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Windows 2000/XP Tips and Tricks which are for Windows 2000 and XP only.
Backing Up/Restoring Windows Registry
Backing up Windows Registry - This ONLY Applies to Windows XP Home & Pro Editions
How to Back Up Files and Folders
NOTE: You must have permissions as an administrator or a backup operator on your computer to back up files and folders. Also, backup operators and administrators can back up and restore encrypted files and folders without decrypting the files or folders.
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup. The Backup or Restore Wizard starts.
2. Click Advanced Mode.
3. Click the Backup tab.
4. On the Job menu, click New.
5. Select the check boxes for the drives that you want to back up. If you want to be more specific in your selections, expand the drive that you want, and then click the check boxes for the files or folders that you want.
6. Select the System State check box.
NOTE: If you want to back up your system settings as well as your data files, you should back up all the data on your computer plus the System State data, which includes such things as the registry, the COM+ class registration database, files under Windows File Protection, and boot files.
7. In the Backup destination list, click the backup destination that you want to use.
8. If you clicked File in the previous step, type the full path and file name that you want in the Backup media or file name box. Note that you can also specify a network share as a destination for the backup file.
9. Click Start Backup. The Backup Job Information dialog box appears.
10. Under If the media already contains backups, use one of the following steps:
If you want to append this backup to previous backups, click Append this backup to the media.
If you want to overwrite previous backups with this backup, click Replace the data on the media with this backup.
11. Click Advanced.
12. Select the Verify data after backup check box.
13. In the Backup Type box, click the type of backup that you want. When you click a backup type, a description of that backup type is displayed under "Description."
14. Click OK, and then click Start Backup. A Backup Progress dialog box appears, and the backup starts.
15. When the backup is complete, click Close.
How to Restore Files and Folders and registry(system state)
NOTE: You must have permissions as an administrator or a backup operator on your computer to restore files and folders. Also, backup operators and administrators can back up and restore encrypted files and folders without decrypting the files or folders.
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup. The Backup or Restore Wizard starts.
2. Click Advanced Mode.
3. Click the Restore and Manage Media tab.
4. Use one of the following steps:
-If you want to restore from a backup file, expand File, and then expand the backup file that you want. For example, expand Backup.bkf created 01/01/2002 at 1:15 PM. Backup includes the date and time of the backup as part of the file name by default.
-If you want to restore from a tape backup, expand the tape device that you want (for example, Travan), and then expand the media name that you want. For example, expand Media created 01/01/2002 1:15 PM.
5. Select the check boxes for the folders that you want to restore. If you want to be more specific in your selections, double-click the folder that you want, and then select the check boxes for the files or folders that you want to restore.
If you are restoring the entire operating system, select the System State check box.
NOTE: If you want to restore the operating system as well as your data files, you must restore the System State data, which includes such things as the registry, the COM+ class registration database, files under Windows File Protection, and boot files.IMPORTANT: Make sure your current Windows installation has the same service pack level as your operating system backup before you restore a full backup. For example, if you restore a full backup that includes Service Pack 1 (SP1), make sure SP1 is installed for your current Windows installation. Otherwise you may get the following error; STOP Error Occurs When You Restore Backup Windows XP SP1 Files
6. In the Restore files to box, use one of the following steps:
7. Click Original location if you want to restore the files to the location from which you backed them up. Use this selection when you restore the entire computer.
8. Click Alternate location if you want to restore a file or files to another location on the hard disk. Type the location that you want in the Alternate location box. Use this selection to prevent the restore operation from overwriting existing files on your computer.
Click Single folder if you want to restore a file or files to a single folder on the hard disk. Type the location that you want in the Alternate location box. Use this selection to separate the restored files or folders from the rest of the files on the hard disk.
9. On the Tools menu, click Options.
10. Click the method that you want Backup to use when it restores a file that is already on the computer, and then click OK. Backup uses this selection to determine whether to overwrite an existing file only when it restores a file in a folder that contains the existing file.
NOTE: If you are restoring the operating system, click Always replace the file on my computer.
