For these you will need to be at Google’s home page, not use your browser’s search bars, put these search terms in (I tell you what you should see in parenthesis after the term so don’t enter those):
For the below you need to choose I Am Felling Luck:
google easter egg (takes you the Google’s easter egg game page)
google 133t (”leet” speak version of the front page)
google goth (take you to a goth version of the front page)
google bork (just another Google front page kind of like one would expect from the Swedish Chef)
google bsd (take you to a bsd page)
google linux (takes you to a linux page)
xx-klingon (this one may require a bit more explination, that is a Klingon translator front page that it took you to)
xx-piglatin (obviously a pig latin version of the front page)
For the below choose the regular Google Search
answer to life, the universe, and everything (gives the well known answer to life, the universe, and everything)
Ones that no longer seem to work
google loco (used to take you to this page)
where in the world is carmen sandiego (used to give you her location as Cairo, Egypt)
ewmer fudd (used to take you to this page)
In Google maps, using direction you could put in Ohio to London, England or New York to London, England, where the search results told you to swim across the ocean, such as “Swim across the Atlantic Ocean 3,462 mi”.
GOOGLE search
Custom Search
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Create A Huge File
You can create a file of any size using nothing more than what's supplied with Windows. Start by converting the desired file size into hexadecimal notation. You can use the Windows Calculator in Scientific mode do to this. Suppose you want a file of 1 million bytes. Enter 1000000 in the calculator and click on the Hex option to convert it (1 million in hex is F4240.) Pad the result with zeroes at the left until the file size reaches eight digits—000F4240.
Now open a command prompt window. In Windows 95, 98, or Me, you can do this by entering COMMAND in the Start menu's Run dialog; in Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or XP enter CMD instead. Enter the command DEBUG BIGFILE.DAT and ignore the File not found message. Type RCX and press Enter. Debug will display a colon prompt. Enter the last four digits of the hexadecimal number you calculated (4240, in our example). Type RBX and press Enter, then enter the first four digits of the hexadecimal size (000F, in our example). Enter W for Write and Q for Quit. You've just created a 1-million-byte file using Debug. Of course you can create a file of any desired size using the same technique.
Now open a command prompt window. In Windows 95, 98, or Me, you can do this by entering COMMAND in the Start menu's Run dialog; in Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or XP enter CMD instead. Enter the command DEBUG BIGFILE.DAT and ignore the File not found message. Type RCX and press Enter. Debug will display a colon prompt. Enter the last four digits of the hexadecimal number you calculated (4240, in our example). Type RBX and press Enter, then enter the first four digits of the hexadecimal size (000F, in our example). Enter W for Write and Q for Quit. You've just created a 1-million-byte file using Debug. Of course you can create a file of any desired size using the same technique.
Boot Winxp Fast
1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.
Add an Option to Print the Contents of a Folder
Would you like to be able to right click any folder in Explorer and print its contents? You can add this option to the context menu by following these steps:
First, you need to create a batch file called Printdir.bat. Open Notepad or another text editor and type (or cut and paste) this text:
@echo off
dir %1 /-p /o:gn > "%temp%\Listing"
start /w notepad /p "%temp%\Listing"
del "%temp%\Listing"
exit
Now, in the Save As dialog box, type "%windir%\Printdir.bat" (without the quotation marks) and click the Save button.
Click Start, Control Panel, Folder Options.
Click the File Types tab, and then click File Folder.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the New button.
In the Action box, type "Print Directory Listing" (without the quotation marks).
In the Application used to perform action box, type "Printdir.bat" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK in all three dialog boxes to close the dialog boxes.
You're not quite finished yet! Now you need to edit the Registry, so open your favorite Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY CLASSES ROOT\Directory\shell.
Right click on "default" and select Modify.
In the File Data box, type "none" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
Now when you right click a folder, you'll see the option to Print Directory Listing. Selecting it will print the contents of the folder.
First, you need to create a batch file called Printdir.bat. Open Notepad or another text editor and type (or cut and paste) this text:
@echo off
dir %1 /-p /o:gn > "%temp%\Listing"
start /w notepad /p "%temp%\Listing"
del "%temp%\Listing"
exit
Now, in the Save As dialog box, type "%windir%\Printdir.bat" (without the quotation marks) and click the Save button.
Click Start, Control Panel, Folder Options.
Click the File Types tab, and then click File Folder.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the New button.
In the Action box, type "Print Directory Listing" (without the quotation marks).
