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AutoComplete: Eliminate it Completely
Automatic Login at Boot
Clean Up MSConfig Startup List
Controlling Services at Windows Startup
Control Your "Focus"
Disable ChkDsk at Startup
Disable Error Reporting and the Dumprep.exe Program
End the Yellow Text Balloon Pop-ups
Give an App More Resources
Hard Drive Won't Read as C Drive
Remove Items from Add/ Remove Programs
Remove URL from IE History
Remove User Name and Password from a Single Site
Remove Windows 98 from Dual-Boot
Repair Internet Explorer 6
Repair Outlook Express
Repair "View Source" if Disabled
Stop XP from Searching ZIP Files

AutoComplete: Eliminate it Completely

Internet Explorer wants you to use AutoComplete. With AutoComplete turned off, IE will prompt you from time to time, asking you to turn it on again, but simple Registry tweak will stop IE's "helpful" reminders. First, close all IE windows. Launch RegEdit from the Start menu's Run dialog. Navigate to the key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel

This key may not be present in its entirety, meaning you may need to create the "Internet Explorer" and "Control Panel" subkeys. In the right-hand pane, look for a DWORD value named "FormSuggest" (it will probably not be present). In that case, right-click in the right-hand pane and choose New | DWORD Value from the pop-up menu. Name the new value FormSuggest. Whether you found it or created it, double-click this value and set its data to 1. That should end the annoying reminder.

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Controlling Services at Windows Startup

If you want to disable a program running in the System Tray, but you can't find it in the Startup List using MSConfig, it is probably a service, not an application. Services aren't listed in the Startup List. Most services are necessary to run Windows, but some, like WinFax, can be disabled without destabilizing your system.

Launch Services.msc from the Start menu's Run dialog. Scroll down the list to find which service you want disabled and highlight it with your mouse. Now you will see a description of the Service and options enabled to Stop, Start, or Restart the service. If you want to start the Service only when you choose, right click the entry, choose "Properties," and set the Startup Type option to "Manual."

To start the Service, open the "Run" dialog again and type in net start followed by the name of the Service as seen in the Properties box mentioned earlier. You can stop it again by entering "net stop [name]" in the Run dialog.

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Repair Internet Explorer 6

Windows XP doesn't allow you to uninstall or repair Internet Explorer under normal circumstances. How can you repair IE or even reinstall it if it becomes corrupt?

You can fix many problems by visiting Windows Update and catching up on the newest updates, but if you're already up to date, the site won't let you reinstall the program. You need to fool the system into thinking you don't have the latest version.

First, if you aren't familiar with RegEdit, click here for a quick tutorial on tweaking the Registry. Be sure to back up your registry as described before making any changes, just in case. Now, launch RegEdit from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to the key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}

In the right-hand pane, double-click on the DWORD value IsInstalled and change it from 1 to 0 (no matter whether you choose Decimal or Hexadecimal). Close REGEDIT and go to the Windows update site again. Now it should let you "update" IE and the problems should be fixed.

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Repair Outlook Express

Windows XP doesn't allow you to uninstall or repair Outlook Express under normal circumstances. How can you repair OE or even reinstall it if it becomes corrupt?

You can fix many problems by visiting Windows Update and catching up on the newest updates, but if you're already up to date, the site won't let you reinstall the program. You need to fool the system into thinking you don't have the latest version. First, if you aren't familiar with RegEdit, click here for a quick tutorial on tweaking the Registry. Be sure to back up your registry as described before making any changes, just in case.

Now, launch RegEdit from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to the key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{44BBA840-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}

In the right-hand pane, double-click on the DWORD value IsInstalled and change it from 1 to 0 (no matter whether you choose Decimal or Hexadecimal). Close REGEDIT and go to the Windows update site again. Now it should let you "update" Outlook Express and the problems should be fixed.

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Stop XP from Searching ZIP Files

Windows XP's Search function is famous for taking a long time. One reason is that it searches through ZIP files (which XP calls "compressed folders"). There's a way to force XP to skip this part of the search, which will speed up the process considerably if you have lots of ZIP or CAB files on your hard drive.

Open the Run dialog from the Start Menu, and enter this command: regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll. Repeat and enter regsvr32 /u cabview.dll. Each time, you should get a notice that "DllUnregister" succeeded. You'll need to restart the computer for the change to take effect.

