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In this section of WinfoXP you will find useful
Tweaks & Tips for WindowsXP. Here are Tweaks & Tips in alphabetical order
A-M.
A TRUE DOS PROMPT?
Go to RUN > MSCONFIG > BOOT.INI and within the boot options, select safeboot,
then select minimal(alternate shell)
Hit OK and reboot!! By Default XP has this key set to cmd.exe (Its located
here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/ControlSafeBoot)
You will now boot up and be at a functional DOS prompt with access to all
drives and files!!!
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BACK-UP WINDOWS ACTIVATION FOR RE-INSTALL
Circumstances arise where you'll need to reinstall Windows XP on your
machine when no hardware changes have been made. Rather than go through the
reactivation process, create a floppy disk to back up the activation status
file. Once XP has been reinstalled the floppy can be used to restore the
previous activation status.
Create the
Activation Status Floppy Diskette
Navigate to %systemroot%\system32 folder.
Copy the wpa.dbl file to the floppy diskette.
Reinstall
Windows XP
Reinstall XP in the normal manner. After
the install is completed and the XP Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) appears
where you'd normally activate the product, decline to activate and let the
installation complete.
Activate the
XP Reinstallation
Restart the computer and use the F8 key
to bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. Select Minimal Safe Mode using
Up and Down Arrow Keys and press Enter.
Navigate to %systemroot%\system32 folder.
Rename the existing wpa.dbl file to wpa.noact.
Using the floppy diskette, copy the previously backed up wpa.dbl file to the
%systemroot%\system32 folder.
Reboot the computer.
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BYPASS THE RECYCLE BIN WHEN
DELETING FILES.
Right-click on the Recycle Bin and choose "Properties".
On the "Global" tab, check the box that says, "Do not move files to the
Recycle Bin...."
Now, you will never have to empty the recycle bin again....ever.
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CLEAN INSTALL OF WINDOWS XP.
The Preparation
A clean install in Windows XP is a very easy process. Just as there are
certain things that need to be done to complete a successful upgrade, the
same is needed with a
clean install. First, check the requirements for Windows XP. Check the requirements for the appropriate version below.
Windows XP Home Edition System Requirements
Windows XP Professional Edition System Requirements
The next step is to check the Windows XP Hardware Compatibility List
Here
to see if it's supported. It's possible, even likely, that one or more of your items won't
be on the last. That doesn't mean you have to replace them or that they won't work with
XP, but it does mean you should visit the manufacturers site to check for XP drivers. In
some cases the Windows 2000 drivers will work just fine. The point is, make sure you have
the drivers downloaded and saved where they will be available during the XP installation.
Drivers for RAID and SCSI devices fall into this same category. Make sure they are
available at the beginning of the installation process.
Microsoft has made available on their website some excellent documentation regarding
upgrading to Windows XP. I strongly suggest it be read before a final decision is made. A
number of other articles are linked from the one below, including a download location for
the Microsoft Windows Upgrade Advisor. Even though it's a 35MB download, running it will
alert you to any hardware and software problems that may be encountered in your XP
installation.
Description of the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor
Here
If you aren't familiar with the differences between FAT32 and NTFS file systems, now is
the time to rectify that situation. This will be the most important decision you have to
make during the installation process so a bit of knowledge can be very valuable. See the
article linked below.
Description of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
Here.
In my opinion use NTFS for security reasons, and with NTFS you can also use bigger HDD's.
The Installation
There are two methods for installing Windows XP, both requiring the first step
of booting your machine. You're in luck if the box is capable of booting from the CD-ROM
drive since the Windows XP CD's are bootable. If no you'll need a set of Setup Startup Disks
you can find those
Here. Most computers that will be happy running XP
have the capability to boot from the CD. It's probably a red flag if you need the startup
disks, so take one more look at the minimum and recommended requirements for running
Windows XP. If it's still a go, download the file that will create the disk sets for
either the Home Edition or the Professional Edition. Make the disk set, boot the computer
and insert the XP CD to begin the installation.
