Friday, January 30, 2009
Unknown Devices
Unknown Devices helps you find what those unknown devices in Device Manager really are.
By checking Device Manager for unknown devices and extracting information from it, this program attempts to figure out what the device is. You might not have to open your case or look up random numbers off of PCI cards to figure out what they are.
Program supports Win95, 98, 98se, Me, 2k, XP and 2003 but not NT. It also attempts to support future OSes.It runs fine from a CD or floppy. It's free for personal and (especially) business use. The program contains no adware, spyware, malware, popups, or whatever is the latest name for junk software
Download Beta 1.4.20 (June 2, 2007)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Proxy Server List
Using an proxy server you won't allow anybody to find out your IP address to use it in their own interests. Any web resource you access can gather personal information about you through your IP address. Anonymous proxy servers hide your IP address thereby saving you from vulnerabilities concerned with it.
Setting up Web Proxies in Mozilla Firefox 
- Go to Preferences
(in Windows, it is Tools | Options | Preferences and Linux, it is Edit | Preferences). - Click on General tab on the left and the button labelled Connection Settings.
- Select Manual Proxy Connection and enter the HTTP proxy server address and port number.
Setting up Web Proxies in Internet Explorer 
- Click on Tools | Internet Options | Connection.
- Click on the button labelled LAN Settings.
- Under Proxy Server, check the box corresponding to "Use a proxy server for your LAN".
- Enter the address and port from the list below.
- Click on OK and then OK again and you should be back to your normal Internet Explorer browser window.
| IP Address | Port | Country | Proxy Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24.155.96.93 | 80 | Transparent | |
| 211.115.185.44 | 8080 | Transparent | |
| 211.115.185.46 | 8080 | Transparent | |
| 211.115.185.50 | 8080 | Transparent | |
| 211.115.185.41 | 8080 | Transparent | |
| 212.93.193.83 | 443 | Transparent | |
| 195.80.2.7 | 8080 | Anonymous | |
| 60.12.227.246 | 80 | Transparent | |
| 122.224.97.84 | 80 | Transparent | |
| 211.115.185.43 | 8080 | Transparent | |
| 72.55.191.6 | 3128 | High anonymity | |
| 76.107.151.18 | 9090 | Anonymous | |
| 76.102.189.58 | 9090 | Anonymous | |
| 140.113.152.201 | 8080 | Anonymous | |
| 76.105.105.96 | 9090 | Anonymous | |
| 60.12.227.208 | 80 | Transparent | |
| 211.115.185.47 | 8080 | Transparent | |
| 24.8.191.246 | 9090 | Anonymous | |
| 69.136.58.38 | 9090 | Anonymous |
Saturday, January 10, 2009
wat is wimax
WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system, also known as IEEE 802.16, that is intended for wireless "metropolitan area networks". WiMAX can provide broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 30 miles (50 km) for fixed stations, and 3 - 10 miles (5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. In contrast, the WiFi/802.11 wireless local area network standard is limited in most cases to only 100 - 300 feet (30 - 100m).
With WiMAX, WiFi-like data rates are easily supported, but the issue of interference is lessened. WiMAX operates on both licensed and non-licensed frequencies, providing a regulated environment and viable economic model for wireless carriers.
WiMAX can be used for wireless networking in much the same way as the more common WiFi protocol. WiMAX is a second-generation protocol that allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and is intended to allow higher data rates over longer distances.
The IEEE 802.16 standard defines the technical features of the communications protocol. The WiMAX Forum offers a means of testing manufacturer's equipment for compatibility, as well as an industry group dedicated to fostering the development and commercialization of the technology.
WiMax.com provides a focal point for consumers, service providers, manufacturers, analysts, and researchers who are interested in WiMAX technology, services, and products. Soon, WiMAX will be a very well recognized term to describe wireless Internet access throughout the world.
With WiMAX, WiFi-like data rates are easily supported, but the issue of interference is lessened. WiMAX operates on both licensed and non-licensed frequencies, providing a regulated environment and viable economic model for wireless carriers.
WiMAX can be used for wireless networking in much the same way as the more common WiFi protocol. WiMAX is a second-generation protocol that allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and is intended to allow higher data rates over longer distances.
The IEEE 802.16 standard defines the technical features of the communications protocol. The WiMAX Forum offers a means of testing manufacturer's equipment for compatibility, as well as an industry group dedicated to fostering the development and commercialization of the technology.
