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15 Top Windows XP secrets

1. Useful key shortcuts available: - Windows key + D - shows the desktop - Windows key + M - minimizes all open windows - Windows key + Shift + M - maximizes all open windows - Windows key + E - Runs Windows Explorer - Windows key + R - shows the RUN dialog - Windows key + F - shows Search window - Windows key + Break - shows System Properties box - Windows key + TAB - Go through taskbar applications - Windows key + PAUSE Display the System Properties dialog box - Windows key + U Open Utility Manager - ALT + TAB - Cycle through opened applications - Hold down CTRL while dragging an item to Copy it - CTRL + ESC Display the Start menu - ALT + ENTER View the properties for the selected item - F4 key Display the Address bar list in My Computer or - NUM LOCK + Asterisk (*) Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder 2. Lock Windows to protect computer You can lock Windows to protect the computer when leaving the station easily by creating a shortcut with the path rundll32.exeuser32.dll, LockWorkStation. The Windows key + L is also a shortcut to this feature. 3. Edit sysoc.inf to list all software To show all software that can be removed from your computer (including protected Windows services), you can manually edit (using notepad for example) the sysoc.inf file located in Windows\inf\. Just remove the word hide next to the software pack. *Note* - use this at your own risk. Removing critical components of the system will make Windows instable. 4. Windows XP comes with IPv4 and IPv6 Windows XP comes both IPv4 and IPv6 support. To enable IPv6, you can install the protocols needed with the command "ipv6 install" in the command-prompt. Then type ipv6 /? to see the options. The installation will not remove the IPv4 protocols so your current configuration will still work. 5. Access Task Manager with shortcut To access the Task Manager easier, you can make a shortcut that points to %windir %\system32\taskmgr.exe. 6. Stop treating ZIP files like Folders

If you don't want your Windows XP to treat ZIP files like folders, you can disable this component by running regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll at the command prompt or Run dialog. If you start missing it, you can enable it by typing regsvr32 zipfldr.dll. 7. Run program as diffrent user You can run a program as a different user. Right click an application and select Run As command. 8. Switch users leaving applications opened You can switch users leaving the applications opened too (*NOTE* use this only when needed since it could lead to system instability). Go to Task Manager - processes and end the process explorer.exe. This will end only your session and not all applications. Then go to Applications tab, click New task and type runas /user:domainname\username explorer.exe. A password prompt will appear to login to the desired username. The user's session will start, with all your previously applications running. I recommend to open first a command-line prompt and type runas /? to see all the options available. 9. Rename multiple files in Windows at once Rename multiple files in Windows at once. Select them all, right click and select Rename. Enter the desired name. They will be renamed using what you specified, with a number in brackets to distinguish them. 10. Task kill feature in Windows Windows has a task kill feature similar to Linux. Go to a command prompt and run the command tasklist to see running processes with PID numbers. Then type tskill <PID> to end the specific task. This forces an instant closing of the task. 11. Edit features with GPEDIT.MSC You can edit many features by running gpedit.msc. You can add log on/log off scripts here and many features. 12. Edit accounts in the command prompt You can edit accounts by running "control userpasswords2" at the command prompt. 13. Use systeminfo.exe to see System Information You can use the systeminfo.exe command in the command prompt to see System Information, including all Windows updates and hotfixes. 14. Disable system services for maximum performance There are system services that you can disable to free up the system's load. To access the interface that permits you to make changes to system's services, type services.msc and the command prompt. This is a list of services that are *usually* useless and can be safely disabled. Alerter

Application Layer Gateway Service, Application Management Automatic Updates Background Intelligent Transfer Clipbook Distributed Link Tracking Client Distributed Transaction Coordinater Error Reporting Service Fast User Switching Compatibility IMAPI CD-Burning Indexing Service IPSEC Services Messenger Net Logon Net Meeting Remote Desktop Sharing Network DDE Network DDE DSDM Portable Media Serial Number Remote Desktop Help Session Manager Remote Registry Secondary Logon Smartcard SSDP Discovery Service Uninterruptible Power Supply Universal Plug and Play Device Host Upload Manager Webclient Wireless Zero Configuration WMI Performance Adaptor *NOTE*: Make sure you don't need them since some applications you're using could depend on them. If you make any application to fail by disabling any of the services, go back and enable it again. 15. Repair Windows XP by using the XP installation CD If your system failes to start due to an error related to missing HAL.DLL, invalid Boot.ini or any other critical system boot files you can repair this by using the XP installation CD. Simply boot from your XP Setup CD and enter the Recovery Console. Then run "attrib -H -R -S" on the C:\Boot.ini file and delete it. Run "Bootcfg /Rebuild" and then Fixboot.

