Windows XP Tweaks (Maintenance Troubleshooting )

Disable AutoRun/AutoPlay

That pesky AutoRun/AutoPlay. You can try to disable it for different media types

in the optical drive’s Properties menu (right-click the drive letter), but we found

that this doesn’t stop all CDs from auto-running. Instead, open Regedit and go to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\SERVICES\CDR

OM. Double-click AutoRun in the right window and change the Value Data from 1

to 0. (This change also prevents Windows from notifying you when a new CD is

inserted.)

Navigate Regedit

Try these shortcuts to easily navigate Regedit. Highlight a subkey and press the

asterisk key (*) on your numeric keypad to open all branches and sub-branches.

Use the minus key (-) on the number pad to collapse all subkeys. If you’re at the

top of the Regedit tree (My Computer) with a mass of subkey branches open

beneath, press the minus key to close all the subkeys. Don’t use the asterisk key

at any top-level keys because this opens every subkey in Regedit and may crash

the program. If you need to close down branches quickly and start at the top,

press and hold the left arrow key.

Restore All Programs List

Restoring your All Programs list in the Start menu to alphabetical order is a

simple matter of deleting a Registry key. Go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\

CURRENTVERSION\EXPLORER\MENUORDER

and delete the subkey Start Menu2. After reboot, the Registry rebuilds this key

and restores All Programs to alpha order. 3

Identify Third-Party Services

The Processes tab of the Windows Task Manager reveals all of the active

services that Windows is running in background, but it’s often hard to tell which of

these is vital to Windows’ functioning and which are installed by third-party

software. The easy way to see the difference is to open the much-ignored

System Configuration Utility. Click Start, select Run, type msconfig in the Open

field, and click OK. Next, click the Service tab and check the box labeled Hide All

Microsoft Services, and the list will show only third-party services running in

background.

Thwart Super Snoops

Password protect everything you like, but Windows still maintains a quiet record

of your activities in the Page File. Windows uses the Page File to swap programs

and data out of memory in order to make room for other active data. Enterprising

snoops might be able to open the Page File and see some of your recent work.

To prevent this, use a Registry switch that makes Windows clear the Page File at

shutdown.

Go to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL

\SESSION MANAGER\MEMORY MANAGEMENT. Double-click the Value Name

ClearPageFileAtShutdown, and change the Value Data to 1. The shutdown

procedure may take longer, as Windows deletes the Page File data before

powering down.

Lock Down Display Settings

If you administer several office PCs, or you're just a draconian keeper of the

family PC, you may want to prevent users from changing their screen resolutions

or digging into the details of your monitor and video card settings. This Registry

tweak hides the Settings tab in the Display Properties window to make all

resolution and monitor settings inaccessible.

In Regedit, go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS

\CURRENTVERSION\POLICIES. Right-click the key and choose New and Key

to create a new key, and name it System. With the new System key highlighted,

right-click and choose New and DWORD Value. Name the value

NoDispSettingsPage. Double-click this new value and set the Value data to 1 to

remove the Settings tab from the Display Properties window. The effect will be

immediate. You can restore the Settings tab either by deleting this

NoDispSettingsPage value or setting the value data to 0. 4

Suppress That System Tray

If you are tired of long strings of icons across your Taskbar from the System

Tray, you can hide them altogether. In Regedit, go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\

MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\POLICIES\EXPLORER. In the

Edit menu, select New and DWORD Value. Name the new Value NoTrayItemsDisplay. Double-click the new item and give it a Value of 1. Reboot to see it take

effect or simply use the WinXP tip to relaunch Explorer and the Registry with the

new settings. Your System Tray will now only contain the system clock. To

restore your tray icons, return to the NoTrayItemsDisplay Value and change the

Value to 0 or eliminate the Value.

Windows activation information is in C:\Windows\System32\Wpa.dbl Copy this file before you reinstall windows (i.e. clean install on a new hard drive) and you won't have to go through the annoying software activation/registration process (nay harassment).

Cleanup Add/Remove Programs list is in: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall 

Enable Boot Defrag (places boot files together): HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction (Change “Enable” key value to “Y”)

Speed up Disk Cleanup by disabling compression of old files: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches\Compress old files Delete the value of the “(Default)” key (The value is: B50F5260-0C2111D2-AB56-00A0C9082678).

