Here's some performance tweaks for Windows XP SP2 -
First go to the Registry, Start > Run > type regedit -or- regedt32
Then apply the following as necessary:
Disable the SP antivirus and firewall functions - and keep XP from nagging about it:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center]
"AntiVirusDisableNotify"=dword:00000001
"FirewallDisableNotify"=dword:00000001
; don't monitor firewall and antivirus
"AntiVirusOverride"=dword:00000001
"FirewallOverride"=dword:00000001
;Disable antivirus and firewall check at boot time
SP2 enables Auto Updates by default. This is good for you, but some folks disagree, so here is how to turn it off:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update]
"AUOptions"=dword:00000001
;disable Auto Update
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center]
"UpdatesDisableNotify"=dword:00000001
;Stop nagging about AU being turned off
How to turn off the SP2 firewall (if you must):
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\DomainProfile]
"EnableFirewall"=dword:00000000
; turn off firewall policy for domain profile
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\StandardProfile]
"EnableFirewall"=dword:00000000
;disable firewall policy for standard profile
Friday, February 15, 2008
un told secrets of windows xp
Untold Secrets about Windows Operating System [ Tricks ]
This time I have a collection of Tips and Tricks which no body normally knows, the secrets which Microsoft is afraid to tell the people, the information which you will seldom find all gathered up and arranged in a single file. To fully reap this Manual you need to have a basic understanding of the Windows Registry, as almost all the Tricks and Tips involve this file.
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Important Note: Before you read on, you need to keep one thing in mind. Whenever you make changes to the Windows Registry you need to Refresh it before the changes take place. Simply press F5 to refresh the registry and enable the changes. If this does not work Restart your system
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Exiting Windows the Cool and Quick Way
Normally it takes a hell lot of time just Shutting down Windows, you have to move your mouse to the Start Button, click on it, move it again over Shut Down, click, then move it over the necessary option and click, then move the cursor over the OK button and once again (you guessed it) click.This whole process can be shortened by creating shortcuts on the Desktop which will shut down Windows at the click of a button. Start by creating a new shortcut( right click and select New> Shortcut). Then in the command line box, type (without the quotes.)
'C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindowsexec'
This Shortcut on clicking will restart Windows immediately without any Warning. To create a Shortcut to Restarting Windows, type the following in the Command Line box:
'c:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows'
This Shortcut on clicking will shut down Windows immediately without any Warning.
Ban Shutdowns : A trick to Play on Lamers
This is a neat trick you can play on that lamer that has a huge ego, in this section I teach you, how to disable the Shut Down option in the Shut Down Dialog Box. This trick involves editing the registry, so please make backups. Launch regedit.exe and go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane look for the NoClose Key. If it is not already there then create it by right clicking in the right pane and selecting New > String Value.(Name it NoCloseKey ) Now once you see the NoCloseKey in the right pane, right click on it and select Modify. Then Type 1 in the Value Data Box.
Doing the above on a Win98 system disables the Shut Down option in the Shut Down Dialog Box. But on a Win95 machine if the value of NoCloseKey is set to 1 then click on the Start > Shut Down button displays the following error message:
This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.
You can enable the shut down option by changing the value of NoCloseKey to 0 or simply deleting the particular entry i.e. deleting NoCloseKey.
Instead of performing the above difficult to remember process, simply save the following with an extension of .reg and add it's contents to the registry by double clicking on it.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoClose"="1"
Disabling Display of Drives in My Computer
This is yet another trick you can play on your geek friend. To disable the display of local or networked drives when you click My Computer go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Now in the right pane create a new DWORD item and name it NoDrives. Now modify it's value and set it to 3FFFFFF (Hexadecimal) Now press F5 to refresh. When you click on My Computer, no drives will be shown. To enable display of drives in My Computer, simply delete this DWORD item. It's .reg file is as follows:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDrives"=dword:03ffffff
Take Over the Screen Saver
To activate and deactivate the screen saver whenever you want, goto the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ScreenSavers
Now add a new string value and name it Mouse Corners. Edit this new value to -Y-N. Press F5 to refresh the registry. Voila! Now you can activate your screensaver by simply placing the mouse cursor at the top right corner of the screen and if you take the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, the screensaver will deactivate.
Pop a banner each time Windows Boots
To pop a banner which can contain any message you want to display just before a user is going to log on, go to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WinLogon
Now create a new string Value in the right pane named LegalNoticeCaption and enter the value that you want to see in the Menu Bar. Now create yet another new string value and name it: LegalNoticeText. Modify it and insert the message you want to display each time Windows boots. This can be effectively used to display the company's private policy each time the user logs on to his NT box. It's .reg file would be:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"LegalNoticeCaption"="Caption here."
Delete the Tips of the Day to save 5KB
Windows 95 had these tips of the day which appeared on a system running a newly installed Windows OS. These tips of the day are stored in the Windows Registry and consume 5K of space. For those of you who are really concerned about how much free space your hard disk has, I have the perfect trick.
To save 5K go to the following key in Regedit:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Tips
Now simply delete these tricks by selecting and pressing the DEL key.
Change the Default Locations
To change the default drive or path where Windows will look for it's installation files, go to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath
Now you can edit as you wish.
Secure your Desktop Icons and Settings
You can save your desktop settings and secure it from your nerdy friend by playing with the registry. Simply launch the Registry Editor go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane create a new DWORD Value named NoSaveSettings and modify it's value to 1. Refresh and restart for the settings to get saved.
CLSID Folders Explained
Don't you just hate those stubborn stupid icons that refuse to leave the desktop, like the Network Neighborhood icon. I am sure you want to know how you can delete them. You may say, that is really simple, simply right click on the concerned icon and select Delete. Well not exactly, you see when you right click on these special folders( see entire list below)neither the rename nor the delete option does not appear. To delete these folders, there are two methods, the first one is using the System Policy Editor(Poledit in the Windows installation CD)and the second is using the Registry.
Before we go on, you need to understand what CLSID values are. These folders, like the Control Panel, Inbox, The Microsoft Network, Dial Up Networking etc are system folders. Each system folder has a unique CLSID key or the Class ID which is a 16-byte value which identifies an individual object that points to a corresponding key in the registry.
To delete these system Folders from the desktop simply go to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\Namespace{xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx}
To delete an icon simply delete the 16 byte CLSID value within "NameSpace". The following are the CLSID values of the most commonly used icons:
My Briefcase:{85BBD920-42AO-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Desktop: {00021400-0000-0000-C000-0000000000046}
Control Panel:{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Dial-Up-Networking:{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD01CCC48}
Fonts: {BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948534}
Inbox :{00020D76-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
My Computer :{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Network Neighborhood:{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-O8002B30309D}
Printers :{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-O8002B30309D}
Recycle Bin :{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
The Microsoft Network:{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
History: {FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
Winzip :{E0D79300-84BE-11CE-9641-444553540000}
For example, to delete the Recycle Bin, first note down it's CLSID value, which is: 645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E. Now go to the Namespace key in the registry and delete the corresponding key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Similarly to delete the History folder, delete the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}
Sometimes, you may need to play a trick on your brother or friend, well this one teaches you how to hide all icons from the Desktop. Go to the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane create a new DWORD value by the name: NoDesktop and set its value to: 1. Reboot and you will find no icons on the desktop.
Till now you simply learnt how to delete the special system folders by deleting a registry key, but the hack would have been better if there was a way of adding the DELETE and RENAME option to the right click context menus of these special folders. You can actually change the right click context menu of any system folder and add any of the following options: RENAME, DELETE, CUT, COPY, PASTE and lots more.
This hack too requires you to know the CLSID value of the system folder whose menu you want to customize. In this section, I have taken up Recycle Bin as the folder whose context menu I am going to edit.
Firstly launch the registry editor and open the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder.
In Case you want to edit some other folder like say the FONTS folder, then you will open the following key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{CLSID VALUE HERE}\ShellFolder.
In the right pane there will be a DWORD value names attributes. Now consider the following options:
To add the Rename option to the menu, change the value of Attributes to
50 01 00 20
To add the Delete option to the menu, change the value of Attributes to
60 01 00 20
3. To add both the Rename & Delete options to the menu, change the value of Attributes to 70,01,00,20
4. Add Copy to the menu, change Attributes to 41 01 00 20
5. Add Cut to the menu, change Attributes to 42 01 00 20
6. Add Copy & Cut to the menu, change Attributes to 43 01 00 20
7. Add Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 44 01 00 20
8. Add Copy & Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 45 01 00 20
9. Add Cut & Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 46 01 00 20
10.Add all Cut, Copy & Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 47 01 00 20
We want to add only the Rename option to the right click context menu of the Recycle Bin, so change the value of attributes to: 50 01 00 20. Press F5 to refresh and then after rebooting you will find that when you right click on the Recycle Bin a RENAME option pops up too.
To reset the default Windows options change the value of Attributes back to
40 01 00 20
The Registry File which one can create for the above process would be something like the below:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\Shell-Folder]
"Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20
To access say the Modem Properties in the Control Panel Folder, the normal procedure is: Click on Start, Click on Settings> Control Panel and then wait for the Control Panel window to pop up and then ultimately click on the Modems icon.
Wouldn't it be lovely if you could shorten the process to: Click on Start> Control Panel>Modems. Yes you can add the Control Panel and also all other Special System Folders directly to the first level Start Menu. Firstly collect the CLSID value of the folder you want to add to the start menu. I want to add Control Panel hence the CLSID value is: 21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D
Now right click on the Start Button and select Open. Now create a new folder and name it: Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
NOTE: Do not forget the period after the 'l' in Panel. Similarly all system folders can be added to the Start Menu.(accept My Briefcase, I think)
Deleting System Options from the Start menu
You can actually remove the Find and Run options from the start menu by performing a simple registry hack. Again like always Launch the registry editor and scroll down to the below key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Right-click on the right pane and select New, DWORD Value. Name it NoFind.(To remove the RUN option name it NoRun). Double-click the newly create DWORD to edit it's value and enter 1 as its value. This will disable the FIND option of the Start Menu and will also disable the default Shortcut key(F3 for Find.)
To restore the Run or find command modify the value of the DWORD to 0 or simply Delete the DWORD value.
Fed Up of the boring Old Yellow Folder Icons?[Drive Icons Included]
NOTE: This trick hasn't been tried on Win98.
You can easily change the boring yellow folder icons to your own personalized icons. Simply create a text file and copy the following lines into it:
[.ShellClassInfo]
ICONFILE=Drive:\Path\Icon_name.extension
Save this text file by the name, desktop.ini in the folder, whose icon you want to change. Now to prevent this file from getting deleted change it's attributes to Hidden and Read Only by using the ATTRIB command.
To change the icon of a drive, create a text file containing the following lines:
[Autorun]
ICON=Drive:\Path\Icon_name.extension
Save this file in the root of the drive whose icon you want to change and name it autorun.inf For Example, if you want to change the icon of a floppy, SAVE THE icon in a:\icon_name.ico One can also create a kewl icon for the Hard Disk and create a text file [autorun.inf] and store it in "c:\".
Securing NT
By default, NT 4.0 displays the last person who logged onto the system. This can be considered to be a security threat, especially in the case of those who choose their password to be same as their Username. To disable this bug which actually is a feature, go to the following key in the registry editor:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Click and select the ReportBookOK item and create a new string value called DontDisplayLastUserName. Modify it and set it's value to 1.
As a system administrator, you can ensure that the passwords chosen by the users are not too lame or too easy to guess. NT has this lovely utility called the User Manager which allows the administrator to set the age limit of the password which forces the users to change the password after a certain number of days. You can also set the minimum length of passwords and prevent users to use passwords which already have been used earlier and also enable account lockouts which will deactivate an account after a specified number of failed login attempts.
When you log on to Win NT, you should disable Password Caching, this ensures Single NT Domain login and also prevents secondary Windows Logon screen.
Simply copy the following lines to a plain text ASCII editor like: Notepad and save it with an extension, .reg
----------------DISABLE.reg-----------------
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network]
"DisablePwdCaching"=dword:00000001
----------------DISABLE.reg-----------------
To Enable Password Caching use the following .reg file:
--------------Enable.reg-----------------
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network]
"DisablePwdCaching"=dword:00000000
--------------Enable.reg-----------------
Cleaning Recent Docs Menu and the RUN MRU
The Recent Docs menu can be easily disabled by editing the Registry. To do this go to the following Key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Now in the right pane, create a new DWORD value by the name: NoRecentDocsMenu and set it's value to 1. Restart Explorer to save the changes.
You can also clear the RUN MRU history. All the listings are stored in the key:
HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU
You can delete individual listings or the entire listing. To delete History of Find listings go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Doc Find Spec MRU
and delete.
Customizing the Right Click Context Menu of the Start Menu
When you right click on the start menu, only 3 options pop up: Open, Explore, and Find. You can add your own programs to this pop up menu( which comes up when we right click on it.) Open Regedit and go to the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell
Right click on the shell and create a new Sub Key (You can create a new SubKey by right clicking on the Shell Key and selecting New > Key.). Type in the name of the application you want to add to the start menu. I want to add Notepad to the Start Menu and hence I name this new sub key, Notepad. Now right click on the new registry key that you just created and create yet another new key named Command. Enter the full path of the application, in this case Notepad in the default value of Command in the right
pane. So I Modify the value of the default string value and enter the full pathname of Notepad:
c:\wndows\notepad.exe.
Now press F5 to refresh. Now if you right click on the Start Button you will find a new addition to the Pop Up Menu called Notepad. Clicking on it will launch Notepad.
We can not only add but also remove the existing options in this pop up box.
To delete the Find option, go to the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Find
Delete Find. DO NOT delete Open else you will not be able to open any folders in the Start Menu like Programs, Accessories etc.
BMP Thumbnail As Icon
You can actually change the default BMP icon to a thumbnail version of the actual BMP file. To do this simply go to HKCU\Paint.Picture\Default. In the right pane change the value of default to %1. Please note however that this will slow down the display rate in explorer if there are too many BMP thumbnails to display. You can use other icons too, simply enter the pathname.To restore back to the normal change the vale of default back to: C:\Progra~1\Access~1\MSPAINT.EXE,1.
Customizing The Shortcut Arrow
All shortcuts have a tiny black arrow attached to it's icon to distinguish from normal files. This arrow can sometimes be pretty annoying and as a Hacker should know how to change each and everything, here goes another trick. Launch the Registry Editor and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Icons.
Now, on the right pane is a list of icons ( we found out that on some systems, Windows 98 especially, the right pane is blank. Don't worry, just add the value as required ). Find the value 29. If it isn't there, just add it. The value of this string should be C:\Windows\system\shell32.dll, 29 ( which means the 30th icon in shell32.dll - the first one begins with 0 ). Now, we need blank icon to do this. Just create one with white as the whole icon. Go here to learn how to create an icon. Once done just change the value to C:\xxx.ico, 0 where "xxx" is the full path of the icon file and "0" is the icon in it.
Now for some fun. If the blank icon is a bit boring, change it again. You will find that under shell32.dll there is a gear icon, a shared folder ( the hand ) and much more. Experiment for yourself!
Use Perl to Get List or Services Running on your NT box
Use the following Perl Script to get a list of Services running on your NT system
--------------script.pl-----------------
#!c:\per\bin\perl.exe
use Win32::Service;
my ($key, %service, %status, $part);
Win32::Service::GetServices(' ',\%services);
foreach $key (sort keys %services) {
print "Print Name\t: $key, $services{$key}\n";
Win32::Service::GetStatus( ' ',$services{$key};
\%status);
foreach $part (keys %status) {
print "\t$part : $status{$part}\n" if($part eq "CurrentState");
}
}
-------------script.pl-------------------
Internet Explorer Tricks and Tips
Resizable Full Screen Toolbar
The Full Screen option increases the viewable area and makes surfing more enjoyable but sometimes we need the Toolbar but also need to have extra viewing area. Now this hack teaches you how to change the size of the Internet Explorer toolbar. This registry hack is a bit complicated as it involves Binary values, so to make it simple, I have included the following registry file which will enable the resizable option of the Internet Explorer toolbar which was present in the beta version of IE.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar]
"Theater"=hex:0c,00,00,00,4c,00,00,00,74,00,00,00,18,00,00,00,1b,00,00,00,5c,\
00,00,00,01,00,00,00,e0,00,00,00,a0,0f,00,00,05,00,00,00,22,00,00,00,26,00,\
00,00,02,00,00,00,21,00,00,00,a0,0f,00,00,04,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,a0,0f,00,\
00,03,00,00,00,08,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
*******************
HACKING TRUTH: Internet Explorer 5 displays the friendly version of HTTP errors like NOT FOUND etc . They are aimed at making things easier for newbies. If you would rather prefer to see the proper error pages for the web server you're using, go to Tools, Internet Options and select the Advanced tab. Then scroll down and uncheck the Show friendly http errors box.
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Making the Internet Explorer & the Explorer Toolbars Fancy
The Internet Explorer toolbar looks pretty simple. Want to make it fancy and kewl? Why not add a background image to it. To do this kewl hack launch the Windows Registry Editor and go to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Toolbar\.
Now in the right pane create a new String Value and name it BackBitmap and modify it's value to the path of the Bitmap you want to dress it up with by rightclicking on it and choosing Modify. When you reboot the Internet Explorer and the Windows Explorer toolbars will have a new look.
Change Internet Explorer's Caption
Don't like the caption of Internet Explorer caption? Want to change it? Open the registry editor and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
In the right pane create a new String Value names Window Title (Note the space between Window and Title). Right click on this newly created String Value and select Modify. Type in the new caption you want to be displayed. Restart for the settings to take place.
Now let's move on to some Outlook Express Tricks.
Colorful Background
Don't like the boring background colors of Outlook Express? To change it launch the Windows Registry Editor and scroll down to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Mail And News key.
On the left pane, click on ColorCycle or select Edit and Modify in the menu. Now change the value to 1. Close and restart. Now, launch Outlook Express and whenever you open up a New Message, hold down ctrl-shift and tap the z key to scroll to change the background color. Repeat the keystroke to cycle through the colors.
Internet Explorer 5 Hidden Features
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 has several hidden features which can be controlled using the Windows Registry. Open your registry and scroll down to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions
Create a new DWORD value named x(See complete list of values of x below) and modify it's value to 1 to enable it and to 0 to disable it.
NoBrowserClose : Disable the option of closing Internet Explorer.
NoBrowserContextMenu : Disable right-click context menu.
NoBrowserOptions : Disable the Tools / Internet Options menu.
NoBrowserSaveAs : Disable the ability to Save As.
NoFavorites : Disable the Favorites.
NoFileNew : Disable the File / New command.
NoFileOpen : Disable the File / Open command.
NoFindFiles : Disable the Find Files command.
NoSelectDownloadDir : Disable the option of selecting a download directory.
NoTheaterMode : Disable the Full Screen view option.
Hacking Secrets
Almost all system administrators make certain changes and make the system restricted. System Administrators can hide the RUN option, the FIND command, the entire Control Panel, drives in My Computer like D: A: etc. They can even restrict activities of a hacker my disabling or hiding, even the tiniest options or tools.
Most commonly these restrictions are imposed locally and are controlled by the Windows Registry. But sometimes the smart system administrators control the activities of the hacker by imposing restrictions remotely through the main server.
Poledit or Policy Editor is a small kewl tool which is being commonly used by system administrators to alter the settings of a system. This utility is not installed by default by Windows. You need to install in manually from the Windows 98 Installation Kit from the Resource Kit folder. user.dat file that we saw earlier.
The Policy Editor tool imposes restrictions on the user's system by editing the user.dat file which in turn means that it edits the Windows Registry to change the settings. It can be used to control or restrict access to each and every folder and option you could ever think of. It has the power to even restrict access to individual folders, files, the Control Panel, MS DOS, the drives available etc. Sometimes this software does make life really hard for a Hacker. So how can we remove the restrictions imposed by the Policy Editor? Well read ahead to learn more.
You see the Policy Editor is not the only way to restrict a user's activities. As we already know that the Policy Editor edits the Windows Registry(user.dat) file to impose such restrictions. So this in turn would mean that we can directly make changes to the Windows Registry using a .reg file or directly to remove or add restrictions.