For Machines that support booting from the CD, the following steps will get you through the
clean install of Windows XP.
Turn on the computer and insert the XP CD.
Watch the monitor for the message that the CD has been auto-detected, followed by the
Press any key to boot CD message. Just hit the spacebar or any other key that's convenient
within the five second time span the message will be displayed.
Files will start to load from the CD to begin the installation. Eventually you'll be asked
if you want to install Windows XP. No need to type an essay here on why you've made the
decision to do the installation. Just hit Enter.
Next is the End User License Agreement or EULA which must be accepted to continue
installation. Press F8 to accept, F3 to bail out now. You can read the EULA if you want,
but it adds two days to the installation time.
The next screen displays the available partitions where XP can be installed. Select the
one you want and tap that Enter key again to move on to the screen where you select a file
system.
It's time for that important decision. FAT32 versus NTFS. The preferred choice is NTFS. It
allows security features and stability that aren't possible with FAT32. Apply the
knowledge you gained during the preparation phase at this point. Make your choice of
formatting options and press the F key to start the process. Once the format process
completes the installation will continue.
If you are installing from a full version Windows XP CD the installation continues without
intervention. If you're using an upgrade version CD this is where Microsoft confirms your
eligibility by requesting the media that allows you to use the upgrade version. Insert
your media in the drive, let the verification complete and reinsert the XP CD when
prompted.
Setup continues and eventually the computer will reboot. Watch the onscreen prompts but do
not press a key when the Press any key to boot CD message appears.
Installation will continue, prompting you from time to time to supply some additional
setup information. Feed the prompts with appropriate responses and eventually another
reboot will occur, this time bringing you back into Windows XP, depositing you at the
Windows Activation screen.
You can either activate your copy of XP now or delay the activation for up to 30 days and
suffer the periodic activation reminders. I suggest you activate now and register at the
same time. It's really painless. In any case, activation is required at some point or
after 30 days you'll be denied access to the desktop. Registration is entirely optional.
The last step is to enter a username and watch the XP desktop appear, ready for use.
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CONVERT FAT32 TO NTFS.
To change from FAT 32 to NTFS for more stability and security, open the command prompt and
type: "Convert C: /FS:NTFS". Make sure there is a space between the C: and the
forward slash (/). Once you press enter it will ask you for confirmation and press Y. Then
press Y and enter once more to reboot. It will take between one hour and 15 minutes to
convert to NTFS. Now you can set passwords for files and use encryption. This also works
for windows XP Home.
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CREATE BACK-UP FOR WINDOWS XP.
Users of XP Home Edition that have tried to back up their systems may have been surprised
to find that the Backup utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP
Home Edition. No Backup icon is present on the Start menu in Windows XP Home Edition, nor
is Backup listed in Add Remove Programs for Windows XP Home edition. No mention of the
utility is made anywhere during the installation, but it is included with Windows XP Home
Edition. It's just necessary to do a manual install to prepare it for use.
To Manually Install the Backup Utility
Insert the CD Rom and navigate to CD-ROM Drive:VALUEADDMSFTNTBACKUP
Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file to start the wizard that installs Backup
When the wizard is complete, click Finish.
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DISABLE THE AUTOMATIC UPDATING OF FILE ACCESS TIME.
Increase the speed of every disk operation as this it will avoid updating access time
every time a transfer occurs. Naturally this only works for NTFS drives.
Go to Start > Run > regedit > Enter Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES/System/CurrentControlSet/Control//FileSystem. Add a new Dword (if
missing) and name it NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate. Set value to 1 to delete this feature.
While we are on the disk monitoring subject item #21 (in the original guide). Win XP like
Win2000 is set to collect physical drive data. Most don't need this as it consumes extra
drive transfer time. To disable the disk performance counters: Go
to->Start->Programs->Command Prompt Now type in: diskperf -n then reboot. Note
there is a space between the "f" and the dash (-).
