FixWindows

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Some Useful Run Commands

Some use ful run comands
To Access…. - Start - Run Command (Some of commands works according to OS Specifications) Accessibility Controls - access.cpl Add Hardware Wizard - hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs - appwiz.cpl
Administrative Tools - control admintools Automatic Updates - wuaucpl.cpl
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard - fsquirt
Calculator - calc
Certificate Manager - certmgr.msc
Character Map - charmap Check
Disk Utility - chkdsk Clipboard
Viewer - clipbrd Command Prompt - cmd
Component Services - dcomcnfg
Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
Date and Time Properties - timedate.cpl
DDE Shares - ddeshare
Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)* - directx.cpl
Direct X Troubleshooter - dxdiag Disk
Cleanup Utility - cleanmgr
Disk Defragment - dfrg.msc
Disk Management - diskmgmt.msc
Disk Partition Manager - diskpart Display Properties
- control desktop
Display Properties - desk.cpl
Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected) - control color
Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility - drwtsn32
Driver Verifier Utility - verifier
Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc
File Signature Verification Tool - sigverif
Findfast - findfast.cpl
Folders Properties - control folders
Fonts - control fonts Fonts Folder - fonts
Free Cell Card Game - freecell Game Controllers
- joy.cpl
Group Policy Editor (XP Prof) - gpedit.msc
Hearts Card Game - mshearts
Iexpress Wizard - iexpress
Indexing Service - ciadv.msc I
nternet Properties - inetcpl.cpl
IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration) - ipconfig /all
IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents) - ipconfig /displaydns IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents) - ipconfig /flushdns
IP Configuration (Release All Connections) - ipconfig /release IP Configuration (Renew All Connections) - ipconfig /renew IP Configuration
(Refreshes DHCP & Re - Registers DNS) - ipconfig /registerdns IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID) - ipconfig /showclassid IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID) - ipconfig /setclassid
Java Control Panel (If Installed) - jpicpl32.cpl Java Control Panel (If Installed) - javaws Keyboard Properties - control keyboard Local Security Settings - secpol.msc Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc Logs You Out Of Windows - logoff
Microsoft Chat - winchat
Minesweeper Game - winmine
Mouse Properties - control mouse
Mouse Properties - main.cpl
Network Connections - control
netconnections Network Connections - ncpa.cpl
Network Setup Wizard - netsetup.cpl
Notepad - notepad Nview
Desktop Manager (If Installed) - nvtuicpl.cpl
Object Packager - packager
ODBC Data Source Administrator - odbccp32.cpl
On Screen Keyboard - osk Opens AC3 Filter
(If Installed) - ac3filter.cpl
Password Properties - password.cpl
Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc
Performance Monitor - perfmon Phone and Modem Options - telephon.cpl
Power Configuration - powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes - control printers Printers
Folder - printers Private Character Editor - eudcedit Quicktime (If Installed) - QuickTime.cpl

Regional Settings - intl.cpl
Registry Editor - regedit
Registry Editor - regedit32 Remote Desktop - mstsc
Removable Storage - ntmsmgr.msc
Removable Storage Operator Requests - ntmsoprq.msc Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof) - rsop.msc Scanners and Cameras - sticpl.cpl Scheduled Tasks - control schedtasks Security Center - wscui.cpl Services - services.msc Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc Shuts Down Windows - shutdown Sounds and Audio - mmsys.cpl Spider Solitare Card Game - spider SQL Client Configuration - cliconfg System Configuration Editor - sysedit System Configuration Utility - msconfig System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately) - sfc /scannow System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot) - sfc /scanonce System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot) - sfc /scanboot System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting) - sfc /revert System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache) - sfc /purgecache System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x) - sfc /cachesize=x System Properties - sysdm.cpl Task Manager - taskmgr Telnet Client - telnet User Account Management - nusrmgr.cpl Utility Manager - utilman Windows Firewall - firewall.cpl Windows Magnifier - magnify Windows Management Infrastructure - wmimgmt.msc Windows System Security Tool - syskey Windows Update Launches - wupdmgr Windows XP Tour Wizard - tourstart Wordpad - write

