Safe Mode

Two options: During a boot, tap the F8 key or go to Start/Run/Msconfig/Boot.ini and check off /SafeBoot/Apply, reboot.
A Description of the Safe Boot Mode Options in Windows XP

Safe Mode - Boot Switches

Safe-Mode Boot Switches for Windows Boot.ini File

SafeDisc

Microsoft Games SafeDisc Windows XP Fix
http://www.xp-erience.org/article.php?sid=959&mode=thread&order=0

"Safely Remove Hardware"

To have it show:

With the external drive plugged in, right click the drive in the folders list, then left click Properties and Hardware. Left Click the name of the external drive in this list, then click Properties and Policies. This takes you to the "Write caching and safe removal page". The default position in my XP is "Optimize for quick removal" not "Optimize for performance" as implied by Freecom and Microsoft. You can put the icon in the notification area by clicking the underlined "Safely Remove Hardware" on this page.

Thanks to Donald Orme.

To remove it:

If you have an USB device attached to your system, you will notice an icon in the Notification area, which - when clicked -
 will give you the option to Stop your hardware, before you unplug it.

It is possible that you never unplug this hardware. So how do you get rid of the icon? Right-click the notification area, and selecting Properties. Under the Notification area heading, click Customize. Find the Safely Remove Hardware icon and select Always hide in the Behavior column next to it (press OK and Apply to back out).

Computer Does Not Respond After You Use "Safely Remove Hardware" to Remove External Hard Disk Drive

Sasser - W32.Sasser Removal Tool

To prevent the 60 second shutdown:  Go to Start/Run/CMD and type in:  shutdown -a

Once done:  Download the FxSasser.exe file from: http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/FxSasser.exe. 
The process takes around 15 minutes to complete and works perfectly!

Note:  System Restore option in Windows XP

Users of Windows XP should temporarily turn off System Restore. Windows XP uses this feature, which is enabled by default, to restore the files on your computer in case they become damaged. If a virus, worm, or Trojan infects a computer, System Restore may back up the virus, worm, or Trojan on the computer.

Windows prevents outside programs, including antivirus programs, from modifying System Restore. Therefore, antivirus programs or tools cannot remove threats in the System Restore folder. As a result, System Restore has the potential of restoring an infected file onto your computer, even after you have cleaned the infected files from all the other locations.

Also, a virus scan may detect a threat in the System Restore folder even though you have removed the threat.

For instructions on how to turn off System Restore:
"How to turn off or turn on Windows XP System Restore"

More information here:  http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sasser.removal.tool.html

Once clean, run the MS Patch:  http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-011.mspx

Save Settings on Exit

Normally when Windows exits it saves the desktop configuration, including icon location, appearance etc. This setting disables these changes from being saved, this is useful in both a secure environment.

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value called 'NoSaveSettings' set the value to equal '0'.
Exit your registry, you may need to restart for the changes to take effect.

Or you can apply this registry edit from my site:

Save Settings on Exit (Line 54)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use the Regedit: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

For Pro, there is a gpedit setting under User Configurations/Administrative
Templates/Desktop/Don't save settings at exit that activates the changes
made here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy
Objects\LocalUser\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Save Target As

When you right-click a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) link in Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Save Target As and Print Target commands may be unavailable. In addition, when you click Print on the File menu, the Print All Linked Documents check box may be unavailable. This behavior can occur if Content Advisor is enabled. More information here.

Save Target As and Print Target Commands Are Unavailable

Scan for Hardware Changes

To automate the process:  Download Devcon.Exe from here.  Extract it, then place the .exe in your Windows directory.  Once done, download rescan.bat from here and place it into the Startup Folder.

Scanner

"Could Not Enable TWAIN Source" or "There Is No Scanner Found"
Problems Using UMAX Astra 2200 USB Scanner with Windows XP
Windows XP: List of Scanners That Are Supported by Windows Image
Scanner Resolution Limits When You Use WIA Drivers
Problems Using SCSI Scanner Without an Updated ASPI Layer
Scanner Does Not Work After Computer Returns from Standby
After You Install a Visioneer USB Scanner CPU Usage May Be High
Found Hardware Wizard Identifies Kodak DS 4500 Scanner as 4000
When You Install Scanner Install Program Cannot Locate Driver
Device Manager Displays Multiple Scanners When Only One Exists
Scanner and Camera Wizard Continues to Show Deleted Pictures
Programs May Not Work with a Scanner or a Camera in Windows XP
Plug and Play Devices Don't Appear in Add Scanner and Camera Wiz

Scanner Not Found - Lexmark

HP Scanjet Scanner - USB Scanner Quits Working, Scanner not Found or Scanner Could not be Initialized Error Message, or Scanner Is Listed as an Unknown Device in Microsoft (R) Windows 95, 98, Me and XP.  Suggested fix here.

HP Scanjet - USB Devices Quit Working Unexpectedly in Microsoft(R) Windows XP

     Tip:  AGFA scanner and probably all other AGFA scanners using the FotoLook software package. This software installs the TWAIN drivers in a new directory called "/windows/twain_32", unlike the system directory "/windows/twain32" normal users are not given "change" or "write" access to this directory and thus the scanner only works for administrators. Changing the access rights and everyone can use the scanner. [UZ]

Scanreg - for XP

Try NTRegOpt from http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/.  It's the same as a scanreg /fix.

Scheduled Tasks - Disable in IE

IE 6.0 wants to run a scheduled task every time it connects to a server. This results in slower browsing. To disable this delete the following key:

 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace\
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}.

Scheduled Tasks - Applying/Running tasks without a password

For Pro:  Go to Start/Administrative Tools/'Local Security Policy/Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options
Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only. This is enabled by default, disable it.

For Home: (Keith Miller) Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa

Value name: limitblankpassworduse, Type: REG_DWORD, Data: 0 (disabled) 1 (enabled)

For Home: Run Scheduled Task without a Password (Line 67)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

How to Enable Automatic Logon in Windows
HOW TO: Modify Scheduled Tasks in Windows XP
Task Scheduler Does Not Run Tasks When "Run As" User Account Has No Password

Scheduled Tasks- AutoRun

Q.  What is the secret to getting tasks to run when no one is logged on when using Windows XP?

-schedule service is running, set to automatic, log on as 'local system'
-task is scheduled to run under an user account which is an administrator
-task is scheduled to run under an user account with a password
-task itself is legit as it will run when executed directly
-task schedule setup is valid as it will run IF I remain logged on
-Event log shows nothing
-task log shows no attempt to run the task
-task status is 0x0, but that is irrelevant since 'time last run' reveals it was not run at all

Since schedule runs as a service with startup set to automatic and logon set to 'local system', one would
assume that schedule service begins running when the computer is started, regardless of whether or not anyone
logs on. Since the task is set up to run with an administrator logon complete with password, one would assume that since the schedule service is running, at the scheduled time it would logon as the designated user and run the task.  

A.  You need to replace the Task Scheduler Log File which can be accomplished quite easily. If you follow these
exact instructions, the shedlgu.txt file will be replaced with a brand new one without any information other than
system start-up information upon the first boot. Click Start>Click Run> and type msconfig> click Selective
Startup and uncheck the Load System Services check box. Click OK and wait for the hour glass to stop. Restart
the computer, click OK to the first Window that indicates that you have selected "Selective Startup".

When the System Configuration Utility reappears, Check the Normal Startup Box. Click Start> Click Search> Click All Files and Folders Category and type schedlgu.txt and Enter. Windows will search and locate the schedlgu.txt file. Press Stop
as soon as the file is located. Right click on the file schedlgu.txt and delete and send to the recycle bin. Now restart the computer again by selecting Start>Turn Off Computer and Select Restart.

You will now have a new Task Scheduler Log File. You may check the new Log File and the one start up entry that I described by selecting Run and typing the file name schedlgu.txt and click OK. Appearing will be your new Task Scheduler Log.

Scheduled Tasks - Not Running

Go to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\S-1-5-18 and delete the files in there.
Scheduled Tasks will recreate the files needed.

Note: This folder is hidden by default. Go to Start/Run and type in: control folders. View: Show hidden files and folders.

Scheduled Tasks - Settings

Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Scheduled Tasks. On the last screen, check off Show Advanced Options. Under Advanced/Settings/Idle Time (Only start... and Stop the task...).

You can schedule a task for inactivity. Use this to lock the desktop after 10 minutes of idle time. Use this shortcut for the task:  C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation.

To schedule a logoff procedure for XP, use this:  C:\Windows\System32\shutdown -l as the scheduled task.

To schedule a logoff procedure:
C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -l

To schedule a shutdown and reboot:
C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -r

To schedule a shutdown with a message: (-t represents 60 seconds)
C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 60 -c "Message goes here!"

For a specific app: C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe -r -f

For more information go to Start/Run and type in: cmd /k shutdown

Screen Savers

Screen Saver Disable and Screen Saver Enable (Line 51)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Screen Saver May Not Start in Windows XP

Screen Savers - Active Authentication for Unlock

This setting controls whether a full login should be performed when a workstation is unlocked or a password is used with the screen saver. Normally Windows will not check some settings such as whether the account has been locked out.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Value Name: ForceUnlockLogon
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: 0 = default authentication, 1 = online authentication

You may need to create the key if it does not already exist. Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called 'ForceUnlockLogon' and edit the value according to the settings below. Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect. Note: For Windows XP this behavior only happens when you have Fast User Switching disabled.

Screen Savers - Delete

They're considered operating system files and are protected from being deleted or overwritten. If you really want to delete them, delete the copy in Windows\System32\dllcache first, then the one in Windows\System32. You'll be given a warning that the files are missing/corrupt. Tell it not to replace them.

Screen Saver - Hibernate and Standby

The Computer Cannot Enter Standby or Hibernate If a Direct3D-Based Screen Saver Is Running

Screen Saver - Make Screen Savers from Web Channels

Some channels (specialized Web-based content sources) provide content in the form of a screen saver. These channels usually offer to install their screen saver when you install their channel. If they don't, you can install a screen saver for any channel installed on your system yourself. To activate the screen saver, right-click your desktop, then click Properties. Click the Screen Saver tab. In the Screen Saver list, click Channel Screen Saver. Click Settings, and then choose the settings you want.

Screen Saver - Preventing the Screen Saver from Becoming Active

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop. Value Name: ScreenSaveActive, Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value), Value Data: (0 = disabled, 1 =enabled). Change the value of 'ScreenSaveActive' to '0' to disable the screen saver. Restart Windows for the change to take effect. Note: Windows has a default screen saver called logon.scr, which runs even if no screen saver has been selected.

Screen Saver - Replace

Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

Locate the SCRNSAVE.EXE entry in the right pane and modify it to the one you desire. SCR files are located in Windows\System32 by default, but you may have some add-on screen savers in the Windows folder.

Screen Saver - Set to None

Check your settings here: Go to Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Scrnsave.exe = C:\Windows\System32\logon.scr

Verify your Time while there as well and choose accordingly:
ScreenSaveTimeOut = (set your preference)

Also make sure none of the screensavers are wrapped in double quotes as in: ""c:\windows\system32\screensavername.scr""

More information and checkpoints:  Check your setting for the screensavers path.

Here are some examples:

Marine Aquarium 2.scr > rename it to > MarineAquarium2.scr

In the registry, screensaver will work correctly if it is listed as so:
c:\windows\system32\marine~1.scr

Screen Savers do not work correctly if listed as so:
""c:\windows\system32\marine aquarium 2.scr""

Troubleshooting Screen Saver Issues in XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_s.htm#ss

Screen Saver May Not Start in Windows XP'
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;326719

Screen Saver - Welcome Screen (Stop from going to the Welcome Screen)

Right click the Desktop/Properties/Screen Saver tab, look at the options for your Screen saver and also Uncheck the "On resume, password protect" option.

Also in the Monitor Power settings using the Power button. Look on the Advanced tab, and the Options section, uncheck the "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby" option.

Change the Screen Saver Grace Period

This setting determines when password protection of a screen saver becomes effective. By default, a brief period elapses within which the user can use the mouse or the keyboard to stop the screen saver without entering the password.

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called "ScreenSaverGracePeriod" and set it according to the value data: 0 - 2,147,483 seconds (approximately 24 days).  Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Screen - Refresh

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display. Alternatively, right-click the desktop, and then click Properties. Click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced. Click the Monitor tab, and then click the screen refresh rate that you want to use.

