4. Step through all the choices that the Disk Cleanup Tool offers you, and make whatever choices you wish. (But, unless you're really hurtin' for disk space don't select the option to Compress Old Files. This takes forever and doesn't save much space.)

5. Now press, Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools. Then Right-Click on Disk Cleanup, press Properties and add a space and /Sagerun:99 to the end of the Shortcut in the Target box. The shortcut should now look like this - C:\WINDOWS\system32\cleanmgr.exe /Sagerun:99

Now, whenever you Run DiskCleanup with this shortcut it will run with the options you set for Sageset: 99

Clean out DAT. Files:

Clear index.dat files manually in Windows XP.

Even if you regularly clear your Internet History, Temp files, and cookies to keep ordinary snoops at bay, you're overlooking a very important detail: index.dat files. These hidden files contain information about your IE surfing history and your Outlook activity, Here is a simple way to uncover and clean them out manually.

Microsoft claims index.dat files cache webpages you visit to help speed up the loading time in Internet Explorer. A lot of folks disagree, and there are a few conspiracy theories floating around about what index.dat files are really for. I'm not really worried because I know an easy way to get rid of them.

Digging Them Out

Index.dat files aren't only hidden, they're system files. Even if you select to show hidden files in your folder options, they remain unseen. To track down index.dat files, you need to know where to look.

File names and locations depend on which version of Internet Explorer you have. Assuming you run IE 4.0 or above, the file names will be "index.dat."

In WinXP, here's where you'll usually find them.

* C:\Documents and Settings\username\cookies

* C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\History

* C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

Clean house

We all learn more about Windows each time we get our hands dirty, and you'll have an easier time clearing out index.dat files manually than downloading a third-party program to do it for you.

1. Restart your computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt. (Press F8 on startup and choose Safe Mode With Command Prompt.)

2. Log on as administrator. Enter your password.

3. Once you reach the command prompt, type "CD\" (no quotes) and hit Enter to get to your root directory.

4. Type "del index.dat /s" (no quotes) and hit Enter to erase all files named index.dat on your computer.

5. Type "shutdown -r" (no quotes) to restart your computer normally.

Your index.dat files will return once Windows boots up normally again, but they'll be empty! Have fun hiding your dirty little secrets. ;-)

Hidden Temp Files:

Here's a little clean-up tip for you all.

Delete the contents of these this folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\Local Settings\Temp\

This is a hidden temp folder that doesn't get dumped when you go through disk cleanup. This folder contained nothing more than. temps and .baks. These are a collection of those little backup files that appear on your desktop while you are working with some sort of MS Office application. Always thought that those were deleted afterwards, but no, this folder is full of them.

Many of the files may give you the error of "access denied" or ".. is in use". You can use this program to fix that:

http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

Adding Administrative Tools Icon To The Desktop:

Open Registry Editor. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace . Create the following key: {D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153} (just copy/paste, including the brackets). Close Registry Editor. There is no need to reboot. Just wait a few seconds and see how the icon appears.

Disable XP Load Screen:

By disabling the load screen you can boost the boot up time by a couple of seconds, if not more. To disable the load screen, open the “msconfig” utility: go to Start>Run, type in “msconfig” without quotes and press Enter. In the subsequent window, select the ‘boot.ini’ tab. Check the /NOGUIBOOT option and press ‘Apply’. Restart Windows to see the effect.

To Remove Arrow Signs From Desktop Shortcuts:

Open the registry editor by going to Start then Run and entering regedit. Once in registry, navigate to key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\ and rename the string value Is Shortcut to AriochIsShortcut.

Make Your Internet Explorer As Fast As FireFox:

Open the registry editor by going to Start then Run and entering regedit. Once in registry, navigate to key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InternetSettings. Right click @ windows right > New > DWORD. type MaxConnectionsPerServer > You can set value (the more higher the no, the more good speed u get, e.g. : 99). Create another DWORD >type MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server. Then put a high value as mentioned above. Restart I.E and you are done.

Disable Disk Performance Counters:

Win XP comes with many inbuilt performance-monitoring applications that constantly examine various parts of the system. This information can be of real use to a system administrator for collecting performance statistics. However, for a home user, these statistics hold no value and since the monitoring happens all the time, it consumes a good deal of system resources. “Disk monitoring”, for example, happens in the background, and turning it off is advisable if you will not be using the performance monitoring applications. To turn it off, type in “diskperf -N” at a command prompt. To bring up the command prompt: go to Start>Run, type in “cmd” and press [Enter].

Moving My Documents Folder:

The ‘My Documents’ folder invariably ends up as the default repository of files for most Windows applications. Over a period of time, this folder starts bloating, and this; to a certain extend results in performance degradation. It might be a good idea to move the target location of the ‘My Documents’ folder to some other partition on the hard drive, or to a different drive.

