Optimize Windows Startup - Faster Boot Times

For good or ill, we've come to expect instant gratification from our technology. Turn the key in your car ignition, hit the On button on your TV remote, or press Start on your microwave oven, and things happen immediately. But that isn't the case with a Windows PC, where--depending on a number of factors--you have to wait between 30 seconds and several minutes before your PC is ready to run.

This isn't, of course, the worst problem you can run into with Windows. You could use the extended boot-up time to get another cup of java (liquid variety) or smell the roses. But if you're the impatient type, there are ways to speed up your PC's emergence out of the starting gate. And some of these procedures can also help Windows run more efficiently overall.

1. System BIOS Changes

One of the first places to help speed boot time in Windows is to make some simple changes to the system BIOS. The BIOS or Basic Input/Output System is a set of instructions and commands built into the motherboard that allows the computer to know what type of hardware is connected and how to communicate with that hardware. You'll first have to gain access to the BIOS setup screen to make any changes. Do not make changes to the system settings in the BIOS lightly, one mistake can render the computer unbootable and cause more problems than its worth. For this reason, do not attempt making changes to the system BIOS unless you are willing to accept the risk along with it. With that said, you'll want to follow the directions below and make some simple changes to speed up the boot process.

1) You must start with the computer completely off, not in sleep or hibernation mode. Then turn the computer on.

2) Enter the system BIOS screen by the manufacturers suggestion. Depending on the computer, this may involve pressing the DEL key, pressing F1, Pressing F10, holding down CTRL-ALT-S, or a variety of other keystrokes to get to the BIOS screen.

3) Once in the BIOS setup, look for a BOOT menu and select it with your keyboard arrow keys, Tab, and Enter.

4) In most modern BIOS screens, you'll find an option for Quick Boot. Enable this to skip memory tests and other minor Power On Self Tests (POST).


5) Find an option for Boot Device Priority next, and change the first boot device to be the hard drive. Changing this option will speed up the boot process, but it will also not allow the computer to boot from a floppy disk or CD-ROM. If booting from anything other than the hard drive is important to you, please skip this step. If later on, you need to boot from a CD-ROM, simply re-enter the BIOS setup and make the CD-ROM the first boot device.


6) Choose the option to Exit and Save Changes and the computer will reboot.

2. Remove unneeded startup programs

In Windows 98, Me, and XP, you can see what programs load at startup by going to Start, Run, typing msconfig, and clicking OK.

Click the Startup tab to see a list of programs that launch at startup. You'll need to experiment to see what you can do without. Just uncheck the boxes on the left-hand side of the Msconfig window to keep them from loading. The name and location of each file can help you figure out what it does.

In Windows XP, Msconfig has a Services tab that shows other application and OS components. Some can be unchecked so they won't load at start-up; others are essential to Windows.

3. Check for viruses, spyware, and adware

Hidden malicious or annoying programs often load at system startup, slowing down the process. Get rid of them by scanning for viruses and pests regularly. Don't have antivirus and spyware utilities? You're living dangerously! We recommand you use PC Washer to detect and remove spywares, it supports to remove thouthans of spywares and adwares.

4. Clean the Registry

Problems with the Windows Registry are a common cause of Windows crashes and error messages. Registry problems can occur for many reasons, including references left behind after uninstallation; incorrect removal of software; missing or corrupt hardware drivers; or orphaned start-up programs. This will significantly increase the Registry size and slow down your computer, because Windows will need more time to load, search, and read data from the Registry.

PC Washer will scans your Windows registry for invalid or obsolete information and provide a list of the errors found. After fixing the invalid entries, your system will be more stable and run faster.

5. Defragment your hard drive

Your hard drive doesn't always save a file in one place. Instead, it tucks parts of the file wherever there's free space. Use Disk Defragmenter on each of your drives to make those files contiguous, improving both start-up and overall Windows performance. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter, select a drive, and click Start.

6. Disable Unnecessary Windows Services

Services are programs that run when the computer starts up and continue to run as they aid the operating system in functionality. There are many services that load and are not needed which take up memory space and CPU time. Disabling these services will free up system resources which will speed up your overall computer experience.
»Click here for more info

7. Changing to Static IP

If your computer is connected to a local area network that you control and you have a DHCP server enabled on your router, during the boot process the computer queries the network to valid IP address. You can shave seconds off your boot time by assigning a valid IP address to your computer instead of using DHCP to assign it. To setup a Static IP for your computer, follow these directions.

1) Click on Start, Run
2) Type NCPA.CPL and press Enter to open the Network Connection Control Panel
3) Right-click on the Local Area Connection and choose Properties
4) Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties
5) You should see a screen similar to the one below. Fill in your static IP, subnet, default gateway, and DNS server information and click OK. If you aren't sure of your IP ranges on your router, consult your router manual or a friend that is more knowledgeable in networking terminology. Again, this is an optional item and does not necessarily need to be accomplished. Using DHCP is fine, although you sacrifice a few seconds for an IP to be assigned to from the network.

8. Cleanup Your Hard Disk, Remove Junk Files

A hard disk is like a closet. You need to buy the biggest one you can afford because it will always fill up more quickly than you expect. Just like a closet, a hard disk can become a huge, tangled mess in no time. Your computer uses your hard disk like a scratch pad where it keeps vital information as it processes data. If your hard disk becomes too full, your computer will not have any room to work and will slow to a crawl. Prevent this slowdown by doing a little cleaning up and clearing out.

How to Delete AutoComplete History

AutoComplete feature may be helpful for some things, it can also seriously compromise your security and privacy.

You may have noticed that when you type a search into a web site search box (such as Google or Yahoo!), a list of previously searched for terms are displayed. These previous searches are not saved by any web site, but are actually saved by your web browser through a feature called AutoComplete.

Internet Explorer and other browsers includes a feature called AutoComplete that keeps track of information that you’ve recently typed, such as Web site addresses, information in forms, and search queries. As you type new information, AutoComplete tries to anticipate what you are typing and offers possible matches.

While the AutoComplete feature may be helpful for some things, it can also seriously compromise your security and privacy, because anyone who has access to your computer can see what web sites you visited and what information you entered on web pages. Also various malicious software can use AutoComplete data to steal your personal information such as your name, e-mail address, credit card information and/or retrieve web sites passwords stored as autocomplete data.

How to delete Internet Explorer AutoComplete history?

To delete AutoComplete forms history in Internet Explorer:
• Select "Tools" then "Internet Options".
• Open the "Content" tab.
• Click the "AutoComplete" button.
• Click the "Clear forms" button to delete all AutoComplete form data and/or click the "Clear Passwords" to delete restored passwords.

If you don't want Internet Explorer to save this data in the future, you can disable IE AutoComplete. Just follow these steps:

• Select "Tools" -> "Internet Options".
• Open the "Content" tab.
• Click the "AutoComplete" button
• Check or uncheck the options you wish have or not.
• Click OK.

How to delete Firefox Autocomplete history?

Mozilla Firefox saves information entered in web page forms and the Search Bar to make filling out forms and surfing faster.
To delete AutoComplete history in Mozilla Firefox:
• Select "Tools"
• Select "Options".
• Open the "Privacy" tab.
• Click the "Clear" button in the "Saved Form Information" area.

