Windows XP – Secrets
Deleting System Softwares:
XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/ sysoc.inf, search for the word ‘hide’ and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable.
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Creating Shutdown Icon or One Click Shutdown:
Navigate to your desktop. On the desktop, right-click and go to New, then to Shortcut (in other words, create a new shortcut). You should now see a pop-up window instructing you to enter a command line path.
Use this path in “Type Location of the Item”
SHUTDOWN -s -t 01
If the C: drive is not your local hard drive, then replace “C” with the correct letter of the hard drive. Click the “Next” button. Name the shortcut and click the “Finish” button. Now whenever you want to shut down, just click on this shortcut and you’re done.
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Increasing Band-Width By 20%:
Microsoft reserves 20% of your available bandwidth for their own purposes like Windows Updates and interrogating your PC etc
To get it back:
Click Start then Run and type ” gpedit.msc” without quotes.This opens the group policy editor. Then go to:
Local Computer Policy then Computer Configuration then Administrative Templates then Network then QOS Packet Scheduler and then to Limit Reservable Bandwidth.
Double click on Limit Reservable bandwidth. It will say it is not configured, but the truth is under the ‘Explain’ tab i.e.”By default, the Packet Scheduler limits the system to 20 percent of the bandwidth of a connection, but you can use this setting to override the default.”
So the trick is to ENABLE reservable bandwidth, then set it to ZERO. This will allow the system to reserve nothing, rather than the default 20%.It works on Win 2000 as well.
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Renaming The Recycle Bin icon:
To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, click Start then goto Run, write Regedit and press Enter. It opens Registry Editor. Now in Registry Editor go to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOT/CLSID/ {645FF040- 5081-101B- 9F08-00AA002F954 E}
and change the name “Recycle Bin” to whatever you want (don’t type any quotes).
Managing Tasks:
You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using ‘taskkill /pid’ and the task number, or just ‘tskill’ and the process number. Find that out by typing ‘tasklist’, which will also tell you a lot about what’s going on in your system.
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Removing Shared Documents folder From My Computer window:
Open registry editor by going to Start then 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.
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Making Google the Default Search Engine in Internet Explorer:
Open registry editor by going to Start then Run and entering regedit and navigate to following three keys separately and change it as shown below:
[HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Main]
“Search Page”=” http://www.google. com”
“Search Bar”=” http://www.google. com/ie”
[HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\SearchURL]
“”=” http://www.google. com/keyword/ %s”
[HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Search]
“SearchAssistant” =” http://www.google. com/ie” .
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Improving the Slow Boot up time:
There are a variety of reasons why your windows XP system would boot slowly. Most of the times it this has to do with the startup applications. If you would like to speed up the bootup sequence, consider removing some of the startup applications that you do not need. Easiest way to remove startup apps is through System Configuration Utility. Go to Start then Run and enter MSCONFIG and go to the Startup tab. Deselect/UnCheck application( s) that you do not want to startup at boot time.
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Customize Logon prompt with your Own Words:
Open Registry by going to Start then Run, entering regedit and Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Microsoft\ Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ Winlogon] . In right pane, look for key by the name “LogonPrompt” . Set its value to whatever text you want to see displayed at login screen.
IP address of your connection:
Go to Start then Run. Enter ‘cmd’ and then enter ‘ipconfig’ .Add the ‘/all’ switch for more info .
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Making Folders Private:
Open My Computer Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C, unless you have more than one drive on your computer). If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the contents of this drive.
Double-click the Documents and Settings folder. Double-click your user folder. Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties. On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box.
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To change Drive Letters:
Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management, Disk Management, then right-click the partition whose name you want to change (click in the white area just below the word “Volume”) and select “change drive letter and paths.”
From here you can add, remove or change drive letters and paths to the partition.
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Removing the Shortcut arrow from Desktop Icons:
Goto Start then Run and Enter regedit. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ ROOTlnkfile. Delete the IsShortcut registry value. You may need to restart Windows XP.
Get Drivers for your Devices:
Visit Windows Update (XP Only)
Look at the left hand pane and under Other Options click Personalize Windows Update.
Now in the right hand pane check the box – Display the link to the Windows Update Catalog under See Also
Below Choose which categories and updates to display on Windows Update – make sure you check all the boxes you want shown.
Click Save Settings
Now look in the left hand pane under See Also click Windows Update Catalog and choose what you’re looking for. Choose either MS updates or drivers for hardware devices.
Start the Wizard and off you go.
Customize Internet Explorer’s Title Bar:
Open Registry by going to Start then Run and Enter 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.
Disabling the use of Win Key:
If your are a gaming freak then you must be sick of the Win key in your keyboard. To disable use of Win key, open registry by going to Start then Run and entering regedit. Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSe t\Control\ Keyboard Layout] . In this look for value of “Scancode Map”. Its binary data so be extra careful:
Set its value to “00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 5B E0 00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00″ to disable the win key.
Restarting Windows without Restarting the Computer:
This one is again is. When you click on the SHUTDOWN button, make sure to simultaneous press SHIFT Button. If you hold the Shift key down while clicking on SHUTDOWN button, you computer would restart without restarting the Computer. This is equivalent to term “HOT REBOOT”.
