TakechargeofWindowsXPwiththese10+powertips

ByGregShultz

Version1.0 Sept.10,2007

Tableofcontents
DisableWindowsXPsErrorReportingnotification ........................................................................................2 AutomaticallyrunabatchfilewhenyouopenaWindowsXPcommandprompt .........................................2 ConfigureWindowsXPsMSDOSEditor.........................................................................................................3 DownloadfreeharddiskimagingutilitiesforWindowsXP ............................................................................3 RepositionWindowsXPsQuickLaunchtoolbar.............................................................................................3 FindanddownloadnewfontsforWindowsXP ..............................................................................................4 ResetInternetExplorerswindowsizeinWindowsXP ...................................................................................4 CreateacustomControlPanelinWindowsXP...............................................................................................4 ViewingnonpresentdevicesinWindowsXP'sDeviceManager....................................................................5 ForcingWindowsXP'sDiskCleanuptodeletealltemporaryfiles ..................................................................5 SpeedupWindowsXP'sSearchCompanion ...................................................................................................6

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TakechargeofWindowsXPwiththese10+powertips

DisableWindowsXPsErrorReportingnotification
Note:ThistipisforbothWindowsXPHomeandProfessional. WhenWindowsXPencountersasevereerrorthathasthepotentialtocrashtheoperatingsystem,it immediatelyhaltstheoffendingprogramanddisplaysanerrormessagethatsaystheapplicationhas encounteredaproblemandneedstoclose.Then,theoperatingsystempromptsyoutosendanerrorreportto Microsoft.YoucanavoidhavingtoclicktheDontSendbuttonbydisablingErrorReporting.Hereshow: 1. Press[Windows][Break]todisplaytheSystemPropertiesdialogbox. 2. SelecttheAdvancedtabandclicktheErrorReportingbutton. 3. WhenyouseetheErrorReportingdialogbox,selecttheDisableErrorReportingoption.(Ifyoudont wanttoseeanytypeoferrormessage,cleartheButNotifyMeWhenCriticalErrorsOccurcheckbox.) 4. ClickOKtwiceoncetoclosetheErrorReportingdialogboxandoncetoclosetheSystemProperties dialogbox.

AutomaticallyrunabatchfilewhenyouopenaWindowsXPcommand prompt
Note:ThistipisforbothWindowsXPHomeandProfessional.

Caution:Editingtheregistryisrisky,somakesureyouhaveaverifiedbackupbeforemakinganychanges.

YouprobablyrunthesamefewcommandseachtimeyoustartusingthecommandpromptinWindowsXP.For example,perhapsyoufirstswitchtotherootdirectoryandthenclearthescreen.Youmayhaveputthese commandsintoabatchfileandsavedthefiletotheC:\DocumentsandSettings\{username}foldersothatwhen youopenthecommandprompt,youcansimplytypethenameofthebatchfiletoissuethecommands. Youcansaveyourselffromtypinganycommandsatallifyouaddthepathandnameofthebatchfiletoa specialkeyintheregistry. Hereshowtoaddthem: 1. LaunchtheRegistryEditor(Regedit.exe). 2. GototheHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\CommandProcessorkey. 3. DoubleclicktheAutoRunvaluetoaccesstheEditStringdialogbox. 4. IntheValueDatatextbox,typethepathandnameofthebatchfile.Besuretoenclosethetextin doublequotesforexample,C:\DocumentsandSettings\greg\go.bat. 5. ClickOKtoclosetheEditStringdialogboxandclosetheRegistryEditor. Now,yourbatchfilewillautomaticallyruneverytimeyouopenthecommandpromptwindow.