11. Click Start Restore.
If the following message appears, click OK if you want to restore the System State information with the selected backup:
Warning
Restoring System State will always overwrite current System State unless restoring to an alternate location.
In the Confirm Restore prompt that appears, click OK. A Restore Progress dialog box appears, and the restore operation starts.
12. When the restore process is complete, click Close. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.
Backing Up / Restoring Windows Registry
Backing Up Windows Registy - This applies ONLY to Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server.
To Back Up the System State (Including Registry Settings)
1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.
2. Click the Backup tab. On the Job menu, click New to create a new job.
3. Click to select the System State check box. This selection backs up the System State data, along with any other data that you select.
4. Specify the destination for the new job. Click File if you want to back up files and folders to a file (if no tape device is installed, this is selected by default). Click a tape device if you want to back up to tape.
5. If you are backing up to a file, specify a file name and folder in the Backup media or file name box. If you are backing up to tape, click the tape that you want to use.
6. Click Start Backup.
NOTE: Review the settings in the Backup Job Information dialog box. Determine whether this backup should replace the information that is already present on the destination media, or add to the existing information. If you want to use a different label for the media, type the new label. Click Start Backup to start the backup operation.
To Restore the System State Data (Including Registry Information)
1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.
2. Click the Restore tab to display the available media sets.
3. Click the media that you want to restore, and then click to select the System State check box. This restores the System State data (including the registry settings) along with any other information that you specify.
4. Select the restore location. If you clicked Alternate location or Single folder, type the path to the appropriate restore location.
If you do not designate an alternate location for the restored data, the restore operation erases the current System State data and replaces it with the information that you are restoring.
5. Click Start Restore, and then click OK to confirm the restore operation. Click OK to start the restore operation.
It is also a good idea to install and have installed the "Recovery Console" which is on the Installation CD to install this you do the following;
1. Insert your Windows 2000 Installation CD into the drive
2. START > RUN and type in
3. <drive letter>:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons
4. On restart you will now see a second option called "recovery console" which in the case of Win2K crashing can get you into the system.
where drive letter is the letter of your CD-Rom
Manually Configure Win XP Firewall,Windows XP Home & Pro.
This information applies to Windows XP, home and professional editions built-in Internet Connection Firewall (ICF)
To manually open a port:
1. Click Start, and then click My Network Places.
2.Under Network Tasks, click View Network Connections. (Or, you can right-click My Network Places on the desktop, and then click Properties.)
3.Right-click the connection that you use for the Internet, and then click Properties.
Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings.
NOTE: If the Settings button is unavailable, ICF is not enabled on this connection and you do not have to open any ports
(they are all already open).
Click Add to open a new port.
1. In the Description box, type a friendly name. For example, type File Sharing : Port 445.
2. In the Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network box, type 127.0.0.1.
NOTE: You can specify the IP address of an internal computer; however, in most cases, you use 127.0.0.1.
In the External port and Internal port boxes, type the port number. In most cases, this number is the same.
Click either TCP or UDP, and then click OK.
Repeat this process for each port to be opened.
Enable or Disable Win XP Firewall, Windows XP Home and Pro.
To Enable or Disable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF)
1. In Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
2. Right-click the connection on which you would like to disable ICF, and then click Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, click the box to clear the option to Protect my computer or network to disable or mark the box to enable.
Start Menu Scrolling, Windows XP.
If you have many different programs and program groups installed
and you click Start, Programs, the list of applications might take up a
large part of the screen or not all fit on screen. To configure the
desktop to display the available programs in one column with a
navigation bar that lets you scroll through the list, perform the
following steps:
1. Right-click the Start button, then select Properties from the displayed context menu.
2. Click the Customize button.
3. If you're using XP's Classic Start menu, select the Scroll Programs check box
under "Advanced Start menu options". If you're not using XP's Classic Start menu, select
the Advanced tab, select Scroll Programs under "Start menu items".
4. Click OK to close all dialog boxes.
Comments Text - Disabling / Enabling, Windows XP.
