 Re: 8 Windows XP Tips & Tricks
ZIP Files as Folders:
XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you?ve got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files alone by typing ?regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll? at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can change things back by typing ?regsvr32 zipfldr.dll?.
XP Has ClearType:
XP has ClearType - Microsoft?s anti-aliasing font display technology - but doesn?t have it enabled by default. It?s well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.
Remote Assistance:
You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who?s using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your friend?s real IP address - they can find this out by going to WhatIsMyIP.com - 208.97.139.12 <http://www.whatismyip.com/> - and get them to make sure that they?ve got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
User Task Management:
You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As? and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.
Disable Default Notifications:
Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might go insane before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.
Delete Temp Internet Files Automatically:
Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options? and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
Network Activity Light:
XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can?t see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You?ll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.
Speed-Up Your Start Menu:
The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.
Batch Rename Files:
You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By? Show In Groups.
Album Cover Arts:
Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks - if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn?t, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.
Handy Shortcut Keys:
Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.
Windows File Protection:
Windows XP secretly KNOWS that the average user has no idea what they are doing. Therefore, it doesn?t let you do really stupid things like deleting the windows directory (at least not without spending several hours convincing it that you REALLY want to do this).
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