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

5 useful Windows XP tricks

Don't just maximize your windows—go full screen
When you need a really big window, don't just maximize it: go full screen! To view a window full screen, hold down the Ctrl key and double-click the window's title bar—or when the window is active, press the F11 key at the top of your keyboard—to get the biggest window possible
Add the Links toolbar to My Computer
You know what would make a great toolbar? One where you could put your favorite applications and documents so that you could open them from any window at any time. Guess what? You can and here's how: click Start, then My Computer. Now right-click the toolbar and then click Links. You now have the Links toolbar on your windows, just like in Internet Explorer. Note: Make sure that Lock the Toolbars is not checked. Click on it to deselect it if it is.
The really cool thing about the Links toolbar is that it's completely customizable. Try this: Navigate to your favorite application and drag and drop its icon to the Links toolbar. You just created a shortcut. Do this again and again for as many applications as you want to appear on the toolbar
Arranging windows on your desktop
You can display any two windows side by side on the desktop by first clicking a window's button on the Taskbar. Next, press and hold the Ctrl key and right-click the second window that you want to open, then click Tile Vertically. This works great when you want to view two Word or Internet Explorer windows at the same time
Organize your files into groups
Organize your files by grouping them. Try this: Open a folder containing several different subfolders and file types. Right-click any empty space on the window's contents pane, click Arrange Icons By, and then click Show in Groups. To arrange the window's contents, right-click again in any empty space on the window's contents pane, point to Arrange Icons By, and click Name, Size, Type, or Modified
Make your own icons
It's shockingly easy to create your own icons in Windows XP. Let's do it: Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Paint. On the Image menu, click Attributes. Type 32 for both the Width and Height of the document, and make sure that Pixels is selected under Units. Click OK to create a new 32x32-pixel document: the size of an icon.
Now add type, color, or do whatever you'd like to your image. I like to shrink photos (headshots work best) to 32x32 and simply paste them into my Paint document. When you're finished, open the File menu and click Save As. Use the dialog box to choose where you want to save your file, then give it a name followed by ".ico" (without the quotes), and click Save. (The extension ".ico" tells Windows that it's an icon file.) You just created an icon! Now you can change any shortcut or folder to your own icon—just browse to it on your hard drive.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Making Windows Xp Start 60% Faster

