PCA128.

feat 26/11/03 8:03 pm Page 38

WINDOWS TIPS COVER FEATURE

ESSENTIAL
WINDOWS TIPS
Compatible with Windows:
Whether you’re looking for a faster boot time, a prettier
desktop or some new tools to play with, Helen Bradley
has unearthed 200 tips to do the job, and do it well

W
hen you install Windows on
your PC you get a ‘one size
fits all’installation. It’s then
up to you to make OS changes to suit
your way of working.These
customisations are necessary because
the requirements of, for example, a
business user who uses QuickBooks
and Microsoft Office are different to
the user who plays fast-moving
games and both have different
needs to an art director who uses
Photoshop to render images many
megabytes in size.
Each person will want to customise
different settings to optimise their PC
too.The business user will want custom
desktop icons and a good backup
routine.The games enthusiast wants
fast graphics and quick response time
and the Photoshop user wants fast disk
access and good memory
management. All of them would like a
trouble-free system that doesn’t fail
and,if it does, they want to be able to
put it back together quickly and easily.
We’ve rounded up 200 tips for
configuring and customising Windows,
and for troubleshooting problems you
may encounter. Because Windows XP is
the most commonly used OS we’ve
concentrated on it but many of these
tips are equally applicable to Windows
Me and 98.We’ve also included some
tweaks specially for Windows 98 and
Me users that relate to issues peculiar
to these OSes.
The fine print...
One word of warning before we begin.
Many of these tips involve making
changes to the Registry which is
critical to the smooth running of
Windows. Even if you’re confident in
your skills in editing the Registry, take a
backup before you begin and never
change or delete something you don’t
understand the use of. It’s simply not
smart to wipe out your Registry trying
to save 100 milliseconds in start up
time today when it will take you the
rest of the day to put the mess right!
Enough said. It’s time to roll up
your sleeves, dust off your wish list of
things you always wanted Windows to
do and get started tweaking it to fit.

38 PCANSWERS.CO.UK JANUARY 2004

PCA128.feat 26/11/03 8:03 pm
Smoother Windows
installation
Before you edit the Registry,
01 take a back up of it. Choose
Start -> Run -> Regedit
and choose File -> Export. From the
Export range, click All and type a file
name and location for the file, then
click Save.
Many programs are installed
02 but are turned off by
default.To enable these,
from the Control Panel choose Add or
Remove Programs -> Add/Remove
Windows Components, and enable
unchecked or greyed-out checkboxes.
Before installing new
03 software or making changes
to your setup, create a
manual restore point by choosing
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories ->
System Tools -> System Restore and
click Create a restore point.
When you change your
04 mind and want to
install a Windows update
you’ve previously declined to install,
choose Control Panel -> System ->
Automatic Updates tab and click
Restore Declined Updates.
To determine which
05 Windows updates are
installed, turn off the
Automatic Update feature. Choose
Control Panel -> System -> Automatic
Updates tab and disable the ‘Keep my
computer up to date’option.
Alternately, enable it and choose one
of the first two settings options to be
08
Add System Administration tools to your Start menu for quick access
Page 39
13
The File and Settings Transfer Wizard saves your settings for moving to a new computer
notified of what updates are available
for installing.
No bootable CD drive? You
06 can create bootable floppies
to use using a tool from
Microsoft.Visit http://support.
microsoft.com/?kbid=310994 to find
more information and links to
download the set-up disks.
When your Windows XP
07 install freezes, remove extra
cards (although not your
graphics card) and any attached
devices and try again. Add the cards
and other devices back when the
install is complete.
To add System
08 Administration Tools to your
Start menu, right-click the
Start menu, choose Properties -> Start
Menu tab -> Customize -> Advanced
tab. Scroll the Start menu items to
locate the System Administrative
COVER FEATURE
Tools option and enable the ‘Display
on the All Programs and the Start
menu’option.
09
To install the Backup utility
in Windows XP Home
edition (it’s installed already
in Pro), locate the file \valudeadd\
msft\ntbackup\ntbackup.msi on
your Windows CD and double-click
it to run the set-up wizard.
10
Stop Windows from
highlighting newly installed
programs by right-clicking
Start, click Properties -> Start Menu
tab -> Customize -> Advanced tab and
clear the ‘Highlight newly installed
programs’checkbox.
11
If you watch movies or play
games on your PC, make
sure you’re using the latest
version of DirectX.Visit www.
microsoft.com/windows/directx/ to
see what the current version is and to
find links to download it.
When installing a device
12 which isn’t Plug-and-Play,
choose Control Panel ->
System -> Hardware tab and click the
Add Hardware Wizard button to step
through the required process.
Before moving to a new
13 computer run the Files and
Settings Transfer (FAST)
wizard to move files and settings to
your new computer. Choose Start ->
All Programs -> Accessories -> System
Tools -> Files and Settings Transfer
Wizard to run it.Visit http://support.
microsoft.com/?kbid=304903 to
learn more.
JANUARY 2004
WINDOWS TIPS
> TOP TIP
Get going
faster
Want to get Windows
up and running faster?
Then here are some
things to try
While it may only take a
14 minute or two for your
computer to start up, it often
feels like the process takes
much longer. To speed things
up, consider stripping down
Windows. Items on your
desktop such as icons and
wallpaper consume memory
and take time to display. If
they’re not needed, remove
the wallpaper and replace it
with a coloured background,
and clean up unused icons by
moving them to a Unused
Desktop Shortcuts folder on
your desktop: right-click the
desktop, click Arrange Icons
By -> Run Desktop Cleanup
One simple way to improve system
performance is to use Defrag regularly
Wizard. Run Defrag to
defragment your hard drive
so files are faster to access.
If you’ve added and
removed programs over a
period of time, clean up your
PC’s Registry using a Registry
clean up tool like Registry
Mechanic 2.1 from www.
winguides.com. Remove any
programs that load
automatically at startup and
which you don’t need or use.
You’ll find tips on these pages
for paring back your start-up
folder and using msconfig
and the Registry to locate and
disable other programs from
running. If things get too
slow, consider backing up all
your data, settings and device
drivers and perform a clean
reinstall of Windows.
PCANSWERS.CO.UK 39
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WINDOWS TIPS COVER FEATURE