Lock Your Folder Without Any software

Select / copy the following code cls @ECHO OFF title Folder Locker if EXIST "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" goto UNLOCK if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER :CONFIRM echo Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N) set/p "cho=>" if %cho%==Y goto LOCK if %cho%==y goto LOCK if %cho%==n goto END if %cho%==N goto END echo Invalid choice. goto CONFIRM :LOCK ren Locker "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" attrib +h +s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" echo Folder locked goto End :UNLOCK echo Enter password to Unlock folder set/p "pass=>" if NOT %pass%==type your password here goto FAIL attrib -h -s "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" ren "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}" Locker echo Folder Unlocked successfully goto End :FAIL echo Invalid password goto end :MDLOCKER md Locker echo Locker created successfully goto End :End Now paste it in notepad. Save it as batch file(with extension .bat).Any name will do. Now you see a batch file. Double click it to create a folder locker. A new folder named Locker would be formed at the same location. Now brings all the files you want to hide in the locker folder.

Now double click the batch file to lock the folder namely Locker. If you want to unlock your files,double click the batch file again and you would be prompted for password.Enter the password and enjoy access to the folder.

Hide your hardrive

Start->Run-->write there "gpedit.msc" and enter it will get open group policy editor then go to -->user Configuration--> Administrative Templates-->Windows Component->Windows Explorer then right click on "Hide These Specified Drive In my Computer" then click on "properties"then change to "Not Configure" Then ok. And close gpedit.msc __________________

some interesting shortcuts

Here i going to share some interesting shortcuts to browse through internet.. if its helpful to u pls reply with thanks bbnnmm gghhjj mmjjuu ookkmm rrttyy yyhhnn yyggvv ......................... for example. pls type yyhhnn in ur browser and press ctrl+enter and watch what is displayed...in ur screen.... another intersting aspect is that the letters are came in order (left, right , up or down) in keyboard. enjoy browsing............

Some computer shortcuts

Sorry got this wrong look at the other one THX CTRL+C (Copy) CTRL+X (Cut) CTRL+V (Paste) CTRL+Z (Undo) DELETE (Delete) SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin) CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item) CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item) F2 key (Rename the selected item) CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word) CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word) CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph) CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph) CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text) SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document) CTRL+A (Select all) F3 key (Search for a file or a folder) ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item) ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program) ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object) ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window) CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously) ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items) ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened) F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop) F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer) SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item) ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window) CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu) ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu) Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)

F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program) RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu) LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu) F5 key (Update the active window) BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer) ESC (Cancel the current task) SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing) Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs) CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs) TAB (Move forward through the options) SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options) ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option) ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button) SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box) Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons) F1 key (Display Help) F4 key (Display the items in the active list) BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box) Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu) Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box) Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop) Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows) Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows) Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer) Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder) CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers) Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help) Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard) Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box) Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager) Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off) Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off) Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off) SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off) NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off) Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager) Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts END (Display the bottom of the active window)

HOME (Display the top of the active window) NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder) NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder) NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder) LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder) RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder) Shortcut Keys for Character Map After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts: RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line) LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line) UP ARROW (Move up one row) DOWN ARROW (Move down one row) PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time) PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time) HOME (Move to the beginning of the line) END (Move to the end of the line) CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character) CTRL+END (Move to the last character) SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected) Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts CTRL+O (Open a saved console) CTRL+N (Open a new console) CTRL+S (Save the open console) CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item) CTRL+W (Open a new window) F5 key (Update the content of all console windows) ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu) ALT+F4 (Close the console) ALT+A (Display the Action menu) ALT+V (Display the View menu) ALT+F (Display the File menu) ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu) MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane) ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window) SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item) F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item) F5 key (Update the content of all console windows) CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window) CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window) ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item) F2 key (Rename the selected item)

CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console) Remote Desktop Connection Navigation CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box) ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right) ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left) ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order) ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu) CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen) ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu) CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.) CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.) Microsoft Internet Explorer Navigation CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box) CTRL+E (Open the Search bar) CTRL+F (Start the Find utility) CTRL+H (Open the History bar) CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar) CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box) CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address) CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L) CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box) CTRL+R (Update the current Web page) CTRL+W (Close the current window)

Hide ur files without hidden it (nice trick)

1.create a folder 2.right click---> properties----->costumize---->click change icon and choose an empty character like this: click finish now FIRST STEP done ....moving to next step 3.click the folder to rename 4.press ALT+245 (the numbers should be the NUM LOCK tab's numbers)

NOW the folder is traceless and nameles

How to shutdown computer in 5 Seconds

Just Follow the steps: 1. Open 'Windows Task Manager' (Ctrl+Alt+Del) 2. Click 'Shutdown' (at the top next to 'Help') 3. Then HOLD the 'Ctrl' key and Select 'Turn Off'. 4. ...5...4....3....2...1....You PC turns off immediately. I always do this when im in a rush etc.. It doesn't effect the PC.FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT="

N-JOY

how to delete the words searched in google


Internet Explorer : In your Internet Explorer Option Tab go to : Tools -> Internet Option -> Content -> AutoComplete -> Clear forms -> OK This will clear all saved forms , including Google search history FireFox :

Go to : Tools -> Privacy -> (Under Private Data) -> Clear Now -> (Check the options that you want to clear ) -> Clear private data now . This should clear the Google history search .

