Win XP Pro Information Please Options

[Terryala]

OK now have XP Pro installed and running. Now have a few questions on setting it up. Went to Black Viper site and set up Services. Also installed XP-Antispy.

Now what would be next? Also what is Group Policy Editor used for?

Any help will be appriciated

Grand Dad

[Donna]

Hello Grand Dad :)

Group Policy Editor is one of the special feature in Windows XP Pro (XP Home don't have this as per my reading)
You can use Group Policy Editor to change the default settings of Windows to the way you want it.
Examples at http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/winxpgpe.htm
You can also access the Group Policy Editor by typing GPEDIT.MSC in the RUN command.

Group Policy Editor is one of the first console of XP that I always visit especially after fresh install. I always change the password age from 42 days to 0. By default Windows is configured to remind us to change the password (if any) to be changed every 42 days. I prefer 0 - no biggie reason {{hehehe}} only because I don't use a password to access my user account. I'm afraid that If I'll leave it to 42 days, Windows might prompt me LOL but if a user prefer to receive the prompt to change the password after # of days, it's OK not to change it.

Since you've disabled unnecessary and insecure services using XP-antispy and guide from Blackviper site, you might want to use Qwikfix from http://www.pivx.com/qwikfix/ to download the Qwikfix that will protect Internet Explorer from some vulnerabilities that has not bee patched by Microsoft. I'd like to encourage XP users to use this Qwikfix because IE is installed by default and cannot remove permanently from the system :( which means there is a risk if a user is a using IE or OE. We all know that OE is integrated with IE :( so anything that is insecure with IE, OE is maybe affected. Qwikfix will at least protect us while awaiting for MS patches. I know that the other solution is always use other browser (Mozilla, Opera, etc.) but whether we like it or not, we still need IE to get the updates (Windows Update)

Also, don't forget to review your startup items via MSCONFIG to disable unnecessary applications/programs that is loading during Windows start-up. :)

That is what I can think of for now.. will post here again if I recall important things to change with Windows XP.

Hugs and

Bonni

[Hunter]

The definition of administrator varies slightly from Windows XP Professional to Windows XP Home Edition, but essentially it means a user who has control over the computer, can install software, and can change user passwords. Check the box to open Advanced Settings when you’re done.


www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article10-002






Log on to your computer using the Administrator account (The user name is Administrator and the password is what you chose during Windows XP installation).
Click on the Start button and click on Control Panel. Then click on User Accounts.

Why do not all of my applications show up for all user accounts in Windows XP?
There could be several reasons why the application does not show up under all user accounts.


During installation, some applications prompt you to install on the current user account or on all user accounts. If the application is not selected to install on all user accounts, the application does not show up properly.

The application may be installed, but the shortcut to the application may simply be missing from the new user account. Use these steps to copy the shortcut for all users.

Log on to the user account that has administrator access.
Open Windows Explorer.

From the Windows XP default Start menu, point to All Programs, Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
From the Windows XP classic Start menu, point to Programs, Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.

In the My Documents window, click the plus sign (+) next to My Computer, Local Disk (C:), and Documents and Settings.
Click the plus sign (+) next to the name of the user account that the program is installed on.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Start Menu, and then select Programs.
Select the shortcut for the application that you want to add to another user account. Click Edit, and then click Copy.
Click the plus sign (+) next to the name of the user account that needs access to the application or the "All Users" account to give all users access to the application.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Start Menu, and then select Programs.
Select the directory that you want the shortcut to appear in. Click Edit, and then click Paste.
Repeat steps g through i for each additional user who needs access to the application.

The application may need to be installed on each user account one at a time.

For each user account that does not see the application, install the application.
If the user account cannot install the application, because it requires administrator rights, have a user with administrative rights run the application in this user account.

Select the setup installation file of the application. Click File, and then click Run as.
Have the user who has administrative rights type the user name and password, and then click OK.
Go through the installation of the application.
Note: Some applications require an administrator account in order to be used. If a non-administrator account is used, the application does not work even if it is installed properly.

For more information about applications not creating shortcuts for all user accounts, reference Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q301494.