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TakechargeofWindowsXPwiththese10+powertips

ConfigureWindowsXPsMSDOSEditor
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional. WindowsXPcomeswithanothertexteditorbesidesNotepaditscalledtheMSDOSEditor,andits commonlyreferredtosimplyasEdit.IthasfeaturessimilartoNotepad,aswellasadditionalfeatures,suchas theabilitytoworkwithmultipletextfilesandchangethebackgroundandtextcolors.SinceEditisaDOSbased application,youcaneasilyconfigureittoworkjustlikeaWindowsapplication.Hereshow: 1. UseWindowsExplorertolocatetheEdit.comfileinthe\Windows\System32folder. 2. Rightclickthefile,dragittoyourdesktop,andselecttheCreateShortcut(s)Herecommandfromthe shortcutmenu. 3. RightclicktheShortcuticonandselectthePropertiescommandfromtheshortcutmenu. 4. ChoosetheProgramtabandselecttheCloseOnExitcheckbox. 5. ClickOKtofinish. NowyoucandoubleclicktheShortcuticontolaunchEdit.Whenyourefinishedusingit,youcancloseitby clickingtheClosebuttonintheupperrightcornerorbyusingtheExitcommandontheFilemenu.

DownloadfreeharddiskimagingutilitiesforWindowsXP
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandProfessional. WindowsVistasharddiskimagingutility,CompletePCBackup,allowsusersyoutocreateanimagefilethat containsthecompletecontentsandstructureofaharddisk.IfyouwantthiscapabilityinWindowsXP,youdont havetopayforathirdpartyutility,suchasAcronisTrueImage. IfyouhaveaSeagateorMaxtorharddrive,youcangetafreecopyoftheoriginalequipmentmanufacturer (OEM)versionofAcronisTrueImage.SeagateprovidesthistoolformigratingyourfilesfromanolderSeagateor Maxtorharddisktoanewone.YoucanalsousethetoolasabackuputilitybydownloadingeithertheSeagate DiscWizardorMaxtorMaxBlastsoftware. AfteryoudownloadandinstalleitheroftheseOEMversionpackages,youllbeabletoquicklyandeasilycreate acompleteimagebackupofyourWindowsXPharddiskjustlikeyoucaninWindowsVista.

RepositionWindowsXPsQuickLaunchtoolbar
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional. IfyouthinkthatWindowsXPsQuickLaunchtoolbartakesupalotofroomonthetaskbaratthetopofyour screen,hereshowyoucaneasilymovethetoolbartoanyotherlocationonthedesktop: 1. PositionyourmousepointerovertheverticalbarontheleftedgeoftheQuickLaunchtoolbaruntilyour cursorturnsintoadoubleheadedarrow. 2. DragtheQuickLaunchtoolbartoanylocationonthedesktopyoucananchorittothetop,left,or rightedgeofthedesktop. 3. Onceyoupositionitwhereyouwant,youcanrightclickonthetoolbarandselecttheAlwaysOnTop commandsothatyoucanalwaysaccesstheQuickLaunchtoolbarjustlikeyoucanthetaskbar.

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TakechargeofWindowsXPwiththese10+powertips

FindanddownloadnewfontsforWindowsXP
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional. WindowsXPprovidesahostoffontsyoucanusetoenhanceyourdocumentsbothonscreenandinprinted form.Whenyouinstallcertainapplications,youllfindthatevenmorefontshavebeenaddedtoyouroperating system.Evenso,youmaystillhavealongingformorefonts. CheckoutDafont,whichoffersahugerepositoryoffontsavailableasfreeware,shareware,demoversions,or publicdomain,thatyoucandownloadandinstallatwill.Ifyouknowwhatyouwant,youllappreciatethefact thatthefontsaresortedalphabetically,byauthor,andbythemes.Ifyourejustbrowsing,checkoutthenew fontsandtop100sections.Whatmakesthissiteevenmoreintriguingisthatyoucantypeinyourowntextand seewhatitlookslikeinanyoftheavailablefonts.

