XP Game Compatibility

You want to know if all your favorite games are still going to run under Windows XP. Remember what happened when we tried to run games on our Windows 2000 machines? Sometimes we were a little disappointed. Windows 2000 was made more for corporate applications than "Quake," but true techno-geeks know they don't have to sacrifice death matches for a robust business environment -- at least not anymore.

Windows XP has shown an impressive track record of game compatibility. We ran a number of standard games, such as "Tiger Woods Golf," "NHL 2001," "Max Payne," and "Unreal" on our Windows XP Professional machine. Some of these games were specifically slated for Windows 95 and 98, and were shown not to work in Windows 2000. The installation in XP was as smooth as silk. The games ran quickly and beautifully -- not a problem in sight (except for my bad chip shot -- Tiger was hanging his head in shame).

Some less-sophisticated programs may not run as smoothly, and we found that some older applications, such as the Atari 2600 Classic Game Collection, did not appreciate the Windows XP environment. In this case you can use the Application Compatibility Wizard, found in the accessories menu. XP includes integrated compatibility layers to mimic older versions of Windows, so if your program does not work in Windows XP, the compatibility wizard will walk you through the process of getting even your favorite DOS games up and running. In this case, we ran the Atari Classic Game Collection in the Windows 95 environment, at 256 colors and 640x480 screen resolution. Then we set XP to always run our Atari application in this environment, and everything was smooth sailing after that.

One final tip about compatibility: Don't run the compatibility wizard if your program appears to be running well in the normal environment, as the wizard will give you an error message. In general, XP has great program compatibility, so you can upgrade your operating system without giving up all your old favorites.

Everything You Ever Needed to know about Microsoft Passport

Whether you know it or not, if you've ever signed up for a Hotmail account, you have a Passport account, too. And that's a good thing, because if you want to access Microsoft's Web support site these days, you must enter a Passport ID and a password. So what gives? What is this thing called Passport?

Microsoft Passport is an online identification system that assigns a unique ID to individual Web surfers. Once you sign up for Passport, Microsoft provides access to a variety of its own services, including the new Windows Messenger chat program in Windows XP. And, thanks to a lot of crafty business development work from Microsoft, you can also use Passport to sign in to dozens of non-Microsoft sites, including Starbucks.com and Costco Online.

Microsoft intends to make Passport the undisputed ID system for the Internet, and its ambitious plan has consumer watchdogs, privacy advocates, and Microsoft's competitors up in arms. We'll tell you what all the controversy is about and whether you really need a Passport.

What is Passport?
Passport is Microsoft's online authentication service. Once you have a Passport account, you can use your e-mail address and password to log in to and shop a variety of Web sites and services. Many in-house Microsoft sites (such as tech support) and services (such as Windows Messenger in Windows XP) require a Passport account or will soon, along with a growing number of non-Microsoft sites, including OfficeMax.com and Victoria's Secret.

Passport is a part of Microsoft's .Net initiative, an ambitious plan to deliver software and services to businesses and consumers via the Web. Ultimately, Microsoft wants to turn Passport into the premiere authentication system for the Internet, but the company expects plenty of competition in the near future.

Passport comes in two flavors: sign-in and wallet. You need a sign-in account to use Microsoft's consumer services, including free e-mailer Hotmail, MSN Internet Access, and Windows Messenger. If you have a Hotmail or MSN account, you already have Passport: simply use your Hotmail or MSN address and password at sites that require a Passport sign-in.

The Passport wallet service lets you buy services and products online without having to reenter billing and payment information at every participating site; it's similar to Amazon.com's one-click shopping. Currently, however, only a limited number of non-Microsoft Web sites use the Passport sign-in and wallet. To date, Microsoft hasn't announced any plans to increase the number of sites.

How do I get Passport, and what am I in for?
When you create a Passport account, you're allowing Microsoft to maintain your online identity. Although that sounds vaguely Orwellian, it's really not as intrusive as you might think--especially if you skip the wallet option. To sign on at the official Passport site, for example, simply enter an e-mail address and a password. You don't have to provide your name, address, or any other personal information.

If you want both a Passport and an e-mail account, sign up for Hotmail, Microsoft's free e-mail service. You'll need to surrender a few extra personal details, here, including a sign-in name, password, zip code, e-mail address, country of residence, region or city, and a secret question and answer (in case you forget your password and need to recover it). Once your Hotmail account is active, your e-mail address and password will get you into Passport-enabled sites.