[Hunter]

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default....icyovr_6pbt.asp


Platform SDK: Policies and Profiles

About Group Policy
Centralized policy-based administration enables an administrator to control the following settings:

Registry-based policy settings. Specify registry-based settings using the Administrative Templates node of the Group Policy snap-in.
Security settings. Define security settings for the local computer, domain, and network.
Software installation. Deploy applications as either assigned (you mandate the installation) or published (you provide applications that users can choose to install). Update or remove applications.
Scripts. Specify scripts to run at computer startup and operating system shutdown, and when a user logs on or logs off.
Remote Installation Services. Control the behavior of the remote installation feature, as displayed to client computers.
Internet Explorer maintenance. Manage and customize Microsoft Internet Explorer on computers running Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and later, and export settings for clients running Windows 95/98/Me or Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0.
Folder redirection. Redirect Shell special folders to the network.
The administrator can apply these settings to groups of computers or users using the infrastructure provided by the Microsoft® Active Directory™. The administrator can manage these settings from a single location, without physically touching the computers in the organization. For more information, see Group Policy Architecture.

Application developers should adhere to system-level policy settings. In addition, they can provide policy settings that are specific to their applications. For more information, see Providing Policy for Your Applications.



Group Policy
Purpose
Beginning with Microsoft® Windows® 2000 the features provided by Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0-style system policy have been greatly enhanced by using centralized policy-based administration, or Group Policy. Group Policy uses directory services and security group membership to support extensive configuration information and provide flexibility. Policy settings are specified by an administrator; unlike profile settings, which are often specified by the user. They are created using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in for Group Policy. Windows XP supports an enhanced Group Policy infrastructure that uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to allow administrators to easily determine the policy settings that apply to, or will apply to, a user or computer. This is known as the Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP).

[Hunter]

What's the difference between Windows XP Home and Professional editions?



The Home and Professional editions of Windows XP are nearly identical; the only differences are additional features found in the Professional edition that most likely won't appeal to home users. The primary differences, aside from the price and the color of the packaging, are as follows:
Windows XP Home Edition

Contains basic support for multiple users, but all users are "Administrators," so there's no way to set up user accounts with limited privileges. Furthermore, there's no way to secure folders or files from other users on the same machine.
Built-in support for peer-to-peer networking.


Windows XP Professional Edition

Includes extended support for multiple users and profiles, as well as security between users. A user can be an "Administrator" (who has full power to make any changes to the system), or a less-privileged user with a customizable level of privileges. For example, one user's folder can be protected from other users on the same system. Also, you can set up a "guest" account, allowing strangers to use a computer while limiting access to configuration tools and private files.
Built-in support for peer-to-peer networking, plus support for joining a "Windows NT domain."
The Professional edition includes the following components not found in the Home edition:
Administrative Tools (in the Start Menu and Control Panel)
Automated System Recovery (ASR)
Backup
Boot Configuration Manager
DriverQuery
Group Policy Refresh Utility
Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI) add-on
NTFS Encryption Utilitiy
Offline Files and Folders
OpenFiles
Performance Log Manager
Remote Desktop
Scheduled Tasks Console
Security Template Utility
Taskkill
Tasklist
Telnet Administrator
Provides support for multi-processor systems (2 or 4 CPUs), Dynamic Disks, Fax.




http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp

Which Edition Is Right for You?


When upgrading to the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, you have a choice between Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition. Windows XP Professional contains all the features of Windows XP Home Edition, plus extra features for business and advanced home computing. Is Windows XP Professional the best choice?

Ask yourself these five questions to find out which one is right for you:

Do you want to remotely access your computer so you can work with all your data and applications while away from your desk?
Remote Desktop, a feature found only in Windows XP Professional, lets you set up your computer for connection from any other Windows-based computer. Leave a file at home? Don't want to lug a laptop around? Remote Desktop gives you access to your computer from virtually anywhere. More about Remote Desktop.

Do you connect to a large network?
Windows XP Professional is best for people who connect to large networks, such as a school or office network, since it allows you to join and be managed by a Windows domain. More about joining networks.

Do you need to protect sensitive data in files and folders that are stored on your computer?
The Encrypting File System (EFS), found only in Windows XP Professional, allows you to encrypt your files and folders for added security of sensitive data against theft or hackers. Restricted File Access, also found only in Professional, allows you to restrict access to selected files, applications, and other resources. More about EFS.

