to a command prompt. For a FAT16 File System. If you press N for the FAT16 file system (in step 2), you can accept the default 2 GB size for the partition size, or you can customize the size of the partition. To accept the default partition size: If you want the first 2 GB on the hard disk to be assigned to drive C, press Y, and then press ENTER. Press ESC to return to the Options menu, and then view step d in the following "To customize the partition size" section. To customize the partition size: If you want to customize the size of the partitions (drive letters) on the hard disk, press N, and then press ENTER. A dialog box is displayed in which you can type the size that you want for the primary partition in MB or percent of disk space. Note that for computers that are running either Windows 98 or Windows Me, Microsoft recommends that you make the primary partition at least 500 MB in size. Type the size of the partition that you want to create, and then press ENTER. Press ESC to return to the Options menu. To assign drive letters to the additional space on the hard disk, press 1, and then press ENTER. Press 2 to select the Create Extended DOS Partition menu option, and then press ENTER. You receive a dialog box that is displays the maximum space that is available for the extended partition. You can adjust the size of the partition or use the default size. Note that the default maximum space is recommended, but you can divide the space between multiple drive letters. Type the amount of space that you want, press ENTER, and then press ESC. The Create Logical DOS Drive(s) in the Extended DOS Partition menu is displayed. This is the menu that you can use to assign the remaining hard disk space to the additional drive letters. Type the amount of space that you want to assign to the next drive letter in the Enter logical drive size in Mbytes or percent of disk space (%) box, and then press ENTER. A table that lists the drive letter that you created and the amount of space on that drive is displayed. If there is free space on the hard disk, it is displayed near the bottom of the table. Repeat steps e through g until you receive the following message: All available space in the Extended DOS Partition is assigned to local drives. After you receive this message, press ESC to return to the Options menu. To activate the partition from which you plan to boot (usually drive C), press 2 to select the Set active partition menu option, and then press ENTER.When you receive the following message, press 1, and then press ENTER: Enter the number of the partition you want to make active. Press ESC, and then press ESC to quit the Fdisk tool and return to a command prompt, and then view the following "How to Format a Hard Disk" section in this article.
How to Format a Hard Disk
After you create the partitions, you must format the partitions:
Restart your computer with the Startup disk in the floppy disk drive.
NOTE: If you are using a Windows 95 Startup disk, a command prompt is displayed and you can skip to step 2. If you are using a Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Me Startup disk, select the Start computer without CD ROM support menu option when the Windows 98 Startup menu is displayed. When a command prompt is displayed, type format c: /s, and then press ENTER. This command transfers the system files and should only be used when you format drive C (or your "active" drive). For all other partitions, type format drive: (where drive is the letter of the partition that you want to format). NOTE: If you receive a "Bad command" or "Bad file name" error message, you may need to extract the Format.com tool to your boot disk. To do this, type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER. extract ebd.cab format.com. After the Format.com tool is extracted to your boot disk, type format c: /s t a command prompt to format your active partition, or type format drive: if you want to format a partition that is not your active partition. When you successfully run the Format.com tool, you receive the following message: WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST! Proceed with Format? Press Y, and then press ENTER to format drive C. After the format procedure is finished, you receive the following message: Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)? NOTE: This is an optional feature that you can use to type a name for the drive. You can either type an 11-character name for the drive, or you can leave it blank by pressing ENTER.
          How to Repartition and Format a Slave Hard Disk
How to Repartition a Slave Hard Disk
If you want to add a second hard disk (slave drive) to your computer, you need to make sure that the jumpers on both the master (original) and slave (new drive) are set according to the manufacturer's instructions first so that your computer can detect the hard disks. Verify that your hardware is installed correctly, and then follow these steps: Click Start, point to Run, and then type command (Note that the cmd command only works on Windows 2000-based computers). At a command prompt, type fdisk, and then press ENTER. The following menu is displayed:
1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
2. Set active partition
3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive
4. Display partition information
5. Change current fixed disk drive
Note that menu option 5 is available only if you have two physical hard disks on your computer. Press 5, and then press ENTER. When you do this, the selection changes from the physical disk 1 (master) to the physical disk 2 (slave). Press 1 to select the Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive menu option, press ENTER, press 2 to select the Create Extended DOS Partition menu option, and then press ENTER. When you make your slave drive an extended MS-DOS partition, your drive letters does not change. For example, if the first drive contains partition C and partition D, your slave drive becomes D unless you set the slave drive as an extended partition. If you skip this step and just create another primary MS-DOS partition for the slave drive, the new drive becomes drive D and what used to be drive D, changes to drive E.You can partition the slave drive to make other logical drives just as you did with the original master drive. If your computer cannot detect the new drive, you may need to add the following line to your Config.sys file, where drive is a letter that is greater than the last drive letter on the computer (including the CD-ROM drive): lastdrive=drive. After you finish using the Fdisk tool, format the new partitions so that you can use them. After you press ESC to quit the Fdisk tool, restart your computer to start Windows.
How to Format a Slave Hard Disk
To format your new partition or partitions, use one of the following methods, depending on your file system. For a FAT16 file system: Double-click My Computer, right-click the partition that you just created, click Format, click Full, and then click Start. After the format procedure is complete, click OK to close the dialog box. For a FAT32 file system: Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, click Drive Converter (FAT32), and then click Next. In the Drives box, click the drive that you want to convert to the FAT32 file system. Click Next, and then click OK. Click Next, click Next, and then click Next again. When the conversion procedure is finished, click Finish. NOTE: Do not use the /s switch that you used when you set up drive C. All you need to do is to format the drive or drives so that you can use them (for example, if you created two new drive letters, you need to format both drives).
How to Partition and Format Your Hard Disk by Using Windows XP Setup
IMPORTANT: If you follow these steps on a hard disk that is not empty,
all of the data on that hard disk is permanently deleted. Insert the
Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive,
or insert the first Windows XP Setup boot disk into the floppy disk drive if
you are starting from Setup boot disks, and then restart the computer.
NOTE: To start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM (or
from the Setup boot disk), your computer must be configured to start
from the CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive (or the floppy disk drive).
In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to
do this. For information about how to configure your computer to
start from the CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive (or the floppy disk
drive), see the documentation that is included with your computer, or
contact the computer manufacturer. If you are starting the computer from
the Windows XP CD-ROM, select any options that are required to start
the computer from the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted to do so.
Note: If your hard disk controller requires a third-party original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) driver, press F6 to specify the driver. If you are
starting from the Windows XP Setup boot disks, insert each of the
additional disks when you are prompted, and then press ENTER to
continue after inserting each disk.
At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER to continue. Press F8
to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.
If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to
repair it. Press ESC (do not repair).
All existing partitions and unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical
hard disk. Use the arrow keys to select the partition or unpartitioned space
where you want to create a new partition, and then press D to delete an
existing partition or press C to create a new partition using unpartitioned
space. If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must then press L
(or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System partition) to
confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this process for each
of the existing partitions that you want to use for the new partition. When
all the partitions are deleted, you can then select the resulting unpartitioned
space and then press C to create the new partition.
Note: If you want to create a partition where one or more partitions already
exist, you must first delete the existing partition or partitions and then create
the new partition. Type the size (in megabytes, or MB) that you want to
use for the new partition, and then press ENTER, or just press ENTER
to create the partition using the maximum size.
Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to create additional partitions if you want to.
If you want to install Windows XP, use the arrow keys to select the
partition you want to install Windows XP on, and then press ENTER.
If you do not want to format the partition and install Windows XP, press
F3 two times to quit Setup, and then do not continue with the following
steps. In this case, you must use another utility to format the partition.
Select the format option that you want to use for the partition, and then
press ENTER. The options are:
Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)
Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)
Format the partition by using the NTFS file system
Format the partition by using the FAT file system
Leave the current file system intact (no changes)
The option to leave the current file system intact is not available if the
selected partition is a new partition. The FAT file system options is
not available if the selected partition is more than 32 gigabytes(GB).
If the partition is larger than 2 GB, Setup uses the FAT32 file system
(you must press ENTER to confirm). If the partition is smaller than 2 GB,
Setup uses the FAT16 file system.
NOTE: If you deleted and created a new System partition but you are
installing Windows XP on another partition, you will be prompted to
select a file system for both the System and Boot partitions at this
point. After Setup formats the partition, follow the on-screen instructions
to continue Setup. After Setup is complete, you can use the Disk
Management tools in Windows XP to create or format additional partitions.
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Tips on cleaning up your Computer

