Pimp Out Your Windows for 110% performance !!

Performance Tips
The art of keeping your computer running smoothly is one that takes patience and some computer-prowess. Many try to turn your computer into a reference about you, which holds information such as Name, Address, Credit Card Number and so much more, or sometimes they may use your computer as their own to attack government servers. The list of things that can dramatically affect your computer is numerous.

1. Viruses: They can do so many things, depending on which virus that has infected you.

2. Trojans: Some crackers may use you for amusement; God knows how many countless forums there are where "Script Kiddies" brag about how they took over some "newbies" computer and practically destroy it.

3. Spyware: As the name implies, spyware basically just finds stuff about you and sends it to the programmer. They can range from "Bonzi Buddy" to cookies left by websites.

There is far more but I'm sure you want to know what to do how to keep your computer running smoothly.


Getting Rid of Current Problems:

Viruses:
The first thing I suggest to do is scanning your computer for viruses but what if you have no antivirus software? Fear not because some websites give free reliable online virus scans, such as:

PCPitstop AntiVirus Online Scan: http://www.pcpitstop.com/antivirus/avload.asp
Trend Micro's free online (Housecall) virus scanner: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Panda ActiveScan Online Virus Scan: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm
Symantec's Online Scan: http://security2.norton.com/
BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan: http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/licence.php

**Note: Also I would run these virus scans monthly even if you do have an antivirus but be sure to disable it before scanning, it may cause an error. Also disable any proxys that may be in use, the website may scan the proxy instead of your computer.

If you find any viruses, just either clean them or delete them. Okay well now that's done you need software to keep your computer virus free. I suggest NOD32 if you are willing to pay, the site is http://members.rogers.com/balbanebeoulve/www.nod32.com, but if you don't want to pay then stick to AVG, many may disagree but AVG isn't the best, though it is good, nonetheless. Here's a link to a download for AVG: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php, keep in mind you will need to register but it's still free and you may use it indefinitely.

Also, if you know what virus you are infected with you can always go to http://www.securityreponse.symantec.com/ and get a specific removal tool. They also provide free virus information, which is always helpful.

** Note: It is very crucial to keep your antivirus up to date. Update at least once every two weeks and also don't forget to scan at least once a month. **


Increasing Browsing Speed and Staying Safe
In your temporary Internet files, this is where all the pictures that were displayed in your browser and all the pages you've been: the history. These should be deleted regularly to save space and increase browsing speed. Keep in mind many viruses reside in your temporary Internet files. To delete them open Internet explorer and go to:

Tools --> Internet Options --> General (It's a tab) And click delete temporary internet files (check offline content), Delete cookies and last but not least delete the history.

Keep in mind; deleting some cookies will log you off on sites such as forums. You will need to re-login. Also, you may not want to delete the cache if you have 56 k or lower. This will hinder your speed because the cache saves pages on your hardrive, instead of reloading it.


Cleaning Your Registries

****READ BEFORE USING****
Before attempting to use the registries, remember, messing around with it can destroy your computer. Do not delete anything unless you are 100% it is obsolete and you are sure you don't need it.

What your registry is, from Microsoft themselves: "The Registry contains information that Windows continually references during operation, such as profiles for each user, the applications installed on the computer and the types of documents that each can create, property sheet settings for folders and application icons, what hardware exists on the system, and which ports are being used." Your registries can hold lots of invalid information about programs you've deleted already and such. To improve performance and reliability you should clean it out. Of course not manually, I will give a list of some programs that help in cleaning your registries. Remember to always make a backup of your registry before using any program. To do this, follow these steps:

Backing up your registries Go to start --> Go to run --> type "RegEdit" (without the quotation marks) and press enter --> Click on "My computer" and when it is highlighted just click file and export. Choose a name and save it somewhere. To restore your registry, simply double click the "reg" file you saved.

Now for the free registry cleaners: RegScrubXP: http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Reviews/r882.html

Regsupreme: http://www.macecraft.com/. This registry cleaner is not free but it does have a trial period, which is still quite helpful.