WiMax.com provides a focal point for consumers, service providers, manufacturers, analysts, and researchers who are interested in WiMAX technology, services, and products. Soon, WiMAX will be a very well recognized term to describe wireless Internet access throughout the world.
how to make bootable pen drive
It is an easy-to-use application software that can make a great addition to your
Pen Drive. It allows you to make your Pen Drive a boot-up disk without erasing any data in
the device. It consists of a single executable file and requires no installation. Just a few clicks on the mouse and get ready to explore this extra feature with your Pen Drive
System Requirements :
How to use this application :
This software is very simple to use. Just execute the .exe file, select your pen drive and click on Make Bootable. Simple !
Have a look :
Download Instructions : Click here to download
The ZIP file above contains the set up file and read me file.
Note : Before running this bootable pen drive make sure you select USB as First Boot Device
Pen Drive. It allows you to make your Pen Drive a boot-up disk without erasing any data in
the device. It consists of a single executable file and requires no installation. Just a few clicks on the mouse and get ready to explore this extra feature with your Pen Drive
System Requirements :
- Microsoft Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
- Pen Drive using Phison’s solutions
- Motherboard / BIOS with USB boot support
How to use this application :
This software is very simple to use. Just execute the .exe file, select your pen drive and click on Make Bootable. Simple !
Have a look :
Download Instructions : Click here to download
The ZIP file above contains the set up file and read me file.
Note : Before running this bootable pen drive make sure you select USB as First Boot Device
Friday, January 9, 2009
If you use Windows XP and use Internet here is a useful application for you. 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. It can create a registry backup of your current settings, so it is fairly safe to use.
Download Instructions : Click here for this application
We normally use F8 method to boot into safe mode but if your PC is infected with virus, sometimes F8 options does not works at all.
So here is an alternate method to boot into Safe Mode. This tutorial is for Windows XP only :
Step 1) Open your PC in normal mode. Now click on Start and then go to RUN.
Step 2) Type MSCONFIG in it and hit Enter.
Step 3) You will be directed to System Configuration Utility. Click on BOOT.INI tab on the top.
Step 4) Put a tick on Safe Mode and click Apply and OK.
Have a look :
Step 5) Now restart your computer and it will automatically start in Safe Mode.
Step 6) To go to normal mode perform the same steps told above and uncheck Safe Mode and click on Apply and OK and restart your PC again.
Note : This tutorial is for Windows XP only
Saturday, January 3, 2009
B3$T XP TRICKS
Shutdown XP FasterLike previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows
XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable this
useless sound.
Click Start button.
Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio
Devices > Sounds.
Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and
highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and
OK.
Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.
Speed Up Detailed View in ExplorerIf you like to view your files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" view here is a
tweak to speed up the listing of file attributes:
Viewing files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" mode shows various attributes
associated with each file shown. Some of these must be retrieved from the individual
files when you click on the directory for viewing. For a directory with numerous and
relatively large files (such as a folder in which one stores media, eg: *.mp3's, *.avi's
etc.), Windows Explorer lags as it reads through each one. Here's how to disable viewing
of unwanted attributes and speed up file browsing:
· Open Windows Explorer.
· Navigate to the folder which you wish to optimize.
· In "Details" mode right-click the bar at the top which displays the names of the
attribute columns.
· Uncheck any that are unwanted/unneeded.
Explorer will apply your preferences immediately, and longs lists of unnecessary
attributes will not be displayed.
Likewise, one may choose to display any information which is regarded as needed,
getting more out of Explorer.
Easily Disable Messenger
Go into: C:/Program Files/Messenger. Rename the Messenger folder to "MessengerOFF".
This does not slow down Outlook Express or hinder system performance
Turn Off System Restore to Save SpaceBy default, Windows XP keeps a backup of system files in the System Volume Information
folder. This can eat up valuable space on your hard drive. If you don't want Windows to
back up your system files:
· Open the Control Panel.
· Double-click on System.
· Click the System Restore tab.
· Check "Turn off System Restore on all drives".
· Hit Apply.
· You may now delete the System Volume Information folder.
Warning! If you turn this off you will not be able to use Windows System Restore to
restore your system in case of failure.
Very Slow Boot When Networking
On some XP Pro installations, when connected to a network (peer-peer in this case),
the computer boot time is over 1:40. The system seems to freeze after logging in and the
desktop may not appear or will freeze for a minute. As timed with the utility,
Bootvis.exe, the problem was with the driver mrxsmb.dll, adding over 67 seconds to the
boot time. Turning off and restoring file and printer sharing eliminated 65 seconds from
the boot time.
· Alt-click (or right-click) on Network Places > Properties.