In the Application used to perform action box, type "Printdir.bat" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK in all three dialog boxes to close the dialog boxes.
You're not quite finished yet! Now you need to edit the Registry, so open your favorite Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY CLASSES ROOT\Directory\shell.
Right click on "default" and select Modify.
In the File Data box, type "none" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
Now when you right click a folder, you'll see the option to Print Directory Listing. Selecting it will print the contents of the folder.
change thumbnail size and quality
If any of you out there like to use the thumbnail view, especially for browsing through photos and images, it can become a bit of a drain on your system. It is possible to lower the thumbnail size and quality by editing the following registry keys.
Open the registry and navigate to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft \ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer
Create a new DWORD value called ThumbnailSize, and set the value between 32 and 256.
And/or create another DWORD value called ThumbnailQuality, and set the value between 50 and 100.
Key Details :
USER Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft \ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer]
Value Name: ThumbnailSize
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Data Value: 32 - 256
USER Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft \ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer]
Value Name: ThumbnailQuality
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Data Value: 50 - 100
Open the registry and navigate to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft \ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer
Create a new DWORD value called ThumbnailSize, and set the value between 32 and 256.
And/or create another DWORD value called ThumbnailQuality, and set the value between 50 and 100.
Key Details :
USER Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft \ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer]
Value Name: ThumbnailSize
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Data Value: 32 - 256
USER Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft \ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer]
Value Name: ThumbnailQuality
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Data Value: 50 - 100
SEE HIDDEN FILES , USING DOS
open command prompt and just type
dir /ah
if the list is too long u can use
dir /ah/p/w
dir /ah
if the list is too long u can use
dir /ah/p/w
Disabling Display of Drives in My Computer
To disable the display of local or networked drives when you click My Computer go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Now in the right pane create a new DWORD item and name it NoDrives. Now modify it's value and set it to 3FFFFFF (Hexadecimal) Now press F5 to refresh. When you click on My Computer, no drives will be shown. To enable display of drives in My Computer, simply delete this DWORD item. It's .reg file is as follows:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDrives"=dword:03ffffff
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Now in the right pane create a new DWORD item and name it NoDrives. Now modify it's value and set it to 3FFFFFF (Hexadecimal) Now press F5 to refresh. When you click on My Computer, no drives will be shown. To enable display of drives in My Computer, simply delete this DWORD item. It's .reg file is as follows:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDrives"=dword:03ffffff
To disable the Shut Down option
This trick involves editing the registry, so please make backups. Launch regedit.exe and go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane look for the NoClose Key. If it is not already there then create it by right clicking in the right pane and selecting New > String Value.(Name it NoCloseKey ) Now once you see the NoCloseKey in the right pane, right click on it and select Modify. Then Type 1 in the Value Data Box.
Doing the above on a Win98 system disables the Shut Down option in the Shut Down Dialog Box. But on a Win95 machine if the value of NoCloseKey is set to 1 then click on the Start > Shut Down button displays the following error message:
This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.
You can enable the shut down option by changing the value of NoCloseKey to 0 or simply deleting the particular entry i.e. deleting NoCloseKey.
Instead of performing the above difficult to remember process, simply save the following with an extension of .reg and add it's contents to the registry by double clicking on it.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoClose"="1"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane look for the NoClose Key. If it is not already there then create it by right clicking in the right pane and selecting New > String Value.(Name it NoCloseKey ) Now once you see the NoCloseKey in the right pane, right click on it and select Modify. Then Type 1 in the Value Data Box.
Doing the above on a Win98 system disables the Shut Down option in the Shut Down Dialog Box. But on a Win95 machine if the value of NoCloseKey is set to 1 then click on the Start > Shut Down button displays the following error message:
This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.
You can enable the shut down option by changing the value of NoCloseKey to 0 or simply deleting the particular entry i.e. deleting NoCloseKey.
Instead of performing the above difficult to remember process, simply save the following with an extension of .reg and add it's contents to the registry by double clicking on it.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoClose"="1"
Exiting Windows the Cool and Quick Way
Normally it takes a lot of time just Shutting down Windows, you have to move your mouse to the Start Button, click on it, move it again over Shut Down, click, then move it over the necessary option and click, then move the cursor over the OK button and once again (you guessed it) click.This whole process can be shortened by creating shortcuts on the Desktop which will shut down Windows at the click of a button. Start by creating a new shortcut( right click and select New> Shortcut). Then in the command line box, type (without the quotes.)