Windows Update
Okay this is VERY important; it is absolutely crucial for windows. You must do “windows update”! It is absolute essential. Did you know just by visiting a site, if you have an un-patched version of windows you can be “hacked”? Yes, just by visiting a site. Now, this can all be fixed by updating windows (Yes, windows is that buggy). To update windows just go to: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ It is very important you update, do so at least every month and it may take a few times to download all the critical updates, but you shouldn’t be lazy about a thing like this.


Fix Errors and Increase Performance.
First run scandisk, it can be found at one of two places. On some computers you can go to - Start --> "Programs" Or "All Programs" --> "Accessories" --> "System Tools" --> "Scandisk.” If scandisk is not there, (like with my computer) go to My Computer --> Right-click on Drive C or whatever you main hard drive is --> Then click "Properties" --> Then click the "Tools" tab at the top, and click "Scandisk."

When you choose scandisk, you may need to restart before you can, it may ask, "May scandisk run on next restart," allow it to and restart. When you are done scandisk "defrag" your computer. To do it, just go to: Start --> "Programs" Or "All Programs" --> "Accessories" --> "System Tools" --> "Disk Defragmenter" This tool will speed up your computer and make everything run smoother. Though you may need to "defragment" more than once for your computer to be fully defragmented.


Turn Off System Restore to Save Space
By default, Windows XP keeps backups system files in the “System Volume Information” folder. This can eat up valuable space on your hard drive. If you don't want Windows to back up your system files then do the following:

Open the Control Panel --> Double-click on System --> Click the System Restore tab --> Check "Turn off System Restore on all drives" --> Click Apply.

**Note: If you turn this off, you will not be able to reset mistakes that you have made unless you turn it on again. If you are new to computers I would recommend leaving this on.


Disable Hibernation
Well, Windows XP goes into a state of hibernation, basically it’s sort of like turning off automatically when you don’t use it. But it takes up valuable resources, which is equal to your RAM! If you do not use hibernation then disable it by doing the following:

Start --> Control Panel --> Performance and Maintenance --> Power Options --> Hibernate Tab --> and uncheck the “Enable Hibernation” box.


Disable Graphics for Performance
Windows XP is a very graphic-rich operating system. The result is inevitable consumption of precious resources. If you can do away with some of these fancy effects, we can speed up your operating system with just enough graphics to make XP usable. But XP is supposed to look "appealing" right? Well, we will not get too drastic, so we’ll just shut down a few unnecessary features.

These are but suggestions. If you're running the newest and greatest hardware, don't look forward to too much from these adjustments; this is only needed for older systems or the lot of who are power hungry. These are designed for the users who are in need of a few tweaks to bring their machine to a level of speed, which they don't currently enjoy.

Right-click your desktop then go to "Properties,” then the "Settings" tab. Lower your bit depth here. I personally rather to keep my colour bit higher but, that is my personal opinion

But wait, don't close your "Display Properties" window, select the "Appearance" (without quotations) tab, the "Effects" (again without quotations). Uncheck what you don't really need like "Show shadows under menus" or "Show window contents while dragging" and select "Standard" screen fonts. All this does is it makes everything look more realistic and such, like adding shadows.

And again, still stay there, under "Display Properties,” click the "Themes" tab. Under "Theme,” select "Windows Classic.” Looks a bit like Windows 95, doesn't it? Ok, now we're finally done with the "Display Properties” and click "Apply,” then "ok.”

Let's move on to performance. Right-click "My Computer,” then "Properties.” Choose the "Advanced" tab. Under "Performance" click "Settings.” This is a click on "Adjust for best performance.” All the checked boxes are cleared, and what you're left with is a plain XP box. It may not be as "pretty" as it once was, but I think you'll find that your system response will be much snappier.

Though, I have kept all these, "bells and whistles" because I have grown accustomed to it, but everyone has their own opinion.


Disable useless XP services
Most of this is information is from myself, some I got from: http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/service411.htm An amazing tweaking site. Keep in mind, mine is a very miniscule list compared to blackviper.

(To disable a service go to run and type “services.msc” (without the quotations). Then double click on the service and select the start-up type as disabled).

The following services should be disabled:

Alterer

This service allows you receive alerts from an administrator, and unless you are on network you won’t need this. So do your computer a favour and disable it.

