Add Wallpaper to background.

To add wallpaper to a folder in XP, open the folder, choose Tools, Folder Options, and click the View tab. Under 'Advanced settings', select Show hidden files and folders (you may need to double-click Hidden files and folders first). Uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) and click Yes when you see the warning. Click OK, and double-click the file named desktop.ini to open it in your text editor (you may not see the .ini extension). If you can't find a desktop.ini file, launch Notepad or your preferred text editor.

In your text editor, type [{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}] (this line contains no capital letter Os, only zeroes) on the first line, and press Enter. Type IconArea_Image= and the path to your .bmp, .gif, or .jpg image file--for example, 'IconArea_Image=C:\My Documents\My Pictures\Blue Hills.bmp.' Then press Enter.

Changing the color of the folder's icon labels is a little tricky. To leave the icon text black, do nothing. For white, type IconArea_Text=0x00FFFFFF (make sure that the x is lowercase) and press Enter. For red text, replace the code that follows the equal sign with 0x000000FF; to make the text yellow, type 0x0000FFFF; for blue text, use 0x00FF0000; and to show gray text, enter 0x00808080. These codes identify values in a 24-bit color scheme that specifies how much blue, green, and red to mix together: 0x00bbggrr (with values ranging from 0 in decimal or 00 in hexadecimal to 255 in decimal or FF in hexadecimal). If you're editing the folder's existing desktop.ini file, save the file and close your text editor. If you created the file from scratch, save it with the name "desktop.ini" in the folder that will house the background picture; use quotation marks to keep Notepad from adding its default .txt extension.

Now give the folder the System attribute. Put the folder window destined for the background picture in front. Press Backspace to move up a level, click Start, Run, type attrib +s followed by a space, and drag the icon for your desired folder to the text box of the Run dialog box. It should now read something like 'attrib +s C:\Documents and Settings\...\My Documents\My Folder' (your path and folder name may differ, of course). Click OK. The next time you open the folder, you'll see your new wallpaper inside (see FIGURE 3). If you don't want to see the desktop.ini file, right-click it and choose Properties. Under the General tab, check Hidden and click OK. Then click Tools, Folder Options, View, and deselect the option to show hidden files and folders. While the Folder Options box is open, recheck Hide protected operating system files if you unchecked it earlier.

How to make your Desktop Icons Transparent

Go to ontrol Panel > System, > Advanced > Performance area > Settings button Visual Effects tab "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"

How To change drive letters

To change drive letters (useful if you have two drives and have partitioned the boot drive, but the secondary drive shows up as "D")

Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management, Disk Management, then right-click the partition whose name you want to change (click in the white area just below the word "Volume") and select "change drive letter and paths."
From here you can add, remove or change drive letters and paths to the partition.

Breaking The XP Password:

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

Go to the cmd prompt .
Type net user *.
It will list all the users.
Again type net user "administrator" or the name of the administrator "name" *.
e.g.: net user aaaaaa *(where aaaaaa is the name).
It will ask for the password.
Type the password and there you are done.
Logging In As Administrator:

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

To unhide the Administrator account so it does show up:

Start Regedit

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

Unhide the Administrator key by giving it a value of 1        

BIOS Passwords Hacks.

To perform this hack you will need:
•    A #1 or #2 Phillips-head screwdriver, or (less likely) a T-15 TORX driver or a 1/4" hex nutdriver, to open the case
•    Needle-nosed pliers if you are working with jumpers
•    A small flashlight or headlamp
With tools at hand, perform the following steps:
1.    Turn the PC off (this means a total shutdown, not merely standby or hibernate mode) and disconnect the AC power cord.
2.    Remove the cover from your system (this step may require tools, undoing a thumbscrew, or flipping a latch or two).
3.    Refer to the user manual for the motherboard to find out how to "reset CMOS" memory. You may also find a label for specific jumper or switch settings marked on the system board.
4.    Change the switch setting or jumper position to a specific position or remove the jumper entirely as prescribed in the manual to clear or reset the CMOS memory.
5.    Wait 20-30 seconds for the memory to clear out from lack of power.
6.    After 20-30 seconds put the switch or jumper the way it was before for normal use.
7.    Reconnect the power cord and start up the system to see if the settings have changed to defaults.
8.    Shut the PC down, disconnect the power cord, replace the cover, reconnect the power, and power up the PC.
9.    Enter the BIOS setup program to configure the system as needed. This may include setting the date and time, selecting disk drive parameters, and selecting which devices the system uses to boot up with first.
If your system does not have a "reset CMOS" jumper or switch , the only option is to locate and remove the coin-style battery cell (or on some very old PCs, the battery pack), as shown in , that provides the power to the CMOS memory.

Automatically run programs when starting Windows

If there are applications or commands that you run every single time you start your computer (Email comes to mind) you may want to consider setting things up so that these programs run automatically during the Windows XP startup. This can be done quite easily in XP by creating shortcuts and shuffling them around.