This post requires registry entry changes, backup registry before doing changes
XP adds the "Comments?" text to all dialog boxes. When you click Comments?, the system opens a
dialog box that lets you communicate with Microsoft. However, this text can be distracting and, in
some cases, causes problems with the minimize, maximize, and shutdown buttons.
You can remove the Comments? link or change its text.
Perform the following steps:
1. Start regedit.exe.
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.
3. Set LameButtonEnabled to 0 to disable the text (8--enabled--is the default).
Or,
if you don't want to disable the text, leave LameButtonEnabled set to 8 and set LameButtonText to the
string you want the system to display.
4. Close regedit.
5. Log off, and then log back on for the change to take effect.
Notification Area Icons, Windows XP.
XP lets you configure which notification icons appear on screen and whether XP hides an icon when its process is idle.
To configure the display notification settings, perform the following steps:
1. Right-click the taskbar and select Properties from the context menu.
2. Select the "Hide inactive icons" check box.
3. Click the Customize button.
4. Select the appropriate display behavior (i.e., "Hide when inactive," "Always hide," "Always show") for the icon you want to modify.
5. Repeat Step 4 for each icon whose behavior you want to modify, then click OK to close all dialog boxes.
Recover a deleted dynamic Fat32 or NTFS Volume, 2000/XP.
Note: this is advanced and not really for the person who is unfamilar with the programs mentioned here to do easily but if they follow the steps carefully, then should be able to do this.
When you delete a dynamic volume, the OS erases the volume's file-system boot sector (sector 0) and removes the volume entry from the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Disk Management snap-in private region database. However, as part of this process, the OS leaves the
rest of the drive intact, including the data. Both FAT32 and NTFS store a backup copy of the boot sector. You can copy this boot sector
back to sector 0 and restore the volume as long as you know the original volume size.
To recover an NTFS volume, perform the following steps:
. Open the Disk Management snap-in (go to Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Computer Management, and select Storage).
2. Recreate the original volume by right-clicking the unpartitioned space and selecting New Partition from the context menu; specify the
exact size of the original volume in the process, but don't format the volume (you must know the original volume size to recreate the volume
because the Disk Management snap-in rounds partition sizes).
3. Use dskprobe.exe to recover the backup boot sector for the NTFS volume from the end of the deleted dynamic volume (because you're
restoring a dynamic volume, you might need to use dmdiag.exe to find the backup boot sector). See the Microsoft article Recovering NTFS boot sector on NTFS partitions
<http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?id=kb;en-us;q153973>
for an explanation of how to copy the boot sector.
4. After you rewrite the NTFS boot sector, quit Dskprobe.
5. Go to the MMC Computer Management console Action menu and click Rescan Disks to mount the volume for immediate use.
To recover a FAT32 volume, perform the following steps:
1. Open the Disk Management snap-in (go to Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Computer Management, and select Storage).
2. Recreate the original volume by right-clicking the unpartitioned space and selecting New Partition from the context menu; specify the
exact size of the original volume in the process, but don't format the volume (you must know the original volume size to recreate the volume
because the Disk Management snap-in rounds partition sizes).
3. Use dskprobe.exe to recover the backup boot sector for the deleted dynamic FAT32 volume from sector 6 of the logical volume and
write it to sector 0 of the logical volume. Chkdsk Does Not Use Backup Boot Sector to Fix Corrupted FAT32 Boot Sector
<http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?id=kb;en-us;q247575>
for an explanation of how to copy the boot sector.
4. After you rewrite the FAT32 boot sector, quit Dskprobe.
5. Go to the Computer Management console Action menu and click Rescan Disks to mount the volume for immediate use.
FilmStrip View for Folders, Windows XP.
XP includes a new type of view for folders that contain graphics files (e.g., .gif, .jpeg, .tif). This Filmstrip view displays a large version of the selected picture in the top right-hand pane of Windows Explorer and a smaller version of all pictures in the folder in the bottom right-hand pane. To activate this view, you must configure the folder as either a Pictures type or Photo Album type by performing the following steps:
1. Right-click the folder and select Properties from the context menu.
2. Select the Customize tab.
3. Under "Use this folder type as a template", select either Photo Album or Pictures and click OK.
4. From the Windows Explorer View menu, select Filmstrip to view the pictures from within the selected folder.
Netmeeting Installed by default, Windows XP.
