Archive for the ‘Windows Tips and Tricks’ Category

Disable the Search Assistant

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

If you find that the Windows XP Search assistant slows you down or distracts you, you can disable the puppy dog (or wizard, etc) that shows up when you click Start –> Search.

1. Open your Registry editor by clicking Start –> Run and typing “regedit” (without quotes) in the Run box.
2.Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer CabinetState
3. In the right pane, find the string value “Use Search Asst.” Double click it and change the value to “no” (without quotes).
4. Click “OK” in the Edit String Dialog box. The Search Assistant will be disabled the next time you log in.

Tags: Search Assistant, Windows Tips
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »

Internet Explorer Crashed

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

It happens to the best of us. You download a seemingly helpful toolbar or piece of software, and the next thing you know, your Internet Explorer crashes. The browser may pop up for a second and then quickly disappear. Or it may execute with the message “Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close.” Or, Internet Explorer may not open when you click the icon.

In some cases, you can delete temporary internet files to solve the problem. Or you may want to try resetting your Internet Explorer to factory settings. To do this, go to control panel>network and internet> internet options> advanced tab> reset.

If all else fails, try a reinstall. To do this,

1. Insert your Windows XP CD
2. Click Start > Run
3. In the Run box, enter the following command:

rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%Infie.inf

Tags: Internet Explorer, Windows Tips, Windows XP Tips
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »

Renaming Multiple Files in a Directory

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

If you want to batch rename multiple files in the same folder, follow these steps:

Open Windows Explorer and browse to the directory
Select all the of files you want to rename
Press F2 or right click and select Rename
Enter the prefix for the name you want, example: NewFileNameThis will automatically rename the rest of the files NewFileName (1).doc, Newname (2).doc etc.

For greater control of renaming a large number of files, consider purchasing software that automates this for you. For example, if you need a particular number scheme or want to name them alphabetically instead of numerically, you should consider a program like Autonamer.

Autonamer is ideal for digital camera photographers, avid music and image collectors, web masters, graphics professionals, and avid file organizers. Its features include:

Digital camera mode allows you to toggle between “manual” and automatic functions. Type the name of the photo, hit ENTER, and Autonamer previews the next image file.
Extremely fast, accurate, and safe multiple file renames
Digital camera mode automatically detects picture files
Previewing of name changes in REAL-TIME, see what names look like before the batch file rename takes place
Built-in folder browser to browser drives/folders for files you wish to rename, recognises network drives as well
Replace strings function
Change case option
Configure startup options to fully customize your batch file rename

Tags: Autonamer, Batch File Rename, Files, Rename Mutliple Files, Windows XP Tips
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »

Configuring Autlogin for Windows XP

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Did you know that you can configure Windows XP to log you in automatically? If you are the only person using your computer and want to have it automatically log you on, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start > Run
2. In the Run box, enter “control userpasswords2″
3. Uncheck User must enter a user name and password to use this computer

The advantage of autologin is that you save time when booting your computer. However, you should be aware that there are security issue that arise as a result. For example, if you were to lose your laptop, then the person who found it would be able to access all of your files very easily. Do this at your own risk.

Tags: Autologin, Windows Tips, Windows XP Tips
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »

Showing the Control Panel in My Computer

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

In Windows XP, you can show the control panel icon when opening “My Computer.” To do so, follow these steps:

1. Double-click My Computer to open it.
2. Click Tools–>Folder Options.
3. Under the View tab, check the box which says Show Control Panel in My Computer
4. Click OK to save your changes.

Tags: Control Panel, My Comptuer, Windows Tips, Windows XP Tips
Posted in Windows XP | No Comments »

Restricting Anonymous Access

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Did you know that a hacker could list the user names on your computer, simply by connecting to what are known as null shares on your Windows computer? For example, open a command prompt and run this command:

net use \[computername]ipc$ “” /user:”"

Replace [computername] with your actual computer name. You’ve just logged into your computer anonymously and can use tools to list your user names. The IPC$ share is used with temporary connections between clients and servers by using named pipes for communication among network programs. It is primarily used for to remotely administer network servers.

To disable anonymous shares, follow these steps:

1. Open Registry Editor by clicking Start->Run and typing regedit in the Run box
2. Navigate to the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlLsa.
3. Double click the value restrictanonymous and change the value from 0 to 2.

If this registry value does not exists, create a new one.

Posted in Security | No Comments »

Changing Internet Explorer Title Bar and Text

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Sometimes, a program you install will change your Internet Explorer Bar and Text. Internet Service Providers, for example, will add their company name to your Internet Explorer title bar. You may wish to revert your Internet Explorer title bar to its previous settings Or, you may just want to brand your Internet Explorer with the name of your company or organization. To change the Internet Explorer title bar text, follow these steps:

1. Open your registry editor by clicking Start | Run and typing “regedit” in your run box.
2. The registry editor opens. Navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMain”
3. Enter a new string value called “Window Title.” To add a new string value, right click the in the right pane of the registry editor and select New | String Value.
4. Double click the “Window Title” string value and in the “Value data” box, enter the text your want to appear in the Internet Explorer caption.
5. Restart Internet Explorer

Posted in Cosmetic | No Comments »

Rename Your Recycle Bin

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, follow these simple steps:

1. Open your Registry editor by clicking Start –> Run and typing “regedit” in the Run box.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
3. Change the name “Recycle Bin” to whatever you want.

Tags: Recycle Bin, Registry, Windows Tips
Posted in Cosmetic | No Comments »

Speeding Up Your Boot Sequence

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

You can speed up your computer’s boot up sequence by defragmenting all key boot files. To do this, follow these simple steps:

1. Open Registry Editor by going to START->RUN and typing REGEDIT.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Dfrg BootOptimizeFunction.
3. In right hand panel look for Enable. Double click it and set it ‘Y’ for enable. This is the way I have it set on my computer. This will help speedup boot time.

Posted in Maintenance | No Comments »

How to Remove Windows XP Messenger

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

To remove Windows Messenger, follow these simple steps:

1. Navigate to the folder Root:WindowsINF folder, where Root: is your primary hard drive (usually C:)
2. In the INF folder, open sysoc.inf, after making a copy of the file.
3. Look for the line containing “msmsgs” in it.
4. Near the end of that particular line, you’ll notice that the word “hide.”
5. Delete “hide”, leaving the commas surrounding it.
6. Save the file and close it.
7. Open the Add and Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel.
8. Click the Add / Remove Windows Components button.
9. You should see “Windows Messenger” in that list. Remove the checkmark from its box and click Next to remove Windows Messenger.