NOTE:
The default refresh rate setting is 60 Hertz (HZ); however, your monitor may support a higher setting. Check your manufacturer's documentation for information about the settings that your monitor supports.

If you use a higher refresh rate, you can reduce the rate that your screen flickers; however, if you specify a refresh rate that is too high for your monitor, your screen may become unusable and your hardware may be damaged.

Changes to the refresh rate affect all users that log on to the computer.

HOW TO: Change the Screen Refresh Rate of Your Monitor in Windows XP

Screen Saver Troubleshooting

Screen Saver Won't Start - Check your settings here: Go to Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop or: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop
ScreenSaveTimeOut = (set your preference)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\Desktop

ScreenSaverIsSecure
0 - Screen savers are not password-protected.
1 - All screen savers are password-protected.

Verify that the ScreenSaver has been placed in the C:\WINDOWS\System32 Folder.  Make sure that the screensaver starts with " ss " e.g.. if the screensaver name is " pictures " rename it to " sspictures".

Screensaver gets set to None

Check your settings here: Go to Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.  Scrnsave.exe = C:\Windows\System32\logon.scr

Verify your Time while there as well and choose accordingly: ScreenSaveTimeOut = (set your preference)

Also make sure none of the screensavers are wrapped in double quotes as in: ""c:\windows\system32\screensavername.scr""
And try adding: ss in front of the screensaver name.

Screen Saver Disable and Screen Saver Enable (Line 51)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Restore: On Resume, Display Welcome Screen (Line 161)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Restore the Desktop and Screensaver Tabs (Line 128)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Deleting ScreenSavers

They are considered operating system files and are protected from being deleted or overwritten. To delete them, delete the copy in Windows\System32\dllcache first, then the one in Windows\System32. You'll be given a warning that the files are missing/corrupt. Tell it not to replace them.

Script Debugger

IE/Tools/Internet Options/Advanced/Disable Script Debugging and Display a notification about every script error.

Disable the Script Debugger in IE (Line 142)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

How to Troubleshoot Script Errors in Internet Explorer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q181698&

If you continue to get the errors after trying the above and/or the settings become unchecked, rename mdm.exe

When Internet Explorer detects an error on a page it has the ability to launch a script debugger to diagnose the problem. This setting controls the use of the Internet Explorer script debugging functions.

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Create a new string value, or modify the existing value, named "Disable Script Debugger" and set it to either "yes" to disable the debugger or "no" to enable it.
Restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect.

Search - All File Types

Go to Search/All Files and Folders/More Advanced Options/Change Indexing Service/Index unknown file types.

Search for All File Types (Line 136)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

If this doesn't help...

Windows® XP has a known issue for not finding a number of File Types when you do a Search for Files "containing text" or using the "A word or phrase in the file" option. This can be remedied for many file types, but not all.

Download the VBS file below. Double click the file you just saved. You'll be prompted to enter a file extension. If the PersistentHandler value is correct, no changes will be made. If the PersistentHandler value exists, but is different, no changes will be made. If no PersistentHandler value exists, then it will be created.

Enable XP's Search to find text in files:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts/xp_persisthandler.vbs

Manual Edit:

To resolve this problem for other file types, install a program that registers a filter for the file type that you want to search. If no program that provides a filter is available, you can use the plain text filter for a file type.

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and add a PersistentHandler key under the file type key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and set its (Default) string value name to the following value: {5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}

For example, to use the text filter provider for .pas files, the following registry setting should exist:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.zzz\PersistentHandler\(Default) = {5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}

After you add this value to the registry, you must log off and then log back on to make the change take effect.

Using the "A Word or Phrase in the File" Search Criterion May Not Work
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q309173

Search - Doesn't Work

Open Explorer and go to the Windows\Inf folder. Locate the srchasst.inf file. Right click it and select Install. You'll need your XP CD or the files from the I386 folder. (This fix will require you to have your Win XP CD).

The Windows\Inf folder is a hidden folder. You can adjust your Explorer Folder Options (View tab) to Show hidden files and folders. You can also click Start, Run and enter %SystemRoot%\Inf to open directly to the Inf folder.

Error: "A file that is required to run Search Companion cannot be found. You may need to run setup".

The file that is missing, or corrupt, is one of two. BAR.XSL or BALLOON.XSL (and/or other files in the same folder), depending on your search preferences. These files are both normally located in the Windows\srchasst\mui\0409 folder on your hard drive. These files may be locally cached in the Temporary Internet Files, so this may explain why some users have this problem "intermittently".

Error Message: "A File That Is Required to Run Search Companion Cannot Be Found" (Q315330)
Windows XP Search Companion Does Not Work Because of File Corruption (Downloadable Fix)

The problem stems from Search Assistant being unable to connect to http://sa.windows.com.  This can be caused by proxy servers, firewalls and some "ad blocking" software.

Yellow Triangle with Exclamation Point

Option 1. Depending on your version of TweakUI, run it, go to the Desktop settings and put the check mark back in Search Results.

Option 2. If you don't have TweakUI installed, or this option isn't available in your version, copy and paste the following lines into a Notepad file and save the file with an REG extension. Make sure to add a blank line at the end of the file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\
{e17d4fc0-5564-11d1-83f2-00a0c90dc849}]
@="Search Results Folder"

Locate the file you just saved and double click it. Answer yes to the import prompt.

Option 3: Apply this edit:

Search Shows Yellow Triangle with ! (Line 75)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use the VBS File: Download .vbs file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Double-click  the vbs file. You will be prompted when the script is done.

Search Assistant - Change Default Search Order

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer.

Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value), Value Data: (0 = unselected, 1 = selected).

Modify the following values, setting them to "1" to select the parameter as a default or "0" as unselected. CaseSensitive, IncludeSubFolders, SearchHidden, SearchSlowFiles, SearchSystemDirs. Restart or logoff Windows for the change to take effect.

     Stop Search from Scanning ZIP files:

Un-register the zip and cab file dlls, then re-register them after that.

Before Search:
regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll
regsvr32 /u cabview.dll

After Search:
regsvr32 cabview.dll
regsvr32 zipfldr.dll

     Tip:  Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when you do a search on the hard drive it is faster.
              There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands
              like open, close, etc. If you do not do a whole lot of searches on your hard drive then I suggest turning this feature
              off:  Open My Computer/Right click your hard drive/properties. Uncheck "Allow indexing service to index this disk
              for faster searches". Apply to all folders and subfolders.

HOW TO: Disable Automatic Search for Network Printers and Folders in Windows XP

Search - Advanced Options (Set as Default)

Download this .vbs file and save it to your Windows Directory.  Once done, download this .reg file, and run it.   

"IF" Windows XP is not installed in C:\, open this .reg file in Notepad and modify the lines that read: 

"Param1"="c:\\windows\\searchadvancedoptions.vbs"
"command"="c:\\windows\\searchadvancedoptions.vbs"

To for example:

"Param1"="d:\\windows\\searchadvancedoptions.vbs"
"command"="d:\\windows\\searchadvancedoptions.vbs"

Once done, save the file then apply the edit. 

Note:    Search Options "must" be left opened when using File/Close for this to work.  From there you can use Alt/O.
Note2:  Special thanks to David Candy. 

Tip:  To have all options checked as default under Advanced Options, run this .reg file.
Tip:  To rename Search, run this script.  Note:  It must be run last if using the above edits.

Set All Search Options to Active (Line 148)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use the Regedits: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

To use the VBS Files: Download .vbs file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Double click the vbs file. You will be prompted when the script is done.

NOTE: If your anti-virus software warns you of a "malicious" script, this is normal if you have "Script Safe" or similar technology enabled. These scripts are not malicious, but they do make changes to the System Registry.

Search Assistant - Disable

Automated Edit:

Disable Search Assistant (Line 15)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Manual Edit:

Start/Run/Regedit - Windows Explorer
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState. In the right pane, look for or create a string value called: Use Search Asst set the value to: no

Start/Run/Regedit - Internet Explorer
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.  Same value: Use Search Asst and the same setting.

Restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect.

Search Companion

All Errors, Issues and Fixes

Search - Change Defaults

Automated Edit:

Set All Search Items to Active (Line 148)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Manual Edit:  To Change Default Search Options, go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]

Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = unselected, 1 = selected)

Modify the following values, setting them to "1" to select the parameter as a default or "0" as unselected.

CaseSensitive
IncludeSubFolders
SearchHidden
SearchSlowFiles
SearchSystemDirs

Restart or logoff Windows for the change to take effect.

Search - Clear History

Automated Edit:

Clear Search History under Search (Line 24)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Manual Edit:

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant\ACMru

To prevent keeping a history altogether, right click ACMru/Permissions/Deny all users and groups listed.  Alternatively, IE/Search/Change Preferences/Turn AutoComplete Off.

If you prefer not to edit the registry, this utility will do it for you:  Clears Run History, Typed URL's, etc.

Clear Recent File Lists (Search History Clear) Line 41
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Search - Freezes

To disable the Indexing service:  Go to Start/Administrative Tools/Services. Double click Services and find the Indexing Service. Double click/properties/Stop. From the Status Type Box, select Disabled.

If it switches back at boot:

Disable the Indexing Service (Line 42)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Search - Internet Access Needed (Disable the Action)

Search Assistant will try to connect to http://sa.windows.com This is done to check for updates to its features, tips, wording and etc. Not allowing access can cause its own set of problems, usually a "A file that is required........." error message.

You can stop the internet access by changing the search behavior to Classic Search.

Disable Search Assistant (Line 15)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Old Style Search Engine On/Off (Line 49)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Or...

Use TweakUI, Explorer section to set Classic Search:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp

Or you can make the change manually.

Click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT. Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Cabinet State

Right click in the right pane and select New, String value and name the value Use Search Asst. Double click the new value and enter "no", without the quotes.

A File That Is Required to Run Search Companion Cannot Be Found
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q319949

Search - Missing from the Start Menu

Search - Rename

Rename Search on the Start Menu

Search - Text

Windows® XP has a known issue for not finding a number of File Types when you do a Search for Files "containing text" or using the "A word or phrase in the file" option. This can be remedied for many file types, but not all. The cause is the lack of a PersistentHandler value in the Registry for this type of file. Fix:  http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_bad_search.htm

To Add Specific extensions:  Copy these lines into Notepad including a blank last line, change where it reads .php to the extension of your choice, save with a .reg extension (ex. php.reg), then double click. 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.php\PersistentHandler]
@="{5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"

Here are some already created:  .htm , php, java , html , xls , doc
 
Search for All Files (Line 136)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Speed up Windows XP Search
http://xpsearch.info/xpsearch.htm

Search Tool Does Not Search for Some Words or Phrases in Text Files
The "A Word or Phrase in the File" Search Criterion May Not Work
Content Search Does Not Search All File Types for a String

Search Engine - Change to Google

Automated Edit:

Add Google as Primary Search (Line 18)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Go to Start/Run/Regedit

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"

To change the Search Companion and address bar search to Google, you must disable the Search Companion, change the AutoSearch URL, and then re-enable Search Companion.

To disable the Search Companion feature and use the Classic Internet Search feature open Internet Explorer, click the Search button on the toolbar. Click Change Preferences, and then click Change Internet search behavior. Click With Classic Internet Search, and then click OK. Restart Internet Explorer for the changes to take effect.

To change the autosearch URL, open the Search sidebar again and click Customize. Then click AutoSearch settings and select "Google Sites".

To re-enable the Search Companion feature, click Customize on the Search bar. Click Use Search Companion in the Customize Search Settings dialog box, and then click OK. Restart Internet Explorer for the changes to take effect.

TweakUI/Internet Explorer/Search/Create.  Prefix: g
URL: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&num=100&q=%s

Search Google from the Address Bar & KB Q#'s (Line 65)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use: Type g (followed by a space) then the search line
To use: Type gk (followed by a space) then Q######

Remove Google Search History (Line 33)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Manual Edit:

Go to the key listed below:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\
S-1-5-21-1960408961-220523388-682003330-1003

With the S-1-5-21....in blue, choose File/Export and save it to your deskop and name it (ex). googlehistoryclear.reg. Leave the registry open then go to your desktop.

