Computer Tips

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts for Mozilla Firefox


CTRL + A Select all text on a webpage
CTRL + B Open the Bookmarks sidebar
CTRL + C Copy the selected text to the Windows clipboard
CTRL + D Bookmark the current webpage
CTRL + F Find text within the current webpage
CTRL + G Find more text within the same webpage
CTRL + H Opens the webpage History sidebar
CTRL + I Open the Bookmarks sidebar
CTRL + J Opens the Download Dialogue Box
CTRL + K Places the cursor in the Web Search box ready to type your search
CTRL + L Places the cursor into the URL box ready to type a website address
CTRL + M Opens your mail program (if you have one) to create a new email message
CTRL + N Opens a new Firefox window
CTRL + O Open a local file
CTRL + P Print the current webpage
CTRL + R Reloads the current webpage
CTRL + S Save the current webpage on your PC
CTRL + T Opens a new Firefox Tab
CTRL + U View the page source of the current webpage
CTRL + V Paste the contents of the Windows clipboard
CTRL + W Closes the current Firefox Tab or Window (if more than one tab is open)
CTRL + X Cut the selected text
CTRL + Z Undo the last action


Windows Keyboard Shortcuts for Mozilla Firefox
F1 Opens Firefox help
F3 Find more text within the same webpage
F5 Reload the current webpage
F6 Toggles the cursor between the address/URL input box and the current webpage
F7 Toggles Caret Browsing on and off. Used to be able to select text on a webpage with the keyboard
F11 Switch to Full Screen mode

• 0 comments »

These are achieved by holding down the CONTROL (CTRL) key and pressing the assigned key



To Select all items on a webpage use CTRL and A.

To Copy a selected item to the clipboard use CTRL and C.

To Paste an item from the clipboard into a document use CTRL and V.

To Add the current page/document to your favorites use CTRL and D.

To Open the IE search utility use CTRL and E.

To Open the FIND box to search the current document use CTRL and F.

To Open the History utility use CTRL and H.

To Open the Favorites utility use CTRL and I.

To Go to a new location/document use CTRL and L. Also CTRL and O.

To Open a new Explorer window use CTRL and N.

To Print the current page/document use CTRL and P.

To Refresh the current page/document use CTRL and R. Also you can use the F5 key.

To Save the current document/page use CTRL and S.

To Close the current Explorer window use CTRL and W.


These are achieved by holding down and pressing a combination of keys

To go to your default homepage use ALT and the HOME key.

To go forward one page (equivalent to the FORWARD button) use ALT and the right arrow key.

To go back one page (equivalent to the BACK button) use ALT and the left arrow key.

• 0 comments »

If you want to make restrictions to what users can do or use on their computer, you can edit the Registry. You can add and delete Windows features in this Key shown below.

Zero is Off and the value 1 is On. Example: to Save Windows settings add or modify the value name NoSaveSettings to 0, if set to1 Windows will not save settings. And NoDeletePrinter set to 1 will prevent the user from deleting a printer.

The same key shows up at:
HKEY_USERS\(yourprofilename)\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer so change it there also if you are using different profiles.

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Policies
3.Go to the Explorer Key (Additional keys that can be created under Policies are System, Explorer, Network and WinOldApp )
4.You can then add DWORD or binary values set to 1 in the appropriate keys for ON and 0 for off.
NoDeletePrinter - Disables Deletion of Printers
NoAddPrinter - Disables Addition of Printers
NoRun - Disables Run Command
NoSetFolders - Removes Folders from Settings on Start Menu
NoSetTaskbar - Removes Taskbar from Settings on Start Menu
NoFind - Removes the Find Command
NoDrives - Hides Drives in My Computers
NoNetHood - Hides the Network Neighborhood
NoDesktop - Hides all icons on the Desktop
NoClose - Disables Shutdown
NoSaveSettings - Don't save settings on exit
DisableRegistryTools - Disable Registry Editing Tools
NoRecentDocsMenu - Hides the Documents shortcut at the Start button
NoRecentDocsHistory- Clears history of Documents
NoFileMenu _ Hides the Files Menu in Explorer
NoActiveDesktop - No Active Desktop
NoActiveDesktopChanges- No changes allowed
NoInternetIcon - No Internet Explorer Icon on the Desktop
NoFavoritesMenu - Hides the Favorites menu
NoChangeStartMenu _ Disables changes to the Start Menu
NoFolderOptions _ Hides the Folder Options in the Explorer
ClearRecentDocsOnExit - Empty the recent Docs folder on reboot
NoLogoff - Hides the Log Off .... in the Start Menu.



