Latest From My Blog

Showing posts with label COMPUTER TIPS AND TRICKS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COMPUTER TIPS AND TRICKS. Show all posts

How to sort Menu alphabetically and Automatically using Regedit?

Start Registry editor: Start> Run>Regedit>[Enter]
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder

Right click on the MenuOrder folder. Choose Permissions ; go to Advanced in the new window that pops up, and uncheck the entry Inherit from parent the permission entries that apply to child objects,
Include these with entries explicitly defined here .A security dialog box will open up: Choose Copy. This will take you back to the Advanced security Settings for MenuOrder dialog. Click OK here. In the Permissions dialog, Uncheck Full Control in your account and security groups. Don’t change the Read permission Reboot the computer and all your menus will be alphabetically sorted

Override system slowdowns by Cleaning the Prefetch Directory

Windows XP keeps shortcuts to recently launched programs in the \Windows\Prefetch\    directory, which can take up some space, but helps find and launch applications faster. After a while, however, some really old
programs which you may not even be using anymore can still be found in the Prefetch directory. Also, you
may experience system slowdowns when booting or when launching applications, because Windows is sifting through a large bunch of Prefetch files. So, as you can see, a large Prefetch can do more harm than good. It’s best that you delete all the files in here about once a month, or once in two months. The first time you
boot, or start applications after you delete all Prefetch files, it may be even slower than before, but this is normal: Windows is adding shortcuts and data into the Prefetch again. After the third of fourth time you boot up, things
should be back to normal speeds, because Windows will have finished rebuilding the Prefetch cache.
To delete your Prefetch files, just go to \Windows\Prefetch\, do a [Ctrl] +[A], and press [Shift] + [Delete].

How to hide thumbnails of all pictures in the current folder

Windows Explorer has a feature called thumbnail view, which shows you thumbnails of all pictures in the
current folder. Some people love it, others hate it. If you have pictures that you’d rather everyone around you not see, even by accident, you probably hate the thumbnail view. If so, instead of cursing at it under your breath, just get rid of it for good!
Start the Registry Editor, navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
and change the value of the Classic ViewState key to “1”.

How to see the list of hidden devices that do not normally show up in the Device Manager

There is a list of hidden devices that do not normally show up in the Device Manager. You can get XP to
reveal these by either changing a Registry entry, or by creating a batch file to launch the Device Manager with
the correct options. If you’re comfortable with the Registry, open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Environment\.
Here, create a String Value called DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES,
and give it a value of 1. If you’d rather create a batch file, open Notepad, and type in the following:
@Echo Off
Prompt $p$g
set
DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVIC
ES=1
start devmgmt.msc
exit
Then save it as “devmgmt.bat”. You can use any descriptive filename you like with the .bat extension.

Interesting troubleshooting tools that embedded in Windows XP CD

There are a few interesting troubleshooting tools that are not installed in the default installation of Windows XP. If you have the installation CD, you will find them in the \Support\Tools\ directory. Just run SETUP.EXE in this directory to install them.
Here are a few examples:
diruse: This utility shows you the disk usage of your drives
dupfinder: Identify duplicate files, so you can free up disk space
getmac: A simply utility that will tell you the MAC address of your NIC (network card)
netdiag: Tests and diagnoses your network components
pviewer: Shows you a list of processes, and allows you to see how much memory each process uses, and to kill
processes individually

Quick Access To Control Panel Applets ,simple keyboard shortcut keys

If you’re a keyboard warrior and don’t really like going to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs, or the likes, you will love these shortcuts.
Just press [Windows] + [R], type in one of the following, and press [Enter].
appwiz.cpl will open the Add/Remove Programs dialog
desk.cpl will open the Display Properties dialog
firewall.cpl opens your Windows Firewall settings
inetcpl.cpl will take you straight to Internet Options
mmsys.cpl will open the Sound and Audio Devices controller
ncpa.cpl will open Network Connections
nusrmgr.cpl opens the User Accounts window
powercfg.cpl will take you to the Power Options Properties dialog
sysdm.cpl will open System Properties.
You can also just use [Windows] + [Pause/Break]!
wscui.cpl opens up the Security Center
wuaucpl.cpl opens up the Automatic Updates Configuration window

Simple steps to speed up network access in shared network

If you’re on a network and are tired of waiting for ages for all the network shares to load, this is a tip you’ll love. There are four basic things you need to do in order to speed up network access:
1. Remove all shortcuts in My Network Places. These are automatically generated, and if a few of them aren’t shared anymore, Windows will keep searching for them anyway. So just select them all and delete them.
2. Stop Windows from automatically adding these shortcuts to shared folders, otherwise you’ll just end up having to delete the shortcuts everytime you open My Network Places. This is a registry hack, so make sure
you backup your registry. First, go to
Start > Run, type in “regedit” and press [Enter]. Navigate to
HKEY_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\.
Here, create two new DWORD values (if they don’t already exist) called “NoRecentDocsNetHood” and “UseDesktopIniCache”, and setthem to “1”.
3. Have everyone on your network increase the send buffer for network data. Tell everyone who shares files or folder to go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\.
Create a DWORD value called “SizReqBuf”, and assign its Hex value to “FFFF”.
4. Just stop using My Network Places for folders you access on a regular basis, and instead, map the
drive by going to Tools > Map Network Drive in Windows Explorer.