Making Windows Xp Start 60% Faster, tutorial...
Whenever you start your computer, you are faced with a few moments of thumb twiddling while Windows XP boots and prompts you to log on. Although you should expect to wait for a few moments, sometimes Windows XP seems to boot rather slowly. In fact, you may notice that over a period of time the PC that used to roar to life seems a bit sluggish instead. Fortunately, you can perform several techniques that help Windows XP get the bootup speed you want. This chapter explores how to put these techniques to work.Stopping Unneeded Startup ServicesAlong with the core operating system and programs that Windows XP runs when it starts, there is also a host of services involved. Many of these services are necessary for Windows XP to operate correctly. However, many of them are for features in Windows XP that you may not use at all. You can peruse the services and disable any service that you do not want to run. The fewer services that run, the more quickly Windows XP will boot.Caution:Exercise caution when stopping services. If you do not know what a service does or are unsure of the ramifications of stopping the service, leave it alone. Some services are critical to Windows XP's operations, so make sure you understand what the service is before you disable it.To reduce the number of services that start on bootup, you can access two different areas of Windows XP. The first is the System Configuration Utility. The Services tab shows you the services that start when the computer boots.You can stop a service from starting by simply clearing the check box next to the service and clicking OK. However, before you do so, there is another way to disable services that you may prefer because the interface gives you more information about the service in question.Open Control Panel/Administrative ToolsServices or else select Start/Run, type services.msc, and click OK. Either way, you see the Services console.I prefer to use the Services console instead of the System Configuration Utility because it describes what the service does. Additionally, you can double-click a service and examine its properties.Notice the Startup Type column in Figure 4-2. This information lists whether the service is automatic or manual. Manual services are only started in Windows XP when you start a process that requires the service. Some other process may require the service that has a "dependency" relationship with it; in this case, the dependency service will start, as well. Because these services do not start automatically when you boot Windows XP, you do not need to do anything with manual services.However, all services listed as automatic start when Windows XP boots. These are the services that increase boot time. As I have mentioned, many of them are necessary and important, so you should not stop automatic services from booting unless you are sure of the ramifications. You can get this information by looking at the Description column. Here's a quick look at common services you may want to live without:Automatic Updates: This service enables Windows XP to check the Web automatically for updates. If you don't want to use Automatic Updates, you can disable the service. You can always check for updates manually at the Windows Update Web site.Computer Browser: If your computer is not on a network, you don't need this service. If you are on a network, leave it alone.DHCP Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are on a small workgroup, you can still increase boot time by configuring manual IP addresses (which I explore later in this chapter).DNS Client: If you are not on a network, you do not need this service. If you are, leave it alone.Error Reporting and Event Log: You don't have to use these services but they can be very helpful, so I would leave them configured as automatic.Fax: If you don't use your computer for fax services, you can disable this one.Help and Support: If you never use the Windows XP Help and Support Center (found on the Start menu), you can disable this service.IMAPI CD-Burning COM: This service enables you to burn CDs on your computer. If you never burn CDs, you can disable the service.Indexing Service: Your computer keeps an index of files but if you rarely search for files, the service is just a resource hog. You can stop it and turn the service to manual.Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing: If you do not use these features, you can disable them.Infrared Monitor: If you do not use infrared devices, you can disable this service.Messenger: This service sends alert messages on a local area network (it is not the same as Windows Messenger). If you are not on a network, you can disable this service.Print Spooler: If you do not do any printing from the computer, you can disable this service. If you print, make sure you leave it as automatic.Remote Registry: This service allows remote users to modify the Registry on your computer. If you are not on a network, you can disable this service.System Restore Service: This service allows you to use System Restore. If you have turned off System Restore anyway, you do not need to turn off the service. If you do, you turn off System Restore.Themes: If you do not use themes, you can disable this service.Windows Image Acquisition: If you do not use scanners or digital cameras, you can disable this service.Wireless Zero Configuration: If do not use wireless networking