ResetInternetExplorerswindowsizeinWindowsXP
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional.AsthisisafunctionofWindows XP,itwillworkonallversionsofIE. IfyoutypicallymaximizeatoosmallInternetExplorerwindowinXP,everysubsequenttimeyoulaunchInternet Explorer,itswindowsmayremaintoosmall.Bydefault,InternetExplorerissupposedtoopenatthesamesizeit wasthelasttimeitwasclosed.However,sometimes,thedefaultsettinggetsoutofwhack,andyouneedto manuallyresetit.Hereshow: 1. LaunchInternetExplorer. 2. Clickoneofthewindowcornersanddragitouttocompletelyfillyourscreen.DonotusetheMaximize button. 3. Press[Alt]toviewthemenubar(ifyouareusingInternetExplorer7). 4. Pressandholddowneither[Ctrl]or[Shift]whileselectingExitfromtheFilemenu.DonotusetheClose button. NowwhenyoulaunchInternetExplorer,itshouldopeninafullwindow.Ifitopensinthesamesmallwindow, repeatthestepsbutholddowntheoppositekeyinstep4;thatis,either[Ctrl]or[Shift].

CreateacustomControlPanelinWindowsXP
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional. TosimplifyaccesstothetoolsinWindowsXPsControlPanel,MicrosoftcreatedtheCategoryView,inwhichthe ControlPanelstoolsareorganizedintocategories.IfyoureanoldschoolWindowsuser,youcanstillswitch backtotheClassicView,inwhichalloftheControlPanelstoolsareavailable.Ifyouadmirethesimplicityofthe CategoryViewbutprefertheClassicView,youmaywanttocreateyourowncustomControlPanelthat combinesthebestofbothviews.Hereshow: 1. RightclicktheStartbuttonandselecttheExplorecommand. 2. GotoFile|New|Folder. 3. NamethenewfolderMyControlPanel.

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TakechargeofWindowsXPwiththese10+powertips

4. RightclickyournewMyControlPanelfolder,selectthePropertiescommand,choosetheCustomizetab, clicktheChangeIconbutton,andselectaniconthatwilldifferentiatethisfolderfromalltherestonthe Startmenu. 5. OpenyournewMyControlPanelfolderandthenopentheoriginalControlPanelandselectClassic View. 6. DraganddropyourfavoritetoolsfromtheoriginalControlPaneltoyournewMyControlPanelfolder. 7. ClosebothyournewMyControlPanelfolderandtheoriginalControlPanel. Nowwhenyouneedtouseyourfavoritetool,justclickStart|AllProgramsandatthetopoftheAllPrograms menu,selecttheMyControlPanelfolder.Youllseeyourfavoritetoolsinaneasytoaccessdropdownmenu.

ViewingnonpresentdevicesinWindowsXP'sDeviceManager
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional. WhentroubleshootingdriverproblemsinWindowsXP,oneofthefirstplacesyoumaylookisDeviceManager, whichprovidesdetailedinformationabouteverypieceofinstalledsystemhardware.Butwithdevicessuchas removableUSBdrivesbecomingmoreandmorecommon,youmayneedinformationaboutdevicesthatarenot currentlyconnected.DeviceManagerrecognizestheseasnonpresentdevices.Here'showtogetinformation aboutthem: 1. GotoStart,rightclickMyComputer,andselectProperties. 2. IntheSystemPropertiesdialogbox,selecttheAdvancedtabandclicktheEnvironmentVariables button. 3. IntheEnvironmentVariablesdialogbox,locatetheSystemVariablespanelandclickNew. 4. IntheNewSystemVariabledialogbox,typeDEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICESintheVariable Nametextboxandtype1intheVariableValuetextbox. 5. ClickOKtwice. 6. Toviewthenonpresentdevices,gotoStart,rightclickMyComputer,andselectManage. 7. ClickDeviceManager,pulldowntheViewmenu,andselectShowHiddenDevices.

ForcingWindowsXP'sDiskCleanuptodeletealltemporaryfiles
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional.

Caution:Editingtheregistryisrisky,somakesureyouhaveaverifiedbackupbeforemakinganychanges.

Ifyou'veeverruntheWindowsXP'sDiskCleanuputility,youprobablydiscoveredthatyourtemporaryfiles occupyasignificantamountofspace.YoumightselecttheTemporaryFilescheckboxtoallowtheDiskCleanup utilitytodeletethefilesintheTempfolder,buttheDiskCleanuputilitywillnotremoveallofthefiles.The reasonforthisoddityisthattheconfigurationfortheDiskCleanuputilitydoesnotallowdeletionoffiles accessedinthelastsevendays.