How to clear out the Internet Files.
First right click on the Internet Explorer Icon, then click on properties.
Now click on Delete cookies then OK.
Now click on Delete files, now put a check in Delete all offline content. Now click OK.
Now click on Clear History, then yes.
Now click ok to close out the Internet Properties.
How to clear out the TEMP folder.
Double left click on My Computer.
Double left click on "C" drive.
Double left click on the Windows folder.
If the files are hidden click on Show Files.
Double left click on the TEMP folder.
Now go to Edit, then select all and click on the delete button on the main toolbar.
You should not delete any files newer than 3 days.
If you don't have a delete button on the toolbar then go to File and then Delete.
Click on yes when asked if you want to send the items to the recycle bin.
How to clear out the Applog folder.
Double left click My Computer.
Double left click on "C" drive.
Double left click on the Windows folder.
Go to "View", then "Folder Options".
Select "Show all files" under the Hidden Files" list.
Click on OK.
Now click on the "Show Files" in the "Windows" box.
Double Left click on Applog Folder.
Now click on Edit, then Select all.
Now click on delete or go to "File" then Delete.
You may want to undo the "Show all Files" now.
Just follow the same steps as above except choose "Do not show hidden or systems files" then OK.
I would do this about once a month.
Be sure to run Scandisk and Defrag REGULARLY !    Run ScanDisk First.
Err Msg: ScanDisk Has Restarted 10 Times Because Windows...
ScanDisk has restarted 10 times because Windows or another program has been writing to this drive. Quitting some running programs may enable ScanDisk to finish sooner. Do you want to continue receiving this warning?
CAUSE
This problem can occur:
If Windows or another program writes to the hard disk while ScanDisk is scanning that disk. If you have many items on the Quick Launch toolbar (which appears to the right of the Start button). If an item on the Quick Launch toolbar periodically writes to the hard disk while ScanDisk runs.
NOTE: This can occur when an antivirus program is running or when a Microsoft Word document is open and the Autosave feature is active.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, try the following methods. After you use each method, run ScanDisk to see if the problem is resolved. If the problem still occurs, continue to the next method. Turn Off the Quick Launch Toolbar While You Run ScanDisk. To do this, follow these steps:
Right-click a blank area of the taskbar. On the shortcut menu that appears, point to Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch. NOTE: A check mark appears next to Quick Launch. When you click Quick Launch, the check mark disappears. The Quick Launch toolbar is disabled. After you run ScanDisk, follow steps 1 and 2 to again enable the toolbar. Remove Items from the Quick Launch Toolbar You can do this to help determine if an item is causing ScanDisk to restart. To remove an item from the Quick Launch toolbar, follow these steps:
Right-click the item that you want to remove.
On the shortcut menu that appears, click Delete.
On the Confirm File Delete message that appears, click Yes.
NOTE: When you remove an item from the Quick Launch toolbar, you do not delete the program file, you delete only a shortcut to that file. To restore a shortcut to the Quick Launch toolbar, drag it to a blank area of the Quick Launch toolbar.
Quit All Running Programs
To quit all programs that are currently running, follow these steps: Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE. In the Close Program dialog box, click any program in the list, except Explorer or Systray, and then click End Task. If you are prompted to click End Task again, do so. NOTE: Explorer and Systray are Windows components that Windows requires to function properly. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each program that is listed in the Close Program dialog box, except Explorer and Systray.
Follow these steps to set the screen saver to None:
Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.
Click the Screen Saver tab.
In the Screen Saver box, click None.
Click OK.
If the AutoUpdate "Update Reminder" is running in the system tray, it may also interfere with Scandisk. You can remove the AutoUpdate notification by clicking the Update Reminder icon and then either installing the recommended updates or clicking Remind Me Later. After you quit all running programs, try running ScanDisk again.
Restart in Safe Mode
Windows Me or Windows 98
To start your computer in Safe mode, restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu.
NOTE: If you press and hold down the CTRL key when your computer starts, you may receive a keyboard error message. If this occurs, you can safely ignore the keyboard error message. After you restart the computer in Safe mode, try running ScanDisk again.
Windows 95
To restart your computer in Safe mode, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart The Computer, and then click Yes. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key.After you restart the computer in Safe mode, try running ScanDisk again.
Windows 98 or Windows 95
To restart to a command prompt and run ScanDisk in real mode, follow these steps:
Click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode, and then click Yes or OK.
At the command prompt, type scandisk, and then press ENTER.
The first time this error message occurs, you have the option to continue to receive the warning message or to suppress the error message in the future. You can also click Cancel. If you click Yes to continue receiving the error message, the message is displayed again if ScanDisk is unable to complete a disk scan after 10 passes. However, if you click No, ScanDisk continues to run until it either finishes or is canceled.
Also be sure to empty the Recycle Bin !
Tips on cleaning up your computer:    Windows 2000
How to clear out the Internet Files.
First right click on the Internet Explorer Icon, then click on properties.
Now click on Delete cookies then OK.
Now click on Delete files, now put a check in Delete all offline content. Now click OK.
Now click on Clear History, then yes.
Now click ok to close out the Internet Properties.
How to clear out the TEMP folder.
Double left click on My Computer.
Double left click on "C" drive.
Double left click on the Winnt folder.
If the files are hidden click on Show Files.
Double left click on the TEMP folder.
Now go to Edit, then select all and click on the delete button on the main toolbar.
You should not delete any files newer than 3 days.
If you don't have a delete button on the toolbar then go to File and then Delete.
Click on yes when asked if you want to send the items to the recycle bin.