devices, you can disable this service.You may have a number of other automatic services, depending on software and other configurations on your computer. So it's a good idea to look through the services and learn more about them. If you double-click a service, a Properties dialog box appearsNotice that on the General tab, you see a Startup Type drop-down menu. If you want to change an automatic service to manual, select Manual here and click OK. As a general rule, don't disable a service unless you are sure you will never use it. However, manual configuration allows the service to be started when you find it necessary, thus speeding up your boot time.However, before you change a service to manual, look at the Dependencies tab (see Figure 4-4). This tab shows you which other services depend upon the service you are considering changing.Keep in mind that services are necessary for the vast functionality you get with Windows XP. Change only those services that you understand and do not use. How you use your Windows XP computer should be the best guide in terms of optional startup services.Tip:The Indexing service and the System Restore service take up a lot of disk space and system resources across the board. You can live without the Indexing service but I suggest that you keep using System Restore. It works great when you are in a bind and this is one case where the loss of speed may not be worth the ramifications of not using System Restore.Speed Tips and Tricks for Windows XP StartupAside from startup programs, services, and the Prefetch folder, there are a number of other startup procedures and issues you can modify to help Windows XP start faster. The following sections explore those tips and tricks.Manual IP Addressing on Small Office/Home NetworksWindows XP is configured to help you take care of networking. It uses the TCP/IP protocol for networking in workgroups, or what you might call small office or home networks that do not use a dedicated server.The problem is that automatic IP addressing can be slow. When your computer boots, it has to query the network to see what IP addresses are already in use and then assign itself one. If you want to speed up the boot time a bit, consider manually assigning IP addresses to all computers on the network. This way, the network computers do not have to worry about locating an automatic IP address. Because one is manually configured, the operating system doesn't have to spend time solving this problem.This isn't a networking book, however, so I won't delve into the implications of using a manual IP address, but if you are using a computer that functions as a host computer to the Internet (using Internet Connection Sharing [ICS]), you can get into connectivity problems if you change the configuration of the IP address. However, you can still work around this problem by starting with the ICS host computer.Select Start/Connect To/Show All Connections. Right-click your network adapter card and click Properties. On the General tab, select TCP/IP in the list of services and click the Properties button.In the TCP/IP properties, you can see if you use an automatic or manual IP address. In the example in Figure 4-5, I have configured a manual IP address of 90.0.0.1 and a default subnet mask. The other computers on my office network each use a different IP address in the same class, such as 90.0.0.2, 90.0.0.3, 90.0.0.4, and so on. This way, each computer has a permanent IP address, which helps increase boot time. Note that if you change the IP addresses of your computers, they must all use the same subnet mask. A default subject mask of 255.255.255.0 will keep you in good shape.Make sure you understand the implications of changing IP addresses on your network. If you have no networking experience at all, you may be wiser to leave the automatic IP addressing as is and try to gain some speed using the additional suggestions in this chapter.Disabling Recent Documents HistoryWindows XP includes a feature that keeps track of all recent documents you have opened or used. The idea is that you can select Start/Recent Documents History and quickly reopen any document you have recently used. I use many documents each day and never use the feature myself. In my opinion, I can keep up with what I want to use without Windows XP doing it for me.The bad thing about Recent Documents History is that Windows XP has to calculate what should be put there each time you boot Windows, which can slow things down. So, if you never use the Recent Documents History, it's a good idea to disable it. Here's how:1. Open the Registry Editor (select Start/Run, type regedit, and click OK).2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mcft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.3. Create a NoRecentDocsHistory D_WORD key. Double-click the value to open it once it is created.4. Set the Data Value to 1 to enable the restriction.5. Click OK and close the Registry Editor. You'll need to restart the computer for the change to take effect.Disabling the Boot LogoYou can remove the boot logo that appears when you start Windows XP. This little tweak probably shaves only a few seconds off your boot time but seconds count if you are serious about trying to get Windows XP up and running as quickly as possible. The only negative is that if you remove the boot logo, you will also not see any boot messages, such as check disk. (But if you are not having