Here's how: Windows XP has a startup folder located at 'C:\ Documents and Settings\ (your user name)\ Start Menu\ Programs\Startup.' Shortcuts placed into this folder will be run automatically when Windows XP starts up.

If you already have shortcuts for the programs you desire to use, copy and paste them into the startup folder. Otherwise, go to 'start\programs,' select the program you would like to create a shortcut for, right click it and select 'send to' then 'desktop.' This will create a shortcut on the desktop that you can then use.         

XP Animation

You can turn off window animation ("exploding" windows), displayed when you play around with minimizing/maximizing open windows. This makes navigating Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP a lot quicker, especially if you don't have a fast video controller, or if you got tired of seeing it all the time (like I did). :)
To do this, run Regedit (or Regedt32) and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics
or if you are the only user of your Windows computer go to:

HKEY_USERS | .Default | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics

Right-click on an empty spot in the right hand pane. Select New -> String [REG_SZ] Value. Name it MinAnimate. Click OK. Double-click on "MinAnimate" and type 0 to turn OFF window animation or 1 to turn it ON. Click OK. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows. Done.

TweakUI, the famous Microsoft Power Toy [110 KB, free, unsupported] can also turn off animated windows.
 Just remove the check mark from the "Window Animation" box under the General tab.

Hidden Files

Open the registry editor (Click on Start then run and type regedit press enter )..Now you will see a new window on the left pane Navigate to the following path


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden

Under this key, you’ll see 2 more keys “NOHIDDEN” and “SHOWALL“. Make sure that the values of “CheckedValue” and “DefaultValue” in right-side pane are “2” and “2” for “NOHIDDEN” and “1” and “2” for “SHOWALL” respectively. If it has some other value change it..Now check whether you are able to hide or unhide..

If this doesnt work try this..Navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

In right-side pane, change value of "Hidden" to:

1 - To show hidden files
2 - To not show hidden files

Hide the local drives

This is a great trick you can play on your friends. To disable the display of local or networked drives when you open My Computer follow the below steps....
 
1.Go to start->run.Type "regedit" (without quotes).
  Now go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Now in the right pane create a new DWORD item and name it NoDrives(it is case sensitive). Now modify it's value and set it to 3FFFFFF (Hexadecimal) .Now restart your computer. So, now when you click on My Computer, no drives will be shown(all gone...). To enable display of drives in My Computer, simply delete this DWORD item that you created.Again restart your computer.You can now see all the drives again.

Hiding drives seprately

Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Name: NoDrives
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: To calculate the value, add together the numbers for the drives you want to hide, using the formula: A=1, B=2, C=4, D=8, E=16, F=32, G=64, and so forth. To hide D: & E:, the value would be 8+16=24.

Rename Recycle Bin

To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, click Start then goto Run, write Regedit and press Enter. It opens Registry Editor. Now in Registry Editor go to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want (don't type any quotes).

Creating a desktop shortcut for locking your computer….

If you use your computer in an area where others may have access to it, and there are things on your system you would rather have kept confidential, locking your desktop when you leave the computer is an essential task. Here's a recipe for a desktop shortcut that will lock your computer in two easy clicks:

Right click on an empty area of the desktop and choose 'new' then 'shortcut.' The create shortcut wizard will open; in the first text box, type '%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' and then give your shortcut an appropriate name on the next page, and hit 'finish.'

You will notice that the shortcut you created has a blank icon. To select a more appropriate one, right click on the shortcut and hit 'properties.' In the 'shortcut' tab, click the 'change icon' button.

In the 'look for icons in this file' box, type '%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll' then click 'ok' to see a range of icons for your new shortcut. Choose an appropriate icon. Your desktop locking shortcut is now ready for use. Test it out.

it is useful if u have an account as it will prompt 4 a password....     

How to make your Desktop Icons Transparent

Go to ontrol Panel > System, > Advanced > Performance area > Settings button Visual Effects tab "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"

Set the Search Screen to the Classic Look

When I first saw the default search pane in Windows XP, my instinct was to return it to its classic look; that puppy had to go. Of course, I later discovered that a doggie door is built into the applet. Click "Change preferences" then "Without an animated screen character." If you'd rather give it a bare-bones "Windows 2000" look and feel, fire up your Registry editor and navigate to:

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

You may need to create a new string value labeled "Use Search Asst" and set it to "no".

How to change drive letters

To change drive letters (useful if you have two drives and have partitioned the boot drive, but the secondary drive shows up as "D")

Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management, Disk Management, then right-click the partition whose name you want to change (click in the white area just below the word "Volume") and select "change drive letter and paths."
From here you can add, remove or change drive letters and paths to the partition.

Automatically run programs when starting Windows

Hello Friends,

If there are applications or commands that you run every single time you start your computer (Email comes to mind) you may want to consider setting things up so that these programs run automatically during the Windows XP startup. This can be done quite easily in XP by creating shortcuts and shuffling them around.

Here's how: Windows XP has a startup folder located at 'C:\ Documents and Settings\ (your user name)\ Start Menu\ Programs\Startup.' Shortcuts placed into this folder will be run automatically when Windows XP starts up.