ClipBook

Used for sharing what you cut and paste with other computers, typically on a network. Normally takes 1.3 MB of RAM, and quite useless.

Indexing Service

Basically it indexes the location of files to speed up the search of a file, extremely useless and also a resource hog.

Distributed Link Tracking Client

This basically updates a link on a network. In a nutshell if you have a shortcut on networked computer, for example “computer A” and you move the file on “computer B”, this will update the new location on computer A. So if you’re not on a network this is useless.

IPSEC Services

This will be required for domains and VPN connections, if you do not use either you won’t need this.

Remote Registry Service

This is basically what it sounds like. It probably will be cracked and turned into an exploit in the future, if you want to play it safe disable it.

Messenger This has nothing to do with MSN messenger; this is what allows those grey pop-ups to appear on your screen advertising universities and messenger blocker for money. Truly annoying.

For more information please click here.

Remote Desktop Help Session Manager

If you use remote desktop (connecting to someone else’s computer and have the ability to see what they’re doing or help them solve a problem) then leave this on, if not disable it.

Secondary Logon

This basically allows other users to start-up processes or applications with higher privelages. No one else uses my computer, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to, so I don’t need it and you may not need it as well.

Smart Card

This supports the use of a Smart Card, and unless you have a Smart Card disable this.

Smart Card Helper

Functions that deal with a Smart Card, if you do not have one, and then disable this service.

Themes

This is for all the XP flashy-ness, all the colours and shadows. This can take up to 12 MB RAM alone. The average computer comes with 256. That’s roughly 5% of you total RAM, do you think it’s worth it?

Wireless Zero Configuration

This basically provides automatic configuration for wireless devices. If you do use wireless devices such as a wireless keyboard or mouse then do not disable this. But if you don’t then feel free to disable it.


Free Precious RAM
There is an amazing program that can free RAM, by a lot. This is perfect for home computers or servers. You can get it at: http://www.ams.as.ro/dc.php be sure to customize it properly, it’s worth 100x more if all the best features are added. Use the help file to…help you.

There’s also another great RAM freeing tool known as, “FreeRAM XP Pro,” it’s is completely free and can be obtained at http://www.yourwaresolutions.com/


Cleaning your Prefetch
Well, your prefetch needs to be emptied every once in awhile. It carries old and obsolete information. Go to C:\windows\prefetch and if it is a bit too large just delete everything inside.


Mystery Behind The Running Processes
Well, I’m sure by now you pressed ctrl - alt - del and clicked the processes tab, if not, do so now. Well, now you see a whole list of odd processes running. Now you may be wondering, what are these programs? I don’t remember starting any of these up. Well, some of these can actually be spyware or viruses, running in the background.

A good way to find out what most mean is to go to the following site, which has a complete, and thorough list of all the processes and what they do. Just go here: http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm


Speeding up your Startup
”When I turn on my computers, it takes so long for all my programs to load,” if that sounds like you, then I can help. Well, did you know you can choose what programs to load and what not to load.

It’s real simple, all you need to do is go to Start --> run and type “msconfig” without the quotations, as usual. Go to the “Startup” tab and look at the list. That’s everything that starts-up with your computer. If it takes long to load, then you probably have a long list. On average there shouldn’t be more than 15 things on the list.

I bet you’re wondering, what the hell is each thing? Well, some may be easy to decipher if it is needed to startup and some may not be. Luckily someone has made a list for just that, to see what each thing is and how important it is for starting up.

First, to disable a program you only need to uncheck it and click apply and restart.

Alright, back to the list, you can find the list here: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_all.php

**Note: Be sure not to delete any windows components, or you’ll regret it. **


Shutdown Faster
Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable this useless sound.

Click Start button --> Go to settings (Ignore this if your control panel is in your start menu) --> Control Panel --> Sound, Speech and Audio devices --> Sounds and Audio Devices --> Sounds.

Then under program events and the windows menu click on the "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none,” and then click Apply and lastly “OK.”

There should be a slight improvement when shutting down now.