Now, when you search, the operating system will ignore ZIP and CAB files instead of treating them as folders. If you don't care about that feature, you can leave it turned off. But turning it back on is as simple as repeating the two regsvr32 commands without the /u.

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Remove User Name and Password from a Single Site

Removing a stored user name and password is pretty simple. Surf to the site in question. When it prompts you for the user name and password, click in the user name box and press the Down Arrow. This will show all the user names stored for that particular site on the computer. Press the Down Arrow until the name to be removed is highlighted, and press the "Del" key. Windows will ask whether you want to delete the user name and password. Click Yes and they're gone.

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Disable ChkDsk at Startup

When troubleshooting a problem that causes CheckDisk (chkdsk.exe) to run every time you boot up, you may want to disable the scan temporarily, as it can be slow and annoying, especially with large hard drives. XP isn't like Win98, where you could disable the function in MSConfig, but there is a command that can be run to control the CheckDisk function.

From the Start Menu, open the Run dialog. Type in chkntfs /x c: to disable automatic scanning of the C drive. The /x command-line option is not accumulative. If you type it more than once, the most recent entry overrides the previous entry. To exclude multiple volumes, list them all in one command. For example, to exclude both the C and D drives, type chkntfs /x c: d:.

Now you can troubleshoot the problem, or run CheckDisk manually to fix the disk(s) at your leisure.

To restore CheckDisk to normal operation, open the Run dialog again and type in Chkntfs /d.

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Automatic Login at Boot

There are different ways to log on to Windows XP without going through the Welcome screen. If you have only one user account defined and have the Guest account turned off, you'll go straight to your desktop. That arrangement was changed, though, by a recent Windows XP update that adds a virtual user called ASP.NET, which isn't useful unless you're a programmer. Assuming you're not, just delete it.

Of course, subsequent Windows updates are likely to bring back that unwanted account. For a more permanent solution, download and install Tweak UI for XP. Launch Tweak UI from the Start menu and double-click on the "Logon" item to open it and then click on "Autologon." Check the box titled "Log on automatically at system startup," enter your user name and password, and click on "OK. " Now TweakUI will log you on using your user name and password even if more than one account exists.

Rarely, Tweak UI won't work for some users. There's still another method you can use, if your computer is not part of a Domain. From the Start Menu, open the Run dialog, and type control userpasswords2. This will launch the User Accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the check box for "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" and click "OK." (If your computer is part of a domain, this box does not appear). The "Automatically Log On" dialog box appears. Type your user name and password, and click "OK." This dialog also lets you define a particular account as a Standard user, a status in between the Limited user and Administrator user categories available in the Control Panel's normal User Accounts applet. Remember, though, once you set up the machine for automatic login anybody can login to your account.

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Remove Items from Add/ Remove Programs

If you share a computer with others, sometimes people use the Add/Remove Programs applet to delete an app you want to keep. This is a problem when you lose all of the preferences and data associated with the program. It's not hard to remove the uninstall information, but the real trick is keeping it available in case you actually want to uninstall the program yourself at some point. Here's how it's done.

Launch RegEdit from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Each subkey of this key represents an Add/Remove Programs item. Some have sensible names, like "Foxit Reader." Others have GUIDs, strings of letters and numbers in curly braces, like {FB08F381-6533-4108-B7DD-039E11FBC27E}. First check the legible names. If you don't find the right name, select the GUIDs one at a time and scan the values in the right-hand pane for information that would link this entry to the program you're looking for. Highlight the subkey that contains the item you want removed. Select Export from the File menu and export it to a .REG file. Store the .REG file somewhere you can find it later, then just delete the subkey. It will no longer appear in Add/Remove Programs. If at some future time you wish to uninstall the program, double-click on the .REG file to restore the uninstall data and then launch Add/Remove Programs.

If you happen to have the passwords that will allow you to log on as each user of the system, you can take a different approach and disable Add/Remove Programs entirely for those users. Log on as another user, for example, and launch RegEdit. Find the key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Uninstall

If the Uninstall subkey below Policies does not exist, create it. In the right-hand pane, find or create a DWORD value named "NoAddRemovePrograms." Double-click on it and set its data to 1. Now this user will not have access to Add/Remove Programs. Repeat for the other users. On an XP Pro system, a user with full administrator rights can lock other users out of Add/Remove Programs by using the Group Policy Editor. This tool is not found in Windows XP Home.