· Alt-click on Ethernet Adapter connection > Properties.
· Un-check "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" > OK.
· Reboot.
· If you need file or printer sharing, repeat the above, re-check the box and re-boot
again.
Very Slow Boot When NetworkingOn some XP Pro installations, when connected to a network (peer-peer in this case),
the computer boot time is over 1:40. The system seems to freeze after logging in and the
desktop may not appear or will freeze for a minute. As timed with the utility,
Bootvis.exe, the problem was with the driver mrxsmb.dll, adding over 67 seconds to the
boot time. Turning off and restoring file and printer sharing eliminated 65 seconds from
the boot time.
· Alt-click (or right-click) on Network Places > Properties.
· Alt-click on Ethernet Adapter connection > Properties.
· Un-check "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" > OK.
· Reboot.
· If you need file or printer sharing, repeat the above, re-check the box and re-boot
again.
Easy Way to Adjust LargeSystemCache
Normally, the tweak I've seen asks you to go into
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management and change the
value to either O or 1 to the adjustment the LargeSystemCache.
However, in Windows XP, all you have to do is:
· Right-click My Computer.
· Select Properties.
· Click Advanced.
· Choose Performance.
· Click Advanced again.
· Select either Programs or System Cache under Memory Usage.
Programs = 0 for the registry tweak equivalent
System Cache = 1 for the registry tweak equivalent
· On NT Server (in this case XP), the Large System Cache option is enabled, but
disabled on Workstation. The two different settings effect how the cache manager
allocates free memory. If the Large Cache option is on, the manager marks all the free
memory, which isn't being used by the system and/or applications, as freely available for
disk caching.
· On the flip-side (with a small cache), the manager instead only sets aside 4MB of
memory for disk caching in an attempt to accelerate the launch of applications. Or in a
more technical approach, if enabled the system will favor system-cache working sets over
process working sets (with a working set basically being the memory used by components of
a process).
Correcting System Hang at Startup
If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access the Start
button or the Taskbar, it may be due to one specific service (Background Intelligent
Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch for this but it didn't
work for me. Here's what you do:
· Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
· Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service.
· Disable it, apply the changes & reboot.
Disable XP Boot LogoIt is possible to disable the XP splash screen, which will slightly speed up the
overall boot process. Be aware that removing the splash screen will also cause you not
to see any boot-up messages that might come up (chkdsk, convert ... ), but if your system
runs without any problems then it should not matter.
· Edit boot.ini.
· Add " /noguiboot" right after "/fastdetect".
Upon restarting, the splash screen will be gone. It can be re-enabled by removing the
new switch.
Slow Network Access Not Always Due to Scheduled Tasks Check
If you have very slow access to your network computers through "My Network Places" and
have already deleted the Registry entry calling for a check of Scheduled Tasks on the
other network computers (documented elsewhere on this site) AND you have multiple network
adaptors (i.e. a cable or DSL connection through one NIC and an internal network using a
second NIC) check the following:
· Right-click on "My Network Places", go to Properties.
· Right-click on the NIC that your cable/DSL connects to, and choose Properties.
· Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click on Properties.
· Click on "Advanced", go to "WINS" tab, and chose Disable NetBios over TCP/IP.
· When you are back at your Network Connections page, right-click on the Broadband
selection.
· Choose "Properties", click on the Networking tab.
· Again, choose TCP/IP, Properties, Advanced, WINS, and select "disable NetBios over
TCP/IP".
Turn Off Indexing to Speed Up XPWindows 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 you may want to turn this feature
off:
· Open My Computer.
· Right-click your hard drive icon and select Properties.
· At the bottom of the window you'll see "Allow indexing service to index this disk
for faster searches," uncheck this and click ok.
· A new window will pop up and select Apply to all folders and subfolders.
It will take a minute or two for the changes to take affect but then you should enjoy
slightly faster performance.
Clean Your Prefetch to Improve Performance
This is a unique technique for WinXP. We know that it is necessary to scrub registry
and TEMP files for Win9X/ME/2000 periodically. Prefetch is a new and very useful
technique in Windows XP. However, after using XP some time, the prefetch directory can
get full of junk and obsolete links in the Prefetch catalog, which can slow down your
computer noticeably.
· Open C(system drive):/windows/prefetch, delete those junk and obsolete files,
reboot. It is recommended that you do this every month.
Remove Hibernation FileIf you do not use hibernation, make sure you do not have it enabled, which reserves
disk space equal to your RAM. If you have a hidden file on the root directory of your
C-drive called hiberfil.sys, hibernation is enabled. To remove that file:
· Go to Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, Hibernate
tab, and uncheck the Enable hibernation box.