When using the Windows keyfinder.shtml and download the

15 Update site you’ll be
prompted to enable an
Active X control to run. If you’d prefer
not to alter your Internet Explorer
security settings, add a security
exemption for the Windows Update
site. In Internet Explorer choose Tools ->
Internet Options -> Security tab and
click Trusted Sites and then Sites.Type
the URL from the Windows Update
site into the text area and disable the
Require server verification (https://) for
all sites in this zone checkbox. Click
Add -> OK.
If you’ve lost your Windows
16 XP key, visit www.
magicaljellybean.com/
freeware utility Magical Jelly Bean
Keyfinder. Run it to locate your key and 15
then either print it or save it to a text
file so you can reinstall Windows.
When the name of the
17 registered owner of the
computer isn’t you and you
want to change it, do this using a
Registry fix. Open the Registry (Start ->
Run, type Regedit and click OK). In the
registry, select My Computer then
choose Edit -> Find and type RegOwner
in the search box.When the entry
is located, right-click it, choose
Modify and alter it as required.The
RegCompany key directly above this is
the Company name. Add Windows Update site to your trusted sites and you won’t have to alter security settings

Improved Internet and
networking experience
To share a folder on a
18 network, in Windows
Explorer, right-click the
folder and choose Properties ->
Sharing tab. Enable the ‘Share this
folder on the network’checkbox, type a
name if required and click OK.
Add a My Network Places
19 icon to your desktop by
right-clicking the desktop,
choose Properties -> Desktop tab ->
Customize Desktop -> General tab.
Enable the My Network Places
checkbox and click OK.
Send a message to other
20 network users by choosing
Control Panel ->
Administrative Tools -> Computer
Management and then choose Action
-> All Tasks -> Send Console Message.
Type the message, add any PCs not in
the list to the list and choose Send to
send it.
To configure the Internet
21 Connection Firewall (ICF), in
the Control Panel choose
Network Connections, select your
connection, right-click and choose
Properties -> Advanced tab and enable
the ‘Protect my computer and network
by limiting or preventing access to this
computer from the Internet’checkbox.
Enable the Internet
22 Connection Firewall (ICF) for
each of your connections
(broadband and dialup) separately
and, if you’re sharing an Internet
connection, enable it only on the PC
directly connected to the Internet.
When you need to know
23 your IP address choose Start
-> All Programs ->
Accessories -> Command Prompt and
type ipconfig /all.
24
If you receive messages via
Messenger from the Internet
you can stop this by choosing
Control Panel -> Administrative Tools ->
Services and double-click Messenger.
Click Stop and from the Startup type
list,choose Disabled to prevent
Messenger from auto loading.
Kill Windows Messenger for
25 good by following
Microsoft’s instructions for
removing it at http://support.
microsoft.com/?kbid=302089.
For information about your
26 connection, choose Start ->
All Programs -> Accessories
-> System Tools -> System Information
and choose Tools -> Net Diagnostics.
Click Scan your system and a detailed
report about your Windows
installation and your network
connection will appear.
Protect your privacy by
27 stopping Windows Media
Player from sending
information that identifies your copy of
media player to any site you receive
data from. Launch Windows Media
Player, choose Tools -> Options -> Player
tab and disable the ‘Allow Internet sites
to uniquely identify your player’option.
To lock your computer when
28 it is operating in a domain
environment, press [Ctrl] +
[Alt] + [Del] and click the Lock
Computer option.To unlock the
computer, press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del],
and type your password.

21 24

Enable the Internet Connection Firewall to protect your computer Protect your Media Player’s anonymity when you visit a Web site

40 PCANSWERS.CO.UK JANUARY 2004

PCA128.feat 26/11/03 8:03 pm
Configure Windows
quickly and easily
To disable the autorun
29 feature, right-click the
CD icon, choose Properties ->
AutoPlay tab and then disable
autoplay for individual file types
from the list.
Visit www.microsoft.com/
30 typography/cleartype/ to
download and run the
Microsoft Clear Type Tuning Control
to configure Clear Type for your
computer.
To view system files which
31 Windows XP keeps hidden,
in Windows Explorer choose
Tools -> Folder Options -> View tab and
enable the ‘Display the contents of
system folders’checkbox.
To add a volume control icon
32 to your taskbar, choose
Control Panel -> Sounds and
Audio -> Volume tab and enable the
‘Place volume icon in the Taskbar’
checkbox, and click OK.
Configure the power button
33 on your PC by choosing
Control Panel -> Power
Options -> Advanced tab and in the
Power Buttons area select what
should happen if you press the
power button.
>STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
34 Removing installed components
Many programs don’t appear in the Add/Remove Windows Components dialog. Here’s how to put them there
Open Notepad and choose File -> Open.
01 Navigate to the Windows\inf folder and type
the filename Sysoc.inf. Click Open to open this Setup
information file in Notepad. Choose Edit -> Replace.
Page 41
32
Enable the sound icon in the system tray and get easy access to your volume controls
35
Set Windows to clear
the Pagefile on shutdown
for added security by
locating the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
Control\Session Manager\Memory
Management key and set the
ClearPageFileAtShutdown value to 1.
Be warned that shutdown may now
take longer.
Set Windows to show
36 extensions for all known file
types so you’ll be able to
identify executable files which arrive
as email attachments. From My
Computer choose Tools -> Folder
Options -> View tab and clear the
‘Hide file extensions for known file
types’checkbox.
In the Find what text box, type Hide. Don’t
02 put anything in the Replace With box and
click Replace All (this removes the word Hide from all
the entries and means they won’t be hidden). Click
Cancel and then File -> Save and File -> Exit.
COVER FEATURE
37
Change your Welcome
screen image by choosing
Start -> Control Panel ->
User Accounts, open your account and
click Change my picture. Locate and
select a picture to use and click
Change Picture or click Browse to
use an image on disk.
Do you prefer the old
38 Windows Start menu to the
new? Right-click the Start
button, choose Properties -> Classic
Start menu -> Customize to set up
your new Start menu.
To return to the classic
39 Windows interface, right-
click the desktop and choose
Properties -> Themes tab and, from the
03
Add/Remove Windows Components. In the dialog
many Windows items such as Games and WordPad
can now be removed.
WINDOWS TIPS
Theme list, choose Windows Classic
and click OK.
Alter the size of your
40 Windows Recycle bin by
right-clicking the Recycle Bin
icon on the desktop, choose Properties
and alter the percentage.
Add an image to a folder to
41 display when the folder
appears in a list displayed in
Thumbnail view. Right-click the folder,
choose Properties -> Customize tab
and click Choose Picture. Select an
image and click Open -> OK.
Configure the columns
42 which display when viewing
a folder in Details view by
right-clicking a column header and
enable or disable a category in the list.
Choose More to see more options.
To add a frequently used
43 program to your Quick
Launch toolbar drag the icon
on to the Quick Launch area and place
it where you want it to appear.
44
Add the Address bar to your
taskbar to quickly launch
programs or Web pages.
Right-click the taskbar and choose
Toolbars -> Address. Double-click it to
open or close it.
45
Make Windows Explorer
start like My Computer by
right-clicking your Windows
Open the Control Panel and choose
Add/Remove Programs and then
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WINDOWS TIPS COVER FEATURE