Right click the saved reg file and choose Edit. If it needs an association choose Notepad.

Scroll down to these keys:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System
Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\q:StringData]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System
Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\q:StringIndex]

To make the search/scroll easier they are listed in alphabetic order and you are looking for the end of the string in this case \q:StringData and \q:StringIndex. So scroll down to the q's....

Under q:StringData
Highlight what is listed after the word "Behavior"= only up to the words "Item Data"= and delete it. Then place a - (minus sign) after the = so that it looks like this: "Behavior"=-

From there hightlight what is listed after the words "Item Data"= only up to the next key and delete it. Then place a - (minus sign) after the = so that it looks like this:
"Item Data"=-

Do the same for q:StringIndex.

Once done choose File/Save. Use the red X to close. If it asked to save again, answer yes.

Return to the registy and delete this key: (right click, delete, accept the warning)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\
S-1-5-21-1960408961-220523388-682003330-1003

Then go back to your desktop and double click your saved regedit, answer yes. Then open Google and the search history is gone.

To Clear Google Toolbar History

Click on the Google logo to access the drop down menu. Choose the Clear Search History option. This will clear all the previous searches out of the drop down box.

TIP:  If you prefer several search engines:

Create an empty subfolder called "Search Engines" under your Windows folder, and change the value of the Registry key above to read (replace %windir% with your real Windows folder name):  %windir%\\Search Engines

From now on, when you click that Search button, this empty folder will open in the Search pane.  All the hard work is done, we just need to fill it with Search engines. For this go to http://www.allonesearch.com/. Start by dragging this URL from the Address bar into the Search pane. A link to this web page will be created in the Search pane.

Browse through the list of Search engines there, and simply drag the URLs of the ones you like into the Search pane. You can rename them, customize the folder's appearance, delete them by right-clicking, change their icons, and generally do all the drag-and-drop natural Windows GUI things to them that you wish.

NOTE: The only thing that doesn't work well is using subfolders (they don't behave nicely), however you can work around this by using a modified internet shortcut (via Notepad), to point to a folder instead (it will open in the main window), if you want to create a hierarchy of specialized Search engines.

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called "Search Bar" and set it to the Search URL of your choice under value data.

Note: This tweak can also be applied on a per-user basis under the [HKEY_CURRENT_USER] hive.

Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Note2: If you want a choice of several Search engines, create an empty subfolder called "Search Engines" under your Windows folder, and change the value of the Registry key above to read (replace %windir% with your real Windows folder name): %windir%\\Search Engines

Fill the folder with Search Engines of your choice. When you click that Search button, this folder will open in the Search pane.

Search Engine Marketing - Affordable SEO Services

SEMNation focus on providing result-oriented services that include Affordable SEO Services, Link Building
Services, PPC Search Engine Marketing.  Click here for more information.

Searching Help and Support - Disable the Search Word from Being Highlighted in Blue

When searching for a topic in the Help And Support Center, the search feature automatically highlights the word you searched for every time it occurs in the help topic text. This can be obnoxious. For example, when we searched for the word “Registry” and then displayed the Windows Registry help topic, the word Registry occurred twelve times in the text, and each time was highlighted in blue. To turn this off, click Start, Help And Support, and Set Search Options. Under Set Search Options, click the Turn On Search Highlight checkbox to deactivate that feature.

While you’re still using Set Search Options, notice the line that reads, Return Up To 15 Results Per Provider. This means that of all possible search results, up to 15 results will appear from each of three categories: suggested topics, full-text search matches, and the Microsoft Knowledge Base. To display more or fewer results for each search, highlight the number 15 and type the number of maximum results you want to see.

Security and Maintenance

Use Windows Update to Keep Your Computer Current

Use Access Control to Restrict Who Can Use Files

Use Backup to Protect Data

Copy Files and Folders to a CD

Encrypt Your Data to Keep It Safe

Use Hibernate and Standby to Conserve Batteries

Use Security and Privacy Features in Internet Explorer 6

Security Tab

To Display the Security Tab: Start/Settings/Control Panel/Appearance & Themes/Folder Options. View/Advanced
and clear "Use Simple File Sharing".

Security Shortcut

In Internet Explorer, the traditional way to adjust your browser's security settings is to click on Tools / Internet Options / Security -- but there's a faster way: look for a green globe at the bottom right-hand corner of your browser. Double-click on it, and now you can change your security settings on the fly!

Send Mail

This add-on context menu item allows you to open a mail client window and add the web page Title and URL to it.
Handy if you want to refer someone to the page in an E-Mail or Newsgroup post. Requires Internet Explorer 4 or higher.

The .zip file should contain 3 files:

Readme.txt
Mailto_URL.reg
Mailto_URL.htm

To install, move Mailto_URL.htm to C:\Windows\Web folder, then double-click the Mailto_URL.reg file to add the context menu key to the Registry.

To use, just right-click anywhere in a web page and select "E-mail page". The URL will be copied to the subject and the title plus url to the body of the new message

To uninstall, you need to manually edit the Registry, and delete the key:  HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\MenuExt\E-mail Page.  Download here.  After the procedure is complete, logoff then log back on.

SENDMAIL.DLL FIX - (Reference)

"When you right-click on a graphic file to e-mail it via "Mail Recipient" from the SendTo menu, you have to deal every single time with that annoying dialog box: "Do you want to keep the original size or change the size?", and you are given 3 options to choose from. Also right-clicking on a file sending places "Emailing:" in the Subject box.

In the Compose mail window you must also delete "Your files are now attached and ready to send."
But I eliminated all these nuisances by altering WinXP's SENDMAIL.DLL [26 KB, zipped].

Place the "fixed" file into BOTH your %systemroot%\System32 and %systemroot%\System32\DllCache folders (default XP %systemroot% directory is C:\Windows), overwriting the original ones.

You may have to go to DOS to actually be able to perform these replacements: see "MS IE 5.5 SP2 + 6.0 FIX" step 6 (SOLUTION + UPDATE), also in MYTIPS95.TXT (part of W95-11D.ZIP), to learn how to replace Windows 2000/XP system files already in use.  Reboot when done.

When trying to e-mail a pic, Windows XP may balk and refuse at first, but just click on the red X to exit the error box, and then when asked if you are sure, just say Yes.  BACKUP your unmodified SENDMAIL.DLL FIRST!"

SendMail.dll  - XP Fix Mail (Annoyed with Windows XP mail quirks?)

This fixes the inability of Outlook Express to send text URLs to other mail users from your Internet Explorer web browser.  After some investigation even though other IE6/OE6 users have normal functionality, their sendmail.dll file is at version 5.5, as opposed to Windows XP users having version 6.0.

This little routine automatically replaces sendmail.dll with version 5.5.  This routine also backs up your XP V6 sendmail.dll, and the entire procedure can be reversed using the standard Add/Remove programs from your control panel.  The program is called XPfixMail, and as always, is FREE software courtesy of FrazierWare (A wholly owned imaginary subsidiary of a non-existent corporation that has no known commercial customers).  Download Fix Here.

Sendmail.dll - TweakXP.Com

Fix bug in IE 6.0 sendmail.dll file (Functionality of Menu/Send/Link by Email)

In IE6 when trying to Send/File/Link by Email from the menu bar, IE6 prevents the loaded Web Address from being copied into the email message area of either OE6 or Outlook XP. This does not occur in IE 5.5. This is specifically regarding the IE feature, which allows the convenient quick paste of the Web Address into an email message area without having to manually copy and paste. (This does not address OE or Outlook security blocking of misc. attachments.)

To fix this, a copy of IE 5.5 sendmail.dll file is required, located in the Windows/System folder. Delete or rename and/or backup the IE 6.0 sendmail.dll file, which is located in the Window/System32 folder (Windows XP). Paste the IE 5.5 sendmail.dll into the Windows/System32 folder. This will allow you to use the Menu/Send/Link by Email function on the IE 6.0 menu bar.

Send To

Windows Explorer/Documents & Settings/User Name/SendTo or Start/Run/SendTo
How to Add Items to the "Send To" Menu in Windows XP

Sent To - Desktop

Send to Desktop Fix

Open notepad, and create a blank text file named 'Desktop (create shortcut). DESKLINK' Save it in the %userprofile%/sendto folder.

Send To - Add to Context Menu (Right Click). 

Add SendTo the right click. Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]

Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called "(Default)" and set it to this value data:
 "{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}".  Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

     Tip:  Add a Menu Option to Move and Copy Folders.  Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
             [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

To enable the Copy To Folder menu option create a new subkey called "Copy To" and set the (Default) value to "{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}".

To enable the Move To Folder menu option create a new subkey called "Move To" and set the (Default) value to "{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}".  Changes should take effect immediately, right click on folder to view the new options.

Send To Toys is an enhancement of the Send To system menu: Screenshot and download.

- "Add to Send To menu" and "Remove from Send To menu" allow you to personalize the Send To system menu for drives,
   folders, and programs.

- Send To "Clipboard (as name)" copies the name of the file or files to the clipboard. Hold down the CTRL key to change
   the settings for this extension.

- Send To "Command Prompt" opens a DOS console window, setting the current directory to the selected folder.

- Send To "Favorites" adds a shortcut to your Favorites list. Hold down the CTRL key for the Add Favorites system dialog.

- Send To "Folder..." sends a file or files to another folder, you will be shown a dialog box that lets you choose where the
   files should be copied. To move the files press and hold down the SHIFT key.

- Send To "Run..." sends a file or files to the Run command dialog.

Send To - Show "Send to" Context Menu

This setting allows you to control whether the "Send to" context menu is displayed when a file or directory object is right-clicked in explorer.

Open your registry (Start/Run/Regedit) and find the key below. You may need to create the key if it does not already exist.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]

Value Name: (Default)
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: (empty = disabled, "{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}" = enabled)

Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called '(Default)' and edit the value according to the settings below. Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Serious Error Message

The system has recovered from a serious problem. A log of this error has been created. When you view the System Log in the Event Viewer, you may notice an Event ID 1003.  This behavior can occur if the Windows XP System Restore feature is corrupted.

To resolve this issue, turn off the System Restore feature, and then turn it back on. To do this, follow these steps. NOTE: You must turn on the System Restore feature after you turn it off to resolve this issue. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Switch to Classic View, and then double-click System. Click the System Restore tab, and the click to select the Turn off System Restore check box. Click OK, and then click Yes to confirm that you want to turn off the System Restore feature.
Restart the computer.

You may receive the following error message when you restart Windows: The system has recovered from a serious problem. A log of this error has been created. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click System. Click the System Restore tab, and the click to clear the Turn off System Restore check box. Click OK, and then restart the computer.

Use of these options to rid of the error message:

Windows XP Patch: System Recovery Error Appears After Every Reboot:
You Receive a "System Has Recovered from a Serious Error" Message After Every Restart

Use one of these three:

1.  Right Click the My Computer Icon/Properties/Advanced/Performance/Settings/Advanced/Change. Set Page File to 0, ok your way out and reboot. Then follow the same procedure and reset the Page File to System Managed File.

2.  Right Click the My Computer Icon/Properties/Advanced/Performance/Advanced/Virtual Memory/Change/No Page File. Reboot. Then delete C:\Pagefil.Sys then revert the page file setting.

3.  Right Click the My Computer Icon/Properties/Advanced/Performance/Advanced/Virtual Memory/Change. Set the swap file size to zero, reboot. Re-set to System Managed, reboot. Reset the Custom setting, reboot.

     Report Error's to Microsoft Automatically

Start/Run/gpedit.msc/Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/System/Error Reporting. Right click Report Errors/Properties. Check off Enable and then check off, Do not display links to any MS provided more information web sites. Apply, ok.

Services - Disable (Source Unknown)

To disable unneeded startup services for a safer, faster XP, use the "Services" Admin Tool (Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services). If you are a single user of a non-networked machine, you can disable the following items, with no ill effect.

Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service (Slows the hard drive down)
Messenger
Net Logon (unnecessary unless networked on a Domain)
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for extra security)
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service ("Universal P'n'P", & leaves TCP Port 5000 wide open)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telnet (disabled for extra security)
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks)
Workstation

Services - Listed and Explained

Windows XP Services

Services - Here is a way to figure out which services to set as Automatic and which to set as manual or disabled.