Do you need the ability to completely restore your system in the event of a catastrophic failure?
Windows XP Professional provides more robust options for backing up and restoring data than Home Edition. More about System Restore and other restore options.

Would you consider yourself a "power user"?
Windows XP Professional contains a number of incremental features too numerous to list here. Suffice it to say, users who demand the most from their computers will want to "go Pro." Some additional features found only in Windows XP Professional are:

Support for multiple-processor systems
Support for multiple languages
Advanced networking for multiple PC environments

More about Windows XP Professional features.

[Hunter]

WinXP ICF (Internet Connection Firewall)

How to Manually Open Ports in Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP (Q308127)
SUMMARY
This article contains the steps to manually open ports in Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) in Windows XP.

Programs Require Manual Port Configurations with Internet Connection Firewall (Q307554)
This article lists some programs that require you to manually open ports so that the programs can work correctly. To work correctly, some programs need to have specific ports open so that traffic can pass through the Internet Connection Firewall.



http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,357...de=flat#3572699

[Hunter]

http://www.5starsupport.com/info/xpinfo.htm#tasklist



System Restore Feature

XP contains a new feature called System Restore that restores the system to a previous configuration point. Should you restore your system to a point before you activated XP on your computer, the OS will forget that you activated it and you'll need to reactivate XP. If the system restore point is past the 30-day grace period that Microsoft allows for activation, you'll have to activate XP immediately. The only workaround to reactivating your system is to perform the following steps:
Start your Windows installation in Minimal Safe mode.
Move to the \%systemroot%\system32 folder.
Rename wpa.dbl to wpa.noact.
Rename wpa.bak to wpa.dbl.
Reboot your system as normal.
Note: The above procedure will work only if you've made no significant hardware changes.





Tasklist.exe

Microsoft has replaced tlist.exe with tasklist.exe in XP. Tlist.exe lets you list all the processes running on your machine and the associated task name and memory usage. Tasklist.exe replicates all the functionality of the original utility. For information about tasklist.exe, type the following at the XP command prompt: tasklist /?






Enable Boot Defragment

Windows XP includes an option to perform a boot defragment, which places all files required for booting next to each other on disk to provide a faster boot time. The OS enables this option by default, but you can check the status and enable this option by performing the following steps:
Start the registry editor (regedit.exe).
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction.
If Enable isn't set to Y, double-click Enable and set the value to Y.
Click OK.
Close the registry editor.
Reboot the machine.
Note: If you want to disable boot defragment, set Enable to N.




Perform a ScanDisk in XP

XP and Win2K don't include the DOS SCANDISK Utility. However, you can perform the same task using XP's and Win2K's Error Checking feature. To access this feature, perform the following steps:
Open Windows Explorer.
Right-click the drive you want to check, and select Properties from the context menu.
Select the Tools tab.
Under Error Checking, click Check Now.
If you want the scan to automatically attempt to make repairs or check the disk for bad sectors, select those options and click Start.
Close Windows Explorer.





PowerToys for XP

As with previous versions of Windows, Microsoft has released a set of great utilities to enhance the Windows experience.
Power Toys for XP consists of the following:

Super-Fast User Switcher: Switch users without having to go through the XP logon screen
Open Command Window Here: Open a command window that points to a particular folder just by right-clicking that folder
TweakUI: Make many modifications to internal XP settings that aren't accessible in the default UI
Power Calculator: Graph and evaluate functions as well as perform unit conversions
Image Resizer: Easily resize multiple images into a target size with a right-click
CD Slide Show Generator: View images as a slide show
Virtual Desktop Manager: Have up to four virtual desktops
Taskbar Magnifier: Magnify part of the screen from the taskbar
HTML Slide Show Wizard: Create HTML slide shows of your digital pictures, ready to place on a Web site
Webcam Timershot: Take pictures at specified time intervals from a Webcam connected to your computer and save them to a location that you designate

939 KB Download
8 Min @ 28.8 kbps

http://www.5starsupport.com/info/xpinfo.htm#tasklist





Encrypted Files

Windows XP and Windows 2000 both include the Encrypting File System (EFS). If you have NTFS permissions to a file that another user has encrypted, you will receive an "access is denied" error.
To determine whether a file is encrypted, perform the following steps to enable the view attributes option in Windows Explorer:

Start Windows Explorer.
From the View menu, select Details.
Select the Attributes option, and click OK.
If a file has an E attribute, that file is encrypted. Only the user who encrypted the file or the recovery agent user can decrypt the file.