And here are a few more you can play with
ShowInfoTip
NoTrayContextMenu
NoStartMenuSubFolders
NoWindowsUpdate
NoViewContextMenu
EnforceShellExtensionSecurity
LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo
NoDriveTypeAutoRun
NoStartBanner
NoSetActiveDesktop
EditLevel
NoNetConnectDisconnect
RestrictRun - Disables all exe programs except those listed in the RestrictRun subkey
This key has many other available keys, there is one to even hide the taskbar, one to hide the control panel and more. I'm not telling you how, as someone may want to play a trick on you. The policies key has a great deal of control over how and what program can run and how one can access what feature.

In the System key you can enter:
NoDispCPL - Disable Display Control Panel
NoDispBackgroundPage - Hide Background Page
NoDispScrSavPage - Hide Screen Saver Page
NoDispAppearancePage - Hide Appearance Page
NoDispSettingsPage - Hide Settings Page
NoSecCPL - Disable Password Control Panel
NoPwdPage - Hide Password Change Page
NoAdminPage - Hide Remote Administration Page
NoProfilePage - Hide User Profiles Page
NoDevMgrPage - Hide Device Manager Page
NoConfigPage - Hide Hardware Profiles Page
NoFileSysPage - Hide File System Button
NoVirtMemPage - Hide Virtual Memory Button

In the Network key you can enter:
NoNetSetup - Disable the Network Control Panel
NoNetSetupIDPage - Hide Identification Page
NoNetSetupSecurityPage - Hide Access Control Page
NoFileSharingControl - Disable File Sharing Controls
NoPrintSharing - Disable Print Sharing Controls

In the WinOldApp key you can enter:
Disabled - Disable MS-DOS Prompt
NoRealMode - Disables Single-Mode MS-DOS

To add or remove programs in the Registry
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to the desired Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
3. Add a new String Value and name it anything you like
4. For the value data, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.

By adding the value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive instead allows the program to start only when that user is logged on.

If you add the value to the RunOnce key the program will run once and be removed from the key by Windows.

• 0 comments »

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



1.Open the My Pictures folder. (Click Start, and then click My Pictures.) Or open another folder containing files that you want to rename.


2.Select the files you want to rename. If the files you want are not adjacent in the file list, press and hold CTRL, and then click each item to select it.


3.On the File menu, click Rename.


4.Type the new name, and then press ENTER.





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

• 0 comments »

1) Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC

2) Go to Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System.

3) Locate the entry for Turn autoplay off and modify it as you desire.

• 0 comments »

Display Your Quick Launch Toolbar Tip:


Is your Quick Launch toolbar missing from the taskbar?
To display your familiar Quick Launch toolbar:
Right-click an empty area on the taskbar, click Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch.

Easy as that your Quick Launch bar appears. To add items to your Quick Launch toolbar, click the icon for the program you want to add, and drag it to the Quick Launch portion of the taskbar.

====================================================================================
How to remove recycle bin from your desktop Tip:

Open Regedit by going to START - RUN and type Regedit and hit enter. Then you should navigate to following entry in registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and delete it. This action should remove recycle bin from your desktop.
=====================================================================================
How to stop new programs installed balloon from coming up tip:

Right click on START button and select properties. Click on Customize and go to Advanced tab and deselect check box saying "Highlight newly installed programs". This would help you stop this annoying feature from popping up every now and then.
=====================================================================================

Unlock Toolbars to Customize Them Tip:

The new Windows XP now features locking toolbars, and you can adjust them. You may customize a lot of the Windows XP features such as the Taskbar, Start Menu, and even toolbar icons in Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Remember your right-click:
* Right-click on a toolbar, and then click Lock the Toolbars to remove the check mark.
* Right-click on the toolbar again, and then click Customize.

