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Boot Options............................................................................................................... 3
Stopping 16-bit Code ................................................................................................... 4
Looking up Lyrics ........................................................................................................ 5
Windows Update Transfer Details................................................................................... 6
Print from Remote Desktop ........................................................................................... 7
Kill the Cache Completely ............................................................................................. 8
Driver Queries and Wasted Space .................................................................................. 9
Removing the Messenger............................................................................................ 10
Built-in Spell Checker................................................................................................. 11
CompactFlash Formatting ........................................................................................... 12
Truly Removing Log Off User....................................................................................... 13
Show Deleted Files .................................................................................................... 14
Funny Little Prank ..................................................................................................... 15
Media Access Control ................................................................................................. 16
Driver Verifier Manager .............................................................................................. 17
True Mobile Processor Speed....................................................................................... 18
System Reporting Tools.............................................................................................. 19
Recovery Console ...................................................................................................... 20
Error Checking Process............................................................................................... 21
Setting up Permissions ............................................................................................... 22
Remove Disk Space Warning....................................................................................... 23
Legacy Parallel Devices .............................................................................................. 24
Built-in Sleep Timer ................................................................................................... 25
Kill the Passport Balloon ............................................................................................. 26
Disable Fast User Switching ........................................................................................ 27
Shell-integrated CD burning ........................................................................................ 28
Extended Digital Photo Data........................................................................................ 29
Going from NTFS to FAT32.......................................................................................... 30
Fixing Flash Problems ................................................................................................ 31
Use the Kodak Imaging Application .............................................................................. 32
Start Menu Shortcuts ................................................................................................. 33
New MSConfig Options ............................................................................................... 34
Advanced Command Line Tools ................................................................................... 35
Managing the Task Manager........................................................................................ 36
Microsoft Common Consoles........................................................................................ 37
Self-extracting Archive Wizard..................................................................................... 38
Tweaking the Time Server .......................................................................................... 39
CMD.EXE Versus COMMAND.COM................................................................................. 40
The New IPCONFIG Tool ............................................................................................. 41
Taskbar Group Size Tweaking...................................................................................... 42
Explorer Thumbnail View Tweaking .............................................................................. 43
Error Reporting Control .............................................................................................. 44
Explorer Digital Album Art .......................................................................................... 45
Kill the Animated Search Character .............................................................................. 46
Prevent a Forgotten Password ..................................................................................... 47
Classic User Menu ..................................................................................................... 48
TweakUI Plus ............................................................................................................ 49
Passive FTP Compatibility ........................................................................................... 50
NTFS Versus FAT32 ................................................................................................... 51
Fear Uncertainty Doubt .............................................................................................. 52
Boot Options
Whenever someone utters the phrase "Safe Mode," my stomach turns. That's usually
the last step in troubleshooting problems with Windows. To get to this menu in any
Windows OS, tap F8 in between the last post code (beep) and the Windows splash
screen. It's been around since Windows 95, although the first time you use it in
Windows XP, you may be faced with a bevy of new options. "Safe Mode" is akin to
the classic routine (using just the bare essentials to get back into Windows); "Safe
Mode with Networking" allows you to connect to any given network, including
(hopefully) the Internet; "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" may not be what
you've been used to (CMD.EXE is used instead of COMMAND.COM); "Enable VGA
Mode" is wonderful when you're having video card problems or troubleshooting a
"new" monitor; "Last Known Good Configuration" is perfect when you JUST messed
something up and want to turn back the clock; "Debugging Mode" is a
troubleshooter's dream come true (you can redirect the output to another computer
via serial cable); "Enable Boot Logging" does what it says; "Starts Windows
Normally" does what it says, too; "Return to OS Choices Menu" brings you to the
boot menu if you have more than one OS installed.
Looking up Lyrics
"Silence fell on the cooling night. I thought I better fake it just to be polite." Lyrics
from one of my all-time favorite songs. Do you have problems remembering the
words to your most treasured tunes? The latest Windows Media Player, oddly
enough, can help. Yeah, that means you have to be running Windows XP (but don't
tune out prematurely). Right-click on a song in your Playlist (or in the Media
Library), open its Properties, flip to the Lyrics tab, then enter (or paste) the words.
Searching Google with the song title and keyword "lyrics" works wonders. Now, to
see the fruits of your labor, start playing the song, then select View | Now Playing
Tools | Lyrics. I know what you're thinking: "I think that [operating system] and
[program name] is a piece of [derogatory remark]." Fine. Winamp will work just as
nicely (and in some ways, better). The best plug-in available at this time can be
found at PURELYRICS.COM. It will query against a database of over 60,000 song
titles and import the lyrics directly into your player. Told ya not to tune out. Tune in!