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Security
Staying Secure on the Internet is the only way. If you don’t have a firewall and leave everything un-updated, it could case serious errors. You may even need to rely on an IT professional. Hopefully you won’t need to resort to that but I know before I knew anything about computers I had to repair my computer quite often because of worms and crackers.


Change Your User Account Name
A cracker will only need your username and password to infiltrate your system. If your username is the default, something like “administrator” and no password, you’re in serious trouble. To do this go to: Control Panel --> User Accounts --> Change an account, choose the administrator and rename it. Also add a password, this will add security.

While there, be sure to disable the guest account. Just click “Guest” and make it is turned off.


Spyware:
Spyware is a dirty thing, which should be illegal in my opinion, but sadly it isn't. The good thing is, it is now easily destroyed with the help of ad-aware and Spybot S&D. Both free soft which can be downloaded at:

Ad-aware: http://www.google.ca/url?sa=U&start=2&q=http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/&e=7413
Spybot: http://www.google.ca/url?sa=U&start=2&q=http://security.kolla.de/news.php%3Flang%3Den&e=7413

Also, some people may say, "I have nothing to hide on my computer so they can take any information they want," but spyware also takes up your bandwidth and computer resources. Do Not Support Spyware.

Seeing as how "KaZaA" is one of the most downloaded programs. I must warn you, if you delete the spyware in it, it will cease to function. Yet you though have an alternative, I suggest you download "KaZaA Lite" which can be gotten at: www.k-lite.tk. It uses the same server as "KaZaA" without most the pop-ups and spyware.

** Note: It is very crucial to keep your spyware removal tool up to date. Update at least once every two weeks and also don't forget to scan at least once a week. **

On a side note many believe Microsoft likes to check up on us using various methods. So a clever programmer came up with a program to disable any “Suspicious” functions such as error reporting and many more. To download go to:

http://www.xp-antispy.org/news-e.php


Staying Safe From Crackers
You always need a firewall up and running when you visit websites or download content, even chatting needs you to keep a firewall. A firewall keeps crackers out and doesn't allow anything to access the Internet without your acknowledgement.

Sygate Free - http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm Sygate is a great firewall, and is used by many. I’m not too fond of it though, but that’s only my personal opinion.

Zone Alarm Firewall Free - http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp Well, zonealarm is one of my favourite firewalls, it’s great really. It has an easy to use interface, highly trusted and highly used.

Kerio 2.1.5 Firewall - http://www.uksecurityonline.com/products/pfirewalls.php This is another recommended firewall by many, again it’s not my favourite, but it’s still great.

Keep in mind though, having a firewall doesn’t make you completely safe, there will always be exploits used to get passed firewalls. And for the best security hardware firewalls are highly recommended.


Disable Messenger Service
Messenger Service has nothing to do with MSN messenger, messenger service is basically a Spam tool to send you pop-up messages you do not need unless you are on a network and can send message by "net send," if you do not, then there is no point of letting this process run. There are many programs out there to charge you but I will tell you how free of charge. (Note: this is for windows XP exclusively)

First make sure you are logged on as the administrator. When you are logged on, go to start --> control panel --> Administrative Tools --> Services --> Scroll down until you find "Messenger" (Without the quotation marks). Double Click Messenger stop the service by pressing stop at the very bottom. Then on "Startup Type" Make sure that “Disabled” is chosen rather than Manual or Automatic.

**Note: If you have a nat/router you can forward port 137 to an unused IP. Doing this will allow you to keep messenger running for network purposes and not receive spam. Doing this depends on the router, if you do not know how then leave it be. **


Updating Drivers
Well, updating your drivers can solve many issues, help performance and tighten your security. You may protest and say you have no clue what to update and such.

First Directx, any important thing, it needs to be updated, it’s crucial. Directx can cause problems and pose a security risk if it is un-updated. To download it, go to http://www.Microsoft.com/directx

Now for your other drivers. Your printer, scanner, web cam and such can be updated by going to the manufactures website. Usually the logo is on the device and basically “www.logo.com” will generally work. For example if you have a canon printer you need to go to www.cannon.com.

