Well 85.37%(245) of the people who visited us yesterday were on Windows, so here are some Windows tricks & tips. This is for those who want to spice up their PC, and still keep its sleek XP look and feel.

The Lay down:
Were going to teach you how to keep your XP looking clean with a bit of a speed improvement. Doing things like changing registry settings, performance settings, removing junk, and setting up scripts to run at start up (or any random time you choose).

Note: We are not responsible for any accidents that you may cause harm to your computer.

How:

1. Registry Settings - Change settings in your registry to unlock performance limits
   1. Open up the registry editor by going to Start > Run… and type in “regedit” without quotes.Registry Editor will open up and on the left you will see what I will refer to as the “registry explorer” and on the right we have our data values and keys.
   2. From here on you can do pretty much anything but I strongly advise you make a backup of your registry first by going to: File > Export. Use a filename of “regbackup” and Export range = All. Save to your root C:\ drive.
   3. The Registry Tweaks
      • Startup Delay - Dont wait for XP to wait!
        Description: While starting windows, your just about to get to your logon screen how ever it takes roughly 10+/- seconds to actually be able to input your password. This removes the time wait, so you can start up and go!
        Registry Explorer: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Content Index
        Key: StartupDelay (DWORD)
        To do: Double click (or Right Click > Modify) and change the Value to 0.
      • Application Timeout - “Hungup applications? get outta here!”
        Description: During average computer use your computer will freeze up during termination (exiting) of a program. With this we will remove the wait time.
        Registry Explorer: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
        Key: HungAppTimeout (STRING)
        To do: Change the value to 100, or something small. What ever your preference is.
      • For more registry tweaks and other tweaks please visit regedit.com
2. Performance Settings - Its whats on the inside, not the outside
   This is a well known general tweak by most enthusiasts who have attempted to get the better side of their PC. So here it is to those of you who haven’t heard of it… yet.
   1. Disable un-wanted “special effects” in the Windows XP GUI
      How:
      1. Start > *Right Click* My Computer
      2. Select Properties
      3. In System Properties go to the Advanced tab (at the top)
      4. Click on Settings in the Performance frame.
      5. Performance Options window will pop up, and you will have 3 selections. “Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer”, “Adjust for best appearance”, “Adjust for best performance”. Select “Adjust for best performance.”
      6. In the bottom area where you see multiple check boxes, check the following:
      • Show shadows under menus
      • Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop
      • Use visual styles on windows and button
3. Removing Junk - Dear Microsoft, please stop lagging my computer. Thanks, Java
   How many of you I wonder are familiar with the terms: cookies, cache, temporary internet files, tmp? They have been around for ages, and if you dont know what they mean you will get the gist of some of them throughout this tutorial. If your still curious, take a visit to the good ol’ user defined history book of wikipedia.org!
   1. Remove the damn cookies… and why are cookies in my computer?
      • Cookies make your lives easier, but too many cookies can lead to a slower computer. They store data from websites you visit so next time it will have the information present when you go to a website.
        1. Quit all open windows of internet explorer &/or windows explorer.
        2. Go to Start > Control Panel and double click Internet Options.
        3. If using IE6 or below click Delete Cookies and press Ok. If using IE7, click Delete… and then click Delete Cookies..
   2. Temporairy Internet Files… they dont sound pretty!
      • Temporairy Internet Files are basically a cached version of the web pages you visit. Thus enabling offline browsing and many other non-used features. Occasionally they cause problems, for instance if a website is updated and what ever reason the temporary internet file does not update you will be viewing an outdated page. So lets get rid of these things!
        1. Just like the cookies, quit all windows of internet explorer and windows explorer.
        2. Go to Start > Control Panel and once again double click Internet Options.
        3. If using IE6 or below click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files frame.
        4. In the window that pops up, check the check box to “Delete all offline content” and click Ok
4. Startup / Anytime Scripts - Clean your PC with the click of a button or tick of a clock.
   Script, a word meaning “connecting diverse pre-existing components to accomplish a new related task.” So there you have it, now lets get to it! Were going to remove cookies, temporary internet files, and other junk with a single file, and for your experience your going to do this… good luck! (Dont worry, i provide you your “code”)
   1. Part 1. Make the script (Set it and let it be!)
      1. Open up notepad, do this easily by going to Start > Run… and type in “notepad” without quotes.
      2. Type in the following code:del %TEMP%\*.* /q
         del c:\windows\prefetch\*.* /q
         del c:\documents and settings\cookies\*.* /q
      3. In the last line, replace with your logon name.
         Ex. del c:\documents and settings\LoginNameHere\cookies\*.* /q
      4. In notepad, go to File > Save As…
      5. For file name use “myxpscript.bat”. Just be sure to use a .bat ending, or else this WILL NOT work.
      6. For save as type: select all files. Encoding as ANSI (american national standards institute incase you were wondering what that meant)
      7. Save this in your root C:\ drive!!! This is important for Part 2! Here it comes!
   2. Part 2. Use the script (Sit back, relax, and watch the movie roll!)
      1. I personally like to use task manager, how ever you can set it to run at start up and that is fine too!
      2. For Startup Use: Go to Start > Programs > Startup *Right Click* > Explore
         Open up a new window, go to your C:\ and right click > copy on your myxpscript.bat
         Go back to your Startup explorer window and go to Edit > Paste.
         You will now have your cookies, temporary files, and prefetch cleaned every time at startup / logon&off.
      3. For Task Schedule Use: Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks
         A window will open up with normally one icon in it, titled Add Scheduled Task. Click it!
         Click next on the introduction window, then you will be prompted to find your file. So click Browse… and find your myxpscript.bat in your C:\. If you cant find it in your C:\ drive, type *.* in File Name and hit your return key. This will show all files. Once found your myxpscript.bat file, select it and press Open. Feel free to give it a custom name, and your next step is to choose when you want it to run. For my sake I choose Daily. Hit the next button and select every day at 12 AM. Hit next. Enter in your XP user name and password and hit next. You are good to go!

As for now, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Dont be afraid to learn of the power you have over your computer. You shouldn’t let it restrict, or slow you down. Their are many more ways to speed up your computer, and a handy easy too to use is msconfig. (Please Google)

Im java, and this is Tutorial Ninjas bringing you another ass kickin’ of knowledge.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 5th, 2006 at 5:07 am and is filed under Technology.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.