Step1:  Set ALL your services to *manual* setting.
Step2:  Reboot computer and wait for windows XP to load. XP will boot pretty slowly, since it has to turn on each service
            separately. Use your computer for a bit, doing what you normally do during a computing session. This will allow any
            other services to activate (such as DHCP or other services that didn't load during the boot process).
Step3:  Go back to the list of services, and see which ones are Started. Change the services that are marked as Started, to
           *Automatic*. This way windows will automatically load all of the services that you normally use, and the ones that
            you don't use will stay unloaded.

     Tip:  Services Running - Alter to Improve Performance

DNS Client - Automatic / Manual - This service is responsible for DNS lookup so disable at your own risk!
IPSEC Services - Automatic / Manual
Messenger - Automatic / Manual
Remote Registry - Automatic / Manual
Automatic Updates - Automatic / Disabled
Computer Browser - Automatic / Manual
Distributed Link Tracking Client - Automatic / Manual
Portable Media Serial Number - Automatic / Disabled
Task Scheduler - Automatic / Manual

Service Packs and Components

You can use the SPCheck to determine the service pack level of installed components on computers.

The SPCheck tool generates a report that lists the origin of each file for each installed component.
Download XPSP Chk.exe
Which fixes are included in Service Pack 1?

Setup

Get Ready to Set Up Windows XP Professional

Setup Issues and Conflicts
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_conflicts.htm

Setup Stops Responding (Hangs) During File Copy
Error Msg: Cannot find file: \Windows\System32\hal.dll
Cannot Install Windows XP from a Folder That Is Not Named i386
"NTLDR Is Missing" Error Message When You Upgrade or Install Windows XP Over Win95/98, or Win Me
Troubleshooting Invalid CD Key Error Message During Windows XP Setup
"Path Specified in Setup Is Invalid" Error Message When You Try to Install Windows XP
Error Message "Setup Cannot Upgrade..." When You Upgrade to Windows XP Pro
Message About Pressing ESC to Restart Your Computer During Windows XP Setup
Error Message: Setup Cannot Continue. Please Contact Microsoft Technical Support. (Error: 3E6h)

Tip:  Since Win2K, it has been possible to hit Shift-F10 during setup to get a console window.  This can be great to see what's hanging up an install or look up info left in a text file, but it has obvious limited usefulness - it's too darned
hard to do some operations from a console window!

What you can do, however, is use "Winfile" from the very moment that setup starts.  It needs to be the NT version - either NT 4 or 3.51 will work, and presumably earlier versions also.  The WfW3.11 or Win9x version *will not* work
on 2000/XP.

Since Winfile is only 244 K, it can be carried around comfortably on a tech floppy or burned onto a tools CD.  Not an everyday need, but when you do need file browse ability during an XP setup, you really need it.

Setup and Installation

Triple Boot Win9x/Win2K/Win XP
Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating Files and Settings

Setupp.ini - (Reference)

How to verify XP software you bought is OEM/UPGRADE/RETAIL?

I am sure we all have noticed Microsoft product marketing strategy. Whenever they launch any new product line, there are various flavors of it available right from day one. Some are given adjectives like UPGRADE version or FULL, others RETAIL v/s OEM and then of-course we have various categories of the product like HOME, PRO , SERVER , ADVANCED SERVER etc etc.

Well ever wondered what you bought is same as what was advertised ? How to tell the difference. Here comes the help. Look for a file called Setupp.ini that is present on your Windows XP CD and double click on it and browse its content. There is a field called PID=. This PID is what would tell us exactly what we have got.First 5 bytes of PID decide whether (it is OEM or RETAIL or is an UPGRADE ) and last three digits determine what kind of CD KEY will it accept. Here are some of the typical PID values:

Retail = 51882 335
Volume License = 51883 270
OEM = 82503 OEM

Shared Documents - Remove

Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\My Computer\NameSpace\ DelegateFolders

Delete this key {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. The Shared Documents folders (which are normally under the group called "Other Files Stored on This Computer") will be gone.

Shared Documents - After SP3

How to share the "Shared Documents" folder in the LAN on a system
running Windows XP Professional with SP3 installed

1) Generic:

The following guide works fine running Windows XP Pro with SP3 installed.

Since there are no experiences in working with Windows XP Home,
it might be possible not to get the expected results with WXP Home.

Also there is a registry hint that might avoid to set (or create)
some registry keys or values if running WinXP Home (more about this later).

This guide has been written, because applying service pack 3 leads to
several security hints due to sharing folders within a workgroup.

Since there are many changes to be made in the registry, it is very
strongly suggested to backup the registry very first. A faulty edited
registry leads to an unstable or even unbootable system. Please note,
that every change you perform in the registry editor is stored immediately.

If you've decided to share folders in a system running WXP pro SP3 over the LAN,
please disconnect your system from the LAN by unplugging the network cable
from the computer to avoid severe security problems (more later).

As far as this guide has been written to share the "Shared Documents" folder,
it also applies to the generic sharing problem in WXP-SP3. Therefore you've only
to skip the section of moving the "Shared Documents" folder and you've only
to carry out the other steps.

Finally: Good luck !

2) Prepare:
* decide which folders you want to share with others over the LAN
* Back up your system
* Unplug your network cable
* Log in as "admistrator" or any other user with administrative privileges.
* Back up the registry

3) Relocate the "Shared Documents" folder (if any):
* copy the whole folder into the new location.

Using the MS tool "robocopy" you're able to copy the ACL's too.

You can get robocopy as part from the Windows Server 2003 Tools here.

You can get a GUI here.

You can get information about robocopy here.

* Follow the steps described on this Kelly's Korner site:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_shell_folders.htm

Please note, that you must apply the registry settings to the
"HKLM\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" key rather
than to the "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"
key if moving the "Shared Documents" folder.

As mentioned in Kelly's article you may use the tweakui powertoy for XP
for changing the registry values properly. Powertoys for Windows XP may be downloaded from here.

* Re-logon

4) Grant permissions:
* Unauthorize the "Guest" account. This is the reason why we disconnected our system from the LAN.
Without unauthorizing the "Guest" account you can't get access to the system from another computer.
Unauthorization means, that the "Guest" account needs no password.

It will be done by changing the following value in the registry:

- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
- Change (or add) the DWORD value: ForceGuest=0

* Close the registry editor and disable the "Guest" account (if not already done)

* Right click the folders you're about to share, share it and remove the "Guest"
account (aka "Everybody") in both the "Sharing->Permissions" and the "Security" Tab.

* Grant permissions to anybody you want to share the specified folder in both the
"Sharing->Permissions" and the "Security" Tab. Ashure the users in the workgroup
having a local account.

5) Finalize:
* Reboot your system
* Connect your system to the LAN (plug in network cable)
* Try to connect from a foreign system using a valid account, all should work fine.
* Try to connect from a foreign system using the "Guest" account, access should be denied.
* I know that it's awesome, but back up your system and registry again :-)

Comments provided by:  Reinhard Leitner  (9/08)

Shell Icon Cache - Clear/Delete

In Case you are having problems with the ShellIconCache file and deleting it does not help, a quick method for fixing these problems is to right-click on the desktop and choose Properties. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Appearance tab. From the Item drop-down list, choose Icon. Click the up arrow in the Size box to increase it by one pixel. Click Apply, click the down arrow in the Size box to return the icons to their previous dimensions, and click OK.

Add Icon Cache Size to Folder Options/View (Line 166)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Shell32 Icons:  %SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll  (IT Library)

SFC - System File Checker - (SFC /Scannow)

/SCANNOW
Scans all protected system files immediately.
/SCANONCE
Scans all protected system files at the next boot.
/SCANBOOT
Scans all protected system files at every boot.
/REVERT
Windows XP: Return to default settings.

     Tip:  SFC sets the following registry value:  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
              NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SFCScan
     Tip:  SFC Creates a log - Start/Run/Msinfo32/Tools/File Signature Verification Ulitity

Shortcut to....-  Remove the 'Shortcut to...' Prefix on Shortcuts

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:

Per User
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
Per System
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]

Create a new BINARY value name 'link', modify the existing value, to equal '00 00 00 00' to have the Shortcut text disabled (00 00 00 00 = No Shortcut Text).  Restart Windows before creating any new shortcuts.

Note: This restriction can be used either on a user by user basis by adding it to HKEY_CURRENT_USER or on a computer wide basis by adding it to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Short Cuts - Add Shortcuts To Start Menu

When you click Start to display Windows XP's new Start menu, you'll see a list of six most-frequently-used programs on the left side of the menu (below Internet and Email). Want to squeeze a couple more in there?

Right click the Start button (or a blank area of the Start menu) and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click the Customize button next to Start Menu. Under Programs, use the up and down arrows to adjust the number of programs in the list--the max is 30, although you'll only be able to see up to eight with the default large icon size--then click OK twice.

Short Cuts - Broken (Reference)

Have You seen those annoying searches for broken shortcuts/links? 

Well there is are couple of ways to solve this problem. If You are comfortable with Registry manipulation, Open registry editor by going to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. 

Add a new key by the name "NoResolveTrack" (without quotes) and sets its value to 1.

This can be achieved by group policy editor as well. Open group policy editor by opening START-RUN and entering gpedit.msc. Navigate to User Configuration\AdministrativeTemplates\Start Menu and Taskbar group policy and selecting "Do not use the tracking-based method when resolving shell shortcuts". 

Short Cut - Links Not Working

EXE Fix for Windows XP - Line 12 (Restores EXE association)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Restore lnk association: (Line 12) Link File Fix for Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use the Regedits: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.
 
Show Desktop Icon is Missing

Copy and paste the five lines below into Notepad.

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Then save it as Show Desktop.scf and drag it to your quick launch bar.

Restore/Add Show Desktop to Quick Launch (Line 61)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

How to Re-create the Show Desktop Icon on Quick Launch Toolbar

Show Hidden Files and Folders is Missing from Folder Options

Go to: Start/Run/Regedit  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden. 
Modify the string value "Type" and enter "group" as value data.  After the edit is complete hit F5 to refresh.

Shutdown

Power the Computer Off or Reboot After Shutdown

This edit controls whether Windows should automatically power down or reboot your computer once it has finished the shutdown process.

Power Off or Reboot After Shutdown (Line 76)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

This edit automatically ends tasks and timeouts that prevent programs from shutting down and clears the Paging File on Exit.

Auto End Tasks and Wait to Kill Timeout for Shutdown (Line 76)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

This edit allows you to configure Windows so that you receive verbose startup, shutdown, logon, and logoff status messages. This may be helpful to in troubleshooting slow startup, shutdown, logon, or logoff behavior.

Startup/Shutdown/Logon/Logoff Status Messages (Line 69)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

View Log Events by Code or List or Clear (Line 126)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Windows XP Restarts Unexpectedly or Restarts When You Shut Down
the Computer http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q320299

Windows XP Restarts When You Try to Shut Down Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q311806

See if anything listed here helps/applies:

Windows XP Boot Problems & Edits
Windows XP Shutdown & Restart Troubleshooter
Computer Does Not Shut Down Properly if Selective Suspend Is Enabled
Gizmo

Shutdown Command - Disable

Start/Run/GPEDIT.MSC

Computer Configurations/Windows Settings/Security Settings/Local Policies/User Rights Assignment/Shut Down the System/Users/Remove.

There may be certain machines that you do not want to be shut down; for instance, a workgroup print server, or a machine in
a kiosk. With this Registry edit, you can take away that option:  Start/Run/Regedit

Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Key: \Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Name: NoClose
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1

Shutdown Shortcuts

Shutdown.exe for Windows XP

Copy the line below to Notepad:  Name it and save with a JS extension.

(new ActiveXObject("Shell.Application")).ShutdownWindows();

Shutdown Tracker

The Shutdown Event Tracker provides a simple and standard mechanism you can use to consistently document the reasons for shutting down or restarting your computer. The information provided is recorded in the system log in Event Viewer.  Download from here or set it manually by:

Going to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Reliability

Create a new DWORD value or modify the existing value named "ShutdownReasonUI" and set it to "1" to enable shutdown event tracking. When enabled an additional drop-down option box will be displayed with various planned and unplanned shutdown reasons. Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Shutdown Troubleshooters

Windows XP Boot Problems & Edits
Windows XP Shutdown & Restart Troubleshooter
Windows XP Stops Responding (Hangs) During Windows Shutdown While Saving Your Settings

SlideShow Timing - Change

Increase SlideShow Timeout to 10 Seconds (Row 81)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

The value of the number is represented in milliseconds between image changes:
1000 = 1 second, 5000 = 5 seconds, 10000=10 seconds, etc. To modify my script change the time accordingly.