Be sure to run Scandisk and Defrag REGULARLY !    Run ScanDisk First.
To run a ScanDisk on W2k....
Double left click on My Computer.
Right click on "C" Drive.
Click Properties.
Click Tools.
Click on Check Now … under Error-checking.
Click Start.
If you want to do a more in-depth error checking there are 2 other options available:
First option is to Automatically fix file system errors (choosing this option will require a restart of the computer to run). When choosing this option you will see a box pop up that says, "The check disk could not be preformed because exclusive access to the drive could not be obtained. Do you want to schedule this disk check to occur next time you restart the computer?" When prompted for this you would choose Yes if you want it to run on the next reboot of the system.The second option for error checking is Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors (this will not require a restart of the system)
Also be sure to empty the Recycle Bin !
Tips on cleaning up your computer:   Windows Xp
How to cut off the System Restore.
Right click My Computer.
Click on Properties.
Click on System Restore Tab.
Put a check beside of Turn off System Restore.
Click Apply and OK.
How to run a Disk Cleanup.
Double left click on My Computer.
Right Click on "C" Drive.
Left click on Properties.
On the General Tab click Disk Cleanup.
Now Disk Cleanup will calculate the amount of space it will be able to free up.
In the following window put a check in all of the boxes.
Now click OK.
Then click yes to start the cleanup.
The amount of time needed will depend on the amount of files and the speed of your computer.
How to clear out the Internet Files.
First right click on the Internet Explorer Icon, then click on properties.
Now click on Delete cookies then OK.
Now click on Delete files, now put a check in Delete all offline content. Now click OK.
Now click on Clear History, then yes.
Now click ok to close out the Internet Properties.
How to clear out the TEMP folder.
Double left click on My Computer.
Double left click on "C" drive.
Now go to "tools" and select Folder options.
Now click on View and select "show hidden files and folders" under the folder Hidden Files and Folders.
Click apply and then OK.
Double left click on the Documents and Settings folder.
Double left click on the main User's Folder. (example: John Doe)
Double left click on the Local Settings folder.
Double left click on the TEMP folder.
Now go to Edit, then select all and click on the delete button on the main toolbar.
You should not delete any files newer than 3 days.
If you don't have a delete button on the toolbar then go to File and then Delete.
Click on yes when asked if you want to send the items to the recycle bin.
How to clear out the Prefetch Folder.
Double left click My Computer.
Double left click on "C" drive.
Double left click on the Windows folder.
Double left click on the Prefetch folder.
Now click on Edit, then Select all.
Now click on delete or go to "File" then Delete.
I would do this about once a month.
Be sure to run Scandisk and Defrag REGULARLY !    Run Scandisk First.
To run a ScanDisk on XP....
Double left Click My Computer.
Right click on "C" Drive.
Click Properties.
Click Tools.
To do a Scandisk Click check now.
Put a check in both boxes "Automatically Fix File System Errors" and "Scan for and attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors".
Then click Start.
Now when asked "Do you want to Schedule this Disk Check to occur the next time you Restart the Computer",
Click Yes.
Now Restart your Computer.
Also be sure to empty the Recycle Bin !
Defrag
Double left Click My Computer.
Right click on "C" Drive.
Click Properties.
Click Tools.
Click on Defragment Now.
Click on Defragment.
After Following All the Above, Turn System Restore Back On.
Right click My Computer.
Click on Properties.
Click on System Restore Tab.
Remove the check beside of Turn off System Restore.
Click Apply and OK.
Tips on cleaning up your computer:    Remove Adware & Spyware
Spyware is software that sends information from the user's computer without their knowledge whenever the computer connects to the Internet. Usually the information sent is benign in nature, mostly concerned with general marketing information (ie., spending habits) rather than specific information like credit card numbers, although some programs are capable of retrieving specific information as well. The problem with Spyware lies in the fact that this information is transmitted without informed consent. Additionally, Spyware programs are sometimes poorly written, containing bugs and causing the computer to malfunction. Spyware does not respect your privacy. If you are bothered with this, then removing adware from your computer might be a consideration. Click HERE to be taken to the Link.
Auto Delete Temporary Folder (XP Pro)
First go to Start, then run and type in gpedit.msc
Next select -> Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Terminal Services/Temporary Folder. Then right click "Do Not Delete Temp Folder Upon Exit" Go to properties and hit disable. Now next time Windows puts a temp file in that folder it will automatically delete it when its done! Remember, GPEDIT (Group Policy Editor) is only available in XP Pro.
How to remove all the System Restore points except the recent one?
All the System Restore points can be cleared by disabling and enabling the System Restore option. However, Windows XP provides an option to clear all the System Restore points except the very recently created point. This can be accomplished through the Disk Cleanup Utility in XP.
Click Start, Run and type CLEANMGR and press Enter.
Select the hard disk partition and press OK.
At the top of the dialog, click the tab More Options.
Under System Restore section, click the button "Clean up..."
Now, all the System Restore points (except the recent one) are cleared and more hard disk space will be free.
Remove Deleted Programs from the Uninstall List
If you deleted a program instead of uninstalling it, most likely the program will still be listed in the windows uninstall list. Follow the directions below to remove programs from list manually.
1. Click on Start then Run and type regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.
3. Delete the folder of the program.
Also See "How to Manually Remove Programs from the Add or Remove Programs Tool"
A Better Windows XP Disk Cleanup Tool
These instructions will show you how to create an unattended disk cleanup which will also empty your prefetch folder providing Windows XP is installed in c:\windows.
1. Create a new text file and place the following contents inside:
c:\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sageset: 1
c:
cd \
cd c:\windows\prefetch
del *.* /q
2. Save the file, changing the extension from .txt to .bat
Now name it diskclean.bat

