Windows XP Usefull Tips

[F4rrukh]

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Change the Browser Title

This tweak Customize the Title of the Internet Explorer.


1. Click Start > Run > Type gpedit.msc
2. Click User Configuration > Windows Setting > Internet Explorer Maintenance > Browser User Interface
3. Double click on Browser Title
4. Click on Customize Title Bars
5. type in whatever you want
6. Click OK

Now you changed the title of your browser and you sure see what you wrote when you
open a New Widow.

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Change XP Boot Screen

If you would like to change your boot up screen follow the directions below.
These instructions assume that you have a place to download the boot screen from the net.
If you would like to download a boot screen, visit http://www.themexp.org

1. Backup (copy) the file %windir%\system32\ntoskrnl.exe (most likely C:\windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe - the boot screen)
2. Download the .zip to your computer
3. Extract ntoskrnl.exe to a directory other than %windir%\system32 (most likely C:\windows\system32)
4. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode (hit F8 before the boot screen) or into true DOS (from a boot disk)
5. Overwrite the file %windir%\system32\ntoskrnl.exe (which should have been backed up) with the extracted exe
6. Reboot your computer as you normally would.

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Correcting System Hang at Startup

If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access
the Start button or the Taskbar, it may be due to one specific service
(Background Intelligent Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch
for this but it didn't work for me. Here's what you do:

1. Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
2. Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service,
disable it, apply the changes & reboot.

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Data invalid fix for WinXP problem

This is a fix for if you ever had a "data invalid" problem that nags you while you were
installing and swapping out cards with Windows XP.
This error appears to be due to a protection problem in the Windows registry
and can occur with a variety of drivers (sound cards and SCSI drivers have been reported).
To fix this problem, go to Start, Run... and type "regedit" without the quotes to run
the Registry Editor. Navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetENUMPCI

and you will see a number of keys of the form "VEN_xxxx",
where xxxx are strings like "1102&DEV_0004&SUBSYS_00011103&REV_04".
Under each of these folders will be another folder with a long numerical name.
Open each folder and look for the "DeviceDesc" which matches the hardware
you are trying to install. Right Click on the "VEN_xxxx" for that device
and select 'Permissions' and then tick "Allow" for "Full Control".
Close Regedit and then continue with the installation of your device.
I cannot guarantee it works for everyone, but although I swear by it
after swearing at it(XP), it should help you if you ever had casual problem.

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Disable Debug Scripting in Internet Explorer

Don't you hate it when you are browsing a page it asks you
"Would you like to debug this page?" Well here's a nifty and easy way to turn it off.

Right Click on Internet Explorer and Click Properties
----- or -----
Open Internet Explorer. Click Tools | Internet Options

Click The "Advanced" Tab

The 4th Item in "Browsing" should say "Disable Script Debugging"

Check it and you are all set! Enjoy a Debug-Free Browsing experience.

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SOURCE : From a Friend , Will post some more later..

 

[Cowburn199]

Very nice information there Farrukh_|$B however the gpedit.msc tip doesn't seem to work. I type that in Run and it says Windows cannot find gpedit.msc

Works for you?

 

[F4rrukh]

yes i tried all these b4 giving to you guys for me it works fine.. what version of windoes u got?

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Fix IE 6 Slowdowns and Hangs

If Internet Explorer (IE) 6 is slowing to a crawl and/or hanging and starts to use 100
percent of CPU time it may well be a corruption of the "Temporary Internet Files folder".
In particular, trying to delete Temporary Internet files via Tools, Internet Options or
other privacy software seems to trigger this behavior. Also, attempts to view files
in the Temporary Internet Files folder may show the folder as already empty when it is not.
This behavior occurs because the Temporary Internet files database is corrupt.
The Temporary Internet files aren't really files but entries in %systemdrive%\Documents and
Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat.
Deleting that file solves the problem. This same problem has occured for NT users
and the fix works for XP.

1. Open a command prompt window on the desktop (Start/Run/command).

2. Exit IE and Windows Explorer (iexplore.exe and explorer.exe, respectively,
in Task Manager, i.e - Ctrl-Alt-Del/Task Manager/Processes/End Process for each).

3. Use the following command exactly from your command prompt window to delete the corrupt file:

C:\>del "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local
Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat"

4. Restart Windows Explorer with Task Manager
(Ctrl-Alt-Del/Task Manager/Applications/New Task/Browse/C:\Windows\explorer.exe
[or your path]) or Shutdown/Restart the computer from Task Manager.