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TakechargeofWindowsXPwiththese10+powertips

ByalteringtheLastAccessvalueintheregistry,youcanconfiguretheDiskCleanuputilitytodeleteallthefilesin theTempfolderregardlessofthelastaccesseddate.Here'show:

1. LaunchtheRegistryEditor(Regedit.exe). 2. Goto:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\VolumeCaches\TemporaryFiles

3. LocateanddoubleclicktheLastAccessvalue. 4. WhenyouseetheEditDWORDValuedialogbox,changetheValueDatasettingfrom7to0and clickOK. 5. Tocompletetheoperation,closetheRegistryEditorandrestartWindowsXP.

Changingthevalueto0willforcetheDiskCleanuputilitytodeleteallthefilesintheTempfoldereverytimeyou selecttheTemporaryFilescheckbox.

SpeedupWindowsXP'sSearchCompanion
Note:ThistipappliestobothWindowsXPHomeandWindowsXPProfessional.

Caution:Editingtheregistryisrisky,somakesureyouhaveaverifiedbackupbeforemakinganychanges. OnereasonWindowsVista'sSearchtoolissofastisthatratherthansearchingyourwholeharddisk,itsearches onlytheDocumentsfolders.SothenexttimeyoupullupWindowsXP'sSearchCompanion,clickAllFilesAnd FoldersandselectMyDocumentsfromtheLookIndropdownlist.ThispreventstheSearchCompanionfrom searchingtheentireharddisk. Ifyouwanttosearchdocumentsstoredintherootfolder,youcanstillspeeduptheprocessbyremoving systemfoldersfromthesearch.ClickAllFilesAndFolders,opentheMoreAdvancedOptionspanel,andclear theSearchSystemFolderscheckbox.IftheSearchHiddenFilesAndFolderscheckboxisselected,clearittoo. IfyourharddiskcontainsalotofZIPfiles(orcompressedfolders,asWindowsXPcallsthem),theSearch Companionwillsearchthrougheachofthoseaswell,albeitmoreslowly.TopreventtheSearchCompanion fromsearchingthroughcompressedfolders,eithermoveallofthemtotherootfolderandthenconfigurethe SearchCompaniontosearchonlytheMyDocumentsfolderordisableWindowsXP'ssupportforcompressed folders. Todisablethissupport,accesstheRundialogbox,typethecommandregsvr32/uzipfldr.dllintheOpentextbox andclickOK.You'llthenneedtorestartthesystemforthechangetotakeeffect.(ToreenableWindowsXP's supportforcompressedfolders,usethecommandregsvr32zipfldr.dll.)

WhatiftheSearchCompanionisdisabled?
Ifyou'vedisabledWindowsXP'sSearchCompanioninterfaceandareusingtheWindows2000Searchinterface instead,you'llneedtomakethefollowingadjustmentstothistip: TosearchMyDocuments,selectMyDocumentsfromtheLookIndropdownlist. Toremovesystemfoldersfromthesearch,clickSearchOptions,selecttheAdvancedOptionscheckbox, andthencleartheSearchSystemFolderscheckbox.(IftheSearchHiddenFilesAndFolderscheckboxis selected,clearittoo.)

Topreventthesearchingofcompressedfolders,youcanusethesametechniqueasyouwouldforthe SearchCompanion.
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TakechargeofWindowsXPwiththese10+powertips

Additionalresources
TechRepublic'sDownloadsRSSFeed SignupforourWindowsXPnewsletter CheckoutallofTechRepublic'sfreenewsletters 10WindowsXPtipsandtoolstosimplifyyourwork(TechRepublicdownload) TheWindowsXPIPConfigurationTool(TechRepublicdownload) 10handyWindowsXPefficiencytricks(TechRepublicdownload) SignupforTechRepublic'sDownloadsWeeklyUpdatenewsletter

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Version:1.0 Published:September10,2007

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