In order to change the slideshow timing, open regedit and go to the following key.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellImageView]

Create a DWORD named "Timeout", with the value the number of millseconds between image changes (1000 (Dec) = 1 second, 5000 = 5 seconds)

Note that the time of actually changing the image is not included, so 1000 = 1 second + time to decode the image.

Slingo2.Exe

Slingo2.exe May Cause an Error Message

Snap-in Creation Failed when trying to open gpedit.msc  (Pete H)

If you receive the "Snap-in creation failed" message when starting GPEDIT.MSC or a "Snap-in could not initialize" message: For Pro

Go to Start/Run/Msconfig/Expand File

File to Restore: framedyn.dl_
Restore From: i386 folder on your XP CD
Save File In: C:\Windows\System32

Software

Software News

Software Compatibility Site for Windows XP

The IT Resource Directory of Software Related Sites

Sort Order - Incorrect

Change the Sort Order Back to W2K Style (Line 107)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Sort Order - Reversed A-Z is Z-A

This behavior can occur if the sort order in Windows Explorer is changed from the default order.
Right-click Start, click Explore, and then click drive C. On the View menu, click Details.

Click the Name column to sort items by name, press and hold down the CTRL key, and then quit Windows Explorer by clicking Close in the upper-right corner of the screen. Release the CTRL key. Restart your computer.

Note: You must perform these steps exactly as they are listed. For example, do not quit Windows Explorer by clicking Exit
on the File menu.

Sort Start Menu and Favorites in Alphabetical Order

Start/Run/Regedit - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder]

To sort the Favorites menu hightlight the "Favorites" sub-key and delete it. To sort the Start Menu hightlight the "Start Menu" sub-key and delete it. Changes will take effect after you restart Windows and Internet Explorer.

Sort Start Menu Programs

To sort the Programs menu, the Documents menu, or the Favorites menu, right-click any item on the menu, and then click Sort by Name.

To use your keyboard to sort the menu items by name: Use the arrow keys to select the item on the menu that you want to sort. Press SHIFT+F10 to view the shortcut menu. Use either the DOWN ARROW key or the UP ARROW key to click Sort By Name, and then press ENTER.   Start Menu and Favorites Menu Not Listed in Alphabetical Order

Sound

Startup Sounds are missing:

TweakUI/General/Beep on errors (verify that the box is checked).
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp

System Sounds are missing:

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key: HKEY_USERS. If it doesn't have a Data entry in the right pane that reads: (value not set), double click (Default) and delete it. If it does, check your HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21 keys for the same.

Restore System Default Sounds (Line 6)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

This edit corrects many Sound issues:

Fix the Ding.wav File (Line 6)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Sound Troubleshooters

Resources for Troubleshooting Sound Problems in Windows XP
List of Sound and Gameport Drivers in Windows XP
Troubleshooting Games and Multimedia in Windows XP
Startup Sound Plays Irregularly After Upgrade to Windows XP
USB Speakers Make a "Pop" Sound When You Play Audio
Troubleshooting Playback in Windows Media Player for Windows XP

Sound Blaster Live - Speaker Problem Fix

1) Locate the file called ctsurmix.exe in your Creative SoundBlaster folder.
2) Right click it and select properties and then compatibility.
3) Select win2000 compatible mode and it should work again.

Source Path

Copy the contents of the I386 folder from your XP CD to your hard drive. Then go to Start/Run/Regedit.  Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

In the right pane, change SourcePath to reflect your settings. NOTE:  Do not include I386 in the path.

SP1 for Windows XP (more information under SP1 - Troubleshooting and Information)

How to Obtain the Latest Windows XP Service Pack
Order the Windows XP Service Pack 1 CD
Release Notes for Windows XP Service Pack 1
Service Pack 1 Changes to Product Activation
Categorized List of Fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1)

SP1 - "Access is Denied" at the end of the XP Service Pack 1 setup.

If the installation logs points to the  following key :

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{5B9169C0-DB65-42AA-A38A-0726846AAEB3}

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate \Auto Update\ResetAU
Make sure Administrators group and System account have access to that registry key and all keys under it.

For an NTFS drive:  Check the permissions on this folder: c:\1adb29f45d19253874d9e26de0e056cb\update

Other options:

Check the svcpack.log file.  You may have to locate tools on the web like Filemon to monitor files and Regmon to monitor the registry to track down what is causing the issue. Usually this error occurs when a file or a reg key has the permissions changed so it cannot be accessed properly. It could be a number of different files or registry entries so there isn't any one easy answer.

Using the two tools listed above you can track down when the files and registry entries are accessed by the service
pack install so that when the error occurs you can see what is being touched and access is then being denied. After
you locate the file or registry entry you need to change the permissions so the service pack can complete.

Darrell Gorter [MS]
Microsoft Beta Support Team

SP1 - Add or Remove Error after Installing SP1 ("Parser Message: Value creation failed" at line 472" error)

If you are using Style XP: Right click the Desktop/Properties/Desktop/choose Windows XP and try again.

Style XP also has an update available for SP1

If you have renamed the uxtheme.dll (patch) you could try running SFC /Scannow to restore the original MS version. Or
check in the root directory for "UxTheme.dll.tqtbak" and rename it to UxTheme.dll and replace the copy in: "C:\windows\system32" with the new renamed copy.  The original MS Version - 6.0.2800.1045 (1.98 kb)

The patch can be downloaded here: http://www.tgtsoft.com/downloads/uxthemepatcher.zip

Another workaround posted by:  MVP Mark Salloway

To get rid of this error you can switch back to a Microsoft Theme or go to
/WINDOWS/Resources/Themes/<Name of theme in use> and rename the shell folder to the name of the visual style shown in the appearance tab. If you have a theme with multiple variations you must make this change for each subfolder containing a differing styleshell.dll file.

SP1 - AutoDial is Disabled or You Can't Add a Dialup Connection after installing SP1

This is a very noted problem for users after installing SP1. I have some suggestions, however none of them are the well needed fix. We are still waiting for the proper workaround from MS.

Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RasMan\PPP\EAP
Delete the subkeys listed except 13 and 4.

Go to Start/Administrative Tools/Services. Set these three to "Automatic":
Remote Access Connection Manager, Remote Access Auto Connection Manager,Telephony.

Explained more in detail:

To force automatic dialing when a program requires a TCP/IP connection: Go to Start/Administrative Tools/Services. Set these three to "Automatic": Remote Access Connection Manager, Remote Access Auto Connection Manager, Telephony.

Now you can even set "Never dial a connection" in Internet options, the dial out process is independent to this
option. You will notice that the interface for dialing out is different than the standard IE interface.

For DSL:  Disable TCP/IP for the DSL network card, since it only serves as a virtual modem for the DSL connection. If you have a LAN connected to your PC be careful not to deactivate TCP/IP for the local area network: If you have DSL and LAN you should have two network cards in your PC, one is for the DSL, the other for the LAN, so make sure you deactivate TCP/IP for the right card (the DSL card, for example "LAN Connection 1" or "LAN connection 2").
and follow the instructions.

New Connection Wizard is Greyed Out (Two Methods)

Check the rasapi32.dll file.

The "rasapi32.dll" file is located in the "c:\windows\system32" folder by default. If this file is also located in the "c:\windows" folder and this file is an old version, similar issues will occur. Check if "rasapi32.dll" file is only located in the "c:\windows\system32" folder. If not, rename other "rasapi32.dll" files to the "rasapi32.old" files. Reboot the computer
and check if this issue still occurs. If this issue still occurs, try the following method to overwrite the current "rasapi32.dll" file:

1. Insert into the Windows XP CD (I assume that the drive letter of CD-ROM is E).
2. Click the Start Menu and choose the "Run…" menu. Input the command:
    expand e:\i386\rasapi32.dl_ c:\windows\system32\rasapi32.dll
3. Restart the computer and check if this issue still occurs.

Method 2:=========

1. From Start, go to Run, type Regedit in the Open box, and then press Enter.
2. Make a backup copy of the following registry key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony
3. Delete the following value:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony\Cards\NexxtID
4. Quit and then restart the Make a Connection Wizard. All of the network connection options should now be available.

Dial-up Modem or PPPoE Option in New Connection Wizard Is Unavailable
You Cannot Create a Network Connection After You Restore Windows XP

SP1 - Before Installing - Alex Nichol MVP

Disable all anti-virus and firewall etc in their own settings. If you have Style XP to gives different desktop styles, or other tweaking software that patches the core system files or assumes specific versions (eg for a different splash screen) remove it first.

If you ever installed XP-Antispy, it disables a dll XSP1 needs, so just in case, Start - Run and run
regsvr32 licdll.dll
regsvr32 regwiz.dll

Start - Run Msconfig.exe.  Uncheck the Load Startup items; and in Services page check 'hide Microsoft services' and
uncheck those lines left. (Restore the settings once SP1 is installed of course)

OK, and reboot to a clean machine from which to run the SP1 setup. All this should not be necessary, but if there has been difficulty is worth the trouble.

SP1 - Bootable CD

How to create a bootable CD for XP with SP1

Microsoft added the ability to Slipstream a Service Pack to Windows XP. It not only has the advantage that when you
reinstall your OS, you'll don't have to apply the Service Pack later, also if you update any Windows component later, you'll
be sure that you get the correct installation files if Windows needs any.  Slipstream Windows XP Service Pack 1

You can also go here and follow instructions and make a new XP CD and have this SP/1 integrated into it. This way if you ever have to do a clean install of XP, the Service Pack will also be installed for you during the install.

SP1 - "For Testing Purposes Only" on the Desktop

Automated edit:  Click here.  Manual Edit:

How to remove:  Go to Start/Run/Regedit and Remove the following keys:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\CA\Certificates\
FEE449EE0E3965A5246F000E87FDE2A065FD89D4]
and
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SystemCertificates\ROOT\Certificates\
2BD63D28D7BCD0E251195AEB519243C13142EBC3]

Or...

Go to Start/Run/certmgr.msc. Trusted Root Certification Authority/Certificates. If MS Test Root Authority is listed, delete it.

SP1 - Internet Explorer (Can't view websites that use JavaScript) by Weston Wheat

Problem: After installing ServicePack1(SP1) for Win XP pro and Explorer 6.0 SP1, the browser with not open web pages that were link by a JavaScript. A good example was www.tvguide.com  go to the listing web and try to open the information window for a show. The child window will not open and the browser would return a error icon in the bottom bar.

After playing with the security settings and even try to reinstalling Microsoft Java Virtual Machine for Win XP, still the browser still would not respond to JavaScript links.

The Fix: Out of desperation, I un-installed the SP1 for Win XP Pro by going to the Control Panel, Add/Remove programs window. And selected Service Pack 1 for XP to be un-installed. Followed the on screens instructions and rebooted the computer with ask to.

Still, however the browser would not respond to JavaScript links. So again, out of desperation I un-installed Explorer 6.0 by going to the Control Panel, Add/Remove programs window, Click on Add/Remove Windows Components and de-selected Explorer. Click next and followed the on screen instructions until finished. The Explorer icon was still there on the desk-top after running the un-install for Explorer.

So I rebooted the computer and upon reboot the icon was missing. Now, I wanted to re-install Win XP SP1 for all the security updates, I was considering running without the service pack, but change my mind when I saw how many security issues there were to install without the service pack. I ran the downloadable executable file version of the service pack (130 megs file size).

Followed the on screen instructions. Note: Always use the backup old files option. And rebooted when I was ask to do so. Next, came the re-install of Explorer 6.0 . I went to the Control Panel, Add/Remove programs window, click on Add/Remove Windows Components and selected Explorer. Clicked next and followed the on screen instructions. Rebooted at the end of the process.

When the computer come up, I opened Explorer and check the reversion level and it was at SP1. I know, weird!, but I decided to test the browser and it worked on the www.tvguide.com page. All was then well. My browser now works great and it does seem a little faster.