Stopping XP from displaying unread messages count on Welcome Screen:
To stop XP from displaying count of unread messages, Open registry and navigate to [HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentV ersion\UnreadMai l] and look for the data key “MessageExpiryDays” . If you do not see this key, create one DWORD key by the name “MessageExpiryDays” . Setting its value to 0 would stop Windows XP from displaying the count of unread messages.
Modify Color Selection of Default Theme:
Open registry by going to Start then Run. Entering regedit, navigate to [HKEY_USERS\ .DEFAULT\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentV ersion\ThemeMana ger] and locate the key “ColorName”.
Right Click on it and select modify its value from “NormalColor” to “Metallic”
Click Ok, and exit regedit and restart your computer.
Removing the Recycle Bin from the Desktop:
If you don’t use the Recycle Bin to store deleted files , you can get rid of its desktop icon all together. Run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ SOFTWARE/ Microsoft/ Windows/CurrentV ersion/explorer/ Desktop/NameSpac e
Who needs to pirate software with a list like this?
3D Graphics:
3Delight Free – http://www.3delight.com/index.htm
Anim8or – http://www.anim8or.com/
Aqsis – http://www.aqsis.com/
Blender – http://www.blender3d.org/
Houdini (Free Edition) – http://www.sidefx.com/apprentice/index.html
Now3D – http://digilander.libero.it/giulios/Eng/homepage.htm
OpenFX – http://www.openfx.org
POV-Ray – http://www.povray.org/
SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP – http://www.softimage.com/products/exp/v3/
Terragen – http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/
Toxic – http://www.toxicengine.org/
Wings 3D – http://www.wings3d.com/
Anti-Virus:
a-squared – http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/
AntiVir – http://www.free-av.com/
Avast – http://www.avast.com/i_idt_1018.html
AVG – http://free.grisoft.com/
BitDefender – http://www.bitdefender.com
ClamWin – http://www.clamwin.com/
Anti Spyware:
Ad-aware – http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/
Bazooka – http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/index.html
Hijackthis – http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html
SpyBot Search & Destroy – http://spybot.safer-networking.de/
SpywareBlaster – http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
SpywareGuard – http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html
WinPatrol – http://www.winpatrol.com/
Audio Creation
Gungirl Sequencer – http://ggseq.sourceforge.net/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage
HammerHead – http://www.threechords.com/hammerhea…oduction.shtml
Jesusonic – http://www.jesusonic.com/soft.php
KRISTAL Audio Engine – http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/index.php
orDrumbox – http://ordrumbox.sourceforge.net/
Tu2 – http://www.brambos.com/news.html
Audio Players:
1by1 – http://www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~pesch
Billy – http://www.sheepfriends.com/?page=billy
CoolPlayer – http://coolplayer.sourceforge.net/
DeejaySystem MK1 – http://www.deejaysystem.com/prod_mk1.asp
DeliPlayer. http://www.deliplayer.com/
Foobar 2000 – http://www.foobar2000.org/
iTunes – http://www.apple.com/itunes/
Jet Audio Basic – http://www.jetaudio.com/
Mixere – http://mixere.sourceforge.net/
Mixxx – http://mixxx.sourceforge.net/
monoRAVEik – http://www.mono211.com/monoraveik/mr1200.html
MoreAmp – http://sourceforge.net/projects/moreamp/
Musik – http://musik.berlios.de/
musikCube – http://www.musikcube.com/
QCD Player – http://www.quinnware.com/
Sonique – http://sonique.lycos.com/
Winamp – http://www.winamp.com/
XMPlay – http://www.un4seen.com/xmplay.html
Zinf – http://www.zinf.org/
Audio Tools:
Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
AudioShell – http://www.softpointer.com/AudioShell.htm
BeSweet – http://dspguru.doom9.net/
CDex – http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/
dBpowerAMP Music Converter – http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm
EAC – http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
Encounter 2003 – http://www.waschbusch.com/
GermaniXEncoder – http://www.germanixsoft.de/
K-MP3 – http://www.katarncorp.com/
KraMixer – http://www.kramware.com/
MP3 Book Helper – http://mp3bookhelper.sourceforge.net/
MP3 Tag – http://www.mp3tag.de/
Mp3 Tag Tools – http://massid3lib.sourceforge.net/
mp3DirectCut – http://www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~pesch/
MP3Gain – http://www.geocities.com/mp3gain/
mp3Trim – http://www.logiccell.com/~mp3trim/
MusicBrainz – http://musicbrainz.org/
Rarewares – http://rarewares.hydrogenaudio.org/
SoundEngine Free – http://www.cycleof5th.com/en/index.htm
TagScanner – http://xdev.narod.ru/tagscan_e.htm
The GodFather – http://users.otenet.gr/~jtcliper/tgf/
TigoTago – http://www.tigotago.com/
CD/DVD Burning:
Burn4Free – http://www.burn4free.com/
Burnatonce – http://www.burnatonce.com/
Burrrn – http://www.burrrn.net/
CDBurnerXP – http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
CDRDAO – http://cdrdao.sourceforge.net/
CDR Tools Frontend – http://demosten.com/cdrfe/