3. Execute the file. This will run the Disk Cleanup program in a special mode which asks what items you will want cleaned when Disk Cleanup performs an unattended cleanup. Check the items you wish to have cleaned up, then click OK.
4. Right-click on the diskclean.bat file and click edit. Change the first line to read:

c:\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sagerun: 1
5. Save the file. You can execute this file in place of running Disk Cleanup, or, to have this program run unattended, run the Add Scheduled Task Wizard in the Control Panel and create a scheduled task using the clean.bat file you just created.
To download one already made in .bat format click HERE.
To download one already made in .exe format click HERE.
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Miscellaneous

Enable or disable Error Reporting (XP)
Start>Control Panel>System>Advanced>Error Reporting
Enable or disable Task Scheduler at startup (XP)
Start>Run>services.msc>OK.
Double-click Task Scheduler and select the Startup type you want. If you also want to prevent Win2000/XP from
scanning shared files for scheduled tasks, read:
Speed up access to network shares.
Remove FindFast (98)
FindFast is a program that indexes MS Office documents to make them easier to find and open. But FindFast
destroys the efficiency of the rest of the system. If you just take FindFast out of the Startup group, Office
applications will continue to use the indices that were created. To correctly disable FindFast, you must delete the
FindFast index files.
1.  Start>Settings>Control Panel>FindFast
2.  In the Index for documents in and below list, click the first item.
3.  On the Index menu, click Delete Index.
4.  In the Delete Index dialog box, click OK.
5.  When you are prompted whether to delete the index, click OK.
6.  Repeat above until no more indices are listed.
7.  On the Index Menu, click Close and Stop. Then, click OK.
8.  Do either of the following:
Remove the FindFast shortcut from the Startup folder, and uncheck ffast.exe in start>run>msconfig>startup. Run the Microsoft Office 97 Setup program in maintenance mode, and remove FindFast.
Turn off Window animation (maximize-minimize) to speed up your work
Go to  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\desktop\WindowMetric
Create the string value MinAnimate.  Set it to 0 (off) or 1 (on)
Set Highlight and shadow of 3D-objects
By default, they are set in dependence of the button face.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors] Edit the corresponding names to change RGB Data
Restore the ability to display .ico files
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\icofile\DefaultIcon]: Make sure the "(Default)" value is set to "%1"
If [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\icofile] or [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\icofile\DefaultIcon] does not exist, cut and paste the
following into a .reg file and merge it into your registry:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ico]@="icofile"
"Content Type"="image/x-icon"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\icofile]@="Icon"
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,01,00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\icofile\DefaultIcon]@="%1"
Remove invalid entries in Add/Remove Programs
The entries that show up in Add/Remove Programs are stored under[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall]. Deleting entries will only remove
the ability to uninstall items through Add/Remove Programs.
Use Windows Update without being registered
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion] Create the string value RegDone, value = 1
Microsoft spy
To prevent Microsoft from reading your HWID (Hardware ID) and MSID:
Run (Win98) regsvr32 -u c:\windows\system\regwizc.dll or (Win XP) regsvr32 -u
c:\windows\system32\regwizc.dll (To go back to the default setting, do not use -u)[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion]:
Delete the string value HWID
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion]:
Delete the string value MSID
Change the Blue Screen of Death's colors
In system.ini, add the following two lines under [386Enh]:
MessageBackColor={color code}
MessageTextColor={color code}
Not tested with Windows XP

Colors

Dark

Light
Black
0

8
Blue
1

9
Green
2

A
Cyan
3

B
Red
4

C
Maganda
5

D
Yellow
6

E
White
7

F
Change registered owner and organization
9x: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion]
XP: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
Value Names: RegisteredOwner, RegisteredOrganization
Data Type: REG_SZ
Find registered owner and cd key to reinstall windows (98)
There is a system.1st file in the root unless it was deleted. It's a copy of the registry when Windows was last successfully installed. Use the Dos Editor to find Productkey. The registered owner's name is several lines above and to the right of it. You can make a text version of the registry by typing the following 2 lines in DOS mode:
regedit/e c:\hklm.reg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (Output: c:\hklm.reg)
regedit/e c:\hku.reg hkey users (Output: c:\hku.reg)
Include manufacturer and support details in the System Properties dialog box
You need to create two files in the Windows system directory (c:\windows\system, or
c:\windows\system32): oeminfo.ini and oemlogo.bmp.
oeminfo.ini
[General]
Manufacturer=Enter the Company Name Here
Model=Enter the Computer Model Name Here
[Support Information]
Line1=first line of support information
Line2=second line (Create as many lines as you need by incrementing the line number)
oemlogo.bmp: Up to 180 x 120 pixels
Open System Properties from the Control Panel, and your logo and company name will be listed. The details you entered in the Support Information section will show up when you click on the Support Information button.
Change the number of registry backups (98)
Edit Scanreg.ini (But only five choices are given in scanreg/restore)
System file checker
Start > Run, then type SFC, and click OK. You may need your Windows CD.
Windows Xp
Start > Run, then type sfc /scannow and click OK. You will need the Windows CD unless you copied the I386 folder to C:\ drive during installation. If you didn't install the I386 folder you can copy it to C:\ drive from the CD then
Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion|Setup
Now on the right hand side double click SourcePath and Replace D:| with C:\
Now if you run sfc /scannow you should not be asked to insert your Windows XP CD.
Try sfc /scannow again!
Play or do not play your CD's automatically (AIN, Autorun, AutoPlay)
Windows XP
Auto Insert Notification:
Open the Group Policy window (Start > Run > GPEDIT.MSC)
Computer Configuration >Administrative Templates > System
Double-click Turn off Autoplay (Left pane)
Click the appropriate radio button
Select an option in the combo box ("Turn off Autoplay on")
Click Apply, and close the Group Policy window
Autorun:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom
In the left pane, set Autorun to 0 (Disabled) or 1 (Enabled)
AutoPlay:
Left-click the CD drive, then click Properties > AutoPlay
Adjust the settings for the various content types
Windows 2000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom]
Enable:  "Autorun"="1"
Disable: "Autorun"="0"
Windows 98
You must enable both Auto Insert Notification and Autorun if you want Windows to play automatically your CD's. Auto Insert Notification: If you disable Auto Insert Notification, Autorun will be disabled, and My Computer or Explorer will not be updated when a CD is inserted or removed. You will have to press F5 to refresh it yourself.
Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Right-click the actual CDROM drive > Properties >
Settings > Check or uncheck Auto Insert Notification
Autorun:
If you disable Autorun, commands in the Autorun.inf file will be ignored.[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
Enable:  "NoDriveTypeAutoRun" = "95 00 00 00"
Disable: "NoDriveTypeAutoRun" = "BD 00 00 00"
All
You may have to reboot. If you hold down the Shift key when inserting the CD, Auto Insert Notification is temporarily disabled.
Search the content of .cab files
First Option
Use Windows Search feature to locate *.cab containing <filename.ext>
Second Option (98):If <filename.ext> need to be replaced.
Run sfc
Click Extract one file from installation disk
Specify the system file you would like to restore:<filename>
Start Restore From box: <Path to the Win98 folder on CD>
Save File In box: <Destination folder>
OK > OK > OK > Yes. Reboot
Number Lock (Numlock)
1. You may either set it in the bios, or (9x) add this line to Config.sys:
NUMLOCK=OFF (Or ON)
2. If it still doesn't work, set InitialKeyboardIndicators to 0 (OFF) or 2 (ON) in the registry:
[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard]
"InitialKeyboardIndicators"="2"
[HKEY_USERS\{Long key that doesn't end in classes}\Control Panel\Keyboard]
"InitialKeyboardIndicators"="2"
Fix Icons (If Windows shows the wrong icons)
Windows XP
Go to C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Application DataDelete IconCache.db
Reboot
Windows 9x
Go to c:\windows
Delete ShellIconCache
Reboot.
If the problem persist, increase the icon cache size[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
MaxCachedIcons=4096
then delete ShellIconCache.
Military Time
Windows XP:
Control Panel > Regional and Language Options > Customize > Time In Time format, replace h by H
Windows 98:
Control Panel > Regional Settings > Time In Time Style, replace h by H
Msdos.sys (9x)
 