IE should now work properly.

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Fix problems with USB DSL/Cable modems

Some usb dsl/cable modems may get disconnected after a little while.
A possible reason that could cause this problem is that in windows xp there is an option
that allows the computer to turn off a usb device to save power. To disable this option:

1) click start, highlight my computer, right click and select properties and a window will pop up with the system properties
2) click on the hardware tab and press the device manager button
3) expand the universal serial bus controllers
4) Double click on the USB Root Hub.
5)Select the Power Management tab and UNTICK the "allow the computer to turn off the device to save power"

If you have more than one USB Root Hub, then you should apply the steps to each one of them
That's it, you won't need to restart the computer!

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IE: Another way to fix IE6 slow page load

Here's an easier way to get to index.dat file as addresse in another tweak submitted here.

1. click on Internet Explorer
2. go to to your root dir (usually C
3. open Documents and Settings folder
4. open "your username folder"
5. open UserData
6. **close IE if you have it open**
rename index.dat to index.old
logoff and log back on (don't need to restart)

open up IE and go to a web page or site that always seemed to load slowly.
It should load a lot more quickly now.

NOTE. Always rename or backup .dat or other system files before deleting.

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Install XP from DOS

If XP will not install from the CD or if you have a new drive with no operating system on
it yet try these:

Install Windows XP from the hard drive with Windows 98 already installed:

Boot Windows 98
Insert the XP CD into your CD reader
Explore Windows XP through My Computer
Copy i386 folder to C:\
Go into C:\i386 folder and double click on winnt32.exe to launch the setup from the hard drive

Install Windows XP from DOS (ie. no OS on a new hard drive):

Boot with a Windows 98 Start Up disk
Insert the Windows 98 CD into the CD reader
Run smartdrv.exe from the Win98 directory on the windows 98 CD (file caching)
Type cd.. to back up to the root directory
Insert Windows XP CD into the CD reader
Copy the i386 folder to C:\
Go into C:\i386 folder on C: and type winnt.exe to launch the setup from the hard drive.

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Quick Access to Anything Without a Mouse!

If your someone like me who wants quick access to everything then just listen to
what I have to say. This article will tell you how to makes shortcuts on your keyboard
that are Ctrl + Alt + "Any Key Of Your Choice." Heres what you have to do:

1. Make shortcuts of the programs you want shortcuts to somewhere in your start menu.

2. Right click on one of them and click on Properties.

3. Now click on Shortcut if its not already there.

4. Click on ShortCut Key's white area box and type a letter other than ones used
by XP like Ctrl Alt Del and stuff. I used the number 1 through 0 (after 9).

Do that and it should work. If it doesn't make sure its in the Programs part of
the Start Menu, I haven't tried outside programs, if it still doesn't work go to
the help section and ask a microsoft person.

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[Cowburn199]

I'm using XP. Probably just need to reboot but my computers a bit busy to do that at the moment

 

[Karachi Xpress]

I tried the first one..And it did work..Thanx for the great tips!

 

[saurabh2185]

Correcting System Hang at Startup

If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access
the Start button or the Taskbar, it may be due to one specific service
(Background Intelligent Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch
for this but it didn't work for me. Here's what you do:

1. Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
2. Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service,
disable it, apply the changes & reboot.

Many thanks for this, nice tips there.

 

[scorpion_rulezz]

hey i got some xp tweaks as well & like to share with you guys,all are working fine on my pc Source from my friend

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. Start the Windows Explorer.

Go to Tools + Folder Options + View

In the first section under Files and Folders, check Do not cache thumbnails

Now you can search for the thumbs.db file on your computer and remove them. No more should be created.

Cleaning The Prefetch Directory

WindowsXP has a new feature called Prefetch. This keeps a shortcut to recently used programs.
However it can fill up with old and obsolete programs.
To clean this periodically go to:
Star / Run / Prefetch
Press Ctrl+A to highlight all the shorcuts, delete them

Increasing System Performance

If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive
Set the value to be 1
Reboot the computer

Increase Network Speed By 20%

Windows uses 20% of your bandwidth! Get it back.

A nice little tweak for XP. M*crosoft reserves 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes (suspect for updates and interrogating your machine etc..)