A Passport wallet account requires the most information, including purchasing information (for example, credit card numbers and billing addresses). Often referred to as e-wallets, online ID services such as the Passport wallet offer online shoppers many conveniences. For instance, you won't have to reenter billing and payment information every time you make a purchase online. Microsoft isn't the only player in the fledgling online ID market. Both VeriSign and Liberty Alliance, the latter is an industry consortium led by Sun Microsystems, are developing competing authentication systems.

Can I use Passport on my site?
As you may have heard, Microsoft has also made Passport available to Web developers, so if any Webmaster wants his or her site to have a built-in ID system, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. To put Passport on your site, you must install Passport Manager software on your Web server. For more information on how to Passport-enable your site, check out this Business Services page. One of the benefits of online authentication systems such as Passport is that they save Net businesses from the expense and hassle of creating their own ID schemes. Currently, Microsoft is waiving licensing fees for businesses, though it plans to charge a "nominal" annual fee in the future.

What is .Net, and how is Passport related to it?
Microsoft .Net is Microsoft's platform for delivering Web services to a variety of Internet-connected devices (such as handhelds and phones), regardless of programming language or operating system, including Mac, Linux, and Windows. In theory, .Net will allow different applications on different platforms to communicate and share data over the Internet. It's the foundation of Microsoft's software-as-services business model. (The Redmond company ultimately plans to charge subscription fees for the use of its applications.) Windows XP features the first batch of .Net services, including Windows Messenger, Web Publishing Wizard, and the Online Print Ordering Wizard (for purchasing paper prints of digital photos). Passport is the authentication system for .Net, so you'll need a Passport account to use future and current .Net services.

Will Passport help Microsoft monopolize the Internet?
Microsoft already dominates the PC software market, from operating systems to browsers to office suites. But it's too early to say who will control the online authentication market. Passport isn't the only player in the online ID game. Liberty Alliance, a consortium led by Sun Microsystems, General Motors, Fidelity Investments, and other industry titans, plans to launch a competing service. However, it's unclear when this service will be ready or even what its name will be. So far, Passport is the best-developed online authentication scheme. In any event, once the competing Net ID systems are available, Microsoft claims that Passport will be interoperable with them, similar to the way banks and their respective ATMs share financial information.

What's all the hoopla about Passport and security?
In the wake of two recent, well-publicized security breaches involving Hotmail and Microsoft's Internet Information Server, some analysts and privacy advocates question Microsoft's ability to ensure customer security. Microsoft is also a popular target among unscrupulous hackers, who are constantly trying to find holes in various Microsoft programs.

To be fair, Microsoft does as much as any other company to protect your data from hackers and thieves. According to the company, your information is stored on secure servers in a controlled environment, safe from hackers and physical intruders. When you log in to or buy something from a Passport-enabled site, the server sends your billing and contact information in encrypted form (using the Triple DES encryption). Still, potential Passport customers should consider these security issues before signing up--or deciding not to.

Will anyone sell my Passport information?
Security aside, privacy groups such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center are apprehensive about Microsoft's and other Passport participants' plans for your data. For example, once you start using your Passport account, will vendors track your Net activities and purchases? Will they sell your personal data to marketers? Microsoft says they won't. Passport's privacy policy lets you, the consumer, choose (during account setup) whether to grant Microsoft the right to share your data with third parties. And Passport's architecture doesn't allow Microsoft to see what you're buying online, according to Directions on Microsoft analyst Matt Rosoff. Microsoft possesses only the information you surrendered at sign-up (e-mail address, password, and so on). While Microsoft can share this information with its Passport partners--such as when you sign on to a participating site--it can't share it with other companies without your consent.

But what about Passport partner sites? Unfortunately, things get a little murky here. While Microsoft insists that its partners must have privacy policies, it does not dictate the terms of these policies. Microsoft "strongly encourages" Passport users to read its partners' privacy policies before they log in to or share information with a partner site.

What's a Kids Passport?
Microsoft offers a Passport service for pups, but it's designed to keep your children safe while they surf (rather than to get them shopping). Many Web sites customarily collect personal information from visitors, regardless of age. But according to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), commercial sites must obtain parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information on anyone under 13. Microsoft's Kids Passport service is designed to help enforce that rule.

The Kids Passport lets parents control what information their children share with Passport sites. When your child tries to sign on to or share information with a Passport site, he or she is denied access until approval is received from a parent. If you're in the same room as your child, you can walk over to the PC and enter your Passport ID and password to allow her access to, say, MSN.com. If you're at work, your child can e-mail you a request for permission to enter the site. Kids Passport is free, but you will need to provide a credit card number to set up an account. (Microsoft says it uses this information to verify your identity.)