Explorer icon, choose Properties. In Need to find your SendTo

the Target area after the entry
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe, add
48 folder? Choose Start -> Run,
type SendTo and click OK. 45
this text and click OK:
/n, /e, /select, C:\ To empty the list of

To add a program to the top

46 of your Start menu so it
always appears in that
position, right-click the program in
your Start menu and click ‘Pin to Start
menu’.
49 documents in your My
Recent Documents folder,
right-click Start, choose Properties ->
Customize -> Advanced tab and click
the Clear List button.To stop storing
items in the folder, disable ‘List my
most recently opened documents’.

To make folders and drives To see what’s in your My

47 accessible from the Send To
menu drag and drop
shortcuts to these into your
\Documents and Settings\<user
name>\SendTo folder.
50 Recent Documents folder
(you might be surprised
what’s there), choose Start -> Run and
type %UserProfile%\Recent.You’ll see
shortcuts to files you’ve used recently. You can configure Windows Explorer to start looking much like My Computer

Better multiple users
management
To switch between currently
51 logged in users, press [Ctrl] +
[Alt] + [Del] to open the Task
Manager and click the Users tab.
Right-click the user name to switch
to and click Connect.
When you’re making
54 changes that affect your PC’s
performance, remember that
most can only be made if you’re logged
in as System Administrator.
55
To copy a user profile, choose
Control Panel -> System ->
Advanced tab and click User
Profiles: Settings. Click the profile to
copy, click Copy To and then select the
location to copy the profile to.To
Choose Control Panel -> User Accounts
and choose the ‘Change the way users
log on or off and disable the Welcome
screen’option.
Provided you’re not using a
57 network, you can use Shared
Documents to place
documents for all users to access. You’ll
find it in the Other Places area of your
My Documents folder.
Advanced button and select Local
Users and Groups: Users. Right-click
the user to change, click Properties ->
General tab and enable the ‘Password
never expires’checkbox.
59
Manage the disk space each
user has access to by right-
clicking the drive in My
Computer -> Properties -> Quota.
Protect against losing a

52
Add a Guest account to
enable others to use your
allocate permission to use this profile,
click the Change button.
58
Stop passwords from
expiring in Windows XP Pro
60 password by creating a
password reset disk. Choose
computer by choosing by choosing Start -> Run, Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts.
Start -> Control Panel -> User Disable the Welcome screen type control userpasswords2 and press Click your account name and choose
Accounts, click Guest and then
Turn On the Guest Account.
56 and replace it with a login
dialog for added security.
[Return]. Choose the Advanced tab ->
Advanced user management:
‘Prevent a forgotten password’ to start
the Wizard.

>STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

53 Implement Fast User Switching

Use Fast User Switching so one user doesn’t have to close down for another to login

To enable Fast User Switching, choose Control
01 Panel -> User Accounts, Change the way users
log on or off and enable the ‘Use Fast User
Switching’ checkbox.
To ensure the dial-up connection stays
02 connected when Fast User Switching is
enabled, choose Start -> Run, type Regedit. Locate
the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\
Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
Right-click in the right-hand pane and
03 choose New -> String Value, type
KeepRasConnections, then double-click it and set its
value to 1. Restart your PC.

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COVER FEATURE WINDOWS TIPS

Options -> Copy Music tab. Adjust

Stay in control of the slider to decrease file size or
> TOP TIP
files and folders 69 increase quality.

When you store all your

61
Make a compressed folder
by right-clicking the desktop
and choose New ->
Compressed (zipped) Folder.Then drag
and drop files on to the folder that
appears on your desktop.
Password protect a
62 compressed folder by
opening it and choose
File -> Add a Password.Type the
password and then again to confirm
it and click OK.
Add files to a compressed
63 folder by dragging and
dropping them on to
the folder.
When you run the Disk
64 Cleanup tool, select the
Compress old files option
Set the size of the music files you to rip
depending on the quality you want
button. Enable the Encrypt contents to
secure data checkbox.
Shortcut renaming a folder
66 or file by selecting it and
press [F2].Type the new
name and press [Return].
67
So you can click a hyperlink
in one folder to move
automatically to a second
folder, create a shortcut to the second
folder in the first one.
Reset file associations by
70 documents, pictures,
music and so on in folders
inside your My Documents folder,
they’ll be handy for backing up
and they won’t be affected by a
System Restore.
When you can’t access a file
71 copied from a CD, chances
are its Read only attribute
needs removal. Right-click the file in
My Computer, choose Properties and
disable the Read-only checkbox.
Configure how a folder
72 appears by right-clicking the
folder in My Computer,
choose Properties -> Customize and
choose the template to use to display
items in the folder, for example
documents, photo album and so on.
It’s on the CD
Check out the Windows
XP installation CD for
extra features
On the XP Home
81 edition CD is a back-up
and restore tool NTBACKUP,
some extra fonts and the
USMT command line
components.There’s also the
networking protocol NetBEUI
that’s included for
compatibility with older OSes.
Read more about this and
learn how to install it, if
required, at www.microsoft.
com/windowsxp/pro/using/
itpro/networking/netbeui.asp.
Both CD versions include
the Citrix ICA client for

to compress files you haven’t used

in a while to save space.Windows
will display these files in a different
colour to indicate that they’re
compressed.
Encrypt files on a computer
68 holding [Shift] as you right-
click a file in My Computer.
Choose Open With, choose the
program to open it with and enable
the ‘Always use the selected program
to open this kind of file’checkbox.
73
Rename a group of similar
files (such as images
downloaded from your
camera), by displaying the containing
folder in Thumbnails or Details view,
select the files to rename, right-click
the first, choose Rename and type the The Microsoft TechNet Web site