NetMeeting is a standard XP component that's hidden until initial configuration. NetMeeting lets you participate in virtual meetings, work in shared applications, share data over the Internet or an intranet, and share live video with others in faraway places.
To enable NetMeeting, perform the following steps:
1. Go to the Start menu and select Run.
2. Type
Conf
and click OK.
3. After the NetMeeting configuration wizard starts, click Next.
4. Enter your personal details and click Next.
5. Select listing directory options and click Next.
6. Select your connection media and click Next.
7. Configure the shortcut options to your liking and click Next.
8. Click Next to configure volume options and click Next again to confirm that the microphone works.
9. Click Finish.
[b]To begin a NetMeeting session, start NetMeeting (e.g., run conf.exe again to start the application or select the appropriate shortcut from the Start menu or desktop), click the Phone button, and enter the IP address of the machine you want to communicate with.
Add/Remove from Start Menu, Windows XP.
This involves some registry entry changes - backup windows registry before making changes
If you use the new style (as opposed to the classic style) XP Start menu, the most commonly used programs automatically appear in a list
at the top of the Start menu. If you want to remove a program from this list, simply right-click the program name and select "Remove from
this list" from the context menu. XP will remove the program and replace it with another program. If you continue to repeatedly use the
program you've removed, XP will eventually add the program name back to the Start menu list.
prevent a program from reappearing on the list, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileAssociation subkey.
3. Double-click AddRemoveApps.
4. At the end of the "Value data" field, add the name of one or more executables that you want XP to stop adding to the Start menu
list, separating each name with a semicolon ( ; ), then click OK. For example, if the current value is
SETUP.EXE;INSTALL.EXE;ISUNINST.EXE;UNWISE.EXE
and you want to add Microsoft Word to the list, the new value would be
SETUP.EXE;INSTALL.EXE;ISUNINST.EXE;UNWISE.EXE;WINWORD.EXE
5. Close the registry editor.
6. Log off and log on for the change to take effect
To unlink Outlook2002 and MSN Messenger, Windows 2000 / XP.
By default, Outlook 2002 and MSN Messenger are linked. If both applications are running and you attempt to close MSN Messenger, the
following error will appear on screen:
"There are other applications currently using features provided by Windows Messenger. You must close these other applications before you
can exit Windows Messenger. These applications may include Outlook, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, and Internet Explorer."
To remove the link between Outlook 2002 and MSN Messenger, perform the following steps:
1. Start Outlook.
2. From the Tools menu, select Options.
3. Select the Other tab.
4. Clear the "Enable Instant Messaging in Microsoft Outlook" check box in the Instant Messaging section, then click OK.
5. Close and restart Outlook for the change to take effect.
Links Feature - Internet Explorer, Windows 2000 / XP.
IE contains a Links toolbar that provides links to Internet shortcuts that you store in the Links folder under the Favorites menu. By placing your favorite folders and shortcuts in the Links folder rather than storing them in the root Favorites menu, you can gain faster access to those items.
To enable IE's Links toolbar, go to the View menu, select Toolbars, and select Links. You can then drag the Links toolbar into place so that it appears as a separate bar under the Address bar.
In Windows XP, you can also display the Links content on the taskbar by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting Links from the Toolbars menu. You can then either expand the Links section of the taskbar to see your links or you can just display the word "Links" in the taskbar and click that text to see a list of your links.
Accessing Hard Drives larger than 137GB, windows XP.
This involves editing the Windows Registry - Create a backup before attempting
XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) adds support for 48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA) for ATAPI drives, which lets the OS access hard disks larger than 137GB (the current limit). For this change to work, you must have
- a 48-bit LBA-compatible BIOS
- a hard disk with a capacity greater than 137GB
- XP SP1
To enable 48-bit support, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Parameters registry subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name EnableBigLba, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, set it to 1, then click OK.
6. Reboot the machine for the changes to take effect.
IE Modify start and search pages, Windows 2000 / XP.