What about your other drivers? Well you can update those by using this neat utility to find out the manufacture and then you can go to the site and download any updates and patches. The utility can be found at: http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=3982l and another great program to find out the company of your drivers, chipset, motherboard, and bios is http://www.aida32.hu/aida32.php

The main things you should update are: Direct X
Modem
Chipset
Video Card
Sound Card
Network Interface Card



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Tests
Well now you think that you’ve tweaked a lot, your computer is completely safe? No antivirus has spotted anything, eh? Not to mention your firewall is silently covering all your ports? Furthermore your Internet connection has been tweaked. Then you’ve come to the right place, we’re here to test it, to see how safe you really are.


Antivirus Tests:
Eicar virus tests. Test YOUR Antivirus: http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm


Firewall Tests:
Blackcode: http://www.blackcode.com/scan/index.php
HackerWhacker: http://hackerwhacker.com/newindex.dyn
AuditMyPC.com: http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/prefcan.asp
Broadband Reports.com: http://www.dslreports.com/scan/
Computer Cops Security Professionals: http://www.computercops.biz/index.php
HackerWatch.org: http://www.hackerwatch.org/probe/
Security Space.com: http://www.securityspace.com/sspace/index.html
PC Flank Complete Check: http://www.pcflank.com/
PCPitStop Checks/TuneUp: http://pcpitstop.com/
Qualys' Free Browser Checkup: http://browsercheck.qualys.com/
Sygate Online Services: http://scan.sygate.com/
Steve Gibons's "ShieldsUP" [GRC-Gibson Research Centre]: https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 OR http://grc.com/


Speed Tests
Bandwidth Place: http://bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/
DSL reports: http://www.dslreports.com/tools/
CNET: http://webservices.cnet.com/bandwidth/
MSN: http://tech.msn.com/internet/speedtest.asp/
2wire: http://www.2wire.com/meter/bm50.html?6959/
testmy.net http://testmy.net/
Numion.com: http://www.numion.com/YourSpeed/




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Appearance
Well, I know many users are focused on having their computers look flashy, and fully customized. Registry tweaks to change the color of this, or rename that. In a nutshell, it’s the appearance of your computer. A happy programmer is an inspired programmer.


Rename Recycle Bin


Well, have you ever wanted to rename recycle bin into something more,... appealing? Well, if you have ever wanted to, I’m here to help. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Open RegEdit by typing "RegEdit" (like always, without quotes) in the Run menu.

2. Open "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT"

3. Open "CLSID”

4. Look for the folder within the brackets: {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
This long muddle is the Recycle Bin's global unique identifier. All system file folders have them.

5. Double-click Shellfolder.

6. On the right side and look for “Attributes.” Right-click Attributes and select Modify.

7. Change the binary data from the default 40 01 00 20 to 70 01 00 20.

8. Click “OK” and close RegEdit.

9. You may yell at me and say your Recycle Bin still can't be renamed by right-clicking alone (unless you're using Windows 98), but when you right-click and choose Explore, you can now modify it from the File menu.


Hack Your Start Button, Change it to Anything You Want
Before you even attempt this you must have a Resource Hacker, if you do not have one you can obtain a free one at http://www.users.on.net/johnson/resourcehacker/

So now we have a resource hacker. Make a backup of C:\Windows\Explorer.exe, basically but it somewhere safe in case of an accident. When that’s done open C:\Windows\Explorer.exe in the Resource Hacker.

Okay now expand the category “String Table.” After that, scroll down to string 37 and expand it and highlight “1033.”

Now go down to “578,” on the right. It should say, “start.” Now double click start, make sure the quotations are highlighted, and change it to anything you want, but wait we’re not done yet. Now on the top of the right-hand part, it should say “Compile Script,” you need to click it. Now make sure you go to file, save as not save and save it in the C:\windows folder as modifiedexplorer.exe

Wait, don’t leave, we’re still not done so stay with me. You need to modify the registries! So if you have forgotten, go to start, run, and RegEdit. Find your way to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon.

On the right side, double click, “Shell” without the quotations. And in the value data box paste the following: modifiedexplorer.exe

Now all you have to do is press okay and exit RegEdit and restart your computer.



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Miscellaneous
Under this section, I will place random tidbits and such of information and tips which is considered useful, such as maintenance and other things that do not fit under other categories.