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Remove URL from IE History

How do you remove items from Internet Explorer's address bar auto fill-in? The AutoComplete entries are drawn from two locations, your IE history and the Registry. If it's only a specific URL you want to delete, click the History button on the toolbar to open the history bar. Click on Search and locate the URL. Then for each page in the history list that matches the URL, right-click on it and choose Delete.

If the URL still appears, then you must remove it from the Registry with RegEdit. Launch Regedit from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to the key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ TypedURLs

The values in the right-hand pane have names like "url1, url2, url3," and so on. Scan the list to locate the one that contains the unwanted URL, take careful note of its name, and delete it. Now you need to "patch" the list to eliminate the gap created by deleting that name. Find the value whose name includes the greatest number. Note that the values are sorted as if they were text, so "url10" comes before "url2." Change the name of that highest-numbered value to the name of the value you deleted. If you don't do this, IE will ignore the items listed after the deleted one.

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Remove Windows 98 from Dual-Boot

If you have a dual-boot system with both Windows 98 and XP, and desire to drop the Win98 installation completely, it's a fairly straightforward operation. Boot the system into Windows XP. Go through the folder that contains Windows 98, searching for all personal files or documents, and move them to a safe place. Then just delete the entire folder that contains Windows 98.

Now select Run from the Start menu and enter MSConfig. Click on the "BOOT.INI" tab, and click on the button that says Check All Boot Paths. Your system will report that the path used to launch Windows 98 is not valid and offer to remove it. Click on Yes. From now on, your system will boot directly to Windows XP.

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Repair "View Source" if Disabled

The "View Source" function in Internet Explorer and Outlook is very important when you're suspicious of an e-mail or a Web page. By viewing the underlying HTML, for example, you can see if the displayed link matches the actual URL in the Source Code. Having "View Source" disabled is not good. "View Source" can be disabled for a specific browser window if that window is launched via JavaScript. In this case, it's the page, not your computer that's at fault. If "View Source" is disabled for all pages, though, it's probably your computer. "View Source" is always disabled when a page has not finished loading (a clue here would be that "File | Save" As is also disabled).

To repair this function if it is somehow disabled, follow these troubleshooting steps:

• The most common cause is the browser cache being filled to it's limit. Select Internet Options from IE's Tools menu, click on the General tab, and click on the Delete files button in the Temporary Internet Files pane.
• If Notepad.exe is missing from the Windows folder, View Source will fail. In this case, you must repair or replace the Notepad.exe file. Simply download Notepad.zip, unzip it, and install the Notepad.exe to your Windows folder.
• View Source can fail if the TEMP or TMP environment variable points to a nonexistent folder. Open a command prompt and enter the commands "SET TEMP" and "SET TMP" to see if they exist where they should. If not, create them by navigating to "C:\Documents and Settings\[your User Account]\Local Settings" and create a new folder named "Temp" or "TMP," either of which will do.
• A Registry setting can restrict the availability of this command. Launch RegEdit from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to the key:
  
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ Restrictions
  
  Look in the right-hand pane for a value named "NoViewSource." If present with data set to 1, double-click on it and change the data to 0.
• A Registry setting may point to the wrong program to invoke for View Source. Launch RegEdit and navigate to
  
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name
  
  If this key exists, the data for the default value in the right-hand pane should be the full pathname of notepad, typically "C:\windows\notepad.exe." If not, verify the correct location of notepad, double-click on the default value, and correct the data.
• A Group Policy Editor setting can disable the View Source menu item. From the Start menu's Run dialog, launch "GPEDIT.MSC." If this command is unrecognized, a Group Policy setting is not the cause. Otherwise, in the Group Policy Editor, navigate to "User Configuration\Administrative Templates\ Windows Components\Internet Explorer \Browser menus." In the right-hand pane find the item View menu: Disable Source menu. If it's set to "Enabled," change it to "Disabled."

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Control Your "Focus"

It sometimes happens that as you're typing some text, a new window or dialog box, such as an update request, suddenly pops up in front, stealing the "focus" from what you are doing. If you happen to glance away from the screen for a moment, you may not realize it immediately. Before you know it, some of your text has been entered there, or nowhere.