65 running Windows XP
Professional by right-clicking
the file in My Computer -> choose
Properties -> General tab -> Advanced
Improved printing
options
Print photos from your My
74 Pictures folder by selecting
them, then choose File ->
Print to start the Photo Printing
Wizard.This enables you to select the
printer and layout to use – some
printers make it possible to print
multiple pictures on to a single sheet.
74
It’s easy to print your pictures with the built
in photo printing wizard in Windows XP
69
Adjust the size of music
files copied to your PC
by opening Windows
Media Player and choose Tools ->
When you use more than
75 one set of settings for your
printer, speed up making
changes by installing a second copy of
your printer and configure it with the
alternate settings.Then instead of
changing printer settings each time,
select a different printer.
Locate characters which
76 aren’t on the keyboard by
choosing Start -> All
Programs -> Accessories -> System
Tools -> Character Map. Choose your
font and locate the character. Read its
[Alt] keystroke from the bottom-right
corner of the dialog.
To capture a still image
77 from a video clip so that
you can save it as a file,
import the clip into Windows Movie
Maker and play it. Press Stop at the
point to capture, click Take Picture and
type a filename.
name, for example Vacation2003.jpg.
All files will be named
Vacation2003(1).jpg,
Vacation2003(2).jpg and so on.
Windows: gain
added extras
Play it Bill! Why not track
78 down and play the original
Windows start-up music?
you can find it at: \windows\oobe\
system32\images\title.wma.
The Windows Plus pack now
79 comes in two editions, for
Microsoft Plus! For
Windows and Digital Media Edition
(DME). Find more information at
www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/
PlusHome.asp including a trial
download for DME.
Choose Start -> Run, type
80 iexpress and press
[Return] to run Iexpress 2.0.
This handy utility creates self-
extracting and self-installing files for
includes information about the
Support tools on the Windows CD
connection to Citrix terminal
servers, the program TTPS that
enables you to check packet
data on an IP network and The
Distributed Management Task
Force’s Common Information
Model v2.5 for computer
management. On the XP
Professional disc is a phone
book administrator and the
Windows NT 4.0 Internet
Authentication Service.
Also on the disks you’ll find
a support\tools folder that
includes a clutch of tools for
supporting Windows XP.
There’s a Windows installer
file (Suptools.msi) to use to
install these Support Tools on
your PC. You’ll find a Files and
Settings Transfer Wizard,
Remote Desktop Client and
tools for Remote Installation
Server deployments. Visit
www.microsoft.com/technet/
prodtechnol/winxppro/
proddocs/tools_overview.asp
to learn more.

JANUARY 2004 PCANSWERS.CO.UK 43

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WINDOWS TIPS COVER FEATURE

>STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

82 Sending faxes
Did you know that Windows XP has a tool for sending and receiving faxes from your PC? You do now!

Install the fax tool by choosing Control Panel
01 -> Add or Remove Programs -> Add/Remove
Windows Components, Enable the Fax Services
checkbox and click Next to install it.
Choose Start -> All Programs -> Accessories ->
02 Communications -> Fax -> Fax Console to run
the Fax Configuration Wizard. You can now set it up
with your details, fax number and modem and
decide how you want to handle incoming faxes.
Compose a fax from the Fax Console by
03 choosing File -> Send a Fax and complete the
details in the Send Fax Wizard. You can use contact
details from your Address book to automate filling
in recipient information.

distributing applications and files To edit the contents of

to others. Stay on top of
the desktop
91 your Start menu, right-click
it and choose Open or
To access Windows wizards Open All Users. You’re able to add and
83 to perform common
Windows tasks, choose 86 Select from a range of
remove program groups or shortcuts
as required, for a more efficient way
Start -> Help And Support -> Index
and type Wizards to see a clickable list
86 mouse pointers by opening
the Control Panel and
of working.

of them. choose Mouse, Pointers tab To remove the name from

To create your own font

84 characters, choose Start ->
Run, type Eudcedit and
click OK at the first dialog. Use the
64 x 64 grid to create your character.
Make your cursor more interesting by
changing the pointer style. There’s plenty to
and choose a pointer from the
displayed list.
92 a desktop icon, right-click
it, choose Rename and
choose from, including these rather
attractive dinosaurs To display a list of recently
hold down [Alt] as you type 255
on the numbers pad and then
System Tools, Character Map and
87 used documents on your
Start menu, in Windows XP
press [Return].

Choose Edit -> Save Character to save it. choose the All Fonts (Private Home edition, right-click Start, They’re small but they can

To locate your new

Characters) font. Click your
character, pick Select and then
choose Properties -> Customize ->
Advanced tab and enable the ‘List
93 be annoying, so to remove
the arrows from your
85 character, choose Start ->
All Programs, Accessories,
simply copy and paste it into
your document.
my most recently opened Documents’
checkbox.
desktop shortcuts, locate the
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Lnkfile key in
your Registry and remove the
When a Windows Explorer IsShortcut value.