Launch Regedit and go to the following Registry Key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/CurrentVersion/Policies
Under this key, there will definitely be a key named explorer. Now under this explorer key we can create new DWORD values and modify it's value to 1 in order to impose the restriction. If you want to remove the Restriction, then you can simply delete the respective DWORD values or instead change their values to 0. The following is a list of DWORD values that can be created under the Explorer Key-:
NoDeletePrinter: Disables Deletion of already installed Printers
NoAddPrinter: Disables Addition of new Printers
NoRun : Disables or hides the Run Command
NoSetFolders: Removes Folders from the Settings option on Start Menu (Control Panel, Printers, Taskbar)
NoSetTaskbar: Removes Taskbar system folder from the Settings option on Start Menu
NoFind: Removes the Find Tool (Start >Find)
NoDrives: Hides and does not display any Drives in My Computer
NoNetHood: Hides or removes the Network Neighborhood icon from the desktop
NoDesktop: Hides all items including, file, folders and system folders from the Desktop
NoClose: Disables Shutdown and prevents the user from normally shutting down Windows.
NoSaveSettings: Means to say, 'Don't save settings on exit'
DisableRegistryTools: Disable Registry Editing Tools (If you disable this option, the Windows Registry Editor(regedit.exe) too
will not work.)
NoRecentDocsHistory: Removes Recent Document system folder from the Start Menu (IE 4 and above)
ClearRecentDocsOnExit: Clears the Recent Documents system folder on Exit.
Nolnternetlcon: Removes the Internet (system folder) icon from the Desktop
Under the same key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/CurrentVersion/Policies you can create new subkeys other than the already existing Explorer key. Now create a new key and name it System. Under this new key, system we can create the following new DWORD values(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option):
NODispCPL: Hides Control Panel
NoDispBackgroundPage: Hides Background page.
NoDispScrsavPage: Hides Screen Saver Page
NoDispAppearancePage: Hides Appearance Page
NoDispSettingsPage: Hides Settings Page
NoSecCPL: Disables Password Control Panel
NoPwdPage: Hides Password Change Page
NoAdminPaqe: Hides Remote Administration Page
NoProfilePage: Hides User Profiles Page
NoDevMgrPage: Hides Device Manager Page
NoConfigPage: Hides Hardware Profiles Page
NoFileSysPage: Hides File System Button
NoVirtMemPage: Hides Virtual Memory Button
Similarly, if we create a new subkey named Network, we can add the following DWORD values under it(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option):
NoNetSetupSecurityPage: Hides Network Security Page
NoNelSetup: Hides or disables the Network option in the Control Panel
NoNetSetupIDPage: Hides the Identification Page
NoNetSetupSecurityPage: Hides the Access Control Page
NoFileSharingControl: Disables File Sharing Controls
NoPrintSharing: Disables Print Sharing Controls
Similarly, if we create a new subkey named WinOldApp, we can add the following DWORD values under it(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option):
Disabled: Disable MS-DOS Prompt
NoRealMode: Disable Single-Mode MS-DOS.
So you see if you have access to the Windows Registry, then you can easily create new DWORD values and set heir value to 1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option. But Sometimes, access to the Windows Registry is blocked. So what do you do? Go to the Windows Directory and delete either user.dat or system.dat (These 2 files constitute the Windows Registry.) and reboot. As soon as Windows logs in, it will display a Warning Message informing you about an error in the Windows Registry. Simply ignore this Warning Message and Press CTRL+DEL+ALT to get out of this warning message.(Do not press OK) You will find that all restrictions have been removed.
The most kind of restriction found quite commonly is the Specific Folder Restriction, in which users are not allowed access to specific folders, the most common being the Windows folder, or sometimes even access to My Computer is blocked. In effect, you simply cannot seem to access the important kewl files which are needed by you to do remove restrictions. What do you? Well use the RUN command. (START >RUN). But unfortunately a system administrator who is intelligent enough to block access to specific folder, would definitely have blocked access to the RUN command. Again we are stuck.
Windows is supposed to be the most User Friendly Operating System on earth. (At least Microsoft Says so.)
It gives the User an option to do the same thing in various ways. You see the RUN command is only the most convenient option of launching applications, but not the only way. In Windows you can create shortcuts to almost anything from a file, folder to a Web URL. So say your system administrator has blocked access to the c:\windows\system folder and you need to access it. What do you do? Simply create a Shortcut to it. To do this right click anywhere on the desktop and select New > Shortcut. A new window titled Create Shortcut pops up. Type in the path of the restricted folder you wish to access, in this case c:\windows\system. Click Next, Enter the friendly name of the Shortcut and then click Finish. Now you can access the restricted folder by simply double clicking on the shortcut icon. Well that shows how protected and secure *ahem Windows *ahem is.
****************
HACKING TRUTH: Sometimes when you try to delete a file or a folder, Windows displays an error message saying that the file is protected. This simply means that the file is write protected, or in other words the R option is +. Get it? Anyway, you can stop Windows from displaying this error message and straightaway delete this file by changing its attributes to Non Read Only. This can be done by Right Clicking on the file, selecting Properties and then
unselecting the Read Only Option.
***************
There is yet another way of accessing restricted folders. Use see, DOS has a lovely command known as START. Its general syntax is:
START application_path
It does do what it seems to do, start applications. So in you have access to DOS then you can type in the START command to get access to the restricted folder. Now mostly access to DOS too would be blocked. So again you can use the shortcut trick to launch, c:\command.com or c:\windows\command.com. (Command.com is the file which launches MS DOS).
Accessing Restricted Drives.
The problem with most system administrators is that they think that the users or Hackers too are stupid. Almost all system administrators use the Registry Trick (Explained Earlier) to hide all drives in My Computer. So in order to unhide or display all drives, simply delete that particular key.(Refer to beginning of Untold Secrets Section.)
Some systems have the floppy disk disabled through the BIOS. On those systems if the BIOS is protected, you may need to crack the BIOS password. (For that Refer to the Windows Hacking Chapter). Sometimes making drives readable (Removing R +) and then creating Shortcuts to them also helps us to get access to them.
Further Changing your Operating System's Looks by editing .htt files
If you have installed Windows Desktop Update and have the view as Web Page option enabled, you can customise the way the folder looks by selecting View > Customise this folder. Here you can change the background and other things about that particular folder. Well that is pretty lame, right? We hackers already know things as lame as that. Read on for some kewl stuff.
Well, you could also change the default that is stored in a Hidden HTML Template file (I think so..) which is nothing but a HTML document with a .htt extension. This .htt file is found at: %systemroot%\web\folder.htt.
The %systemroot% stands for the drive in which Windows is Installed, which is normally C:
You can edit these .htt files almost just like you edit normal .HTM or .HTML files. Simply open them in an ASCII editor like Notepad. The following is a list of .htt files on your system which control various folders and which can be edited to customise the way various folders look.
controlp.htt Control Panel
printers.htt Printers
mycomp.htt My Computer
safemode.htt Safe Mode
All these files are found in the web folder in %systemfolder%. The folder.htt file has a line:
'Here's a good place to add a few lines of your own"
which is the place where you can add your own A HREF links. These links would then appear in the folder whose folder.htt file you edited. All this might sound really easy and simple, but you see these .htt files do not contain normal HTML code, instead they contain a mixture of HTML and web bots. Hence they can be difficult for newbies to understand.
This time I have a collection of Tips and Tricks which no body normally knows, the secrets which Microsoft is afraid to tell the people, the information which you will seldom find all gathered up and arranged in a single file. To fully reap this Manual you need to have a basic understanding of the Windows Registry, as almost all the Tricks and Tips involve this file.
****************
Important Note: Before you read on, you need to keep one thing in mind. Whenever you make changes to the Windows Registry you need to Refresh it before the changes take place. Simply press F5 to refresh the registry and enable the changes. If this does not work Restart your system
****************
Exiting Windows the Cool and Quick Way
Normally it takes a hell lot of time just Shutting down Windows, you have to move your mouse to the Start Button, click on it, move it again over Shut Down, click, then move it over the necessary option and click, then move the cursor over the OK button and once again (you guessed it) click.This whole process can be shortened by creating shortcuts on the Desktop which will shut down Windows at the click of a button. Start by creating a new shortcut( right click and select New> Shortcut). Then in the command line box, type (without the quotes.)
'C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindowsexec'
This Shortcut on clicking will restart Windows immediately without any Warning. To create a Shortcut to Restarting Windows, type the following in the Command Line box:
'c:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows'
This Shortcut on clicking will shut down Windows immediately without any Warning.
Ban Shutdowns : A trick to Play on Lamers
This is a neat trick you can play on that lamer that has a huge ego, in this section I teach you, how to disable the Shut Down option in the Shut Down Dialog Box. This trick involves editing the registry, so please make backups. Launch regedit.exe and go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane look for the NoClose Key. If it is not already there then create it by right clicking in the right pane and selecting New > String Value.(Name it NoCloseKey ) Now once you see the NoCloseKey in the right pane, right click on it and select Modify. Then Type 1 in the Value Data Box.
Doing the above on a Win98 system disables the Shut Down option in the Shut Down Dialog Box. But on a Win95 machine if the value of NoCloseKey is set to 1 then click on the Start > Shut Down button displays the following error message:
This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.
You can enable the shut down option by changing the value of NoCloseKey to 0 or simply deleting the particular entry i.e. deleting NoCloseKey.
Instead of performing the above difficult to remember process, simply save the following with an extension of .reg and add it's contents to the registry by double clicking on it.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoClose"="1"
Disabling Display of Drives in My Computer
This is yet another trick you can play on your geek friend. To disable the display of local or networked drives when you click My Computer go to :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Now in the right pane create a new DWORD item and name it NoDrives. Now modify it's value and set it to 3FFFFFF (Hexadecimal) Now press F5 to refresh. When you click on My Computer, no drives will be shown. To enable display of drives in My Computer, simply delete this DWORD item. It's .reg file is as follows:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoDrives"=dword:03ffffff
Take Over the Screen Saver
To activate and deactivate the screen saver whenever you want, goto the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ScreenSavers
Now add a new string value and name it Mouse Corners. Edit this new value to -Y-N. Press F5 to refresh the registry. Voila! Now you can activate your screensaver by simply placing the mouse cursor at the top right corner of the screen and if you take the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, the screensaver will deactivate.
Pop a banner each time Windows Boots
To pop a banner which can contain any message you want to display just before a user is going to log on, go to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WinLogon
Now create a new string Value in the right pane named LegalNoticeCaption and enter the value that you want to see in the Menu Bar. Now create yet another new string value and name it: LegalNoticeText. Modify it and insert the message you want to display each time Windows boots. This can be effectively used to display the company's private policy each time the user logs on to his NT box. It's .reg file would be:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"LegalNoticeCaption"="Caption here."
Delete the Tips of the Day to save 5KB
Windows 95 had these tips of the day which appeared on a system running a newly installed Windows OS. These tips of the day are stored in the Windows Registry and consume 5K of space. For those of you who are really concerned about how much free space your hard disk has, I have the perfect trick.
To save 5K go to the following key in Regedit:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Tips
Now simply delete these tricks by selecting and pressing the DEL key.
Change the Default Locations
To change the default drive or path where Windows will look for it's installation files, go to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath
Now you can edit as you wish.
Secure your Desktop Icons and Settings
You can save your desktop settings and secure it from your nerdy friend by playing with the registry. Simply launch the Registry Editor go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane create a new DWORD Value named NoSaveSettings and modify it's value to 1. Refresh and restart for the settings to get saved.
CLSID Folders Explained
Don't you just hate those stubborn stupid icons that refuse to leave the desktop, like the Network Neighborhood icon. I am sure you want to know how you can delete them. You may say, that is really simple, simply right click on the concerned icon and select Delete. Well not exactly, you see when you right click on these special folders( see entire list below)neither the rename nor the delete option does not appear. To delete these folders, there are two methods, the first one is using the System Policy Editor(Poledit in the Windows installation CD)and the second is using the Registry.
Before we go on, you need to understand what CLSID values are. These folders, like the Control Panel, Inbox, The Microsoft Network, Dial Up Networking etc are system folders. Each system folder has a unique CLSID key or the Class ID which is a 16-byte value which identifies an individual object that points to a corresponding key in the registry.
To delete these system Folders from the desktop simply go to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\Namespace{xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx}
To delete an icon simply delete the 16 byte CLSID value within "NameSpace". The following are the CLSID values of the most commonly used icons:
My Briefcase:{85BBD920-42AO-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Desktop: {00021400-0000-0000-C000-0000000000046}
Control Panel:{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Dial-Up-Networking:{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD01CCC48}
Fonts: {BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948534}
Inbox :{00020D76-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
My Computer :{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Network Neighborhood:{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-O8002B30309D}
Printers :{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-O8002B30309D}
Recycle Bin :{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
The Microsoft Network:{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
History: {FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
Winzip :{E0D79300-84BE-11CE-9641-444553540000}
For example, to delete the Recycle Bin, first note down it's CLSID value, which is: 645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E. Now go to the Namespace key in the registry and delete the corresponding key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Similarly to delete the History folder, delete the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}
Sometimes, you may need to play a trick on your brother or friend, well this one teaches you how to hide all icons from the Desktop. Go to the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
In the right pane create a new DWORD value by the name: NoDesktop and set its value to: 1. Reboot and you will find no icons on the desktop.
Till now you simply learnt how to delete the special system folders by deleting a registry key, but the hack would have been better if there was a way of adding the DELETE and RENAME option to the right click context menus of these special folders. You can actually change the right click context menu of any system folder and add any of the following options: RENAME, DELETE, CUT, COPY, PASTE and lots more.
This hack too requires you to know the CLSID value of the system folder whose menu you want to customize. In this section, I have taken up Recycle Bin as the folder whose context menu I am going to edit.
Firstly launch the registry editor and open the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ShellFolder.
In Case you want to edit some other folder like say the FONTS folder, then you will open the following key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{CLSID VALUE HERE}\ShellFolder.
In the right pane there will be a DWORD value names attributes. Now consider the following options:
To add the Rename option to the menu, change the value of Attributes to
50 01 00 20
To add the Delete option to the menu, change the value of Attributes to
60 01 00 20
3. To add both the Rename & Delete options to the menu, change the value of Attributes to 70,01,00,20
4. Add Copy to the menu, change Attributes to 41 01 00 20
5. Add Cut to the menu, change Attributes to 42 01 00 20
6. Add Copy & Cut to the menu, change Attributes to 43 01 00 20
7. Add Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 44 01 00 20
8. Add Copy & Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 45 01 00 20
9. Add Cut & Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 46 01 00 20
10.Add all Cut, Copy & Paste to the menu, change Attributes to 47 01 00 20
We want to add only the Rename option to the right click context menu of the Recycle Bin, so change the value of attributes to: 50 01 00 20. Press F5 to refresh and then after rebooting you will find that when you right click on the Recycle Bin a RENAME option pops up too.
To reset the default Windows options change the value of Attributes back to
40 01 00 20
The Registry File which one can create for the above process would be something like the below:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\Shell-Folder]
"Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20
To access say the Modem Properties in the Control Panel Folder, the normal procedure is: Click on Start, Click on Settings> Control Panel and then wait for the Control Panel window to pop up and then ultimately click on the Modems icon.
Wouldn't it be lovely if you could shorten the process to: Click on Start> Control Panel>Modems. Yes you can add the Control Panel and also all other Special System Folders directly to the first level Start Menu. Firstly collect the CLSID value of the folder you want to add to the start menu. I want to add Control Panel hence the CLSID value is: 21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D
Now right click on the Start Button and select Open. Now create a new folder and name it: Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
NOTE: Do not forget the period after the 'l' in Panel. Similarly all system folders can be added to the Start Menu.(accept My Briefcase, I think)
Deleting System Options from the Start menu
You can actually remove the Find and Run options from the start menu by performing a simple registry hack. Again like always Launch the registry editor and scroll down to the below key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Right-click on the right pane and select New, DWORD Value. Name it NoFind.(To remove the RUN option name it NoRun). Double-click the newly create DWORD to edit it's value and enter 1 as its value. This will disable the FIND option of the Start Menu and will also disable the default Shortcut key(F3 for Find.)
To restore the Run or find command modify the value of the DWORD to 0 or simply Delete the DWORD value.
Fed Up of the boring Old Yellow Folder Icons?[Drive Icons Included]
NOTE: This trick hasn't been tried on Win98.
You can easily change the boring yellow folder icons to your own personalized icons. Simply create a text file and copy the following lines into it:
[.ShellClassInfo]
ICONFILE=Drive:\Path\Icon_name.extension
Save this text file by the name, desktop.ini in the folder, whose icon you want to change. Now to prevent this file from getting deleted change it's attributes to Hidden and Read Only by using the ATTRIB command.
To change the icon of a drive, create a text file containing the following lines:
[Autorun]
ICON=Drive:\Path\Icon_name.extension
Save this file in the root of the drive whose icon you want to change and name it autorun.inf For Example, if you want to change the icon of a floppy, SAVE THE icon in a:\icon_name.ico One can also create a kewl icon for the Hard Disk and create a text file [autorun.inf] and store it in "c:\".
Securing NT
By default, NT 4.0 displays the last person who logged onto the system. This can be considered to be a security threat, especially in the case of those who choose their password to be same as their Username. To disable this bug which actually is a feature, go to the following key in the registry editor:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Click and select the ReportBookOK item and create a new string value called DontDisplayLastUserName. Modify it and set it's value to 1.
As a system administrator, you can ensure that the passwords chosen by the users are not too lame or too easy to guess. NT has this lovely utility called the User Manager which allows the administrator to set the age limit of the password which forces the users to change the password after a certain number of days. You can also set the minimum length of passwords and prevent users to use passwords which already have been used earlier and also enable account lockouts which will deactivate an account after a specified number of failed login attempts.
When you log on to Win NT, you should disable Password Caching, this ensures Single NT Domain login and also prevents secondary Windows Logon screen.
Simply copy the following lines to a plain text ASCII editor like: Notepad and save it with an extension, .reg
----------------DISABLE.reg-----------------
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network]
"DisablePwdCaching"=dword:00000001
----------------DISABLE.reg-----------------
To Enable Password Caching use the following .reg file:
--------------Enable.reg-----------------
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network]
"DisablePwdCaching"=dword:00000000
--------------Enable.reg-----------------
Cleaning Recent Docs Menu and the RUN MRU
The Recent Docs menu can be easily disabled by editing the Registry. To do this go to the following Key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Now in the right pane, create a new DWORD value by the name: NoRecentDocsMenu and set it's value to 1. Restart Explorer to save the changes.
You can also clear the RUN MRU history. All the listings are stored in the key:
HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU
You can delete individual listings or the entire listing. To delete History of Find listings go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Doc Find Spec MRU
and delete.
Customizing the Right Click Context Menu of the Start Menu
When you right click on the start menu, only 3 options pop up: Open, Explore, and Find. You can add your own programs to this pop up menu( which comes up when we right click on it.) Open Regedit and go to the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell
Right click on the shell and create a new Sub Key (You can create a new SubKey by right clicking on the Shell Key and selecting New > Key.). Type in the name of the application you want to add to the start menu. I want to add Notepad to the Start Menu and hence I name this new sub key, Notepad. Now right click on the new registry key that you just created and create yet another new key named Command. Enter the full path of the application, in this case Notepad in the default value of Command in the right
pane. So I Modify the value of the default string value and enter the full pathname of Notepad:
c:\wndows\notepad.exe.
Now press F5 to refresh. Now if you right click on the Start Button you will find a new addition to the Pop Up Menu called Notepad. Clicking on it will launch Notepad.
We can not only add but also remove the existing options in this pop up box.
To delete the Find option, go to the following registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Find
Delete Find. DO NOT delete Open else you will not be able to open any folders in the Start Menu like Programs, Accessories etc.