Conclusion: I think by running the executable file version of the service pack to install the SP1 for Win XP Pro and not the express method as I had the first time when the problem began, it replaced the problem dll's/files. Then by installing Explorer on top of XP Pro SP1, the browser had a good footing.

The short of it is: Un-installed XP SP1. Un-installed MS Explorer 6.0. Then re-installed XP SP1 and finally re-installed MS Explorer 6.0. I hope this helps someone.  Weston Wheat

SP1 - Invalid Key

Error Message: The Product Key Used to Install Windows Is Invalid

If it is a legitimate key, contact Microsoft here.

If it is pirated, you need to contact the seller and Microsoft. Also you have 2 options:

1. Perform a Clean Install with the OS of your choice deleting ALL data.
2. Purchase Windows XP Pro (Home will not work) and perform a Repair Installation using the new valid key:

Or Contact the Microsoft Customer Service (in the US or Canada call 800-426-9400 or Visit here.

SP1 - Outlook Express (Can't Switch Identities)

Switching Between Dual Identities and more has been corrected: Cumulative Update for Outlook Express 6.0 SP1

This update contains fixes and enhancements to Outlook Express 6.0 SP1 as well as eliminates all previously addressed security vulnerabilities affecting Outlook Express 6.0 SP1.  Download here.

OLEXP: An Overview of the Cumulative Update for Outlook Express 6.0 SP-1

There are currently two workarounds and one option if you haven't installed the Cumulative Update:

Click on File/Identities/Manage Identities and remove the checkmark in "Use this identity when starting a program".

Another option:

Before changing identity, Press F1. The Outlook Express "Help" window will open (leave it running in the background).

Option:  Put a shortcut to msoe.chm in the Startup folder and leave the default ID active.

You Cannot Switch Identities in Outlook Express After You Install Windows XP SP1

SP1 - Outlook Express - Expanded Folders

Some users claim to have lost the option of having Outlook Express open with all of the folders expanded (or at least
the ones that were expanded when Outlook Express was last closed).

Workaround attempted:  Extract these OE files from pre-SP1files from $NTServicePackUninstall:  - msimn.exe and
- msoe.dll.  However, XP actually goes and auto-replaces them with the SP1 versions seconds after the copy.

Workaround solution:  Create a folder called \pre-sp1 under \Program Files\Outlook Express, copy those 2 pre-SP1 files in there, and execute this old version of msimn.exe to get OE running back the way it was before installing SP1.

SP1 - Recovery Console

When you attempt to log on to Recovery Console in Windows XP by typing the correct password for the local Administrator account, Recovery Console may display the following error message:

The password is not valid. Please retype the password. Type the Administrator password: This error message may occur even though you typed the correct password. If you start Windows XP, successfully log on by using the same password, change
the local administrator's password, and restart the computer to Recovery Console, you receive the same error message.

Reason:  If you have the Recovery Console installed on disk, you have to re-install it using the SP1 version as it is not up dated by the application of SP1. If you are booting up the PC with the original non-SP1 CD then you are not using the SP1 version of the Recovery Console and you will have to create your own slipstreamed SP1 XP CD. 
Fix:  Recovery Console regedit.  Download it from here.  Then right click on it and select merge, then try to get into the Recovery Console.

SP1 - Reinstall SP1

Reinstall SP1 for Windows XP in the following situations:

1.  After you perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP.
2.  After you perform a repair of Windows XP.
3.  After you use System Restore to restore your computer to a restore point that was created before you installed Windows
     XP SP1.
4.  After you upgrade from Windows XP Home Edition to Windows XP Professional Edition.

NOTE: When you upgrade from Windows XP Home Edition to Windows XP Professional Edition, Windows XP SP1 may be listed in Add/Remove Programs. However, if you try to remove Windows XP SP1 by using the Add/Remove Programs tool, you may receive an error message that states that Windows XP SP1 has already been removed.

When you perform an in-place upgrade of Windows XP, you reinstall Windows to the same folder. When you do this, files that were installed by SP1 for Windows XP are overwritten by the original version of the files from the Windows XP CD-ROM. This also occurs when you run a repair or upgrade from Windows XP Home Edition to Windows XP Professional Edition. For this reason, you must reinstall the service pack.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP
How to Obtain the Latest Windows XP Service Pack

SP1 - Removing Archived/Backup Files: 

If you selected "yes" and did a backup it should be listed in Add/Remove. If not, check here: Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

If you no longer wish to uninstall SP1 you can remove those extra files, to do so: Set your folder options to show hidden files then go to: C:\Windows\$NtServicePackUninstall$ and delete it.

After uninstalling the folder go to Add or Remove, choose uninstall and it will fail and then the listing will be removed.

SP1 - Service Pack Files

All of the service pack files are copied to a directory on the hard drive at \Windows\ServicePackFiles. The layout.inf file is modified to reflect this location, which gets stored in the registry (Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key) at:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\ServicePackSourcePath.

Hotfixes do not have this functionality included so may need to be reinstalled when a system change occurs.
You Do Not Have to Reinstall Windows XP Service Packs After System State Changes

SP1 - "Setup could not verify the integrity of the file Update.inf".  Make sure the Cryptographic service is running on this computer."

Fix:  Delete the content of the folder Windows\System32\catroot2.

For others who have had the same error message:

It turns out that the SP1 install failed because of low disc space and it left a massive amount of root directories set as Read Only. Check the attributes and remove any Read Only settings.

SP1 - Slipstream and Repair (upgrading to SP1 (before), running a slipstreamed repair (after).

Before running a repair: C:\ServicePackFiles\i386
After running a repair:   C:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386

If you perform a slipstreamed repair with a slipstreamed CD, the files are moved to C:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386. That is were windows stores the drivers so you don't need the CD and C:\ServicePackFiles\i386 is were SP1 stores the drivers.

Note:  Once SP1 is installed, it places the system files of SP1 in a backup folder. If a repair is initiated, the files modified by SP1 are refreshed from this backup folder while the remaining non-SP1 affected files are refreshed from the WinXP CD.

SP1 - System File Checker

Q.  Will running an SFC /Scannow on an XP SP1 machine *keep* all updated system files (found only on the hard drive and *not* on the XP CD) and leave SP1 intact?

A.  The updated files are in the folder Windows\ServicepackFiles. The .inf files that tell SFC where to get copies from are modified so that for relevant files it goes there first.

One thing you can do (best if you have two CD drives) is to burn that folder complete to CD; then with go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:  

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup. 

In the right pane, change the value of  'ServicePackSourcePath' accordingly; using the CD drive letter different from the original CD in 'SourcePath'. Then if files are needed you can have one CD in each drive.

SP1 - System Restore (Highlights of System Restore fixes included in SP1)

1. Fix for SR not launching due to the framedyn.dll error you all have been reporting.

2. No calendar available in the SR wizard to select restore points due to the the .htc file association being knocked out in the
registry has been fixed.

3. A fix for SR failing restores. A lot of you were seeing failed restores when restoring to any restore point. Although some of
it was attributed to SR data store corruption, in most cases it was possibly due to locked file issues causing the restore
process to fail, especially in scenarios where fast user switching was used. This was a known issue which is now fixed in in
SP1.

This will hopefully resolve all cases for failed restores and it would be great if all of you running into this problem could
upgrade to SP1 and provide us feedback on this issue, whether it has resolved the problem for you or not.

4. Fix for drive table inconsistency on a machine causing SR to not create restore points.

5. Security fixes for SR to keep away those terrible hackers and viruses.

So upgrade to SP1 and provide us with some feedback on your issues with SR and whether they are now resolved, especially when dealing with failed restores.

Anshul Rawat [MS] - System Restore, Windows XP

SP1 - Thumbnail View

Once you install SP1 for Windows XP, the rendering of thumbnail views for .htm, .html, .xml, .eml, .nws files are no longer supported.  This is to increase security.

SP1 Troubleshooting and Information

Categorized List of Fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1)
You Cannot Use the "Start Windows Using Last Known Good Configuration" Feature to Remove SP1
Cannot Start Windows XP After Installing Service Pack 1 and Then Performing a System Recovery Operation
Error Message: The Product Key Used to Install Windows Is Invalid
When to Reinstall Windows XP Service Pack 1
You Do Not Have to Reinstall Windows XP Service Packs After System State Changes
Service Pack 1 Changes to Product Activation
HOW TO: Change the Volume Licensing Product Key on a Windows XP SP1-Based Computer
How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP (Corrects Pirated Install)

SP1 Uninstall

Repairing the Windows XP Installation removes SP1

Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. For more information about how to do this, please refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer.

Insert your Windows XP compact disc (CD) into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. (You can also boot with a Windows 98/Me Startup disk with CD support and run WINNT.EXE in the I386 folder on the CD)

When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD. When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER:
To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. Do not select this option. On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press the R key to repair Windows XP. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

SP1 - Uninstalling SP1 and IE SP1 if it isn't listed in Add or Remove

Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Select a Restore Point that was created prior to installing SP1.  Then Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup.

SP2

Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) will bring users the latest security updates and innovations from Microsoft. It will establish stronger security settings that help defend against viruses, hackers, and worms and will provide unique new security features designed to make it easier for you to protect your PC.

Release notes for Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;835935

What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sp2_whattoknow.mspx#XSLTsection126121120120

Application Compatibility Testing and Mitigation Guide for Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9300becf-2dee-4772-add9-ad0eaf89c4a7&DisplayLang=en

Order Windows XP Service Pack 2 on CD
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default810.mspx

You can download SP2 from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en

Tips on Installing SP2: http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htm

How to use the Automatic Recovery feature to recover your computer if the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Setup program is not completed successfully
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;875355&Product=windowsxpsp2

Temporarily Disabling Delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2 through Windows Update and Automatic Updates
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2aumng.mspx

How to manage Internet Explorer add-ons in Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;883256

Manually Configuring Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/columns/cableguy/default.asp

New Networking Features in Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/columns/cableguy/cg0104.asp

Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.asp

Windows XP Service Pack 2: A Developer's View
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwxp/html/securityinxpsp2.asp

Windows XP Service Pack 2 - Technical Preview Program
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/sp2preview.mspx

What to do after installing Service Pack 2 (SP2)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;ln;xpsp2installed

Added Issues and Comments:

Slipstreaming Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Create Bootable CD
http://www.windows-help.net/WindowsXP/winxp-sp2-bootcd.html

Cannot install Service Pack 2 - Access denied
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm#Cannot_install_Service_Pack_2

The quickest and most thorough way to solve this problem is a batch file, written by fellow MVP Torgeir Bakken.  Download here.

Computer stops responding when you try to install an update in Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=885894

Boot or shutdown problems after Service Pack 2 installation
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm#Boot_or_shutdown_problems_after_Service_Pack_2_installation

You receive an "Access is denied" error message when you try to install Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm#Cannot_install_Service_Pack_2
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;873148&Product=windowsxpsp2

Norton AV needs an update to work with SP2. Here's the link:
http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/enterprise/sp2/compatibility.html

The requested section was not present in the Activation Context
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/debug/base/system_error_codes__12000-15999_.asp

When accessing the Windows Update site, you receive the 0x80072EFD error.
http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/showarticle.aspx?articleid=16&ln=en

When searching for available updates on the Windows Update site, you
receive the 0x8024402C, 0x80240030 or 0x8024502d error.
http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/showarticle.aspx?articleid=26&ln=en

Cleaning Up after Installing SP2 - MVP Alex Nichol

Installing SP2 leaves a lot of space on hard disk taken up by files you would only ever need if you were to uninstall it. Once you are sure you are happy with it:

A very big restore point will have been made. Once a new regular size one has been made in the ordinary way, clean up by going to
Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Cleanup
and in 'More Options' click the bottom button to remove all but the most recent restore point.

Delete the hidden folder of files that would be restored by an Uninstall: C:\Windows\$NTServicePackUninstall
Once done, if you try to use the 'Remove' for Service pack 2 in Add/remove programs, that will fail and offer to remove itself.

Note:  To view the hidden folder - Go to: Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/View/Show Hidden File and Uncheck Hide Protected
Operating System Files.

Note2:  Alternatively (for the $NtServicePackUninstall$ folder):  Notes by MVP Torgeir Bakken

If you make a backup of the folder to e.g. a CD, you can put it back if you need to uninstall SP2. After restoring the backup,
run %windir%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\spuninst.exe to start the process.