Performance Increase Through My Computer
Easy enough tweak to usually find out about it on your own, but still, some of us
still don't find it right away. So here it is:
· Start > right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
· Click on the "Advanced" tab.
· See the "Performance" section? Click "Settings".
· 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
There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster.
Reduce 10 Second Scandisk Wait Time
· Start MS Dos Prompt (Start run CMD), and type: CHKNTFS /T:4
where 4 is the amount of wait time.
CHKNTFS /?
for more info.
DMA Mode on IDE Devices
Just like Windows 2000, Windows XP still fails to set the DMA mode correctly for the
IDE device designated as the slaves on the primary IDE and secondary IDE channels. Most
CD-ROMS are capable of supporting DMA mode, but the default in XP is still PIO. Setting
it to DMA won't make your CD-ROM faster, but it will consume less CPU cycles. Here's
how:
· Open the Device Manager. One way to do that is to right-click on "My Computer",
select the Hardware tab, and select Device Manager.
· Expand "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and double-click on "Primary IDE Channel".
· Under the "Advanced Settings" tab, check the "Device 1" setting. More than likely,
your current transfer mode is set to PIO.
· Set it to "DMA if available".
· Repeat the step for the "Secondary IDE Channel" if you have devices attached to it.
Reboot.
Load Internet Explorer the Fastest Way Possible
· Edit your link to start Internet Explorer to have -nohome after it. For Example:
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -nohome
This will load internet explorer very fast because it does not load a web page while
it is loading. If you want to go to your homepage after it is loaded, just click on the
home button.
Remove Messenger
· Go to Start/Run, and type: "rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection BLC.Remove 128
%SystemRoot%\INF\msmsgs.inf"
Auto Login
· Go to Start/Run, and type 'control userpasswords2'.
· From Users Tab, Uncheck "Users must enter ...."
· A dialog will allow setting a user and password to be used automatically.
Turn Off Autoplay for Program CDs
How can you stop Windows XP from launching program CDs?
· Click Start, click Run, type GPEDIT.MSC to open Group Policy in the Microsoft
Management Console.
· Double-click Computer Configuration, double-click Administrative templates,
double-click System, and then click Turn off autoplay.
· The instructions on your screen describe how to configure this setting. Click
Properties to display the setting dialog.
· Click Enabled, and choose CD-ROM drives, then click OK, to stop CD autoplay.
This setting does not prevent Autoplay for music CDs.
Change Drive Letters in Windows XPWhen you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a
storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the
drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have
mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive. When you
want to change drive letters, follow these steps:
· Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
· Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you'll see
your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.
· Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive
Letter and Paths.
· Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you
want to assign, and then click OK
Do Not Highlight Newly Installed Programs
Tired of that annoying little window that pops up to tell you that new software is
installed? If it gets in the way when you're logging off, turn it off completely. To do
this:
· Click Start, right-click at the top of the Start menu where your name is displayed,
and then click Properties.
· In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, on the Start Menu tab, click
Customize.
· Click the Advanced tab, and then clear the Highlight newly installed programs check
box.
· Click OK, and then click OK again.
Change the Default Opening Folder in Windows Explorer
By default, Windows Explorer opens showing the My Documents folder. To change the
default setting so that all top-level drives and folders are shown, follow these steps:
· Click Start > Programs > Accessories, then right-click Windows Explorer, and click
Properties.
· Under Target field, which reads %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe, add to make the line
read:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.
You Can Bypass the Recycle Bin On the Fly.
To bypass the Recycle Bin on a one-time basis, when you are deleting a file (or a
group of selected files):
· Press and hold down the shift-key while you press the del-key (or use the delete
command). You receive the following confirmation-request message:
Are you sure you want to send to the Recycle Bin?
Identify a 16-bit Program
· Use Windows Explorer to open the folder that contains the program's executable
(.exe) file.
· Right-click the .exe file, and then click Properties.
· A 16-bit program does not have a Version tab in this dialog box.
Internet Connection Sharing
To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection:
· Open Network Connections.
· Click the dial-up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you want to share.
· Then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.
· On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect through this
computer's Internet connection
check box.
· If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer on your home
or small office network
attempts to access external resources, select the Establish a dial-up connection
whenever a computer on my network
attempts to access the Internet check box.