84 88 screen is open, you can set

it to toggle it to display at
full screen size without a title bar,
toolbars or any Windows taskbar by
pressing [F11].
Add a shortcut key to launch
89 any program by right-
clicking its icon, choose
Properties -> Shortcut tab, click in the
Shortcut key area and press a key.
Windows will add [Ctrl] + [Alt] to it.
Alphabetise your Start
90 menu programs list by
choosing Start -> All
Programs, right-click any entry in the
Use the tool Eudcedit to create your own custom font characters list and choose ‘Sort by Name’.
Open multiple programs
94 from the Start menu at
one time by holding down
[Shift] as you click the Start menu –
keep it pressed until you’re done
opening applications.
Why not display an
95 indicator in the status
bar for your broadband or
dial-up connection? Choose My
Network Places -> View Network
Connections, right-click the
connection, choose Properties
and then enable the ‘Show icon
in notification area when connected’
checkbox.

44 PCANSWERS.CO.UK JANUARY 2004

PCA128.feat 26/11/03 8:03 pm
> TOP TIP
Shortcut City
96 These handy Windows key shortcuts make
quick work of many day-to-day tasks
[Windows Key] + [L]
[Windows Key] + [U
[Windows Key] + [R]
[Windows Key] + [F]
[Windows Key] + [E]
[Windows Key] + [D]
[Windows Key] + [M]
[Windows Key] + [Shift] + [M]
[Windows Key] + [Ctrl] + [F]
[Windows Key] + [F1]
[Windows Key]+ [Break]
[Windows Key] + [Tab]
No Windows key on your keyboard? Use [Ctrl] + [Esc] instead to
display the Start menu.
Enable or disable grouping
97 of files from the same
program on your Taskbar by
right-clicking the taskbar and choose
Properties, select or deselect the Group
similar taskbar buttons checkbox and
click OK.
Toggle your desktop icons on
98 and off by right-clicking the
desktop and choose Arrange
Icons By -> Show Desktop Icons.
Add a custom toolbar to
99 your desktop by right-
clicking the taskbar, choose
Toolbars and then New Toolbar to
configure it.
When you have more
100 programs than can
display in a single
column, the All Programs menu will
display multiple columns. Change this
to a single column with scroll arrows
by right-clicking Start, choose
Properties -> Advanced tab and enable
the Scroll Programs option.
99
As well as the Start Menu you can create
your own toolbar to go with it
Page 45
Lock the computer
Displays the Utility Manager
Run dialog
Search dialog (think of it as
File Search)
My Computer
Toggle Desktop on/off
Minimise all Windows
Restore all minimised Windows
Search for computer
Displays the Help and Support
Center
Displays the System Properties
dialog
Scroll through the taskbar buttons
Launch your browser
101 with a Web site loaded in
it by choosing Start ->
Run and type the site’s URL, for
example www.pcanswers.co.uk.
Force Windows menus to
102 display underlined
shortcut keys whenever
they are available (and not just when
[Alt] is pressed), by right-clicking the
desktop, choose Properties ->
Appearance tab -> Effects in the
Appearance tab and disable ‘Hide
underlined letters for keyboard
navigation until I press the [Alt] key’.
To hear an audible sound
103 when your Caps Lock,
Num Lock or Scroll Lock
key is pressed choose Control Panel ->
Accessibility Options -> Keyboard
tab and enable the ‘Use ToggleKeys’
checkbox.
To enable Hibernate
104 mode for Windows XP,
choose Start -> Turn off
computer.Then press and hold down
[Shift].The Stand By button changes to
become the Hibernate button that you
can click to hibernate your PC.
Enable Hibernation if it
105 isn’t currently enabled by
choosing Control Panel ->
Power Options -> Hibernate tab, and
check the ‘Enable hibernate’checkbox.
If the tab isn’t there, your hardware
doesn’t support Hibernation.
COVER FEATURE
PC performance
enhancements
Speed up your system by
106 disabling showy but
time-consuming
animations. Choose Control Panel ->
System -> Advanced tab, and choose
Performance: Settings, then enable the
Adjust for best performance option.
To reduce booting time,
107 use your computer’s BIOS
setup feature to
configure your computer to start up
from your hard drive first, and a CD or
floppy second.
Improve performance for
108 background processes by
giving them equal time
with foreground jobs. Choose Control
Panel -> System -> Advanced tab and
in the Processor scheduling area select
Background services.
Track your CPU usage
109 from the System Tray by
pressing [Ctrl] + [Alt] +
[Del] to run the Task Manager and
then minimise it so it displays a live
CPU usage chart in the System Tray.
109
Is your PC running slowly? Check the CPU
usage with Task Manager
133
The Performance chart can be configured to show you whatever performance indicator
JANUARY 2004
WINDOWS TIPS
To improve writing
110 performance for a USB Zip
drive,from My Computer
right-click your Zip drive,choose
Properties -> Hardware tab -> Properties
tab -> Policies tab and enable the
‘Optimize for performance’option.
To speed up the Start
111 menu, locate
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\C
ontrol Panel\Desktop in the registry
and decrease its MenuShowDelay to
the delay in milliseconds before the
menu displays (100 is a good choice).
For a super-fast, warning-
112 free shutdown, press
[Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del], click
Shutdown and hold [Ctrl] as you click
Turn Off. Make sure you’ve saved
everything first.
View your computer’s
113 performance graphically
by choosing Control Panel
-> Administrative Tools -> Performance
to see a chart displaying the
Pages/Second rate, Average Disk
Queue Length and % Processor Time
that are indicators of memory, disk and
processor performance.
114
Add other indicators to
this chart by clicking the
‘+’icon and choose a
Performance object to track and then
a counter from the list. Click the
Explain button to learn more about
what that counter can tell you.
You can use a .reg file to
115 automatically add a key
to the Registry. Simply
double-click it to add it.To see what it
contains, open it in Notepad.
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If you have 512Mb or
116 more of RAM, stop
Windows XP paging to
disk for a performance boost. Locate
the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\ SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\ Control\Session
Manager\ Memory Management
and set the DisablePagingExecutive
value to 1.
Use Bootcfg.exe to edit
117 your Windows XP
Professional Boot.ini
file. Choose Start -> Run, type cmd
and press [Return].Type bootcfg /?
to see the options available.You can
find out more information at
http://support.microsoft.com/
?kbid=289022.
To select the default
118 Operating System to use
on a PC with a
partitioned drive, click Control Panel ->
System -> Advanced tab, choose the
‘Startup and recovery Settings’button
and then Edit.
Use the Chkdsk tool to
119 check your drive and fix
any errors. Choose Start
-> Run, type chkdsk c: /f to check disk C
and fix any errors. Use chkdsk /? to
learn more.
Bypass the Scanner and
120 Camera Wizard and
access your digital
camera as a drive using My Computer
or Windows Explorer.
>STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
121 Schedule a task
Keep your computer running smoothly by scheduling clean-up tasks to run at regular intervals
To set up a schedule, choose Control Panel ->
01 Scheduled Tasks, Add Scheduled Task to run
the wizard. Click Next and from the list, select the
application to schedule.
Page 47
On Windows XP
122 Professional edition
run gpedit.msc from the
Run box to access the Group Policy
Editor. It enables you to configure a
clutch of options that would otherwise
require Registry edits.
Find and download the
123 free PowerToys for
Windows XP at
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/
home/downloads/powertoys.asp.
These include the very useful TweakUI
program that enables you to access
system settings that you can’t
otherwise alter.
Speed up your computer
124 by disabling the Indexing
service. Choose Control
Panel -> Administrative Tools ->
Services and disable the Indexing
Service.
Free up disk space on
125 your PC to improve
performance. From My
Computer, right-click your drive and
choose Properties -> General tab ->
Disk Cleanup. Select the files to
remove (including emptying the Trash),
and click OK.
Check your Start menu
126 for programs which run
every time Windows
launches. Choose Start -> All Programs
-> Startup and remove any shortcuts
for programs that you don’t use on a
regular basis.
If the tool isn’t listed, click Browse and locate
02 the executable file on your drive. Most
Windows tools are in the Windows or
Windows\system32 folder. Select it and click Open.
COVER FEATURE
124
Speeding up your PC isn’t hard, disabling
the Indexing Service is one way
127
Still more programs that
launch when your PC
starts can be found using
the program Msconfig. Choose Start ->
Run, type msconfig and press [Return].
Click the Startup tab and disable any
programs you don’t want to run at
startup.
Alter the priority for a
128 program up or down by
pressing [Ctrl] + [Alt] +
[Del] to open the Task Manager, right-
click the program and choose ‘Go to
process’. Right-click the process, choose
Set Priority and adjust it up or down.
Start any program with a
129 preset priority using the
Start command. For
example, type ‘start /high calc’in a
command prompt to run the
calculator at high priority. See www.
microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/
winxppro/proddocs/start.asp.
Replace the Windows XP
130 default search dialog
with one that enables
03
select a time to run the task. Click Next and type
your user name and password.
JANUARY 2004
WINDOWS TIPS
132
If you need to free up room, why not get rid
of the software you don’t use anymore?
you to get searching faster. Choose
Start -> Search and choose Change
Preferences -> Change files and folders
search behaviour and click the
Advanced option.
Speed up Windows
131 shutdown by
automatically killing
applications which aren’t responding.
To do this, use regedit to locate the
Registry key HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\
Control Panel\Desktop and set its
AutoEndTasks entry to a value of 1.
Locate programs that
132 you don’t use and
consider removing
them to free disk space by choosing
Control panel -> Add or Remove
Programs and choose to sort by Date
last used.
133
If you regularly work with
large documents,
increase performance by
increasing your virtual memory size.
Choose Control Panel -> System ->
Advanced tab and click the
Type a name for the task and select the
frequency to run the program. Click Next and
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WINDOWS TIPS COVER FEATURE