Defrag.exe

One of the problems with the welcome addition of the disk defragmenter in Windows 2000 is that it has no command-prompt equivalent. As a result, you can't easily schedule the defragmenter to run. To address this problem, Microsoft included defrag.exe in Windows XP for command-level disk defragmentation.
An example analysis execution shows:

C:\>defrag d: -a
Windows Disk Defragmenter
Copyright © 2001 Microsoft Corp. and Executive Software
International, Inc.

Analysis Report
6.91 GB Total, 6.73 GB (97%) Free, 2% Fragmented (5% file
fragmentation)
The command format is:

defrag <volume> [-a] [-f] [-v] [-?]
volume drive letter or mount point (d: or d:\vol\mountpoint)
-a Analyze only
-f Force defragmentation, even if free space is low
-v Verbose output
-? Display this help text




Windows XP MSCONFIG

The Windows XP utility Msconfig (Microsoft Configuration) is useful for configuring various OS elements:
Startup type (e.g., which drivers are loaded, whether system.ini/win.ini are parsed)
Which parts of system.ini are used
Which parts of win.ini are used
Which commands run at start-up
Which services start
boot.ini options
With the boot.ini option, you can check the current entries, specify additional options, and configure the timeout.

Start Msconfig (Start, Run, msconfig.exe).
Select the BOOT.INI tab.
The dialog box displays the current OSs.
Click Check All Boot Paths to go through all the entries and ensure that they relate to a true installation.
If you select an actual installation, you can then set the various boot options, such as basevideo and SOS.
Once finished, click OK.



Optimize System Performance

If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performance by having the core system kept in memory.
Go to Start>Run, type in: regedit
Follow this string to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive
Double click DisablePagingExecutive
Set the value to be 1
Restart your computer for this to take affect





Common Command Console Utilities

Listed below are many of the Windows XP console utilities that you can run from the command line.

Computer Management
compmgmt.msc
Disk Managment diskmgmt.msc
Device Manager devmgmt.msc
Disk Defrag dfrg.msc
Event Viewer eventvwr.msc
Shared Folders fsmgmt.msc
Group Policies gpedit.msc
Local Users and Groups lusrmgr.msc
Performance Monitor perfmon.msc
Resultant Set of Policies rsop.msc
Local Security Settings secpol.msc
Services services.msc
Component Services comexp.msc





Disabling Hibernation

The Hibernation feature can be somewhat of a resource hog. If you don't plan to use it, you may as well disable it. Here's how:
Go to Start> Settings> Control Panel.
Select the Power Options Icon
Click on the Hibernation icon
Uncheck Enable Hibernation



Speed up the Start Menu

Windows XP default speed of the Start Menu is very slow. You can fix that by editing a Registry Key. Here's how:
Go to Start> Run, then type in: regedit Press [Enter] on your keyboard.
Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay
By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller value (like 0) to speed it up.
Note: If your still experiencing a slow speed of the Start Menu, even after using the above tip, then you might try the following:

Navigate to Display Properties> Appearance> Advanced
Turn off the option titled Show menu shadow . You will get much better overall performance.




Stop Windows Messanger

If you do not want Windows Messenger to load automatically on Startup, simply delete the following Registry Key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\MSMSGS



Shared Documents Folders

Many are finding the links to all of the shared folders on your system to be pretty annoying. This may be the system default setting, but you certainly do not have to live with it. Here is how to remove the Shared Documents Folders from My Computer.
Go to Start > Run and type in: regedit
Hit [Enter] on your keyboard
Navigate through the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ My Computer \ NameSpace \ DelegateFolders
Click once on DelegateFolders to empty its contents in the right pane.
You will see a sub-key named: {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}Deleting this sub-key will remove all of the Shared Documents Folders.
It is not necessary to reboot to see this change.