To disable AutoComplete in Mozilla Firefox:

• Select "Tools" then "Internet Options".
• Select the "Privacy" tab.
• Open "Save form information" category.
• Remove the check mark from the "Save information I enter in web page forms and the Search Bar".
• Click OK.

To disable AutoComplete forms in Mozilla Firefox:

• Select "Edit" then "Preferences".
• Open "Privacy & Security" category.
• Select "Forms" sub-category
• Remove the check mark from the "Save form data from web pages when completing forms".

Note: It's NOT recommended that you turning off auto-completion, because it's too convenient overall. Fortunately, you don't have to: You can tell your browser to forget individual auto-complete entries.
In Internet Explorer and Firefox, start typing out the entry you want to be rid of, wait for the browser to suggest it in a drop-down listing below that form, then select it. In IE, press the Delete key; in Firefox, hit Shift and Delete.

In Firefox, this Shift-Delete trick will also scrub out auto-complete entries in the browser's address bar and Web-search bar.

WINDOWS OPTIMIZATION..

Index.dat Files Information and Removal Instruction

Index.dat files are dangerous privacy threat - any person can see history of almost all of your computer activities.

What is index.dat file?


Index.dat files are used by Internet Explorer and Windows to store history, Internet cache, cookies, UserData records and other information about what you have done in Internet or in your PC. Although some of their functions are useful, they are dangerous privacy threat - any person with even little knowledge about index.dat files locations and structure can see history of almost all of your computer activities. Index.dat files are not the only privacy threat but they are the most obscure and dangerous one because they are hard to find and even harder to delete.Note: these things aren't necessarily problems in and of themselves, so if you're not experiencing random crashes, don't waste your time solving problems that aren't there.

According to Microsoft, these files are used to cache visited Web sites to help speed up the loading of Web pages in Internet Explorer. Obviously this cannot be the case because when you clear the Temporary Internet Files the "index.dat" files remain behind and continue to grow. If you delete or clear the Temporary Internet Files, there is absolutely no need to index the URL cache because those files no longer exist.

Where are index.dat files located?

The location of index.dat files depends on the version of Windows and whether or not you are using user profiles. Regardless of Windows version in many cases you can't see or find index.dat file using Windows Explorer. There is a little file called desktop.ini in each directory where index.dat file is located. This desktop.ini file forces Windows Explorer to hide index.dat files and to show the contents of Internet cache or history instead. However you can use some other file utility and binary (hex) editor to find the files and read their content. If you have Windows Vita then index.dat files are in these locations (note that on your PC they can be on other drive instead of drive C):
C:\Users\username\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies\Low\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History\History.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History\History.IE5\Low\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History\History.IE5\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History\History.IE5\Low\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Low\Content.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData\index.dat<br />C:\Users\username\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData\Low\index.dat<br />
Note, that you will have to change the settings of Windows Explorer to show all kinds of files (including the protected system files) in order to access these folders.

If you have Windows XP or Windows 2000 then index.dat files are in these locations (note that on your PC they can be on other drive instead of drive C):

C:\Windows\Cookies\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\History\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\History\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br /> (XXXX are some digits)<br />C:\Windows\History\History.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\History\History.IE5\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\index.dat<br /> (only in Internet Explorer 4.x)<br />C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\UserData\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Cookies\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\History.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\History.IE5\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Temporary Internet Files\index.dat <br /> (only in IE 4.x)<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\UserData\index.dat
If you have only one user account on Windows XP or Windows 2000 then replace username with Administrator to get the paths of all index.dat files.

If you have Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows NT or Windows 95 then index.dat files are in these locations:
C:\Windows\Cookies\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\History\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\History\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br /> (XXXX are some digits)<br />C:\Windows\History\History.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\History\History.IE5\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\index.dat<br /> (only in Internet Explorer 4.x)<br />C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\UserData\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Cookies\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\History.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\History\History.IE5\MSHistXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Temporary Internet Files\index.dat <br /> (only in IE 4.x)<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat<br />C:\Windows\Profiles\username\UserData\index.dat

How to delete index.dat file manually?

The index.dat file are used by Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer. You cannot delete a file that is in use by a running program. If you feel you need to delete the file, you will have to shutdown all instances of Explorer and IE. This includes applications that may host the Webbrowser control: Outlook, Messenger, IE, Product Studio, Visual Studio, Help, Windows Media Player, etc. Your best bet is just close everything. When you are left with a desktop and a start menu, you will still need to shutdown Explorer. To cleanly shutdown Explorer: Start->Shutdown->CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+Click 'Cancel'. You can use Task Manager (CTRL+SHIFT+ESC, File->Run...) at this point to open a command window. You should be able to go delete the index.dat file.

Index.dat file before deleting

Index.dat file after deleting

How to remove recycle bin from your desktop

How to remove recycle bin from your desktop Tip:

Open Regedit by going to START - RUN and type Regedit and hit enter. Then you should navigate to following entry in registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and delete it. This action should remove recycle bin from your desktop.


Customize Internet. Explorer Title bar tip:

This tip won't make your computer any faster but may help personalize your computer experience. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet. Explorer\Main. In right hand panel look for string "Window Title" and change its value to whatever custom text you want to see.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



adding content to Right click credit : ashwin C1

Once done, you will be able to right click any file or folder and use the Browse for Folder dialog to choose the location you want to move or copy your file or folder to, without having to go to the destination path.

First we will add the copy and move options to the right click menu of all FILES.
CLICK Start>Run, type REGEDIT and click OK to open up the registry editor and make your way to this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT->*->shellex->ContextMenuHandlers
Right click the ContextMenuHandlers key and choose New>Key.
Name the new key “Copy To” (without the quotes).
Repeat the above and create another new key named Move To.
You should now have two new subkeys under the ContextMenuHandlers key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT->*->shellex->ContextMenuHandlers\Copy To
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT->*->shellex->ContextMenuHandlers\Move To
Select the Copy To key and in the right hand pane, double click “Default”
Enter this clsid value as the value data:
{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Next , select the Move To key and in the right hand pane set the default value to:
{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
This now takes care of the Copy and Move options for the right click context menu of all your files.
Now all that is left is to add the same options to the right click menu of all your folders.
The procedure will be the same as for files but at a different key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHan dlers
Right click ContextMenuHandlers and create a new key named Copy To.
Right click it again and create another new key named Move To.
left click on the right hand pane, add the same default values as you did for Files:
For Copy To:
{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
For the Move To:
{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Exit the registry and you are done.
Now when you right click on a file or folder, you should see two new options: Copy to Folder and Move to Folder

Registry Tricks and Tips for Windows

Before Editing The Registry - BACK IT UP





Backup / Restore the Registry

To Backup/Restore the Windows Registry: Windows 9x For XP 2000 click here

1. If you are in MSDOS, at the C:\Windows prompt type
2. Attrib -s -r -h C:\Windows\System.dat (press Enter)
3. Attrib -s -r -h C:\Windows\User.dat (press Enter)

To make the backup copies type:

1. copy C:\Windows\System.dat C:\Windows\System.000 (press Enter)
2. copy C:\Windows\User.dat C:\Windows\user.000 (press Enter)

To Restore the Registry

1. copy C:\Windows\System.000 C:\Windows\System.dat (press Enter)
2. copy C:\Windows\User.000 C:\Windows\user.dat (press Enter)

Add Open With to all files

You can add "Open With..." to the Right click context menu of all files.This is great for when you have several programs you want to open the same file types with. I use three different text editors so I added it to the ".txt" key.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\Shell
3. Add a new Key named "OpenWith" by right clicking the "Shell" Key and selecting new
4. Set the (Default) to "Open With..."
5. Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking the "OpenWith" Key and selecting new
6. Set the (Default) to "C:\Windows\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL %1", C:\ being your Windows drive. You must enter the "OpenAs_RunDLL %1" exactly this way.