Performance: Settings button ->
Advanced tab. Click Change and
increase the size allocated.
Unless you’re using
134 graphic applications, you
can trim your colour
display to 16-bit colour and not lose
much in the way of visuals but gain
some performance enhancements.
Right-click the desktop, choose
Properties -> Settings and choose
Medium (16-bit) colour.
Use the Registry to locate
135 and remove programs
which start with
Windows but which don’t appear in
the startup menu or in the msconfig
Startup dialog. Locate the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/
Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/
Run key and remove entries that relate
to programs which run at startup and
which you want to disable. If you’re
unsure what a particular item relates
to, don’t remove it, just to be safe.
To find out how long your
136 Windows XP Professional
computer has been
running, from the command line
(Start -> Run, type cmd and press
[Return]) type systeminfo and
click OK. Read off the System Up
Time entry.
When you need to run a
137 program from the
command line, drag and
drop the program from a Windows
Explorer window into the command
line window to save typing its name
and path.
To clear all restore points,
138 choose Start -> All
Programs -> Accessories -
> System Tools -> System Restore
and enable the ‘Turn off System
Restore on all Drives’option.Then
click Apply. Answer Yes when
prompted that this will delete all
Restore Points.

you’re looking for and add your desktop by displaying it and Is your drive FAT or
Essential Windows
troubleshooting advice
site:microsoft.com to the end and
you’ll get results from that site only.
press [F5].
152 NTFS? Find out which
by right-clicking the
If your icons continue to drive name in My Computer and

Run Windows in
142
When your movies don’t
play smoothly, try
146 display erratically, enlarge
the icon cache by locating
choose Properties -> General tab
and read the File system details from
139 compatibility mode when
a game or other program
running an older version
of the Windows Media Player. Find
the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
the dialog.