You may add or remove toolbar buttons, change text options and icon options. When you've got the toolbar customized, click Close. Now right-click on the toolbar and then click Lock the Toolbars to lock them in place. com

=====================================================================================


Want to remove shared documents folder from My Computer window tip:

Some don't like my shared documents folder option. If you are one of that, here is a trick to remove it.Open registry editor by going to START-RUN and entering regedit.
Once in registry, navigate to key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ My Computer \ NameSpace \ DelegateFolders You must see a sub-key named {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. If you delete this key, you have effectively removed the my shared documents folder.

=====================================================================================
How to improve on shutdown time ? Close apps automatically & quickly at shutdown tip:

Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP and look for AutoEndTasks. On my computer default value is 0. Change it to 1. Thats all. Further more you can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications.
In doing this only constraint that you should make sure exists is that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)


=====================================================================================

Are you missing icons Tip:


Are you missing icons? You may be wondering where all the icons from your desktop are in Windows XP? Well if you're like me, you like to have at least My Computer, My Network Places, and My Documents on the your desktop.
You need to:
* Right-click on the desktop, and then click Properties.
* Click the Desktop tab and then click on Customize Desktop.
* Put a check mark in the box next to My Document, My Computer, My Network Places, or Internet Explorer, to add those familiar icons to your desktop. Easy yes!
=====================================================================================
How to login as administrator if you don't see it available tip:

Unless and until you have run into issues and fixing XP (under which case you have to go to Safe Mode to login as Administrator), you can get to administrator screen by simply pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE twice at the main screen.
=====================================================================================

Speedup boot up sequence by defragmenting all key boot files tip:

Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction. In right hand panel look for Enable. Right click on it and set it 'Y' for enable. This is the way I have it set on my computer. This will help speedup boot time.


Use a Shortcut to Local Area Network Connection Information:

=====================================================================================


Use a Shortcut to Local Area Network Connection Information Tip:


Here's something new in Windows XP, instead of using the command line program and typing ipconfig to get local area network information, you can try using the following shortcut:
* Click on Start, point to Connect to, and then click Show All Connections.
* Right–click the connection you want information about, and then click Status.
* In the connection Properties dialog box, click the Support tab.
* For more information, click on the Advanced tab.

To automatically enable the status monitor each time the connection is active, in the connection Properties dialog box, select the Show icon in taskbar notification area when connected check box.

=====================================================================================

Do you know you can have Virtual Desktops (like in Linux) with PowerToys ?

If you have powertoys installed on Windows XP Its available for free at Microsoft download webpage. It is very easy to enable Microsoft Virtual Desktop Feature. Simply right click on the Start Panel Bar also called TaskBar, Click on Tool Bar and select Desktop manager.
You would see a set of 5 icons placed on the right portion of the TAskBar. Click on number 1 to 4 to go to any of the desktops. Now you have have four different Active Desktops.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may see a little degradation in performance.

=====================================================================================

Customize Internet. Explorer Title bar tip:

This tip won't make your computer any faster but may help personalize your computer experience. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet. Explorer\Main. In right hand panel look for string "Window Title" and change its value to whatever custom text you want to see.

Easy Text Size Change in Help & IE Tip:

I mentioned a way that you can change the size of the text that is display in the Help file and in Internet Explorer. As it turns out if you have a "wheel mouse," there is an even easier way to change the text size. In Internet Explorer or when viewing a Help file, simply hold the ctrl key while you spin the mouse wheel up to increase text size, or down to decrease text size.
Java VM: Java applets run in Internet Explorer 6 (a component of Windows XP) just as they run in older versions of Internet Explorer. The Java VM is not installed as part of the typical installation, but is installed on demand when a user encounters a page that uses a Java Applet. For more information see the Microsoft Technologies for Java Web site.