Customize the System Tray

You can add your name or anything you like that consists of 8 characters or less. This will replace the AM or PM next to the system time. But you can corrupt some trial licenses of software that you may have downloaded.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International
3. Add two new String values, "s1159" and "s2359"
4. Right click the new value name and modify. Enter anything you like up to 8 characters.

If you enter two different values when modifying, you can have the system tray display the two different values in the AM and PM.

Lock Out Unwanted Users

Want to keep people from accessing Windows, even as the default user? If you do not have a domain do not attempt this.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon
3. Create a dword value "MustBeValidated"
4. Set the value to 1
This forced logon can be bypassed in Safe Mode on Windows 9x

Disable the Outlook Express Splash Screen

You can make OutLook Express load quicker by disabling the splash screen:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express
3. Add a string value "NoSplash"
4. Set the value data to 1 as a Dword value

Multiple Columns For the Start Menu

To make Windows use multiple Start Menu Columns instead of a single scrolling column, like Windows 9x had, Also if you are using Classic Mode in XP

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Advanced
3. Create a string value "StartMenuScrollPrograms"
4. Right click the new string value and select modify
5. Set the value to "FALSE"

Changing Windows' Icons

You can change the Icons Windows uses for folders, the Start Menu, opened and closed folder in the Explorer, and many more.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Shell Icons
3. Add a string value for each Icon you wish to change.
Example: "3" ="C:\Windows\Icons\MyIcon.ico,0" This will change the closed folders in the Explorer to "MyIcon.ico". Here is a complete list for each value.
0= Unknown file type
1= MSN file types
2= Applications Generic
3= Closed Folder
4= Open Folder
5= 5.25" Drive
6= 3.25" Drive
7= Removable Drive
8= Hard Drive
9= NetWork Drive
10= Network Drive Offline
11= CD-ROM Drive
12= RAM Drive
13= Entire Network 14= Network Hub
15= My Computer
16= Printer
17= Network Neighborhood
18= Network Workgroup
19= Start Menu's Program Folders
20= Start Menu's Documents
21= Start Menu's Setting
22= Start Menu's Find
23= Start Menu's Help
24= Start Menu's Run
25= Start Menu's Suspend
26= Start Menu's PC Undock
27= Start Menu's Shutdown 28= Shared
29= Shortcut Arrow
30= (Unknown Overlay)
31= Recycle Bin Empty
32= Recycle Bin Full
33= Dial-up Network
34= DeskTop
35= Control Panel
36= Start Menu's Programs
37= Printer Folder
38= Fonts Folder
39= Taskbar Icon
40= Audio CD

You need to reboot after making changes. You may need to delete the hidden file ShellIconCache if after rebooting the desired Icons are not displayed.

Change Default Folder Locations

You can change or delete the Windows mandatory locations of folder like My Documents:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Shell Folders
3. Change the desired folder location, My Documents is normally list as "Personal"
4. Open the Explorer and rename or create the folder you wish.

To change the desired location of the Program Files folder
1. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
2. Change the value of "ProgramFiles", or "ProgramFilesDir"
Now when you install a new program it will default to the new location you have selected.

Change the Registered Change the User Information

You can change the Registered Owner or Registered Organization to anything you want even after Windows is installed.

1) Open RegEdit
2) Got to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion.
3) Change the value of "RegisteredOrganization" or "RegisteredOwner", to what ever you want

Opening a DOS Window to either the Drive or Directory in Explorer

Add the following Registry Keys for a Directory:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew
@="Dos Prompt in that Directory"

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\opennew\command
@="command.com /k cd %1"

Add or Edit the following Registry Keys for a Drive:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew
@="Dos Prompt in that Drive"

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\opennew\command
@="command.com /k cd %1"

These will allow you to right click on either the drive or the directory and the option of starting the dos prompt will pop up.

Changing Exchange/Outlook Mailbox Location

To change the location of your mailbox for Exchange:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Windows Messaging Subsystem\ Profiles
3. Go to the profile you want to change
4. Go to the value name that has the file location for your mailbox (*.PST) file
5. Make the change to file location or name

To change the location of your mailbox for Outlook
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Outlook (or Outlook Express if Outlook Express)
3. Go to the section "Store Root"
4. Make the change to file location

Add/Remove Sound Events from Control Panel

You can Add and delete sounds events in the Control Panel. In order to do that:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Eventlabels. If this key does not exist you can create it and add events.
3. You can add/delete any items you want to or delete the ones you no longer want.

Adding an Application to the Right Click on Every Folder

Here is how to add any application to the Context Menu when you right click on any Folder. This way you do not have to always go to the Start Menu. When you right click on any folder, you can have access to that application, the same as using Sent To.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell
3. Add a new Key to the "Shell" Key and name it anything you like.
4. Give it a default value that will appear when you right click a folder, i.e. NewKey (use an "&" without the quotes, in front of any character and it will allow you to use the keyboard)
5. Click on the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\NewKey
6. Add a New Key named Command
7. Set the (Default) value of the application you want to run
8. For example: c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe (Include the full path and parameters if you need them)

Adding Explore From Here to Every Folder

When you want to right click on any folder and want to open up an Explorer window of that folder.

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell
3. Add a new Key "RootExplore " under the "Shell" Key
4. Set the (Default) value to "E&xplore From Here "
5. Right Click the "RootExplore " Key and add a new Key "Command"to the RootExplore
6. Set the (Default) value of Explorer.exe /e,/root,/idlist,%i

Changing the Location of Windows' Installation Files

If you need to change the drive and or path where Windows looks for its installation files:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Setup
3.Edit the value next to SourcePath

Creating a Logon Banner

If you want to create a Logon Banner: A message box to appear below your logon on.

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go To
For Windows 9x and ME -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

For Windows 2000 XP 2003 Vista -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon


3.Create a new String value"LegalNoticeCaption "
4. Enter the Title of the window. What is displayed in the Title Bar.
5. Create a new string value "LegalNoticeText"
6. Enter the text for your message box that will appear even before the Logon window.