[Hunter]

Frequently Asked Questions of Windows XP
Version 1.1
Introduction

This FAQ is created to address the frequently asked questions in the few XP newsgroups I frequent:

microsoft.public.windows.xp.basics - Browse this group through the web and read the archive!
microsoft.public.windows.xp.customize - Browse this group through the web and read the archive!
microsoft.public.windows.xp.games - Browse this group through the web and read the archive!
microsoft.public.windows.xp.general - Browse this group through the web and read the archive!
microsoft.public.windows.xp.newusers - Browse this group through the web and read the archive!
microsoft.public.windows.xp.help_and_support - Browse this group through the web and read the archive!
There are more newsgroups than these. Check them here. Answers were obtained from the replies. As I was bored, this is another work I did.

DISCLAIMER

Proceed at your own risk! The information here is accurate to the best of my knowledge. I will not be held responsible if this document causes your computer to explode or burst into flames. In real serious terms, if any corruption of data, hardware damage or any other kind of damage/losses/etc. arises from the use of this document, I will not be responsible for it. If you don't like this, please don't read any further.

Some Humour [US: Humor]

Computers churns out some ironic messages:

"Windows XP has no drivers for my modem, so it tries to use the Internet to find some" Irony being, Can't use Internet because it needs modem drivers to use it, which it does haven't & wants to look for. - Sweet Spin

"ERROR "Keyboard not found" press F1 to continue?" - Mhzjunkie

"Windows can not continue because the process has completed successfully." - Vern

"What's XP? Xpensive, Xpect, Xtra Pain, ......"- Many Sources


The Basics

These tips will get rid of about 75% of the problems out there

Get the latest drivers for your hardware, especially your video card and sound card, as games are dependant on these. Get the XP drivers if available. If XP drivers do not exist there, then try obtaining the Windows 2000 version.
Go to Windowsupdate.com and download the latest updates.
Avoid installing Windows XP by the upgrade method. Follow my guide here on how to preserve your previous settings and do a clean install of Windows XP.
Log in as an administrator account if a program or feature refuses to work.
Many of the answers here should apply to Home Edition as well. However, things related to NTFS security and network will mostly likely won't be available in the Home Edition.

Quick Links

I'm having problems shutting down my PC. My previous Win9x OS always shut off automatically, but here Windows XP shows me the "It is now safe..." message? [Answer]
I've enabled my taskbar to be hidden always but doesn't hide always! [Answer]
Is there any way to speed up the bootup process? [Answer]
How do I enable the good old search method? [Answer]
Do you have good utilities to recommend to customise my Windows XP environment? [Answer]
I want to run a old DOS game that refuses to work under WinXP. [Answer]
How do I do it such that Explorer opens up pointing to the C drive or some other location? [Answer]
How do I disable the built-in ZIP support? [Answer]
How do I make the taskbar transparent? [Answer]
How do I get rid of the pop-up balloons(or bubbles) that appear near the system tray? [Answer]
How much space does a Windows XP installation roughly takes up? [Answer]
What is this file named HIBERFIL.SYS doing in my root folder? [Answer]
I have the upgrade version of XP, can I perform a clean install using it? [Answer]
How do I stop folders from expanding when I click on a folder in Explorer? [Answer]
How do I stop Windows Messenger from starting up every time I boot up my computer? [Answer]
Where's Scandisk gone? [Answer]

What are the pros and cons of FAT32 and NTFS? [Answer]
The Command Prompt in Windows XP does not have DosKey installed? [Answer]
Can I install XP Home (or Professional) on more than 1 computer? [Answer]
Every time my PC boots up, it takes about 2 minutes for the Network connections submenu in the Start menu to expand! [Answer]
The volume icon does not appear in the notification area (taskbar). [Answer]
All my games can't detect OpenGL [and, or] Glide for my video card? [Answer]
What's the best antivirus software out there for XP? [Answer]
Can I remove Outlook Express or Internet Explorer? [Answer]
What is SVCHOST.EXE doing in my Processes? [Answer]
How do I install Windows XP in DOS mode [or from MS-DOS command prompt]? [Answer]
How do I remove programs such as Pinball, wordpad and other accessories? [Answer]
In Outlook Express, the spell check doesn't work. It's checked in the tools options menu, but it still will not work! [Answer]
How do I get Internet Explorer to open new windows maximised? [Answer]
Doing a "SFC /SCANNOW" always keeps asking for the CD, even after I've inserted it! [Answer]
How do I make a boot disk in Windows XP? [Answer]
How do I uninstall Windows XP? [Answer]
How do I change the Boot screen when Windows XP starts? [Answer]
My hard disk shows frequent activity, which is the application causing this? [Answer]
The FAQs

