|
-----------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Clear pagefile on shutdown[/b:6581e4bd42]
For added security you should always clear the page file upon shutting down your computer. Windows uses this file as extra ram. Lets say that you are working on a confidential MS Word doc. When you load this document it is loaded into ram. To save ram windows places certain items in the page file. The page file can then be opened and the document can be extracted as well as any other open program or files. However Microsoft has implemented a feature that will clear the page file but they do not have it enabled by default. Please note, this will slightly increase the amount of time it takes to shut down your computer but it is well worth it.
Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSe ssion ManagerMemory Management
Select ClearPageFileAtShutdown from the list on the right.
Right on it and select Modify.
Change the value to 1 to enable.
Reboot your computer
------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Display message on startup[/b:6581e4bd42]
If you would like to display a legal message or any other message in a pop-up window when windows starts read below:
Start regedit, if you are unfamiliar with regedit please see our FAQ.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon
Modify the key legalnoticecaption with what you want to name the window.
Modify the key legalnoticetext with what you want the window to say.
Restart.
------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Opening an Explorer Window to the Directory You Want[/b:6581e4bd42]
If you want to create a shortcut for the Explorer to a specific directory,
include the directory you want in the Target.
For example:
%SystemRoot%explorer.exe /n, /e, d:internet
would open the Explorer to the D:INTERNET directory
------------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Disabling Hybernation[/b:6581e4bd42]
If you don't want to use up the disk space taken by Hibernation, or don't need to use it at all,
you can easily disable it.
1. Open up the Control Panel / Power Options icon
2. Click on the Hibernation icon
3. Uncheck Enable Hybernation
----------------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]
Locking the Workstation[/b:6581e4bd42]
There are two ways you can lock the workstation.
1. With a Windows key + L
2. Create an shortcut rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
Changing the Picture Displayed for a User
Added 8/19/01
You can change the picture that gets displayed for a particular user
1. Go to the Control Panel
2. Select User Accounts
3. Click on the Account to change
4. Click on Change my picture
5. You can then browse to the picture you want to use
--------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Displaying the QuickLaunch Toolbar
[/b:6581e4bd42]
By default, WindowsXP does not show the QuickLaunch toolbar.
To enable it again:
1. Right click on an open area of the toolbar
2. Select Toolbars
3. Select Quick Launch
Now you can add programs like with Win98
----------------------------------------
[-b]Increasing System Performance[/b]
If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance
by having the core system kept in memory.
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSe ssion ManagerMemory ManagementDisablePagingExecutive
3. Set the value to be 1
4. Reboot the computer
-----------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Clearing the Page File on Shutdown[b]
If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSe ssion ManagerMemory ManagementClearPageFileAtShutdown
3. Set the value to 1
------------------------------------------------------------
[b]Common Command Console Utilities[/b:6581e4bd42]
Added 8/16/01
WindowsXP comes with quite a few console utilities you can easily run from the command line:
Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
Disk Managment - diskmgmt.msc
Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
Disk Defrag - dfrg.msc
Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc
Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc
Group Policies - gpedit.msc
Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc
Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc
Resultant Set of Policies - rsop.msc
Local Security Settings - secpol.msc
Services - services.msc
Component Services - comexp.msc
[b:6581e4bd42]Automatically Ending Non-Responsive Tasks[/b:6581e4bd42]
-------------------------------------------------
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktopAutoEndTasks
3. Set the value to be 1
4. In the same section, change the WaitToKillAppTimeout to the number of milliseconds you want.
---------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Changing the Internet Explorer Title[/b:6581e4bd42]
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMainWindow Title
3. Enter what you want appear in the title bar
---------------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Changing Visual Effects[/b:6581e4bd42]
Added 8/16/01
To change visual effects such as fade menus, mouse shadow, visual styles on buttons, drop shadows for icons, slide open boxes and buttons etc.:
1. Right click on My Computer
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button
5. From here you have a list of items you can select
----------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Changing System Restore Settings[/b:6581e4bd42]
By default, WindowsXP uses a large amount of hard drive space for storing system restore points.
If this is not necessary, you can change the settings.
1. Go to Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools
2. Run System Restore
3. For each drive or partition, you can click on the Setting button to change how much hard drive space is devoted to each one.
4. There is even the option to turn it off for all drives.
---------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]
Configuring the Firewall[/b:6581e4bd42]
WindowsXP has firewall capabilities built into the operating system.
1. For your network connection to the Internet, select Properties
2. Click on the Advanced tab
3. Check the Internet Connetion Firewall section
4. Click on the Settings button to change the settings
-----------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]Displaying and Configuring the Classic Start Menu[/b:6581e4bd42]
If you prefer the original Start Menu, you can easily switch it back.
1. Right click on the Taksbar
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Start Menu tab
4. Select Classic Start Menu
5. If you click on the Customize button you can choose to display Administrative Tools, Favorites, Run, and expanding many of the sub-menus like the Control Panel.
--------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]
Increasing File System Caching[/b:6581e4bd42]
To increase the amount of memory Windows will locked for I/O operations:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSe ssion ManagerMemory Management
Edit the key IoPageLockLimit
4096 - 32megs of memory or less
8192 - 32+ megs of memory
16384 - 64+ megs of memory
32768 - 128+ megs of memory
65536 - 256+ megs of memory
-------------------------------------------
[b:6581e4bd42]
Enabling NumLock on by Default[/b:6581e4bd42]
To have numlock turned on for each user:
1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelKeyboardInitialKeyboardIndicators
3. Change the value from 0 to 2
4. Turn Numlock on manually
5. Log off and back on again.
6. For all users, make the same change to HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelKeyboardInitialKeyboardIndicators
|