Involves editing of the Windows Registry - Create a backup first before attempting changes
To modify the default start and search pages that IE uses, you can do the following;
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main registry subkey.
3. Review the settings for the Search Bar, Search Page, and Start Page.
4. If any of the values indicate adult-based URLs, you can either delete the value, which causes IE to use the default setting, or
modify these values to point to more-acceptable URLs.
5. Close the registry editor.
Prevent a thumbnail cache, windows XP.
This involves editing the Windows Registy - create a backup before attempting
XP keeps a thumbnail cache of images on your machine. However, if these images change frequently, the OS might not always update the cache file, and thus display the wrong thumbnail. For the same reason, you might simply want to prevent the OS from creating the cache file (i.e., thumbs.db) altogether. To stop the OS from maintaining the cache file, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced registry subkey.
3. Double-click the DisableThumbnailCache value or create this value of type DWORD if it doesn't exist.
4. Set the value to 1, then click OK.
5. Close the registry editor.
6. Log off and log on for the change to take effect.
ShortCut Key List, windows 2000. ShortCut Key List, Windows XP.
CTRL+C Copy.
CTRL+X Cut.
CTRL+V Paste.
CTRL+Z Undo.
DELETE Delete.
SHIFT+DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin.
CTRL while dragging an item Copy selected item.
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item Create shortcut to selected item.
F2 Rename selected item.
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word.
CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph.
CTRL+UP ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Highlight a block of text.
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document.
CTRL+A Select all.
F3 Search for a file or folder.
CTRL+O Open an item.
ALT+ENTER View properties for the selected item.
ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program.
CTRL+F4 Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously.
ALT+TAB Switch between open items.
ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order they were opened.
F6 Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop.
F4 Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
SHIFT+F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
ALT+SPACEBAR Display the System menu for the active window.
CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu.
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name Display the corresponding menu.
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu Carry out the corresponding command.
F10 Activate the menu bar in the active program.
RIGHT ARROW Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.
LEFT ARROW Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.
F5 Refresh the active window.
BACKSPACE View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
ESC Cancel the current task.
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.
Natural Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows Logo - Display or hide the Start menu.
Windows Logo +BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box.
Windows Logo +M Minimize or restore all windows.
Windows Logo +E Open My Computer.
Windows Logo +F Search for a file or folder.
CTRL+ Windows Logo +F Search for computers.
Windows Logo +F1 Display Windows 2000 Help.
Windows Logo +R Open the Run dialog box.
Windows Logo +TAB Switch between open items.
Menu Logo - Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
Windows Logo +U Open Utility Manager
ShortCut Key List, Windows XP.
General Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+C (Copy)
CTRL+X (Cut)
CTRL+V (Paste)
CTRL+Z (Undo)
DELETE (Delete)
SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
CTRL+A (Select all)
F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
F5 key (Update the active window)
BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
ESC (Cancel the current task)
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
TAB (Move forward through the options)
SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
F1 key (Display Help)
F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts
Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)
Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts
Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)
Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
END (Display the bottom of the active window)
HOME (Display the top of the active window)
NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)
Shortcut Keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)
LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)
UP ARROW (Move up one row)
DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
END (Move to the end of the line)
CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
CTRL+N (Open a new console)
CTRL+S (Save the open console)
CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
CTRL+W (Open a new window)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
ALT+F4 (Close the console)
ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
ALT+V (Display the View menu)
ALT+F (Display the File menu)
ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)
MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)
F2 key (Rename the selected item)
CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)
Remote Desktop Connection Navigation
CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
Microsoft Internet Explorer Navigation
CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)
CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
CTRL+W (Close the current window)
Hide/Display Clock in Notification Area, Windows XP.
Requires editing of Windows Registry - Backup windows registry before attempting
To stop XP from displaying the time on the desktop in the notification area, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer registry subkey to hide the time for the current user
or to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer registry subkey to hide the time for all users.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name HideClock, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, set it to 1, then click OK.
6. Close the registry editor.
7. Log off or restart the machine for the change to take effect.
Hide Notification Area, Windows XP.
