Windows XP Secrets

Deleting System Software's:

XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge 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 your prey, exposed and vulnerable.



Creating Shutdown Icon or One click Shutdown:

Navigate to your desktop. On the desktop, right-cl!ck and go to New, then to Shortcut (in other words, create a new shortcut). You should now see a pop-up window instructing you to enter a command line path.
Use this path in "Type Location of the Item"
SHUTDOWN -s -t 01
If the C: drive is not your local hard drive, then replace "C" with the correct letter of the hard drive. cl!ck the "Next" button. Name the shortcut and cl!ck the "Finish" button. Now whenever you want to shut down, just cl!ck on this shortcut and you're done.



Increasing Band-Width By 20%:

Microsoft reserves 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes like Windows Updates and interrogating your PC etc

To get it back:

cl!ck Start then Run and type " gpedit.msc" without quotes.This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:
Local Computer Policy then Computer Configuration then Administrative Templates then Network then QOS Packet Scheduler and then to Limit Reservable Bandwidth.
Double cl!ck on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the 'Explain' tab i.e."By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default."
So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.It works on Win 2000 as well.


Renaming The Recycle Bin icon:

To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, cl!ck Start then goto Run, write Regedit and press Enter. It opens Registry Editor. Now in Registry Editor go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT/CLSID/ {645FF040- 5081-101B- 9F08-00AA002F954 E}
and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want (don't type any quotes).

Managing Tasks:
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.



Removing Shared Documents folder From My Computer window:

Open registry editor by going to Start then Run and entering regedit. Once in registry, navigate to key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ My Computer \ NameSpace \ DelegateFolders

You must see a sub-key named {59031a47-3f72- 44a7-89c5- 5595fe6b30ee} . If you delete this key, you have effectively removed the my shared documents folder.




Improving the Slow Boot up time:

There are a variety of reasons why your windows XP system would boot slowly. Most of the times it this has to do with the startup applications. If you would like to speed up the bootup sequence, consider removing some of the startup applications that you do not need. Easiest way to remove startup apps is through System Configuration Utility. Go to Start then Run and enter MSCONFIG and go to the Startup tab. Deselect/UnCheck application( s) that you do not want to startup at boot time.



Customize Logon prompt with your Own Words:

Open Registry by going to Start then Run, entering regedit and Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Microsoft\ Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ Winlogon] . In right pane, look for key by the name "LogonPrompt" . Set its value to whatever text you want to see displayed at login screen.

IP address of your connection:
Go to Start then Run. Enter 'cmd' and then enter 'ipconfig' .Add the '/all' switch for more info .

Making Folders Private:
Open My Computer Double-cl!ck the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C, unless you have more than one drive on your computer). If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, cl!ck Show the contents of this drive.
Double-cl!ck the Documents and Settings folder. Double-cl!ck your user folder. Right-cl!ck any folder in your user profile, and then cl!ck Properties. On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box.

To change Drive Letters:

Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management, Disk Management, then right-cl!ck the partition whose name you want to change (cl!ck in the white area just below the word "Volume") and select "change drive letter and paths."
From here you can add, remove or change drive letters and paths to the partition.



Removing the Shortcut arrow from Desktop Icons:

Goto Start then Run and Enter regedit. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOTlnkfile. Delete the IsShortcut registry value. You may need to restart Windows XP.

Get Drivers for your Devices:
Visit Windows Update (XP Only)
Look at the left hand pane and under Other Options cl!ck Personalize Windows Update.
Now in the right hand pane check the box - Display the link to the Windows Update Catalog under See Also
Below Choose which categories and updates to display on Windows Update - make sure you check all the boxes you want shown.
cl!ck Save Settings
Now look in the left hand pane under See Also cl!ck Windows Update Catalog and choose what you're looking for. Choose either MS updates or drivers for hardware devices.
Start the Wizard and off you go.

Customize Internet Explorer's Title Bar:

Open Registry by going to Start then Run and Enter regedit. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Internet. Explorer\Main. In right hand panel look for string "Window Title" and change its value to whatever custom text you want to see.

Disabling the use of Win Key:

If your are a gaming freak then you must be sick of the Win key in your keyboard. To disable use of Win key, open registry by going to Start then Run and entering regedit. Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSe t\Control\ Keyboard Layout] . In this look for value of "Scancode Map". Its binary data so be extra careful:
Set its value to "00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 5B E0 00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00" to disable the win key.

Restarting Windows without Restarting the Computer:

This one is again is. When you cl!ck on the SHUTDOWN button, make sure to simultaneous press SHIFT Button. If you hold the Shift key down while *** on SHUTDOWN button, you computer would restart without restarting the Computer. This is equivalent to term "HOT REBOOT".

Stopping XP from displaying unread messages count on Welcome Screen:
To stop XP from displaying count of unread messages, Open registry and navigate to [HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentV ersion\UnreadMai l] and look for the data key "MessageExpiryDays" . If you do not see this key, create one DWORD key by the name "MessageExpiryDays" . Setting its value to 0 would stop Windows XP from displaying the count of unread messages.

Modify Color Selection of Default Theme:

Open registry by going to Start then Run. Entering regedit, navigate to [HKEY_USERS\ .DEFAULT\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentV ersion\ThemeMana ger] and locate the key "ColorName".
Right cl!ck on it and select modify its value from "NormalColor" to "Metallic"
cl!ck Ok, and exit regedit and restart your computer.

