Normal way of shutting down Windows (no matter if it is XP, Vista or 7) is clicking on Start Menu button (or orb in Vista and 7) and selecting to shutdown. This way of shutting down may take a considerable time because it waits for all programs to close. You can create a shortcut on your desktop for a faster shutdown.
Read moreChange OEM logo in Windows XP
You can add or change the OEM logo you see in System Properties window. You can open System Properties by right-clicking My computer icon and selecting Properties. The OEM logo shown in the System Properties window is a bitmap file (.BMP file) with dimensions 120 pixels x 180 pixels (120 pixels height and 180 pixels width).
Read moreBackup and restore Windows registry
Whenever you are making changes to Windows’ registry, either manually or through some software, its a nice idea to make a backup of registry. This little step can save you from lots of trouble in future, including from having to re-install Windows all over again. If something wrong happens you can restore Windows’ registry from the backup.
Read moreBackup and restore using Windows Backup Utility
Windows XP Professional edition has a tool called Backup Utility using which you can make backups of files and later restore files from backups you made. You can even backup your entire system creating a recovery disk. You can follow the following general steps to use the Backup Utility
Read moreAdding and removing a folder to system path variable
Sometimes you are told by a software (especially the development tools like Python, GCC etc) to add their folder’s path to the system PATH variable. The effect of adding a folder to the system PATH variable is that when you issue a command in the command line window, or in the Run box, Windows would search all the folders listed in the system PATH variable.
Read moreDisable creation of Thumbs.db
In windows explorer, when you choose to view a folder in the Thumbnail or Filmstrip mode, it creates a file Thumbs.db in that folder. This file stores all the thumbnails generated in the folder, so that next time when you open the same folder, Windows do not have to generate thumbnails all over again. This saves CPU power and as Windows do no have generate thumbnails again, opening the same folder would be faster the next time.
Read moreHide a folder in Windows XP
If you want to hide your secret documents in a folder, you can put them in a folder and set its attributes to hidden. This would hide the folder, including all the subfolders and files in it. However this is a very basic method of hiding files.
Read moreDisable Welcome screen in Windows XP
When Windows starts the first thing you see is the welcome screen, which gives you options to logon into Windows. This is the screen at which you have to select a user and enter username and password. You can disable this welcome screen and choose to have classic logon dialog.
Read moreDisplay hidden files and folders in Windows XP
Windows XP does not show the files with hidden attributes by default. But you can change settings to show these files and folders in Windows using these simple steps.
Read moreDisable automatic restarts on Windows crash
Sometimes when a computer running Windows XP encounters a driver or hardware error it immediately restarts. This is a real problem, because you can not find out why the computer restarted. You can disable the automatic restarting of the computer to see the blue screen of death (BSOD) message and copy it down to further diagnose the problem. You can disable the automatic restarting of the computer using the following process.
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