Creating a Default File Opener

If you have a un-registered file type and want to view it instead of having to select Open With. Use Explorer's Right-click and add your program to the right-click options by:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\Shell
3. Right click on "Shell" and create a New Key and name it "Open "
4. Create a New Key under the "Open" key you just created and name it "Command"
5. Set the (Default) value to the path and filename of the program you want to use to open the file type
6. For example: C:\Windows\NOTEPAD.EXE %1
You must use the "%1" for this to work.and a space between the exe and the %1

Deleting Registry Keys from the Command Line

There are two ways to delete a key from the Registry from the Command line. At the Windows Command line:

RegEdit /l location of System.dat /R location of User.dat /D Registry key to delete
You cannot be in Windows at the time you use this switch.

Or you can create a reg file as such:
REGEDIT4

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\the key you want to delete]
Note the negative sign just behind the[
Then at the Command line type:
1. RegEdit C:\Windows\(name of the regfile).

Change/Add Restrictions And Features

If you want to make restrictions to what users can do or use on their computer without having to run Poledit, you can edit the Registry. You can add and delete Windows features in this Key shown below.

Zero is Off and the value 1 is On. Example: to Save Windows settings add or modify the value name NoSaveSettings to 0, if set to1 Windows will not save settings. And NoDeletePrinter set to 1 will prevent the user from deleting a printer.

The same key shows up at:
HKEY_USERS\(yourprofilename)\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer so change it there also if you are using different profiles.

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ CurrentVersion\ Policies
3.Go to the Explorer Key (Additional keys that can be created under Policies are System, Explorer, Network and WinOldApp )
4.You can then add DWORD or binary values set to 1 in the appropriate keys for ON and 0 for off.
NoDeletePrinter - Disables Deletion of Printers
NoAddPrinter - Disables Addition of Printers
NoRun - Disables Run Command
NoSetFolders - Removes Folders from Settings on Start Menu
NoSetTaskbar - Removes Taskbar from Settings on Start Menu
NoFind - Removes the Find Command
NoDrives - Hides Drives in My Computers
NoNetHood - Hides the Network Neighborhood
NoDesktop - Hides all icons on the Desktop
NoClose - Disables Shutdown
NoSaveSettings - Don't save settings on exit
DisableRegistryTools - Disable Registry Editing Tools
NoRecentDocsMenu - Hides the Documents shortcut at the Start button
NoRecentDocsHistory- Clears history of Documents
NoFileMenu _ Hides the Files Menu in Explorer
NoActiveDesktop - No Active Desktop
NoActiveDesktopChanges- No changes allowed
NoInternetIcon - No Internet Explorer Icon on the Desktop
NoFavoritesMenu - Hides the Favorites menu
NoChangeStartMenu _ Disables changes to the Start Menu
NoFolderOptions _ Hides the Folder Options in the Explorer
ClearRecentDocsOnExit - Empty the recent Docs folder on reboot
NoLogoff - Hides the Log Off .... in the Start Menu

And here are a few more you can play with
ShowInfoTip
NoTrayContextMenu
NoStartMenuSubFolders
NoWindowsUpdate
NoViewContextMenu
EnforceShellExtensionSecurity
LinkResolveIgnoreLinkInfo
NoDriveTypeAutoRun
NoStartBanner
NoSetActiveDesktop
EditLevel
NoNetConnectDisconnect
RestrictRun - Disables all exe programs except those listed in the RestrictRun subkey
This key has many other available keys, there is one to even hide the taskbar, one to hide the control panel and more. I'm not telling you how, as someone may want to play a trick on you. The policies key has a great deal of control over how and what program can run and how one can access what feature.

In the System key you can enter:
NoDispCPL - Disable Display Control Panel
NoDispBackgroundPage - Hide Background Page
NoDispScrSavPage - Hide Screen Saver Page
NoDispAppearancePage - Hide Appearance Page
NoDispSettingsPage - Hide Settings Page
NoSecCPL - Disable Password Control Panel
NoPwdPage - Hide Password Change Page
NoAdminPage - Hide Remote Administration Page
NoProfilePage - Hide User Profiles Page
NoDevMgrPage - Hide Device Manager Page
NoConfigPage - Hide Hardware Profiles Page
NoFileSysPage - Hide File System Button
NoVirtMemPage - Hide Virtual Memory Button

In the Network key you can enter:
NoNetSetup - Disable the Network Control Panel
NoNetSetupIDPage - Hide Identification Page
NoNetSetupSecurityPage - Hide Access Control Page
NoFileSharingControl - Disable File Sharing Controls
NoPrintSharing - Disable Print Sharing Controls

In the WinOldApp key you can enter:
Disabled - Disable MS-DOS Prompt
NoRealMode - Disables Single-Mode MS-DOS

Automatic Screen Refresh

When you make changes to your file system and use Explorer, the changes are not usually displayed until you press the F5 key
To refresh automatically:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Update
3. Set the value name "UpdateMode" to 1

Disable Password Caching

To disable password caching, which allows for the single Network login and eliminates the secondary Windows logon screen. Either use the same password or:

1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE \Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Network
3. Add a Dword value "DisablePwdCaching" and set the value to 1

Changing the MaxMTU for faster Downloads

There are four Internet settings that can be configured, you can get greater throughput (faster Internet downloads) by modifying a few settings.
They are the MaxMTU, MaxMSS and DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlset\ Services\ Class\ net\ 000x
(where x is your particular network adapter binding.)
3.Right click on the right panel
4.Select New\String Value and create the value name IPMTU
5.Double click on it and enter then the number you want. The usual change is to 576
6.Similarly, you can add IPMSS and give it a value of 536

(Windows 9X)You can set DefaultRcvWindow, and DefaultTTL by adding these string values to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\ CurrentControlset\ Services\ VXD\ MSTCP
Set the DefaultRcvWindow to"5840"and the DefaultTTL to "128"

Note: These settings will slow down your network access speed slightly, but you will probably not even see the difference if you are using a network card. If you are using Direct Cable you should see a sight difference.

Adding Items to the Start Button

To add items when you right-click on the Start Button:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell
3.Right-click on Shell and select New Key
4.Type in the name of the key and press the Enter key
5.In the Default name that shows in the right hand panel, you can add a title with a "&" character in front of the letter for a shortcut
6.Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command
7.For the value of this command, enter the full path and program you want to execute
8.Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will be there.
9.For example, if you want Word to be added, you would add that as the first key, the default in the right panel would be &Word so when you right click on the Start Button, the W would be the Hot Key on your keyboard. The value of the key would be C:\Program Files\Office\Winword\Winword.exe

Remove Open, Explore & Find from Start Button

When you right click on the Start Button, you can select Open, Explore or Find.
Open shows your Programs folder. Explore starts the Explorer and allows access to all drives.
Find allows you to search and then run programs. In certain situations you might want to disable this feature.
To remove them:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Find
3.Delete Find
4.Scroll down below Directory to Folder
5.Expand this section under shell
6.Delete Explore and Open
Caution: - When you remove Open, you cannot open any folders.

Removing Items from NEW Context Menu

When you right-click on the desktop and select New, or use the File Menu item in the Explore and select New a list of default templates you can open up are listed.
To remove items from that list:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Do a Search for the string ShellNew in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Hive
3. Delete the ShellNew command key for the items you want to remove.

