The Windows XP splash screen is designed to hide all of the behind the scenes boot information that is ordinarily never needed to view. However, if you need to troubleshoot a startup problem, it may be necessary to view this information to determine the trouble. To find out, you can disable the splash screen by making a small change to the Boot.ini file. Follow the steps below:
To revive the splash screen, simply repeat the above steps to edit the Boot.ini file and remove the /SOS switch. [Top] |
If you would like to display any message in a popup window when Windows is started, here's how:
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To disable the "net send" Messenger service on Windows XP, follow these steps:
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If you don't want to use up the disk space taken by Hibernation, or don't need to use it at all, you can easily disable it.
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Below are instruction on troubleshooting an XP system that is stuck in a continuous reboot loop. This tip assumes you can start the system and are able to log on. As soon as you log on, the system reboots itself. In many cases, it may not even wait until you are logged on before rebooting itself. By default, Windows XP is configured to deal with a system failure by rebooting and in doing so, should repair the failure. But, in some cases, the system failure is serious enough to cause a continuous reboot loop. If your system is stuck on a continuous reboot, you can disable the automatic restart behavior. Follow these steps:
Keep in mind that you'll have to work fast in order to make the change before the system reboots. You may have better luck making the change if you launch the system in Safe Mode. [Top] |
If you do not want Windows Messenger to load automatically on Startup, simply delete the following Registry Key:
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To create an XP Start Disk:
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Is the Notification area, on the left-hand side of your task bar cluttered with icons? Does it take ages to start up your PC? It might be caused by software programs you installed on your system. After the software is installed, a small icon is placed in the Notification area. The icon facilitates quick access to the software. If you do not use some of these icons, disable them and save precious physical memory. Decide which program icons you use regularly and whether you want to keep these in the Notification area. I recommend keeping virus scanners and printer/scanner icons. Click on 'Start', 'Run', type 'msconfig' in the 'Open' field and click OK to open the System Configuration Utility window below. Click on the 'Startup' tab to get a list of all your system's startup programs. Tick the boxes of the programs you want to disable and click OK to continue. Reboot your system and check if everything is working fine. You can always re-enable the disabled startup programs by re-opening the System Configuration Utility and ticking the boxes of the disabled items. Reboot your system for the changes to take effect. [Top] |
WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer. To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:
Parameters:
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Want a quicker way to shut down, log off or reboot your computer, instead of going through the several clicks involved in doing it the normal way? Here's how you can create icons on the desktop that will allow you to perform any of these tasks with one click:
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Create a Standby Desktop Shortcut |
To create a Standby mode desktop shortcut:
That's it! [Top] |
Encourage Windows XP to Power Off at Shutdown Do you want your computer's power to turn off when you shut it down, so you won't have to manually push the power button? Here's how:
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Having a problem getting Windows XP to shut completely down? Try this:
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Safe Mode is most commonly used for troubleshooting purposes. If you find yourself booting to safe mode often. You may find it helpful to include the option for safe mode in your boot menu. Below, is a method you can use to save yourself from having to press F8 during startup to access Safe Mode:
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If you have a program that needs additional time to shut itself off when shutting down your computer, you can increase the amount of time that Windows takes when it shuts down. Warning: Be sure that you make a backup copy of your registry prior to making any changes to it. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] Drill to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop Single click on the "Desktop" entry to empty its contents into the right pane. Now, find the following entry: WaitToKillAppTimeout Double click the entry and increase the value. (10000=10 seconds) [Top] |
Windows XP has the ability to store your password and other pertinent information in the registry so that you can automate the logon process. Keep in mind though, while this is a very convenient method, it has its security risks. Anyone using your computer will have access to your account and your network. Only use this setting if the other people within your network are trusted. Warning: This tweak involves editing the Windows registry. Mistakes made while editing can have serious effects on your Windows installation. Be sure that you have made a backup copy of the registry prior to making any changes. Here is how to configure Windows XP to auto logon:
a. Hold your mouse over the right pane and right click an empty area.
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In many cases, an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) machine will have a link in the start menu that will either open a folder, web page or launch an application. If you find this feature to be annoying and have no intensions of using this link, you can hide this link from the Start Menu. Here's how: 1. Click the Start button 2. Right click the top of the Start menu 3. A "Properties" button should appear. Click the Properties button. Note: If more than a Properties button should appear, then you are right clicking a program within the Start Menu. 4. Click the Start Menu tab 5. Select the Customize button 6. Choose the Advanced tab 7. In the Start Menu items list, uncheck the entry titled: Manufacturer Link 8. Click OK, then OK again. In some cases, I have seen that the Manufacturer Link does not appear in the Start Menu Items list. If this is your case, you will need to edit the Windows Registry to enable the Start Menu Items list option. Before editing the Registry, be sure to save a backup copy to a file. How to backup the Windows Registry Enable the Start Menu item list option: 1. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK. 2. Navigate to following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft \Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartMenu\StartPanel\ShowOEMLink 3. Click the "ShowOEMLink" entry once to empty its contents in the right pane. 4. Double click the entry titled: NoOEMLinkINstalled 5. Change its value from "1" to "0" 6. Exit the Windows Registry Editor and restart Windows The Manufacturer Link should now be viewable in the "Start Menu Items" dialog. Now you can uncheck this item to hide it from the Start Menu. [Top] |
If you do not see the Administrative Tools menu within the Start menu or the All Programs menu, you can enable this option by following the directions below: 1. Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Taskbar and Start Menu>> Click the Start Menu tab>> Select the Customize button>> Click the Advanced tab. 2. Scroll the "Start menu items:" list and under the listing titled: System Administrative Tools, tick either of the two options listed below:
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MSCONFIG is a commonly used program used to manage the programs installed on your system. As you've probably noticed, you cannot delete entries from the list. Even if you have completely removed a program from your system, it still may show up in MSCONFIG's startup list. To delete invalid entries from here, you will need either a 3rd party program or edit the Windows Registry. Prior to deleting entries in the Windows Registry, please make a backup copy. Follow the instructions below to remove the invalid entries: 1. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK. 2. Navigate to the following registry keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\Startupreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\Startupfolder 3. Expand the "Startupreg" entry by clicking the "+" symbol. You will now notice all of the disabled items below. Do the same for the "Startupfolder" entry. 4. Once you have located the invalid entry(s), right click and delete. [Top] |
By default, when you open a command prompt window (Start>> Run. Type in: cmd [Enter]), it opens to the default user profile directory (see fig #1). Changing this setting requires a registry change. Be sure to make a backup copy before making any changes. How to change the startup directory:
Note: If the Autorun entry is not present, create a new string. Here's how:
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Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Disable XP's splash screen
Submitted by
Dr
on
04:22
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