Forgot User Password (WinXP)?


Gazette Reader Ali H. writes: " Dear Infopackets Team, I've somehow managed to lock myself out of my Windows XP machine as my passwords no longer work (for both my user account and the administrator user). Is there any way I can login to Windows without having to reinstall or format my laptop? All my important documents are in my laptop. Please help! " Doug's Response: Actually, this isn't hard to get cleared up. First, you should try booting into Safe Mode. Doing so will let you into the system without having to enter a password. To do so: Turn on the machine. Press F8 repeatedly on the keyboard until the Boot Menu Appears. Use your arrow key on the keyboard to scroll down to Safe Mode, and press Enter. The computer should boot into Safe Mode and without prompting you to enter a password and you can access your documents. Dennis has also published an article some time ago that addressed a similar problem: Cannot login to Admin Account (WinXP)? The above article will tell you how to reset your user password (as well as the Admin account). Hint: don't forget to give your user account administrator access so that you can perform other administration tasks. Once you've got everything set up properly, reboot back into Normal mode. At this point you can also choose to make a "Password Reset" diskette incase you forget your password again. To create the diskette: Click Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts.

Click Administrator name. Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password. Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard to create a password reset diskette. Store the diskette in a secure location that you will *not* forget about. Please be aware that anyone using this disk can access your system with your account.

Cannot log into admin account (WinXP)?


I'm having trouble logging into my user account under Windows XP. It seems that my password is no longer valid and now I can't get in. The only way I can login to the system is to do so under my son's account which does not have administrative rights. Also, when I go to Control Panel -> Users (under my son's account), my user account is not listed. Any ideas how I can resolve this? " My response: Depending on the access level applied to your son's account, he may / may not be able to see any other accounts listed on the system. In his case, the access level is low enough that Windows XP will not display any other user accounts. The best option here is to reset your account password. You can do this using either 1 of the 2 methods suggested by Microsoft Knowledge Base article #321305. In my opinion, the second method described on this page is most likely the easiest route: Reboot Windows in Safe Mode. Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK: control userpasswords2 Click the user account that you forgot the password for, and then click Reset Password. Type a new password in both the New password and the Confirm new password boxes, and then click OK. Good luck! Side note: To access Safe Mode, Click Start -> Shutdown (or Turn Off), and choose

'Restart'. Once the computer restarts, press F8 repeatedly on the keyboard until a Boot Menu appear (this *must* be done before the Windows boot screen appears). Finally, choose to boot Windows in Safe Mode and press Enter on the keyboard.

Where is the SendTo Folder?


When I right click a folder, there are a number of options under the Send To heading. I would like to add some other applications into the Send To area, but am not sure how to do this? PS: I love your news letter! " My response: If you own Windows ME, 2000, or XP, the absolute easiest way to access the SendTo folder for the current user logged in is to: Click Start -> Run. Type in "sendto" (no quotes) and press Enter. An Explorer window will appear; simply drag and drop shortcut icons over and they will appear in the SendTo dialogue menu when you right-click an object. For Windows 95 and 98, the SendTo folder location is located at C:\Windows\SendTo. Side note: not all objects (shortcut to programs) will work with SendTo. Only objects that accept some sort of input (such as a shortcut to MS Word, notepad, a folder, or drive letter), will work

Remove shortcut arrows from icons?


I would be ever so grateful to know the secret to removing those annoying arrows on shortcuts which are sent to the Desktop ... is there a simple way to undo the arrows? I would be very interested to know how. " My response:

Microsoft's TweakUI can remove the shortcut arrows. Once you have downloaded and installed it on your machine, launch TweakUI (details below) and click on the Explorer tab. Uncheck the box next to "Prefix 'Shortcut to' on new shortcuts" and click OK. Microsoft's TweakUI (which is also bundled with PowerToys), may be downloaded from Microsoft's web site. PowerToys for Windows NT, 9x, ME, and 2000: http://www.infopackets.com/articles/powertoys.htm To start TweakUI, go to the Control Panel (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel). PowerToys For Windows XP: http://www.infopackets.com/articles/powertoys_xp.htm To start TweakUI, use the TweakUI shortcut in your Start Menu (not the Control Panel), or run \windows\system32\tweakui.exe.

Create Your Own Drive in My Computer Which Acts Like Your Personal Folder

If you want to have your personal folder in My Computer Do this .... Go to c drive Create a new folder ( eg: shine ) now go to command prompt and type subst z: c:\shine now go to my computer and check it.......... To remove the drive go to command prompt and type subst z: /d Working well in Vista also .....

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