CompactFlash Formatting
Digital Media (the non-Lockergnome kind) is wonderful when it works. Most people
use it in their digital camera or PDA (as do I). Transferring data from a portable
device to the PC is relatively painless. Lockergnomie Glen Fabian pointed out
something recently posted to COMPACTFLASH.ORG (the CompactFlash Association):
"By default, Windows XP will format any CompactFlash card of 64MB or more with
FAT32 format. Digital cameras and other devices use the FAT (FAT16) format and
can not operate with a FAT32 formatted card. Either format your CompactFlash card
in your camera or select FAT format to format your CompactFlash card in a Windows
XP PC." Even if you don't use CF media or Windows XP, this is something to keep in
mind. And do you need another reason to own a laptop? My Pocket PC is a Walkman
of sorts; I put new MP3s on it every day. However, transferring them via any USB
(1.1) connection is slow as molasses. I picked up a PCMCIA CF adapter for under five
bucks a few weeks ago (they're inexpensive to begin with). Trust me, that will speed
up the process. Visit PCMCIA.ORG for more information.
Recovery Console
We're all used to the way Windows 9x works, but if you're searching for superior
security on the same platform, then Windows 2000 or XP are your only choices. For
the Home (regular) user, XP is perfect. Does it have a Safe Mode, though? Kinda.
Tap F8 immediately before you see the Windows splash screen pop up. What if you
can't get into Windows that way? Time to run the Recovery Console. Insert the
original operating system CD, boot from it, then step through the "blue screen"
wizard until you can tap "R" to shell into the Recovery Console. Here, you must first
enter your Administrator password (if you have one). Now what? Type "HELP" for a
list of possible commands. FIXBOOT writes a new boot sector on the system
partition; FIXMBR repairs the boot partition's master boot code. DISKPART manages
partitions on hard disk volumes (kinda like FDISK); BOOTCFG is used to manipulate
the BOOT.INI for boot configuration and recovery. This may just save you from
having to do a complete reinstall of the OS. Be careful what you do here, though. For
more information, please refer to MSKB Q307654.
Setting up Permissions
When I wanted to stay over at Jimmy's house, I had to ask for permission. When I
wanted to have ice cream after supper, I had to ask for permission. When I wanted
to open and edit my wife's documents, I didn't have to ask for permission. She was
using an unsecure system! Thank goodness for FAT32, eh? We receive countless emails from people asking how they can password-protect their files and folders. The
quickest way to do it is to ZIP up the objects in question, and then place a password
on that archive. That's not the most convenient route, however. If there are multiple
people using one machine, Windows 2000 and XP make protecting your data
infinitely easier. With either on an NTFS hard drive, you can set user-level
permissions. Depress ALT while you double-click a file or folder, flip to the Security
tab, then set how you want to allow your users to interact with the data. Give 'em
full control, the ability to modify, read & execute, read, write, etc. If you're worried
about a young one (or novice) deleting your documents, this will help keep your
bases covered. In Windows 9x, you'd need to find a third-party utility to do the same
thing.
Shell-integrated CD burning
Shell-integrated CD burning is still somewhat flaky in Windows XP (even with the
latest patches installed). You're almost better off using a certified, non-Microsoft tool
to get the job done. A few weeks ago, I couldn't figure out why my operating system
wasn't recognizing a CD component for what it was: a CD-RW drive. Ashley Ellerbeck
told me to check a certain Registry setting: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \
Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ CD Burning \ Drives. Each CD
drive will have its own Volume key. Double-click the "Drive Type" value to change its
properties. CD-Rs should be set to 1; CD-RWs should be set to 2; non-writables
should be set to 3. Even after this setting has been confirmed, I still run into snags
when I'm using XP's CD burning task. Sometimes, even though blank media is
already sitting in the CD drive, Windows will ask me to insert a valid disc. After
ejecting and immediately re-inserting the tray, the wizard will continue through its
routine. Weird.
TweakUI Plus
As humans, most of us were born with certain involuntary habits: breathing,
sleeping, and tweaking. How I survived for twenty some- odd years without TweakUI
is beyond me. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to use it on my C64, so I guess
the point is moot. With Windows XP Professional, some of us won't be satisfied with
Microsoft's latest powertoy revision. Even X-Setup may not give us enough control
(despite its unrivaled power). Where, then, can we turn? To the operating system.
Enter "GPEDIT.MSC" in the Run command field. Now you'll be staring the Group
Policy editor straight in the face. From here, you can perform a myriad of tasks.
Change password policies for yourself and other users, edit user-specific
permissions, control Windows components like Netmeeting, Task Scheduler, and the
Windows Messenger. Heck, you can even change IE's Title Bar from here, too! Click
User Configuration | Windows Settings | Internet Explorer Maintenance | Browser
User Interface | Browser Title. Dude, I'm just scratching the surface here. Check it
out for yourself!