Deepburner – http://www.deepburner.com/
DVD Decrypter: http://fileforum.betanews.com/downlo…r/1011845169/1
Easy Burning, DropCD & Audio CD – http://www.paehl.de/cdr
ImgBurn – http://www.imgburn.com/
Compression / Decompression:
7-zip – http://www.7-zip.org/
bzip2 – http://sources.redhat.com/bzip2/index.html
ExtractNow – http://www.extractnow.com/
FilZip – http://www.filzip.com/
Info-Zip – http://www.info-zip.org/
IZArc – http://www.florida.plus.com/izarc/
QuickZip – http://www.quickzip.org/
TUGZip – http://www.tugzip.com/
UPX – http://upx.sourceforge.net/
Zip&Go – http://www.handybits.com/zipngo.htm
Zipgenius – http://www.zipgenius.it/
Defrag Software:
DIRMS & Buzzsaw – http://www.dirms.com/
OpenVMS – http://www.execsoft.com/freeware/freeware.asp
Photo manipulation and image design:
ArtRage – http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html
Artweaver – http://www.artweaver.de/index.php?en_version
ColorPic – http://www.iconico.com/colorpic/
Delineate – http://delineate.sourceforge.net/
Inkscape – http://www.inkscape.org/
JPEGCrops – http://ekot.dk/programmer/JPEGCrops/
Paint .NET – http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
Pixia – http://www.ab.wakwak.com/~knight/
Pixie – http://www.nattyware.com/pixie.html
PhotoFiltre – http://www.photofiltre.com/
Sodipodi – http://www.sodipodi.com/
The Gimp – http://www.gimp.org/
Tuxpaint – http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/tuxpaint
Wax – http://www.debugmode.com/wax/
Wink – http://www.debugmode.com/wink/
WinMorph – http://www.debugmode.com/winmorph/
Programming:
ActivePerl – http://www.activestate.com/Products/ActivePerl
BlueJ – http://www.bluej.org/download/download.html
Crimson Editor – http://www.crimsoneditor.com/
Code::Blocks – http://www.codeblocks.org/
Context – http://www.context.cx/
Dev C++ – http://www.bloodshed.net/
Dev Pascal – http://www.bloodshed.net/
Digital Mars C++ – http://www.digitalmars.com/download/freecompiler.html
Eclipse – http://www.eclipse.org/
ExamDiff – http://www.prestosoft.com/ps.asp?page=edp_examdiff
Freepascal – http://www.freepascal.org/
JCreator LE – http://www.jcreator.com/download.htm
jEdit – http://www.jedit.org/
Metapad – http://www.liquidninja.com/metapad/
Notepad++ – http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm
Notepad2 – http://www.flos-freeware.ch/
Open Watcom – http://www.openwatcom.org/
Pelles C – http://www.smorgasbordet.com/pellesc/index.htm
PHP Hypertext Parser – http://www.php.net/
Programmer’s Notepad – http://www.pnotepad.org/
PSPad – http://www.pspad.com/
Python – http://www.python.org/
Ruby – http://www.dm4lab.to/~usa/ruby/index_en.html
SharpDevelop – http://www.icsharpcode.net/opensource/sd/
WebMatrix – http://www.asp.net/webmatrix/
WinMerge – http://winmerge.org/
Pop-up Blockers:
Google Toolbar – http://www.google.com/
NoAds – http://www.southbaypc.com/NoAds/
PopUp Stopper – http://www.panicware.com/product_psfree.html
Privoxy – http://www.privoxy.org/
Proxomitron – http://www.proxomitron.info/
RSS Readers:
Ablion – http://www.fileheaven.com/Abilon/download/14059.htm
BlogExpress – http://www.usablelabs.com/productBlogExpress.html
Feedreader – http://www.feedreader.com/
FireANT – http://www.antisnottv.net/
GreatNews – http://www.curiostudio.com/
RssBandit – http://www.rssbandit.org/
RSSOwl – http://www.rssowl.org/
RssReader – http://www.rssreader.com/
RSS Xpress – http://rssxpress.free.fr/en/?page=&idNews=
SharpReader – http://www.sharpreader.net/
System Information and monitoring:
AIDA32 – http://www.sofotex.com/AIDA32-download_L9326.html
ATITool – http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/
ATI Tray Tools – http://www.guru3d.com/article/atitraytools/189/
CPU-Z – http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
Gkrellm – http://bill.nalens.com/
K1 – http://clanpkm.free.fr/K1/?lng=en
Motherboard monitor – http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=311
SpeedFan – http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
Sysmetrix – http://www.xymantix.com
WCPUID – http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002…/download.html
WhatsRunning – http://www.whatsrunning.net/whatsrunning/main.aspx
Video codecs:
DivX Codec – http://www.divx.com/divx/?src=toptab…rom_/index.php
FFDSHOW – http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow
XviD – http://www.xvid.org/
Video players :
AC3Filter – http://sourceforge.net/projects/ac3filter
BsPlayer – http://www.bsplayer.org/
Crystal Player – http://www.crystalplayer.com/index.php?page=downloads
Cygwin MPlayer – http://armory.nicewarrior.org/projects/cygmp/
DivX Player – http://www.divx.com/
MaximusDVD – http://www.maximusdvd.com/
Media Player Classic – http://sourceforge.net/project/showf…group_id=82303
VideoLan – http://www.videolan.org/
Video tools:
DScaler – http://deinterlace.sourceforge.net/
FlasKMPEG – http://www.flaskmpeg.net
GSpot – http://www.headbands.com/gspot/
TMPGEnc – http://www.tmpgenc.net/e_main.html
VirtualDub – http://www.virtualdub.org/
VirtualDubMod – http://sourceforge.net/project/showf…group_id=65889
Zwei-Stein Video Editor – http://www.thugsatbay.com/software/index.html
Web browsers:
Firefox – http://www.getfirefox.com