· If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared Internet connection,
select the Allow other network
users to control or disable the shared Internet connection check box. Under Internet
Connection Sharing, in Home networking connection, select any adapter that connects the
computer sharing its Internet connection to the other computers on your network.
Win XP Won't Completely Shutdown
· Go to Control Panel, then go to Power Options.
· Click on the APM tab, then check the "Enable Advanced Power Management support."
· Shut down your PC.
It should now successfully complete the Shut Down process.
Turn Off CD Auto Play
· Open My Computer.
· Right-click on your CD-ROM and choose Properties.
· Click on the Auto Play tab.
· In the drop down box you can choose the action for each choice shown in the drop
down box.
· or Go to Start > Run > type gpedit.msc
· Go to Computer Config > Administrative Template > System.
· Double-click Turn off Autoplay.
· Enable it.
Increase BROADBANDThis is for broad band connections, though it might work for dial up.
· Make sure your logged on as actually "Administrator".
· Start->Run->type gpedit.msc
· Expand the "Local Computer Policy" branch.
· Expand the "Administrative Templates" branch.
· Expand the "Network Branch".
· Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in left window.
· In right window double-click the "Limit Reservable Bandwidth" setting.
· On setting tab check the "Enabled" item.
· Where it says "Bandwidth limit %" change it to read 0.
Effect is immediate on some systems, some need to re-boot. This is more of a "counter
what XP does" thing. In other words, programs can request up to 20% of the bandwidth be
reserved for them, even with QoS disabled.
Increase Your Cable Modem or DSL Speed in XP
This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with WinXP
professional version - might work on Home version also. It may also work with networked
machines as well.
This tweak assumes that you have let WinXP create a connection on install for your
cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print
sharing - and client for Microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that
WinXP will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try
this.
· In the "My Network Places" properties (right-click on the desktop icon and choose
properties), highlight the connection
then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two
boxes in the lower half for the
bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.
· From the Windows XP CD in the support directory from the support cab, extract the
file netcap.exe and place it in a
directory on your hard drive or even in the root of your C:\ drive.
· Next, open up a command prompt window and change directories to where you put
netcap.exe. then type "netcap/?".
It will list some commands that are available for netcap and a netmon driver will be
installed. At the bottom you will
see your adapters. You should see two of them if using a 3Com card. One will be for
LAN and the other will be for
WAN something or other.
· Next type "netcap/Remove". This will remove the netmon driver.
· Open up Control Panel->System->Dev Man and look at your network adapters. You
should now see two of them and one will have a yellow ! on it. Right-click on the one
without the yellow ! and choose uninstall. YES! You are uninstalling your network
adapter, continue with the uninstall. Do not restart yet.
· Check your connection properties to make sure that no connection exists. If you get
a wizard just cancel out of it.
Now re-start the machine.
· After re-start go to your connection properties again and you should have a new
connection called "Local area connection 2". Highlight the connection, then at the menu
bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half
for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.
· Choose connection properties and uncheck the "QOS" box.
· Re-start the machine.
After restart enjoy the increased responsiveness of IE, faster page loading, and a
connection speed boost.
Why it works, it seems that windows XP, in its zeal to make sure every base is covered
installs two separate versions of the NIC card. One you do not normally see in any
properties. Remember the "netcap/?" command above showing two different adapters? The LAN
one is the one you see. The invisible one loads everything down and its like your running
two separate cards together, sharing a connection among two cards, this method breaks
this "bond" and allows the NIC to run un-hindered.
XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable this
useless sound.
Click Start button.
Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio
Devices > Sounds.
Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and
highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and
OK.
Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.
Speed Up Detailed View in ExplorerIf you like to view your files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" view here is a
tweak to speed up the listing of file attributes:
Viewing files in Windows Explorer using the "Details" mode shows various attributes
associated with each file shown. Some of these must be retrieved from the individual
files when you click on the directory for viewing. For a directory with numerous and
relatively large files (such as a folder in which one stores media, eg: *.mp3's, *.avi's
etc.), Windows Explorer lags as it reads through each one. Here's how to disable viewing
of unwanted attributes and speed up file browsing:
· Open Windows Explorer.
· Navigate to the folder which you wish to optimize.
· In "Details" mode right-click the bar at the top which displays the names of the
attribute columns.
· Uncheck any that are unwanted/unneeded.
Explorer will apply your preferences immediately, and longs lists of unnecessary
attributes will not be displayed.
Likewise, one may choose to display any information which is regarded as needed,
getting more out of Explorer.
Easily Disable Messenger
Go into: C:/Program Files/Messenger. Rename the Messenger folder to "MessengerOFF".