requires an earlier version of windows.
Right-click the program’s executable
file, choose Properties -> Compatibility
tab, and enable the ‘Run this program
in compatibility mode for…’checkbox.
Choose the Operating System that the
program is compatible with.
When your computer’s
140 clock is wrong,
synchronise it with an
Internet time server by double-clicking
the time on the Taskbar and choose
the Internet Time tab. Enable the
‘Automatically synchronize with an
Internet time server’checkbox, choose
a server and click Update Now.
Need help from the
141 Microsoft Web site? Skip
Microsoft Search and use
Google instead.Type the keywords
155
Track down causes of errors by accessing the Event viewer
Windows Media Player v6.4 on your
disk at c:\Program Files\Windows
Media Player\mplayer2.exe.
When you’re trying to
143 delete a file and you
receive an error saying a
file is in use by another process, press
[Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del] to launch the Task
Manager, and locate and kill the
explorer.exe process.
To start up Explorer
144 again, in the Task
Manager, choose File ->
New Task (Run...) and type explorer.exe
and click OK.
If your desktop goes
145 awry and your icons
appear incorrectly or
they don’t display at all, try refreshing
CurrentVersion\Explorer. Alter or create Convert a FAT drive to
a DWORD called MaxCachedIcons and
set its value to 2048 (Decimal).
153 NTFS by choosing Start ->
Programs -> Accessories -
> Command Prompt and type
Undo a driver update by CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS.The process
147 rolling back to a previous
driver. Choose Start ->
is one way and can take some time.
Find more information and learn
Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> some precautions to take before
Computer Management -> Device you perform the command at
Manager. Click the device to undo the
driver, click Properties -> Driver tab ->
http://support.microsoft.com/
?kbid=314097.
Roll Back Driver.
When a newly installed
148
To check your hard disk
for errors, open My
154 driver makes your
computer stop
Computer, and right-click working correctly, restore your
the drive to check. Choose Properties -> computer to an earlier a prior
Tools -> Check Now. Select configuration by rebooting, press
‘Automatically fix file system errors [F8] to launch Safe mode and
and Scan for and attempt recovery of
bad sectors’and click Start.
choose the ‘Last Known Good
Configuration’option.
If Defrag stops running To trace system or
149 and never completes,
reboot your computer in
155 application errors,
right-click My Computer,
Safe mode and run it again from there. click Manage -> Event viewer and
then either Applications or System.
Capture a screen shot of Double-click the error to obtain
150 an error message to help
you identify the problem.
information about it to help
you trace the problem
Press [Alt] + [Print Screen] and then
paste the resulting image into Paint
or WordPad and save or print the file
for reference. 152
Stop the reporting of
151 errors to Microsoft by
choosing Control Panel ->
System -> Advanced tab, Error
Reporting and enable the ‘Disable error
reporting’option and the ‘But notify Read your file system details from the disk
me when critical errors occur’checkbox. drive properties dialog