K-Meleon – http://kmeleon.sourceforge.net/
Mozilla – http://www.mozilla.org/
Netscape – http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/default.jsp
Opera – http://www.opera.com
Web servers:
Abyss – http://abyss.sourceforge.net/
Apache – http://httpd.apache.org/
Apache2Triad – http://apache2triad.net/
HTTP File Server – http://www.rejetto.com/sw/
Sambar – http://www.sambar.com/
Savant – http://savant.sourceforge.net/
SimpleServer:WWW – http://www.analogx.com/contents/down…work/sswww.htm
Smart Cache – http://scache.sourceforge.net/
TinyWeb – http://www.ritlabs.com/tinyweb/index.html
Xitami – http://www.xitami.com/
Webcam Software:
booruWebCam – http://www.booru.net/
Dorgem – http://dorgem.sourceforge.net/Checksum Utilities:
fsum – http://www.slavasoft.com/fsum/
HashCalc – http://www.slavasoft.com/hashcalc/
hksfv – http://www.big-o-software.com/products/hksfv/
ICEECC – http://www.ice-graphics.com/ICEECC/IndexE.html
md5sum – http://www.etree.org/md5com.html
md5summer – http://www.md5summer.org/
MooSFV – http://www.ubercow.com/moosfv/
QuickPar – http://www.quickpar.org.uk/
QuickSFV – http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Mouse/4668/
General Utilities And Other Applications:
AdShield – http://www.lossepladsen.dk/all4you/T…d/AdShield.php
AnalogX – http://www.analogx.com/
AppRocket – http://www.candylabs.com/approcket/
AutoIt – http://www.hiddensoft.com/autoit3/
BISS – http://www.bluetack.co.uk/index.php
Celestia – http://www.shatters.net/celestia
CCleaner – http://www.ccleaner.com
ClipX – http://bluemars.org/clipx/
Contact – http://www.isaacboy.com/contact.htm
Cygwin – http://www.cygwin.com
Dir2HTML – http://www.pc-tools.net/win32/dir2html/
Dirkey – http://www.protonfx.com/dirkey/
EasyCleaner – http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm
EditPad Lite – http://www.editpadpro.com/editpadlite.html
EssentialPIM – http://www.essentialpim.com/
Excessive-software – http://www.excessive-software.eu.tt/
Folder Size Extension – http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/
Hamsin Clipboard – http://www.iisr-cnc.com/hamsin/
HTTrack – http://www.httrack.com/
Inno Setup – http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php
KeyNote – http://www.tranglos.com/free/keynote.html
Language Identifier – http://www.languageidentifier.com/
Link Checker – http://www.relsoftware.com/rlc/
Memtest-86 – http://www.memtest86.com
Money Manager – http://www.thezeal.com/software/manager/default.asp
Multi Install – http://multiinstall.sourceforge.net/
MWSnap – http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html
NetTime – http://nettime.sourceforge.net
Nullsoft Installer – http://www.nullsoft.com/free/nsis
Open Subfolder – http://www.bubblepop.com/opensubfolder/index.html
Peerguardian – http://www.methlabs.org/
Process Explorer (aka ProcessXP) -
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/fr…/procexp.shtml
png2ico – http://winterdrache.de/freeware/png2ico
RegSeeker – http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm
Restoration – http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html
Startup Control Panel – http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml
Stickies – http://finiteloop.org/~btaylor/software/stickies/
StrokeIt – http://www.tcbmi.com/strokeit/
Syncback – http://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/freeware-hub.html
Sysinternals – http://www.sysinternals.com/
Toolbox – http://www.sil.org/computing/toolbox/
TreeSize – http://www.jam-software.com/freeware/index.shtml
TuneXP – http://www.driverheaven.net/dforce/s…?doc=txp_about
Turbo Pad – http://turbopad.sourceforge.net/
Unlocker – http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
Vim – http://vim.sourceforge.net
WeathAlert – http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/stu/msowul/?page=weathermain
WordWeb – http://wordweb.info/free/
XP AntiSpy – http://www.xpantispy.org/
YourDir – http://www.primeoption.com.au/FreewareYourDir.htm
FREE Trade Magazine Subscriptions & Technical Document Downloads http://i.nl03.net/ltr0/?_m=01.009i.nv.mfm.nv
__________________
grabMotion – http://www.grabmotion.com/
Pryme – http://www.hilo.dk/pryme/
Windows XP Reg Hacks and Tweaks
Okay… so this page is designed for the brave at heart and the standard “Use at your own risk” applies here. Also if this thread was posted by some one in here..i’m sorry, MODS are free to delete this thread. If you already know these things or found’em somewhere else, read it loooong back, please do not mind to reply!
Others are welcome to reply & try out!
The “hacks” are broken down into small sections. Each section describes what the hack is intended to do and where you will find it once the hack is applied.
Tested On: Windows XP SP2 only!!! Windows 64 bit is NOT supported at this time.
To make the hacks/tweaks work:
- You MUST save the file with a .reg extension
- Make sure you have CHECKED: Show hidden files and folders (Explore – Tools – Folder Options – View)
- Make sure you have UNCHECKED: Hide Extensions for known file types (Explore – Tools – Folder Options – View)
- **You can ALWAYS set the above back to their original settings once you are done.