Changing Telnet Window

You can view more data if you increase the line count of Telnet. By Default it has a window size of 25 lines. To increase this so you can scroll back and look at a larger number on lines:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Telnet
3. Modify the value data of "Rows"

Changing the Tips of the Day

You can edit the Tips of the day in the Registry by going to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ explorer\ Tips

Disabling Drives in My Computer

To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer
3.Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
4.Give it a value of 3FFFFFF
5.Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show.

Changing the caption on the Title Bar

Change the Caption on the Title Bar for OutLook Express or the Internet Explorer:
For Outlook Express:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\OutLook Express
For IE5 and up use:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\IDENTITIES \{9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B}\ SOFTWARE\ MICROSOFT\ OUTLOOK EXPRESS\5.0
3. Add a string value "WindowTitle" (no space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.

For no splash screen, add a dword value "NoSplash" set to 1
The Key {9DDDACCO-38F2-11D6-93CA-812B1F3493B} can be any key you find here. Each user has his own Key number.
The Key 5.0 is whatever version of IE you have

For Internet Explorer:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
3. Add a string value "Window Title" (use a space)
4. Modify the value to what ever you like.

Disabling the Right-Click on the Start Button

Normally, when you right button click on the Start button, it allows you to open your programs folder, the Explorer and run Find.
In situations where you don't want to allow users to be able to do this in order to secure your computer.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Search for Desktop
3.This should bring you to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory
4.Expand this section
5.Under Shell is Find
6.Delete Find
7.Move down a little in the Registry to Folder
8.Expand this section and remove Explore and Open
Now when you right click on the Start button, nothing should happen.
You can delete only those items that you need.
Note: - On Microsoft keyboards, this also disables the Window-E (for Explorer) and Window-F
(for Find) keys.
See the section on Installation in the RESKIT to see how to do this automatically during an install.

Disabling My Computer

In areas where you are trying to restrict what users can do on the computer, it might be beneficial to disable the ability to click on My Computer and have access to the drives, control panel etc.
To disable this:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Search for 20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D
3.This should bring you to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID section
4.Delete the entire section.
Now when you click on My Computer, nothing will happen.
You might want to export this section to a Registry file before deleting it just in case you want to enable it again. Or you can rename it to 20D0HideMyComputer4FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D. You can also hide all the Desktop Icons, see Change/Add restrictions.

Opening Explorer from My Computer

By default, when you click on the My Computer icon, you get a display of all your drives, the Control Panel etc. If you would like to have this open the Explorer:
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ Shell
3 . Add a new Key named "Open" if it does not exists by right clicking "Shell" and selecting new.
4. . Add a new Key named "Command" by right clicking "Open" and selecting new
5. Set the (Default) value for the Command Key to "Explorer.exe" or "C:\Windows\Explorer.exe"

Recycle Bin Edits

Fooling with the recycle bin. Why not make the icon context menu act like other icon context menus.
Add rename to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:50,01,00,20
Add delete to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:60,01,00,20
Add rename and delete to the menu:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} \ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:70,01,00,20
Restore the recycle bin to Windows defaults including un-deleting the icon after deletion:
Restore the icon.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows \CurrentVersion\ explorer\
Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
@="Recycle Bin"
Reset Windows defaults.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} \ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,00,20
Other edits to the recycle bin icon:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\ ShellFolder
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,01,20 ... standard shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,02,20 ... a different shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,04,20 ... and still another shortcut arrow
"Attributes"=hex:40,01,08,20 ... make it look disabled (like it's been cut)

For Windows XP and 2000 also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
For Windows ME also edit HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software\ Classes\ CLSID\ {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}

Setting the Minimum Password Length

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Network
3. Now, choose the Edit/New/Binary value command and call the new value MinPwdLen. Press Enter twice and Assign it a value equal to your minimum password length.

Add\delete programs to run every time Windows starts

You can start or stop programs from executing at boot up by adding or deleting them to/from the run Keys in the Registry. Windows loads programs to start in the following order; Program listed in the Local Machine hive, then the Current User hive, then theWin.ini Run= and Load = lines. then finally programs in your Start Up folder.

To add or remove programs in the Registry
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to the desired Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \RunServices
3. Add a new String Value and name it anything you like
4. For the value data, enter the path and executable for the program you want to run.

By adding the value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive instead allows the program to start only when that user is logged on.

If you add the value to the RunOnce key the program will run once and be removed from the key by Windows.

Removing the Shortcut Icon Arrows

1.Open RegEdit
2.Open the Key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
3.Open the Key LNKFILE
4.Delete the value IsShortcut
5.Open the next Key PIFFILE
6.Delete the value IsShortcut
7.Restart the Windows

Turn Off Window Animation

You can shut off the animation displayed when you minimize and maximize Windows.
1. Open RegEdit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control panel \Desktop\ WindowMetrics
3. Create a new string value "MinAnimate".
4. Set the value data of 0 for Off or 1 for On

Changing your Modem's Initialization String

1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet \Services \Class \Modem \0000 \Init
3.Change the settings to the new values

Increasing the Modem Timeout

If your modem it is timing out during file transfers or loading Web Pages, you might try increasing the timeout period. To change the Time Out::
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Services\ Class\ Modem\ XXXX\ Settings Where XXXX is the number of your modem
3. In the right panel and double click on Inactivity Timeout
4.The number of minutes for a timeout should be entered between the brackets.
5.For example, a setting could have S19=<10> to set it to 10 minutes.

Removing Programs from Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs Section

If you uninstalled a program by deleting the files, it may still show up in the Add/Remove programs list in the Control Panel.
In order to remove it from the list.
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Uninstall
3.Delete any programs here.
If you have a problem locating the desired program open each key and view the DisplayName value

The Fix for Grayed Out Boxes

The File Types tab in Explorer's View / Options menu lets you edit most of your file types, but certain settings cannot be changed. The default action for a batch file, for instance, runs the batch file instead of opening it via Notepad or Wordpad. Thus, when you double-click on AUTOEXEC.BAT, a DOS window opens, and the file executes. If you want to change this default action and edit a batch file when you double-click on it, however, the File Types tab does not let you do so; the Set Default button for the file type called MS-DOS Batch File is always grayed out.

The button is grayed out because HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT's batfile key contains an EditFlag value entry. Such entries are used throughout the Registry to prevent novice users from altering certain system settings. The binary data in batfile's EditFlag reads d0 04 00 00. If you change this value to 00 00 00 00, you can then change any of the batch file settings. Do not, however, indiscriminately zero out EditFlag; if you do so in a system ProgID such as Drive or AudioCD, it completely disappears from the File Types list. For ProgIDs that are linked to extensions, set all EditFlags to 00 00 00 00. For system ProgIDs, replace EditFlag data with 02 00 00 00.