BMP Thumbnail As Icon
You can actually change the default BMP icon to a thumbnail version of the actual BMP file. To do this simply go to HKCU\Paint.Picture\Default. In the right pane change the value of default to %1. Please note however that this will slow down the display rate in explorer if there are too many BMP thumbnails to display. You can use other icons too, simply enter the pathname.To restore back to the normal change the vale of default back to: C:\Progra~1\Access~1\MSPAINT.EXE,1.
Customizing The Shortcut Arrow
All shortcuts have a tiny black arrow attached to it's icon to distinguish from normal files. This arrow can sometimes be pretty annoying and as a Hacker should know how to change each and everything, here goes another trick. Launch the Registry Editor and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Icons.
Now, on the right pane is a list of icons ( we found out that on some systems, Windows 98 especially, the right pane is blank. Don't worry, just add the value as required ). Find the value 29. If it isn't there, just add it. The value of this string should be C:\Windows\system\shell32.dll, 29 ( which means the 30th icon in shell32.dll - the first one begins with 0 ). Now, we need blank icon to do this. Just create one with white as the whole icon. Go here to learn how to create an icon. Once done just change the value to C:\xxx.ico, 0 where "xxx" is the full path of the icon file and "0" is the icon in it.
Now for some fun. If the blank icon is a bit boring, change it again. You will find that under shell32.dll there is a gear icon, a shared folder ( the hand ) and much more. Experiment for yourself!
Use Perl to Get List or Services Running on your NT box
Use the following Perl Script to get a list of Services running on your NT system
--------------script.pl-----------------
#!c:\per\bin\perl.exe
use Win32::Service;
my ($key, %service, %status, $part);
Win32::Service::GetServices(' ',\%services);
foreach $key (sort keys %services) {
print "Print Name\t: $key, $services{$key}\n";
Win32::Service::GetStatus( ' ',$services{$key};
\%status);
foreach $part (keys %status) {
print "\t$part : $status{$part}\n" if($part eq "CurrentState");
}
}
-------------script.pl-------------------
Internet Explorer Tricks and Tips
Resizable Full Screen Toolbar
The Full Screen option increases the viewable area and makes surfing more enjoyable but sometimes we need the Toolbar but also need to have extra viewing area. Now this hack teaches you how to change the size of the Internet Explorer toolbar. This registry hack is a bit complicated as it involves Binary values, so to make it simple, I have included the following registry file which will enable the resizable option of the Internet Explorer toolbar which was present in the beta version of IE.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar]
"Theater"=hex:0c,00,00,00,4c,00,00,00,74,00,00,00,18,00,00,00,1b,00,00,00,5c,\
00,00,00,01,00,00,00,e0,00,00,00,a0,0f,00,00,05,00,00,00,22,00,00,00,26,00,\
00,00,02,00,00,00,21,00,00,00,a0,0f,00,00,04,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,a0,0f,00,\
00,03,00,00,00,08,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
*******************
HACKING TRUTH: Internet Explorer 5 displays the friendly version of HTTP errors like NOT FOUND etc . They are aimed at making things easier for newbies. If you would rather prefer to see the proper error pages for the web server you're using, go to Tools, Internet Options and select the Advanced tab. Then scroll down and uncheck the Show friendly http errors box.
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Making the Internet Explorer & the Explorer Toolbars Fancy
The Internet Explorer toolbar looks pretty simple. Want to make it fancy and kewl? Why not add a background image to it. To do this kewl hack launch the Windows Registry Editor and go to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Toolbar\.
Now in the right pane create a new String Value and name it BackBitmap and modify it's value to the path of the Bitmap you want to dress it up with by rightclicking on it and choosing Modify. When you reboot the Internet Explorer and the Windows Explorer toolbars will have a new look.
Change Internet Explorer's Caption
Don't like the caption of Internet Explorer caption? Want to change it? Open the registry editor and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
In the right pane create a new String Value names Window Title (Note the space between Window and Title). Right click on this newly created String Value and select Modify. Type in the new caption you want to be displayed. Restart for the settings to take place.
Now let's move on to some Outlook Express Tricks.
Colorful Background
Don't like the boring background colors of Outlook Express? To change it launch the Windows Registry Editor and scroll down to the
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Mail And News key.
On the left pane, click on ColorCycle or select Edit and Modify in the menu. Now change the value to 1. Close and restart. Now, launch Outlook Express and whenever you open up a New Message, hold down ctrl-shift and tap the z key to scroll to change the background color. Repeat the keystroke to cycle through the colors.
Internet Explorer 5 Hidden Features
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 has several hidden features which can be controlled using the Windows Registry. Open your registry and scroll down to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions
Create a new DWORD value named x(See complete list of values of x below) and modify it's value to 1 to enable it and to 0 to disable it.
NoBrowserClose : Disable the option of closing Internet Explorer.
NoBrowserContextMenu : Disable right-click context menu.
NoBrowserOptions : Disable the Tools / Internet Options menu.
NoBrowserSaveAs : Disable the ability to Save As.
NoFavorites : Disable the Favorites.
NoFileNew : Disable the File / New command.
NoFileOpen : Disable the File / Open command.
NoFindFiles : Disable the Find Files command.
NoSelectDownloadDir : Disable the option of selecting a download directory.
NoTheaterMode : Disable the Full Screen view option.
Hacking Secrets
Almost all system administrators make certain changes and make the system restricted. System Administrators can hide the RUN option, the FIND command, the entire Control Panel, drives in My Computer like D: A: etc. They can even restrict activities of a hacker my disabling or hiding, even the tiniest options or tools.
Most commonly these restrictions are imposed locally and are controlled by the Windows Registry. But sometimes the smart system administrators control the activities of the hacker by imposing restrictions remotely through the main server.
Poledit or Policy Editor is a small kewl tool which is being commonly used by system administrators to alter the settings of a system. This utility is not installed by default by Windows. You need to install in manually from the Windows 98 Installation Kit from the Resource Kit folder. user.dat file that we saw earlier.
The Policy Editor tool imposes restrictions on the user's system by editing the user.dat file which in turn means that it edits the Windows Registry to change the settings. It can be used to control or restrict access to each and every folder and option you could ever think of. It has the power to even restrict access to individual folders, files, the Control Panel, MS DOS, the drives available etc. Sometimes this software does make life really hard for a Hacker. So how can we remove the restrictions imposed by the Policy Editor? Well read ahead to learn more.
You see the Policy Editor is not the only way to restrict a user's activities. As we already know that the Policy Editor edits the Windows Registry(user.dat) file to impose such restrictions. So this in turn would mean that we can directly make changes to the Windows Registry using a .reg file or directly to remove or add restrictions.
Launch Regedit and go to the following Registry Key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/CurrentVersion/Policies
Under this key, there will definitely be a key named explorer. Now under this explorer key we can create new DWORD values and modify it's value to 1 in order to impose the restriction. If you want to remove the Restriction, then you can simply delete the respective DWORD values or instead change their values to 0. The following is a list of DWORD values that can be created under the Explorer Key-:
NoDeletePrinter: Disables Deletion of already installed Printers
NoAddPrinter: Disables Addition of new Printers
NoRun : Disables or hides the Run Command
NoSetFolders: Removes Folders from the Settings option on Start Menu (Control Panel, Printers, Taskbar)
NoSetTaskbar: Removes Taskbar system folder from the Settings option on Start Menu
NoFind: Removes the Find Tool (Start >Find)
NoDrives: Hides and does not display any Drives in My Computer
NoNetHood: Hides or removes the Network Neighborhood icon from the desktop
NoDesktop: Hides all items including, file, folders and system folders from the Desktop
NoClose: Disables Shutdown and prevents the user from normally shutting down Windows.
NoSaveSettings: Means to say, 'Don't save settings on exit'
DisableRegistryTools: Disable Registry Editing Tools (If you disable this option, the Windows Registry Editor(regedit.exe) too
will not work.)
NoRecentDocsHistory: Removes Recent Document system folder from the Start Menu (IE 4 and above)
ClearRecentDocsOnExit: Clears the Recent Documents system folder on Exit.
Nolnternetlcon: Removes the Internet (system folder) icon from the Desktop
Under the same key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/CurrentVersion/Policies you can create new subkeys other than the already existing Explorer key. Now create a new key and name it System. Under this new key, system we can create the following new DWORD values(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option):
NODispCPL: Hides Control Panel
NoDispBackgroundPage: Hides Background page.
NoDispScrsavPage: Hides Screen Saver Page
NoDispAppearancePage: Hides Appearance Page
NoDispSettingsPage: Hides Settings Page
NoSecCPL: Disables Password Control Panel
NoPwdPage: Hides Password Change Page
NoAdminPaqe: Hides Remote Administration Page
NoProfilePage: Hides User Profiles Page
NoDevMgrPage: Hides Device Manager Page
NoConfigPage: Hides Hardware Profiles Page
NoFileSysPage: Hides File System Button
NoVirtMemPage: Hides Virtual Memory Button
Similarly, if we create a new subkey named Network, we can add the following DWORD values under it(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option):
NoNetSetupSecurityPage: Hides Network Security Page
NoNelSetup: Hides or disables the Network option in the Control Panel
NoNetSetupIDPage: Hides the Identification Page
NoNetSetupSecurityPage: Hides the Access Control Page
NoFileSharingControl: Disables File Sharing Controls
NoPrintSharing: Disables Print Sharing Controls
Similarly, if we create a new subkey named WinOldApp, we can add the following DWORD values under it(1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option):
Disabled: Disable MS-DOS Prompt
NoRealMode: Disable Single-Mode MS-DOS.
So you see if you have access to the Windows Registry, then you can easily create new DWORD values and set heir value to 1 for enabling the particular option and 0 for disabling the particular option. But Sometimes, access to the Windows Registry is blocked. So what do you do? Go to the Windows Directory and delete either user.dat or system.dat (These 2 files constitute the Windows Registry.) and reboot. As soon as Windows logs in, it will display a Warning Message informing you about an error in the Windows Registry. Simply ignore this Warning Message and Press CTRL+DEL+ALT to get out of this warning message.(Do not press OK) You will find that all restrictions have been removed.
The most kind of restriction found quite commonly is the Specific Folder Restriction, in which users are not allowed access to specific folders, the most common being the Windows folder, or sometimes even access to My Computer is blocked. In effect, you simply cannot seem to access the important kewl files which are needed by you to do remove restrictions. What do you? Well use the RUN command. (START >RUN). But unfortunately a system administrator who is intelligent enough to block access to specific folder, would definitely have blocked access to the RUN command. Again we are stuck.
Windows is supposed to be the most User Friendly Operating System on earth. (At least Microsoft Says so.)
It gives the User an option to do the same thing in various ways. You see the RUN command is only the most convenient option of launching applications, but not the only way. In Windows you can create shortcuts to almost anything from a file, folder to a Web URL. So say your system administrator has blocked access to the c:\windows\system folder and you need to access it. What do you do? Simply create a Shortcut to it. To do this right click anywhere on the desktop and select New > Shortcut. A new window titled Create Shortcut pops up. Type in the path of the restricted folder you wish to access, in this case c:\windows\system. Click Next, Enter the friendly name of the Shortcut and then click Finish. Now you can access the restricted folder by simply double clicking on the shortcut icon. Well that shows how protected and secure *ahem Windows *ahem is.
****************
HACKING TRUTH: Sometimes when you try to delete a file or a folder, Windows displays an error message saying that the file is protected. This simply means that the file is write protected, or in other words the R option is +. Get it? Anyway, you can stop Windows from displaying this error message and straightaway delete this file by changing its attributes to Non Read Only. This can be done by Right Clicking on the file, selecting Properties and then
unselecting the Read Only Option.
***************
There is yet another way of accessing restricted folders. Use see, DOS has a lovely command known as START. Its general syntax is:
START application_path
It does do what it seems to do, start applications. So in you have access to DOS then you can type in the START command to get access to the restricted folder. Now mostly access to DOS too would be blocked. So again you can use the shortcut trick to launch, c:\command.com or c:\windows\command.com. (Command.com is the file which launches MS DOS).
Accessing Restricted Drives.
The problem with most system administrators is that they think that the users or Hackers too are stupid. Almost all system administrators use the Registry Trick (Explained Earlier) to hide all drives in My Computer. So in order to unhide or display all drives, simply delete that particular key.(Refer to beginning of Untold Secrets Section.)
Some systems have the floppy disk disabled through the BIOS. On those systems if the BIOS is protected, you may need to crack the BIOS password. (For that Refer to the Windows Hacking Chapter). Sometimes making drives readable (Removing R +) and then creating Shortcuts to them also helps us to get access to them.
Further Changing your Operating System's Looks by editing .htt files
If you have installed Windows Desktop Update and have the view as Web Page option enabled, you can customise the way the folder looks by selecting View > Customise this folder. Here you can change the background and other things about that particular folder. Well that is pretty lame, right? We hackers already know things as lame as that. Read on for some kewl stuff.
Well, you could also change the default that is stored in a Hidden HTML Template file (I think so..) which is nothing but a HTML document with a .htt extension. This .htt file is found at: %systemroot%\web\folder.htt.
The %systemroot% stands for the drive in which Windows is Installed, which is normally C:
You can edit these .htt files almost just like you edit normal .HTM or .HTML files. Simply open them in an ASCII editor like Notepad. The following is a list of .htt files on your system which control various folders and which can be edited to customise the way various folders look.
controlp.htt Control Panel
printers.htt Printers
mycomp.htt My Computer
safemode.htt Safe Mode
All these files are found in the web folder in %systemfolder%. The folder.htt file has a line:
'Here's a good place to add a few lines of your own"
which is the place where you can add your own A HREF links. These links would then appear in the folder whose folder.htt file you edited. All this might sound really easy and simple, but you see these .htt files do not contain normal HTML code, instead they contain a mixture of HTML and web bots. Hence they can be difficult for newbies to understand.
Tips and tricks in networking
Trace the Route
You can troubleshoot your Internet connection with the Trace Route option. To use Trace Route, type 'tracert' followed by the Web address or IP, in the command line. Trace route traces every hop or router on the Internet, that a packet takes to reach its destination, giving the path and the amount of time taken between each hop. On a LAN, this can be used to diagnose problems in routing. Use it on the Internet to choose the nearest and fastest download sites. Fewer hops usually make for a better connection.
Network Statistics
Use the netstat utility to display protocol-based statistics, as well as all current inbound and outbound connections. It can be configured to display all connections, listening (open) ports and Ethernet statistics, as well as statistics on a protocol basis for your network connection. This would include statistics for TCP, UDP, ICMP and IP. This is a very useful command line utility that shows you all network activity on your machine.
Instant Messages across the LAN on Windows 98/Me
You can send a quick message across the LAN using a standard tool within Windows 98/Me. WinPopUp is a standard and easy-to-use messaging utility within Windows. To use WinPopUp, go to Start > Run and type in 'winpopup' in the Open field, and click OK. This will open the WinPopUp window. To send a message through WinPopUp, click on Send-this opens up the Send Message window. Type message in the Message text field, and the name of recipient-the computer name-and click on OK. Incoming messages are also displayed in the WinPopUp window.
NOTE: Keep in mind that for the recipient to be able to receive your message, he or she would also need to have WinPopUp running.
Utilise your Network
You can view the current percentage of network utilisation in the Windows XP task manager. Open the Task Manager by holding down [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Esc] and click on the 'Networking' tab. You will see a real-time graph of network utilisation.
Pathping
The Pathping command line utility in Windows 2000 gives you the best of ping and tracert, by sending out packets to each router on the way to a final destination over a period of time, and then computes the results based on the packets returned from each hop. Since Pathping shows the degree of packet loss at any given router or link, you can use it to determine which routers or links are causing network problems.
Type 'pathping /?' at the command prompt, to get additional information on syntax and options.
Send 2 all
You can use the 'net send' command line utility in Windows 2000, to send messages to another computer, or choose to send messages to everybody in the domain. Just typing in 'net send domain_name your message' should do it! For more syntax and options type in 'net send /?' at the command prompt.
Find your way
Windows 2000 has a very powerful command line tool, the route command that can be used to view, and even change the computer's routing table. This can affect the path that the network traffic takes to get from one place to the other. Be careful while editing the routing table though-a tiny mistake could play havoc with your network communications. You can find out the different options for usage by typing 'route /?' at the command line.
Network indicator
On a PC with a modem, you can see the little flashing computers in the System Tray, that show you that there is some data flowing. Now, in Windows 2000, you can see the same indicator for your local network. Right-click on 'My Network Places', click on the 'Local Area Connection' and then the 'Properties' button. At the bottom of the Properties window, you will see the 'Show Icon in taskbar' when connected option. Enable this and you will see the indicator.
Not through the Maze
If you are working on a large LAN, then getting into a shared network resource or folder, could mean making your way through the Network Neighbourhood, and the various workgroups. The entire list of computers across the network could take quite a while to show up. Instead, you can access a computer directly, by typing \\computer_name. You can also go to the Start > Run menu and type \\computer_name to access the computer. This is called the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) style network name.
File and Printer Sharing
To share resources across the network, you will need to enable the 'File and Printer sharing' option. If you do not intend to share any folders or printers from your computer, you can uninstall the same for Microsoft Networks. To do this, go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network and click on 'File and Print Sharing'. Uncheck both the 'Give access to files' and 'Give access to printer' options. You will have to restart your computer for the changes to take place. Now no one will be able to access any files on your machine, as your computer will not appear on the network. You will, however, be able to access files and folders on other computers on the network as long as Client for Microsoft Networks is installed.
To enable file and printer sharing, in Windows 2000/XP, go to Control Panel > Network Connections > Local Area Network click on Properties. This will pop up a window, where you can change all the network settings. Here select the 'File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks' option. Similarly deselect it to turn off sharing. You can still use shared folders or devices such as drives and printers on other network machines.
Internet Connection Firewall
Windows XP comes with a firewall known as the Internet Connection Firewall or ICF. ICF provides only inbound protection-unlike a full-fledged firewall, it only monitors incoming data. To turn on ICF, go to the Control panel and select Network Connections. Right-click on the displayed connection, and click on Properties. Under the Advanced tab, you can enable ICF. While the default settings may work fine, you may want to tweak the settings. Click on the Settings button to access all the ICF features and settings. You can fine tune the network services under the Services tab, set logging details under Security Logging, and details about ICMP under the ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) tab.
ICF - Do you need it?
Keep in mind that ICF is for use only with a direct connection to the Internet, such as a dial-up or cable modem connection. This means that computers connected to the Internet through a LAN, or Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), or a hardware router doesn't need an ICF. Moreover, you may tend to have some trouble with networking other computers on a LAN, as File and Printer Sharing services are blocked. It would make sense to disable the ICF, if you intend to use File and Printer Sharing services that would be essential in a LAN environment. To disable the ICF, go to the Control Panel, and select the Network Connections. Open this and right-click on the desired connection, click on Properties and under the Advanced tab, disable ICF.
Faster Windows sharing
When you try to view the shared folders on a computer running Windows 98 or ME, from a PC running Windows 2000/XP, there may be a delay of up to 30 seconds. This is because Windows 2000/XP tries to determine if any 'Scheduled Tasks' are enabled on the other computer. You can fix this delay by deleting a Registry entry on the Windows 2000 machine-but only after backing up the Registry before making any edits.
Note: this tip requires expert level acquaintance with registry editing.
Go to Start > Run and type regedit to open the Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer
\NameSpace, and locate the sub-key that reads {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}.
First click on File > Export and save the selected branch as, say, restoreshare.reg in a folder. Once you have exported a copy of the key, right-click on this sub-key and click on Delete. This should fix the problem.
System monitor
System Monitor is a standard utility in Windows 98/ME. If it is not already installed, you can install it from Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs; here navigate to Windows Setup > System Tools > Details. Scroll down and select System Monitor.
Start System Monitor, click on the Add button and choose Microsoft Network Server from the category field. Choose the parameters that you want to track. This will be added to the chart. Use this to determine whether your system is slowing down due to shared resources. You may need to disconnect a user or un-share a resource to remedy it.