If you already have shortcuts for the programs you desire to use, copy and paste them into the startup folder. Otherwise, go to 'start\programs,' select the program you would like to create a shortcut for, right click it and select 'send to' then 'desktop.' This will create a shortcut on the desktop that you can then use.         

Increase Internet Speed

Hello Friends,
If you use Windows XP Professional then it is possible to squeeze an extra 20% out of your internet connection. By default Windows XP Pro holds back 20% of your Internet speed for various services like windows update and spyware checks.

If you want to tap into this locked speed then make the following changes:

1. Go to Start-> Run-> and type gpedit.msc
2. Expand the Administrative Templates branch
3. Expand the Network tab
4. Highlight QoS Packet Scheduler
5. Click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth and check the enabled box
6. Then Change the Bandwidth limit % to 0 %

PING OPTIONS

Hello Friends,
Here i will discuss all of PING Options:


example .. In DOS .. c:>ping 192.168.0.1 -t

-t Ping the specifed host until interrupted

-a Resolve addresses to hostnames

-n count Number of echo requests to send

-l size Send buffer size

-f Set Don't Fragment flag in packet

-i TTL Time To Live

 -v TOS Type Of Service

-r count Record route for count hops

-s count Timestamp for count hops

-j host-list Loose source route along host-list

-k host-list Strict source route along host-list

-w timeout Timeout in milliseconds to wait for each reply

Experiment to see how helpful these can be!

21 Tips 4 increasing XP performance.

Hello Freiends,
Here are some tricks that increase your xp performance.so Try this tricks

1] Your Pc Must have 256MB RAM , 512 MB Cache , Intel Pentium 4 Processor, 40 GB HDD. These are the minimum requirements.
2] If you see a 'virtual memory low' message then increase its virtual memory. To increase virtual memory,
Go to My Computer->Properties->Advanced->Performance Settings->Advanced->Virtual Memory->Change->Select the appropriate drive->Custom size->set appropriate level(our it is 600(min.) & 700(max.)->Ok.
3] Increase 'Visual Performance'. Go to My Computer->Properties->Advanced->Performance Settings->Visual Settings->Custom->Select only the following options.
a)Slide taskbar buttons.
b)Smooth edges of screen fonts.
c)Smooth-scroll list boxes.
d)Use a background image for each folder type.
e)Use visual style on windows and buttons.
4] Don't keep unwanted/extra fonts. To remove extra fonts, Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Fonts.
5] Your Desktop Wallpaper & Screensaver consume a large amount of disk space. Select the 'None' option for both wallpapers & Screensavers.
6] Avoid keeping DEMO Games.
7] Uninstall the unwanted Softwares.
8] Use Registry Cleaner to keep your registry clean(without errors).
9] Try to keep Music and pictures files in the folder specified by windows itself.
10]Use Hybernating Option for Quick windows start. To active Hybernating follow the following steps.
Desktop->Properties->Screensaver->Power->Hybernating->Enable Hybernating->Ok.
11] Keep your Dektop clean with unwanted icons.
12] Use Intel Application Accelerator to speed up your disk access,
13] Memory management (at least 512MB RAM Required). This allow XP to keep data in Memory instead of paging section of RAM.
Go to->Start->Run->regedit->HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SYSTEM->CurrentControlSet->Control->Session Manager->Memory Management->Double click it->DisablePageingExecutive->Double Clik it->Set value to 1.
14] Disable Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, and other unwanted programs from startup. (You can use registry editior to do this.). Because they do not appear in normal Startup Option.
15] Disable indexing files service (only if you do not use search option regularly). To do this follow the following steps.
Go to My Computer->Select the drive for which you want to disable the indexing service->Properties->Unselect 'Allow Indexing Service'->Ok.
16] For Windows XP, You must use NTFS partition. FAT partition is less supportive for Windows XP.
17] In BIOS, Select first booting device as your HDD.
18] Setting Priority High for a particular program.
Open Task Manager->Processes->Select the desired Program->Right Click->Set Priority->High->Ok.
This Priority set if for current session. Once you restart your system then its priority will again be Normal.
19] Keep deleting your Temporary Internet Files in regular intervals.
Go to Windows Drive (c: or d:)->Select the User->Local Settings->Temporary Internet Files
20] Empty your browser's cache in regular intervals.
21] Avoid keeping Movies in your PC.
 Reply

Restore / Add Desktop Icon To Quick Launch Area

Hello friends,

If you are deleted the desktop icon from quick launch area and now you want to retrive the desktop icon again

For This you have download a VBS Script and click on it .you will receive a msg "Toolbar Menu's have been restored." click Ok and you are done.

RestoreShowDesktop.vbs

Or paste the below text in notepad

and save as restoreshowdesktop.vbs

Dim myShell

Set myShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
myShell.Run("regsvr32 /n /i:U shell32")

Set myShell = Nothing

MsgBox "Toolbar Menu's have been restored.", 4096,"Finished"

 keyboard Shortcuts to show the desktop is "WIN+D"