=====================================================================================

Windows XP Shutdown and Power Off Tip:

On some computers, by default, Windows XP doesn't power off the computer when you tell it to shut down. However, if your computer is relatively new, it can probably by shut completely off by WinXP. To configure your computer for this behavior, simply open the Control Panel, open Performance and Maintenance, then Power Options. On the APM tab, check next to "Enable Advanced Power Management support," then click OK. The next time you choose "Shut Down" from the Start Menu, your computer should shut down completely and then power off.

=====================================================================================

Customize Explorer Toolbar Tip:

In Windows Explorer, you can customize the toolbar to make Explorer even more handy. The Toolbar is the bar of icons directly underneath the menu bar. It contains icons for going back, up one level, displaying folders or search, etc. You can right-click an open area of this Toolbar and choose Customize to change the order of these icons, and even to add new icons to it. For instance, I like to add the Map Drive and Disconnect buttons. In Windows XP, you may have to unlock the Taskbar before you can make changes in Windows Explorer.
Lock the Taskba - If you find that your Windows XP Taskbar keeps being changed, or moved to one side or the top of your screen, and you didn't mean to have it do that, this tip is for you. Once you have your Task Bar arranged the way you like it, in the right location on the screen, and with all the right toolbars and icons, you can lock it, so that it won't get changed accidentally. To lock the Taskbar, simply right click it and choose Properties. In the window that appears, check the box (click) next to "Lock the Taskbar." Now you won't accidentally bump the mouse and have your Task bar end up on another side of the screen.

=====================================================================================

Check Personal Firewall Status Tip:

In the previous tip, I mention how to turn on Windows XP's Personal Firewall feature. But once you turn it on, your connection looks just the same as it did before. How can you check the status of the connection and the firewall? Simply open Control Panel from the Start Menu, open Internet and Network Connections, then Network Connections. By default the view is of large icons.
Click the View Menu, and choose "details" in order to reveal several more columns of information about the connections that your computer has. Check the Status column to see if your connection is currently connected, and whether or not it is "firewalled." You can even drag the column headings around (I like to slide the Status column right next to the Name column. You can even remove entire columns by right-clicking the column heading and unchecking it.

Where does Window's Product Id get stored Tip:


There are two places at least where ProductId gets stored. To see the first place, open Registry by going to START-RUN and entering REGEDIT and Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]. In right pane, look for key by the name "ProductId". This is your Windows Product Id. Alternatively you can navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion] and still find same field with the name ProductId.

=====================================================================================


You can Keep Your Favorite Programs on Top of the Start Menu tip:


Do you have a favorite program that you frequently use? Elevate its priority on the Start menu by putting it at the top of the list. This ensures that the program will remain on the Start menu and cannot be bumped by other programs, even if you use the others more frequently.
Right-click the link to your favorite program on the Start menu and select Pin to Start Menu.
Your program will be moved permanently to the top part of the list, just below your browser and e-mail programs.

=====================================================================================


Having problems with Outlook Express ? Does it ask for password every time you connect tip:

If this is problem for you. Sometimes no matter what you do, Outlook Express forgets your password and asks you to enter it again each and every time you connect to your mail server.I have a solution that may work for you. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and entering REGEDIT and Navigate to HKEY_CURRRENT USER\Software\Microsoft and look for "Protected Storage System Provider". There is a good chance that you will see this folder. If you have it. Simply delete it. More than likely, you have solved your problem.

=====================================================================================


How to avoid auto play of CD ? Way I like best tip.


Hey this time no registry trick even though there are ways in registry to do it. In earlier operating systems only those CD that had autorun.inf file in their root directory were able to execute on its own but with advent of WINDOWS XP it has become possible with just about anything. Well sometimes it is good but there are other times when you want to avoid this part of automation. What would I do. Simply press SHIFT key when you enter a CD in your CD drive. It won't Auto play. For those of you, who do want a registry hack. Here it is:
Open Registry and navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer] and look for key "NoDriveTypeAutoRun" and set its value to 185 (decimal). This would stop autoplay.