Here's how to get it back:

Click Start-->Run-->type "gpedit.msc" without quotes ""

This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:

Local Computer Policy-->Computer Configuration-->Administrative Templates-->Network-->QOS Packet Scheduler-->Limit Reservable Bandwidth

Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab :

"By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."

So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.

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 you may want to turn this feature off:

Open My Computer.
Right-click your hard drive icon and select Properties. At the bottom of the window you'll see "Allow indexing service to index this disk for faster searches," uncheck this and click ok.
A new window will pop up and select Apply to all folders and subfolders. It will take a minute or two for the changes to take affect but then you should enjoy slightly faster performance.

 

[embi]

Very nice information there Farrukh_|$B however the gpedit.msc tip doesn't seem to work. I type that in Run and it says Windows cannot find gpedit.msc

Works for you?

I think gpedit.msc is only availiable on Win XP Professional, unfortunately... However, there is another way of changing IE Titlebar, which is slightly riskier (as editing the registry always is...)

1. Go to Start>Run and enter regedit
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. Change the value of "Window title" (in the right pane) to something of your choice. Whilst testing this mod I accidently misplet it as " - Mircosoft Internet Exploder".
NB: If the value doesn't exist, you will need to create it. Just rightclick and select String, naming it "Window title".

Have an idea for another mod... which will replace the classic web page that says "This page cannot be displayed".

Ok, here it is:

You will need a resource hacker. My personal favourite is XN Resource Editor , simply because it is prettier that alternatives. Most people use ResHack, google for it if you want to. Both should work fine with this mod.

Anyway.
1. Like you should before editing system files, backitup! Go to <windows directory>/system32 and find "shdoclc.dll". My favourite backup method is to copy it and rename the copy to "shdoclc.dll.old". Therefore, if anything goes wrong, you can put it right.
2. Prepare a web page. Just open Notepad and type a few lines of code. To help with this, I have attached a .html to this post.
3. Open your resource hacker.
4. Open the file mentioned above.
5. On the left pane, there should be a list of resources. HTML should be there. Select DNSERROR.HTM. HTML code should appear on the left. Get the source for your webpage (open it in IE and view source. Make sure you close IE before you save the file) and paste it into.
6. Save.
7. Test it.

Note: I have not had time to test it Let me know if it works.

 

[F4rrukh]

nice tweaks scorpion so from now on if anyone has any tips or tweaks for windows xp post them here

 

[Cowburn199]

Before you change any values in your registry you should always make a backup and MAKE SURE you know what your doing!

 

[F4rrukh]

Yes i agree with u there cattleburn u always should do that even if u are replacing any files like for example games if you are replacing files first please make a backup you never know what is going to happen

 

[Cowburn199]

:laugh a new nickname! Cowburn - Cowburner - Cattleburn

Yay!

But seriously google registry backup program and find one that you like then make a backup before you change anything.

When i got home from school (going now) I'll post links to some registry programs.

 

[F4rrukh]

I am in school rite now and my Information Tech. lesson just finished so see u guys bye

 

[Ritwik]

a new nickname! Cowburn - Cowburner - Cattleburn

Yay!

But seriously google registry backup program and find one that you like then make a backup before you change anything.

When i got home from school (going now) I'll post links to some registry programs.

I would've wholly agreed with your position had it concerned Win98. In that OS, you could make registry backups via the registry editor itself which could then be imported when the need arose (ie, when the OS refused to load up) through the command prompt. Since WinXP removes the command prompt - restoring and managing registry backups has become a pain in the ass. I've found that the best way to resolve any conflict with Windows XP is to reformat the partition on which its installed and reinstall it. (it takes 10 mins to install winXP on most new computers). Once done you can restore the registry from within the operating system environment (important for software and games installed on other partitions to function properly).
This frees you from the hodge-podge of microsoft's system restore tools etc.

Of course, you've to make sure all your data is on other partitions before trying this!

 

[blackleopard92]

Well, I had already posted a total guide to WinXP tweaking, however PC people beg to differ..........

as for back up,

RegSeeker - http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm
Its the only free software I trust to handle my registry.


edit:My bad, it's tuneXp, not Tweak XP
And to tune winXP, try tune XP
tuneXP
http://www.driverheaven.net/dforce/default.php
All WinXP tuning.Must have.