If you wish to have access to some buttons while leaving others grayed out, you must know the function of each EditFlag bit. The last two bytes of data are always zero, but most bits within the first two bytes have a specific effect:

* Byte 1, bit 1: Removes the file type from the master list in the File Types tab (select View / Options under Explorer) if it has an associated extension.
* Byte 1, bit 2: Adds the file type to the File Types tab if it does not have an associated extension.
* Byte 1, bit 3: Identifies a type with no associated extension.
* Byte 1, bit 4: Grays out the Edit button in the File Types tab.
* Byte 1, bit 5: Grays out the Remove button in the File Types tab.
* Byte 1, bit 6: Grays out the New button in the Edit File Type dialog (select the Edit button in the File Types tab).
* Byte 1, bit 7: Grays out the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 1, bit 8: Grays out the Remove button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 1: Prevents you from editing a file type's description in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 2: Grays out the Change Icon button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 3: Grays out the SetDefault button in the Edit File Type dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 4: Prevents you from editing an action's description in the Edit Action dialog (select the Edit button in the Edit File Type dialog).
* Byte 2, bit 5: Prevents you from editing the command line in the Edit Action dialog.
* Byte 2, bit 6: Prevents you from setting DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) fields in the Edit Action dialog.

The EditFlags value for Drive, for instance, is d2 01 00 00 in Hex (1101 0010 0000 0001 in binary). Bits 2, 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 1 is on in byte 2. The EditFlag for batfile is d0 04 00 00 in Hex or 1101 0000 0000 0100 in binary. In this case, bits 5, 7, and 8 are on in byte 1, and bit 3 is on in byte 2.

Bits 4, 5, and 6 of byte 2 apply only to actions that are protected. EditFlags with action keys (such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\open) determine protection. If byte 1, bit 1 of such an EditFlag is 0 (or if there is no EditFlag), then the action is protected. If byte 1, bit 1 is 1, then the action is unprotected.

Protection on system files

To enable protection on system files such as the KnownDLLs list, add the following value;

1. Open RegEdit
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\ Control\ SessionManager
3. Create the a Dword value and name it "ProtectionMode "
4. Set the Value to1


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How to change the Volume Licensing product key on a computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 1 and later versions of Windows XP

Steps to change the volume licensing product key
This article describes two methods for how to change the Windows XP product key after a Volume Licensing installation to resolve the issue. One method uses the Windows Activation Wizard graphical user interface (GUI) and the other method uses a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) script. The Activation Wizard method is easier. However, if you must change the product key for multiple computers, the script method is more suitable.
Method 1: Use the Activation Wizard
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.


Deactivate Windows

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\WPAEvents
4. In the topic pane, right-click OOBETimer, and then click Modify.
5. Change at least one digit of this value to deactivate Windows.

Reactivate Windows and add new product key

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK.
%systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
3. Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows, and then click Next.
4. Click Change Product key.
5. Type the new product key in the New key boxes, and then click Update.

If you are returned to the previous window, click Remind me later, and then restart the computer.
6. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to verify that Windows is activated. You receive the following message:
Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit.
7. Click OK.
8. Install Windows XP Service Pack 1a or a later version of Windows XP.

If you cannot restart Windows after you install Windows XP SP1 or a later version of Windows XP, try the following steps:

1. Restart your computer and start pressing F8 until you see the Windows Advanced Options menu.
2. Select Last Known Good Configuration from the menu and press ENTER. This option starts Windows by using a previous good configuration.
3. Repeat steps 1 through 8 under "Reactivate Windows and add new product key."

If you can install SP1 or a later version of Windows XP and you can restart Windows, you have resolved the issue. If the issue has not been resolved, try method 2 or see the "Next Steps" section for more troubleshooting resources.
Method 2: Use a script
If you must change the product key for multiple computers, we recommend this method. You can create a WMI script that changes the volume licensing product key, and then deploy this script in a startup script.

The sample ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script and the sample ChangeVLKeySP1 script that are described in this section use the new volume licensing key that you want to enter as a single argument. It is in a five-part alphanumeric form.

We recommend that you use the ChangeVLKey2600.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are not running Windows XP SP1 and later versions of Windows XP and that you use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script on Windows XP-based computers that are running Windows XP SP1 and later versions of Windows XP. These scripts perform the following functions:

* They remove the hyphen characters (-) from the five-part alphanumeric product key.
* They create an instance of the win32_WindowsProductActivation class.
* They call the SetProductKey method with the new volume licensing product key.

You can create a batch file or a cmd file that uses either of the following sample scripts, together with the new product key as an argument. You can deploy it as part of a startup script or run it from the command line to change the product key on a single computer.
Examples
For more information about how to script the product key, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457096.aspx (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457096.aspx)
ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs

'
' WMI Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs
'
' This script changes the product key on the computer
'
'***************************************************************************

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT


if Wscript.arguments.count<1 then
Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument"
Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX"
Wscript.quit
end if

Dim VOL_PROD_KEY
VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0)
VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any

for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation")

result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY)

if err <> 0 then
WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number)
Err.Clear
end if

Next


ChangeVLKey2600.vbs

'
' WMI Script - ChangeVLKey.vbs
'
' This script changes the product key on the computer
'
'***************************************************************************

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT

if Wscript.arguments.count<1 then
Wscript.echo "Script can't run without VolumeProductKey argument"
Wscript.echo "Correct usage: Cscript ChangeVLKey.vbs ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PRSTU-WYQZX"
Wscript.quit
end if

Dim VOL_PROD_KEY
VOL_PROD_KEY = Wscript.arguments.Item(0)
VOL_PROD_KEY = Replace(VOL_PROD_KEY,"-","") 'remove hyphens if any
Dim WshShell
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.RegDelete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents\OOBETimer" 'delete OOBETimer registry value
for each Obj in GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}").InstancesOf ("win32_WindowsProductActivation")

result = Obj.SetProductKey (VOL_PROD_KEY)

if err <> 0 then
WScript.Echo Err.Description, "0x" & Hex(Err.Number)
Err.Clear
end if

Next


The following example shows how to use the ChangeVLKeySP1.vbs script from a command line:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type the following command, where AB123-123AB-AB123-123AB-AB123 is the new product key that you want to use, and then click OK:
c:\changevlkeysp1.vbs ab123-123ab-ab123-123ab-ab123

How to Speed up a Windows XP Computer

If not properly maintained, the performance of all Windows XP systems will eventually degrade. To counteract this slow-down, scheduling a computer shop visit isn't your only option; you can correct performance issues yourself. Save money and squeeze more speed out of Windows XP!
Steps

1. Remove Spyware and Viruses
* Spyware and viruses are a leading cause of computer slowing. See this article to learn how to remove them.
* Update and run your spyware and virus software at least weekly.
* If you do not have tools installed to protect against malware, spyware, and viruses, download a free copy of AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 (free for personal use). Also, Microsoft's Windows Defender is a widely-used anti-spyware tool that is currently distributed freely for users with a "Genuine" copy of Windows. Windows Defender is also included with other Microsoft services and products such as Live OneCare and Vista.
* Download and install Mozilla Firefox from http://www.mozilla.com. It will allow you to import all of your Internet Explorer settings, and is much less prone to malware than Microsoft Internet Explorer. It will prompt you with a "Set as Default Browser" message. Check "Don't show this again" and click "Yes". Firefox also has a cool feature to delete cookies, cache, and temporary internet files each time you close it. Use this. It can speed up your internet experience.
* If you have a particularly difficult infection, try using the Quick Virus Remover. It is a free utility that is not a replacement for commercial products, but can be helpful for removing some of the most common viruses.
2. Defragment Your Computer - This will place similar files physically closer on the hard disk to improve load speeds.
* Click start, again, then click run.
* Type, "dfrg.msc" in the text field.
* Click Defrag to start it.