Requires editing of Windows Registry - Backup Registry before attempting
To hide the notification area, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer registry subkey to hide the notification area for the current user,
or navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer registry subkey to hide the notification area for all users.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value.
4. Enter the name NoTrayItemsDisplay, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, set it to 1, then click OK.
6. Close the registry editor and log off or restart the computer for the change to take effect.
Auto Re-Open folders that were open, windows xp.
Requires editing of the Windows Registry - Create a backup of registry before attempting
You can automatically configure to reopen any folders that were open before you shut down the computer.
To automatically reopen these folders, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced registry subkey.
3. Double-click the PersistBrowsers value, or create this value of type DWORD if it doesn't exist.
4. Set the value data to 1 to automatically reopen folders or set the value data to 0 to not automatically reopen folders, then click OK.
5. Close the registry editor.
Windows Messenger message, Windows XP.
Requires editing of Windows Registry - Backup Windows Registry first
When you start a new Windows Messenger session, the warning "Never give out your password or credit card number in an instant message conversation" appears in the top of the window by default.
To modify this message text, perform the following steps:
1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MessengerService\Policies registry subkey.
3. From the Edit menu, select New, String Value.
4. Enter the name IMWarning, then press Enter.
5. Double-click the new value, enter a new string of text that you want to appear in place of the warning message, then click OK.
6. Close the registry editor.
The change takes effect immediately.
File System Search - All File Types, windows xp.
To search all file types,(by default not all file types are searched) you can perform the following steps (be aware that searching on all file types can slow the search):
1. Open the search interface (go to Start, then click Search).
2. Select the "Change preferences" option.
3. Select the "With Indexing Service (for faster local searches)" option.
4. Click the "Change Index Service settings (Advanced)" button. A new application will start and show the System catalog.
5. Click the Show/Hide Console Tree button on the toolbar (the third button from the left) to enable the console tree-view.
6. Right-click the root of the console (e.g., "Indexing Service on Local Machine"), then select Properties from the context menu.
7. Select the Generation tab.
8. Select the "Index files with unknown extensions" option.
9. Click OK.
10. Close the Indexing Service application.
Viewing Favourites, Windows XP.
To view favourites in Start Menu in Windows XP.
1. Right click start button
2. properties
3. Classic Start menu (well I do anyway)
4. Customize
5. Display Favorites
Volume Control Icon disappeared Windows XP
To display the Icon: XP only.
To display the volume icon in the taskbar notification area, you
must select the "Place volume icon in the taskbar" check box in
Control Panel Sounds and Audio Devices applet.
If you get the following error;
Windows cannot display the volume control on the taskbar because the
Volume Control program has not been installed. To install it, use
Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
You need to copy the sndvol32.exe image from your commercial XP
installation media (not a vendor-supplied "recovery" CD-ROM) to the system32 folder
To copy from the Installation CD:
1. Start a command session.
2. Navigate to the CD-ROM drive by typing
<cd drive>:
3. Navigate to the i386 folder by typing
cd i386
4. Expand the sndvol32.ex_ file by typing
expand -r sndvol32.ex_ %systemroot%\system32
------------------------
This will then copy that necessary file into the System32 folder.
Windows Messenger - Stopping it starting Windows XP
Some of this requires editing of Windows Registry - Backup Registry before attempting:
Preventing Windows Messenger from starting up in Windows XP
When you install Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), Windows adds a new feature that is named "Set Program Access and Defaults" to the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. You can use this feature to remove Windows Messenger from the Start menu, the desktop, and other locations
Windows Messenger 4.0 or Later on a Windows XP Professional-Based Computer
1. Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then press ENTER.
2. Double-click the following items to expand them:
-Local Computer Policy
-Computer Configuration
-Administrative Templates
-Windows Components
-Windows Messenger
3. Double-click Do not allow Windows Messenger to run, and then click Enabled.
4. Click OK, and then quit the Group Policy snap-in.
NOTE 1: Group Policy Editor (Gpedit.msc) is not available on Windows XP Home Edition-based computers.