Applications that steal your PC's focus can pop up at the worst times. They can be disastrous if the focus-stealing dialog box asks to perform a potentially harmful operation and you happen to press "Enter" or type "y," which the dialog takes as a "yes" before you even see the request. You may also have closed an important scheduling alert without realizing it. There is a way to control this action by using Tweak UI for XP.

Download and install Tweak UI, then open it from the start menu. Use the tree pane on the left to navigate to "General, Focus." Simply check the box next to "Prevent applications from stealing focus." You can also specify whether the taskbar button should flash (and how many times) when the would-be focus grabber wants your attention. Click OK.

Unfortunately, this won't stop all the focus stealing. If you find that one application in particular is doing most of the attention grabbing, consider replacing it with a similar program.

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End the Yellow Text Balloon Pop-ups

Text Ballons are those annoying little yellow pop-ups that appear from the task bar to continuously remind you to update this or that, or to provide some other useless piece of information. This can be very annoying.

Download and install Tweak UI for XP, then open it from the start menu. Select "Taskbar and Start Menu" in the left pane. Then uncheck "Enable balloon tips" on the right, and click OK.

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Give an App More Resources

Multi-tasking is great, until one of your apps takes up so much of your PC's resources that everything else slows down to a crawl. For example, if you're having problems burning CDs, you may want to increase the priority of your CD-burning software. You can control how resources are allocated in XP with Task Manager. Right click the Taskbar and select "Task Manager." Click the "Processes" tab and right-click the executable file that corresponds to the application you want to speed up. Click "Set Priority," and choose a level, such as "AboveNormal" or "High." Click "Yes" when you see the warning. If you have an app doing some low-urgency work in the background, you might consider setting it to a lower priority. The changes you make will apply only to the current session; the priorities will return to their former state the next time you boot Windows.

To see the priority of all processes currently running on your system, choose "View," and select "Columns" in the Task Manager window. Check "Base Priority" and click OK. You will then see a column that lists each process's priority information.

Notes:

• Changing the priority of one process can affect the speed of others.
• Selecting "Realtime" as a priority level gives your application the highest priority of all, but can bring the rest of your system to a standstill, so try to avoid this setting.

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Clean Up MSConfig Startup List

Normally, we use the MSConfig Startup List to disable programs not needed at startup, but as we add and remove programs, some of the items on the list are no longer valid. If you uninstall a program while it's disabled by MSConfig, it will leave behind an "orphan" entry that has no purpose. How does one remove the orphan? The direct solution is to mark the item enabled in MSConfig, then reinstall and uninstall the program. Often that's not an option, though, and you'll have to do the cleanup manually.

Windows XP's MSConfig supplies the location of each enabled start-up item. The first step in removing an orphan is to reenable it, which puts it back into this standard location.

Some items are in the Registry. To remove these, launch RegEdit from the Start menu's Run dialog and navigate to the specified key. In the right-hand pane, carefully locate the value that corresponds to the orphan. Note that the value name will not necessarily match the Startup Item name given in MSConfig. Match the value's data with the Command column in MSConfig. Once you've verified the identity of the value corresponding to your orphan entry, right-click on it and choose "Delete." Note that this change may not be reflected in MSConfig until you restart it.

Other start-up items are simple shortcuts marked either "Startup" or "Common Startup." From the Start menu, open "All Programs," select "Startup," right-click on the offending item, and choose "Delete." If this is a Common Startup item, Windows will warn that its removal affects all users and will ask for confirmation. Answer Yes. Close MSConfig. The next time you start the computer, the changes will take effect.

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Disable Error Reporting and the Dumprep.exe Program

Every time something crashes or gets hung up, XP seems to want to call home with an "Error Report." This can happen with poorly coded web sites, too, and if not just annoying, sometimes the error reporting itself hangs the computer. The culprit is seen in the Task Manager as "dumprep.exe," showing this as a resource hog, on top of all else. Several instances of the dumprep.exe can run at the same time, freezing the computer. There's a simple way to turn the Error Reporting feature off.

Right click on "My Computer" and open "Properties" from the drop-down menu. Click the "Advanced" tab. Click the "Error Reporting" button. You can now "Disable Error Reporting," and may even want to uncheck the line that says "But notify me when an error occurs." Most people know when an error occur without being told.