3. Perform a disk clean up.
* Click start in the bottom left corner, then click run.
* Type, "cleanmgr.exe" in the text field.
* Press "okay". This can take a while if you have never done it before.





4. Remove unwanted software.
* Click start, then click control panel.
* Click add/remove programs.
* Highlight any old software you do not use and then click "remove".


5. Stop unwanted Start-Up programs.
* Run msconfig
* Choose startup box
* Select uncheck programs you don't want to run on startup
*

OR
*

Click here and download StartUpCPL.
* Install the software you have just downloaded.
* Open control panel, select Start up.
* Disable any programs you do not want load automatically.


* Disable Services you do not use or need. Open control panel, open Administrative Tools, and select Services. Disabling the wrong Services may lead to serious problems that you may not notice right away. Please consult a reference such as overclockersclub.comfor information on specific Windows XP Services. If you do not know what it is, do not disable the service

6. Make Windows load faster
* Click Start, then Run.
* Type in 'msconfig' and press enter.
* Click on the BOOT.INI tab at the top.
* Over to the right there will be a box labeled Timeout with 30 in it. Change the 30 to a 3.
7. Speed Up Processing Time
* Turning off the fancy Windows XP graphics will noticeably increase the speed of your computer.
* Go to Start, (Settings), Control Panel, System. NOTE: You may need to 'Switch to Classic Mode' to see the System applet.
* Go to the Advanced tab. Click the Settings button under Performance.
* Select the 'Adjust for best performance' radio button, then Apply, and OK.
* The graphics aren't as flashy, but your computer will run a lot faster.
8. Speed Up RAM For Gaming
* Go to Start, (Settings), Control Panel, System. (This is just like the step above this.)
* Go to the Advanced tab. Click the Settings button under Performance.
* Now switch to this Advanced tab, and click on 'Change' under Virtual Memory.
* You will see the 'Initial Size (MB)' and the Maximum Size (MB)'.
* Change 'Initial Size' to the same value as 'Maximum Size' then click set.
o NOTE This setting will help your gaming by speeding your computer up.


[edit] Tips

* If this is your first defrag, do it after the disk clean up twice, then a disk defrag, and then another disk clean up. It is suggested to defrag your hard drive monthly.
* For best results, run defragmenter last after performing all other steps.
* Do all the above steps quite often to maintain the speed of your PC.
* Run an alternate Windows shell to save on RAM usage and boost performance (Shell Shocked: Alternative shells for Windows). Although more expensive, installing additional RAM is a better option. Running an alternate shell is a compatibility risk as many proprietary Microsoft programs, such as their latest game or Visual Studio, may not function properly on a third-party shell.
* Although time-intensive, a re-partition and re-format of the hard disk drive, along with a clean installation of Windows XP will improve performance. Performing this task will remove all of your existing data, so a back-up or file copy is recommended first. Only save the files you created, as you will need to reinstall each application on the new installation of Windows. If you did not change the default location when saving documents, it may be safe to copy only the user folder and all files and folders within it (ie: "C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)"). Typically, most users will need to be sure to copy these files:

o Documents created using applications such as Microsoft Word or similar office suite programs
o Bookmarks/Favorites from your Internet browser
o Fonts installed that are not included by default with Windows (note that some fonts are installed by applications).
o E-mail in-box and folders if you use an e-mail client that does not use an Internet browser
o Any schedule data for programs such as Outlook
o Financial records for programs such as Quicken
* Optimize the registry either manually or with a third-party application. Many of these registry tweaking programs are available on the Internet, including commercial applications that are released as free trials. If you are not familiar with the registry, do not edit it manually -- the registry is vital to Windows' operation.
* Also go to run type in %temp% and delete them all.


Warnings

* Always create a restore point before uninstalling software, even better before you start any step.
* Be careful when using msconfig. Do not uncheck unfamiliar items, and do not experiment with settings in any other tab. Doing so could prevent your Windows install from booting!

How to Speed Up Your Slow Internet Connection

Broadband internet connections have given access to instant information. However, slow internet connection problems are becoming more common. The speed of your internet connection is based on a number of factors. If any of these factors are hampered the overall connection speed will slow. Some causes of slow internet connection are beyond your control. However the majority of the problems that cause slow down can be easily eliminated with a few maintenance task. Some of the factors directly affected your internet net connection are modem speed, line quality, windows cache, security software and the quality of your internet service provider. The tips below will help you to tweak your system to get the best that your broadband has to offer.

Check your internet speed

You can check your internet connection by hover your mouse pointer over the internet connection icon in the bottom right hand corner of your screen. A pop up window will display your internet connection. You can also click the icon to launch the Properties window.


The graphic shows a connection that is using a wireless router so in addition to your internet speed, log on duration and status, you will also see the signal strength. You can get more accurate test by using online broad band test sites. If you are getting 80% of your ISP advertised speed, You are in good shape. There is usually a standard loss of 10-20% speed due to line quality. So if your are supposed be getting 1.5mbs and your internet speed runs around 1.25mbs, you have a good connection.

4 Steps to Speed A Slow Internet Connection.


STEP 1: REDUCE THE WEB CACHE

First step in speeding up your slow internet connection to tweak your internet options. To launch the launch the internet options utility follow the the direction below:
1.Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Double Click Internet Options
4. Click Settings under Browsing History


The task here is to make your web cache as small as possible. The less disk space your reserve for your temporary files is less data that your computer needs to search through. This action can easily award you a faster connection on the net.
5. Reduce the Disk Space to Use to the minimum recommended amount or as low as your desire.


STEP 2: CLEAR TEMP FILES

Deleting your web cache is a good way to speed up a slow internet connection. These files take up valuable resources that could be used to for a better net surfing experience. Remember that while you are online many files in the web cache are active. Cookies are loaded in your browsers and constantly update themselves. Also your computer will search through the temp files to match the latest version of a web page. So, by clearing the web cache you cut down on the work your PC needs to do thus speeding up your slow internet connection. Remember to shutdown the browser when deleting the cache. Because what files are open will not be deleted. Here how to delete your temporary internet files.

Manual steps to erase your temporary internet files.

1. Quit Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other web browser
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options.
3. On the General tab, click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files.
4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the Delete all offline content check box , and then click OK.
5. Click OK.

If you prefer not to delete all the files you can selective search each category and delete. The temporary files are broken up into six categories. To view your internet files follow the steps below:
In Internet Explorer

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Choose Internet Options from the Tools menu.
3. Click the General, Under Temporary Internet Files, Click Settings.
4.Click View Files
5. Delete selected files



STEP 3: SPEED UP WEB PAGES

One of the biggest culprit of slow internet connections. Is your web browser's settings. When you log on to a web page, your computer is assaulted with data it needs to organize and present in an orderly manner. This information takes time to load. So, the more information the longer it takes to load. However you tweak a number of settings to decrease the time it takes to load a web page. By reducing the amount of animation and scripts. You can see drastic increases in your internet surfing.
1.Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Double Click Internet Options
4. Click Settings
5. Scroll down to Multimedia.
6. You can reduce the options in order to increase speed at which web pages are loaded.