1) I'm having problems shutting down my PC. My previous Win9x OS always shut off automatically, but here Windows XP shows me the "It is now safe..." message?
You need to get into Control Panel, Power Management, and turn on APM (Advanced Power Management).If that doesn't work, check out this website here. (to review)


2) I've enabled my taskbar to be hidden always but doesn't hide always!
This is a known problem. Unfortunately I haven't come across any fixes for this. There could be an application request which you have to attend to. However, I myself have seen a situation where the taskbar refuses to hide even with all windows closed.

3) Is there any way to speed up the bootup process?
You can use this utility called BootVisor, click Trace and Optimize and it will do the remaining work for you. Check out this guide for more tweaks. You can also try defragging your hard disk. If your computer seems to take a long time in the blue welcome screen, here are some things I did to speed things up:

Disable network drives which are "Reconnect at logon".
This also can speed up

Will add more if I come across any.

4) How do I enable the good old search method?
This website has a search fix. Windows XP Search Fix (to review)

5) Do you have good utilities to recommend to customise my Windows XP environment?
Microsoft PowerToys, TweakXP and StylesXP are some popular ones. (To review)


6) I want to run a old DOS game that refuses to work under WinXP.
You can create a Windows 98 boot disk which boots to the DOS prompt using the utility here. Be aware that Sound Blaster Live! and new sound cards may not work in DOS. You will also need to load the mouse, sound and cdrom drivers if your game needs it. If your partition is a FAT32, your boot disk should allow you to access your C drive and you can configure the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files in the boot disk to access the files from the hard disk or you can copy them to the boot disk as well.


7) How do I do it such that Explorer opens up pointing to the C drive or some other location?
Changing the blue coloured text to the location, change the shortcut such that it looks like this:
%SystemRoot%\Explorer.Exe /e,C:\


8) How do I disable the built-in ZIP support?
Use the following command from the Run dialog:
regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll

If you ever want to re-enable the built-in zip support, use:

regsvr32 zipfldr.dll


9) How do I make the taskbar transparent?
Head over here! (to review) I've heard you can use TweakXP, not sure about this.

10) How do I get rid of the pop-up balloons(or bubbles) that appear near the system tray?
Involves registry editing. Navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced", create DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with Hex value of 0 and restart your computer.

11) How much space does a Windows XP installation roughly takes up?
Taken from usenet by Kent W. England [MVP] <kwe@mvps.org>:
1.0 GB for Windows folder
0.5 GB for Program Files
50 MB for Documents and Settings (w/o user shell folders)
200 MB for pagefile.sys (varies depending on RAM size)
130 MB for hiberfil.sys (same size as RAM)
2.0 GB (10%) for System Restore (default) in System Volume Info folder
2.0 GB (10%) for Recycle Bin (default)
2.0 GB (10%) for each TIF (default)

12) What is this file named HIBERFIL.SYS doing in my root folder?
Windows saves the state of the RAM to this file for use when you hibernate your computer. You can remove this file by disabling hibernation, which is by Control Panel, Power Options, Hibernate tab.

13) I have the upgrade version of XP, can I perform a clean install using it?
Sure, but the setup program will ask for a qualifying media to be inserted as proof of ownership.

14) How do I stop folders from expanding when I click on a folder in Explorer?
Go to Folder Options, View and uncheck the box for "Simple Folder View in Explorer's Folder list."

15) How do I stop Windows Messenger from starting up every time I boot up my computer?
If you're running Pro, you can use GPEDIT.MSC to prevent Messenger from loading. Otherwise, even disabling it in startup won't cause it to "always" not run. Outlook, Outlook Express and some Microsoft web pages can still make it load.

Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC
Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Messenger
You can now modify whether it starts initially and/or whether it is to run at all.
If you don't have Pro, run Windows Messenger, Tools, Options and uncheck "Run this program when Windows starts". Run Outlook Express, go to Options and uncheck "Automatically logon to Windows Messenger". You can also try this command:

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove


16) Where's Scandisk gone?
Scandisk is gone from Windows XP. Replaced by the ol' Chkdsk.

17) What are the pros and cons of FAT32 and NTFS?
NTFS offers a smaller cluster size (0.5) compared to FAT32 (4). This means more space for you. NTFS also allows compression and additional security features. Many people recommend formatting to a NTFS partition rather than converting the drive for speed reasons. You can go to this Microsoft article for more information, and only the pros . Some cons I've heard:

Virtually no recovery tools for a faulty NTFS volume. If you backup this isn't a big deal. If you can't backup then it's a very big deal.
It's rumoured to have performance problems, but I'm not entirely sure about this.
If you're dual booting, that's running OS's in the same system (like Windows 98 and XP), only NT, 2000 or XP can access the NTFS partition, other Windows OS's (95,98,ME) will not be able to view nor access the drive.

More cons will be added if I come across them.

18) The Command Prompt in Windows XP does not have DosKey installed?
Run CMD from the Run instead of command .

19) Can I install XP Home (or Professional) on more than 1 computer?
No. You're only allowed to install it on one computer. You will be unable to activate XP on the other computer. You have to purchase additional licenses to install it on more than 1 computer.

20) Every time my PC boots up, it takes about 2 minutes for the Network connections submenu in the Start menu to expand!
Disable "Obtain IP Address Automatically" for the local area network connection. If there's a DHCP server running on your network that assigns IP addresses dynamically, you have to enable Obtain IP Address Automatically.

21) The volume icon does not appear in the notification area (taskbar).
Make sure Hide Inactive is disabled in Taskbar Properties. In Sound and Audio Devices Properties, make sure "Place volume icon in the taskbar" is checked. If it still doesn't work, you are one of the few people infected with this bug. Workarounds:

Go to Start, Log off, log off then log back on
Right-click the taskbar & select Task Manager under Processes tab select Explorer.exe & End Task. Under Applications tab select New Task, type in "explorer" and click OK
Watch this section for updates for this bug fix.

22) All my games can't detect OpenGL [and, or] Glide for my video card?
Windows XP's drivers are basic ones that just allow you to manipulate the desktop (and possibly directx also). You have to get updated XP drivers from your card's manufacturer.

3dfx has closed down, if you do not know yet. Fortunately, some geeks have hacked (or tweaked) 3dfx's original drivers to make it compatible with Windows XP. You can find a list at VoodooFiles, and I recommend downloading Goat's driver if you own a Voodoo 3000, it worked for me well particularly for Diablo II and Ultim@te Race Pro.


23) What's the best antivirus software out there for XP?
Norton Antivirus 2002.


24) Can I remove Outlook Express or Internet Explorer?
No, they are part of the operating system, and cannot be removed. You'll just have to ignore them.

25) What is SVCHOST.EXE doing in my Processes?
It represents all the services running in your computer. Type tasklist -svc in the command prompt to get a list of services running.

26) How do I install Windows XP in DOS mode [or from MS-DOS command prompt]?
First, start up SmartDrive to speed things up. Next, run WINNT from the I386 folder. Setup should launch, warn you if you don't have SmartDrive loaded, copy the cd to a temporarily to your hard disk and reboot your computer.

27) How do I remove programs such as Pinball, wordpad and other accessories?
Delete all "HIDE" words in C:\Windows\inf\sysoc.inf file and you will be able add or remove more Windows components. The change can be noticed in the Add/Remove Programs.

28) In Outlook Express, the spell check doesn't work. It's checked in the tools options menu, but it still will not work!
Do a search for csapi3t1.dll and copy it over to the Outlook Express folder.

29) How do I get Internet Explorer to open new windows maximised?
There isn't such a way to do this so far, but a simple workaround is to open a window and manually drag the edges to fill the screen without using the maximise button. The next time you open it, it should remember that size.