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Hard Drive Won't Read as C Drive

Many systems today ship with a flash card reader installed, or perhaps the user has added his own. When the user reinstalls the OS, the computer can get confused, as the motherboard BIOS sees the card reader as an available drive, even with no memory card inserted. Should you try to install Windows on a newly formatted, unpartitioned drive, the memory card reader will use up the first set of drive letters, leaving your primary drive to be seen as anything but the C drive. The solution is to make sure you unplug the card reader before installing the OS.

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MSConfig

The "Microsoft System Configuration Utility," better known as the "msconfig" command, will help you troubleshoot problems with your computer, and can also be used to ensure that your computer boots faster and crashes less. The more programs you have running on your computer, the more likely it is that your computer will run slowly or even crash. Every time you boot your computer, a number of "hidden" programs load in the background. Some of these hidden programs are essential, but most aren't. Turning off some of these hidden programs can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability.

From the Start menu, click Run. In the dialog box that appears, type msconfig and press OK. This launches Microsoft's System Configuration Utility. Click on the Startup tab (the tab at the far right). This opens the Startup List of programs that are automatically loaded every time you turn on your computer.

The only startup items you absolutely need are:

• ScanRegistry
• TaskMonitor
• SystemTray
• LoadPowerProfile

Make sure each of these items has a check in the box next to them. If you don't see one or two these items in your list of startup items, don't worry. Some people may not have a LoadPowerProfile while others may have two. You just don't want to uncheck any of these files if you have them.

The rest of the startup items are optional. Unchecking any item will disable it the next time you boot up, and that choice is completely yours. A good rule of thumb is to disable only those programs that you recognize. Anti-virus and Firewall programs should run at all times, for example, while NeroCheck doesn't need to kick in at startup.

When in doubt, leave it on, or check out Paul "PacMan" Collins' huge "Startup Applications" list at http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

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RegEdit

There are some rare instances when you need to access the registry in order to fix a problem. For example, many computer viruses make changes to the registry that tell Windows to activate them every time Windows starts. In such cases, the computer user will need to use a program called the Registry Editor to undo the damage.

The following information about using the Registry Editor is provided as a general guide for those who need to make one or two changes to the registry. You should only use the Registry Editor when instructed to do so by a credible source, following any instructions about deleting or modifying registry entries precisely.

Starting RegEdit:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. From the menu that appears, choose Run.
3. In the window that appears, there is a text area labeled Open. In that area, type regedit.
4. Click the OK button (or hit the Enter or Return key on your keyboard).
5. The Registry Editor window should open.

Backing Up the Registry

The very first thing you should do before making any changes with the Registry Editor is to backup your registry by exporting a copy of it to the desktop or other safe location. To do this:

1. Highlight "My Computer" in the top left by clicking on it once.
2. On the menu bar, click on "Registry" and then click on "Export Registry File".
3. The "Export Registry File" window will appear. In the "Save In" drop-down box at the top, choose your destination.
4. In the "File Name" box at the bottom, type backup, then click the "Save" button.
5. A backup copy of the entire registry will now be saved to the destination you chose, in case something goes wrong. Now you can proceed.

Notes:

• To restore the registry from the backup file you made, follow the same steps as above, but in step 2 choose "Import Registry File" instead of "Export Registry File". Or, you can double-click on the backup file and answer "Yes" when it asks if you want to import the information into the registry.
• Once you've made changes to the registry and you are sure that you no longer need the backup file you made, simply delete it.

Changing or Deleting Items in the Registry

The registry contains three different types of information: keys, values, and data. Keys are containers, represented graphically as file folders, that can contain other keys (subkeys), or values. Values are configuration settings that contain data, and the data is the setting itself.

Any instructions for changing the registry will often give the location of the key where you need to change or delete a value. For example, you might be instructed to delete the key "HKEY_Local_Machine\SAM\SAM\RXACT." "HKEY_Local_Machine" is one of the 5 or 6 top-level keys that are usually displayed when you first open the Registry Editor. To the left of "HKEY_Local_Machine" is a "+" sign, indicating that "HKEY_Local_Machine" contains subkeys. Clicking on the "+" sign turns it into a "-" sign and reveals the subkeys. One of the subkeys of "HKEY_Local_Machine" is "SAM," which is the next key name in the example location.

Clicking on the "+" sign next to "SAM" (a process also called "expanding") reveals more subkeys, including a second "SAM." Expanding the second "SAM" reveals "RXACT," the key your example instructions tell you to delete.