Windows XP won’t shutdown!
This is a common problem, but easily solved.

Go to start --> control panel (or wherever your control panel is) --> Click “Power Options” --> Click the “APM” tab --> Then check the “Enable Advanced Power Management support”

That’s it, now restart then shutdown, see if it helped.


Do Not Highlight New Programs
Do the highlights bug you? Is your start menu half yellow because it reads everything as a “new program?” Well you can disable this, rather easily at that.

Right click on your “Start” and click properties --> Click the “Start Menu” tab and hit “customize” --> Click the “advanced” tab and you should see something near the top that says “Highlight newly installed programs.” Just uncheck that and you’re done.


Printer Maintenance
”My printer is broken!” That’s a common problem with people, most of the time it’s really a lack of ink, but if you’re sure that’s not it, then why don’t you try the following steps.

1st: Update your printer driver, if you have no clue how, then check my driver section: click here.

2nd: So, the driver didn’t fix the problem yet huh? Well this is the last piece of advice I can give. Go to Control Panel --> Printers and Faxes (Or the equivalent) --> you should see your printer registered…something like “Companyname Model#.” Right click that and select the properties tab --> Here you should try the “Cleaning” and “Nozzle Check” tests. If this doesn’t help, then you should contact the manufacture for technical support if you still have time on the warranty.

**Note: The “Cleaning” test takes ink and the “Nozzle Check” takes ink and one sheet of paper, repeated use will waste ink. **


Change default folder in Windows Explorer
Anytime I open Windows Explorer, it always opens My Documents, which really pisses me off! Well, if you ever heard yourself saying that, I can help.

Go to Start --> (All) Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Windows Explorer (Yours may be located somewhere else, you will need to find it yourself if it’s not where I specified).

Right click on Windows Explorer and click the properties tab. Then change the target from %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe to %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}.

Note: You may have renamed your “explorer.exe” to something else, if you did, edit that.



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Registry Hacks
This section of the guide contains registry edits and hacks. These can range from hacks that change the way things looks to performance tweaks. Though the registry is a vast topic, so I decided to give it it’s own section. Some tweaks are more advanced than others, so only do ones that you feel safe doing.

Also, in this guide, when I say open RegEdit and you find yourself lost. Just go to Start --> Run --> and type RegEdit. Now I won’t have to repeat myself 100 times.

Another point, when I say “create a dword” or create something in the registry, you just right click in an empty space and select “New” and choose whatever I asked you to make. So if I say create a dword in the “HKEY_CURRENT_USER --> Console” just navigate there and right click in an empty space and click “New --> dword.”

***BEFORE CONTINUING***
Before you do ANYTHING backup your registries. If you don’t know how, I don’t think you’re reading to start messing around in the registries, but if you feel confident then read this: Backup Your Registry


Speed up browsing in Internet Explorer
This Registry tip speeds up internet/remote browsing process considerably (supposedly, I have heard many cases yet I haven’t seen any difference myself) on most MS Windows 32-bit machines connected to a network and/or remote computer(s). This actually fixes a BUG in MS Windows Operating Systems that scans shared (remote) folders/files across the network for Scheduled Tasks, and can add a delay as long as 30 seconds, because it uses extra time to search the remote computer(s). To do this, open RegEdit (Win95/98/ME) or Regedt32 (WinNT4/2000) and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace Highlight this value: {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} and delete it.

Just start MS IE while connected to the network/internet to see the difference.

**Note: Upgrading to a newer MSInternet Explorer release may add this key to your Registry during Setup, therefore you may need to delete it again after installing MS IE.


Faster Start Menu
This little tweak will make your start menu appear faster. To do this, just open RegEdit and navigate yourself to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER --> Control Panel --> Desktop and change the MenuShoDelay to anything you want. The number is in milliseconds so less is faster. A recommended number is 200, but some people put 0, it’s all up to you.


Remove Automatic Shortcut Prefix
This tweak will remove that annoying prefix that appears in front of shortcuts, “shortcut to.” If you want to remove this open RegEdit and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER - Software - Microsoft - Windows - CurrentVersion – Explorer then look for the "link" binary value and change it to 0000 00 00 00 00


Speed up Boot
This little tweak optimizes boot time. Open RegEdit, as always, and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Dfrg -> BootOptimizeFunction and double click the enable string. Then change the value to Y.