problems with your computer, this isn't such a big deal.)To remove the boot logo, follow these steps:1. Select Start/Run, type msconfig, and click OK.2. In the System Configuration Utility, click the BOOT.INI tab.3. On the BOOT.INI tab, click the NOGUIBOOT check box option. Click OK.Removing Unwanted FontsOne trick that increases your boot time a bit is to lose any fonts in the Fonts folder in Control Panel that you never use. The more fonts you have, the more processing Windows XP has to do to prep all of those fonts for use. You must be a bit careful here to not remove fonts that you might want, but there is a good chance that you can live without many of them. For instance, you may have foreign language fonts and other symbol fonts (such as Wingdings) that you never use.To delete unneeded fonts, follow these steps:1. Open the Fonts folder in Control Panel.2. Select Edit/Select All and then Edit/Copy.3. Create a new folder on your desktop, open it, and select Edit/Paste.4. In this new folder, delete any of the fonts you do not want.5. Return to the Fonts folder in Control Panel. Right-click the selected fonts and click Delete.6. Go back to your new desktop folder and click Edit/Select All.7. Return to your Fonts folder and click Edit/Paste. You now have only the desired fonts in the Fonts folder.Tip:You can directly delete fonts from the Fonts folder without creating the secondary folder. However, I recommend the preceding steps to help ensure that you do not make a mistake in the deletion process.Stopping Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop SharingIn Windows XP Professional, you have two remote networking features called Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing. These remote networking features are very helpful in a variety of situations but if you don't use them, it is good idea to disable them to save boot time. You can always enable them later if you want to use them.Note:If you are interested in using Remote Desktop or Remote Assistance, see my book Windows XP for Power Users: Power Pack published by John Wiley & Sons.1. Open the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and choose Properties.2. Click the Remote Tab.3. Clear both check boxes to disable Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop.Speeding Up the Dual-Boot TimeoutIf you dual-boot your computer with Windows XP and another operating system, you see an operating system selection menu on startup. If you typically boot into Windows XP and not the other operating system, you can speed up the dual-boot timeout value so that you do not wait so long for the boot process to select your default operating system and continue with the boot process. The default timeout value is 30 seconds but you can change this setting to 10. This gives you enough time to select the alternate operating system if you want but also speeds up the boot process. You can skip this section if you do not use a dual-boot configuration.Follow these steps:1. Locate the boot.ini file on your computer. It is a hidden file by default; mine is located in C:\boot.ini.2. Open the file with Notepad (which is what opens it by default).3. Change the Timeout value to 10 (see Figure 4-11).4. Select File/Save and close Notepad.Speeding Up Your PPPoE ConnectionIf you use a Point-to-Point Protocol connection over Ethernet (PPPoE), you may notice a delay in using the PPPoE connection after startup. By default, there is a 120 second delay but you can stop this behavior by manually configuring an IP address for the network adapter card. If you do not use a PPPoE connection, you can skip this section.1. Select Start/Connect to/Show All Connections.2. Open the TCP/IP properties for your LAN network interface card.3. Manually set the IP address on the TCP/IP properties to an appropriate IP address and subnet mask for your network.Reducing the Wait TimeWhen you start to shut down Windows XP, it has to quit, or "kill," any live applications or processes that are currently running. So close all applications first. However, some applications and processes are always running in the background. You can reduce the amount of time that Windows XP waits for those applications and processes to close before Windows XP kills them. Edit three different Registry settings to change this:1. Open the Registry Editor.2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Select WaitToKillAppTimeout and set the value to 1000.3. Select the HungAppTimeout value and set it to 1000 as well.4. Navigate to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop. Set the WaitToKillAppTimeout and set the value to 1000. Select the HungAppTimeout \newline value and set it to 1000 as well.5. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control. Select the WaitToKillServiceTimeout value and set it to 1000.6. Close the Registry Editor.Automatically Killing Tasks on ShutdownYou know the drill. You start to shut down the computer, you wait a few moments, and then you see a dialog box asking if you want to kill an application or service that is running. Instead of prompting you, you can make Windows XP take care of the kill task automatically. Here's how:1. Open the Registry Editor.2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.3. Highlight the value AutoEndTasks and change the value to 1.4. Close the Registry Editor.Well thats about it... when you done all the steps you machine most run faster...without ANY errors