All this Performance monitoring is mostly done when logged in as Administrator. If one
changed the default login to example a Power User, the monitoring would be lowered
automatically.
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DISABLE REPORTS GENERATED FROM APPLICATIONS THAT CRASH.
Every time an application crashes a report is compiled and then the information is sent to
Microsoft via the internet. This information includes information about your PC's hardware
as well.
Click Start.
Right click My Computer.
Click Properties.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click Error Reporting.
Click Disable error reporting. Keep But notify me when critical errors occur checked.
Click Ok.
Click Ok.
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DISABLE UNNEEDED SERVICES
TO FREE SYSTEM RESOURCES.
Services are programs that run when the computer starts up and continue to run as they aid
the operating system in functionality. There are many services that load and are not
needed which take up memory space and CPU time. Disabling these services will free up
system resources which will speed up your overall computer experience. I recommend that
you sort through the list and read the descriptions to decide if you need that service
depending on what you want to do with your computer. Remember, you can always turn the
service back on if you find that you need it in the future. Below is the procedure to turn
off a service.
Click the start button.
Select run from the bottom of the right column.
Then type services.msc in the box and click ok.
Once the services window has loaded we are ready to turn off unneeded services.
For instructional purposes we are going to turn off the Portable Media Serial Number
service.
Find this service in the list and select it with the mouse.
Right click and select Properties.
Once the properties windows has loaded locate the Start up type drop down box and select
disable.
Then just click ok and the next time the computer starts the service will not be loaded.
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DUAL/MULTIBOOTING WITH WINDOWS XP.
It's only human nature to want more. That seems to apply to this operating system judging
from the amount of interest in dual booting XP with another operating system. Windows 2000
and XP happily co-exist.
If you're curious about Dual/MultiBooting check out the links below from Microsoft.com
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q306559
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/administration/management/mltiboot.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/september10.asp
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q217210
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GET MORE PROCESSING POWER.
In the Run box, type "Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks". This frees up
any idle tasks running in the background so that Windows XP can devote its full attention
to what you want it to do. For example playing graphic intensive games.
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HOW TO DO A REPAIR INSTALLATION.
Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. For more information about how to
do this, please refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer
manufacturer.
Insert your Windows XP compact disc (CD) into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, and then
restart your computer.
(You can also boot with a Windows 98/Me Startup disk with CD support and run WINNT.EXE in
the I386 folder on the CD)
When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your screen,
press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.
When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER:
To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. Do not
select this option.
On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then
press the R key to repair Windows XP.
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.
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LOCK DESKTOP ICONS
"In Windows 95/98/NT/2000/ME/XP you can lock down the position of the Desktop icons
using a couple of files from the MS Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit [5 KB, free, unsupported].
Place Layout.dll in %windir%System (Win95/98/ME) or %systemroot%System32 (WinNT/2000/XP)
and then double-click on Layout.reg.
From now on, whenever you right-click on the "Recycle Bin" or "My
Computer" icons, you can see a new option: "Save [or Restore] Desktop Icon
Layout".
There are several 3rd party tools that also do this, but these files are free and only 14
KB in size."
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LOG ON AS ADMINISTRATOR IN NORMAL MODE.
When you install Windows XP an Administrator Account is created (you are asked to supply
an administrator password), but the "Welcome Screen" does not give you the
option to log on as Administrator unless you boot up in Safe Mode.
First you must ensure that the Administrator Account is enabled:
1 open Control Panel
2 open Administrative Tools
3 open Local Security Policy
4 expand Local Policies
5 click on Security Options
6 ensure that Accounts: Administrator account status is enabled
Then follow the instructions from the "Win2000 Logon Screen Tweak" ie.
1 open Control Panel
2 open User Accounts
3 click Change the way users log on or log off
4 unclick Use the Welcome Screen
5 click Apply Options
You will now be able to log on to Windows XP as Administrator in Normal Mode
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If any Info on my site has helped in any way
Consider a Donation!
Use this information at your own risk. --
WinfoXP.
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