Permissions & Dollars
Windows 98 is not very secure when it comes to sharing files. However, there are some things you can do to prevent people from accessing your files. The simplest of all is to use passwords. When sharing a folder, you can specify two passwords, one that will allow a person to only read files, and the other that will also allow him or her to modify them. Secondly, you can share folders so that they are not visible on the network. When sharing a folder, if the share name ends with a dollar sign, it will not be visible in Network Neighborhood, but a person can access it by typing the full path to it (\\machinename\share$) in Windows Explorer. Thus, only the people who know that such a share exists can access it.
Access Control
Another security option in Windows 98 is to create user level shares. For this, your network must be controlled by a Windows NT/2000/2003 server as Domain Controller, with users and groups already defined on it. Right-click on Network Neighbourhood, click Properties, switch to the Access Control tab, and select 'User-level access control'. You must give the name of your Domain Controller server. All existing shares will be disabled. After rebooting, when you share a folder, you can add a list of users allowed to access the share, and also define what they are authorised to do with the files-read, write, delete, create files and folders, change file attributes, list files and change access control.
TCP/IP Configuration
TCP/IP Configuration can be accessed in Windows 9X/ME by going to Start > Run and typing in winipcfg in the open dialog box. This utility lets you view all your current TCP/IP settings in a single place. By clicking on More Info, additional information regarding the network can be viewed. If the IP address was dynamically allocated by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server, then you can use the Release and Renew buttons to manage your allocatedIP address.
The information displayed on the screen is described below.
Adapter address
This is a hexadecimal address, also called the MAC address, unique to every network adapter. It is hard coded into the card by the manufacturer, and consists of six 8-bit numbers. However remember that modems do not have this address-this is restricted to network adapters-the number for a modem or dial up adapter is set to a meaningless default number.
IP address
This is the current IP networking address. Depending on whether the DHCP is used, this may be static or dynamically allotted. The static value is entered in the TCP/IP network configuration menu.
Subnet Mask
This is used to mask a portion of the IP address, to determine the subnet where the computer is located-within the internal network. All computers running TCP/IP must have the subnet mask defined.
Default Gateway
This is the IP address of the computer that provides the connection to a remote network. The gateway computer is the computer that TCP/IP will use to communicate and route data destined for computers on remote networks.
Clicking on it will display the following details:
DHCP Server
This entry indicates the IP address of the DHCP server. The DHCP server, when present, will dynamically assign an IP address to the machine upon connecting to the network. Clicking on the Release button will release the IP address, and the Renew button requests a new IP address from the DHCP server.
Primary and Secondary WINS Server
These settings specify the IP address of the Primary and Secondary WINS Server, if present. The WINS servers translate the NetBIOS names into the corresponding IP addresses.
Lease Obtained and Leased Expired
These values show when the current IP address was obtained and when it is due to expire. You can use the Release and Renew buttons to release and renew your current IP address. In any case, the DHCP client automatically attempts to renew the lease, when 50 per cent of the lease time has expired.
Ping-Pong
The Ping utility will let you determine whether a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a data packet to the specified address and waiting for the reply. Ping is a simple, yet very useful diagnostic tool.
You can troubleshoot your Internet connection with the Trace Route option. To use Trace Route, type 'tracert' followed by the Web address or IP, in the command line. Trace route traces every hop or router on the Internet, that a packet takes to reach its destination, giving the path and the amount of time taken between each hop. On a LAN, this can be used to diagnose problems in routing. Use it on the Internet to choose the nearest and fastest download sites. Fewer hops usually make for a better connection.
Network Statistics
Use the netstat utility to display protocol-based statistics, as well as all current inbound and outbound connections. It can be configured to display all connections, listening (open) ports and Ethernet statistics, as well as statistics on a protocol basis for your network connection. This would include statistics for TCP, UDP, ICMP and IP. This is a very useful command line utility that shows you all network activity on your machine.
Instant Messages across the LAN on Windows 98/Me
You can send a quick message across the LAN using a standard tool within Windows 98/Me. WinPopUp is a standard and easy-to-use messaging utility within Windows. To use WinPopUp, go to Start > Run and type in 'winpopup' in the Open field, and click OK. This will open the WinPopUp window. To send a message through WinPopUp, click on Send-this opens up the Send Message window. Type message in the Message text field, and the name of recipient-the computer name-and click on OK. Incoming messages are also displayed in the WinPopUp window.
NOTE: Keep in mind that for the recipient to be able to receive your message, he or she would also need to have WinPopUp running.
Utilise your Network
You can view the current percentage of network utilisation in the Windows XP task manager. Open the Task Manager by holding down [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Esc] and click on the 'Networking' tab. You will see a real-time graph of network utilisation.
Pathping
The Pathping command line utility in Windows 2000 gives you the best of ping and tracert, by sending out packets to each router on the way to a final destination over a period of time, and then computes the results based on the packets returned from each hop. Since Pathping shows the degree of packet loss at any given router or link, you can use it to determine which routers or links are causing network problems.
Type 'pathping /?' at the command prompt, to get additional information on syntax and options.
Send 2 all
You can use the 'net send' command line utility in Windows 2000, to send messages to another computer, or choose to send messages to everybody in the domain. Just typing in 'net send domain_name your message' should do it! For more syntax and options type in 'net send /?' at the command prompt.
Find your way
Windows 2000 has a very powerful command line tool, the route command that can be used to view, and even change the computer's routing table. This can affect the path that the network traffic takes to get from one place to the other. Be careful while editing the routing table though-a tiny mistake could play havoc with your network communications. You can find out the different options for usage by typing 'route /?' at the command line.
Network indicator
On a PC with a modem, you can see the little flashing computers in the System Tray, that show you that there is some data flowing. Now, in Windows 2000, you can see the same indicator for your local network. Right-click on 'My Network Places', click on the 'Local Area Connection' and then the 'Properties' button. At the bottom of the Properties window, you will see the 'Show Icon in taskbar' when connected option. Enable this and you will see the indicator.
Not through the Maze
If you are working on a large LAN, then getting into a shared network resource or folder, could mean making your way through the Network Neighbourhood, and the various workgroups. The entire list of computers across the network could take quite a while to show up. Instead, you can access a computer directly, by typing \\computer_name. You can also go to the Start > Run menu and type \\computer_name to access the computer. This is called the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) style network name.
File and Printer Sharing
To share resources across the network, you will need to enable the 'File and Printer sharing' option. If you do not intend to share any folders or printers from your computer, you can uninstall the same for Microsoft Networks. To do this, go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network and click on 'File and Print Sharing'. Uncheck both the 'Give access to files' and 'Give access to printer' options. You will have to restart your computer for the changes to take place. Now no one will be able to access any files on your machine, as your computer will not appear on the network. You will, however, be able to access files and folders on other computers on the network as long as Client for Microsoft Networks is installed.
To enable file and printer sharing, in Windows 2000/XP, go to Control Panel > Network Connections > Local Area Network click on Properties. This will pop up a window, where you can change all the network settings. Here select the 'File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks' option. Similarly deselect it to turn off sharing. You can still use shared folders or devices such as drives and printers on other network machines.
Internet Connection Firewall
Windows XP comes with a firewall known as the Internet Connection Firewall or ICF. ICF provides only inbound protection-unlike a full-fledged firewall, it only monitors incoming data. To turn on ICF, go to the Control panel and select Network Connections. Right-click on the displayed connection, and click on Properties. Under the Advanced tab, you can enable ICF. While the default settings may work fine, you may want to tweak the settings. Click on the Settings button to access all the ICF features and settings. You can fine tune the network services under the Services tab, set logging details under Security Logging, and details about ICMP under the ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) tab.
ICF - Do you need it?
Keep in mind that ICF is for use only with a direct connection to the Internet, such as a dial-up or cable modem connection. This means that computers connected to the Internet through a LAN, or Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), or a hardware router doesn't need an ICF. Moreover, you may tend to have some trouble with networking other computers on a LAN, as File and Printer Sharing services are blocked. It would make sense to disable the ICF, if you intend to use File and Printer Sharing services that would be essential in a LAN environment. To disable the ICF, go to the Control Panel, and select the Network Connections. Open this and right-click on the desired connection, click on Properties and under the Advanced tab, disable ICF.
Faster Windows sharing
When you try to view the shared folders on a computer running Windows 98 or ME, from a PC running Windows 2000/XP, there may be a delay of up to 30 seconds. This is because Windows 2000/XP tries to determine if any 'Scheduled Tasks' are enabled on the other computer. You can fix this delay by deleting a Registry entry on the Windows 2000 machine-but only after backing up the Registry before making any edits.
Note: this tip requires expert level acquaintance with registry editing.
Go to Start > Run and type regedit to open the Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer
\NameSpace, and locate the sub-key that reads {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}.
First click on File > Export and save the selected branch as, say, restoreshare.reg in a folder. Once you have exported a copy of the key, right-click on this sub-key and click on Delete. This should fix the problem.
System monitor
System Monitor is a standard utility in Windows 98/ME. If it is not already installed, you can install it from Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs; here navigate to Windows Setup > System Tools > Details. Scroll down and select System Monitor.
Start System Monitor, click on the Add button and choose Microsoft Network Server from the category field. Choose the parameters that you want to track. This will be added to the chart. Use this to determine whether your system is slowing down due to shared resources. You may need to disconnect a user or un-share a resource to remedy it.
Permissions & Dollars
Windows 98 is not very secure when it comes to sharing files. However, there are some things you can do to prevent people from accessing your files. The simplest of all is to use passwords. When sharing a folder, you can specify two passwords, one that will allow a person to only read files, and the other that will also allow him or her to modify them. Secondly, you can share folders so that they are not visible on the network. When sharing a folder, if the share name ends with a dollar sign, it will not be visible in Network Neighborhood, but a person can access it by typing the full path to it (\\machinename\share$) in Windows Explorer. Thus, only the people who know that such a share exists can access it.
Access Control
Another security option in Windows 98 is to create user level shares. For this, your network must be controlled by a Windows NT/2000/2003 server as Domain Controller, with users and groups already defined on it. Right-click on Network Neighbourhood, click Properties, switch to the Access Control tab, and select 'User-level access control'. You must give the name of your Domain Controller server. All existing shares will be disabled. After rebooting, when you share a folder, you can add a list of users allowed to access the share, and also define what they are authorised to do with the files-read, write, delete, create files and folders, change file attributes, list files and change access control.
TCP/IP Configuration
TCP/IP Configuration can be accessed in Windows 9X/ME by going to Start > Run and typing in winipcfg in the open dialog box. This utility lets you view all your current TCP/IP settings in a single place. By clicking on More Info, additional information regarding the network can be viewed. If the IP address was dynamically allocated by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server, then you can use the Release and Renew buttons to manage your allocatedIP address.
The information displayed on the screen is described below.
Adapter address
This is a hexadecimal address, also called the MAC address, unique to every network adapter. It is hard coded into the card by the manufacturer, and consists of six 8-bit numbers. However remember that modems do not have this address-this is restricted to network adapters-the number for a modem or dial up adapter is set to a meaningless default number.
IP address
This is the current IP networking address. Depending on whether the DHCP is used, this may be static or dynamically allotted. The static value is entered in the TCP/IP network configuration menu.
Subnet Mask
This is used to mask a portion of the IP address, to determine the subnet where the computer is located-within the internal network. All computers running TCP/IP must have the subnet mask defined.
Default Gateway
This is the IP address of the computer that provides the connection to a remote network. The gateway computer is the computer that TCP/IP will use to communicate and route data destined for computers on remote networks.
Clicking on it will display the following details:
DHCP Server
This entry indicates the IP address of the DHCP server. The DHCP server, when present, will dynamically assign an IP address to the machine upon connecting to the network. Clicking on the Release button will release the IP address, and the Renew button requests a new IP address from the DHCP server.
Primary and Secondary WINS Server
These settings specify the IP address of the Primary and Secondary WINS Server, if present. The WINS servers translate the NetBIOS names into the corresponding IP addresses.
Lease Obtained and Leased Expired
These values show when the current IP address was obtained and when it is due to expire. You can use the Release and Renew buttons to release and renew your current IP address. In any case, the DHCP client automatically attempts to renew the lease, when 50 per cent of the lease time has expired.
Ping-Pong
The Ping utility will let you determine whether a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a data packet to the specified address and waiting for the reply. Ping is a simple, yet very useful diagnostic tool.
Pc user tips
Here are the things you need to do to keep your PC free from all the virus attacks and irritating errors:
1] INSTALL ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE:
The FIRST and FOREMOST thing you need to do is to install anti-virus software. Anti-virus software is your best friend when it comes to fighting viruses! It not only detects the virus but also prevents it from damaging your system. All you need to do is install the updates available on the anti-virus company’s site regularly and it will do its job. Anti-virus software includes paid ones like McAfee, Norton, Kaspersky etc and free ones like AVG and FIRE.
2] INSTALL FIREWALL!
Are you a regular net surfer? Are you unsure of visiting unknown sites for the fear of infecting your PC with a virus? Then a firewall is the perfect remedy for your fears. A firewall, in simple words, blocks unwanted content and protects your PC. In view of the recent worms which spread through networks, a firewall is extremely essential. If you are using Windows XP, then a firewall comes built in. Otherwise, using ZoneAlarm Pro is a good and safe alternative.
3] DONT OPEN UNKNOWN MAIL?
The GOLDEN RULE now-a-days is,” DON’T OPEN THAT ATTACHMENT”. Millions and millions of Pc’s and a large number of networks get affected due to ignorant people opening attachments from unknown mail ids. You can easily identify culprit mails if you observe closely. Most probably such mails contain attachments offering free passwords or free software. Also be careful not to download and open any attachment with the .pif extension. A new variant of a known virus may even cause damage to the system in spite of anti-virus software installed.
4] INSTALL SERVICE PACKS
Now-a-days, virus writers are targeting different areas of an operating system like Windows XP to spread their worms more quickly. For this reason, the companies release service packs to update the operating system so that the customers don’t suffer. But, NEVER ignore such security updates. Keep visiting the company’s site to be aware of such updates and to install them regularly. Microsoft has recently released SP2 for Windows XP. All readers using Windows XP are recommended to install this service pack from Microsoft.com or else order a FREE CD offered by Microsoft on their site.
5] NEVER VISIT DOUBTFUL SITES
Even if you have anti-virus software and firewall installed, avoid visiting doubtful sites or unusual sites. Such sites offer people free offers, free software and other such things. Innocent and ignorant surfers fall to their trap and in turn help in spreading the
worms.
6] DE-FRAGMENT & SCAN YOUR HARD DISK
One step that you can take for ensuring effective computing is de-fragmenting your hard disk. This feature is available in all popular operating systems and should be used atleast once every month. De-fragmenting basically re-organizes your files properly for quick access and better hard disk utilization. After you finish with this, Scan your drives completely
7] NEVER GIVE YOUR PASSWORDS
Many people get influenced by others and give their passwords and other sensitive info to such people. These people may be spammers or virus writers who may spread viruses using your mail ids and may get you in trouble. So, NEVER give out your passwords especially in Instant Messenger (IM) Conversations. This can be dangerous not only to you but also to others.
8] AVOID SIGNING UP ON UNRELIABLE SITES
Often, people sign up with their mail ids on sites which offer certain freebies or adult content. These sites are nothing but sources for the spammers who spam your mail id and fill it with unwanted mails. Spamming causes a great loss to e-mail service providers and can prove fatal.
1] INSTALL ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE:
The FIRST and FOREMOST thing you need to do is to install anti-virus software. Anti-virus software is your best friend when it comes to fighting viruses! It not only detects the virus but also prevents it from damaging your system. All you need to do is install the updates available on the anti-virus company’s site regularly and it will do its job. Anti-virus software includes paid ones like McAfee, Norton, Kaspersky etc and free ones like AVG and FIRE.
2] INSTALL FIREWALL!
Are you a regular net surfer? Are you unsure of visiting unknown sites for the fear of infecting your PC with a virus? Then a firewall is the perfect remedy for your fears. A firewall, in simple words, blocks unwanted content and protects your PC. In view of the recent worms which spread through networks, a firewall is extremely essential. If you are using Windows XP, then a firewall comes built in. Otherwise, using ZoneAlarm Pro is a good and safe alternative.
3] DONT OPEN UNKNOWN MAIL?
The GOLDEN RULE now-a-days is,” DON’T OPEN THAT ATTACHMENT”. Millions and millions of Pc’s and a large number of networks get affected due to ignorant people opening attachments from unknown mail ids. You can easily identify culprit mails if you observe closely. Most probably such mails contain attachments offering free passwords or free software. Also be careful not to download and open any attachment with the .pif extension. A new variant of a known virus may even cause damage to the system in spite of anti-virus software installed.
4] INSTALL SERVICE PACKS
Now-a-days, virus writers are targeting different areas of an operating system like Windows XP to spread their worms more quickly. For this reason, the companies release service packs to update the operating system so that the customers don’t suffer. But, NEVER ignore such security updates. Keep visiting the company’s site to be aware of such updates and to install them regularly. Microsoft has recently released SP2 for Windows XP. All readers using Windows XP are recommended to install this service pack from Microsoft.com or else order a FREE CD offered by Microsoft on their site.
5] NEVER VISIT DOUBTFUL SITES
Even if you have anti-virus software and firewall installed, avoid visiting doubtful sites or unusual sites. Such sites offer people free offers, free software and other such things. Innocent and ignorant surfers fall to their trap and in turn help in spreading the
worms.
6] DE-FRAGMENT & SCAN YOUR HARD DISK
One step that you can take for ensuring effective computing is de-fragmenting your hard disk. This feature is available in all popular operating systems and should be used atleast once every month. De-fragmenting basically re-organizes your files properly for quick access and better hard disk utilization. After you finish with this, Scan your drives completely
7] NEVER GIVE YOUR PASSWORDS
Many people get influenced by others and give their passwords and other sensitive info to such people. These people may be spammers or virus writers who may spread viruses using your mail ids and may get you in trouble. So, NEVER give out your passwords especially in Instant Messenger (IM) Conversations. This can be dangerous not only to you but also to others.
8] AVOID SIGNING UP ON UNRELIABLE SITES
Often, people sign up with their mail ids on sites which offer certain freebies or adult content. These sites are nothing but sources for the spammers who spam your mail id and fill it with unwanted mails. Spamming causes a great loss to e-mail service providers and can prove fatal.
log in without xp administrator password
If you forgot your Windows administrator’s password, doesn’t matter if you did or you just say you did Your problem can be fixed with out password recovery tool? like ERD , Windows Password Recovery, Open wall’s John the Ripper , Austrumi, est.
You only need bootable Windows XP CD and little know access hole in Windows XP
Let’s get started
1. Place your Windows XP CD and start your comp (before that set your bios set to boot from CD)
2. Screen messages for booting is typically “Press any key to boot from cd”
3. The first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.
4. When you get to the Welcome setup screen press Enter to setup Windows now
5. The licensing Agreement comes next – Press F8 to accept it.
6. The next screen is the SETUP screen which gives you the option to do a Repair. It should read something like “if on of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it”
Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (in case you have more than one Windows on your comp – if you have one, it should already be selected) and PRESS R TO BEGIN REPAIR process.
7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.
8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot.(this will happen automatically – you will see a progress bar stating “Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds”
9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of “pressing any key” to booth from CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice INSTALLING WINDOWS is highlighted.
10. Keep YOUR EYE ON THE LOWER LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN AND WHEN YOU SEE THE INSTALLING DEVICES progress bar, PRESS (SHIFT + F10). This is security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.
11. At the prompt type NUSRMGR.CPL and press ENTER. Bingo! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.
12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made tour changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with Repair.
13. Once Repair is done you will be able to log on with your new password (or with out if you chose not to be asked for password) and so lives go one.
You only need bootable Windows XP CD and little know access hole in Windows XP
Let’s get started
1. Place your Windows XP CD and start your comp (before that set your bios set to boot from CD)
2. Screen messages for booting is typically “Press any key to boot from cd”
3. The first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.
4. When you get to the Welcome setup screen press Enter to setup Windows now
5. The licensing Agreement comes next – Press F8 to accept it.
6. The next screen is the SETUP screen which gives you the option to do a Repair. It should read something like “if on of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it”
Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (in case you have more than one Windows on your comp – if you have one, it should already be selected) and PRESS R TO BEGIN REPAIR process.