NOTE 2: This method also prevents programs that use the Messenger Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) from using Windows Messenger. Microsoft Outlook 2002, Microsoft Outlook Express 6, and the Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP are examples of programs that use these APIs and that depend on Windows Messenger.
Windows Messenger 4.0 on a Windows XP Home Edition-Based Computer
1. Start Windows Messenger.
2. Click Options on the Tools menu.
3. Click the Preferences tab, click to clear the Run this program when Windows starts check box, and then click OK.
NOTE: This procedure does not prevent users from manually running Windows Messenger, but it does prevent Windows Messenger from running automatically each time that you start Windows. If you use Outlook Express or Outlook XP, Windows Messenger may start automatically each time you run Outlook Express or Outlook. To prevent Windows Messenger from signing in when you run Outlook Express:
In Outlook Express:
1. Click Options on the Tools menu.
2. On the General tab, click to clear the Automatically log on to Windows Messenger check box.
3. Click OK.
To prevent Windows Messenger from signing in when you run Outlook:
1. In Outlook, click Options on the Tools menu.
2. On the Other tab, click to clear the Enable Instant Messaging in Microsoft Outlook check box.
3. Click OK.
Windows Messenger 4.5 or Later on Windows XP Home Edition-Based or Windows XP Professional-Based Computers
1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft
3.On the Edit menu, point to New, click Key, and then type Messenger for the name of the new registry key.
4. Locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger
5. On the Edit menu, point to New, click Key, and then type Client for the name of the new registry key.
6. Locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Messenger\Client
7. On the Edit menu, point to New, click DWORD Value, and then type PreventRun for the name of the new DWORD value.
8. Right-click the PreventRun value that you created, click Modify, type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
9. Quit Registry Editor.
NOTE: This method also prevents programs that use the Messenger Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) from using Windows Messenger. Outlook 2002, Outlook Express 6, and the Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP are examples of programs that use these APIs and that depend on Windows Messenger.
Modifying visual settings windows xp
If you have only 128 MB RAM, your machine might be a bit sluggish after installing Windows XP. So to achieve optimal performance without buying additional RAM, disable certain visual settings and free up some precious memory. Go to the Control Panel > system > Advanced, and click on the Settings button under Performance. Change various graphical effects, and ensure that the animation and shadow options are unchecked, as they tend to consume a lot of memory. You should get a better response from your operating system, without spending any money on RAM even if you upgrade on ram you can still try this tip out .
Increasing connection speed windows xp
Some of us may find that after installing Windows XP, the Internet connection gets slower. A possible reason for this is the QoS (Quality of Service) installed. This service reserves 20 per cent of the bandwidth for itself, even with QoS disabled. In order to remove this reserved quota, you will have to make sure you are logged on as Administrator. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc. Expand the 'local computer policy' branch, the 'administrative templates' branch, and the 'network' branch. Highlight the 'QoS Packet Scheduler' in the left window. In the right window, double-click the 'limit reservable bandwidth' setting. Then, on the Setting tab, check 'enabled', and change the 'Bandwidth limit %' to read 0. After doing this, you should immediately notice a boost in your Internet connection speed.
Speeding up network browsing windows xp
This involves editing of Windows Registry - Backup Registry first
A bug in Windows 2000, causes the scheduled tasks folder to be searched, whenever the user browses network drives. While Microsoft has developed a fix for this bug, the fix slows down the browsing of Microsoft networks. In order to fix this problem,
go to Start > Run,
type in regedit and press [Enter].
Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace.
Then find a key named {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}.
Right-click on it and delete it.
Restart the computer.
Now you will be able to browse the network a lot faster
Disabling error reporting windows xp
Windows XP, like Windows 2000, provides a report of errors that are generated during a session. In order to disable it, right-click on the My Computer icon, go to Properties, and click on the Advanced tab. At the bottom of this tab, you will find the 'Error reporting' option. Click it and you will get an option to enable or disable it. Click Disable and you are done.