Keywords Default What It Does
AutoScan2When a shutdown error is found, Scandisk will not run (0), will prompt you (1), or will run automatically (2).
BootKeys1 Disables (0) or enables (1) the use of boot-option function keys while starting Windows. When Bootkeys  is disabled, BootDelay, BootMenu, BootMenuDefault, BootMenuDelay, and BootMulti are ignored.
BootDelay2Number of seconds the Starting Windows message is displayed to give you enough time to press F8. W95 only.
BootMenu0Disables (0) or enables (1) the display of the start-up menu.
BootMenuDefault1Menu item that will be selected if you don't select one before the time specified by the BootMenuDelay setting expires.
1: Normal
2: Logged (c:\bootlog.txt)
3: Safe-Mode default (no networking components)
4: Safe-Mode default (networked computer)
BootMenuDelay30Number of seconds to display the Windows Startup menu before running the default menu item.
DisableLog1Disables (0) or enables (1) the creation of a bootlog.txt.
DoubleBuffer1Disables (0) or enables (1) loading of a double-buffering driver for a SCSI controller.
BootGUI1Command line (0), or graphical interface (1).
BootMulti1Disables (0) or enables (1) dual-boot capabilities.
BootSafe1Disables (0) or enables (1) the Safe Mode warning.
BootWarn1Disables (0) or enables (1) the Safe Mode startup warning.
BootWin1Disables (0) or enables (1) Windows as the default operating system. To be used with DOS 5 or 6.x.
DblSpace1Disables (0) or enables (1) loading of dblspace.bin.
DrvSpace1Disables (0) or enables (1) loading of drvspace.bin.
LoadTop1Disables (0) or enables (1) loading of command.com or drvspace.bin at the top of 640K memory.
Logo1Disables (0) or enables (1) the display of the animated logo when Windows processes config.sys and autoexec.bat.

Uninstall Additional Windows Components
To add additional components to the Add/Remove Programs list (Windows Components): Start Windows Explorer, and navigate to the inf folder in your Windows folder. Windows Explorer must be set to Show hidden files and folders. You can adjust this from the Tools menu, Folder Options, View tab (and while you are there, un-check Hide extensions for known file types too). Now find the file Sysoc.inf, and Open it (double-click) You will find several lines that include the word hide: xxxx=xxxx.dll,xxxx,xxxx.inf,hide,7 Remove the word hide, so that the line now reads: xxxx=xxxx.dll,xxxx,xxxx.inf,,7 Save the file, and close it Select Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel and click on Add/Remove Windows Components.Several additional Windows components will now be listed, and you will be able to remove them. Here's a list what some of the listings mean:
WBEM - Windows Management Instrumentation
com - COM+ (Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications) dtc - Distributed Transaction Coordinator (Coordinates distributed transactions between multiple clients, servers, and resource managers)
AutoUpdate - Windows Automatic Updates
msmsgs - Windows Messenger
CommApps - Communications
MultiM - Multimedia
AccessOpt - Accessibility Wizard
Pinball - Yep, the game
MSWordPad - WordPad

