Tech Tips

Windows XP : Installation and Configuration

10 customization tricks for Windows XP

Create your own Sleep button in Windows XP, Liven up your desktop with Windows XP's animated pointer schemes, Simplify copy and paste operations in Windows XP, Make the Windows XP Favorites menu more useful in Windows Explorer, Add a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu in Windows XP, Modify the Open With list in Windows XP, Switch to Windows' basic search tool in XP, Add UNC information to the command prompt in XP, Create a drive menu for My Computer, Use registry shortcuts to disable and enable screensavers in Win XP

Removing unused device drivers from Windows XP machines

When you install a device driver on a Windows XP machine, the operating system loads that driver each time the computer boots regardless of whether the device is present -- unless you specifically uninstall the driver. This means that drivers from devices that you have long since removed from your...

Put your name in the Windows XP notification area

During those times when the urgent need for high-powered technical intelligence wanes a bit -- especially on a slow Friday afternoon -- try this fun trick and amaze your colleagues. Here's how to make your "own" time by putting your name in the notification area:...

Tune Windows XP to speed up boot and shutdown times

Shorten the time it takes for your desktop to appear when you turn on your PC, and make XP shut down faster as well. No matter how fast your PC boots, it's not fast enough. Here are several hacks to get you right to your desktop as quickly as possible...

Get with the activation changes in Service Pack 1

Microsoft made several changes in the activation process with Service Pack 1 for Windows XP. Here's a look at a few of the changes: There's a three-day grace period for reactivation. During Windows XP setup, the system checks the product key. If the key is on the known pirated product...

Be aware of changes that trigger reactivation

There has been a lot of confusion about Windows XP's built-in activation. Administrators often confuse registration and activation, plus many admins aren't aware of what triggers the reactivation code. Microsoft is partially to blame, for it has indicated only that "substantial changes" trigger reactivation....

Activating Windows XP

In order to minimize the likelihood of piracy, Microsoft has included Product Activation technology within Windows XP. The following are twelve facts that you should know about activation:...

Troubleshoot configuration issues with the System Configuration Utility

Windows XP ships with the System Configuration Utility that helps administrators troubleshoot configuration issues. To launch the utility, type msconfig in the Run prompt....

Perform a quick reinstallation of Outlook Express

Most of the applications that ship with Windows XP cannot be removed or reinstalled separately. However, there are some tricks around this that are helpful in certain situations, such as the reinstallation trick for Outlook Express....

Remove unwanted Windows components

When you install Windows XP, the computer won't prompt you to select which applications you want to install with the operating system. By default, setup installs almost all applications. But if you don't use them all, and you don't want all those extra components cluttering up your system, you can...