By restricting your browser to display only text is the fastest option.

STEP 4: CONTROL YOUR ANTIVIRUS

A slow internet connection is often a software related problem and not the fault of your ISP. Buying more bandwidth is always going to help. Slow down is a normal result of having security software like an anitvirus on your computer. The software must constantly update it files and signatures. All this information is logged in your computer. The majority of the information is placed in your registry.

When your antivirus performs a scan. It produces a log. This log can be up to 100 megabytes of information each. The registry holds all this info. The addition of the info is not the major problem. Its that the information is placed in many places in your registry. This causes fragmentation of files. Your computer's operating system must search through the massive files in the registry constantly. If the registry is error-filled, fragmented, or bloated with unnecessary and duplicate files, you will have major slowdown. Organize and keep it maintained, the problem will most likely be solved. You can scan to see the condition of your registry and see what resources you can unlock resources.Click Here to SCAN your registry

Also you should try to see what processes are loaded when your computer starts. Often the antivirus will check your email, scan, and even update at the same time. This may be occurring everytime you start up your PC. These acts can last as long as 3 hours. They may be running silently in the background without your knowledge. Maintain them by following the directions below or by tweaking the settings in your antivirus:

1. Open your Start menu.
2. Click Run
3. In the command screen type msconfig.exe
4. In the system configuration utility,click either service or startup
tab5. Uncheck all programs that you dont want to load win the antivirus is starting
6. Click OK



TIPS FOR FIREFOX BROWSER

The browser is configured to load one web page or "request" a time. You can alter these settings to increase the amount of information that can flow into Firefox's pipeline.

1.Type “about:config” into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining network.http.proxy.pipelining network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

2. Alter the entries as follows:

Set “network.http.pipelining” to “true”

Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining” to “true”

Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.

How to Increase Virtual Memory?

You can easily increase virtual memory by following the steps below. Your virtual memory is important but before you alter your settings it's best to find out more about virtual memory.

What is Virtual Memory?

Virtual memory is simulated RAM. When you have used up all your RAM, your computer will shift data to an empty space on the hard drive. The computer swaps data to the hard disk and back to your RAM as needed. When you increase your virtual memory you are increasing the empty space that is reserved for your RAM overflow.

Also having enough available space is absolutely necessary for your virtual memory and RAM to function properly. You can increase Virtual Memory performance automatically by freeing up resources in your registry. You may want to use a Registry Cleaner.

How to increase Virtual Memory?

In Windows XP

1.Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
3.On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
4.On the Advanced tab, under Virtual memory, click Change.
5.Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file that you want to change.
6.Under Paging file size for selected drive, click to Custom size check box. You can enter the amount of memory you would like to reserve for Virtual memory by entering the initial and maximum size.
7.Click Set
When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.
Special Note: You should choose the same amount for the initial size and maximum size. This will Stop your CPU from constantly changing the paging file.

HOT TIP: To stop your CPU from constantly changing the paging file, set the initial and maximum size to the same value. For example, 500 and 500. The value should be at least 1.5 times more than your physical RAM. If your computer has 512MB of RAM increase the virtual memory paging file to 1.5*512= 768

In Vista

1. Click Start button Picture of the Start button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Choose System and Maintenance and then click System.
4. In the left pane, click Advanced system settings.
5.On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
6. Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, choose Change.
7. Click Custom to change the Initial size (MB) and Maximum size. See the hot tip above.







Remember to choose the drive you would like to use to increase the virtual memory. In most cases it usually your C: Drive. You can set the initial size and maximum size after clicking the Custom size check box.Remember its better to keep the Virtual memory values the same.

Also having enough available space is absolutely necessary for your virtual memory and RAM to function properly.

Make Your Windows Genuine in Single Click

Make Your Windows Genuine in Single Click (1.25MB)
This small tool make your windows XP genuine just in a single click. Why is this appearing again? In the last few weeks, I’ve seen many Windows XP users confronted with a window that pops up out of nowhere to install “Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications.”Windows Genuine Advantage is Microsoft's antipiracy tool, designed to identify pirated copies of Windows XP and make them irritating to use. It has no relevance to you and has nothing to do with security. WGA has been around for years and your computer has already passed this test – there’s no excuse for making you go through this again.
The software was actually downloaded as a “critical” update through the Automatic Updates system. You’re installing a new version of the WGA program with changes that are meaningless to you. There’s nothing new that justifies putting this in your face. Even worse, the installation fails a fair amount of the time.
So to be clear: the popup window about Windows Genuine Advantage is a legitimate Microsoft update and your computer will continue to annoy you until you install it. It’s not harmful. Go ahead and click Next. If you have trouble installing it the first time, download and install it manually. Here’s the link to the WGA software.
The truly unforgivable thing is the checkmark inserted by default after installation in a box that says, "Show me more information about the joys of running licensed software." When you finish the WGA installation, your web browser takes you to a Microsoft anti-piracy web site.
An unexpected popup window, a vaguely described “update” out of nowhere, a rather bizarre trip to an irrelevant web site after installation - frankly, the whole experience resembles something I’d expect from a malware program, not from Microsoft.

download from here

Not able to open drives on hard disk by double click

A lot of virus creates an autorun.inf file at the root of your local drives and USB flash drive. The reason for this is when you open My Computer and tries to access a drive, it will run the virus to infect your computer. Very often anti-virus is able to remove executable virus from system but not autorun.inf. This is because autorun.inf that’s located at the root of your drive is only an instruction file that tells Windows what to automatically run when you access the drive from My Computer.

So even after the virus being cleaned, you’ll find that you’re unable to access your C drive from My Computer. Some people double click C drive, a search window will appear. For some, it’d say that it cannot find the script or file to run. Most common of all, when double click C drive, it gives you an option to choose a program to open.

For computer experts, one look and they’ll know they had to remove the autorun.inf file from C drive. Usually the autorun.inf cannot be easily deleted because it has system, read-only, and hidden file attribute. You can go to command prompt to remove the file attributes and then delete it. Sounds easy for an advance computer user but might be tough for a novice. Here’s how to easily double clicking C drive at My Computer and not opening problem.

Follow the set of commands below to show and delete the autorun.inf

1. Open Start>>Run and type cmd and press enter. This will open a command prompt window. On this command prompt window type the following steps.

2. type cd\

3. type attrib -r -h -s autorun.inf

4. type del autorun.inf

5. now type d: and press enter for d: drive partition. Now repeat steps 3 and 4. Similarly repeat step 5 for all your hard disk partition.

Restart your system and your trouble will be fixed.

if still problem

then
try follow step
1. start---> RUN
2. type regedit hit enter
3 press ctrl+f
4 type "mountpoints2"
in serach bar..

and delete the complet folder of "mountpoints2".

and then closed registry
yur drive now open

Install Operating System on more than 50 PC

How will you install Operating System in more than 50 PC at a time when the all Pcs having same configuration. ?

it is very simple. just install the os and all the drivers in one system and make a ghost image using norton ghost and restore it in remaining 49 systems. restoring a ghost takes 5-6 mins while os and drivers will take more than one hour for each.