Friday, March 9, 2007

20 Things the average person doesn't know about Windows XP

1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only). 2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only). An alternative is to press SHIFT-DEL.
3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.
4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can make it show everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be the software and you can now uninstall it.
5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options.
6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than many ISPs have, so you problably can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry.
7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system. (Professional Edition only)
8
. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can change things back by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.
9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.
10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your friend's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to http://www.whois.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.
12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might go insane before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.
13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.
14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.
16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.
17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.
18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.
19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.
20. Windows XP secretly KNOWS that the average user has no idea what they are doing. Therefore, it doesn't let you do really stupid things like deleting the windows directory (at least not without spending several hours convincing it that you REALLY want to do this). Oh yeah, and internet explorer kinda sucks, get Firefox.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Why can't I see any pictures in my browser?

Several people have problems with the dreaded "red X," so you are definitely not alone when you ask this question. All of us here in the office get multiple e-mails about this subject every day, so even though we've run a tip on this before, here's a little more explanation that will hopefully help you determine the exact cause of your red X problem. One of the main areas that people see the red X is in their e-mail. If you use Outlook Express and are having trouble seeing pictures in your e-mail, open it up and go to Tools, Options and choose the Security tab. Make sure the "Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail" box is unchecked. Now, if you are sending an e-mail and people have been complaining to you about the pictures not showing up, try this: open up OE and go to Tools, Options, Send tab. Under the "Mail Sending Format," make sure HTML is selected and then click on the HTML Settings button. In there, make sure the "Send pictures with messages" box is checked. That should solve your e-mail issues. If you are having trouble seeing images in Internet Explorer, go to
, Internet Options and click on the Advanced tab. Look for the Multimedia section and make sure the box that \nsays "Show Pictures" is checked. For Firefox, go to Tools, Options and click on \nthe Web Features icon. Make sure the "Load Images" box is checked as well. \nAnother cause may be that your browser security settings are set too \nhigh, which prevents you from accessing the Web site that handles the images. In \nIE, go to Tools, Internet Options, Security tab and click on the Default Level button. Make sure your settings \nare somewhere around the medium level. Another cause could \nbe your antivirus or firewall settings. Look for a setting that says "Disable \nWeb bugs" and make sure it is turned off. This should allow all the images to \npass through so you can see them. There are also a couple of other more \nsimple reasons why your images may be blocked. One is that you're looking at a \nWeb site that is busy or temporarily shut down or offline. A Web host could also \nbe working on certain things on the site, causing the images to be down. \nIf everything else we've discussed above is set correctly and you're \nstill not seeing the images, this might just be your problem. Just try the site \nagain later, that's all you can really do. Also, when you're trying to view \nimages on a Web site or in your e-mail, make sure you are actually connected to \nthe Internet, because they will not show \nup if you're not online. If you've been having trouble with the red X, \nhopefully one of these solutions will help you in fixing this awful \npredicament!",1]

Tools, Internet Options and click on the Advanced tab. Look for the Multimedia section and make sure the box that says "Show Pictures" is checked. For Firefox, go to Tools, Options and click on the Web Features icon. Make sure the "Load Images" box is checked as well. Another cause may be that your browser security settings are set too high, which prevents you from accessing the Web site that handles the images. In IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, Security tab and click on the Default Level button. Make sure your settings are somewhere around the medium level. Another cause could be your antivirus or firewall settings. Look for a setting that says "Disable Web bugs" and make sure it is turned off. This should allow all the images to pass through so you can see them. There are also a couple of other more simple reasons why your images may be blocked. One is that you're looking at a Web site that is busy or temporarily shut down or offline. A Web host could also be working on certain things on the site, causing the images to be down. If everything else we've discussed above is set correctly and you're still not seeing the images, this might just be your problem. Just try the site again later, that's all you can really do. Also, when you're trying to view images on a Web site or in your e-mail, make sure you are actually connected to the Internet, because they will not show up if you're not online. If you've been having trouble with the red X, hopefully one of these solutions will help you in fixing this awful predicament!

Saturday, March 3, 2007

What is defragmenting and why should I do it

Fragmentation is caused when an operating system breaks a file into pieces because there is not enough space on the storage device where the file was originally saved. One example of this would be where a file was originally saved, then modified causing the file to be larger in physical space than first anticipated, the operating system will then break the file into 2 or more pieces and store them in different parts of the storage area. The system would then keep a record of where the different parts of the file are stored, this is achieved through the use of a File Allocation Table (FAT) or similar file system such as NTFS . Then, when the operating system requires the file again, it will query the file system (FAT /NTFS /or other) to find out where the different parts of the file are located on the partition (drive). Defragmentation is the term given to the process of scanning the file system and rejoining the split files back into consecutive pieces. The process of defragmenting can be time consuming, but it is one of the easiest ways to increase the performance of your PC, the frequency of which a PC should be defragmented will directly depend on the amount of usage