Passport options

Can I use Passport if I don't have Windows?
Despite the Microsoft label, Passport isn't just for Windows. Whether you have a Mac, a Linux machine, or a Unix box, you can sign up for Passport as long as you have a Web browser.

Can I pass on Passport and still buy stuff on the Web?
If you'd rather not shop the Microsoft way, don't panic. You don't need Passport to shop online--well, not yet, anyway. Major retail Web sites such as Amazon.com and Kmart's BlueLight.com have their own proprietary authentication systems. For instance, once you've made a purchase at Amazon, the site stores your name, credit card number, and mailing address in its own database. As frequent Amazon shoppers know, the next time you buy the latest Harry Potter epic, your billing and payment information will appear automatically in the appropriate fields (after you enter your password, of course). And, like Amazon, Passport offers single-click shopping.

That said, however, you will need Passport to shop at many participating sites, such as Starbucks.com. Some vendors, however, including Costco Online, accept Passport but also allow you to register directly with the site without going through Passport.

Can I use Windows XP without Passport?
We've all heard rumors that Microsoft forces XP users to sign up for Passport. Well, we're happy to report that it's not true. Neither XP's product activation nor its product registration will automatically register you for the Passport service.

That doesn't mean XP is Passport-free. Some elements of the OS do require a Passport account, including Windows Messenger, the built-in upgrade to Microsoft's MSN Messenger chat program. (Of course, MSN Messenger also requires Passport, so it's not a major change.)

Do I really need Passport?
If you regularly access Microsoft content sites, such as MSN or bCentral, or if you want to use Hotmail, Windows Messenger, or even MSN Messenger, you will need a Passport account. You'll also need one if you use Microsoft software and want access to online technical support. But plenty of sites on the Web are still Passport-free.

"STOP” ERROR MESSAGES AT SHUTDOWN

Some users have gotten an error message similar to the following when attempting either to shutdown or restart Win XP:

STOP 0000009F, DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
STOP 0x0000001E: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
STOP 0x000000D1: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

TechNet and the Microsoft Knowledge Base have numerous articles discussing this type of error condition; for example, these. As a review of these articles will show, these are commonly device driver problems, but may also be caused by troublesome software (such as the notorious CrashGuard), or a problem in a system service. MSKB article Q262575 discusses a shutdown problem of this type, known to exist in Windows 2000 due to a resource (IRQ) conflict, if you have PACE Interlok anti-piracy software installed. This problem may occur in Windows XP as well.
Microsoft advises the following as one approach to these problems: Restart the computer. Press F8 during the restart and select “Last Known Good Configuration.” If you catch the problem when it first occurs (meaning you likely have installed only one or two drivers or new service), this will return you to a previous working condition. (Would System Restore accomplish the same thing? I don’t know, and don’t have a broken system to test it on.)

Microsoft reported similarly that these STOP code error message occur when Windows XP is trying to shut down devices. He says that he has seen this twice: once with Logitech Quickcam installed (with an unsupported driver), and once with a USB DSL modem that would hang if it wasn’t disconnected before shutdown.

SHUTDOWN WORKS, BUT IT’S REAL SLOW.

If it appears that Win XP is not shutting down, give it some time. Some users have reported a minute or longer for shutdown to visibly start. Thus far, it appears that this is a consequence of software that is running when shutdown is attempted, and it also may have something to do with particular hardware. If you are experiencing this problem, be sure to close all running programs before attempting shutdown and see if this solves your problem. If so, then you can determine, by trial and error, which program(s) are involved.
One specific solution for this was provided by Microsoft support. ” In Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services. (You can also get this by launching SERVICES.MSC from a Run box. This utility is also built into the Computer Management console.) Stop the Nvidia Driver Helper service. Many other friends quickly confirmed that this solved this “extremely slow shutdown” problem for them.

POWERDOWN ISSUES.

“Powerdown issues” are quite distinctive from “shutdown issues.” I define a shutdown problem as one wherein Windows doesn’t make it at least to the “OK to shut off your computer” screen. If Windows gets that far, or farther, then it has shut down correctly. However, the computer may not powerdown correctly after that. This is a different problem, and I encourage that people reporting these issues to make a very clear distinction in their labeling.

When Windows XP won’t powerdown automatically, the APM/NT Legacy Power Node may not be enabled. To enable this, right-click on the My Computer icon, click Properties | Hardware | Device Manager | View. Check the box labeled “Show Hidden Devices.” If it’s available on your computer, there will be a red X on the APM/NT Legacy Node. Try enabling it and see if this resolves the powerdown problem.