This does not slow down Outlook Express or hinder system performance
Turn Off System Restore to Save SpaceBy default, Windows XP keeps a backup of system files in the System Volume Information
folder. This can eat up valuable space on your hard drive. If you don't want Windows to
back up your system files:
· Open the Control Panel.
· Double-click on System.
· Click the System Restore tab.
· Check "Turn off System Restore on all drives".
· Hit Apply.
· You may now delete the System Volume Information folder.
Warning! If you turn this off you will not be able to use Windows System Restore to
restore your system in case of failure.
Very Slow Boot When Networking
On some XP Pro installations, when connected to a network (peer-peer in this case),
the computer boot time is over 1:40. The system seems to freeze after logging in and the
desktop may not appear or will freeze for a minute. As timed with the utility,
Bootvis.exe, the problem was with the driver mrxsmb.dll, adding over 67 seconds to the
boot time. Turning off and restoring file and printer sharing eliminated 65 seconds from
the boot time.
· Alt-click (or right-click) on Network Places > Properties.
· Alt-click on Ethernet Adapter connection > Properties.
· Un-check "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" > OK.
· Reboot.
· If you need file or printer sharing, repeat the above, re-check the box and re-boot
again.
Very Slow Boot When NetworkingOn some XP Pro installations, when connected to a network (peer-peer in this case),
the computer boot time is over 1:40. The system seems to freeze after logging in and the
desktop may not appear or will freeze for a minute. As timed with the utility,
Bootvis.exe, the problem was with the driver mrxsmb.dll, adding over 67 seconds to the
boot time. Turning off and restoring file and printer sharing eliminated 65 seconds from
the boot time.
· Alt-click (or right-click) on Network Places > Properties.
· Alt-click on Ethernet Adapter connection > Properties.
· Un-check "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" > OK.
· Reboot.
· If you need file or printer sharing, repeat the above, re-check the box and re-boot
again.
Easy Way to Adjust LargeSystemCache
Normally, the tweak I've seen asks you to go into
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management and change the
value to either O or 1 to the adjustment the LargeSystemCache.
However, in Windows XP, all you have to do is:
· Right-click My Computer.
· Select Properties.
· Click Advanced.
· Choose Performance.
· Click Advanced again.
· Select either Programs or System Cache under Memory Usage.
Programs = 0 for the registry tweak equivalent
System Cache = 1 for the registry tweak equivalent
· On NT Server (in this case XP), the Large System Cache option is enabled, but
disabled on Workstation. The two different settings effect how the cache manager
allocates free memory. If the Large Cache option is on, the manager marks all the free
memory, which isn't being used by the system and/or applications, as freely available for
disk caching.
· On the flip-side (with a small cache), the manager instead only sets aside 4MB of
memory for disk caching in an attempt to accelerate the launch of applications. Or in a
more technical approach, if enabled the system will favor system-cache working sets over
process working sets (with a working set basically being the memory used by components of
a process).
Correcting System Hang at Startup
If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access the Start
button or the Taskbar, it may be due to one specific service (Background Intelligent
Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch for this but it didn't
work for me. Here's what you do:
· Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.
· Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service.
· Disable it, apply the changes & reboot.
Disable XP Boot LogoIt is possible to disable the XP splash screen, which will slightly speed up the
overall boot process. Be aware that removing the splash screen will also cause you not
to see any boot-up messages that might come up (chkdsk, convert ... ), but if your system
runs without any problems then it should not matter.
· Edit boot.ini.
· Add " /noguiboot" right after "/fastdetect".
Upon restarting, the splash screen will be gone. It can be re-enabled by removing the
new switch.
Slow Network Access Not Always Due to Scheduled Tasks Check
If you have very slow access to your network computers through "My Network Places" and
have already deleted the Registry entry calling for a check of Scheduled Tasks on the
other network computers (documented elsewhere on this site) AND you have multiple network
adaptors (i.e. a cable or DSL connection through one NIC and an internal network using a
second NIC) check the following:
· Right-click on "My Network Places", go to Properties.
· Right-click on the NIC that your cable/DSL connects to, and choose Properties.
· Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click on Properties.
· Click on "Advanced", go to "WINS" tab, and chose Disable NetBios over TCP/IP.
· When you are back at your Network Connections page, right-click on the Broadband
selection.
· Choose "Properties", click on the Networking tab.
· Again, choose TCP/IP, Properties, Advanced, WINS, and select "disable NetBios over
TCP/IP".
Turn Off Indexing to Speed Up XPWindows 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 you may want to turn this feature
off:
· Open My Computer.