- Copy and pastes ONLY the lines in-between the >>>> into notepad.
- Open Notepad.exe and paste the lines onto the page making SURE you save the file with the extension of .REG. If you did it right, you will see an icon with a white piece of paper with a little screwed-up Rubik’s cube on it.
- Once you have made the new file, right click on the file and choose “Merge”. This will add it to the registry making the necessary changes for you.
Of course you can cut and paste all of these into one file if you so desire but I recommend, at least up front, you start with one and then jump into multiple calls from a single file.
**If you plan on making one large file with all your tweaks in it, you only need this line:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 – at the TOP of the file.
I have added that line to all the files below so people can pick and chose what they want.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Open Command Prompt – This adds a menu item called “Open Command Prompt” to the menu when you right-click on the Start Button and to all Folders and Drives. A VERY easy way to get to a command prompt from just about anywhere.
Code:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
;Adds the ‘command prompt open here’ to shellfolders
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd]
@=”Open Command Window Here”
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\cmd\command]
@=”cmd.exe /k \”cd %L\”"
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd]
@=”Open Command Window Here”
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\cmd\command]
@=”cmd.exe /k \”cd %L\”"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Remote Desktop – This one adds a Remote Desktop menu item when you right click on the Start Button
Code:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Remote Desktop]
@=”Remote Desktop”
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Remote Desktop\command]
@=”\”C:\\Windows\\system32\\mstsc.exe\”"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Services – This is one of my favorites and I use it on all my servers and laptops. This one adds a call to the “Services” group on your system. Right Click on “My Computer” after you have merged the file to see it.
Code:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\services]
@=hex(2):53,00,65,00,72,00,76,00,69,00,63,00,65,00,73,00,00,00
“SuppressionPolicy”=dword:4000003c
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\services\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,77,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,69,00,72,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73, 00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,6d,00,63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00, 65,00,20,00,2f,00,73,00,20,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52, 00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00, 32,00,5c,00,73,00,65,00,72,00,76,00,69,00,63,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,6d,00,73, 00,63,00,20,00,2f,00,73,00,00,00
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Computer Management – This one creates a menu off of My Computer called Manage. Basically when called it will open Computer Management (ya know, the group that has Local Users and Computers, Disk Defrag, etc…) for you. I love this one.
Code:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\msconfig]
@=”Microsoft Configurator”
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\msconfig\command]
@=”msconfig.exe”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Explore “C” Drive Tweak (Right Click off the Start Menu) – I HATE it that every time I use Explore off the right click Start Menu the damn thing keeps opening up to the Start-Up group. I just want the C: and that’s it I’ll path from there. Well, this little beauty will do just that. It will take you right to the C: and that’s it. You can of course modify this script and have it default path to wherever you want (not for the faint at heart).
Code:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
“BrowserFlags”=dword:00000022
“ExplorerFlags”=dword:00000021
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,\
65,00,20,00,2f,00,65,00,2c,00,2f,00,69,00,64,00,6c,00,69,00,73,00,74,00,2c,\
00,25,00,49,00,2c,00,25,00,4c,00,00,00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
@=”[ExploreFolder(\"c:\", c:, %S)]“
“NoActivateHandler”=”"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]
@=”Folders”
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]
@=”[]“
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]
@=”AppProperties”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Run in Separate Memory Space – this little gem adds a “Run in Seperate Memeory Space” check box to the Run Command window. I like this little gem because sometimes… well, I have a tendancy to crash a few windows I called from the Run command line.
Code:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
“MemCheckBoxInRunDlg”=dword:00000001
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Regedit – I’m in the registry all the time and like a lot of you my screen is normally saturated with open windows. The only thing I can normally get to is the Start Menu and the Task Bar (without having to minimize every freaking window) so I wrote this little dude. What is does is simply add Regedit to the “right click” off the Start Button.
Code:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Regedit]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Regedit\command]
@=”\”C:\\Windows\\Regedit.exe\”"
Removing unused device drivers from Windows XP
When you install a device driver on a Windows XP machine, the operating system loads that driver each time the computer boots regardless of whether the device is present—unless you specifically uninstall the driver. This means that drivers from devices that you have long since removed from your system may be wasting valuable system resources.
Follow these steps to view and remove these unnecessary device drivers:
- Press [Windows]+[Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box.
- Select the Advanced tab and click the Environment Variables button.
- Click the New button below the System Variables panel.
- In the New System Variable dialog box, type devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices in the Variable Name text box and 1 in the Variable Value text box.
- Click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box and then click OK again.
- Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
- In Device Manager, go to View | Show Hidden Devices.
- Expand the various branches in the device tree and look for the washed out icons, which indicate unused device drivers.
- To remove an unused device driver, right-click the icon and select Uninstall.
**Note: a word of caution here. You need to make damn SURE you no longer need that driver. Some drivers will show “washed out icons” if the device is not connected to the system. If you know for SURE you no longer need or use that device you can probably delete it. I do recommend a backup of the system first as a security measure.
As always do this at your own risk.!
How to set up proxies in your browser, (!!!!Be anonymous!!!!!!
===================================
In Internet Explorer
===================================
Click “Tools”, then “Internet Options”, the in the “connections” Tab, click the “LAN Setup” Button in the bottom. There is a “Proxy Servers”, tick the “Use a proxy…..” and then enter the proxy in the bigger textbox and the port (the part that comes after the “:”) in the smaller textbox. Hit okay, and then go to
www.whatismyip.com
To see if the proxy is now your IP.