To do so, right click on ‘My Documents’, and on the ‘Target’ tab, click on ‘Move’. In the subsequent dialog box, browse to the drive where you want to move the folder. Then click ‘Make New Folder’ to create a new folder, and name it appropriately. Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘Yes’.

Removing Multiple Boot Screens:

If you are getting unwanted multiple boot screen

Then Follow these Steps.

1. Right Click on My Computer

2.. Select Properties

3. Select Advanced Tab

4. Select Settings In the Startup & Recovery Section(3rd grp)

5. Select the operating system which u want.

6. And Click OK.

7. Further again press the setting and click on Edit.

8. It will open boot.ini File.

9. Now u can delete those o/s which you don't want to be displayed.

Note: For deleting operating systems from boot.ini file, keep it mind that you can't

delete that o/s which is selected by default there. Before

making any changes make a copy of boot.ini file.

To Increase the Internet Speed:

Open Notepad and paste the below code in it.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]

"SackOpts"=dword:00000001

"TcpWindowSize"=dword:0005ae4c

"Tcp1323Opts"=dword:00000003

"DefaultTTL"=dword:00000040

"EnablePMTUBHDetect"=dword:00000000

"EnablePMTUDiscovery"=dword:00000001

"GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize"=dword:0005ae4c

Now save this file as speed.reg. Execute it and observe the change!

Speed Up Browsing By DNS Cache:

Each time you browse a web site on the internet, the actual site name you type is resolved to an IP address. This translation is effected through what is called the DNS (Domain Name System). This DNS information is stored in your computer so that each time you type a web address , a record of its IP address is stored so that it can be recalled later without having to retrieve it again. One way to speed up your browsing experience is to increase this DNS cache in windows XP. You will need to modify registry for this.

Start notepad & enter the following text into it:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es|Dnscache\Parameters]

"CacheHashTableBucketSize"=dword:00000001

"CacheHashTableSize"=dword:00000180

"MaxCacheEntryTtILimit"=dword:0000fa00

"MaxSOACacheEntryTtILimit"=dword:0000012d

Save this file, naming it dnscache.reg . Double click on the file in windows explorer & merge it into your registry.

Changing Your Dynamic IP Address:

1. Click on "Start" in the bottom left hand corner of screen

2. Click on "Run"

3. Type in "command" and hit okay

4. Type "ipconfig /release" just like that, and hit "enter"

5. Type "exit" and leave the prompt

6. Right-click on "Network Places" or "My Network Places" on your desktop.

7. Click on "properties"

8. Right click on "Local Area Connection" and click "properties"

9. Double-click on the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" from the list under the "General" tab

10. Click on "Use the following IP address" under the "General" tab

11. Create an IP address (It doesn't matter what it is. I just type 1 and 2 until it fill the area up).

12. Press "Tab" and it should automatically fill in the "Subnet Mask" section with default numbers.

13. Hit the "ok" button here

14. Hit the "ok" button again

15. Right-click back on "Local Area Connection" and go to properties again.

16. Go back to the "TCP/IP" settings

17. This time, select "Obtain an IP address automatically"

18. Hit "ok"

19. Hit "ok" again

20. You now have a new IP address

Breaking The XP Password:

In case of user password boot the pc in SafeMode by pressing the F8 key and then selecting the Safe Mode option. You can now logon as an administrator and XP wont prompt for the password. Incase of an administrator account try rebooting the pc in DOS. access C:\Windows\system32\config\sam . Rename SAM as SAM.mj

Now XP wont ask for password next time You Login. Also

1. Go to the cmd prompt.

2. Type net user *.

3. It will list all the users.

4. Again type net user "administrator" or the name of the administrator "name" *.

5. e.g.: net user ababab *(where ababab is the name).

6. It will ask for the password.

7. Type the password and there you are done.

Logging In As Administrator:

Hold the Ctrl-Alt key and press Del twice. This will bring up the normal login and you can log on as Administrator.

To unhide the Administrator account so it does show up:

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList

3. Unhide the Administrator key by giving it a value of 1

Renaming The Start Button:

To rename the start button, you will need a hex editor.

My preference is UltraEdit

1. Copy the \windows\explore.exe file to a new name (e.g. explorer_1.exe)

2. With the hex editor, open that file and go to offset 412b6

3. You will see the word start with blanks between each letter

4. Edit it be any 5 characters or less

5. Save the file

6. Boot to DOS

7. Copy the existing c:\windows\explorer.exe to explorer.org

8. Copy explorer_1.exe to explorer.exe

9. You will also need to replace the explorer.exe in the c:\windows\system32\dllcache file as well with the new one.

Note: If the partition is NTFS and you can't access the files from DOS:

1. Start Regedit

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon.

3. Change the value of Shell from Explorer.exe to explorer_1.exe

Shutdown Icon Explained:

As in XP Tips Part 1WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer.