This should resolve the powerdown issue in most cases. However, other factors can sometimes interfere with correct powerdown functioning. In that case, consider the following tips:
· If you are changing the default power settings in the BIOS, it can lead to a powerdown problem. Restoring all BIOS power settings to default will likely fix it.

OTHER KNOWN ISSUES & HINTS.

· BIOS UPGRADE.
As with every new operating system that comes along - especially one that is as much of a “step up” as Windows XP is from Windows 9x - the recommendation is made to be sure your BIOS is updated. Many people have reported that this has solved their shutdown problems (and had other advantages) with Win XP, just as it has in earlier versions of Windows.

XP Animations

You can turn off window animation ("exploding" windows), displayed when you play around with minimizing/maximizing open windows. This makes navigating Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP a lot quicker, especially if you don't have a fast video controller, or if you got tired of seeing it all the time (like I did). :)
To do this, run Regedit (or Regedt32) and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics
or if you are the only user of your Windows computer go to:

HKEY_USERS | .Default | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics

Right-click on an empty spot in the right hand pane. Select New -> String [REG_SZ] Value. Name it MinAnimate. Click OK. Double-click on "MinAnimate" and type 0 to turn OFF window animation or 1 to turn it ON. Click OK. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows. Done.

TweakUI, the famous Microsoft Power Toy [110 KB, free, unsupported] can also turn off animated windows.
Just remove the check mark from the "Window Animation" box under the General tab.

Reduce Temporary Internet F ile Space

The temporary internet files clutter your hard drive with copies of each page visited. These can build up over time and take up disk space. Even more bothersome is that instead of getting new pages each time IE often takes the page out the temp internet files. This can be a problem if you are viewing a website that is updated all the time. If you are on a slow connection such as a 56K or lower then this can be good but if you are on a fast broadband connection, like me, then you can get away with decreasing the size of your temp internet files to just one meg without any performance decrease.

Launch Internet Explorer.
Select the Tools from the menu bar.
Then select Internet Options... from the drop down menu.
Once the internet options has loaded click on the general tab.
Under the temporary internet files section click the settings button.
A settings window will load. Slide the slider all the way to the left so the size indicated in the text box on the right is one.
Click OK
Click Ok

For a Safer, faster XP Close Unwanted Services

To disable unneeded startup services for a safer, faster XP, use the "Services" Admin Tool (Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services). If you are a single user of a non-networked machine, you can disable the following items, with no ill effect.

Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service (Slows the hard drive down)
Messenger
Net Logon (unnecessary unless networked on a Domain)
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for extra security)
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service (this is for the utterly pointless "Universal P'n'P", & leaves TCP Port 5000 wide open)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telnet (disabled for extra security)
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks)
Workstation

How to rename "start menu"

Haven’t posted many Windows XP tricks recently, so here’s one: How to change the start button on your Windows XP.

Tired of the boring old “start” button at the bottom left corner of your Windows XP’s monitor? Want something new to replace iit? Well here’s how to change it.

With a few modifications in the Windows Registry, you can replace the “start” text with anything you like. Great for achieving a new, custom look for your Windows XP. So let’s get started.

Warning: this tutorial is more for advanced users, and I'm not
responsible if your system gets messed up. Only attempt the following
at your own risk.

Step 1: Modify explorer.exe

If the warning didn’t scare you enough, then the title of this step probably did. Yes, we are going to change Explorer, the backbone of your Windows XP, but don’t worry. Everything should be safe as long as you follow the steps closely.

As explorer is a binary file, we need a special tool to modify it. One of the best ones for this purpose is resource hacker. There are of course others that will get the trick done, but we will be using RH this tutorial so I recommend installing it to avoid making mistakes. Install it and let’s continue.

As always before changing anything. you want to back up. So open My Computer and navigate to and look for explorer. Copy paste it to a safe location on your hard drive.

Now that you’ve backed it up, fire up Resource Hacker and find the same explorer.exe.

When you’ve found and opened explorer in RH, navigate to String Table -> 37 -> 1033. The “start” value is on line 4, after the 578. Change the text “start” to anything you want, making sure you keep the quotes. In this example. I changed the text to xptricks.

Press the Compile Script button to make Resource Hacker put together the code. Now click File and Save the script as explorer.exe. into C: \WINDOWS\inf or another C: \WINDOWS subfolder.

Note: make sure you choose Save AS, NOT just save!!

And that’s all for the first step! Now let’s move onto the second one -modifying the registry.

Step 2: changing the registry.

By now, you have a modified explorer sitting in the /inf/ subfolder, so we need to tell Windows to use that one, instead of the original one still resting untouched.