7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.
8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot.(this will happen automatically – you will see a progress bar stating “Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds”
9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of “pressing any key” to booth from CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice INSTALLING WINDOWS is highlighted.
10. Keep YOUR EYE ON THE LOWER LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN AND WHEN YOU SEE THE INSTALLING DEVICES progress bar, PRESS (SHIFT + F10). This is security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.
11. At the prompt type NUSRMGR.CPL and press ENTER. Bingo! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.
12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made tour changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with Repair.
13. Once Repair is done you will be able to log on with your new password (or with out if you chose not to be asked for password) and so lives go one.
How to speed up fire ox
1.Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:
network.http.pipelining network.http.proxy.pipelining network.http.pipelining.maxrequests
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.
2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.
3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.
If you're using a broadband connection you'll load pages MUCH faster now!
network.http.pipelining network.http.proxy.pipelining network.http.pipelining.maxrequests
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.
2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"
Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.
3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.
If you're using a broadband connection you'll load pages MUCH faster now!
Hw to install windows xp on mac
you can find the files here:
CODE
http://rapidshare.de/files/15711783/Winxponmac_0.1.zip.html
new infos will be promoted here:
CODE
http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/Main_Page
Xp On Mac (XOM)
***************
'''''''''''''''
Please check http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/HOWTO for the latest install instructions
Installing XP on an Intel iMac is a two step process.
1. Creating the installation media
2. Running the installer.
The process is 95% automated. There are two sections
below, detailing each one of the two steps highlighted
above.
In each section there are three subsections:
- What you'll need
Lists the requirements (hardware/software/time) in order
tom complete the task
- Quick instructions
No-nonsense instructions for those "in the know".
Assumes an advanced level of knowledge.
- Step by step instructions
Can get pretty dull at times, but are quite helpful
if you want to avoid making any mistake and regretting
it later.
Choose one set of instructions or choose both and cross
reference between them. The advanced instructions give
a good overview of how far you've gone, and you can
drill into the step-by-step instructions anytime you
have doubts.
So, without further ado...
I. Preparing the XP installation disc.
======================================
A custom slipstreamed CD is required to install XP on a Mac.
What you'll need
----------------
1. An original XP PRO SP2 CDROM
It doesn't have to be bootable, but it should have a I386
directory on the root.
2. The xom.zip file.
3. Nero Burning ROM
4. A blank CD
5. A PC of course...
6. 20-30 minutes
Quick instructions for those knowing what they're doing
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Unzip the xom.zip file
2. Use the included sp2.nrb nero project as a baseline.
3. Add the XP source files to the root of the project
4. Overlay the XOM files (in the patch folder) to the root.
5. Set the boot loading image to the included boot.img.
6. Burn and done.
Step-by-step Instructions
-------------------------
1. Unzip the xom.zip file, preserving directory structure.
(Using WinZip)
- Double click on xom.zip
- Press the Extract button
- Type "C:\". You may use another drive, but make sure to
replace references to C: with the appropriate drive letter.
- Make sure "Use Folder Names" is on
- Hit Enter
2. Copy all XP CD files into the xp/src directory.
- Insert the XP SP2 CD into the CDROM unit.
- Navigate to D:\ (or whatever your CDROM unit is)
- Select all files (Ctrl-A)
- Copy the files (Ctrl-C)
- Navigate to C:\xp\src
- Paste the files (Ctrl-V)
- Make sure that under the sp2 directory you have at least
an "I386" folder.
3. Open the sp2.nrb Boot CD project inside the xp directory
- Navigate to C:\xp
- Double click on the sp2.nrb file.
- Nero should launch. If not, check your Nero setup.
4. Add the XP source files to the project
- On Nero, on the right hand pane, navigate to c:\xp\src
- Select all the files on the rightmost pane (Tab, Ctrl-A)
- Copy (Ctrl-C)
- On the left hand pane, click on the CD (it says "XP_PRO_SP2")
- Paste (Ctrl-V)
- Make sure the I386 directory is DIRECTLY underneath the CD icon.
Like this:
* XP_PRO_SP2
+-docs
+-I386
+-SUPPORT
It SHOULD NOT LOOK LIKE THIS:
* XP_PRO_SP2
+-src
+-docs
+-I386
+-SUPPORT
If it is wrong, you can start over by selecting all the files
on the left side and pressing the DEL key.
5. Overlay the XOM files to the project
- On the right hand pane, navigate to c:\xp\patch
- Select all the files on the rightmost pane (Tab, Ctrl-A)
- Copy (Ctrl-C)
- On the left hand pane, click on the CD (it says "XP_PRO_SP2")
- Paste (Ctrl-V)
- You SHOULD get a dialog saying
"This folder already contains a folder named 'I386'"
"Would you like to replace the existing folder?"
"..."
[Yes] [Replace All] [No] [Cancel]
If you didn't get this dialog, you did something wrong, if
that's the case, close the nero project WITHOUT saving and
restart from step 3.
- Click on "Replace All"
- You should now have a $OEM$ directory next to the I386 one
in the left most pane.
6. Fix the boot.img reference in the boot tab.
- Select Compilation Properties (usually F7) from the File menu
- Go to the Boot tab
- In the image file field type EXACTLY AS IT IS:
c:\xp\boot.img
7. Verify your Nero version is able to burn this CD
- In the boot tab make sure it says:
- Kind of emulation: [No emulation]
- Load segment: [07C0]
- Number of sectors: [4]
- In the ISO tab make sure it says:
- Data mode: [Mode 1]
- Filesystem: [ISO9660+Joliet]
- Filename length: [Max of 31 chars (level 2)]
- Character set: [ISO9660]
[x] Allow path depth of more than 8
[x] Allow more than 255 characters in path
[x] Do not add the ';1' ISO file version extension
[x] Allow more than 64 characters for Joliet names
- If any option is not present, upgrade your Nero.
8. Save the nero project. If you ever want to burn the XOM XP
again, simply reopen this project and continue from step 7.
9. Burn the CD
- Click on the Burn toolbar button.
- Make sure "Finalize CD" is turned on.
- Click on the Burn button.
You're done. Now you have an iiMac friendly XP installation.
II. The installation
====================
The iMac needs to be repartitioned in order to do this.
This procedure requires reformatting the HD. I have not tried
partition managers but if you're feeling adventurous you may
try one. I do not guarantee results in those cases, though.
Be forewarned: This procedure WILL WIPE YOUR iMAC DISK CLEAN.
Backup any files you don't want to lose.
What you'll need
----------------
1. An intel iMac (iiMac henceforth)
2. The XP CD prepared above.
Quick instructions for those knowing what they're doing
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Partition the disk in two using the OSX CD: FAT and HFS+
2. Install OSX on the HFS+ partition.
3. Copy xom.efi (from xom.zip) into the hard disk
4. cd to the directory where you put xom.efi and type
sudo bless --folder . --file xom.efi --setBoot
5. Reboot, insert the XP CD, select windows using the arrows
and wait about 3 minutes
6. Choose the FAT partition you previously created.
(choose, not create! it should prompt for filesystem)
7. Install. Make sure to remove the CD on subsequent boots,
otherwise you'll start the process over again.
Note: The "press any key to boot from CD" prompt doesn't work yet
8. Done!
Step-by-step instructions
-------------------------
1. Boot iiMac with OSX Install CD
- Insert the OSX Installation CD
- Turn on the iiMac while pressing the C key.
- Don't release the C key until you see the grey apple logo.
2. Run Disk Utility
- Hit Enter on the Language selection dialog
- Select from the menu: Utilities->Disk Utility
3. Create two partitions, preferably of equal size:
Partition #1 - Name: xp. Type: MS-DOS
Partition #2 - Name: osx. Type: Mac OS extended Journal
- On the left pane click on the internal hard disk (The first
entry usually). Click on the disk entry, not on any subentries
it may have.
- On the right pane click on the partition button at the top.
- From the "Volume Scheme" drop-down select "2 partitions"
- Select the first partition on the partition map under the
Volume Scheme drop-down:
- Enter "xp" on the Name field
- Select "MS-DOS File System" from the Format drop-down.
- Select the second partition
- Enter "osx" on the Name field
- Select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" from the Format drop-down
- Click on the Partition button at the bottom right.
- Click "Partition" on the pop-up warning dialog.
- You should now see under the disk entry on the left two subentries:
"XP" and "osx"
- Quit the disk utility by clicking on the Red button at the dialog top left.
4. Proceed to install OSX on the newly created OS X partition.
- Click Continue on the bottom left of the install dialog.
- Click Continue again
- Click Agree on the pop-up dialog
- Select the osx partition you just created. This partition should have
a green arrow.
- Click Continue
- Click Continue
- After a while, the computer reboots
5. Let the computer reboot into OS X and launch a shell window.
- Once the computer reboots, wait for the movie to end and get through
the registration process.
- Once you get to the desktop go to "Go -> Utilities -> Terminal"
6. Copy the xom.efi bootloader to the hard disk and bless it.
- Copy the xom.efi file into your home directory.
- In the terminal type:
sudo cp xom.efi /System/Library/CoreServices <-- you will have to enter
your password here
cd /System/Library/CoreServices
sudo bless --folder . --file xom.efi --setBoot
7. Insert the slipstreamed XP CD you built into the iiMac and reboot.
- To eject any disk inside press the eject key on the top left corner of
your keyboard. You can also eject any disk while rebooting by pressing
without releasing the F12 key.
- Select the Apple menu (top left) and choose "Restart"
- Click "Restart"
8. After rebooting, you should see a crystal Apple logo at the center of the
screen. Use the arrow keys (up/down) to switch between OS X and Windows.
Make sure the slipstreamed Windows XP CD is inside, select Windows and
hit Enter.
- If you forgot to insert the XP CD, you may insert it _before_
hitting Enter.
- If you left a different CD inside, do the following:
- Turn off the computer
- Turn it back on _while_pressing_ the F12 key.
- Don't let go of the F12 key until the CD is out.
- Insert the XP CD.
- Now select Windows and hit Enter if you haven't done so yet.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This will launch the XP setup. for about 2 minutes
and a half there will be NO FEEDBACK WHATSOEVER.
9. After about 3 minutes, you will get the partition disk screen.
Select the XP partition. This partition should read:
E: Partition1 (EFI) [FAT32] 200 MB ( 196 MB free)
C: Partition2 [Unknown] 78160 MB ( 78159 MB free)
F: Partition3 [Unknown] 77839 MB ( 77839 MB free)
Sizes may differ. The important thing is you MUST choose Partition 2.
! LEAVE THE FIRST AND THIRD PARTIONS ALONE!!!
! DO NOT REPARTITION THE DISK USING THE WINDOWS INSTALLER!!!!
10. The install prompts you for the format type to use: NTFS/FAT Quick/Slow
If the partition is too large, only the NTFS Quick/Slow options will be shown.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you get prompted with this step. If you are
not prompted for a filesystem to install SOMETHING WENT TERRIBLY WRONG!!!
YOUR INSTALL WILL NOT WORK in that case.
11. After rebooting, do the following:
- Press F2 to disable CD booting (there's no feedback, but you can
press F2 many times, it doesn't hurt). Alternatively, eject the XP CD
as per step 8.
- Choose XP by using the down arrow
- Hit enter.
NOTE: This time the wait is not that long... just sit tight and wait
for about 30 secs.
12. The second phase of the XP installer starts. Complete it.
After finishing this phase, the installer seems to hang. Simply
wait enough to be sure the system is frozen and cycle power.
To do this, just keep the power button depressed for about 5 seconds.
13. Restart Windows and finish the installation. Make sure to remove
all CDs before choosing Windows.
14. Done.
CODE
http://rapidshare.de/files/15711783/Winxponmac_0.1.zip.html
new infos will be promoted here:
CODE
http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/Main_Page
Xp On Mac (XOM)
***************
'''''''''''''''
Please check http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/HOWTO for the latest install instructions
Installing XP on an Intel iMac is a two step process.
1. Creating the installation media
2. Running the installer.
The process is 95% automated. There are two sections
below, detailing each one of the two steps highlighted
above.
In each section there are three subsections:
- What you'll need
Lists the requirements (hardware/software/time) in order
tom complete the task
- Quick instructions
No-nonsense instructions for those "in the know".
Assumes an advanced level of knowledge.
- Step by step instructions
Can get pretty dull at times, but are quite helpful
if you want to avoid making any mistake and regretting
it later.
Choose one set of instructions or choose both and cross
reference between them. The advanced instructions give
a good overview of how far you've gone, and you can
drill into the step-by-step instructions anytime you
have doubts.
So, without further ado...
I. Preparing the XP installation disc.
======================================
A custom slipstreamed CD is required to install XP on a Mac.
What you'll need
----------------
1. An original XP PRO SP2 CDROM
It doesn't have to be bootable, but it should have a I386
directory on the root.
2. The xom.zip file.
3. Nero Burning ROM
4. A blank CD
5. A PC of course...
6. 20-30 minutes
Quick instructions for those knowing what they're doing
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Unzip the xom.zip file
2. Use the included sp2.nrb nero project as a baseline.
3. Add the XP source files to the root of the project
4. Overlay the XOM files (in the patch folder) to the root.
5. Set the boot loading image to the included boot.img.
6. Burn and done.
Step-by-step Instructions
-------------------------
1. Unzip the xom.zip file, preserving directory structure.
(Using WinZip)
- Double click on xom.zip
- Press the Extract button
- Type "C:\". You may use another drive, but make sure to
replace references to C: with the appropriate drive letter.
- Make sure "Use Folder Names" is on
- Hit Enter
2. Copy all XP CD files into the xp/src directory.
- Insert the XP SP2 CD into the CDROM unit.
- Navigate to D:\ (or whatever your CDROM unit is)
- Select all files (Ctrl-A)
- Copy the files (Ctrl-C)
- Navigate to C:\xp\src
- Paste the files (Ctrl-V)
- Make sure that under the sp2 directory you have at least
an "I386" folder.
3. Open the sp2.nrb Boot CD project inside the xp directory
- Navigate to C:\xp
- Double click on the sp2.nrb file.
- Nero should launch. If not, check your Nero setup.
4. Add the XP source files to the project
- On Nero, on the right hand pane, navigate to c:\xp\src
- Select all the files on the rightmost pane (Tab, Ctrl-A)
- Copy (Ctrl-C)
- On the left hand pane, click on the CD (it says "XP_PRO_SP2")
- Paste (Ctrl-V)
- Make sure the I386 directory is DIRECTLY underneath the CD icon.
Like this:
* XP_PRO_SP2
+-docs
+-I386
+-SUPPORT
It SHOULD NOT LOOK LIKE THIS:
* XP_PRO_SP2
+-src
+-docs
+-I386
+-SUPPORT
If it is wrong, you can start over by selecting all the files
on the left side and pressing the DEL key.
5. Overlay the XOM files to the project
- On the right hand pane, navigate to c:\xp\patch
- Select all the files on the rightmost pane (Tab, Ctrl-A)
- Copy (Ctrl-C)
- On the left hand pane, click on the CD (it says "XP_PRO_SP2")
- Paste (Ctrl-V)
- You SHOULD get a dialog saying
"This folder already contains a folder named 'I386'"
"Would you like to replace the existing folder?"
"..."
[Yes] [Replace All] [No] [Cancel]
If you didn't get this dialog, you did something wrong, if
that's the case, close the nero project WITHOUT saving and
restart from step 3.
- Click on "Replace All"
- You should now have a $OEM$ directory next to the I386 one
in the left most pane.
6. Fix the boot.img reference in the boot tab.
- Select Compilation Properties (usually F7) from the File menu
- Go to the Boot tab
- In the image file field type EXACTLY AS IT IS:
c:\xp\boot.img
7. Verify your Nero version is able to burn this CD
- In the boot tab make sure it says:
- Kind of emulation: [No emulation]
- Load segment: [07C0]
- Number of sectors: [4]
- In the ISO tab make sure it says:
- Data mode: [Mode 1]
- Filesystem: [ISO9660+Joliet]
- Filename length: [Max of 31 chars (level 2)]
- Character set: [ISO9660]
[x] Allow path depth of more than 8
[x] Allow more than 255 characters in path
[x] Do not add the ';1' ISO file version extension
[x] Allow more than 64 characters for Joliet names
- If any option is not present, upgrade your Nero.
8. Save the nero project. If you ever want to burn the XOM XP
again, simply reopen this project and continue from step 7.
9. Burn the CD
- Click on the Burn toolbar button.
- Make sure "Finalize CD" is turned on.
- Click on the Burn button.
You're done. Now you have an iiMac friendly XP installation.
II. The installation
====================
The iMac needs to be repartitioned in order to do this.
This procedure requires reformatting the HD. I have not tried
partition managers but if you're feeling adventurous you may
try one. I do not guarantee results in those cases, though.
Be forewarned: This procedure WILL WIPE YOUR iMAC DISK CLEAN.
Backup any files you don't want to lose.
What you'll need
----------------
1. An intel iMac (iiMac henceforth)
2. The XP CD prepared above.
Quick instructions for those knowing what they're doing
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Partition the disk in two using the OSX CD: FAT and HFS+
2. Install OSX on the HFS+ partition.
3. Copy xom.efi (from xom.zip) into the hard disk
4. cd to the directory where you put xom.efi and type
sudo bless --folder . --file xom.efi --setBoot
5. Reboot, insert the XP CD, select windows using the arrows
and wait about 3 minutes
6. Choose the FAT partition you previously created.
(choose, not create! it should prompt for filesystem)
7. Install. Make sure to remove the CD on subsequent boots,
otherwise you'll start the process over again.
Note: The "press any key to boot from CD" prompt doesn't work yet
8. Done!
Step-by-step instructions
-------------------------
1. Boot iiMac with OSX Install CD
- Insert the OSX Installation CD
- Turn on the iiMac while pressing the C key.
- Don't release the C key until you see the grey apple logo.
2. Run Disk Utility
- Hit Enter on the Language selection dialog
- Select from the menu: Utilities->Disk Utility
3. Create two partitions, preferably of equal size:
Partition #1 - Name: xp. Type: MS-DOS
Partition #2 - Name: osx. Type: Mac OS extended Journal
- On the left pane click on the internal hard disk (The first
entry usually). Click on the disk entry, not on any subentries
it may have.
- On the right pane click on the partition button at the top.
- From the "Volume Scheme" drop-down select "2 partitions"
- Select the first partition on the partition map under the
Volume Scheme drop-down:
- Enter "xp" on the Name field
- Select "MS-DOS File System" from the Format drop-down.
- Select the second partition
- Enter "osx" on the Name field
- Select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" from the Format drop-down
- Click on the Partition button at the bottom right.
- Click "Partition" on the pop-up warning dialog.
- You should now see under the disk entry on the left two subentries:
"XP" and "osx"
- Quit the disk utility by clicking on the Red button at the dialog top left.
4. Proceed to install OSX on the newly created OS X partition.
- Click Continue on the bottom left of the install dialog.
- Click Continue again
- Click Agree on the pop-up dialog
- Select the osx partition you just created. This partition should have
a green arrow.
- Click Continue
- Click Continue
- After a while, the computer reboots
5. Let the computer reboot into OS X and launch a shell window.
- Once the computer reboots, wait for the movie to end and get through
the registration process.
- Once you get to the desktop go to "Go -> Utilities -> Terminal"
6. Copy the xom.efi bootloader to the hard disk and bless it.
- Copy the xom.efi file into your home directory.
- In the terminal type:
sudo cp xom.efi /System/Library/CoreServices <-- you will have to enter
your password here
cd /System/Library/CoreServices
sudo bless --folder . --file xom.efi --setBoot
7. Insert the slipstreamed XP CD you built into the iiMac and reboot.
- To eject any disk inside press the eject key on the top left corner of
your keyboard. You can also eject any disk while rebooting by pressing
without releasing the F12 key.
- Select the Apple menu (top left) and choose "Restart"
- Click "Restart"
8. After rebooting, you should see a crystal Apple logo at the center of the
screen. Use the arrow keys (up/down) to switch between OS X and Windows.