IE – delete individual entry in the Auto-Complete drop-down list of the web address text box: Open the list with the drop-down button (arrow) > highlight the item by using Down Arrow keyboard key > press Del.

Reset TCP/IP configuration to defaults:  Command Line =  netsh int ip reset IPlog.txt Netsh.exe is in C:\Windows\Sytem32, IPlog.txt is a log file of changed registry keys.

Network Connection utility: Command Line =  netstat –a  complete list of open network connections.

Command Line =  netstat –o  Windows process ID for each open connection.

Speed up HDD by using DMA (Direct Memory Access) technology:  Device Manager > Primary IDE Controller > Primary (Secondary) IDE Channel > Advanced Settings > select “DMA if available”.

Lock Kernel in RAM (disable moving system code from RAM to HD virtual RAM cache):  HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management Select “DisablePagingExecutive” key and change value from 0 to 1.

Specify start folder in Win. Explorer (Edit Windows Explorer shortcut to expand root folder):  Target = %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,c:\

Restore the Show Desktop icon in Quick Launch toolbar:  Create a Desktop.scf file (use Notepad) in: C:\Documents and Settings\[user]\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ Quick Launch\ 

Text in the Desktop.scf file:  [Shell] Command=2 IconFile=Explorer.exe,3 [Taskbar] Command=ToggleDesktop

Create Windows XP Shutdown shortcut:  Target =  C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 10 -c "Shutdown Message" Start in = C:\Windows\System32\ Switches: -l     log off -s     shut down -r     reboot

-t xx    time to shutdown (xx=seconds) -c “text”  warning message before the shutdown -a     abort (use “shutdown.exe –a” in Start > Run to abort the countdown)

IE – control initial window size, position and home page:  Tools > Internet Options > Home Page > Address javascript: resizeTo(800.600);moveTo(0.0);document.location.href=’http://www.xx.com’

Windows 2000-style login:  Control Panel > User accounts > Change the way users log on or off > uncheck “Use the Welcome screen”, (also disables Fast User Switching). Note: If using Windows XP Welcome Screen and it’s not showing Administrator login, press Ctrl+Alt+Del > release Del and press it again, while still holding Ctrl+Alt (displays Win2000 login).

To force users to press Ctrl+Alt+Del to login (Windows XP): HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon Select “DisableCAD” key and change value to 0, (if the key doesn’t exist, create a DWORD Value). Note: This setting can also be changed in Local Security Settings (Start > Programs > administrative Tools).  Change:  Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options > Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL  =  Enabled.

Open Folder in its own window Most of us have Windows Explorer to open new folders in the current window, but if you want the option to open a folder in its own window, you can add it to your context menu. Click Start, Run, type Regedit in the Open field, and click OK. Right-click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\DIRECTORY\SHELL key, select New, and click Key. Name this new subkey opennew and then doubleclick the Default value and type Open New &Window in the Value Data field. Create a subkey beneath opennew named command. Double-click the Default value for the command key and type explorer %1 in the Value Data field. Effective immediately, you’ll get a new option on any folder’s content menu to Open New Window. 

Registry Security Hole There’s a little known security hole on most of our PCs involving the Registry Editor. By default, WinXP runs Remote Registry Editing, which lets other PCs on a network change the Registry. To plug this hole, click Start, select Settings, and click Control Panel. Next, double-click Administrative Tools, Services, and locate the Remote Registry in the right panel. Right-click the item and click Properties. In the General tab, click the Startup Type drop-down menu, select Disabled, and click OK. Reboot for the change to take effect.

Lost Send To option Have you lost the Send To option in your right-click menu? This handy item lets

you send a highlighted file to a mail recipient, a Zip folder, or even a burnable drive, but some utilities and programs make this setting disappear. To get it back on the menu, click Start, Run, and type Regedit in the Open field. Right-click the Registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ALLFILESYSTMEOBJECTS\SHELLEX \CONTEXTMENUHANDLERS. Select New and Key and name this new key Send To. Double-click Default in the right pane and type {7BA4C740-9E81- 11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837} in the Value Data box. Click OK, and the effect

should be immediate. 2