=====================================================================================

This tip to speed up the Start Menu in Windows XP.
Did you know you can customize the speed of the Start Menu by editing a Registry Key.


* Click Start, and then click Run.
* Type Regedit in the box, and then click OK.
* Expand the menu in the left panel and select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop folder.
* Scroll down in the right panel and double click on the MenuShowDelay file.
* In the Value Data box, change to default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1.
*Click OK.
Caution: Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, you may want to back up any valued data on your computer.

=====================================================================================

Customizing Windows Explorer Context menu (right click menu in windows explorer)

Ever wondered how does the right click menu (which is actually a context menu) work ? For example, when I right click in windows explorer, I see an option which says "open command window here". Do You know why I see this ? Well I see this because I have following entries in my registry.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd]
@="Open Command Window Here"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd\command]
@="C:\WINDOWS\System32\cmd.exe /k cd "%1""
If You have never used a tweaking utility and have newly installed Windows XP, You would not see this option. You would have to navigate to [[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive] go and create two subkeys ("cmd" and within that "command" and would have to put the text "Open Command Window Here" without quotes in default string value of "cmd" key and the text "C:\WINDOWS\System32\cmd.exe /k CD"%1"" without quotes in default string value of command key). After this You need to REBOOT for these changes to take effect.
Trick is in adding similar entries for other applications as well even though its much harder to come with ideas about what to put in the context menu!!!! .

• 0 comments »

You can access all these programs by going through START/RUN or Simply Click Windows Key+r