'C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindowsexec'
This Shortcut on clicking will restart Windows immediately without any Warning. To create a Shortcut to Restarting Windows, type the following in the Command Line box:
'c:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows'
This Shortcut on clicking will shut down Windows immediately without any Warning
'C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindowsexec'
This Shortcut on clicking will restart Windows immediately without any Warning. To create a Shortcut to Restarting Windows, type the following in the Command Line box:
'c:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows'
This Shortcut on clicking will shut down Windows immediately without any Warning
POP A BANNER BETWEEN "BOOT & "WELCOME" SCREEN
TO DO THAT, FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
[1] FIRST OF ALL, GO TO "START' - "RUN".
[2] TYPE "REGEDIT" IN THE BAR. CLICK ON THE "OK" BUTTON.
[3] A NEW WINDOW WILL OPEN NAMED "Registry Editor". IN THE LEFT PANAL OF THE "Registry Editor", GO TO THE KEY: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon
[4]NOW RIGHT CLICK ON THE RIGHT PANAL, CHOOSE "New", SELECT "String Value". A NEW "String Value" WILL BE CREATED.
[5] RIGHT CLICK ON IT AND CHOOSE "Rename". TYPE "LegalNoticeCaption" TO "Rename" IT.
[6] RIGHT CLICK ON THAT "String Value" AND CHOOSE "Modify". ON THE "Value data:" AREA, TYPE THE TEXT OR VALUE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE MENU BAR OF THE BANNER.
[7] NOW CREATE YET ANOTHER NEW "String Value" IN THE RIGHT PANAL AND "Rename" IT BY "LegalNoticeText".
[8] RIGHT CLICK ON THAT "String Value" AND CHOOSE "Modify". ON THE "Value data:" PART, TYPE THE MESSAGE YOU WANT TO DISPLAY EACH TIME WINDOWS BOOTS.
[9] NOW, CLOSE THE "Registry Editor".
[10] "Restart" YOUR COMPUTER.
NOW, AFTER THE "BOOT SCREEN" AND JUST BEFORE THE "WELCOME SCREEN" A NEW BANNER WILL BE OPENED WHICH CONTAINS YOUR MESSAGE AND AN "OK" BUTTON. THE USERS HAVE TO CLICK ON THE "OK" BUTTON TO PROCEED.
[1] FIRST OF ALL, GO TO "START' - "RUN".
[2] TYPE "REGEDIT" IN THE BAR. CLICK ON THE "OK" BUTTON.
[3] A NEW WINDOW WILL OPEN NAMED "Registry Editor". IN THE LEFT PANAL OF THE "Registry Editor", GO TO THE KEY: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon
[4]NOW RIGHT CLICK ON THE RIGHT PANAL, CHOOSE "New", SELECT "String Value". A NEW "String Value" WILL BE CREATED.
[5] RIGHT CLICK ON IT AND CHOOSE "Rename". TYPE "LegalNoticeCaption" TO "Rename" IT.
[6] RIGHT CLICK ON THAT "String Value" AND CHOOSE "Modify". ON THE "Value data:" AREA, TYPE THE TEXT OR VALUE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE MENU BAR OF THE BANNER.
[7] NOW CREATE YET ANOTHER NEW "String Value" IN THE RIGHT PANAL AND "Rename" IT BY "LegalNoticeText".
[8] RIGHT CLICK ON THAT "String Value" AND CHOOSE "Modify". ON THE "Value data:" PART, TYPE THE MESSAGE YOU WANT TO DISPLAY EACH TIME WINDOWS BOOTS.
[9] NOW, CLOSE THE "Registry Editor".
[10] "Restart" YOUR COMPUTER.
NOW, AFTER THE "BOOT SCREEN" AND JUST BEFORE THE "WELCOME SCREEN" A NEW BANNER WILL BE OPENED WHICH CONTAINS YOUR MESSAGE AND AN "OK" BUTTON. THE USERS HAVE TO CLICK ON THE "OK" BUTTON TO PROCEED.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Use the Keyboard
Highlight a file or folder and press Shift-Del to delete permanently, bypassing the Recycle Bin.
Alt-Enter opens the highlighted file or folder's Properties dialog.
In Windows Explorer, highlight a folder and press Shift-NumPadAsterisk to open the folder and all subfolders.
Click in Windows Explorer's details pane, then press Ctrl-NumPadPlus to size each column exactly as wide as its largest item.
The Windows key brings up the Start menu, of course; but it does quite a bit more when used in combination with other keys:
Win-D toggles between showing the desktop and restoring all windows.