Removing the Recycle Bin from the Desktop:


If you don't use the Recycle Bin to store deleted files , you can get rid of its desktop icon all together. Run Regedit and go to:



HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ SOFTWARE/ Microsoft/ Windows/CurrentV ersion/explorer/ Desktop/NameSpace

Windows Xp Registry Tips & Tweaks

Modifying the Disk Check Autochk.exe Time-out (Scandisk Delay) Value from 10 seconds to 3 Seconds

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager]
"AutoChkTimeOut"=dword:00000003

Disable Automatic Restart in the event of a System Crash / BSOD

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\CrashControl]
"AutoReboot"=dword:00000000

Disable The Windows XP Desktop Cleanup Wizard (Unused Desktop Shortcuts)

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWiz]
"NoRun"=dword:00000001

Speed up Network Browsing by Removing Network Scheduled Tasks

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace\{D627 7990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}]

Disables Windows Take A Tour Bubble Popup

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Applets\Tour]
"RunCount"=dword:00000000

Disable Remote Registry Service (Remote users to modify registry settings on your computer. Now registry can be modified only by users on your computer)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\RemoteRegistry]
"Start"=dword:00000004

Removes the Recent Documents from the Start menu. The system saves a shortcut to each of the non-program files the user opened most recently, and it displays the shortcuts on the Recent Documents.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoRecentDocsMenu"=dword:00000001

Classic Search, Full Path In Title Bar And Address Bar. This allows you to disable the new Search Assistant Dog and use the traditional search interface in Windows Explorer

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\CabinetState]
"FullPath"=dword:00000000
"FullPathAddress"=dword:00000001
"Use Search Asst"="no"
"Settings"=hex:0c,00,02,00,1b,01,e7,77,60,00,0 0,00

Have you ever wanted to Rename Recycle Bin ? This Tweak Allows Renaming of Recycle Bin

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20
"CallForAttributes"=dword:00000000

Are you getting 'Low Disk Space Notification' ? This Disables Low Diskspace Warnings

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoLowDiskSpaceChecks"=dword:00000001
Do you want to Speedup the Windows XP Start Menu?
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"MenuShowDelay"="2"
Maximize Your Internet Explorer's Simultaneous Downloads From 2 to 10 Connections
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Internet Settings]
"MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server"=dword:0000000a
"MaxConnectionsPerServer"=dword:0000000a
Remove the Queue-it-up, Burn to CD right cl!ck options on Windows Media Player files.
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{CE3FB1D1-02AE-4a5f-A6E9-D9F1B4073E6C}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{F1B9284F-E9DC-4e68-9D7E-42362A59F0FD}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{8DD448E6-C188-4aed-AF92-44956194EB1F}]
Removes Sign up with Passport Wizard when trying to sign in MSN Messenger First time
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Internet Settings\Passport]
"RegistrationCompleted"=dword:00000001

Disables Preview (Thumbnails) of Movie File Formats (Allowing You To Move/Rename/Delete without Errors)

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.avi\ShellEx]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpg\ShellEx]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpe\ShellEx]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpeg\ShellEx]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mov\ShellEx]
Open Explorer From My Computer or Any Folder (Power users love this)
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@="explore"

Remove 'Shortcut To ...' Prefix when you create new Shortcut

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer]
"link"=hex:00,00,00,00
This **** 'Command Prompt here' on Right cl!ck Menu (When you right cl!ck on a Drive/Folder)
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Command Prompt Here]
@="Command &Prompt Here"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Command Prompt Here\command]
@="cmd.exe /k cd %1 "
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\Command Prompt Here]
@="Command &Prompt Here"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\Command Prompt Here\command]
@="cmd.exe /k cd %1 "

Remove Shared Documents folders from My Computer System Folder

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateF olders\{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}]

Disable the Unread Mail Message on the Welcome Screen

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\UnreadMail\]
"MessageExpiryDays"=dword:00000000

Disable Compress Old Files (This is useful when Disk Cleanup Tool Stops Responding While Compressing Old Files)

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches\Compress old files]

Windows Explorer Crashes When Opening Folder Containing avi/video files

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{87D62D94-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shel lex\PropertyHandler]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{87D62D9 4-71B3-4b9a-9489-5FE6850DC73E}\InProcServer32]

Send Out Executable Files Via Gmail

As a security measure to prevent the intrusion of potential viruses, Gmail strictly disallows users to send and receive executable files (files with the extension ".exe", ".dll", ".ocx" or ".bat") in its policy. If you try to send these files, Gmail will send you an error message: "This is an executable file. For security reasons, Gmail does not allow you to send this type of file." You might try to zip or compress the files into other formats such as ".zip", ".tar", ".tgz", ".taz", ".z" or ".gz". However, your Gmail account will bounce back your message. How to send executable files with your Gmail account if you really need to do so?

Of course the easiest way is to use other email services such as Yahoo to send your important executable files. However, if you are still set on using Gmail to send your executable files, there are a few ways you can try: -

1. You can rename your executable files from the "exe" extension to other formats such as "doc", "jpeg", etc. For instance, your file name is happy.exe; just rename your file to happy.doc and send it over to the receivers. Once the receivers have received the files, they just need to change the extension back to the original file extension.

2. The other way you can try is upload your executable files to some free file hosting service such as DivShare or Rapidshare. Copy down the link and send it to the receivers. It's pretty straightforward.

3. The last option you can try is to compress your executable file by using Winrar. Gmails doesn't scan files in the RAR format. You can send the file out without a problem. However, you must make sure your receivers can open the RAR files