1. SQL Client Configuration - cliconfg

2. System Configuration Editor - sysedit

3. System Configuration Utility - msconfig

4. System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately)- sfc /scannow

5. System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot)- sfc /scanonce

6. System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot) - sfc /scanboot

7. System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting)- sfc /revert

8. System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache)- sfc /purgecache

9. System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x)-sfc/cachesize=x

10. System Information - msinfo32.
    

11. Task Manager – taskmgr

12. System Properties - sysdm.cpl

13. Task Manager – taskmgr

14. TCP Tester - tcptest

15. Telnet Client - telnet

16. Tweak UI (if installed) - tweakui

17. User Account Management- nusrmgr.cpl

18. Utility Manager - utilman

19. Windows Address Book - wab

20. Windows Address Book Import Utility - wabmig

21. Windows Backup Utility (if installed)- ntbackup

22. Windows Explorer - explorer

23. Windows Firewall- firewall.cpl

24. Windows Magnifier- magnify

25. Windows Management Infrastructure - wmimgmt.msc

26. Windows Media Player - wmplayer

27. Windows Messenger - msmsgs

28. Windows Picture Import Wizard (need camera connected)- wiaacmgr

29. Windows System Security Tool – syskey

30. Windows Update Launches - wupdmgr

31. Windows Version (to show which version of windows)- winver

32. Windows XP Tour Wizard - tourstart

33. Wordpad - write

34. Password Properties - password.cpl

35. Performance Monitor - perfmon.msc

36. Phone and Modem Options - telephon.cpl

37. Phone Dialer - dialer

38. Pinball Game - pinball

39. Power Configuration - powercfg.cpl

40. Printers and Faxes - control printers

41. Printers Folder – printers

42. Private Character Editor - eudcedit

43. Quicktime (If Installed)- QuickTime.cpl

44. Real Player (if installed)- realplay

45. Regional Settings - intl.cpl

46. Registry Editor - regedit

47. Registry Editor - regedit32

48. Remote Access Phonebook - rasphone

49. Remote Desktop - mstsc

50. Removable Storage - ntmsmgr.msc

51. Removable Storage Operator Requests - ntmsoprq.msc

52. Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof) - rsop.msc

53. Scanners and Cameras - sticpl.cpl

54. Scheduled Tasks - control schedtasks

55. Security Center - wscui.cpl

56. Services - services.msc

57. Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc

58. Shuts Down Windows - shutdown

59. Sounds and Audio - mmsys.cpl

60. Spider Solitare Card Game - spider

61. Malicious Software Removal Tool - mrt

62. Microsoft Access (if installed) - access.cpl

63. Microsoft Chat - winchat

64. Microsoft Excel (if installed) - excel

65. Microsoft Frontpage (if installed)- frontpg

66. Microsoft Movie Maker - moviemk

67. Microsoft Paint - mspaint

68. Microsoft Powerpoint (if installed)- powerpnt

69. Microsoft Word (if installed)- winword

70. Microsoft Syncronization Tool - mobsync

71. Minesweeper Game - winmine

72. Mouse Properties - control mouse

73. Mouse Properties - main.cpl

74. Nero (if installed)- nero

75. Netmeeting - conf

76. Network Connections - control netconnections

77. Network Connections - ncpa.cpl

78. Network Setup Wizard - netsetup.cpl

79. Notepad - notepad

80. Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed)- nvtuicpl.cpl

81. Object Packager - packager

82. ODBC Data Source Administrator- odbccp32.cpl

83. On Screen Keyboard - osk

84. Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed) - ac3filter.cpl

85. Outlook Express - msimn

86. Paint – pbrush

87. Keyboard Properties - control keyboard

88. IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration) - ipconfi/all

89. IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents)- ipconfig /displaydns

90. IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents)- ipconfig /flushdns

91. IP Configuration (Release All Connections)- ipconfig /release

92. IP Configuration (Renew All Connections)- ipconfig /renew

93. IP Configuration(RefreshesDHCP&Re-RegistersDNS)-ipconfig/registerdns

94. IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID)- ipconfig/showclassid

95. IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID)- ipconfig /setclassid

96. Java Control Panel (If Installed)- jpicpl32.cpl

97. Java Control Panel (If Installed)- javaws

98. Local Security Settings - secpol.msc

99. Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc

100. Logs You Out Of Windows - logoff.....

101. Accessibility Controls - access.cpl

102. Accessibility Wizard - accwiz

103. Add Hardware - Wizardhdwwiz.cpl

104. Add/Remove Programs - appwiz.cpl

105. Administrative Tools control - admintools

106. Adobe Acrobat (if installed) - acrobat

107. Adobe Designer (if installed)- acrodist

108. Adobe Distiller (if installed)- acrodist

109. Adobe ImageReady (if installed)- imageready

110. Adobe Photoshop (if installed)- photoshop

111. Automatic Updates - wuaucpl.cpl

112. Bluetooth Transfer Wizard – fsquirt

113. Calculator - calc

114. Certificate Manager - certmgr.msc

115. Character Map - charmap

116. Check Disk Utility - chkdsk

117. Clipboard Viewer - clipbrd

118. Command Prompt - cmd

119. Component Services - dcomcnfg

120. Computer Management - compmgmt.msc

121. Control Panel - control

122. Date and Time Properties - timedate.cpl

123. DDE Shares - ddeshare

124. Device Manager - devmgmt.msc

125. Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)- directx.cpl

126. Direct X Troubleshooter- dxdiag

127. Disk Cleanup Utility- cleanmgr

128. Disk Defragment- dfrg.msc

129. Disk Management- diskmgmt.msc

130. Disk Partition Manager- diskpart

131. Display Properties- control desktop

132. Display Properties- desk.cpl

133. Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)- control color

134. Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility- drwtsn32

135. Driver Verifier Utility- verifier

136. Event Viewer- eventvwr.msc

137. Files and Settings Transfer Tool- migwiz

138. File Signature Verification Tool- sigverif

139. Findfast- findfast.cpl

140. Firefox (if installed)- firefox

141. Folders Properties- control folders

142. Fonts- control fonts

143. Fonts Folder- fonts

144. Free Cell Card Game- freecell

145. Game Controllers- joy.cpl

146. Group Policy Editor (XP Prof)- gpedit.msc

147. Hearts Card Game- mshearts

148. Help and Support- helpctr

149. HyperTerminal- hypertrm

150. Iexpress Wizard- iexpress

151. Indexing Service- ciadv.msc

152. Internet Connection Wizard- icwconn1

153. Internet Explorer- iexplore

154. Internet Setup Wizard- inetwiz

155. Internet Properties- inetcpl.cpl

• 0 comments »

Did you know that in Windows XP you can shut down your computer from the (eventually DOS prompt) command line box? Moreover, you can do this by clicking your mouse only once.