Be careful about uninstalling certain parts (WEBM, com, dtc, and maybe even CommApps and MultiM), as it might break some functions in Windows!
Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Users
Here is how to navigate Windows if your mouse has stopped working or if you want to save time by not moving your hand back and forth. When Windows first starts up and your desktop is displayed, an icon is already highlighted in order to select other icons, use your arrow keys to move among the icons. Once they are highlighted, you can hit your enter key instead of double-clicking them with your mouse. To access the start menu, most keyboards have a window key that you can use to open the start menu. If your keyboard doesn't have a windows key, you can hit ctrl and esc to open it. Once the start menu is open, you can use your arrow keys to move among the items and use your enter key to open the items. When you are at a dialog window you can move through all the option areas by hitting tab. Once you are at the area that you want to be in, use your arrow keys and your enter key to open the item. If you want to check or uncheck a box with your keyboard, get to that area by using tab and then click your spacebar to check or uncheck.
Here are more keyboard commands:
CTRL+ TAB - Move forward through tabs.
CTRL+ SHIFT + TAB - Move backward through tabs.
TAB - Move forward through options.
SHIFT+ TAB - Move backward through options.
ALT+ Underlined letter - Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option.
ENTER - Carry out the command for the active option or button.
SPACEBAR - Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box.
Arrow keys - Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons.
F1 - Display help.
F4 - Display the items in the active list.
BACKSPACE - Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box.
CTRL + C - Copy
CTRL+ X - Cut
CTRL+ V - Paste
CTRL+ Z - Undo
DELETE - Delete
SHIFT+ DELETE - Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin
CTRL while dragging an item - Copy selected item.
CTRL+ SHIFT while dragging an item - Create shortcut to selected item.
F2 - Rename selected item.
CTRL+ RIGHT ARROW - Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word.
CTRL+ LEFT ARROW - Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
CTRL+ DOWN ARROW - Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph.
CTRL+ UP ARROW - Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
CTRL+ SHIFT with any of the arrow keys - Highlight a block of text.
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys - Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop,or select text within a document.
CTRL+ A - Select all.
F3 - Search for a file or folder.
ALT+ ENTER - View properties for the selected item.
ALT+F4 - Close the active item, or quit the active program.
ALT+ Enter - Displays the properties of the selected object.
ALT+ SPACEBAR - Opens the shortcut menu for the active window.
CTRL+F4 - close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously.
ALT+ TAB - Switch between open items.
ALT+ ESC - Cycle through items in the order they were opened.
F6 - Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop.
F4 - Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
SHIFT+F10 - Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
ALT+ SPACEBAR - Display the System menu for the active window.
CTRL+ ESC - Display the Start menu.
ALT+ Underlined letter in a menu name - Display the corresponding menu Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu - Carry out the corresponding demand.
F10 - Activate the menu bar in the active program.
RIGHT ARROW - Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.
LEFT ARROW - Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.
F5 - Refresh the active window.
BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up in My computer or Windows Explorer.
ESC - Cancel the current task.
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-Rom drive - Prevent the CD from automatically playing.
Windows Key - Display or hide the Start menu.
Windows Key+ BREAK - Display the System Properties dialog box.
Windows Key+ D - Show the desktop.
Windows Key+ M - Minimize all windows.
Windows Key+ Shift+ M - Restores minimized windows.
Windows Key+ E - Open My Computer.
Windows Key+ F - Search for a file or folder.
CTRL+ Windows Key+ F - Search for computers.
Windows Key+F1 - Display Windows Help.
Windows Key+ L - Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain.
Windows Key+ R - Open the Run dialog box.
Windows Key+ U - Open Utility Manager.
Remember that some of these commands will only work in some versions of Windows (i.e. 95, 98, ME, XP, 2000).
Windows XP clear Page File on Shutdown
Go to Control panel Administrative tools, local security policy. then goto local policies > securityoptions. Then change
the option for "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
Enable or Disable Firewall
Open Control Panel and double click on Network Connections. In the new box that appears right click on the Connection and click on the Advanced tab. Check or uncheck the box according to your desire.
Turn off Indexing to speed up XP
Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when you do a search on the hard drive it is faster. There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands like open, close, etc. If you do not do a whole lot of searches on your hard drive then I suggest turning this feature off:
Control Panel
Administrative Tools
Services
Disable Indexing Services
Delete Prefetch files in XP Automatically
Here's an easy way to delete your Prefetch:
Go into My Computer and go into your hard drive.
Right-click anywhere that a file is not and select the 'New' submenu and click 'Text Document'
Name it "deleteprefetch"
Double-click on the text file you just created.
Type "del C:\Windows\Prefetch\*.* /Q" (without the quotes).
Go to File > Save As... and choose "All Files" from the "Save as Type" box and save it as " deleteprefetch.bat"
You just created a batch file that will automatically delete all the files in your Prefetch folder by double clicking on it.
Congrats, you just emptied the Prefetch folder Automatically!
Click HERE to download one already made! Just save it to your C:\ drive.
Make icons in windows appear quicker (XP)
In Windows XP every time you open My Computer to browse folders XP automatically searches for network files and printers. This causes a delay in displaying your icons. You probably see the " default" windows icon and as you scroll it changes to the correct icon. This is how to stop that...
Open My Computer
Click on the Tools menu and select Folder Options...
Under Folder Options select the view tab.
Uncheck the very first box that reads "Automatically search for network folders and printers".
Click "Apply" or "OK"
You should see a dramatic increase in speed when Windows displays your icons.
How to remove An Invalid Boot Path From The Boot Ini File
Click the Start button.
On the Start Menu click Run.
In the Run dialog box type: msconfig.
The System configuration utility window will now open.
Click the Boot ini Tab.
In the boot ini tab click the button marked Check all boot paths.
The system will check the boot paths and remove any invalid ones.
Finally Close the System configuration utility.
You will need to restart your pc for the changes to take effect.
How to Delete An Undeletable File
Click the Start Button.
Click All Programs followed by Accessories.
In the Accessories drop down menu click Command Prompt.
The Command Prompt window will now open.
Close all other programs that are running with the exception of the Command Prompt.
Now click Start and then Run.
In the Run dialog box type: taskmgr.exe.
In the Task Manager window click on the Processes tab.
From the processes list highlight Explorer.exe and then click the End Process button.
Don't close the Task Manager window, leave it open. You should have the Command Prompt and the Task Manager window open.
Now return to the Command Prompt window and change the directory to the directory that contains the file(s) you wish to delete.
At the Command Prompt type: del (filename) (where the (filename) is the name of the file you want to delete).
Press Enter to delete the file.
Now go back to the Task Manager window.
Click File>New Task.
In the New task dialog box type: explorer.exe.
The Explorer User Interface (GUI) should now start.
Finally close the Task Manager Window and the Command Prompt Window.
No Items Appear in the Device Manager List When You Open It
SYMPTOMS
When you open Device Manager, no devices appear in the list. Instead, a blank window appears.
CAUSE
This behavior occurs if the Plug and Play service is turned off (disabled).
RESOLUTION
To resolve this behavior, set the startup type for Plug and Play to Automatic. To do so, follow these steps:
Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
Double-click Plug and Play.
If you receive a Configuration Manager message, click OK.
In the Startup Type list, click Automatic, and then click OK.
Close Services.
Restart the computer.
ALSO,
Take a look at these site's for Blank Device Manager caused by Spyware:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14679793
http://swandog46.geekstogo.com/ (AproposFix)
Create your own Self-extracting/Self-installing Package with the XP Wizard
The following will show you how to use the Iexpress2.0 tool.
The tool allows you to make a self extracting file and much more
To play with this hidden feature of XP :
Navigate to : Windows\system32\ look for a file called iexpress.exe.
Double left click on it and follow the wizard.
Get System Uptime Only - Windows XP Pro
In XP Pro, in order to get your uptime you must execute the SYSTEMINFO command at the CMD terminal. As you
know, this produces other system information output, and you have to scroll up to see your uptime. If you wish to
receive ONLY your uptime information, simply copy and paste the following into notepad
@echo.

@systeminfo | @find "System Up Time:"

@echo

And save as UPTIME.BAT (save to your windows dir if you want to be able to access it anywhere) Now when you type UPTIME you will see just:
---------------------------
System Up Time: 5 Days, 20 Hours, 13 Minutes, 46 Seconds
---------------------------
Also, if you wish to create a shortcut to IP.BAT, or run it via the Run command, it may close before you can view the result To stop this, add @pause after the last @echo. command, this will cause the terminal to wait for your response before closing. Example:
@echo.
@systeminfo | @find "System Up Time:"
@echo.
@pause
will result
---------------------------
System Up Time: 5 Days, 20 Hours, 13 Minutes, 46 Seconds
Press any key to continue . . .
---------------------------
(information about the code: @echo. produces a blank line, @systeminfo | @find "System Up Time:" causes the output of systeminfo to be piped to the find command, which looks for the line containing "System Up Time:", find then outputs your system uptime, the optional @pause causes the terminal to wait for user input before continuing. The @ before each command tells the terminal not to echo the command being typed.)
Click HERE to download one already made! Just save it to your C:\ drive.
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Windows Media Player