To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:

1. Right click on an open area of the desktop

2. Select New / Shortcut

3. Enter in "shutdown -s -t 00" - no quotes

4. Press the Next button

5. For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button.

For a reboot, enter "shutdown -r -t 00"

Shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}] [-f] [-m [\\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]

Parameters:

* -l - Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence.

* -s - Shuts down the local computer.

* -r - Reboots after shutdown.

* -a - Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period.

* -f - Forces running applications to close.

* -m [\\ComputerName] - Specifies the computer that you want to shut down.

* -t xx - Sets the timer for system shutdown in xx seconds. The default is 20 seconds.

* -c "message" - Specifies a message to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. You can use a maximum of 127 characters. You must enclose the message in quotation marks.

Scheduling a Shutdown:

Go to scheduled tasks and start a new schedule, browse shutdown.exe from system32 folder, select time or day to run scheduled task enter administrator password and on next screen check the option for opening advance screen

and then append -s at the end of this line "C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe"

Accessing Stored User Names And Passwords:

Access Stored User Names and Passwords with rundll32.exe in Windows XP

1. Click on START - RUN Type rundll32.exe keymgr.dll,KRShowKeyMgr

2. Press Enter

Hiding Your Computer In a Workgroup:

These settings will permanently hiding your computer from a workgroup:

1. Open registry, START --> RUN --> Type 'Regedit'

2. Double click on 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE'

3. Double click on 'SYSTEM'

4. Double click on 'CurrentControlSet'

5. Double click on 'Services'

6. Double click on 'LanmanServer'

7. Single click on 'Parameters'

8. On the right panel, Create a new DWORD

value, or modify the existing value, named "Hidden" and set it to "1". (Without Quots)

9. Close the Registry, then restart your

Computer.

To Disable Right-Click On Desktop:

Go to Start> RUN and Enter REGEDIT. Browse the following key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Sofware\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer

Create a new DWORD (edit; new; dwordvalue ;). With a value=1 ( Right click on the newly created DWORD and click on modify then change its value to 1)

Restart Your Computer and you are done.

To convert a FAT partition to NTFS:

Click Start, click Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd and then click OK.

At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS.NTFS.

Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

NOTE: Although the chance of corruption or data loss during the conversion from FAT to NTFS is minimal, it is best to perform a full backup of the data on the drive that it is to be converted prior to executing the convert command. It is also recommended to verify the integrity of the backup before proceeding, as well as to run RDISK and update the emergency repair disk (ERD).

Windows Run Commands:

compmgmt.msc - Computer management
devmgmt.msc - Device manager
diskmgmt.msc - Disk management
dfrg.msc - Disk defrag
eventvwr.msc - Event viewer
fsmgmt.msc - Shared folders
gpedit.msc - Group policies
lusrmgr.msc - Local users and groups
perfmon.msc - Performance monitor
rsop.msc - Resultant set of policies
secpol.msc - Local security settings
services.msc - Various Services
msconfig - System Configuration Utility
regedit - Registry Editor
msinfo32 - System Information
sysedit - System Edit
win.ini - windows loading information(also system.ini)
winver - Shows current version of windows
mailto: - Opens default email client
command - Opens command prompt

Run Commands to access the control panel:

appwiz.cpl - Add/Remove Programs
control admintools - Administrative Tools
control color - The Display with the appearance tab open
control date/time - Date and Time properties
control folders - Folder Options
control fonts - Fonts Folder
control infrared - Infrared folder if available
control netconnections - Network and Dial-up Connections window
control netware - Netware window if installed and available
control panel - Control Panel
control printers - Printers Folder control printers
control schedtasks - Schedule tasks window
ccontrol telephony - Location information window
control userpasswords - User Accounts
desk.cpl - Display Properties
findfast.cpl - Find Fast control
firewall.cpl - Windows Firewall
Hdwwiz.cpl - Add Hardware Wizard
inetcpl.cpl - Internet Properties
intl.cpl - Regional and Language Options
joy.cpl - Game Controls
jpicpl32.cpl - Java Control Panel
main.cpl keyboard - keyboard Properties
main.cpl - Mouse Properties
mlcfg32.cpl - Mail and Fax
mmsys.cpl - Multimedia Properties
mmsys.cpl sounds - Sound Properties
ncpa.cpl - Network Connections
netcpl.cpl - Network Properties
netsetup.cpl - Network Setup Wizard
nusrmgr.cpl - User Accounts
odbccp32.cpl - ODBC Data Source Administrator
Powercfg.cpl - Power Options
password.cpl - Password Properties control
sysdm.cpl - System Properties
Telephon.cpl - Telephone Controls
timedate.cpl - Date/Time Properties
wscui.cpl - Windows Security Center
Wuaucpl.cpl - Windows Auto Updater