Note3:  If you see  %windir%\$NTUninstall* folders which dates back to your SP1 installation, you can delete those. They are not removed by the
SP2 installation in case you want/need to go back to SP1 (and then be able to uninstall the hotfixes in case you need to).

The following folders should be safe to delete:

%windir%\$xpsp1hfm$\
%windir%\$NtUninstallQ<some#>$\
%windir%\$NtUninstallKB<some#>$\

Note4:  Stop and start System Restore to possibly regain some space (but you will lose your current Restore points). You also may want to reduce
the amount of disk space System Restore is allowed to occupy.

How to turn on and turn off System Restore in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310405

More about System Restore here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/newsgroups/faqsrwxp.mspx

There may also be a large folder C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download depending on how you did the installation. That can also be deleted.

Check that the installations temporary folder did get properly removed - it will be on the drive where you downloaded the setup files, so probably
C: and have a long name of random letters. If it is still around, delete it. And burn the downloaded file to a CD so as to have it if you ever need to reinstall.

There will also be a large folder C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles. Do not delete this - it will be used in future by Windows File Protection - but on an NTFS
disk you can compress it to save about 200MB of disk space. R-click on it, Properties, click the Advanced button, and select 'Compress'.

Added info:  Can Hotfixes be removed via Add or Remove?  MVP Ronnie Vernon

Some of the Hotfixes (Mostly security updates) do not have an uninstall feature, these will not appear in the Add and Remove list. If a Hotfix does appear
in the Add and Remove list then it can be uninstalled just like any other program.

If you uninstall the Hotfix, you will lose the benefits of that patch. This should only be done if you can determine that you are experiencing negative effects
from the particular Hotfix.

If you simply do not want them to appear in the Add and Remove list and you are sure that you will not need the uninstall option, you can remove items
from that list by using a registry tweak.

Automated Edit:

Remove Hotfixes from Add or Remove (Line 193)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Manual Edit: Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Expand this branch and look at the list. The Hotfixes are all listed by a "Q" number that corresponds to the entry in the Add and Remove list.
Make sure that you back up each Key before deleting it.

Select the key and then select File/Export and include the Q number in the name of the file. Right click the entries you want to remove and select Delete.

SPCheck.Exe

How to Use the SPCheck Tool in Windows XP

Special Folders

Question: One of my special folders (e.g. My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, Shared Documents, etc) has lost its name, lost its icon, or has the wrong Task Pane template, how can I get it back?

Answer: This problem can occur if the hidden desktop.ini file in the special folder is corrupt or missing. Here are the steps to fix this problem:  Illustrated, detailed instructions here:  http://computers.douglasthrift.net/winxpfaq.html#faq3

Speech Recognition Reminder - Disable

Control Panel/Regional and Language Settings/Language Bar/Details/Preferences/Turn off Advanced Text Services.

Speech Recognition - Troubleshooting

HOW TO: Install and Configure Speech Recognition in Windows XP
HOW TO: Configure and Use Text to Speech in Windows XP
HOW TO: Use Speech Recognition in Windows XP

Speed-Up Share Viewing

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace. Delete the key called {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} and reboot.

Spell Checker - Error Message or Doesn't Function

Start/Run/EXPAND X:\i386\CSAPI3T1.DL_ C:\CSAPI3T1.DLL (Where X is your CD-Rom drive letter). And then copy it to: Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Proof.  Or download the file here.

Related Issues, Fixes and Information
An error occurred while the spelling was being checked.
Cannot Spell Check Messages in Outlook Express 5
Spell Checker or Custom Dictionary Errors in Outlook Express

Add full-featured, automatic spell checking to Outlook Express without the need to purchase Microsoft Office!
http://www.spellchecker.com/personal/.  Download here.

Spell Checker for Edit Boxes - http://www.quinion.com/mqa/spell.htm

Splash Screen for Windows XP - Disable

Right click My Computer, Properties, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, Edit.  Edit BOOT.INI. Add "/SOS" right after "/fastdetect" with a space between.  The line will look something like this:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /SOS.  When you're finished.  The first part, multi(0)..... may not be the same on your machine.  Upon restarting, the splash screen will be gone. It can be re-enabled by removing the new switch.

Splash Screen for Windows XP - Remove

Right click My Computer, go to Properties, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, click the Edit button.  Add the following to the line that loads XP:   /SOS   The results should look something like this:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /SOS

     Tip:  Disable Status Messages - Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

Right click in the right pane and select New, DWord value.  Name the new value DisableStatusMessages. Double click the new value and set it to 1.  Status messages will no longer show during boot/shutdown/logon/logoff.  A value of 2 will give you Verbose status messages.

Spyware - Removers - Heavily Supported

Virustotal is a service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware detected by antivirus engines.  Click here to upload a file name.

SUPERAntiSpyware is the most thorough scanner on the market. Our Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology will detect spyware that other products miss! SUPERAntiSpyware will remove ALL the Spyware, NOT just the easy ones!

TIP:  File Research Center - Free File and Process Information

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware:  Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is considered to be the next step in the detection and removal of malware. We compiled a number of new technologies that are designed to quickly detect, destroy, and prevent malware. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware applications on the market today cannot. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware monitors every process and stops malicious processes before they even start. The Realtime Protection Module uses our advanced heuristic scanning technology which monitors your system to keep it safe and secure.  To download:  Click Here

RogueRemover FREE is an application that can remove rogue antispyware, antivirus, and hard drive cleaning applications with ease. Rogue applications provide false information about the safety of your computer as well as, give erroneous scan results or put their own malware on your computer.  To download click here.

Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behavior to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.

HijackThis: A general homepage hijackers detector and remover. Initially based on the article Hijacked!, but expanded with a lot of other checks against hijacker tricks. It is continually updated to detect and remove new hijacks. It does not target specific programs/URLs, just the methods used by hijackers to force you onto their sites.

LSP-Fix is a free Windows utility to repair a loss of Internet access associated with certain types of software. This type of software, known as a Layered Service Provider or LSP, typically handles low-level Internet-related tasks, and data is passed through a chain of these programs on its way to and from the Internet. However, due to bugs in the LSP software or deletion of the software, this chain can get broken, causing the Internet connection to become inaccessible.

WinSock XP Fix offers a last resort if your Internet connectivity has been corrupted due to invalid or removed registry entries. It can often cure the problem of lost connections after the removal of Adware components or improper uninstall of firewall applications or other tools that modify the XP network and Winsock settings. If you encounter connection problems after removing network related software, Adware or after registry clean-up; and all other ways fail, then give WinSock XP Fix a try.

SSL

SSL Connection Does Not Work on Windows XP

Standby

Troubleshooting Standby Issues in Windows XP
Computer Does Not Resume When You Press a Key on Your USB Keyboard (Q314293)

To automatically put your computer on standby

  1.. Open Power Options in Control Panel.
  2.. In Power Schemes, click the down arrow, and then select a power scheme. The time settings for the power scheme are
       displayed in System standby, Turn off monitor, and Turn off hard disks.
  3.. To turn off your monitor before your computer goes on standby, select a time in Turn off monitor.
  4.. To turn off your hard disk before your computer goes on standby, select a time in Turn off hard disks.

 Notes

  a.. To open Power Options, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.
  b.. You might want to save your work before putting your computer on standby. While the computer is on standby, information in computer memory is not saved to your hard disk. If there is an interruption in power, information in memory is lost.
  c.. To create a new power scheme, specify the time settings you want, and then click Save As.
  d.. If you're using a portable computer, you can specify one setting for battery power and a different setting for AC power.
  e.. To put your computer on standby, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option.
  f.. Using Power Options in Control Panel, you can adjust any power management option that your computer's unique hardware configuration supports. Because these options may vary widely from computer to computer, the options described may differ from what you see. Power Options automatically detects what is available on your computer and shows you only
the options that you can control.

To manually put your computer on standby

  1.. Open Power Options in Control Panel.
  2.. On the Advanced tab, under When I press the power button on my computer, click Standby. If you are using a portable computer, click Standby under When I close the lid of my portable computer.
  3.. Click OK or Apply, and then turn off the power or close the lid of your portable computer.

 Notes

  a.. To open Power Options, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.
  b.. You can also put your computer on standby by clicking Start and then clicking Shut Down. In the What do you want the computer to do drop-down list, click Stand by.
  c.. You might want to save your work before putting your computer on standby. While the computer is on standby, information in computer memory is not saved on your hard disk. If there is an interruption in power, information in memory is lost.
  d.. To put your computer on standby, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option.
  e.. Using Power Options in Control Panel, you can adjust any power management option that your computer's unique hardware configuration supports. Because these options may vary widely from computer to computer, the options described may differ from what you see. Power Options automatically detects what is available on your computer and shows you only
the options that you can control.

Start Menu

Add a Website link to Start menu
Policy Settings for the Start Menu in Windows XP
Frequently Used Programs Not Automatically Added to Start Menu
HOW TO: Prevent a Program from Being Displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List in Windows XP

Start Menu - Add Shortcuts To Start Menu

When you click Start to display Windows XP's new Start menu, you'll see a list of six most-frequently-used programs on the left side of the menu (below Internet and Email). Want to squeeze a couple more in there?

Right click the Start button (or a blank area of the Start menu) and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click the Customize button next to Start Menu. Under Programs, use the up and down arrows to adjust the number of programs in the list--the max is 30, although you'll only be able to see up to eight with the default large icon size--then click OK twice.

     Tip:  Windows XP can only display up to eight most-often-used programs on the left side of the new Start menu. If you'd
              like to see more at a time (up to 14), decrease the size of the icons displayed there.  Right click the Start button (or
              a blank area of the Start menu) and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click the Customize button next to
              Start Menu. On the General tab, select Small icons, then click OK twice.

Start Menu - Add/Remove Items On Right Side Of Start Menu

When you open the Windows XP Start menu, you notice a shaded row of options on its right side--My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, Favorites and so on. See anything there that you don't need or want? Remove it. While you're at it, you can change certain links (without arrows to expand them) into pop-out menus, or vice versa.

Right-click the Start button or a blank area of the Start menu and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab, next to 'Start menu,' click the Customize button. Click the Advanced tab and you'll see certain items selected under Start menu items. To remove an item from the Start menu, de-select it or choose its 'Don't display this item' option.

To display a commonly-used item, such as the Control Panel or My Documents folder, as a pop-out menu, select 'Display as menu' below that item. When you're through making changes, click OK.

Start Menu - Clean

At the top there are links to the Internet and E-mail programs; these default to the Microsoft programs. Under those two shortcuts, we find the "Most frequently used" programs list. But when you start using other programs, you'll notice that Microsoft has given its own an apparent "head start", as they will be slow to disappear from the list.

It is, however, easy enough to remove a program from this list: just right-click on the program you want to remove, and from the menu select Remove from This List. When you right-click, you might also note that Pin to Start menu is an option. When you select that option, the shortcut will be moved to the top of the Start menu, directly below the E-mail link.

You can also remove a program that was pinned to the Start menu by right-clicking, and choosing Unpin from Start menu (which will restore it to its position on the lower part of the start menu), or choosing Remove from This List, which will remove it completely from the Start menu.

Next you will notice a great number of links on the right side of the Start menu such as My Documents, My Recent Documents, My Pictures and My Music.

Well, I don't know about you, but that's nothing that I need there! Just right-click an empty space on the Start menu, click Properties, click Customize and select the Advanced tab.

Now you can customize the look & feel of your Start menu in whatever way you want! There are a number of items (Control Panel, My Computer, My Documents, My Music, and My Pictures) for which you have these three options:

Display as link
Display as menu
Don't display this item

It is especially useful to have the Control Panel as menu, as this will create faster access to the individual Control Panel applets. One other option that deserves mention is the Highlight newly installed programs. This is another annoyance you will want to switch off quickly! Not only will newly installed programs be listed with a yellowish highlight in the All Programs menu, you will also receive a pop-up when you open the start menu that tells you New programs installed.

On the General tab (after pressing Customize on the Taskbar and Start Menu properties), you can also change the Internet & E-mail programs listed on the Start menu. The drop-down boxes should contain all programs installed on your system.

Also you can change the number of shortcuts listed on the (left side) Start menu, as well as clear the whole list of programs in one shot. On the Taskbar and Start Menu properties itself, you can also choose Classic Start menu. Choosing this option will make your start menu look like the Windows 2000 Start menu.