===================================
In OPERA
===================================
Click “Files”, then “Preferences”, then “Network”, then click the button “Proxy Servers”, tick “HTTP”, fill in with the proxy:port, click okay and that’s it! Don’t forget to check with
www.whatismyip.com
===================================
In Firefox
===================================
Tools -> Options
Then click the General Icon
Then the “Connection Settings…” button
Then click the “manually configure proxies” radio button, and enter the proxy address and port in the HTTP Proxy area.
Don’t forget to check with
www.whatismyip.com
www.proxy4free.com
www.safeproxy.org
www.megaproxy.com
www.guardster.com
www.silenter.com
www.anonymizer.com
Happy Anonymous surfing!
To be clear: if I give you 255.255.255.255:8080, that means 255.255.255.255 is the proxy and 8080 is the port.
To obtain fresh and new proxies, you can always check Google.
Clear the Cache Manually.
You might hope that using Windows Explorer to go to \Windows\Temporary Internet Files (or wherever your cache directory is) and deleting all the files would get your space back. But that doesn’t always catch the deadwood. So you have to go to DOS to make sure you get it all out.
Here’s how.
But first, a WARNING: If you’re not familiar with DOS commands and type the DELTREE command in the wrong directory, you can lose your data and destroy Windows to the point where you have to reinstall. Don’t try this if you’re unsure of your abilities.
Ready?
Here are the instructions:
1. Exit Internet Explorer if you have it running.
2. Start a MS-DOS prompt.
3. Change to the Temporary Internet Files subdirectory of your Windows directory. For most people, the following command is correct:
CD “\Windows\Temporary Internet Files”
and press Enter. Be sure to include the quotation marks.
If you see an error message such as Invalid Directory, DO NOT proceed to the next step.
4. Type the command CD and press Enter.
The PC should respond with:
C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
if you’re in the right directory.
If not, DO NOT go on.
5. Type the command:
DELTREE /Y *.*
This will completely clear out the IE cache. IE will rebuild a fresh cache file the next time you start it.
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How to format a password protected HDD!
Just had this problem with a drive for my friends Laptop he had just purchased, so I did some research, and this is a program and a set of steps I came across to help you format the whole drive, so you can use it again.
*Note: All Data on HDD will be lost*
1: Make a dos boot disk.
2: Unzip mhd3.zip and copy mhd3.exe to the boot disk.
3: Power down computer and attach drive into primary or secondary ide channel. It can be master or slave.
4: Boot with dos disk.
5: Run mhd3.
6: Select the correct drive. The installed drives are listed 1 to 4.
7: Program will show what it is doing and then display a ‘.’ every 10 seconds until done.
8: Do not power off while running or you will have to start all over again.
9: Program will tell you when it is finished.
It may take upwards of half an hour for it to process depending of the size of the drive may be longer. Just be patient, and enjoy your newly formatted drive.
Get MHD3.zip:
http://members.shaw.ca/terran-hagerman/mhd3.zip
How to Clone a HDD!
Did you know that you could clone your current Hard Drive without having to by extra software? Maybe you didn’t know that all that you needed, was already set up on your current system? Well, it is… and if you follow this tute, you shouldn’t have much of a problem.
Make sure that you have a Master and a Slave setup on your system. The Slave drive, in this case, is where all the data on the Master is going to go to.
First: Perform a Scandisk your Master drive and follow that with a thorough Defrag. If you have an Antivirus program, do a thorough sweep with the AV first, then do the Scandisk, followed by the Defrag.
Second: Do the same thing to the target drive, as you did the Master: Scandisk then a thorough Defrag.
Third: Right-click on the Target drive and click on Format. When the box comes up, click your mouse onto the “Full” button.
Fourth: After Formatting the Target drive, run a Scandisk again and click on the button that says “Autofix Errors”.
Fifth: In this final part, you might want to cut-and-paste to code in, unless you are sure that you can do it without making any mistakes:
Click on the “Start” button, then click on the “Run…” button, then place the following into the Runbox:
“XCOPY C:\*.*D:\ /c/h/e/k/r” (minus the quotes, of course) then press the “Enter” button.
If you receive an error message, then remove the space from between XCOPY and C:\
Anything that should happen to come up in the DOS box, just click “Y” for “Yes”. When its all finished, pull the original Master from the system, designate the Slave as the Master (change your jumpers), then check your new Master out.
This tutorial has worked and has been tested on all systems except for Windows 2000, so you really shouldn’t have any problems. If, by any chance, you should come across a snag, message me and I’ll walk you through it.
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What does a particular service do?
WINDOWS XP SERVICES*
(For recommendations about tweaking these services, visit BlkViper.com.)
http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
Alerter
Notifies selected users and computers of administrative alerts. If the service is stopped, programs that use administrative alerts will not receive them. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Application Layer Gateway Service
Provides support for 3rd party protocol plug-ins for Internet Connection Sharing and the Internet Connection Firewall
Application Management
Provides software installation services such as Assign, Publish, and Remove.
Automatic Updates
Enables the download and installation of critical Windows updates. If the service is disabled, the operating system can be manually updated at the Windows Update Web site.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Uses idle network bandwidth to transfer data.