· Right-click your hard drive icon and select Properties.
· At the bottom of the window you'll see "Allow indexing service to index this disk
for faster searches," uncheck this and click ok.
· A new window will pop up and select Apply to all folders and subfolders.
It will take a minute or two for the changes to take affect but then you should enjoy
slightly faster performance.
Clean Your Prefetch to Improve Performance
This is a unique technique for WinXP. We know that it is necessary to scrub registry
and TEMP files for Win9X/ME/2000 periodically. Prefetch is a new and very useful
technique in Windows XP. However, after using XP some time, the prefetch directory can
get full of junk and obsolete links in the Prefetch catalog, which can slow down your
computer noticeably.
· Open C(system drive):/windows/prefetch, delete those junk and obsolete files,
reboot. It is recommended that you do this every month.
Remove Hibernation FileIf you do not use hibernation, make sure you do not have it enabled, which reserves
disk space equal to your RAM. If you have a hidden file on the root directory of your
C-drive called hiberfil.sys, hibernation is enabled. To remove that file:
· Go to Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, Hibernate
tab, and uncheck the Enable hibernation box.
Performance Increase Through My Computer
Easy enough tweak to usually find out about it on your own, but still, some of us
still don't find it right away. So here it is:
· Start > right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
· Click on the "Advanced" tab.
· See the "Performance" section? Click "Settings".
· 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
There, now Windows will still look nice and perform faster.
Reduce 10 Second Scandisk Wait Time
· Start MS Dos Prompt (Start run CMD), and type: CHKNTFS /T:4
where 4 is the amount of wait time.
CHKNTFS /?
for more info.
DMA Mode on IDE Devices
Just like Windows 2000, Windows XP still fails to set the DMA mode correctly for the
IDE device designated as the slaves on the primary IDE and secondary IDE channels. Most
CD-ROMS are capable of supporting DMA mode, but the default in XP is still PIO. Setting
it to DMA won't make your CD-ROM faster, but it will consume less CPU cycles. Here's
how:
· Open the Device Manager. One way to do that is to right-click on "My Computer",
select the Hardware tab, and select Device Manager.
· Expand "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and double-click on "Primary IDE Channel".
· Under the "Advanced Settings" tab, check the "Device 1" setting. More than likely,
your current transfer mode is set to PIO.
· Set it to "DMA if available".
· Repeat the step for the "Secondary IDE Channel" if you have devices attached to it.
Reboot.
Load Internet Explorer the Fastest Way Possible
· Edit your link to start Internet Explorer to have -nohome after it. For Example:
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -nohome
This will load internet explorer very fast because it does not load a web page while
it is loading. If you want to go to your homepage after it is loaded, just click on the
home button.
Remove Messenger
· Go to Start/Run, and type: "rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection BLC.Remove 128
%SystemRoot%\INF\msmsgs.inf"
Auto Login
· Go to Start/Run, and type 'control userpasswords2'.
· From Users Tab, Uncheck "Users must enter ...."
· A dialog will allow setting a user and password to be used automatically.
Turn Off Autoplay for Program CDs
How can you stop Windows XP from launching program CDs?
· Click Start, click Run, type GPEDIT.MSC to open Group Policy in the Microsoft
Management Console.
· Double-click Computer Configuration, double-click Administrative templates,
double-click System, and then click Turn off autoplay.
· The instructions on your screen describe how to configure this setting. Click
Properties to display the setting dialog.
· Click Enabled, and choose CD-ROM drives, then click OK, to stop CD autoplay.
This setting does not prevent Autoplay for music CDs.
Change Drive Letters in Windows XPWhen you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a
storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the
drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have
mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive. When you
want to change drive letters, follow these steps:
· Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
· Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you'll see
your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.
· Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive
Letter and Paths.
· Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you
want to assign, and then click OK
Do Not Highlight Newly Installed Programs
Tired of that annoying little window that pops up to tell you that new software is
installed? If it gets in the way when you're logging off, turn it off completely. To do
this:
· Click Start, right-click at the top of the Start menu where your name is displayed,
and then click Properties.
· In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, on the Start Menu tab, click
Customize.
· Click the Advanced tab, and then clear the Highlight newly installed programs check
box.
· Click OK, and then click OK again.
Change the Default Opening Folder in Windows Explorer
By default, Windows Explorer opens showing the My Documents folder. To change the
default setting so that all top-level drives and folders are shown, follow these steps:
· Click Start > Programs > Accessories, then right-click Windows Explorer, and click
Properties.
