Lockergnome's Top 50 Windows XP Tips (GNOMETOMES.COM) Lockergnome's Top 50 Windows XP Tips by Chris Pirillo © 2002 Lockergnome LLC. Use for purposes other than those specifically outlined in the Terms of Use is expressly prohibited by law, and may result in severe civil and criminal penalties. All rights reserved. Distributed as part of the GnomeTomes series. Unauthorized copying of this material is strictly prohibited. If you received this document without paying for it, please visit GnomeTomes.com to register. It's only five bucks, dude. About the Author / Chris Pirillo solidified his place in the technology industry by developing Lockergnome: a series of e-mail publications delivered to over 250,000 people every weekday. His best-selling book has been recognized as the Bible of E- mail Publishing. Chris also hosts a daily television show on TechTV and has a weekly radio show - each of which is focused on translating technology topics into English. He is the Windows columnist for Smart Computing's Computer Power User magazine and the content coordinator for the annual technology conference, Gnomedex. Chris Pirillo (GNOMETOMES.COM) Lockergnome's Top 50 Windows XP Tips (GNOMETOMES.COM) Boot Options...............................................................................................................3 Stopping 16-bit Code ...................................................................................................4 Looking up Lyrics ........................................................................................................5 Windows Update Transfer Details...................................................................................6 Print from Remote Desktop...........................................................................................7 Kill the Cache Completely .............................................................................................8 Driver Queries and Wasted Space ..................................................................................9 Removing the Messenger............................................................................................ 10 Built-in Spell Checker................................................................................................. 11 CompactFlash Formatting ........................................................................................... 12 Truly Removing Log Off User....................................................................................... 13 Show Deleted Files .................................................................................................... 14 Funny Little Prank ..................................................................................................... 15 Media Access Control ................................................................................................. 16 Driver Verifier Manager .............................................................................................. 17 True Mobile Processor Speed....................................................................................... 18 System Reporting Tools.............................................................................................. 19 Recovery Console ...................................................................................................... 20 Error Checking Process............................................................................................... 21 Setting up Permissions............................................................................................... 22 Remove Disk Space Warning....................................................................................... 23 Legacy Parallel Devices .............................................................................................. 24 Built-in Sleep Timer ................................................................................................... 25 Kill the Passport Balloon ............................................................................................. 26 Disable Fast User Switching ........................................................................................ 27 Shell-integrated CD burning........................................................................................ 28 Extended Digital Photo Data........................................................................................ 29 Going from NTFS to FAT32.......................................................................................... 30 Fixing Flash Problems ................................................................................................ 31 Use the Kodak Imaging Application .............................................................................. 32 Start Menu Shortcuts ................................................................................................. 33 New MSConfig Options ............................................................................................... 34 Advanced Command Line Tools ................................................................................... 35 Managing the Task Manager........................................................................................ 36 Microsoft Common Consoles........................................................................................ 37 Self-extracting Archive Wizard..................................................................................... 38 Tweaking the Time Server .......................................................................................... 39 CMD.EXE Versus COMMAND.COM................................................................................. 40 The New IPCONFIG Tool ............................................................................................. 41 Taskbar Group Size Tweaking...................................................................................... 42 Explorer Thumbnail View Tweaking .............................................................................. 43 Error Reporting Control .............................................................................................. 44 Explorer Digital Album Art .......................................................................................... 45 Kill the Animated Search Character .............................................................................. 46 Prevent a Forgotten Password ..................................................................................... 47 Classic User Menu ..................................................................................................... 48 TweakUI Plus............................................................................................................ 49 Passive FTP Compatibility ........................................................................................... 50 NTFS Versus FAT32 ................................................................................................... 51 Fear Uncertainty Doubt .............................................................................................. 52 Chris Pirillo (GNOMETOMES.COM) Lockergnome's Top 50 Windows XP Tips (GNOMETOMES.COM) Boot Options Whenever someone utters the phrase "Safe Mode," my stomach turns. That's usually the last step in troubleshooting problems with Windows. To get to this menu in any Windows OS, tap F8 in between the last post code (beep) and the Windows splash screen. It's been around since Windows 95, although the first time you use it in Windows XP, you may be faced with a bevy of new options. "Safe Mode" is akin to the classic routine (using just the bare essentials to get back into Windows); "Safe Mode with Networking" allows you to connect to any given network, including (hopefully) the Internet; "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" may not be what you've been used to (CMD.EXE is used instead of COMMAND.COM); "Enable VGA Mode" is wonderful when you're having video card problems or troubleshooting a "new" monitor; "Last Known Good Configuration" is perfect when you JUST messed something up and want to turn back the clock; "Debugging Mode" is a troubleshooter's dream come true (you can redirect the output to another computer via serial cable); "Enable Boot Logging" does what it says; "Starts Windows Normally" does what it says, too; "Return to OS Choices Menu" brings you to the boot menu if you have more than one OS installed. Chris Pirillo (GNOMETOMES.COM) Lockergnome's Top 50 Windows XP Tips (GNOMETOMES.COM) Stopping 16-bit Code We've all been told how 16-bit programs don't work as well in full 32-bit operating systems. For the most part, it's true. But how can you tell, specifically in Windows NT-based OSes, when 16-bit code is running? Pull up the Task Manager whenever you suspect something is wrong. If you see a "WOWEXEC.EXE" process running, you've got some 16-bit code to get rid of. Make note of any programs that you were recently running to track down the culprit. If the utility depends on a VxD, it will not work properly (in Windows 2000 or XP). If you can't live without the 16-bit application, consider running it in a "protected" memory space. Create a shortcut to the EXE, pull up its Properties sheet, flip to the Shortcut tab, press the Advanced button, then place a checkmark in the "Run in separate memory space" option. This should keep it from mingling with any other processes. By now, most of your installed programs should be 32-bit. If not, I'd suggest holding onto Windows