Start Menu Policy Settings

Start Menu Scrolling - Enable

When there are more items on the Start Menu than can fit on the screen, Windows can either create a second column of items or it can create a scrolling menu. This tweak controls that functionality.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Value Name: StartMenuScrollPrograms, Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value), Value Data: "Yes" or "No".  Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called 'StartMenuScrollPrograms' and edit the value according to the settings below. Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.

Note: This can be used either on a user by user basis by adding it to HKEY_CURRENT_USER or on a computer wide basis by adding it to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Start-Up Files

The Complete List of Startup Locations in Windows

Startup Folder on the Desktop

Go to Start/Run/Regedit. Navigate to each key. In the right pane, scroll down to Startup and make sure they read accordingly:

User Shell
%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Shell
C:\documents and setting\[User Name]\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

Startup Problems - Troubleshooting with Advanced Startup

If your computer doesn’t start correctly, you can use advanced Startup options to run Windows XP Professional to troubleshoot your problem. To start your computer by using an advanced Startup option:

Click Start, click Shut down, click What do you want the computer to do? and then click Restart. Click OK.
When the list of available operating systems appears, press the F8 key.

On the “Advanced Options” screen, select the advanced Startup option you want, and then press ENTER.
Before using Advanced Startup, go to Help and Support Center and type “Safe Mode Options” in the Search box.

Startup Programs - Disable Unnecessary Programs at Startup

How to Modify the List of Programs that Run at Startup

Start/Run/Msconfig/Startup

Start/Run/Regedit. Right Click/Delete unnecessary programs listed here:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Disable Run Commands Specified in the Registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Value Name: DisableLocalMachineRun, DisableLocalMachineRunOnce, DisableCurrentUserRun, DisableCurrentUserRunOnce

Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = enable run, 1 = disable run)

Create a new DWORD value for each of the optional values above depending on which Run function to stop and set the value to "1" to disable. Restart Windows for change to take effect.

     To remove programs that are listed in the Start Menu:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartPage - Right Pane - Favorites.

     Or to ban them: Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\FileAssociation\

Right-click the String Value AddRemoveApps, and select Modify
Add the name of the programs executable at the end of the Value data, make sure that the name is preceded by a semicolon (;). Exit/Reboot.

     Tip:  For a detailed list of all installed software: http://www.belarc.com/Download.html

In the Software Versions section you'll see all of your installed software. At the end of each entry is a clickable asterisk that will take you to the folder the software is installed in.

     To Clear Add/Remove:

Removing Invalid Entries in the Add/Remove Programs Tool.  Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

You may have to contact the manufacturer of the program that you want to remove if you need to clean up the disk and registry entries. The procedure described in this section does not remove all the files and registry entries used by the program; it removes only the reference in the Add/Remove Programs tool.

Startup Programs - Without the Startup Folder

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. Data Type: REG_SZ. Value: path to program.

Startup Services - Remove/Disable

To disable unneeded startup services for a safer, faster XP, use the "Services" Admin Tool (Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services).  If you are a single user of a non-networked machine, you can disable the following items, with no ill effect.

Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service (Slows the hard drive down)
Messenger
Net Logon (unnecessary unless networked on a Domain)
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for extra security)
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service ("Universal P'n'P", & leaves TCP Port 5000 wide open)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telnet (disabled for extra security)
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks)
Workstation

Status Bar - Disappear

Windows Explorer/View/Status Bar. Then go to Tools/Folder Options/View/Apply to all folders.

Status Messages - Disable

You can disable the Status messages that appear on the screen when you're booting, logging on, logging off or shutting down the system (Starting Windows, Loading Personalized Settings, etc.).

Click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT.  Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

Right click in the right pane and select New, DWord value.  Name the new value, DisableStatusMessages.  Double click the new value and set it to 1 to disable these messages, 0 to enable them.

Stop Errors - Troubleshooting

Stop Messages
Troubleshooting Stop Errors in Windows XP
Possible Resolutions to STOP 0x0A, 0x01E, and 0x50 Errors
Troubleshooting "Stop 0x0A" Messages in Windows
How to Troubleshoot a Stop 0xC0000218 Error
General Information on STOP 0x0000000A
How to Debug a Stop 0xC2 or Stop 0x000000C2 Error
Microsoft Debugging Tools

When you use volumes that use the NTFS file system on integrated device electronics (IDE) drives with caching enabled, you may receive the following error message during startup:  Download the fix here.

Stop 0x000000ED
Unmountable_Boot_Volume

Stop 0x000000ED Error Message When Volume on IDE Drive with Caching Enabled Is Mounted

Storage
1394 Storage Device Does Not Work After You Insert or Remove 1394 Device

Support

Microsoft Product Support Services for Windows XP Professional

Sysinternals

Monitoring, Performance Tools and Utilities

Sysprep.Exe

Event ID 7005 When You Use Sysprep.exe with the -mini Switch
How to Use Sysprep.exe to Automate Windows XP Deployment
Sysprep May Result in "Stop 0x7b (Inaccessible Boot Device)"
Preventing Sysprep from Removing Desktop Icons and Shortcuts
How to Use Cmdlines.txt File During Sysprep.exe Setup Wizard
Sysprep w. Windows Product Activation or Volume License Media
System Preparation Tool and Answer File Usage
Cannot Log On to Recovery Console After Running Sysprep

     Tip:  Sysprep Resizes PageFile - Add this to the [Unattended] section of your sysprep.inf.  KeepPageFile = 1.  The
              value of 0 allows sysprep to delete the current pagefile and revert to system default settings. A value of 1 is
              supposed to keep the current pagefile settings and sizes.

System Backup

System Backup for Windows XP

System Beeps -  Ding.wav missing

Fix the Ding.wav File (Line 6)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use the Regedit: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

System Beeps - Disable

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Sound In the right pane, right click "Beeps", modify, set the value to no. Exit, reboot.

System Information (Msinfo32)

Description and Uses of the System Information Tool

Go to Start/Run and type in: winmsd

Verify your settings here: Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSInfo
Path value = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\msinfo32.exe

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\msinfo32.exe

Default value = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\MSInfo32.exe
Path value = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo

Fix for Help and Support and System Information
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/fixwinxphelp.htm

Go to Start/Run/CMD and type in: net stop winmgmt. Then delete the System32\wbem\repository directory. Once done go back to Start/Run/CMD and type in: net start winmgmt.

Error Message: Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Might Be Corrupted (Unable to view System Information (MSinfo32) http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;319101

How to Use System Information (MSINFO32) Switches
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q300887&

If none of the above helps, replace your Boot.ini.

System32 - Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
                    \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

      Suggestion:  To fix the "windows\system32\config\system file is missing or corrupt" where XP wont boot, go to
                            recovery console and type:

cd system32\config
ren system system.old
ren system.alt systemalt.old
copy c:\windows\repair\system
copy c:\windows\repair\regback\system
exit

Cannot Start Windows XP if the System or Software Hive Is Missing or Damaged
How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry
How to Troubleshoot a Stop 0xC0000218 Error

System Folder - Add a Special Folder to My Computer

Add a Folder to My Computer and Desktop (Line 130)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

System32 Folder

System32 Folder Opens When Logging on to Windows

System Performance - Some overall suggestions to increase system performance

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop In the right pane select, "MenuShowDelay". Right click, modify and set the value to 0. Reboot.

Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, System Startup/Display Recovery...set the timeout to 0.

Right click My Computer Icon/Properties/Advanced/Performance/Visual Effects Tab/Adjust for Best Performance/Uncheck everything from: Animate Windows when....all the way down.

1: Right Click on My Computer and select properties.
2: Click on the "Advanced" tab
3: See the "Performance" section? Click "Settings"
4: Disable the following:

Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show Shadows under menus
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Use a background image for each folder type
Use common tasks in folders

System Processor - View Information

These values contain information about the system processor, including speed, brand and model.  Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\
CentralProcessor\0
Value Name: ~MHz, Identifier, VendorIdentifier

System Properties - Support Information

This registry file alters the text that appears in the System Properties property sheet. This is the text that appears underneath the OemInfo text.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Hardware\Description\System\CentralProcessor\0]
"VendorIdentifier"="<input>"
"Identifier"="<input>"

There are two files that need to be in C:\Windows\System, OemInfo.ini and OemLogo.bmp.

OemLogo.Bmp works best as a 16 color (but can be higher) bitmap with a maximum size of approximately 100 high x 160 wide pixels. Use MS Paint to create.

You can modify what is listed under the Manufacturer and the Support section. But I haven't found a way to make an URL clickable either on the General Tab nor under Support Information.

Also, if a system is not an OEM, there isn't a Support Information tab. To add one, go to Windows Explorer\Windows\System32. In the right pane scroll down to OEMINFO.INI and open it in Notepad.

Here is an example to copy and paste into the opened Notepad window, modify as you wish:

[General]
Manufacturer=Kellys XP Korner
Model=http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

[Support Information]
Line1= For Technical Support and information on frequently
Line2= asked questions, issues and fixes for Windows XP visit:
Line3= Troubleshooting Windows XP
Line4=
Line5= http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp.htm
Line6= http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_abc.htm

Other tips:

To place a link on the Start Menu, download this edit. As an example you can run it to see where it is placed. To modify the settings open the edit in Notepad and change accordingly.

Add a Website to the Start Menu (Line 52)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Change the Online Support link under the Help Menu in Internet Explorer.

Change Online Support Link under IE/Help (Line 92)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Add a Folder or Link Under the Run Command (Line 180)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

System Restore

Unable to use system restore due to the error:  "missing framedyn.dll. Please reinstall the application to fix this problem".

A temporary fix to address this issue is to make the user copy the framedyn.dll file from \Windows\System32\WBEM directory to the \Windows\System32 directory. We are currently working to determine why this is occurring, one possible case is due to windows path corruption.

System Restore Information, Issues and Tweaks
Create System Restore Points
Troubleshooting System Restore in Windows XP
System Restore Tool Displays a Blank Calendar in Windows XP
System Restore "Restore Points" Are Missing or Deleted
Registry Keys and Values for the System Restore Utility

     Tip:  Restore points are saved in under x:\system volume information\_restore{558C94FD-3C7F-4954-A02D-
              26679E6D849E}.  Each restore point's files are saved in a folder named RPXX where XX is a two digit number
              corresponding to the restore point.

Single Click System Restore Point - VB Script to run unattended Restore Point Creation as a Scheduled Task.  The Restore point will be identified as Automatic Restore Point with the date and time the script was run. http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_sysrestorepoint.htm

     Tip:  System Restore Does Not Restore Your Wallpaper or Background

System Restore Tab Missing

Check your settings here:  For Pro:  Start/Run/gpedit.msc.  Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, System Restore.

System Settings - Edit Hidden System Settings using Group Policy Editor

Windows XP has a great program called Group Policy Editor that allows system administrators to modify the settings to a great number of windows features. TO start the program up follow the directions below.

1. Open the start menu and click Run
2. Type gpedit.msc
3. The Group Policy MMC appears
4. Click through the different nodes of the tree to see all the hidden features of Windows XP that you can edit without
    touching the registry.

Examples: Changing IE displays, Clearing the pagefile at shutdown, boot-time defrag settings, and many many more. 
Another tip is to add this to your Administrative Tools by adding the shortcut to gpedit.msc

Startup or Shutdown - No System Sounds

If you are using TweakUI go to the General section and check Beep on Errors.

Stop Errors

Stop Messages
Troubleshooting Stop Errors in Windows XP
"STOP 0x0000008e" Error Message During Windows XP Setup
Possible Resolutions to STOP 0x0A, 0x01E, and 0x50 Errors
Troubleshooting "Stop 0x0A" Messages in Windows
General Information on STOP 0x0000000A
"STOP:0xD1" Error Message When You Start Your Windows XP-Based Computer

Svchost.Exe

Error Message When You Try to Dial a Connection: "Svchost.exe Has Generated Errors and Will Be Closed by Windows"

System Volume Information - Where is it?

Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/View/Show Hidden File and Uncheck Hide Protected Operating System Files. 

Note:  This compilation of information are from various sources.  All credit due to its authors.
XP Support- 02/14/2009 04:25 PM - Home Page WinXP
© Copyright Kelly Theriot MS-MVP(DTS) 2004 All rights reserved.