***Note: Some computers are already optimized, such as mine.



Disable Balloon Tips
Ugh, God, don’t you hate those annoying balloon tips?! Those yellow rounded edgy ones? Well if you do, you’ll be happy to know that you can kill them, hehehe…

Just navigate yourself in RegEdit to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER --> Software --> Microsoft --> Windows --> Current Version --> Explorer --> Advanced

Then create a dword which says EnableBalloonTips and set the value to 0


Remove Shared Documents
Well, I hate the Shared Documents folder because I don’t share anything of mine with anybody! So why do windows insist on keeping this folder?! Well, forget windows, I’m going to tell you how to get rid of it.

Open RegEdit and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows> CurrentVersion> Explorer> My Computer> NameSpace> DelegateFolders

Then you will see a sub-key named {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. All you need to do is delete it, to get rid of “Shared Documents.”



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Helpful Utilities
This section basically covers where to get helpful utilities to make your life easier. These are basically programs I recommend that will help you do things more efficiently. Freeware To Get Just About Anything Done


Mozilla
Mozilla is a free, tabbed browser. Tab basically means, if you are unfamiliar with the term, the windows are in a tab form, within the browser, instead of covering your taskbar, such as many Internet Explorer windows. It is constantly updated, small, and easy to use. Also quite flawless, not many exploits are found within in, unlike Internet Explorer. To download it go here: http://www.mozilla.org/
And for an optimized version of Mozilla, called Firebird go here to download it: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firebird/


MYIE2
MYIE2 is basically Internet Explorer, but upgraded in many ways. First off, it has many plug-ins, specifically made for it, such as enable right click, view source, word highlighter and many others. It is also tabbed and smaller, resource wise, compared to Internet Explorer. In my opinion this is one of the best browsers, I use it myself. To download it go here: http://www.myie2.com/


Freeware Book.
Free directory of freeware sites with reviews, best I've ever seen in my opinion

http://freewarearena.org/PHPNuke/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=18


Trillian
Well If you are an instant messenger junkie, and addicted to things like MSN, Y!M, AIM, IRC, ICQ and Jabber then Trillian is for you. It basically can use all 6 programs in one nifty program. It’s built in with lots of useful features. You can get it at: http://www.trillian.cc/


Registry Explorer
This little utility lets you surf your registries through windows explorer, perfect for new computers users and even advanced ones, you can download it at: http://www.regxplor.com/download.html


CableNut
Before using this program, be sure to backup your entire registry! If you don’t know how click here. Now if you want to download this fine program just go here: http://www.cablenut.com/

This program tweaks your MTU values, allowing you to surf at higher speeds, you might want to do a couple speed tests to check your average and find out if it worked. If you notice it go slower, just use the backup of your registry to reverse it.


System Mechanic
System Mechanic isn’t freeware but it is still an amazing program. The pro version has almost anything you would ever want. Some features include:

→ Registry Cleaner

→ Compact Registries

→ Antivirus

→ Spyware Remover

→ Securely Delete files

→ Get rid of ads in webpages and stop pop-ups

→ Defragment Memory

→ Internet Tweaker

→ Defragment Hardrive

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Well if you’re interested check their site at: http://www.iolo.com/sm/index.cfm


Windows XP PowerToys
I guess Microsoft smartened up and made a tweaking utility. They noticed how people were taking things in their own hands and well Microsoft decided to be a bit kind. In a nutshell, they’ve made a program to make the lives of tweakers far easier. This utility has many tweaks and it’s safe because you aren’t actually going into the registry yourself and getting your hands dirty. If you’re interested, you can download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=afa135c8-8b63-4c03-8986-d7f45a6aa1fa&DisplayLang=en#filelist



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I hope you enjoyed my guide; I shall try to add more and to update regularly.

Questions, Comments, or Suggestions?

Contact me, I will be more than happy to reply and help you with any question. Please make the subject something in relation with the topic.

atul_astro@hotmail.com