Make sure the slipstreamed Windows XP CD is inside, select Windows and
hit Enter.
- If you forgot to insert the XP CD, you may insert it _before_
hitting Enter.
- If you left a different CD inside, do the following:
- Turn off the computer
- Turn it back on _while_pressing_ the F12 key.
- Don't let go of the F12 key until the CD is out.
- Insert the XP CD.
- Now select Windows and hit Enter if you haven't done so yet.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This will launch the XP setup. for about 2 minutes
and a half there will be NO FEEDBACK WHATSOEVER.
9. After about 3 minutes, you will get the partition disk screen.
Select the XP partition. This partition should read:
E: Partition1 (EFI) [FAT32] 200 MB ( 196 MB free)
C: Partition2 [Unknown] 78160 MB ( 78159 MB free)
F: Partition3 [Unknown] 77839 MB ( 77839 MB free)
Sizes may differ. The important thing is you MUST choose Partition 2.
! LEAVE THE FIRST AND THIRD PARTIONS ALONE!!!
! DO NOT REPARTITION THE DISK USING THE WINDOWS INSTALLER!!!!
10. The install prompts you for the format type to use: NTFS/FAT Quick/Slow
If the partition is too large, only the NTFS Quick/Slow options will be shown.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you get prompted with this step. If you are
not prompted for a filesystem to install SOMETHING WENT TERRIBLY WRONG!!!
YOUR INSTALL WILL NOT WORK in that case.
11. After rebooting, do the following:
- Press F2 to disable CD booting (there's no feedback, but you can
press F2 many times, it doesn't hurt). Alternatively, eject the XP CD
as per step 8.
- Choose XP by using the down arrow
- Hit enter.
NOTE: This time the wait is not that long... just sit tight and wait
for about 30 secs.
12. The second phase of the XP installer starts. Complete it.
After finishing this phase, the installer seems to hang. Simply
wait enough to be sure the system is frozen and cycle power.
To do this, just keep the power button depressed for about 5 seconds.
13. Restart Windows and finish the installation. Make sure to remove
all CDs before choosing Windows.
14. Done.
How to enable hybernating in windows xp
Under Windows 98, Me, or 2000 there was an option in the shutdown dialog box to enter the computer into hibernation (where all the content of the RAM is copied to the hard disk). The shutdown dialog box of Windows XP doesn't offer any longer the hibernation button. Some users may get confused about how to enable the hibernation mode. If this mode is supported by your motherboard (ACPI) you have to do the following:
1.Click Start and Shut Down,
2.Point the standby button and maintain the shift key pushed,
3.A new hibernation button appears: click it while still holding the shift key: voila your PC will hibernate.
1.Click Start and Shut Down,
2.Point the standby button and maintain the shift key pushed,
3.A new hibernation button appears: click it while still holding the shift key: voila your PC will hibernate.
How to edit right click menu
A lot of programs you install will add themselves to the right-click menu of your files and/or folders. And most times, you have no choice in the matter and, as a result, your right-click menu can get very long with added items you don't even use. The last person I was helping with this had a right context menu so long that the Rename option was no longer visible!
Fortunately, you can easily remove those unwanted menu items, if you know the registry values to edit. And it's not at all difficult once you know the keys responsible for the additions.
For Files, the secret lies in the "context menu handlers" under the shellex subkey for "All Files" which, in the registry, is nothing but an asterisk - like a dos wildcard, which means the values entered apply to all files. It is at the very top of the Root key, right here:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
Click the the + sign next to the ContextMenuHandlers key, to expand it.
Now you will see some of the programs that have added items to your right-click menu. Simply delete the program keys you don't want.
Yup! It's that simple. If deleting makes you uneasy, just export the key before deleting it. Or, instead of deleting the values, disable them. Simply double click the default value for the program on the right hand pane and rename the clsid value by placing a period or dash in front of it.
ie; - {b5eedee0-c06e-11cf-8c56-444553540000}
Then exit the registry, refresh, and right click a file to see if the item was removed from the menu.
Some programs - like WinZip or WinRar - will add several items to your right click menu but all of them will be removed by deleting or disabling their one context menu handler.
Note that the above key only applies to the right click menu of files.
To remove entries from the right click context menu of folders, you need to navigate to the Folder and Drive keys:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandle rs
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandler s
All you have to do is follow the same procedure as for Files - either disable or delete items you wish to remove.
Adding Items
Adding Items to the right click menu of Files and Folders is also fairly simple using the Registry. It just involves the creation of a few new keys for each item you wish to add. You edit the same keys used for removing items. Let's use Notepad as an example of an item you'd like to add to the right click menu of all your files or folders.
For folders, go to this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder
Click the + sign next to Folder and expand it so that the Shell key is visible. Right click the Shell key and choose New>Key and name the key Notepad or whatever else you'd prefer (whatever the key is named is what will appear in the right-click menu). Now right click the new key you made and create another key named Command. Then, in the right hand pane, double click "Default" and enter Notepad.exe as the value.
Exit the registry, refresh, and right click any folder. Notepad should now be on the context menu.
For files, go here again:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*
Expand the * key and see if a Shell key exists. If it does exist, follow the same procedure as for folders. If it does not exist, you'll have to create a new Shell first. Just right click the * key and choose New>Key and name it Shell. Then right click the Shell key and continue on the same way you did for adding items to the right click menu of folders.
Once done, Notepad should appear as an option in the right click menu of all your files.
Vic Ferri owns the very popular WinTips and Tricks
email group. He is also in charge of the Printing Tips and Registry Tips pages at Linda's Computer Stop.
Fortunately, you can easily remove those unwanted menu items, if you know the registry values to edit. And it's not at all difficult once you know the keys responsible for the additions.
For Files, the secret lies in the "context menu handlers" under the shellex subkey for "All Files" which, in the registry, is nothing but an asterisk - like a dos wildcard, which means the values entered apply to all files. It is at the very top of the Root key, right here:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
Click the the + sign next to the ContextMenuHandlers key, to expand it.
Now you will see some of the programs that have added items to your right-click menu. Simply delete the program keys you don't want.
Yup! It's that simple. If deleting makes you uneasy, just export the key before deleting it. Or, instead of deleting the values, disable them. Simply double click the default value for the program on the right hand pane and rename the clsid value by placing a period or dash in front of it.
ie; - {b5eedee0-c06e-11cf-8c56-444553540000}
Then exit the registry, refresh, and right click a file to see if the item was removed from the menu.
Some programs - like WinZip or WinRar - will add several items to your right click menu but all of them will be removed by deleting or disabling their one context menu handler.
Note that the above key only applies to the right click menu of files.
To remove entries from the right click context menu of folders, you need to navigate to the Folder and Drive keys:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandle rs
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandler s
All you have to do is follow the same procedure as for Files - either disable or delete items you wish to remove.
Adding Items
Adding Items to the right click menu of Files and Folders is also fairly simple using the Registry. It just involves the creation of a few new keys for each item you wish to add. You edit the same keys used for removing items. Let's use Notepad as an example of an item you'd like to add to the right click menu of all your files or folders.
For folders, go to this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder
Click the + sign next to Folder and expand it so that the Shell key is visible. Right click the Shell key and choose New>Key and name the key Notepad or whatever else you'd prefer (whatever the key is named is what will appear in the right-click menu). Now right click the new key you made and create another key named Command. Then, in the right hand pane, double click "Default" and enter Notepad.exe as the value.
Exit the registry, refresh, and right click any folder. Notepad should now be on the context menu.
For files, go here again:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*
Expand the * key and see if a Shell key exists. If it does exist, follow the same procedure as for folders. If it does not exist, you'll have to create a new Shell first. Just right click the * key and choose New>Key and name it Shell. Then right click the Shell key and continue on the same way you did for adding items to the right click menu of folders.
Once done, Notepad should appear as an option in the right click menu of all your files.
Vic Ferri owns the very popular WinTips and Tricks
How do i capture in windows media player
How do I capture an image from a movie in Microsoft Windows Media Player?
Often a user may attempt to capture an image from a video in Microsoft Windows Media Player using the print screen button. Unfortunately when pasting the image into an image editor the capture will be a blank or black image.
Answer:
There are several different answers that can apply to this question. Depending on the type of movie that is being played and what codec it is using may change what will work and what will not work. We suggest going through each of the below recommendations, if a solution does not work continue down the list.
First Option:
While in Microsoft Windows Media Player press "CTRL + I", if the video you are watching is using a Microsoft supported movie file you should receive a "Save Captured Image" window, allowing you to save the image as "capture" or any other name.
Although this solution is a quick and easy solution, you may not get the results you want as the image will often be smaller and lesser quality then what you see when you press the keys. If you wish to capture better images at any size, even full screen try the second solution.
Second Option:
This solution should only be used to capture images from any video, once done it should be changed back as it may cause other issues. However, this should work with all types of video files.
1. Open Microsoft Windows Media Player.
2. Click Tools and then Options.
3. Within the Options window click the Performance tab.
4. Within Performance click the Advanced button.
5. In Video Acceleration Settings uncheck "Use Overlays"
6. Click Ok.
7. Finally, click Apply and then Ok in the Options window.
Final Option:
Use a third-party capturing program..
CODE
http://www.fox-magic.com/mc_gb/capture_media_player_screen.html
http://www.atlantsoft.com/utils/ssm.htm
http://www.screen-capture.net/
http://www.screenshot-utility.com/
http://www.techsmith.com/products/snagit/default.asp
http://www.howiesfunware.com/ScreenCp.exe
Often a user may attempt to capture an image from a video in Microsoft Windows Media Player using the print screen button. Unfortunately when pasting the image into an image editor the capture will be a blank or black image.
Answer:
There are several different answers that can apply to this question. Depending on the type of movie that is being played and what codec it is using may change what will work and what will not work. We suggest going through each of the below recommendations, if a solution does not work continue down the list.
First Option:
While in Microsoft Windows Media Player press "CTRL + I", if the video you are watching is using a Microsoft supported movie file you should receive a "Save Captured Image" window, allowing you to save the image as "capture" or any other name.
Although this solution is a quick and easy solution, you may not get the results you want as the image will often be smaller and lesser quality then what you see when you press the keys. If you wish to capture better images at any size, even full screen try the second solution.
Second Option:
This solution should only be used to capture images from any video, once done it should be changed back as it may cause other issues. However, this should work with all types of video files.
1. Open Microsoft Windows Media Player.
2. Click Tools and then Options.
3. Within the Options window click the Performance tab.
4. Within Performance click the Advanced button.
5. In Video Acceleration Settings uncheck "Use Overlays"
6. Click Ok.
7. Finally, click Apply and then Ok in the Options window.
Final Option:
Use a third-party capturing program..
CODE
http://www.fox-magic.com/mc_gb/capture_media_player_screen.html
http://www.atlantsoft.com/utils/ssm.htm
http://www.screen-capture.net/
http://www.screenshot-utility.com/
http://www.techsmith.com/products/snagit/default.asp
http://www.howiesfunware.com/ScreenCp.exe
How do i know when a virus hits my computer
How will you know if you've got a virus or worm that your antivirus software doesn't detect?
Start by looking for unusual activity on your PC, such as unexplained hard-disk activity (listen for disk sounds or watch the PC's disk access LED) or network access. (Note that unexplained hard-disk activity and network communications are usually harmless)
To put an icon in your Windows XP system tray that shows when programs are using your network connection, choose Start, Control Panel, Network Connections, right-click the network connection you want to monitor, choose Properties, check Show icon in notification area when connected, and click OK
Be sure to configure your antivirus software to update automatically, and schedule daily virus scans of your PC. Some vendors issue multiple updates in a single day to counter new threats. If you think you may have been hit, don't hesitate to update your software and scan for viruses manually. Remember: If your software is set to perform scans and to download updates, but your computer is generally in standby mode or powered off at that time, you have a problem.
If you suspect that your PC has a virus or worm, but your antivirus software has not detected or stopped it, take these steps to prevent it from spreading.
Pull the plug: Physically disconnect phone lines, network cables, and wireless cards (or turn built-in wireless units off). This will instantly stop viruses and Trojan horses on your PC from connecting to or infecting other computers, and will keep your PC safe from some worms.
Now pull the other plug: Don't open, close, or save anything (unless not saving would cause important work to be lost). And don't shut down Windows. Turn the PC off instead. This blocks viruses from creating or modifying any more files on your hard disk as part of Windows' normal shutdown process, which is when many of these modifications occur.
Use a recovery disk: The best antivirus programs let you create a bootable rescue or recovery floppy or CD so you can restart your computer without activating viruses lurking on the PC's hard disk. Check your program's online help or manual for the steps required to create a recovery disk, and then test the disk to make sure your PC is configured to boot from removable media.
Start by looking for unusual activity on your PC, such as unexplained hard-disk activity (listen for disk sounds or watch the PC's disk access LED) or network access. (Note that unexplained hard-disk activity and network communications are usually harmless)
To put an icon in your Windows XP system tray that shows when programs are using your network connection, choose Start, Control Panel, Network Connections, right-click the network connection you want to monitor, choose Properties, check Show icon in notification area when connected, and click OK
Be sure to configure your antivirus software to update automatically, and schedule daily virus scans of your PC. Some vendors issue multiple updates in a single day to counter new threats. If you think you may have been hit, don't hesitate to update your software and scan for viruses manually. Remember: If your software is set to perform scans and to download updates, but your computer is generally in standby mode or powered off at that time, you have a problem.
If you suspect that your PC has a virus or worm, but your antivirus software has not detected or stopped it, take these steps to prevent it from spreading.
Pull the plug: Physically disconnect phone lines, network cables, and wireless cards (or turn built-in wireless units off). This will instantly stop viruses and Trojan horses on your PC from connecting to or infecting other computers, and will keep your PC safe from some worms.
Now pull the other plug: Don't open, close, or save anything (unless not saving would cause important work to be lost). And don't shut down Windows. Turn the PC off instead. This blocks viruses from creating or modifying any more files on your hard disk as part of Windows' normal shutdown process, which is when many of these modifications occur.
Use a recovery disk: The best antivirus programs let you create a bootable rescue or recovery floppy or CD so you can restart your computer without activating viruses lurking on the PC's hard disk. Check your program's online help or manual for the steps required to create a recovery disk, and then test the disk to make sure your PC is configured to boot from removable media.
Hidden programs in windows xp
Hidden Programs In Windows Xp
1- Private Character Editor
This program is for designing icons and Characters(Alphapet)
Click :start
Then :run
type :EUDCEDIT
.................................................................................................................................................
2- iExpress
This Program is for conerting your files to EXCUTABLE files
Click : start
Then : run
type : iexpress
.................................................................................................................................................
3-Disk Cleanup
This program used for cleaning harddisk to offer space
Click : start
Then : run
type : cleanmgr
.................................................................................................................................................
4-Dr Watson
This program Is for repairing problems in Windows
Click : start
Then : run
type : drwtsn32
.................................................................................................................................................
5-Windows Media Player 5.1
Opens the old media player
Click : start
Then : run
type : mplay32
.................................................................................................................................................
Program ............. CODE
__________ __________
Character Map = charmap
DirectX diagnosis = dxdiag
Object Packager = packager
System Monitor = perfmon
Program Manager = progman
Remote Access phone book = rasphone
Registry Editor = regedt32
File siganture verification tool = sigverif
Volume Contro = sndvol32
System Configuration Editor = sysedit
Syskey = syskey
Microsoft Telnet Client = telnet
1- Private Character Editor
This program is for designing icons and Characters(Alphapet)
Click :start
Then :run
type :EUDCEDIT
.................................................................................................................................................
2- iExpress
This Program is for conerting your files to EXCUTABLE files
Click : start
Then : run
type : iexpress
.................................................................................................................................................
3-Disk Cleanup
This program used for cleaning harddisk to offer space
Click : start
Then : run
type : cleanmgr
.................................................................................................................................................
4-Dr Watson
This program Is for repairing problems in Windows
Click : start
Then : run
type : drwtsn32
.................................................................................................................................................
5-Windows Media Player 5.1
Opens the old media player
Click : start
Then : run
type : mplay32
.................................................................................................................................................
Program ............. CODE
__________ __________
Character Map = charmap
DirectX diagnosis = dxdiag
Object Packager = packager
System Monitor = perfmon
Program Manager = progman
Remote Access phone book = rasphone
Registry Editor = regedt32
File siganture verification tool = sigverif
Volume Contro = sndvol32
System Configuration Editor = sysedit
Syskey = syskey
Microsoft Telnet Client = telnet
Hacking windows xp registry
Hacking Windows XP Registry
Structure of Windows XP Registry :
When you will open the Windows XP Registry , you will see it's divided into two panes. On the left side there are Five main
Keys as shown below. These can be expanded to several Sub-Keys, which further has many Sub-Keys.
+HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
+HKEY_CURRENT_USER
+HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
+HKEY_USERS
+HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
Before you try out the Tweaks, learn how to Backup and Restore Windows XP Registry.
Types of Registry Backups :
It’s very important that before you do editing you make a backup of the current registry. If you ignore this warning, it might prove deadly for you…so better listen to me J
Open your registry. Go to Start>Run , type regedit . When you invoke the Export function from File>Export, you are given a choice of different file types that can be saved :
Registration Files (*.reg)
Registry Hive Files (*.*)
Text Files (*.txt)
Win9x/NT 4 Registration Files (*.reg)
All Files
Each one of the different file types above plays an important role in how the data you export is saved. Choosing the wrong type can give you unexpected results. So let me explain you quickly these file types.
Registrations Files : The Registration Files option creates a .reg file. This is the most well known file format used for backing up the registry. The Registration File can be used in two ways. As a text file it can be read and edited using Notepad outside of Registry Editor. Once the changes have been made and saved, right clicking the file and using the [Merge] command adds the changed file back into the registry. If you make additions to the registry using regedit and then merge the previously saved Registration File, anything that you've added via regedit will not be removed, but changes you make to data using regedit that previously existed in the saved Registration File will be overwritten when it is merged
Registry Hive Files : Unlike the Registration Files option above, the Registry Hive Files option creates a binary image of the selected registry key. The image file is not editable via Notepad nor can you view its contents using a text editor. However, what the Registry Hive Files format does is create an image perfect view of the selected key and allow you to import it back into the registry to insure any problematic changes you made are eliminated.
Text Files : This option does just as the name suggests. It creates a text file containing the information in the selected key. It's most useful purpose is creating a record or snapshot of a key at a particular point in time that you can refer back to if necessary. It cannot be merged back into the registry like a Registration File.
Win9x/NT 4 Registration Files : This option creates a .reg file in the same manner used by the Registration Files option. It's used by previous Windows versions and serves no purpose in XP unless you want to merge a key from XP into a previous version of Windows.
Out of the give above choices , the safest method of backing up registry is to use Registry Hive Files option. No matter what ever you do or goes wrong in editing, importing the image of the key will eliminate all changes.
**Note-> I have included the exact name/value between [ ] brackets. [ & ] should be ignored, only the data inside them should be considered.
1. Customize Windows Media Player Title Bar
Change the title bar to read Windows Media Player provided by, so if I had entered text ‘JIA', it would read: Windows Media Player provided by JAI
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\M*cf*t
Create the Key [WindowsMediaPlayer]
Create String value named [TitleBar]
Data Type: REG_SZ // Value Name: TitleBar
Double click TitleBar and Enter the text to be displayed in the title bar.
Exit Registry / Reboot
2. Minimize Outlook 2002 to the System Tray
If you frequently access Outlook during the day it’s more convenient to have it minimized to the system tray rather than invoking it each time you need to send/receive e-mail. This tweak minimizes Outlook 2002 to the system tray:
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Office\10.0\Outl ook\Preferences
Modify/Create Data Type DWORD named [MinToTray]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
3. Specify Default IE Download Directory
This tweak changes the default directory where downloads initiated in Internet Explorer are stored on the system.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Internet Explorer
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Download Directory]
Value Data: [Enter Path to Directory to be Assigned as Defualt for Downloads]
Exit Registry / Reboot
4. Force Use of Classic Start Menu
This tweak loads the Classic Start Menu and makes it impossible to change back to the Windows XP version
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Policies\Explorer
Modify/Create the DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoSimpleStartMenu]
Value Data: [0 = Default / 1 = Force Classic Start Menu]
Exit Registry / Reboot
5. Hide/Show Internet Explorer Desktop Icon
By default, Windows XP does not show the Internet Explorer icon on the Windows desktop. Using the registry tweak below allows you to control whether or not the Internet Explorer icon is displayed.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Policies\Explorer
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoInternetIcon]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
6. Increase Menu Display Speed
When you click on the Start Menu there is some delay to display the contents , just for no reason. Effects are pretty though. The default speed can be adjusted with a quick registry entry.