Win-E invokes the Windows Explorer window.
Win-L locks your system until you enter your password—or lets you switch active users, if you're using Fast User Switching.
Win-M minimizes all windows.
Win-R brings up the Run dialog.
Win-S, in Microsoft Word 2002 or later, invokes Windows' text-to-speech engine, which will read either highlighted text or everything from the cursor on.
Win-Pause/Break brings up the System Properties dialog.
Win-U invokes the Utility Manager, which controls accessibility program options.
Missing the Windows key? Ctrl-Esc will bring up your Start menu, though it won't allow you to use Windows-key combo commands like those above.
You can create your own keyboard shortcuts to frequently used programs by right-clicking on their shortcut icons (in the Start menu or on the desktop), then clicking in the Shortcut key field and striking a key. Hey, presto, Ctrl-Alt-that key will now start the app. Don't want the Ctrl-Alt combo? You can press Ctrl-Shift-x, Shift-Alt-x, or Ctrl-Shift-Alt-x instead. A few x keys are verboten here: Esc, Enter, Tab, Space, Print Scrn, Del, and Backspace aren't allowed.
Alt-Enter opens the highlighted file or folder's Properties dialog.
In Windows Explorer, highlight a folder and press Shift-NumPadAsterisk to open the folder and all subfolders.
Click in Windows Explorer's details pane, then press Ctrl-NumPadPlus to size each column exactly as wide as its largest item.
The Windows key brings up the Start menu, of course; but it does quite a bit more when used in combination with other keys:
Win-D toggles between showing the desktop and restoring all windows.
Win-E invokes the Windows Explorer window.
Win-L locks your system until you enter your password—or lets you switch active users, if you're using Fast User Switching.
Win-M minimizes all windows.
Win-R brings up the Run dialog.
Win-S, in Microsoft Word 2002 or later, invokes Windows' text-to-speech engine, which will read either highlighted text or everything from the cursor on.
Win-Pause/Break brings up the System Properties dialog.
Win-U invokes the Utility Manager, which controls accessibility program options.
Missing the Windows key? Ctrl-Esc will bring up your Start menu, though it won't allow you to use Windows-key combo commands like those above.
You can create your own keyboard shortcuts to frequently used programs by right-clicking on their shortcut icons (in the Start menu or on the desktop), then clicking in the Shortcut key field and striking a key. Hey, presto, Ctrl-Alt-that key will now start the app. Don't want the Ctrl-Alt combo? You can press Ctrl-Shift-x, Shift-Alt-x, or Ctrl-Shift-Alt-x instead. A few x keys are verboten here: Esc, Enter, Tab, Space, Print Scrn, Del, and Backspace aren't allowed.
Edit the Registry Safely
Some of the tips in our collection require editing the Registry. Before making any such changes, you should back up the current Registry data. This doesn't mean using the Windows XP Backup applet or even saving a system restore point. Rather, use the Registry Editor itself to back up the Registry keys that will be changed.
To begin, select Run from the Start menu and enter regedit to launch the Registry Editor. Navigate to the key you're going to edit and select Export from the File menu. Don't set the Export Range to All—that would back up the entire Registry, and restoring such a backup would wipe out all later changes. Instead, choose the Selected Branch option, which will back up just the selected key, with its subkeys and values. Save it to a REG file with a name that will remind you of the purpose of the change. Open the REG file in Notepad and insert a few comment lines that describe the tip (to create a comment line, put a semicolon at the start of the line). Now go ahead and make all changes to the Registry keys and values specified by the tip you're applying. Any time you add a new key or value, make a note of it with another comment line in the REG file. When you're done, save the REG file and close Notepad.
If it's necessary to undo the Registry tweak, start by double-clicking the REG file and confirming that you want to merge it into the Registry. This will restore any deleted keys or values, and will restore the original data for any changed values. Note, however, that it will not remove any keys or values that you added. To take care of those, refer to the comments you inserted in the REG file. Right-click the REG file and choose Edit, which will open the file in Notepad. Check for comments about added keys or values and, if found, use the Registry Editor to delete them. You can delete the REG file itself once you've completed the restore process.