· Under Target field, which reads %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe, add to make the line
read:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.
You Can Bypass the Recycle Bin On the Fly.
To bypass the Recycle Bin on a one-time basis, when you are deleting a file (or a
group of selected files):
· Press and hold down the shift-key while you press the del-key (or use the delete
command). You receive the following confirmation-request message:
Are you sure you want to send to the Recycle Bin?
Identify a 16-bit Program
· Use Windows Explorer to open the folder that contains the program's executable
(.exe) file.
· Right-click the .exe file, and then click Properties.
· A 16-bit program does not have a Version tab in this dialog box.
Internet Connection Sharing
To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection:
· Open Network Connections.
· Click the dial-up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you want to share.
· Then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this connection.
· On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect through this
computer's Internet connection
check box.
· If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer on your home
or small office network
attempts to access external resources, select the Establish a dial-up connection
whenever a computer on my network
attempts to access the Internet check box.
· If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared Internet connection,
select the Allow other network
users to control or disable the shared Internet connection check box. Under Internet
Connection Sharing, in Home networking connection, select any adapter that connects the
computer sharing its Internet connection to the other computers on your network.
Win XP Won't Completely Shutdown
· Go to Control Panel, then go to Power Options.
· Click on the APM tab, then check the "Enable Advanced Power Management support."
· Shut down your PC.
It should now successfully complete the Shut Down process.
Turn Off CD Auto Play
· Open My Computer.
· Right-click on your CD-ROM and choose Properties.
· Click on the Auto Play tab.
· In the drop down box you can choose the action for each choice shown in the drop
down box.
· or Go to Start > Run > type gpedit.msc
· Go to Computer Config > Administrative Template > System.
· Double-click Turn off Autoplay.
· Enable it.
Increase BROADBANDThis is for broad band connections, though it might work for dial up.
· Make sure your logged on as actually "Administrator".
· Start->Run->type gpedit.msc
· Expand the "Local Computer Policy" branch.
· Expand the "Administrative Templates" branch.
· Expand the "Network Branch".
· Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in left window.
· In right window double-click the "Limit Reservable Bandwidth" setting.
· On setting tab check the "Enabled" item.
· Where it says "Bandwidth limit %" change it to read 0.
Effect is immediate on some systems, some need to re-boot. This is more of a "counter
what XP does" thing. In other words, programs can request up to 20% of the bandwidth be
reserved for them, even with QoS disabled.
Increase Your Cable Modem or DSL Speed in XP
This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with WinXP
professional version - might work on Home version also. It may also work with networked
machines as well.
This tweak assumes that you have let WinXP create a connection on install for your
cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip - QoS - file and print
sharing - and client for Microsoft networks , only, installed. It also assumes that
WinXP will detect your NIC and has in-box drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try
this.
· In the "My Network Places" properties (right-click on the desktop icon and choose
properties), highlight the connection
then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two
boxes in the lower half for the
bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.
· From the Windows XP CD in the support directory from the support cab, extract the
file netcap.exe and place it in a
directory on your hard drive or even in the root of your C:\ drive.
· Next, open up a command prompt window and change directories to where you put
netcap.exe. then type "netcap/?".
It will list some commands that are available for netcap and a netmon driver will be
installed. At the bottom you will
see your adapters. You should see two of them if using a 3Com card. One will be for
LAN and the other will be for
WAN something or other.
· Next type "netcap/Remove". This will remove the netmon driver.
· Open up Control Panel->System->Dev Man and look at your network adapters. You
should now see two of them and one will have a yellow ! on it. Right-click on the one
without the yellow ! and choose uninstall. YES! You are uninstalling your network
adapter, continue with the uninstall. Do not restart yet.
· Check your connection properties to make sure that no connection exists. If you get
a wizard just cancel out of it.
Now re-start the machine.
· After re-start go to your connection properties again and you should have a new
connection called "Local area connection 2". Highlight the connection, then at the menu
bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half
for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK.
· Choose connection properties and uncheck the "QOS" box.
· Re-start the machine.
After restart enjoy the increased responsiveness of IE, faster page loading, and a
connection speed boost.
Why it works, it seems that windows XP, in its zeal to make sure every base is covered
installs two separate versions of the NIC card. One you do not normally see in any
properties. Remember the "netcap/?" command above showing two different adapters? The LAN
one is the one you see. The invisible one loads everything down and its like your running
two separate cards together, sharing a connection among two cards, this method breaks
this "bond" and allows the NIC to run un-hindered.
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