If you were supposed to delete the key "HKEY_Local_Machine/SAM/SAM/RXACT", you would highlight "RXACT," then hit the Delete key on your keyboard (or right click it and choose "delete"). You would then be asked if you were sure that you wanted to delete this key, at which point you would click the "Yes" button.

In this example, you were asked to delete an entire key. Often, you may be instructed to change or delete a value within a key. For example, you may be asked to delete or change a value like "ExampleValue" in the key:

HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Navigate to the key in the same method as shown in the first example. Because it is easy to lose your place when you go deep into the registry, the registry location currently open is displayed at the bottom of the Registry Editor screen. Once you have opened the key by clicking on it to highlight it, the right side of the window will display the values within the key in the first column (the Name column). In this example, we imagine there is a value called "ExampleValue" listed, containing the data "exampledata" (in the Data column).

If you simply need to delete "ExampleValue," you would click on it once to highlight it and hit the Delete key on your keyboard, or right click it and choose "Delete." But if you need to change the data in "ExampleValue," you would double-click on it instead. In the new window, you will see the "Value data" box, into which you would type in the new information. You might be instructed to type in words (a string value), while other times you will be told to enter a number (a binary or hexadecimal value).

When you are done changing the data, click the "OK" button.

Note:

• It is possible to add keys and values using Registry Editor by right-clicking on the appropriate key and choosing "New" from the pop-up menu. However, it is unadvisable to make additions to the registry unless you understand exactly what the key or value will do.

Exiting Regedit

Any changes you make in the registry are made immediately, so there is no option to "save" your changes. To exit RegEdit, just click on "Registry" on the menu bar and choose "Exit".

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Safe Mode Booting in XP

When troubleshooting, you might need to start XP in Safe Mode, which is a minimal start-up that loads only those Windows components that are absolutely essential. In most cases, you can enter Safe Mode by rebooting, then either holding down the "Ctrl" key or pressing the "F8" key at the right moment as the computer reboots. This has to be just before the hard drive kicks in with the OS, so it can be tricky. If you have a USB keyboard, this method is impossible (the USB drivers aren't available in the DOS start-up environment). To configure Windows XP so its next restart will enter Safe Mode, launch MSConfig and click the BOOT.INI tab. Put a check in the box titled "/SAFEBOOT." Don't touch the other settings! When you reboot, XP will start in Safe Mode and will keep doing so until you uncheck that box.

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CheckDisk (chkdsk)

CheckDisk (usually known as Chkdsk) is like the older Scandisk used in Win98 and Me, in that it will scan the hard drive(s) to report and correct errors found in the file system. You can run the program by opening My Computer, right-clicking on the drive you need checked, clicking on "Properties" at the bottom of the menu, selecting the "Tools" tab, and finally clicking "Check Now."

For further control of the scan, you may want to run it from a command line. From the Start menu, open the Run dialog, and type in chkdsk. This will run the program in report mode only, without actually fixing any errors it discovers. To fix errors or otherwise control the scan, use the switches as listed:

chkdsk [volume:] [{Path} FileName] /f /v /r /x /i /c /l{:size}

• [Path] FileName : Specifies the location and name of a file or set of files that you want chkdsk to check for fragmentation. You can use wildcard characters (that is, * and ?) to specify multiple files.
• /f : Fixes errors on the disk. The disk must be locked. If chkdsk cannot lock the drive, a message appears that asks you if you want to check the drive the next time you restart the computer.
• /v : Displays the name of each file in every directory as the disk is checked.
• /r : Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information. The disk must be locked.
• /x : Use with NTFS only. Forces the volume to dismount first, if necessary. All open handles to the drive are invalidated. /x also includes the functionality of /f.
• /i : Use with NTFS only. Performs a less vigorous check of index entries, reducing the amount of time needed to run chkdsk.
• /c : Use with NTFS only. Skips the checking of cycles within the folder structure, reducing the amount of time needed to run chkdsk.
• /l[:size] : Use with NTFS only. Changes the log file size to the size you type. If you omit the size parameter, /l displays the current size.
• /? : Displays help at the command prompt.