All you need to do is... right-click on an empty Desktop spot -> select New -> Shortcut -> type shutdown followed by a space, and then enter one or more of the parameters listed below -> click Next -> type a suggestive name for your new shortcut -> finally, click Finish.


This is the Shutdown.exe (located in %systemroot%\System32, usually C:\Windows\System32) syntax:


shutdown [-i|-l|-s|-r|-a] [-f] [-m \\computername] [-t xx] [-c "Text"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]>

Valid command line switches:

-a = Abort system shutdown in progress ONLY IF the -t xx timeout option was already set to ANY value other than 0. ALL switches except -l and -m are ignored during abort.

-c "Text" = Text comment (case insensitive) to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. MUST be enclosed between quotes. Maximum allowed 127 ASCII characters.

-d [u][p]:xx:yy = Reason code for shutdown:
u = User code.
p = Planned shutdown code.
xx = Major reason code. Positive integer number less than 256.
yy = Minor reason code. Positive integer number less than 65536.

-f = Force running applications to close without warning.

-i = Display the shutdown interface (GUI). MUST be the first option!

-l = Log off the current user of the local computer (default action). Can NOT be used with the -m option unless the current user has Sysadmin rights, in which case the -m switch takes precedence.


\\computername = Remote/network computer name (most always case sensitive) to log off/restart/shut down. Current user MUST have Sysadmin rights to be allowed to use this switch!

-s = Shut down the local computer.

-r = Shut down and restart (reboot) the local computer.

-t xx = Set shutdown timer to timeout for xx seconds. IF NOT specified defaults to 20 seconds. Allowed values between 0 and 99 seconds. The -a switch is the ONLY one that CAN be used during the timeout period.


NOTES:

The dash (-) in front of these switches can be replaced by a forward slash (/).

Spaces are NOT required to separate the shutdown command from ANY following switches, but ARE required to separate ANY switch from its following parameter(s), if any.
For example:

shutdown -s -c "Shutting down!" -t 3

tells your computer to shutdown after waiting for 3 seconds while the System Shutdown window will display text above in the Message area.

Optional: after you're done creating your customized shortcut for shutdown -> right-click on it -> select Properties -> enter your desired key "combo" in the Shortcut Key box (e.g. Ctrl + Alt + End) -> click OK/Apply.
From now on just left-click on your shutdown shortcut or hit that key combination to turn off/restart/log off your computer.

• 0 comments »

Many computers take a lot of time to boot (or start ).This is due to many reasons.

Some slight changes can do wonders for your system:

1.Press start->run then type msconfig and press enter.

Go to the startup tab. Here you will see a list of startup items. These are all the programs that automatically start when you boot your PC. It is these that slow down the boot up process.

So uncheck all the unwanted items like ms-office, messengers other utilities that u may not need at startup). Don't uncheck your antivirus software.

Restart your Pc to and see for yourself, your pc will now boot faster....


2.A great new feature in Microsoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This places all boot files next to each other on the disk to allow for faster booting. By default this option is enabled, but on some systems it is not, so below is the information on how to turn it on:

Go to Start Menu and Click Run
Type in regedit then click ok
Find "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOpt imizeFunction"
Select "Enable" from the list on the right
Right on it and select "Modify"
Change the value to Y .
Reboot your Pc and see the change yourself.

3.SPEED UP BOOT BY DISABLING UNUSED PORTS.!!

You may have tried many tweaks like modifying windows XP start-up applications, prefetches, unload DLLs method, etc. And yes those methods do work for me.
I have just accidentally found out another way to give you an extra boost in windows XP's boot performance. This is done by disabling your unused devices in
Device Manager. for example, if you don't have input devices that are connected to one of your USB's or COM ports, disabling them will give you an extra performance boost in booting. Go to Control Panel -> System -> Hardware tab -> device manager Disable devices that you don't use for your PC and then restart.

• 0 comments »