To begin, select Run from the Start menu and enter regedit to launch the Registry Editor. Navigate to the key you're going to edit and select Export from the File menu. Don't set the Export Range to All—that would back up the entire Registry, and restoring such a backup would wipe out all later changes. Instead, choose the Selected Branch option, which will back up just the selected key, with its subkeys and values. Save it to a REG file with a name that will remind you of the purpose of the change. Open the REG file in Notepad and insert a few comment lines that describe the tip (to create a comment line, put a semicolon at the start of the line). Now go ahead and make all changes to the Registry keys and values specified by the tip you're applying. Any time you add a new key or value, make a note of it with another comment line in the REG file. When you're done, save the REG file and close Notepad.
If it's necessary to undo the Registry tweak, start by double-clicking the REG file and confirming that you want to merge it into the Registry. This will restore any deleted keys or values, and will restore the original data for any changed values. Note, however, that it will not remove any keys or values that you added. To take care of those, refer to the comments you inserted in the REG file. Right-click the REG file and choose Edit, which will open the file in Notepad. Check for comments about added keys or values and, if found, use the Registry Editor to delete them. You can delete the REG file itself once you've completed the restore process.
Shortcut to Shutdown
We've all noted the irony of having to click on Start to shut down. But you can create a shortcut that will automatically shut down your PC, log you off, or reboot.
Right-click on the desktop and choose New | Shortcut. Browse to the file C:\Windows\System32\Shutdown.exe, click Next, name the shortcut, and click Finish. Now right-click on the new shortcut and choose Properties. In the Target box, append the command line switch -l (to log off), -s (to shut down), or -r (to reboot).
If you also add the switch –t xx (where xx is a number of seconds), Shutdown.exe will display a warning and countdown before activating. You can specify a comment to be displayed with the warning by adding the switch -c "Your text". The countdown behavior is particularly useful if the shutdown is launched through the Scheduled Tasks applet. Once it's activated, the only way to stop the program is to launch it again with the -a (for abort) switch on its command line—you might create a separate Cancel Shutdown shortcut for that.
Right-click on the desktop and choose New | Shortcut. Browse to the file C:\Windows\System32\Shutdown.exe, click Next, name the shortcut, and click Finish. Now right-click on the new shortcut and choose Properties. In the Target box, append the command line switch -l (to log off), -s (to shut down), or -r (to reboot).
If you also add the switch –t xx (where xx is a number of seconds), Shutdown.exe will display a warning and countdown before activating. You can specify a comment to be displayed with the warning by adding the switch -c "Your text". The countdown behavior is particularly useful if the shutdown is launched through the Scheduled Tasks applet. Once it's activated, the only way to stop the program is to launch it again with the -a (for abort) switch on its command line—you might create a separate Cancel Shutdown shortcut for that.
Restore the Show Desktop Icon
If we had a nickel for every time we've been asked how to restore this handy Quick Launch icon... well, we'd have a few bucks by now. The Show Desktop icon isn't a normal shortcut. If you accidentally delete it, restore it like so: Launch Notepad and type these lines:
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
Save the file with the name "Show Desktop.scf", including the quotes, to the folder C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch, where username is replaced by your actual user account name.
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
Save the file with the name "Show Desktop.scf", including the quotes, to the folder C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch, where username is replaced by your actual user account name.
Reboot to Safe Mode in Win XP
Sometimes in the course of troubleshooting you need to reboot and start Windows in Safe Mode, which is a minimal start-up that loads only those Windows components that are absolutely essential. In theory, you can enter Safe Mode by restarting and then either holding down the Ctrl key or pressing the F8 key at the right moment. In practice, it can be difficult or, with a USB keyboard, impossible (the USB drivers aren't available in the DOS start-up environment). To configure Windows XP so its next restart will enter Safe Mode, launch the System Configuration Utility (msconfig) from the Start menu's Run dialog. Click the BOOT.INI tab and check the box titled /SAFEBOOT. Don't touch the other settings. When you reboot, XP will start in Safe Mode and will keep doing so until you uncheck that box.
Recover a Corrupted System File
If an essential Windows file goes missing, gets whacked by a virus, or is otherwise corrupted, you can restore it from your Windows XP CD. Select Search from the Start menu and search the CD for the filename, replacing the last character with an underscore—for example, Notepad.ex_. If it's found, open a command prompt and enter the command expand followed by the full pathname of the file and of the desired destination, for example, expand D:\Setup\Notepad.ex_ C:\Windows\Notepad
.exe. If either pathname contains any spaces, surround it—the full path—with double quotes.
If the file isn't found, search again using the unmodified filename. It will probably be inside a CAB file, which XP treats as a folder. Then simply open the folder, drag the file to the desired location while holding down the right mouse button, and choose Copy Here.