ClipBook
Enables ClipBook Viewer to store information and share it with remote computers. If the service is stopped, ClipBook Viewer will not be able to share information with remote computers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
COM+ Event System
Supports System Event Notification Service (SENS), which provides automatic distribution of events to subscribing Component Object Model (COM) components. If the service is stopped, SENS will close and will not be able to provide logon and logoff notifications. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
COM+ System Application
Manages the configuration and tracking of Component Object Model (COM)+-based components. If the service is stopped, most COM+-based components will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Computer Browser
Maintains an updated list of computers on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Cryptographic Services
Provides three management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates. If this service is stopped, these management services will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
DHCP Client
Manages network configuration by registering and updating IP addresses and DNS names.
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Maintains links between NTFS files within a computer or across computers in a network domain.
Distributed Transaction Coordinator
Coordinates transactions that span multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and file systems. If this service is stopped, these transactions will not occur. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
DNS Client
Resolves and caches Domain Name System (DNS) names for this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not be able to resolve DNS names and locate Active Directory domain controllers. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Error Reporting Service
Allows error reporting for services and applictions running in non-standard environments.
Event Log
Enables event log messages issued by Windows-based programs and components to be viewed in Event Viewer. This service cannot be stopped.
Fast User Switching Compatibility
Provides management for applications that require assistance in a multiple user environment.
Help and Support
Enables Help and Support Center to run on this computer. If this service is stopped, Help and Support Center will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Human Interface Device Access
Enables generic input access to Human Interface Devices (HID), which activates and maintains the use of predefined hot buttons on keyboards, remote controls, and other multimedia devices. If this service is stopped, hot buttons controlled by this service will no longer function. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
Manages CD recording using Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface (IMAPI). If this service is stopped, this computer will be unable to record CDs. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Indexing Service
Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language.
InteractiveLogon
Allows the Super-Fast User Switcher to log in a user
Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
Provides network address translation, addressing, name resolution and/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small office network.
IPSEC Services
Manages IP security policy and starts the ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) and the IP security driver.
Logical Disk Manager
Detects and monitors new hard disk drives and sends disk volume information to Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service for configuration. If this service is stopped, dynamic disk status and configuration information may become out of date. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service
Configures hard disk drives and volumes. The service only runs for configuration processes and then stops.
Messenger
Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. This service is not related to Windows Messenger. If this service is stopped, Alerter messages will not be transmitted. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
Manages software-based volume shadow copies taken by the Volume Shadow Copy service. If this service is stopped, software-based volume shadow copies cannot be managed. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Net Logon
Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events for computers in a domain.
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Enables an authorized user to access this computer remotely by using NetMeeting over a corporate intranet. If this service is stopped, remote desktop sharing will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Network Connections
Manages objects in the Network and Dial-Up Connections folder, in which you can view both local area network and remote connections.
Network DDE
Provides network transport and security for Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) for programs running on the same computer or on different computers. If this service is stopped, DDE transport and security will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Network DDE DSDM
Manages Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) network shares. If this service is stopped, DDE network shares will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Network Location Awareness (NLA)
Collects and stores network configuration and location information, and notifies applications when this information changes.
NT LM Security Support Provider
Provides security to remote procedure call (RPC) programs that use transports other than named pipes.
Performance Logs and Alerts
Collects performance data from local or remote computers based on preconfigured schedule parameters, then writes the data to a log or triggers an alert. If this service is stopped, performance information will not be collected. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Plug and Play
Enables a computer to recognize and adapt to hardware changes with little or no user input. Stopping or disabling this service will result in system instability.
Portable Media Serial Number
Retrieves the serial number of any portable music player connected to your computer
Print Spooler
Loads files to memory for later printing.
Protected Storage
Provides protected storage for sensitive data, such as private keys, to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users.
QoS RSVP
Provides network signaling and local traffic control setup functionality for QoS-aware programs and control applets
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
Creates a connection to a remote network whenever a program references a remote DNS or NetBIOS name or address.
Remote Access Connection Manager
Creates a network connection.
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Manages and controls Remote Assistance. If this service is stopped, Remote Assistance will be unavailable. Before stopping this service, see the Dependencies tab of the Properties dialog box.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Provides the endpoint mapper and other miscellaneous RPC services.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
Manages the RPC name service database.
Remote Registry
Enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer. If this service is stopped, the registry can be modified only by users on this computer. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Removable Storage
Manages….uh….Removable Storage!!!
Routing and Remote Access
Offers routing services to businesses in local area and wide area network environments.
Secondary Logon
Enables starting processes under alternate credentials. If this service is stopped, this type of logon access will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Security Accounts Manager
Stores security information for local user accounts.
Server
Supports file, print, and named-pipe sharing over the network for this computer. If this service is stopped, these functions will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Shell Hardware Detection
Best I can find is this manages auto play of some devices.
Smart Card
Manages access to smart cards read by this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will be unable to read smart cards. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Smart Card Helper
Enables support for legacy non-plug and play smart-card readers used by this computer. If this service is stopped, this computer will not support legacy reader. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
SSDP Discovery Service
Enables discovery of UPnP devices on your home network.
System Event Notification
Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events. Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events.
System Restore Service
Performs system restore functions. To stop service, turn off System Restore from the System Restore tab in My Computer->Properties
Task Scheduler
Enables a user to configure and schedule automated tasks on this computer. If this service is stopped, these tasks will not be run at their scheduled times. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service and NetBIOS name resolution.