The default value is 400. Set it to 0 and the delay is gone. If you are not able to adjust pick a number that suits your style and make the change.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Modify/Create String value of Data type REG_SZ Named [MenuShowDelay]
Value Data: [Default = 400 / Adjust to Preference]
Exit Registry / Reboot
7. Change the Location of Special Folders
This tweak allows changing the location of special folders on the system. Any of the folders listed in the registry key may be moved.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\UserShell Folders
Modify/Create String value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Various Folder Names]
Data Type: REG_SZ [String Value] // Value Name: Consult RegEdit for Folder Names
Value Data: [Move the folder to the new desired location using explorer, and then edit the matching folder in RegEdit to reflect the new folder location]
Exit Registry and Reboot
8. Faster Browsing in Windows Explorer on Network Computers
By default, a Windows XP machine connecting to a Windows 95/98/Me computer will search for scheduled tasks or enabled printers on the remote computer. Two sub-keys control this behavior. Deleting them will speed up browsing on the remote computer.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace
To Disable Scheduled Task Checking
Value Name: {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
Delete the sub-key in the left pane of Registry Editor
To Disable Printer Checking
Value Name: {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Delete the sub-key in the left pane of Registry Editor
Exit Registry / Reboot
9. Add Administrator Account to Log In Screen
When Windows XP is first installed it requires you to enter at least one name of a user who will access the computer. Once you create this name the default Administrator account vanishes. To access it, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete twice at the Welcome screen to retrieve the standard Windows 2000 logon dialog. Log on as Administrator from this point. To log the Administrator off, click [Start] [Log Off] and [Log Off] when the [Log Off Windows] selection box appears. The Log On screen with the available users will be displayed.
To Make the Administrator Account Always Visible on the Login Screen use this Registry Tweak.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCALMACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserLis t
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Administrator]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
10. Increase Internet Download Connections
Increase Simultaneous Internet Download Connections. Increases the number of allowed simultaneous connections to ten (10).
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Internet Settings
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server]
Setting for Value Data: [0000000a]
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [MaxConnectionsPerServer]
Setting for Value Data: [0000000a]
Exit Registry / Reboot
11. Connected Web Files and Folders
Connecting web files and folders allows a primary .htm or .html file to be moved in conjunction with files associated with the primary document. Once the primary document has been defined, create a sub-folder using the same name as the primary document but assign it a .files extension. Whenever the primary file is moved, the sub-folder will also move and remain as a sub-folder of the primary.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoFileFolderConnection]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Enabled (Default) / 1 = Disabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
12. Hide/Show My Documents Folder on Desktop
By default, Windows XP does not show the My Documents folder on the Windows desktop. Using the registry tweak below allows you to control whether or not My Documents is displayed.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\CLSID\{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}\ShellFolder
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Attributes]
Setting for Value Data: [Default = 0xf0400174 / Hidden = 0xf0500174]
Exit Registry / Reboot
13. Create a Hidden User Account
This tweak allows an account that is normally displayed on the Welcome screen to be hidden from view. To log on using the account it's necessary to use the Log On To Windows dialog box similar to the one in Windows 2000 i.e. press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\WindowsNT\Curre ntVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Type Name of Account to be Hidden]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Account is Hidden / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
While the account is hidden on the Welcome screen, note that the account profile will be visible in C:\Documents and Settings or wherever user profiles are stored as well as in Local Users and Groups.
14. Create Legal Notice Logon Dialog Box
In situations where you need users to read a legal notice before logging on, this tweak will create the caption for the notice.
Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LegalNoticeCaption]
Value Data for LegalNoticeCaption: [Type the Caption for the Dialog Box]
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LegalNoticeText]
Value Data for LegalNoticeText: [Type the Data for the Legal Notice]
Exit Registry / Reboot
15. Manage Internet Explorer Error Reporting
This tweak removes the IE Error Reporting tool from appearing with the option to send browser debugging reports to M*cf*t.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Internet Explorer\Main
Note:- Create both values listed below and set according to the bold type for the tweak to function properly.
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [IEWatsonEnabled]
Value Data: [0 - Disabled / 1 - Enabled]
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [IEWatsonDisabled]
Value Data: [0 - Disabled / 1 - Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
16. Customize Logon and Security Dialog Title
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Welcome]
Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
17. Customize Logon Box Message
This is the message displayed on the Classic Logon box, not the XP ‘Welcome’ logon screen
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LogonPrompt]
Value Data: [Enter the text of the message]
Exit Registry / Reboot
18. Welcome Screen Logon Vs Classic Logon
This tweak specifies whether the Welcome screen or the Classic logon will be used to access Windows XP.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [LogonType]
Value Data: [0 - Classic Mode / 1 - Welcome Screen]
Exit Registry / Reboot
19. QoS (Quality Of Service) Bandwidth Reserve Setting
By default, Windows XP reserves 20% of the connection bandwidth for QoS traffic. This tweak allows the setting to be altered to a different percentage of connection bandwidth. If the system uses more than a single adapter for network connections, each adapter may be set individually by navigating to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Psched\Parameters\Adapters\{Adpater-ID} rather than HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\M*cf*t\Window s\Psched
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\M*cf*t\Window s\Psched
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NonBestEffortLimit]
Setting for Value Data: [Enter as a Percentage / Default Value = 20]
Exit Registry / Reboot
20. Enable/Disable Save Password in DUN
This tweak saves user passwords for Dial Up Networking so they do not have to be re-entered each session.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\RasMan\Parameters
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [DisableSavePassword]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled (Passwords Saved) / 1 = Enabled (Passwords Not Saved)]
Exit Registry / Reboot
21. Change the Registered Organization/Owner of Windows XP
This tweak allows modification of the registered owner and organization of the Windows XP software.
Note:- This tweak has nothing to do with Windows Product Activation (WPA) and will not allow you to register illegal XP software.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [RegisteredOrganization] or [RegisteredOwner]
Setting for Value Data: [Modify the Values to Reflect Current Information]
Exit Registry / Reboot
22. Remove Links Folder in Favorites
The Links folder is part of Favorites whether it's being accessed through Internet Explorer or the Favorites menu in the Start Menu. This tweak will remove it from those locations.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Internet Explorer\Toolbar
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LinksFolderName]
Value Data: [Set the String Value to a blank string]
Open Internet Explorer and manually delete the Links folder from Favorites Menu.
The Links folder will not be recreated.
Exit Registry / Reboot
23. Enable/Disable Active Window Tracking to Mouse Movements
When the mouse is moved over an open window it automatically sets the focus to that particular window. It does not bring the window to the foreground of the open windows.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [ActiveWindowTracking]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = ActiveWindowTracking Disabled / 1 = ActiveWindowTracking Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
24. Auto Disconnect for Internet Explorer
Use this edit to automatically disconnect from Internet Explorer after a specified length of time has elapsed. Use this trick on anyone whom you don’t like using your computer with net J
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\LanmanServer\Parameters
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Autodisconnect]
Value Data: [Enter a new disconnect time. Use Hexadecimal if you are unfamiliar with Binary]
Exit Registry / Reboot
25. Auto Reboot on System Crash
By default, when the Windows XP operating system crashes an automatic reboot of the system occurs. While this behavior can be convenient, the downside is the error message accompanying the crash is not visible. Often times this information can be a great help in troubleshooting the source of the crash. This behavior can be modified in two ways; via the registry or using the System Properties property sheet.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\CrashControl
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [AutoReboot]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = AutoReboot Disabled / 1 = AutoReboot Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
Open System Properties via Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > System
[System Properties may also be opened using the WinKey+Pause key combination]
Select the Advanced tab and then click Settings in the Startup and Recovery section
In System Failure section, clear the checkbox next to Automatically Restart
Click OK and OK to exit
26. Modify Control Panel Categories
Even if you like the new style for Control Panel, you might at times wish you could shift some items around into a different category. It's possible.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Control Panel\Extended Properties\{305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Choose one of the applets with .cpl extension]
Setting for Value Data: [Select the value from table below]
Other Control Panel Options 0
Appearance and Themes 1
Printers and Other Hardware 2
Network and Internet Connections 3
Sounds, Speed, and Audio Devices 4
Performance and Maintenance 5
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options 6
Accessibility Options 7
Add or Remove Programs 8
User Accounts 9
Exit Registry / Reboot
To further customize the items that appear in the new Control Panel, do a search of your system for all files that end in .cpl extension. If they aren't already listed, you can add them with a new DWORD value and then assign them to a category of your choosing.
27. Enable/Disable Run Commands Specific to the Registry
This tweak controls the use of the Run command on the local machine
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\ Policies\Explorer
Create a DWORD value of Data Type REG_DWORD for each Run function that will be disabled.
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableLocalMachineRun]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableLocalMachineRunOnce]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableCurrentUserRun]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableCurrentUserRunOnce]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
28. Enable/Disable System Properties Access from My Computer
This tweak removes access to System Properties via My Computer as well as via Control Panel.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Policies\Explorer
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoPropertiesMyComputer]
Value Data: [0 - Display Properties / 1 - Hide Properties]
Exit Registry / Reboot
29. Uninstall Programs Manually
Just because Windows XP has the Add/Remove Programs feature it doesn't mean your application will appear in the list. Furthermore, even if it does appear, it's no guarantee that the uninstall feature will work. When you run across one of these situations the items listed below will help in getting rid of the application. Be aware that these steps may not remove everything associated with the application and can impact other applications on the computer. Have a backup or restore point and use caution.
Find the directory for the application and delete all the files in the directory. Delete the directory.
Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
To remove the application entry from Add/Remove Programs (if present) open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Uninstall and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
Some applications have Services attached to them. If this is the case, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es, locate and delete the service.
In Windows Explorer, navigate to the individual user settings and delete program references. Common places to check would be:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
[Do this for each User ID listed]
C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
[Do this for each User ID listed]
If no entries were found in the previous step and the application launches automatically, navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
and delete the entry.
30. Create a right-click command prompt option
You can right-click a folder to get a list of actions you can apply to it. Here’s a way to create an action on that right-click menu that opens a command prompt window with that folder as the current directory. In a text editor such as Notepad, type the following exactly:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Cmd Here]
@=”Command &Prompt Here”
[HKEY_CLASSES-ROOT\Folder\shell\Cmd Here\command]
@=”cmd.exe /k pushd %L”
Save the file with any name you want, with a .reg extension. Then double-click the saved file and choose Yes to merge the file’s information into the Registry. You can delete the file. Right-click any folder and you’ll see the CommandPrompt Here option.
31. Adjusting System Restore values
The new System Restore feature in Windows XP automatically backs up a snapshot of your system, including your Registry, every 24 hours. It also saves restore points for 90 days. Neither of these values is directly editable in the System Restore program, but you can change them in the Registry. Go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\WindowsNT\Curre ntVersion\SystemRestore
You’ll find an assortment of settings here. To change the interval between automatically created restore points, change the RPGlobalInterval setting. To change the number of days that a restore point is retained, change the RPLifeInterval setting.
System Restore time intervals are measured in seconds, not days, so you must convert the number of days you want into seconds. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, so multiply 86,400 by the number of days you want to determine the value. (There are 3,600 seconds in an hour, I hope you know)
32. Erase the swap file at shutdown
You might be concerned about someone browsing your users’ swap files and gathering up little bits of their sensitive data. A remote possibility, to be sure, but it could happen. For that extra measure of security, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Set the ClearPageFileAtShutdown DWORD to 1. This will make shutdowns take longer, because it overwrites everything in the swap file with zeroes. Don’t turn this feature on unless you have a serious security threat.
33. Delete the Files Stored on This Computer category in the My Computer window
In Windows XP, the My Computer window’s listing is broken down by categories: Hard Disk Drives, Devices with Removable Storage, and so on. One of these categories is Files Stored on This Computer, which appears at the top of the My Computer window. If a user doesn’t need it , you can get rid of it. To do so, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\MyComputer\
NameSpace\Delegate Folders
Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c55595fe6b30ee} subkey to remove the category.
34. Change the desktop cleanup frequency
Through Display Properties (Desktop tab, Customize Desktop button, General tab), you can turn on and off a feature that runs the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days. You don’t have an option to set a different interval there, but you can change the interval in the Registry. To do so, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWiz
Change the Days Between Clean Up Value to some other number of days (in decimal format).
35. Sort menus alphabetically
When you install a new program for a user, it doesn’t find its place in the alphabetical Start menu hierarchy right away; it hangs out at the bottom for a little while. If your users employ the Classic Start menu, they can re-alphabetize it manually by right-clicking the taskbar and choosing Properties, clicking the Customize button next to the Classic Start Menu, and clicking the Sort button. With the Windows XP style of Start menu, however, you don’t have an equivalent button. To make Windows always alphabetize the list, remove the permissions from the Registry key that controls the sort order for the Start menu. To do so, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\MenuOrder
Choose Edit | Permissions and click the Advanced button. Deselect the Inherit From Parent The Permission Entries That Apply To Child Objects check box and then click Copy when the Security dialog box pops up. Click OK and clear the Full Control entry for your account and all security groups you are a member of. Leave only Read permission.
36. Prevent programs from loading at startup
Remember back in the good old days of Windows 3.1 when you could open up the Win.ini file in a text editor and remove an item from the RUN= line to disable it from running at startup? With Windows 9x and above, the Win.ini file became less useful because 32-bit programs were set to run at startup from within the Registry instead.
One way to selectively disable programs from loading at startup is to use MSCONFIG (from the Run command) to deselect certain items. Another way to remove them is to edit the Registry directly. Consider the following locations:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Run
for applications that start up for all users
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Run
for applications that start up when the current user logs on
Remove the entry for a program by right-clicking it and selecting Delete to prevent it from loading.
37. Change categories in the Control Panel
Windows XP’s Control Panel is broken down by category in the default Category view, but the group to which an item belongs is not always obvious. If you disagree with M*cf*t’s assignments, you can switch them around. To assign a different category to an item, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Control Panel\Extended Properties\
{305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2
Find the item you want to change and double-click it to bring up a dialog box. Change the item’s DWORD value to your preference. Use the Table given below as a guide (shown with decimal numbers, which is the way you should enter them).
DWORD value to set
Other Control Panel Options 0
Appearance and Themes 1
Printers and Other Hardware 2
Network and Internet Connections 3
Sounds, Speed, and Audio Devices 4
Performance and Maintenance 5
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options 6
Accessibility Options 7
Add or Remove Programs 8
User Accounts 9
38. Grouping multiple open windows
Windows XP will group multiple open windows (IE windows for example) into one group on the task bar to keep the taskbar clear. This can be annoying at times - especially when comparing different web pages because you have to go back to the task bar, click on the group and then click on the page you want and then you only get one page because you have to click on each one separately. I think the default for this is 8 windows - any combination of apps or utilities open.
You can modify this behavior by adding this registry key at:
HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\Advanced\
add a Dword value of type REG_DWORD named [TaskbarGroupSize]
modify "TaskbarGroupSize" entry to be the number of windows you want open before XP starts to group them on the task bar.
A value of 2 will cause the Taskbar buttons to always group
Another tweak is to disable or enable recent documents history. This can be done at:
HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer\
this key should already be present - if it isn't you'll need to add it:
Add a Binary value of type REG_BINARY named [NoRecentDocsHistory]
modify it so that value reads 01 00 00 00
39. Disable Tips
To disable Ballon tips in Windows XP do this registry tweak
Go to : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\Advanced
Create a new DWORD value, name it EnableBalloonTips, and set it equal to 0. If EnableBalloonTips is already there and equal to 1, set it equal to 0. Quit the registry editor, log off, and log back on. Voila! Your computer will stop talking down to you.
40. Add/Remove optional features of Windows XP
To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows XP after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf and open the sysoc.inf file. {Opps , if you didn’t find the inf directory, you are right. It’s a hidden folder, so go to Tools>Folder Options> View , enable Show Hidden Files & Folders.}
[Version]
Signature = "$Windows NT$"
DriverVer=07/01/2001,5.1.2600.0
[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp4 0ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
IEAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,ieaccess.inf,,7
Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7
[Global]
WindowTitle=%WindowTitle%
WindowTitle.StandAlone="*"
The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global search and replace for ,hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma). Then, save the file, re launch Add/Remove Windows Components,
41. Remove Windows Messenger
It seems that a lot of people are interested in removing Windows Messenger for some reason, though I strongly recommend against this: In Windows XP, Windows Messenger will be the hub of your connection to the .NET world, and now that this feature is part of Windows, I think we're going to see a lot of .NET Passport-enabled Web sites appearing as well. But if you can't stand the little app, there are a couple of ways to get rid of it, and ensure that it doesn't pop up every time you boot into XP. The best way simply utilizes the previous tip:
If you'd like Windows Messenger to show up in the list of programs you can add and remove from Windows, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf and open sysoc.inf (see the previous tip for more information about this file). You'll see a line that reads:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Change this to the following and Windows Messenger will appear in Add or Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows Components, then , and you can remove it for good:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
42. Rename multiple files ( it is not a Registry tweak though. I thought this to be really cool, so I have put it here)
A new, small, neat feature for Windows XP deals with renaming files. I personally have always wanted the OS to include a way to do a mass file renaming on a bunch of files. You can now rename multiple files at once .Its really simple:
Select several files in Explorer, press F2 and rename one of those files to something else. All the selected files get renamed to the new file name (plus a number added to the end). Simple J
I hope you enjoyed the above Registry tricks ! May be next time I’ll come up with more. That's all for now .
Structure of Windows XP Registry :
When you will open the Windows XP Registry , you will see it's divided into two panes. On the left side there are Five main
Keys as shown below. These can be expanded to several Sub-Keys, which further has many Sub-Keys.
+HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
+HKEY_CURRENT_USER
+HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
+HKEY_USERS
+HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
Before you try out the Tweaks, learn how to Backup and Restore Windows XP Registry.
Types of Registry Backups :
It’s very important that before you do editing you make a backup of the current registry. If you ignore this warning, it might prove deadly for you…so better listen to me J
Open your registry. Go to Start>Run , type regedit . When you invoke the Export function from File>Export, you are given a choice of different file types that can be saved :
Registration Files (*.reg)
Registry Hive Files (*.*)
Text Files (*.txt)
Win9x/NT 4 Registration Files (*.reg)
All Files
Each one of the different file types above plays an important role in how the data you export is saved. Choosing the wrong type can give you unexpected results. So let me explain you quickly these file types.
Registrations Files : The Registration Files option creates a .reg file. This is the most well known file format used for backing up the registry. The Registration File can be used in two ways. As a text file it can be read and edited using Notepad outside of Registry Editor. Once the changes have been made and saved, right clicking the file and using the [Merge] command adds the changed file back into the registry. If you make additions to the registry using regedit and then merge the previously saved Registration File, anything that you've added via regedit will not be removed, but changes you make to data using regedit that previously existed in the saved Registration File will be overwritten when it is merged
Registry Hive Files : Unlike the Registration Files option above, the Registry Hive Files option creates a binary image of the selected registry key. The image file is not editable via Notepad nor can you view its contents using a text editor. However, what the Registry Hive Files format does is create an image perfect view of the selected key and allow you to import it back into the registry to insure any problematic changes you made are eliminated.
Text Files : This option does just as the name suggests. It creates a text file containing the information in the selected key. It's most useful purpose is creating a record or snapshot of a key at a particular point in time that you can refer back to if necessary. It cannot be merged back into the registry like a Registration File.