Renaming multiple files windows xp
In Windows XP, you can easily rename multiple files at a single go and save a lot of time. Click Start and click My Pictures or the folder where you have saved the pictures. Switch the view from the default Filmstrip to Thumbnails by clicking the Views button on the toolbar. Select all the pictures you want to rename, right click the first picture, and then click Rename. Rename the first picture, and then click in the white space next to one of the pictures. The pictures are renamed all at once! For example, if you select 10 JPEG pictures, and name them XYZ, the files will be named: XYZ.JPG, XYZ (1).JPG, XYZ (2).JPG, and so on to XYZ (9).JPG.
Disable list of start up programs windows xp
To disable the list of start up programs go to User configuration>Administrative templates>Logon and enable 'Do not process the run once list'. this prevents the programs from starting up automatically, thus giving you a faster boot up time
Grouping Or Ungrouping Taskbar Items Windows xp
Editing of Windows Registry is required for some of this - backup registry first
Try opening more than three windows of any program, such as internet explorer, and you will see them automatically grouped together under a single button.
This happens because Windows XP, by default, enables the option of grouping similar programs .
To uncheck this option, right click on the blank area of the taskbar and select properties. Under Properties, unselect 'Group Similar Taskbar buttons', and then click OK.
If you want to change the number of windows that can be opened, without grouping, you will have to change a registry entry.
go to
Start>Run and type regedit, press enter.
navigate the key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Ccurrentversion\Explorer\Advanced\Taskbar groupsize.
Right click on 'taskbar Groupsize', and change the hexadecimal value to whatever you like --- for example,4,5, or even 10.
Windows XP will now group the programs according to the number you set
Close Registry Editor
Speedup The Start Menu Windows xp
Editing of Windows Registry is involved - backup Windows Registry first
The start menu takes quite a while to display the list of programs. In order to get Windows XP to display the list faster, you will have to edit some registry settings. Remember to backup your registry before you make any changes.
To speedup your start menu,
go to Start>Run and type regedit. This will open the registry window.
Then navigate the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROLPANEL\DESKTOP.
Scroll down in the right panel and double click on 'menushowdelay'.
In the value data box, change the default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1 or even 0. click OK. You should now find significant increase in the start menu speed.
Clearing Document list Windows xp
The start menu in windows xp, is extremely customisable. if you want the start menu to display only certain applications,
right click in an empty section of the start menu's left column and select Properties>Start Menu>Customise.. Then go to the general tab, click on clear list and set the counter to zero. no one can keep track of the programs or applications you've recently used.
clearing document list, all versions.
Involves editing Windows Registry - Backup Registry before attempting.
This setting can be used to remove the recent Documents folder from the Start Menu.
Normally when you open or access a document or file it is added to the list of recent documents on the Start Menu. This tweak will stop files from being added to the list.
To do this;
1.Open the registry editor
2. Look for the following registry keys;
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
3.Look for a DWORD called NoRecentDocsMenu (Note the capital letters they ARE important) if it does not exist create it by right clicking and choosing NEW > DWORD
4.Set the Value to 0 (zero) to disable or 1 to enable
5.Close registry editor
6.Restart for changes to take effect
Internet Explorer Speed it up, kick it in the rear.
This fixes a BUG in MS Windows OSes that scan shared (remote) folders/files across the network for Scheduled Tasks, and can add a delay as long as 30 seconds (!), because it uses extra time to search the remote computer(s).
To do this, run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace -> In the right hand pane highlight the {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} Value and delete it: right-click on it -> select Delete -> click OK.
If you have Cable, DSL or other Broadband service; this will dramatically increase the speed in which Explorer loads a page.
To Capture a MIDI you hear playing on a website
Have you ever wanted to grab a MIDI (a song) you heard playing on a website but there was no way to do it?
Open your Internet Explorer browser
Click on Tools > Internet Options
Under "General" tab you will see "Settings" Click on Settings, then
Make sure that "Automatically" is checked
Click on "View Files"
All your temporary internet files will be listed.
Scroll down and find the MIDI SEQUENCE you heard
Right-click on the MIDI file and choose "Copy"
Then copy it to your Wavs and Midis file or wherever it is you save your MIDIS.
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