Telephony
Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices and IP based voice connections on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service.
Terminal Services
Allows multiple users to be connected interactively to a machine as well as the display of desktops and applications to remote computers. The underpinning of Remote Desktop (including RD for Administrators), Fast User Switching, Remote Assistance, and Terminal Server.
Themes
Provides user experience theme management.
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer.
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Provides support to host Universal Plug and Play devices.
Upload Manager
Manages synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network. If this service is stopped, synchronous and asynchronous file transfers between clients and servers on the network will not occur. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Volume Shadow Copy
Manages and implements Volume Shadow Copies used for backup and other purposes. If this service is stopped, shadow copies will be unavailable for backup and the backup may fail. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
WebClient
Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify Internet-based files. If this service is stopped, these functions will not be available. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Windows Audio
Manages audio devices for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras.
Windows Installer
Installs, repairs and removes software according to instructions contained in .MSI files.
Windows Management Instrumentation
Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating system, devices, applications and services. If this service is stopped, most Windows-based software will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions
Provides systems management information to and from drivers.
Windows Time
Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Wireless Zero Configuration
Provides automatic configuration for the 802.11 adapters
WMDM PMSP Service
WMI Performance Adapter
Provides performance library information from WMI HiPerf providers.
Workstation
Creates and maintains client network connections to remote servers. If this service is stopped, these connections will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
*(The descriptions came straight from the Services application except for Removable Storage and Shell Hardware Detection. Also if you have some services registered…please look up the information for the same!)
__________________
How To Remotely Access Your PC!
Windows XP Professional includes a basic PC remote control tool which lets you log onto your PC remotely from anywhere. Do you know how to use it?
It’s called Remote Desktop Connection, and when you’ve properly configured your PC, this handy utility will let you log into your computer from anywhere in the world and control it as if you were sitting in front of it instead of half a world away.
If you’re running Windows XP Professional, you already have all the software you need to connect remotely to your PC. Whether you’d like to monitor a server, grab files from your home PC at work, or just keep an eye on your machines when you’re out, connecting remotely is easy to do. However, due to the vagaries of network configurations and various other quirks beyond your control, you may not be able to actually connect. Until now.
Preparing your system
First, you need to know the IP address of the computer you want to connect to. The only sure-fire way to always be able to connect to your PC’s is to use an ISP that provides you with a static IP address. Most ISPs give customers dynamic IP addresses, which can change every few days or even hours. Because your IP address is the way you’ll locate your computer on the net, you’ll need to know what your IP address is and monitor it as it changes.
The good news is that there are loads of programs that will notify you of IP address changes, whenever they occur. We like IP Address Monster (www.ipmonster.com). It’s a small program that runs in your system tray and can be configured to e-mail you whenever your IP address changes.
IP Address Monster should be your first stop to remote connectivity. This handy utility will keep tabs on your Internet address and send you an e-mail whenever it changes.
Now that you know your IP address, you need to make sure that Remote Desktop Connection is enabled. Make sure your firewall is configured to allow incoming connections on port 3389 (firewalls vary, so check your documentation to find out how to open the port).
You can turn on Remote Desktop Connection in the System Control Panel (Start, Control Panel, System). Check the Remote tab and make sure “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer” is checked. You’ll also need to have at least one user account that requires a password because accounts without passwords are prohibited from logging into Remote Desktop.
To enabling Remote Desktop, open the System Control Panel, go to the Remote tab, and check this box.
It’s important to make sure the passwords on the machine you’re going to remotely log into are “good” ones. This means you should use a mixture of letters and numbers, avoid words that are found in dictionaries, and change the password regularly to protect yourself from mischief.
Making the connection
At this point, your PC should be prepared and patiently waiting for a connection. To log in, you need to open the Remote Desktop Connection client on your remote PC. Go to Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, Remote Desktop Connection. Input the IP address you want to connect to (courtesy of IP Address Monster) in the Computer field. Then enter your username and password.
Now you’ll want to tweak a few settings to optimize your remote experience. Whiz-bang features gobble up bandwidth, so you should tune your settings to match your home net connection. We recommend you start with a minimal feature set. Press the Options button, then the Display tab. Change the display settings to full-screen, 256-color. This looks acceptable and consumes practically no bandwidth. You’ll also want to browse to the Experience tab and change the Performance setting to reflect your home PC’s connection speed.
Switching to a lower color resolution and a smaller display area will greatly minimize the amount of data that has to transfer between your computer and the remote PC.
Once you’ve tuned the connection a bit, you’re ready to connect. Press the Connect key and you’re in!
What to do next
At this point, you should be connected. You can run programs and manipulate files just like you’re sitting in front of your PC. In fact, you can even use your PC’s e-mail and web browsers. Do you want to start downloading Desert Combat now so you can start playing it when you get home? That’s easy enough; just log into your PC using Remote Desktop, open your web browser, and download the file. It will be sitting on your machine waiting for you as soon as you get home. If all your PCs are running Windows XP Pro, and you enable drive-sharing in the Local Resources tab, you can transfer files from remote PC to local PC. You can even remotely transfer files between local PCs on your home network.
Once connected, you can interact with printer ports and networked hard drives. This is a handy way to delete those “special interest” videos you downloaded before your wife finds them.
__________________