Win9x/NT 4 Registration Files : This option creates a .reg file in the same manner used by the Registration Files option. It's used by previous Windows versions and serves no purpose in XP unless you want to merge a key from XP into a previous version of Windows.
Out of the give above choices , the safest method of backing up registry is to use Registry Hive Files option. No matter what ever you do or goes wrong in editing, importing the image of the key will eliminate all changes.
**Note-> I have included the exact name/value between [ ] brackets. [ & ] should be ignored, only the data inside them should be considered.
1. Customize Windows Media Player Title Bar
Change the title bar to read Windows Media Player provided by
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\M*cf*t
Create the Key [WindowsMediaPlayer]
Create String value named [TitleBar]
Data Type: REG_SZ // Value Name: TitleBar
Double click TitleBar and Enter the text to be displayed in the title bar.
Exit Registry / Reboot
2. Minimize Outlook 2002 to the System Tray
If you frequently access Outlook during the day it’s more convenient to have it minimized to the system tray rather than invoking it each time you need to send/receive e-mail. This tweak minimizes Outlook 2002 to the system tray:
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Office\10.0\Outl ook\Preferences
Modify/Create Data Type DWORD named [MinToTray]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
3. Specify Default IE Download Directory
This tweak changes the default directory where downloads initiated in Internet Explorer are stored on the system.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Internet Explorer
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Download Directory]
Value Data: [Enter Path to Directory to be Assigned as Defualt for Downloads]
Exit Registry / Reboot
4. Force Use of Classic Start Menu
This tweak loads the Classic Start Menu and makes it impossible to change back to the Windows XP version
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Policies\Explorer
Modify/Create the DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoSimpleStartMenu]
Value Data: [0 = Default / 1 = Force Classic Start Menu]
Exit Registry / Reboot
5. Hide/Show Internet Explorer Desktop Icon
By default, Windows XP does not show the Internet Explorer icon on the Windows desktop. Using the registry tweak below allows you to control whether or not the Internet Explorer icon is displayed.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Policies\Explorer
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoInternetIcon]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
6. Increase Menu Display Speed
When you click on the Start Menu there is some delay to display the contents , just for no reason. Effects are pretty though. The default speed can be adjusted with a quick registry entry.
The default value is 400. Set it to 0 and the delay is gone. If you are not able to adjust pick a number that suits your style and make the change.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Modify/Create String value of Data type REG_SZ Named [MenuShowDelay]
Value Data: [Default = 400 / Adjust to Preference]
Exit Registry / Reboot
7. Change the Location of Special Folders
This tweak allows changing the location of special folders on the system. Any of the folders listed in the registry key may be moved.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\UserShell Folders
Modify/Create String value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Various Folder Names]
Data Type: REG_SZ [String Value] // Value Name: Consult RegEdit for Folder Names
Value Data: [Move the folder to the new desired location using explorer, and then edit the matching folder in RegEdit to reflect the new folder location]
Exit Registry and Reboot
8. Faster Browsing in Windows Explorer on Network Computers
By default, a Windows XP machine connecting to a Windows 95/98/Me computer will search for scheduled tasks or enabled printers on the remote computer. Two sub-keys control this behavior. Deleting them will speed up browsing on the remote computer.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace
To Disable Scheduled Task Checking
Value Name: {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
Delete the sub-key in the left pane of Registry Editor
To Disable Printer Checking
Value Name: {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Delete the sub-key in the left pane of Registry Editor
Exit Registry / Reboot
9. Add Administrator Account to Log In Screen
When Windows XP is first installed it requires you to enter at least one name of a user who will access the computer. Once you create this name the default Administrator account vanishes. To access it, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete twice at the Welcome screen to retrieve the standard Windows 2000 logon dialog. Log on as Administrator from this point. To log the Administrator off, click [Start] [Log Off] and [Log Off] when the [Log Off Windows] selection box appears. The Log On screen with the available users will be displayed.
To Make the Administrator Account Always Visible on the Login Screen use this Registry Tweak.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCALMACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserLis t
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Administrator]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
10. Increase Internet Download Connections
Increase Simultaneous Internet Download Connections. Increases the number of allowed simultaneous connections to ten (10).
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Internet Settings
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server]
Setting for Value Data: [0000000a]
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [MaxConnectionsPerServer]
Setting for Value Data: [0000000a]
Exit Registry / Reboot
11. Connected Web Files and Folders
Connecting web files and folders allows a primary .htm or .html file to be moved in conjunction with files associated with the primary document. Once the primary document has been defined, create a sub-folder using the same name as the primary document but assign it a .files extension. Whenever the primary file is moved, the sub-folder will also move and remain as a sub-folder of the primary.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoFileFolderConnection]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Enabled (Default) / 1 = Disabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
12. Hide/Show My Documents Folder on Desktop
By default, Windows XP does not show the My Documents folder on the Windows desktop. Using the registry tweak below allows you to control whether or not My Documents is displayed.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\CLSID\{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}\ShellFolder
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Attributes]
Setting for Value Data: [Default = 0xf0400174 / Hidden = 0xf0500174]
Exit Registry / Reboot
13. Create a Hidden User Account
This tweak allows an account that is normally displayed on the Welcome screen to be hidden from view. To log on using the account it's necessary to use the Log On To Windows dialog box similar to the one in Windows 2000 i.e. press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\WindowsNT\Curre ntVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Type Name of Account to be Hidden]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Account is Hidden / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
While the account is hidden on the Welcome screen, note that the account profile will be visible in C:\Documents and Settings or wherever user profiles are stored as well as in Local Users and Groups.
14. Create Legal Notice Logon Dialog Box
In situations where you need users to read a legal notice before logging on, this tweak will create the caption for the notice.
Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LegalNoticeCaption]
Value Data for LegalNoticeCaption: [Type the Caption for the Dialog Box]
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LegalNoticeText]
Value Data for LegalNoticeText: [Type the Data for the Legal Notice]
Exit Registry / Reboot
15. Manage Internet Explorer Error Reporting
This tweak removes the IE Error Reporting tool from appearing with the option to send browser debugging reports to M*cf*t.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Internet Explorer\Main
Note:- Create both values listed below and set according to the bold type for the tweak to function properly.
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [IEWatsonEnabled]
Value Data: [0 - Disabled / 1 - Enabled]
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [IEWatsonDisabled]
Value Data: [0 - Disabled / 1 - Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
16. Customize Logon and Security Dialog Title
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [Welcome]
Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
17. Customize Logon Box Message
This is the message displayed on the Classic Logon box, not the XP ‘Welcome’ logon screen
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LogonPrompt]
Value Data: [Enter the text of the message]
Exit Registry / Reboot
18. Welcome Screen Logon Vs Classic Logon
This tweak specifies whether the Welcome screen or the Classic logon will be used to access Windows XP.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [LogonType]
Value Data: [0 - Classic Mode / 1 - Welcome Screen]
Exit Registry / Reboot
19. QoS (Quality Of Service) Bandwidth Reserve Setting
By default, Windows XP reserves 20% of the connection bandwidth for QoS traffic. This tweak allows the setting to be altered to a different percentage of connection bandwidth. If the system uses more than a single adapter for network connections, each adapter may be set individually by navigating to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Psched\Parameters\Adapters\{Adpater-ID} rather than HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\M*cf*t\Window s\Psched
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\M*cf*t\Window s\Psched
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NonBestEffortLimit]
Setting for Value Data: [Enter as a Percentage / Default Value = 20]
Exit Registry / Reboot
20. Enable/Disable Save Password in DUN
This tweak saves user passwords for Dial Up Networking so they do not have to be re-entered each session.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\RasMan\Parameters
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [DisableSavePassword]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled (Passwords Saved) / 1 = Enabled (Passwords Not Saved)]
Exit Registry / Reboot
21. Change the Registered Organization/Owner of Windows XP
This tweak allows modification of the registered owner and organization of the Windows XP software.
Note:- This tweak has nothing to do with Windows Product Activation (WPA) and will not allow you to register illegal XP software.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [RegisteredOrganization] or [RegisteredOwner]
Setting for Value Data: [Modify the Values to Reflect Current Information]
Exit Registry / Reboot
22. Remove Links Folder in Favorites
The Links folder is part of Favorites whether it's being accessed through Internet Explorer or the Favorites menu in the Start Menu. This tweak will remove it from those locations.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Internet Explorer\Toolbar
Modify/Create String Value of Data type REG_SZ Named [LinksFolderName]
Value Data: [Set the String Value to a blank string]
Open Internet Explorer and manually delete the Links folder from Favorites Menu.
The Links folder will not be recreated.
Exit Registry / Reboot
23. Enable/Disable Active Window Tracking to Mouse Movements
When the mouse is moved over an open window it automatically sets the focus to that particular window. It does not bring the window to the foreground of the open windows.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [ActiveWindowTracking]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = ActiveWindowTracking Disabled / 1 = ActiveWindowTracking Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
24. Auto Disconnect for Internet Explorer
Use this edit to automatically disconnect from Internet Explorer after a specified length of time has elapsed. Use this trick on anyone whom you don’t like using your computer with net J
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\LanmanServer\Parameters
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Autodisconnect]
Value Data: [Enter a new disconnect time. Use Hexadecimal if you are unfamiliar with Binary]
Exit Registry / Reboot
25. Auto Reboot on System Crash
By default, when the Windows XP operating system crashes an automatic reboot of the system occurs. While this behavior can be convenient, the downside is the error message accompanying the crash is not visible. Often times this information can be a great help in troubleshooting the source of the crash. This behavior can be modified in two ways; via the registry or using the System Properties property sheet.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\CrashControl
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [AutoReboot]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = AutoReboot Disabled / 1 = AutoReboot Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
Open System Properties via Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > System
[System Properties may also be opened using the WinKey+Pause key combination]
Select the Advanced tab and then click Settings in the Startup and Recovery section
In System Failure section, clear the checkbox next to Automatically Restart
Click OK and OK to exit
26. Modify Control Panel Categories
Even if you like the new style for Control Panel, you might at times wish you could shift some items around into a different category. It's possible.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Control Panel\Extended Properties\{305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [Choose one of the applets with .cpl extension]
Setting for Value Data: [Select the value from table below]
Other Control Panel Options 0
Appearance and Themes 1
Printers and Other Hardware 2
Network and Internet Connections 3
Sounds, Speed, and Audio Devices 4
Performance and Maintenance 5
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options 6
Accessibility Options 7
Add or Remove Programs 8
User Accounts 9
Exit Registry / Reboot
To further customize the items that appear in the new Control Panel, do a search of your system for all files that end in .cpl extension. If they aren't already listed, you can add them with a new DWORD value and then assign them to a category of your choosing.
27. Enable/Disable Run Commands Specific to the Registry
This tweak controls the use of the Run command on the local machine
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\ Policies\Explorer
Create a DWORD value of Data Type REG_DWORD for each Run function that will be disabled.
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableLocalMachineRun]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableLocalMachineRunOnce]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableCurrentUserRun]
Modify/Create the Value Name [DisableCurrentUserRunOnce]
Setting for Value Data: [0 = Disabled / 1 = Enabled]
Exit Registry / Reboot
28. Enable/Disable System Properties Access from My Computer
This tweak removes access to System Properties via My Computer as well as via Control Panel.
[Start] [Run] [Regedit]
Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Policies\Explorer
Modify/Create DWORD Value of Data type REG_DWORD Named [NoPropertiesMyComputer]
Value Data: [0 - Display Properties / 1 - Hide Properties]
Exit Registry / Reboot
29. Uninstall Programs Manually
Just because Windows XP has the Add/Remove Programs feature it doesn't mean your application will appear in the list. Furthermore, even if it does appear, it's no guarantee that the uninstall feature will work. When you run across one of these situations the items listed below will help in getting rid of the application. Be aware that these steps may not remove everything associated with the application and can impact other applications on the computer. Have a backup or restore point and use caution.
Find the directory for the application and delete all the files in the directory. Delete the directory.
Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
To remove the application entry from Add/Remove Programs (if present) open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Uninstall and find the folder for the application. Delete the folder.
Some applications have Services attached to them. If this is the case, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Servic es, locate and delete the service.
In Windows Explorer, navigate to the individual user settings and delete program references. Common places to check would be:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs and delete relevant entries.
[Do this for each User ID listed]
C:\Documents and Settings\%YourUserID%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and delete relevant entries.
[Do this for each User ID listed]
If no entries were found in the previous step and the application launches automatically, navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
and delete the entry.
30. Create a right-click command prompt option
You can right-click a folder to get a list of actions you can apply to it. Here’s a way to create an action on that right-click menu that opens a command prompt window with that folder as the current directory. In a text editor such as Notepad, type the following exactly:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Cmd Here]
@=”Command &Prompt Here”
[HKEY_CLASSES-ROOT\Folder\shell\Cmd Here\command]
@=”cmd.exe /k pushd %L”
Save the file with any name you want, with a .reg extension. Then double-click the saved file and choose Yes to merge the file’s information into the Registry. You can delete the file. Right-click any folder and you’ll see the CommandPrompt Here option.
31. Adjusting System Restore values
The new System Restore feature in Windows XP automatically backs up a snapshot of your system, including your Registry, every 24 hours. It also saves restore points for 90 days. Neither of these values is directly editable in the System Restore program, but you can change them in the Registry. Go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\WindowsNT\Curre ntVersion\SystemRestore
You’ll find an assortment of settings here. To change the interval between automatically created restore points, change the RPGlobalInterval setting. To change the number of days that a restore point is retained, change the RPLifeInterval setting.
System Restore time intervals are measured in seconds, not days, so you must convert the number of days you want into seconds. There are 86,400 seconds in a day, so multiply 86,400 by the number of days you want to determine the value. (There are 3,600 seconds in an hour, I hope you know)
32. Erase the swap file at shutdown
You might be concerned about someone browsing your users’ swap files and gathering up little bits of their sensitive data. A remote possibility, to be sure, but it could happen. For that extra measure of security, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management
Set the ClearPageFileAtShutdown DWORD to 1. This will make shutdowns take longer, because it overwrites everything in the swap file with zeroes. Don’t turn this feature on unless you have a serious security threat.
33. Delete the Files Stored on This Computer category in the My Computer window
In Windows XP, the My Computer window’s listing is broken down by categories: Hard Disk Drives, Devices with Removable Storage, and so on. One of these categories is Files Stored on This Computer, which appears at the top of the My Computer window. If a user doesn’t need it , you can get rid of it. To do so, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\MyComputer\
NameSpace\Delegate Folders
Delete the {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c55595fe6b30ee} subkey to remove the category.
34. Change the desktop cleanup frequency
Through Display Properties (Desktop tab, Customize Desktop button, General tab), you can turn on and off a feature that runs the Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days. You don’t have an option to set a different interval there, but you can change the interval in the Registry. To do so, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWiz
Change the Days Between Clean Up Value to some other number of days (in decimal format).
35. Sort menus alphabetically
When you install a new program for a user, it doesn’t find its place in the alphabetical Start menu hierarchy right away; it hangs out at the bottom for a little while. If your users employ the Classic Start menu, they can re-alphabetize it manually by right-clicking the taskbar and choosing Properties, clicking the Customize button next to the Classic Start Menu, and clicking the Sort button. With the Windows XP style of Start menu, however, you don’t have an equivalent button. To make Windows always alphabetize the list, remove the permissions from the Registry key that controls the sort order for the Start menu. To do so, go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\MenuOrder
Choose Edit | Permissions and click the Advanced button. Deselect the Inherit From Parent The Permission Entries That Apply To Child Objects check box and then click Copy when the Security dialog box pops up. Click OK and clear the Full Control entry for your account and all security groups you are a member of. Leave only Read permission.
36. Prevent programs from loading at startup
Remember back in the good old days of Windows 3.1 when you could open up the Win.ini file in a text editor and remove an item from the RUN= line to disable it from running at startup? With Windows 9x and above, the Win.ini file became less useful because 32-bit programs were set to run at startup from within the Registry instead.
One way to selectively disable programs from loading at startup is to use MSCONFIG (from the Run command) to deselect certain items. Another way to remove them is to edit the Registry directly. Consider the following locations:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Run
for applications that start up for all users
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Run
for applications that start up when the current user logs on
Remove the entry for a program by right-clicking it and selecting Delete to prevent it from loading.
37. Change categories in the Control Panel
Windows XP’s Control Panel is broken down by category in the default Category view, but the group to which an item belongs is not always obvious. If you disagree with M*cf*t’s assignments, you can switch them around. To assign a different category to an item, go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Control Panel\Extended Properties\
{305CA226-D286-468e-B848-2B2E8E697B74} 2
Find the item you want to change and double-click it to bring up a dialog box. Change the item’s DWORD value to your preference. Use the Table given below as a guide (shown with decimal numbers, which is the way you should enter them).
DWORD value to set
Other Control Panel Options 0
Appearance and Themes 1
Printers and Other Hardware 2
Network and Internet Connections 3
Sounds, Speed, and Audio Devices 4
Performance and Maintenance 5
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options 6
Accessibility Options 7
Add or Remove Programs 8
User Accounts 9
38. Grouping multiple open windows
Windows XP will group multiple open windows (IE windows for example) into one group on the task bar to keep the taskbar clear. This can be annoying at times - especially when comparing different web pages because you have to go back to the task bar, click on the group and then click on the page you want and then you only get one page because you have to click on each one separately. I think the default for this is 8 windows - any combination of apps or utilities open.
You can modify this behavior by adding this registry key at:
HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\Advanced\
add a Dword value of type REG_DWORD named [TaskbarGroupSize]
modify "TaskbarGroupSize" entry to be the number of windows you want open before XP starts to group them on the task bar.
A value of 2 will cause the Taskbar buttons to always group
Another tweak is to disable or enable recent documents history. This can be done at:
HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer\
this key should already be present - if it isn't you'll need to add it:
Add a Binary value of type REG_BINARY named [NoRecentDocsHistory]
modify it so that value reads 01 00 00 00
39. Disable Tips
To disable Ballon tips in Windows XP do this registry tweak
Go to : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\M*cf*t\Windows\CurrentV ersion\Explorer\Advanced
Create a new DWORD value, name it EnableBalloonTips, and set it equal to 0. If EnableBalloonTips is already there and equal to 1, set it equal to 0. Quit the registry editor, log off, and log back on. Voila! Your computer will stop talking down to you.
40. Add/Remove optional features of Windows XP
To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows XP after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf and open the sysoc.inf file. {Opps , if you didn’t find the inf directory, you are right. It’s a hidden folder, so go to Tools>Folder Options> View , enable Show Hidden Files & Folders.}
[Version]
Signature = "$Windows NT$"
DriverVer=07/01/2001,5.1.2600.0
[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp4 0ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
IEAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,ieaccess.inf,,7
Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7
[Global]
WindowTitle=%WindowTitle%
WindowTitle.StandAlone="*"
The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global search and replace for ,hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma). Then, save the file, re launch Add/Remove Windows Components,
41. Remove Windows Messenger
It seems that a lot of people are interested in removing Windows Messenger for some reason, though I strongly recommend against this: In Windows XP, Windows Messenger will be the hub of your connection to the .NET world, and now that this feature is part of Windows, I think we're going to see a lot of .NET Passport-enabled Web sites appearing as well. But if you can't stand the little app, there are a couple of ways to get rid of it, and ensure that it doesn't pop up every time you boot into XP. The best way simply utilizes the previous tip:
If you'd like Windows Messenger to show up in the list of programs you can add and remove from Windows, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf and open sysoc.inf (see the previous tip for more information about this file). You'll see a line that reads:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Change this to the following and Windows Messenger will appear in Add or Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows Components, then , and you can remove it for good:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
42. Rename multiple files ( it is not a Registry tweak though. I thought this to be really cool, so I have put it here)
A new, small, neat feature for Windows XP deals with renaming files. I personally have always wanted the OS to include a way to do a mass file renaming on a bunch of files. You can now rename multiple files at once .Its really simple:
Select several files in Explorer, press F2 and rename one of those files to something else. All the selected files get renamed to the new file name (plus a number added to the end). Simple J
I hope you enjoyed the above Registry tricks ! May be next time I’ll come up with more. That's all for now .
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