How to connect two PCs to transfer data between them via crossover cable

If you wish to connect two PCs to each other,they both need to have network cards installed. You’ll also need what is called a crossover cable. Now, first make sure File and Printer Sharing is enabled: open Network Connections in the Control Panel, right-click on Local Area Connection, and select Properties. In
the General tab, look for “File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks” and make sure the checkbox next to it is selected. (If it isn’t in the list, go to Install > Services > Add and choose this service to add it.) Now return to the General tab, select “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” and click on Properties. Enter an IP address such as “192.168.1.10” and a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0 for one computer, and the IP address “192.168.1.11” and the same Subnet Mask for the other. Now, for a particular folder that is to be shared, right-click on it and click on “Sharing and Security”. Enter the share name of the folder and click OK. Connect the two computers using the crossover cable. You should now be able to access the contents of the shared folders on one
computer from the other.

Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts

Open a link in a new tab in the background     [Ctrl] + Click (or just middle-click)
Open a link in a new tab in the foreground     [Ctrl] + [Shift] + Click
Open a new tab in the foreground         [Ctrl] + [T]
Switch between tabs                      [Ctrl] + [Tab] (forward)OR [Ctrl] +
[Shift] + [Tab] (backward)
Close current tab (closes current window when     [Ctrl] + [W] OR [Ctrl] + [F4]
there are no open tabs)
Open a new tab in the foreground from the address bar [Alt] + [Enter]
Switch to the nth tab (n can be 1 to 8)      [Ctrl] + [n]
Switch to the last tab                      [Ctrl] + [9]
Close all other tabs                 [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [F4]
Open quick tab view                      [Ctrl] + [Q]
View list of open tabs                     [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Q]
Increase zoom (+10%)                      [Ctrl] + [+]
Decrease zoom (-10%)                     [Ctrl] + [-]
Original zoom                          [Ctrl] + [0] OR [Ctrl] + [*]
Go to the Toolbar search box              [Ctrl] + [E]
Bring down the search provider menu          [Ctrl] + [Down Arrow]
Go to home page                  [Alt] + [Home]
Go backward a page                 [Alt] + [Left Arrow]
Go forward a page                 [Alt] + [Right Arrow]
Refresh the page and the cache                  [Ctrl] + [F5]
Stop loading page                 [Esc]
Open Favorites                         [Ctrl] + [I]
Open Favorites in pinned mode                  [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [I]
Organise Favorites                  [Ctrl] + [B]
Add current page to Favorites               [Ctrl] + [D]
Open Feeds                         [Ctr l] + [J]
Open Feeds in pinned mode             [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [J]
Open History                         [Ctrl] + [H]
Open History in pinned mode               [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [H]
Select the Address Bar                      [Alt] + [D]
View list of previously-typed addresses         [F4]
View list of search providers              [Ctrl] + [Down Arrow]

How to clean out the long list of junk programs from "Open With" context menu

When you right-click on a file, one of the options you see is “Open With”. These usually contain what Windows thinks are valid programs to open particular file types. Now, sometimes, when you have bad installers or uninstallers, some programs leave their mark on this context menu. Basically, if you want to clean out this long list of junk that accumulates here, you have to edit the Registry.Open the Registry Editor and
navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts
Now, for example, if you have to remove programs from the Open With menu for AVI files, find the extension on the left that corresponds to AVI files and click on the “+” sign to expand it and find the “OpenWithList” key. In the right pane you should see a list of programs, such as “wmplayer.exe”, “notepad.exe”, “mspaint.exe”, etc. Select the ones you don’t want and delete them.
Next, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and find the same extension.Again, navigate to “OpenWithList” and delete the unwanted programs. This key is where Windows reads from when using the All Users profile. Now you will only see the programs that youwant in the Open With list... well, most of the time; the problem is that Windows also reads the Open With list from another registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFile Associations\
Here’s where it reads the default Open With list from, but we strongly advise you against changing it because
it might affect multiple file types.

How to create a bootable CD that will allow us to read from and write to NTFS partitions?

You can use BartPE to create a bootable disc from your original Windows XP / 2003 CDs that will read from and write onto NTFS partitions. Get BartPE from www.nu2.nu/pebuilder, start it, and make it search for the source install files by clicking on Source and then on Search.Your Windows CD should be in the CD-ROM
drive when you’re searching. Then select to create an ISO file. After the ISO file is created, you can burn it on an empty CD using a CD recording software like Nero.

Simple way to create your own little windows installer using winrar SFX

Creating self-extracting archives gives you the option to create your own little installer which uncompress an entire program to a set location. You can also choose to execute a program before or after the decompression process. Start by clicking on the folder you want to install, and click Add Files to archive. Check the “Create SFX archive” box. Click on the Advanced tab and then on “SFX options”. Here you can enter the path you want the installer to unzip the files to, and whether you want the folder created in Program files or some other folder. You’ll find many other options here to customise the installer, such as adding shortcuts or licensing information.