48 PCANSWERS.CO.UK JANUARY 2004

PCA128.feat 26/11/03 8:03 pm
Windows 98 and Me:
specific tips
Back up your dial-up
156 settings by opening your
Dial-up Networking
folder and drag and drop the file to
a floppy or Zip disk – it’s stored as a
.dun file.
Install a subset of the
157 tools in the Resource Kit
from your Windows 98
CD by running the file setup.exe in the
\tools\reskit folder.Then choose
Programs -> Windows 98 Resource Kit
-> Tools Management Console.
158
Use the program WinDiff
from the Resource Kit to
compare files – run the
program and choose File -> Compare
Files. Differences between two files
(for example, two copies of your
computer’s Registry settings) will
be highlighted and you can press
[F8] to move from one file to
the other.
Restart Windows 98
159 more quickly by choosing
Start -> Shut Down ->
Restart and hold down [Shift] as
you click OK.
Add the QuickRes icon to
160 your System Tray and use
it to alter your display
settings. Right-click your desktop,
choose Properties -> Settings tab ->
Advanced button and enable the
‘Show settings icon on task bar’option
and click OK. Click the icon to change
your display settings.
180
Double-click any font file to see what characters it contains
Page 49
Use the program Sysedit
161 to open and edit your
system files such as
autoexec.bat, config.sys, system.ini and
win.ini. Choose Start -> Run, type
Sysedit and press [Return]. If it’s
missing in Windows Me, you can use
msconfig instead.
To bypass checking the
162 floppy drive as your
Windows 98 computer
boots, right-click My Computer, choose
Properties -> Performance tab -> File
System button and click the Floppy
Disk tab. Disable the ‘Search for new
floppy disk drives each time your
computer starts’ option.
To start your Windows 98
163 computer in Safe mode,
turn on the PC and hold
down [Ctrl] as soon as anything
appears on the screen. Keep holding
it until the Microsoft Windows 98
Startup Menu appears and choose
Safe Mode.
You can remove the
164 startup password dialog
by opening the Control
Panel, choose Passwords -> Change
Passwords tab, click Change Windows
Password and OK.Type your old
password, leave the new one blank
and click OK twice. Click the User
Profiles tab and enable the ‘All users of
this PC use the same preferences and
desktop settings’option.The changes
take place next time you start your PC.
Optimise your Windows
165 98 computer by right-
clicking My Computer,
choose Properties -> Performance tab
-> File System -> Hard Disk tab. From
COVER FEATURE
161
Use Sysedit to edit a range of Windows files
the ‘Typical role of this computer’list
choose the role which best describes
what your computer does: Desktop
computer, Mobile or Docking station or
Network Server.
Create a list of files in a
166 folder so you can print it
using a DOS command.
Open a DOS window and type a
command in this format, specifying
the directory to list and the text file to
store it in. For example: dir c:\windows
-> filelist.txt.
Download and install
167 TweakUI for Windows 98
from www.microsoft.
com/ntworkstation/downloads/
PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.
asp, then run it by opening the Control
Panel and choosing TweakUI.
When your computer is
168 running slow, check for
memory leakage by
closing all open windows, right-click
My Computer, choose Properties ->
Performance tab and check the System
Resources which should be around
80 per cent. If it’s considerably less,
restart your PC.
Add the Control Panel
169 icon to your Quick Launch
toolbar for quick access
to it. Open My Computer and drag the
Control Panel icon on to the Quick
Launch toolbar and answer Yes to the
prompt to create the shortcut.
If you’re left handed, set
170 your mouse for left-
handed operation by
choosing Control Panel, click Mouse
and choose the left-handed option.
Use the system file
171 checker to locate system
files that need repairing
or replacing because they’re corrupt
or out of date. Choose Start ->
Programs -> Accessories -> System
Tools -> System Information -> Tools ->
System File Checker.
JANUARY 2004
WINDOWS TIPS
> TOP TIP
Change
its look
Here are five quick
ways to give your
computer a visual
makeover
Replace the Windows
172 desktop image with a
photo you’ve taken. Right-
click the desktop, choose
Properties -> Desktop, click
Browse to find the image and
choose a Position option.
You can also use the
173 contents of your My
Pictures folder (or any other
folder), as a screensaver if you
right-click the desktop, choose
Properties -> Screensaver and
select My Pictures Slideshow -
> Settings -> Browse to
choose the folder to use.
Once you’ve set up
174 your slide show or any
Use the Desktop Items, Web tab to pick
a Web page to display on your desktop
other screensaver, you can run
it on demand if you create it as
a desktop shortcut. Open your
Windows\system32 folder and
locate the .scr file for your
screensaver. Drag a shortcut of
it on to the desktop.
To change the desktop
175 icons used for tools
like My Computer, right-click
your desktop, choose
Properties -> Desktop tab and
click the Customize Desktop
button. Click the icon, click
Change Icon and select an
icon to use. You’ll find more
icons by browsing shell32.dll
and moricons.dll in the
Windows\system32 folder.
By choosing the Web
176 tab you can also select
a Web page to display in
a resizable window on
your desktop.
PCANSWERS.CO.UK 49
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WINDOWS TIPS
197
Windows 98 Registry checker will check your Registry and back it up for you
Preview the characters in
177 a font by double clicking
its icon in the
Windows\Fonts folder, or any other
folder it is stored in. A dialog opens
showing what it looks like.
To remove temporary
178 files choose Start -> Find -
> Files or Folders, in the
Named box type *.tmp and click Find
Now. Remove all files except those
with today’s date.
To open the Find files
179 dialog with a single click,
press [F3] when the focus
is on the desktop, an Explorer window,
a folder window or even the Taskbar.
180
Use the Maintenance
Wizard to schedule
system maintenance
tasks by choosing Start -> Programs ->
Accessories -> System Tools ->
Maintenance Wizard, click Express and
then Next. Set the time period, and
click Next -> Finish.
To configure a network
181 for two Windows 98 or
Windows Me computers,
use the Home Networking Wizard by
choosing Start -> Programs ->
Accessories -> Communications ->
Home Networking Wizard.
Although there’s no Copy
182 button in the Help
window in Windows Me,
the feature is still there if you select
text and right-click.
To see the keyboard on
183 the screen in Windows
Me, choose Start ->
50 PCANSWERS.CO.UK JANUARY 2004
Page 50
COVER FEATURE
them loading when Windows
launches.
Configure a folder to
200
189 display in Thumbnail
view by opening the
folder in Windows Explorer, right-click
and choose Properties. Check the
‘Enable Thumbnail View’checkbox.
Open the folder and choose View -> Add a new folder to your Start menu to
Thumbnails. display your Control Panel
Configure Windows 98 Start -> Run -> tlocmgr to run it.
190 menus so they cascade
rather than scroll by
An icon appears in the System
Tray that you can click to set up
locating the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_ alternate dialling locations or use
MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\ the Phone Dialer.
Windows\CurrentVersion \Explorer\
Advanced. Click in the right panel and If your PC won’t go into
Programs -> Accessories -> Accessibility
create a new string value called
StartMenuScrollPrograms. Double-click
196 standby or suspended
mode, use the program
-> On-Screen Keyboard. You can now
click on keys with your mouse to ‘type’
it and set its value to false. Pmtshoot to identify what is causing
the problem. Read more about it and
in any Windows program. When programs you’ve download it from http://support
To cancel a print job
191 already removed from
your computer are still
.microsoft.com/?kbid=185949.
184 before it is complete,
choose Start -> Settings -
listed in your Add/Remove Programs
dialog, remove them by locating the
197
Always back up your
Registry before making
> Printers and double-click your
printer’s icon. Right-click the document
Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
changes. Choose Start ->
Programs -> Accessories -> System
to stop and choose Cancel Printing. CurrentVersion\Uninstall and remove Tools -> System Information -> Tools ->
the program’s entry. Registry Checker.This scans your
Find many of your old Registry and then offers to make a
185 favourite DOS tools on
your Windows 98 CD in
192
Improve performance for
your Zip drive by
backup of it.
the tools\MSDOS folder. Drag and drop
them to your Windows folder to access
choosing Control Panel ->
System -> Performance tab -> File
198
Create a bootable disk for
Windows 98 by
them from there. System -> Removable Disk tab, check formatting a floppy with
the ‘Enable write-behind caching on all the system files included. Copy
Make sure your version of removable disk drives’checkbox and c:\windows\command\scanreg.exe
186 Windows is up to date, at
the very least including
click OK and c:\windows\himem.sys on to it
and add the line device=a:\himem.sys
critical updates, by visiting www. Locate details for your to the disk’s config.sys file.
microsoft.com/windows98/support/
critical/default.asp and follow the links
193 current TCP/IP
Configuration including To restore your Registry if
to the Windows Update site. your IP address by choosing Start ->
Run.Type winipcfg and press [Return].
199 your computer won’t
start, use your boot disk
When a Windows 98 then change to your C: drive and type
187 program window goes
missing, press [Alt] +
194
Check for devices that
have not started and may
the command scanreg\restore.You’ll
get a choice of backed-up Registry files
[Spacebar] to display the window’s
system menu, press [M] to select move
cause problems with your
system by choosing Start -> Run, type
to restore to.
and use the arrow keys to get the ASD and click [Return] to run the Add a Control Panel
window back. Automatic Skip Driver program. You
can opt to skip devices causing
200 folder to your Start
menu by right-clicking
If the drive space problems next time you boot your PC. Start, choose Open, right-click on the
188 maximisers, DoubleSpace
and DriveSpace are Manage Dial-Up
folder background and choose
New -> Folder, then type this and
installed in your C:\windows\
command folder (Dblspace.bin and
195 Networking connections
on the road using the
press [Return]:
Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-
Drvspace.bin) remove them to stop Telephony Location Manager: choose A2DD-08002B30309D}
EVEN MORE TIPS! SEE THE COVER DISC We think that we’ve printed enough tips here to get
Windows into tip-top condition, but if 200 tips aren’t enough for you then try out the
cover CD-ROM and the toolkit. You’ll find a further 50 tools so that you can get even more out of your PC.