To do this, we need to make just one simple registry modification. To open up the registry, press start (something else soon ) -> run and type regedit.

In the registry editor window that opens, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Micrpsoft/Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon and look for the registry entry “shell”. Click it.

Change the explorer.exe to inf/explorer.exe or whereever you saved the modified explorer.

And believe it or not, you’re done! All you have to do now is reboot or log out and bacö in to see the changes. Enjoy your new custom Windows XP start button!

Hide 'User Accounts' from users

Go to Start/Run, and type:

GPEDIT.MSC

Open the path

User Config > Admin Templates > Control Panel

doubleclick "Hide specified Control Panel applets"

put a dot in 'enabled', then click 'Show"

click Add button,

type "nusrmgt.cpl" into the add box

20 things you didn't know about Windows XP

"You've read the reviews and digested the key feature enhancements and operational changes. Now it's time to delve a bit deeper and uncover some of Windows XP's secrets."

1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).

2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).

3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.

4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.

5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.

6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.

7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about what's going on in your system.

8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.

9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled by default. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.

10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.

11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.

12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.

13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.

14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.

16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.

17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.

18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.

19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.

20. The next release of Windows XP, codenamed Longhorn, is due out late next year or early 2003 and won't be much to write home about. The next big release is codenamed Blackcomb and will be out in 2003/2004.

Rename a Series of Files

When you download photos from your digital camera, they often have unrecognizable names. You can rename several similar files at once with the following procedure. This also works for renaming other types of files.

1.Open another folder containing files that you want to rename.
2.Select the files you want to rename. If the files you want are not adjacent in the file list, press and hold CTRL, and then click each item to select it.
3.On the File menu, click Rename.
4.Type the new name, and then press ENTER.


All of the files in the series will be named in sequence using the new name you type. For example, if you type Birthday, the first will be named Birthday and subsequent files in the series will be named Birthday (1), Birthday (2), and so on. To specify the starting number for the series, type the starting number in parentheses after the new file name. The files in the series will be numbered in sequence starting with the number you type. For example, if you type Birthday (10), the other files will be named Birthday (11), Birthday (12), and so on.

Make your Folders Private

Make your Folders Private

•Open My Computer
•Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:), unless you have more than one drive on your computer).
•If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the contents of this drive.
•Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.
•Double-click your user folder.
•Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.
•On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box.

Note

•To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.
•This option is only available for folders included in your user profile. Folders in your user profile include My Documents and its subfolders, Desktop, Start Menu, Cookies, and Favorites. If you do not make these folders private, they are available to everyone who uses your computer.
•When you make a folder private, all of its subfolders are private as well. For example, when you make My Documents private, you also make My Music and My Pictures private. When you share a folder, you also share all of its subfolders unless you make them private.
•You cannot make your folders private if your drive is not formatted as NTFS For information about converting your drive to NTFS

How to make your Desktop Icons Transparent

Just do this.

Go to control Panel > System, > Advanced > Performance area > Settings button Visual Effects tab "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop

Keybord-shortcuts

CTRL+( ) Shortcuts

CTRL and A Selects all the items in the active window.

CTRL and C Copies the item or items to the Clipboard and can be pasted using CTRL and V.

CTRL and F Displays the Find all files dialog box.

CTRL and G Displays the Go to folder dialog box.

CTRL and N Displays the New dialog box.

CTRL and O Displays the Open dialog box.

CTRL and P Displays the Print dialog box.

CTRL and S Displays the Save dialog box.

CTRL and V Pastes the copied item or items from the Clipboard.

CTRL and X Cuts the item or items selected to the Clipboard.

CTRL and Z Undoes the last action.

CTRL and F4 Closes the active document window.

CTRL while dragging an item Copy the selected item

CTRL+SHIFT with arrow keys Highlight a block of text

CTRL+F4 Close the active document

CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu

CTRL and F6 Opens the next document window in the active application.

ALT+( ) Shortcuts

ALT+ENTER View the properties for the selected item

ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program

ALT+SPACEBAR Open the shortcut menu for the active window

ALT+TAB Switch between the open items

ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened

F+( ) Shortcuts

F1 key Gives help on the active window or selected item.

F2 key Rename the selected item

F3 key Search for a file or a folder

F4 key Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer

F5 key Update the active window

F6 key Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop

F10 key Activate the menu bar in the active program

Windows Logo+( ) 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

Other Shortcuts

TAB Move forward through the options

SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the options

CTRL+TAB Move forward through the tabs

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB Move backward through the tabs

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

F1 key Display Help

F4 key Display the items in the active list

Arrow keys Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons

BACKSPACE Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box

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