Enable Automatically Terminate Hung Programs to terminate hung programs

When programs lock up or stop responding, you are forced to [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Delete] > End Process. This tweak lets Windows automatically shut down hung programs. In the Registry Editor, browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop.
You will find a String Value called AutoEndTasks. Double-click on it and change the value to “1”. You can
also set the timeout value by doubleclicking on the WaitToKillAppTimeout String Value and changing its value to the time in milliseconds before Windows kills the task.

How to Add Safe Mode To Your Boot List

At times you might need to switch to Safe Mode to fix a problem such as a virus infection or uninstalling drivers.You can add an entry to the boot list. To do this, go to
Control Panel > System (or simply press [Windows] + [Pause/Break]).
Click on the Advanced tab. Then, click on the Settings button under the Startup and Recovery section.
Click on Edit under System Startup to indirectly edit the boot.ini file.
Add the following entry: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP - Safe Mode” /fastdetect /safeboot:minimal/sos /bootlog
You can add more entries if needed to boot any Windows installations on other disks or partitions.

How to enable Pin to Start menu for folder in windows xp

As it stands, it is only possible to pin programs or shortcuts to the Start Menu, but no folders. To add this, in
the Registry Editor, browse to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers.
Create a new key by right-clicking in the right pane and selecting New > Key.
Enter “{a2a9545da0c2-42b4-9708-a0b2badd77c8}” as the key name. Now that that’s done, rightclick
on any folder in Windows Explorer, and you will see a “Pin to Start menu” option.

Connect using a dialup connection and the Connect using a broadband connection options are disabled.

There are a number of reasons for this to happen. First, make sure that the Remote Access Connection Manager service is Started, and that its Startup Type is set to Manual. On XP, you can check this by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools >Services.
If this doesn’t seem to work, one the following methods will do the trick.
Method 1
Open the Registry Editor. Locate and click the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony\Cards
Delete NextID in the right pane.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Start the New Connection Wizard, and then create a new dial-up modem or PPPoE connection. If the issue is not resolved, try this:
Method 2
Open the Registry Editor. Locate and click the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony
Delete the key. Exit the Registry Editor.
Perform an in-place upgrade of Windows XP,that is, a repair installation of Windows XP as follows.
Boot using your Windows XP CD.When the system prompts you to press [R] to run the recovery console to repair Windows, do not do so. Choose to install a new version of Windows instead. The setup program will then proceed and detect the old copy of Windows. Now it will tell you to press [R] to repair it or [Esc] to install a new version. Press [R]; setup will then proceed to re-install Windows over the old version while retaining all programs, settings and data files. If this does not solve your problem, proceed to Method 3.
Method 3
Open the Control Panel and under Phone and Modem Options, set the area code and other desired settings. If the My Location item has not been created, the New Connection Wizard to create it should automatically
appear. You can use this Wizard to enter the area code and other settings. When you’re finished with the Wizard, restart the computer. The Connect using a dial-up modem option should now be available to you.

How to re-enable CD Autoplay feature in windows XP

Open the Group Policy Editor by typing in gpedit.msc in the Run dialog box. Go to
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System
and double on Turn Autoplay off in the right pane. The default is “Not configured”. Set it to Disabled. This only works with Windows XP Professional.
If you have XP Home Edition, open the Registry Editor and navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom.
Double-click the DWORD “AutoRun” in the right pane and set its value to 1. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

How to change uTorrent skin and themes

Like many other apps we use today, μTorrent lets you change themes and skins. In the μTorrent preferences,
however, you will not find the option. You can find a good collection of skins at http://www.utorrent.com/get-started/skins.
How to use manually downloaded skins
If you have a .btskin file, double click it, or drag 'n drop it into µTorrent and you're done! If you're downloading from our skins page, click the Download Now button. Copy the file(s) to %AppData%\uTorrent (paste this path into Explorer), then restart µTorrent.

How do I go back to the default skin?
If you're using our skins app, then it's easy! Open the app, go to Default Skins and click on the one you want. If you're using a manually downloaded .btskin, then either use the app or go to %AppData%\uTorrent and delete current.btskin. If using files from our skins page, delete the .ico or .bmp files in the same folder.

How to Boost uTorrent Downloding speed by Removing The Connection Limit For XP

Note: This tip involves modifying and replacing a system file.
Proceed at your own risk, and back up  TCPIP.SYS if needed. If you’re using Windows XP SP2, your “maximum half-open connection limit”
is most likely set to 10, as part of an attempt to limit security issues. There are patches that have been made that
remove this limitation, so many more connections can be made which can give you a boost in speed. One such patcher is Event ID 4226 Patcher, which can be found here: www.lvllord.de/?lang=en&url=downloads.

How to enable protocol encryption in uTorrent

Some ISPs try to limit bandwidth to P2P applications like BitTorrent. Some of the clients—like μTorrent—have
Protocol Encryption, which makes detection and limiting by ISPs harder. You can enable protocol encryption
by going to Options > Preferences >BitTorrent. Here, choose Enabled or Forced from the Outgoing Protocol
Encryption drop-down.
+