30) Doing a "SFC /SCANNOW" always keeps asking for the CD, even after I've inserted it!
Hit Try Again every time the box comes up.

31) How do I make a boot disk in Windows XP?
Go to Explorer, insert a floppy disk, right-click on the A Drive, click Format, check Make System disk and click OK.

32)
How do I uninstall Windows XP?
You can boot from a Windows 9x boot disk, reformat the XP partition and install a previous version of Windows.
If XP is installed using NTFS file system, you'll first have to use FDISK to delete the partition, type FDISK at the prompt. Once you are at the menu, select "Delete Non-dos Partition." When complete, select create partition, be sure to set it active, exit FDISK, reboot from the Windows 9x boot disk, select "Boot with CD-ROM Support."

At the prompt type change to the C drive by typing C: and press enter. Type format and press enter, when complete, place the CD of the Windows OS you wish to install in the drive, change to your CD-ROM drive, note it may not be the same drive letter it was in Windows. Type setup, press enter and follow the prompts.


33) How do I change the Boot screen when Windows XP starts?
Head over here and download the 960kb file.

34) My hard disk shows frequent activity, which is the application causing this?
Run the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab, and turn on the following columns: "I/O Read Bytes" and "I/O Write Bytes." This will give you details as to which process is accessing the disk. Although many processes will be accessing the disk a lot, look for one with a high total or a fast rate of increase, especially when you hear the drive being accessed.

[Hunter]

Hi Terry,
Since you are a Moderator here at GSF..do me a favor ...just delete any of the posts I made above that you feel you will not need. If you want more info..lots more for you :)


Before you make any changes to the registy...back up...and you will find that XPantispy will take care of many of the things said above...so study it for comparison.
Thanks,
John

[Hunter]

DESPERATELY NEED HELP WITH WIN XP AND ZA
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,190...ity,1~mode=flat


Where Is XP taking you Today?
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,189...ity,1~mode=flat





Before disabling ANY service, check out the information I have about each service by clicking on the name and "Read more HERE" links provided for each service.
http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm



A Description of Svchost.exe (Q314056)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...b;en-us;Q314056





WinXP Pro: Svchost.exe Prompts for DNS Connection
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,206...ity,1~mode=flat


How To: Determine what Services are running in WinXP
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/winhelp2002/services.htm





Description of Universal Plug and Play Features in Windows (Q262458)
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is an architecture in Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), and Microsoft Windows XP, that supports peer-to-peer Plug and Play functionality for network devices. The UPnP specification is designed to simplify device and network service installation and management. UPnP accomplishes device and service discovery and control through a driver-less, standards-based protocol mechanisms. Universal Plug and Play devices can auto-configure network addressing, announce their presence on a network subnet, and enable the exchange of descriptions device and service descriptions. A Windows Me or a Windows XP computer can act as a UPnP control point to discover and control the devices through a web or application interface.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...b;EN-US;q262458


Do you really want to know how the Win XP works so you never have to look back again...Read these pages at Microsoft.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/0...el/XPKernel.asp



SUMMARY The Windows XP kernel includes a number of improvements over Windows 2000 that promote better scalability and overall performance. This article covers these changes and explains how they improve startup time, increase registry size limits, and promote more efficient disk partitioning. Windows XP provides support for 64-bit processors, which is covered here along with a discussion of how side-by-side assemblies end DLL Hell. Also new in the Windows XP kernel is a facility that will roll back driver installations to the Last Known Good state of the registry, making driver installation safer. Other topics include the new volume shadow copy facility, which provides for more accurate backups and improvements in remote debugging.

[Terryala]

Thanks John and Donna for the info. I will leave it as the information could be a help to others as it was to me. It's nice to have it all in one place for people to see. Maybe will pin it as more info is added.

Grand Dad

[Guest_troublshoot_*]

I have several workstaions on a network that have mapped network drives. Win XP Pro is the OS. When each workstation is rebooted the drives do not reconnect automatically even though I mapped them this way to reconnect at logon. This prevents many programs from operating properly and all hell breaks loose. Any ideas what to check? I have basically tried everything. Thanks.

Troublshoot