.exe. If either pathname contains any spaces, surround it—the full path—with double quotes.
If the file isn't found, search again using the unmodified filename. It will probably be inside a CAB file, which XP treats as a folder. Then simply open the folder, drag the file to the desired location while holding down the right mouse button, and choose Copy Here.
Remove Components Not in Add/Remove
You can uninstall many Windows components, from Solitaire to Networking Services, using the Add or Remove Programs applet from the Control Panel. Launch it and click the Add/Remove Windows Com-ponents button at left. MSN Messenger, however, is deliberately hidden, as are several other components. Here's how you tell Windows not to hide those components.
In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\Inf and make a copy of the file Sysoc.inf. When you double-click on Sysoc.inf, it will launch in Notepad. Press Ctrl-H and replace the string ,hide, with ,, and save the file. Now you'll find that all the hidden components appear in Add/ Remove Windows Components.
In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\Inf and make a copy of the file Sysoc.inf. When you double-click on Sysoc.inf, it will launch in Notepad. Press Ctrl-H and replace the string ,hide, with ,, and save the file. Now you'll find that all the hidden components appear in Add/ Remove Windows Components.
Control Start-Up Launch Order
Windows checks various locations in the file system and Registry to determine which programs should launch at start-up, but gives you no real control over the launch order. Here's how to enforce a specific order, perhaps to connect to a VPN before launching a program that needs that connection.
If shortcuts to the start-up programs reside in the Start menu's Startup folder, move them to a new folder; otherwise, create a shortcut to each in a new folder. Open a command prompt, navigate to that new folder, and issue the command DIR /B > ORDERED.BAT. Enter NOTEPAD ORDERED.BAT to open the resulting batch file in Notepad. Use copy-and-paste to put the lines in the desired order. Surround each line with quotes and precede it with the START command, a pair of empty quotes, and a space—for example, START "" "C:\Ordered Launch\First Program.lnk".
Double-click the batch file to test it. The programs will start in the specified order, but if one takes longer to initialize, it may show up out of order. In that case, insert a delay line after the slow-starting program. This line will insert a 5-second delay: ping -n 5 127.0.0.1 > nul. Edit the number after -n to set a different delay. After testing, use the right mouse button to drag the batch file to the Start menu's Startup folder, selecting Create Shortcut(s) Here.
If shortcuts to the start-up programs reside in the Start menu's Startup folder, move them to a new folder; otherwise, create a shortcut to each in a new folder. Open a command prompt, navigate to that new folder, and issue the command DIR /B > ORDERED.BAT. Enter NOTEPAD ORDERED.BAT to open the resulting batch file in Notepad. Use copy-and-paste to put the lines in the desired order. Surround each line with quotes and precede it with the START command, a pair of empty quotes, and a space—for example, START "" "C:\Ordered Launch\First Program.lnk".
Double-click the batch file to test it. The programs will start in the specified order, but if one takes longer to initialize, it may show up out of order. In that case, insert a delay line after the slow-starting program. This line will insert a 5-second delay: ping -n 5 127.0.0.1 > nul. Edit the number after -n to set a different delay. After testing, use the right mouse button to drag the batch file to the Start menu's Startup folder, selecting Create Shortcut(s) Here.
Control Which Programs Launch at Start-Up
Many of the programs you install on your system automatically configure themselves to launch at start-up, often invisibly. The truly essential ones, such as firewall and antivirus products, generally run as Windows services, working efficiently in the background. Other less important products like media players really don't need to be running constantly, if at all. These extra applications slow the boot process and then suck up system resources and CPU cycles.
There are many ways a program can launch at start-up. The System Configuration Utility rounds up all of the start-up programs in a single display. Launch it by choosing Run from the Start menu and entering msconfig. The Startup tab displays a complete list of the programs that launch at start-up. To disable any one of them reversibly, just uncheck the box at left. It should be safe to disable any of them, as only nonessential programs appear on the Startup tab. But leave the adjacent Services tab alone—disable some of those entries and you may disable Windows completely.
There are many ways a program can launch at start-up. The System Configuration Utility rounds up all of the start-up programs in a single display. Launch it by choosing Run from the Start menu and entering msconfig. The Startup tab displays a complete list of the programs that launch at start-up. To disable any one of them reversibly, just uncheck the box at left. It should be safe to disable any of them, as only nonessential programs appear on the Startup tab. But leave the adjacent Services tab alone—disable some of those entries and you may disable Windows completely.
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