Examples:
If you want to check the disk in drive D and have Windows fix errors, type chkdsk d: /f
To check all of files on a FAT disk in the current directory for noncontiguous blocks, type chkdsk *.*

Notes:

• To run chkdsk on a fixed disk, you must be logged on as an Administrator.
• If you want chkdsk to correct disk errors, you cannot have open files on the drive. If files are open, the following error message appears: "Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)"

  If you choose to check the drive the next time you restart the computer, chkdsk checks the drive and corrects errors automatically when you restart the computer. If the drive partition is a boot partition, chkdsk automatically restarts the computer after it checks the drive.

Group Policy Editor

Warning: Prior to making changes with the group policy editor please use System Restore to create a known good Restore Point in case you encounter issues. Greenwood Technical takes no responsibility for any problems that may occur from using the Group Policy Editor incorrectly.

You can prevent harmful user desktop tinkering with Windows Group Policy Editor. The Group Policy Editor is a tool used to assign "policies" to a system. Group policies are designed to apply policy settings to a wide variety of tasks. For example, you could create a policy that disables the Run prompt or Control Panel.

To open the Group Policy Editor, log in as an Administrator, open the Run dialog from the Start Menu, and type gpedit.msc. The "Snap In" may not yet be configured, and you will get an error message. In this case, type mmc in the Run dialog box, which will open a Console box. On the File menu, click "Add/Remove Snap-in." Click "Add." Under "Available Stand-alone Snap-ins," click "Group Policy," and then click "Add." If you do not want to edit the Local Computer policy, click "Browse" to locate the group policy object (GPO) that you want. Supply your user name and password if prompted, and then when you return to the "Select Group Policy Object" dialog box, click "Finish." Click "Close," and then in the "Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box," click "OK."

To use the group policy editor, follow these steps:

1. Expand the Group Policy Object that you want. For example, Local Computer Policy.
2. Expand the configuration item that you want. For example, Computer Configuration.
3. Expand the sub-item that you want. For example, Windows Settings.
4. Navigate to the folder that contains the policy setting that you want. The policy items are displayed in the right pane on the Group Policy Editor snap-in.

   NOTE: If no policy is defined for the selected item, right-click the folder that you want and on the menu that appears, point to "All Tasks," and click the command that you want. The commands that are displayed on the "All Tasks" submenu are context sensitive. Only those commands that are applicable to the selected policy folder appear on the menu.

5. In the Setting list, double-click the policy item that you want.
   NOTE: When you work with policy items in the "Administrative Templates" folder, click the "Extended" tab in the right pane of the MMC if you want to view more information about the selected policy item.
6. Edit the settings of the policy in the dialog box that appears, and then click OK.
7. When you are finished, quit the MMC.

For more information about the use of Group Policies, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307882/.

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System File Checker (sfc)

Windows 2000 and XP comes with a tool called the System File Checker, or SFC. This tool will scan your computer for system files that may have been replaced or corrupted somewhere along the line. This can happen when a poorly designed program is installed, or when the system is infected with malware. SFC works in conjunction with a utility called "Windows File Protection" that keeps the system file cache (%Systemroot%\System32\Dllcache) uppdated with the newest Microsoft Approved files as they are installed on your system. To manually use SFC, be sure you have administrative access then go to the command prompt and type sfc /scannow. The system will immediately begin to check all the current system files and restore the cached approved copies. You may be asked to insert the Windows CD as well during the restore.

SFC should be used as a last resort. If you have been creating system restore points, first roll back to your latest restore point and see if that fixes your problem.

The following switches can be used with SFC:

• /scannow: Scans all protected system files immediately.
• /scanonce: Scans all protected system files once.
• /scanboot: Scans all protected system files every time the computer is restarted.
• /revert: Returns the scan to its default operation.
• /purgecache: Purges the Windows File Protection file cache and scans all protected system files immediately.
• /cachesize=x: Sets the size, in MB, of the Windows File Protection file cache.
• /?: Displays help at the command prompt.

Note:
If the "%systemroot%\system32\dllcache" folder becomes corrupt or unusable, use sfc /scannow, sfc /scanonce, or sfc /scanboot to repair the contents of the Dllcache directory.

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Tweak UI for XP

Microsoft has provided what are called PowerToys since the days of Win95. Of the various utilities, "Tweak UI," or the Tweak User Interface, gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, added security settings, and more. Download and install Tweak UI for XP here. Once installed, it will appear on your start menu. Version 2.10 requires Windows XP Service Pack 1 or Windows Server 2003.

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