Play DVDs with Windows Media Player
To play DVD's with Windows Media Player, you need to have a DVD Player (For example, PowerDVD) or a MPEG2
codec installed.[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Settings]Create the String value Enable DVDUI, value = yes. Reboot.
Delete Windows Media Player 8 history and playlists History
In C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Application Data, you will find a file with a name such as DCBC2A71-70D8-4DAN-#HR*-#0D61DEA3FDF.ini. Delete it.
Playlists
In C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Applications Data\Microsoft\Media Index, you will find a file with a DB extension. Delete it. As far as I can tell, WMP8 does not store filenames in the registry. If you know otherwise, please let me know.
How to Disable the Windows Media Player for Windows XP Automatic Update Feature
To control whether you allow the Windows Media Player Automatic Update feature, user the following Windows XP registry hack:
Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer
Name: DisableAutoUpdate
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1
The same registry hack works for Windows Media Player 7.0 and 7.1 used in NT and Windows 2000.
For older Windows with Windows Media Player 6.4, the key is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\EnableAutoUpgrade, Type=REG_SZ, and value="No".
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On & Off

Enable or disable Scandisk/Chkdsk on system reboot
If you disable the automatic execution of Scandisk (Win98, ME) or Chkdsk (Win2K, XP), you should run it manually about every two weeks to maintain the integrity of your PC's file system
Windows XP
Start>Run>chkntfs /x <drive> [drive] [drive]
For example, if you want to disable Chkdsk from running on drive C: chkntfs /x c:
Chkntfs works by modifying the BootExecute value in the Registry.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\Session Manager
The default value is BootExecute:REG_MULTI_SZ:autocheck autochk *
Chkdsk /f /r is unaffected by chkntfs and can be run to check volumes manually on the next system reboot.

Windows 98/ME
Start>Run>Msconfig>Advanced>Disable Scandisk after bad shutdown Win98:
If you prefer to play with the Msdos. sys file:
Add AutoScan=0 to the [Options] section.
WinMe: If you prefer to play with the Registry:
Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem]
Value Name: DisableScandiskOnBoot
Data Type: REG_BINARY
Value Data: 01
Warm boot (9x)
Go to the Start Menu and click on shut down. Then make sure that in the selection box the Restart option is selected, then hold down the shift key and press Restart.
Restart the computer from a shortcut
c:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe, exitwindowsexec
c:\windows\rundll.exe shell32.dll, SHExitWindowsEX 2
Shutdown Problems
Windows XP
Control Panel>Power Options>APM
Check Enable Advanced Power Management support
Windows 9x
Msconfig>Advanced>Disable Fast Shutdown.
The exit windows .wav file can also cause this.
Windows 98 SE: Article and Patch (Microsoft site)
If your computer still won't shut down properly, check this page.
Run programs at shutdown
The start command allows you to run DOS and Windows programs from a batch file. The /w switch allows the program to finish running before the next program starts running. For example, if you want to run scandisk before shutting down, you need the following batch file: @echo off start /w
c:\windows\scandskw.exe /a /n start c:\windows\rundll32.exec:\windows\system\shell32.dll,shexitwindowsex 1
Create a shortcut to your batch file, then click it when you want to shutdown.
Shut down programs when shutting down windows
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] Create the string value AutoEndTasks, value = 1. Reboot.
Invalid directory
If a directory is left open at shutdown, and is deleted from DOS, and Windows is no longer saving Explorer folder settings, you will get a message about an invalid directory when you boot up. Simply re-enable the save option and reboot.
(TweakUI's Explorer tab). You can also get this message if a reference to a non-existent folder exists in the startup folder, or is referenced in the registry. Check startup with msconfig. If that reveals nothing, search the registry for the folder name and delete the entries.
Change Windows Logo (9x)
Win9x logo files must be 30x400-256 colors. When viewed during startup, Windows stretches them to 640x400, so keep that in mind if you're designing your own logos, else it will throw the aspect ratio off. The default image is in oi.sys. The startup logo file (logo.sys) goes in the root directory. If your drive is compressed, logo.sys needs to be placed in the host drive.
The shutdown logo files go in the windows directory:
The Please Wait logo is in the logow.sys
The Shutdown logo is in the logos.sys
Disable or Enable Windows XP Auto Updates
To modify your autoupdate settings for Windows XP, use the following steps.
Click on START.
Click on either CONTROL PANEL or SETTINGS, then CONTROL PANEL (depending on how your desktop is configured).
If you are using Category View, click on PERFORMANCE & MAINTENANCE, then the SYSTEM icon.
If you are using Classic View, simply click on SYSTEM.
Click on the AUTOMATIC UPDATES tab.
Click on the KEEP MY COMPUTER UP TO DATE option to either turn on or off autoupdates. If you turn autoupdates on, you will then be able to choose from the three autoupdate options mentioned previously.
Simply click on the radio button next to the option you want to select.
Click on APPLY, and then click on OK.
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Passwords

Prevent Password Expiration (XP Pro Only)
By default, Windows XP passwords will expire after 42 days. Fourteen days before the expiration date, you will
receive the message "Your password will expire in 14 days" when you log on. If you do not want your password to expire, Click Start, Run, then type control userpasswords2
Click the Advanced tab, then the Advanced button
Left pane:  Click Users
Right pane:  Right-click the username, then select Properties
Check Password never expires on the General tab
Set a minimum password length (98)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network] Create the dword value MinPwdLen. Set it to the minimum length you want.
Access Windows 2000 from Windows 98 without a password
On the Windows 200 machine, right-click My Computer, then click Manage System Tools>Local Users and
Groups>Users
In the right pane, double-click the Guest account, uncheck Account is disabled Make sure the password is set blank
The hard disk must have a share name other than C$
Automatic logon without name or password (9x)
This setting allows Windows clients to logon without entering a user name or password, therefore bypassing the logo box. Create the string value Default Password, under Winlogon (see key below). Modify the Default Password's data to match the default users password. The default username is stored at:[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon]-Username
Reboot and the system should automatically logon.
NOTE:  The password is stored in clear text.
Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
Value Name:  Default Password
Data:  REG_SZ
Prevent a Windows logon prompt at startup
Windows XP
Control Panel>User Accounts>Change an account
Do not enter a password
Windows 2000
Control Panel>System>Network Identification>Network ID>Next>This computer is for home use...>Next>Windows
always assumes the following user has logged on to this computer (enter no password)>Next>Finish
Windows 9x
1. Do not Clear last user at logon
If you didn't check Clear last user at logon, go to step 2. Either use TweakUI's Paranoia tab and uncheck Clear Last User a logon.Or go toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon, delete all the
named values, except DontDisplayLastUserName, and set it to zero.
2. Remove password
a)  If you don't have a password, go to step 3
b)  If you don't know your current logon password
Delete the .pwl file from the c:\windows folder
Delete the equivalent entry from c:\windows\system.ini [Password Lists]
c)  If you know your current password
Control Panel>Passwords>Change Passwords>Change Windows Password
Type current password in the Old Password box
Leave the New Password and Confirm New Password boxes blank
Click OK>OK
3. User profile
Control Panel>Passwords>User Profile
Select All users of this PC use the same preferences and desktop settings
Click Close
4. Network
Control Panel>Network>Configuration
Ensure Microsoft Family Logon is installed and that it is the Primary Network
(Use client for Microsoft Networks if you're on a LAN)
5. Reboot
When asked for a username and password, enter a username and hit Enter
Hit Enter to confirm the blank password
You'll never be asked for your password again
Delete your screen saver password if you forgot it (98)
Go into DOS and type edit control.ini. Look for a line PWProtected=1 : Change it so it says PWProtected=0
Why does user logon screen come up after standby mode in XP Pro
From a security perspective, XP Pro should prompt for your password when coming off standby or hibernation mode. But if your workstation is at home or in a very secured location, to disable this important security feature:
Start the Power Options Control Panel applet
Start.
Control Panel.
Power Options.
Select the Advanced tab.
Uncheck the Prompt for password when computer goes off standby check box.
Click OK.
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Windows Explorer

Stop folders opening in their own windows (XP)

If selecting Open each folder in the same window in Folder Options does not solve the problem, start Regedit,
locate the following key, and set Default to none (Type the word none).
Key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
Name: Default
Type: RG_SZ
Value: none

Enable and disable Windows support for ZIP files (XP)

Click Start, then Run and type:
Enable: regsvr32 zipfldr.dll
Disable: regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll
You may have to reboot.

Change the name or location of system folders

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Edit folder names.

Create a folder shortcut (XP)

A folder shortcut is not a shortcut to a folder. Like the Control Panel, a folder shortcut is always visible at the
bottom of Windows Explorer's left pane, and it can be used as a regular folder.
Go to c:\Documents and Settings\{username}\NetHood
While holding down the mouse right button, drag a folder and drop it into the NetHood folder. A contextual menu
will appear: Select Create Shortcuts Here.
Drag the shortcut to the Desktop.

Command switches for Windows Explorer

Explorer [/n] [/e] [,/root,

] [[,/select],] /n: Opens a new window in single-paned ( My Computer) view for each item selected, even if the new window duplicates a window that is already open. /e: Uses Windows Explorer View. Similar to File Manager in Windows 3x. The default view is Open View. /root,

: Specifies the root level of the specified view. The default is to use the normal namespace root (the desktop). Whatever is specified is the root for the display. /select, : Specifies the folder to receive the initial focus. If "/select" is used, the parent folder is opened and the specified object is selected. New command missing in Windows Explorer After you install Internet Explorer with the Windows Desktop Update component, the New command may be missing when you click the File menu in Windows Explorer you right-click the desktop Go to:[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\New], and change the default value to {D969A300-E7FF-11d0-A93B-00A0C90F2719} Remove entries from the context sensitive menu Windows Explorer > Tools (View in win98) > Folder Options > File types. In the list, double click on Folder, then Advanced (No Advanced in win98) Select an entry from the Actions list, and press Remove. Enable and disable Windows Picture and Fax Viewer (XP) You can register or unregister shimgvw.dll to enable or disable WPFV: Enable: Start > Run > regsvr32 shimgvw.dll Disable: Start > Run > regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll Note: If you unregister shimgvw.dll, Windows Explorer will not display thumbnails anymore. So the registry tweak is a much better way to disable WPFV. If PhotoEd is installed, it will open picture files after WPFV is disabled. Open unknown files with Notepad Go to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell] (create it, if it doesn't exist) Under shell, create a new key called open, and edit the string "(Default)" to read "Open With Notepad". Under open, create a new key called command, and edit the string "(Default)" to read "notepad.exe %1". Uncheck "Always use this program to open these files" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\openas\command]: Default is c:\windows\rundll32.exe Shell32.dll,OpenAs_Rundll %1 Change it to c:\windows\rundll32.exe Shell32.dll,OpenAs_Rundll %1 %2 Close regedit, and hit F5. Thumbnails (XP) Turn off filenames in thumbnail view Open the folder, or switch to thumbnail view, while holding down the Shift key. Change thumbnail size By default, thumbnails are 96x96 pixels in size. You can change this value for the current user or all users. Current user: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer All users: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer Go to either key, select Explorer, then create a DWORD value called ThumbnailSize. Double-click it, select Decimal in the Base section, and enter a value between 32 and 256. Restart Windows Explorer. Disable thumbnail caching (thumbs.db) When you switch to thumbnail view, Windows creates hidden thumbs.db files (thumbnail cache) to speed up access to the thumbnails. This is nice but these files also contain the thumbnails of deleted pictures. You can delete the files, but Windows will recreate them as soon as you go back into the folders. You can, however, tell Windows not to cache thumbnails. Control Panel > Folder Options On the View tab, check Do not cache thumbnails. You will have to delete the thumbs.db files that already exist (Use the Search feature). Restore .exe association Symptoms: Computer will not run any program. A message saying that a program needed to run the program pops up Resolution: Rename regedit.exe as regedit.com Copy & paste the following into Notepad, save it as FixExe.reg, and double-click it to merge it into the registry: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command] @="\"%1\" %*" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\exefile\shell\open\command] @="\"%1\" %*" Rename regedit.com as regedit.exe Save and restore associations (98) Export [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT] Install your new program. If there are file association problems, all you have to do is import back the .reg file you created. Open rather than run a batch file when clicking it Go to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open\command] Change the default value to notepad.exe %1 Change folders' icons Windows XP Right click the folder, click Properties Customize > Change icon Windows 98 To change the icon for a single folder: Create a desktop.ini file -- in the folder -- that contains: [.ShellClassInfo] IconFile={name and path of the file that contains the icon} IconIndex=xx (xx = Zero-based icon # in file) InfoTip={An optional description for the folder that displays in webview} To change all folder icons: Explorer > View > Folder Options >File Types > File Folder > Edit > Change Icon Disable the Windows folder's warning message Windows XP Windows Explorer: Tools > Folder Options > View > Display the contents of system folders Windows 98 Rename the hidden file c:\windows\folder.httcopy c:\program\ files\folder.htt to c:\windows\folder.htt Change drive letters (XP) Start>Run>diskmgmt.msc>OK Right-click the drive, click change drive letter and paths..., then click change Warning: Do not change Windows drive letter (usually C:). SendTo Any Folder It has been stated that the sendto any folder option is not available. Well, that's not exactly true. It's available if you right click on the windows explorer tool bar. Choose customize. There you can add or remove buttons from the tool bar. Choose to add "move to" or "copy to". The buttons are then added to the tool bar. When you click those buttons then a browser window opens, choose the folder you want and voila!! It copies or moves the file. Also the Location of the sendto folder in XP is located in: Go to My Computer. Double click C:\ Drive. Double click on the user's name folder. You should now see the Sendto folder. If you don't see the Sendto folder the folder is hidden. Go to Tools then Folder Options, View. Now select "Show Hidden Files and Folders" then OK. You should now see the SendTo Folder.

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