Just some tips and tricks I've found on the web over the years. They are from various sources that I don't really remember where I got them from.

A Customized Alt-Tab

Another PowerToy you may want to download is Taskswitch (also available at www.microsoft.com; search for PowerToys), a replacement for the menu you see when using Alt-Tab to switch applications. The tool adds a preview of the application window and the open page in it, if applicable. This is particularly helpful when you have multiple sessions of an application open.
 

Access hidden System Information

To investigate Windows XP system hardware or software settings, check out the System Information tool that's located on the Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools menu.
System Information displays information about the configuration of your system by using a tree view, similar to Windows Explorer. This makes it easy to drill down and find the information you're looking for, but sometimes it's difficult to sort through all the details that System Information crams into each screen.

For an easier way to read System Information, visit Windows XP Help And Support Center. You'll find a hidden version of System Information with a very nice display of a system's hardware and software settings.

Here's how to access the hidden version of System Information:

1. From the Start menu, select Help And Support.
2. Under Pick A Task, select Use Tools To View Your Computer Information And Diagnose Problems.
3. Click My Computer Information from the Tools column.
4. Select any of the links to view a graphical report of your system.

The Windows XP Help And Support Center is basically an HTML document, so you can use the Back button to return to the My Computer Information page after viewing each graphical report.
 

Access the Administrator Account

The Administrator account is not displayed on the Welcome screen. To access it, press Ctrl-Alt-Del, release just the Del key, and press Del again. This will display the Windows 2000-style log-on, from which you can now log on as Administrator.

Logged on as Administrator, you can control and demote all accounts (including the main user account). And in corporate environments, the IT department often uses the Administrator account to log on to and manage employee systems.
 

Access the Printer User Interface command-line tool

If you're always on the lookout for easy-to-use command-line tools for managing local and network computers via old-fashioned batch files, here's another tool to add to your toolkit. Windows XP has a very powerful, yet little-known, command-line tool for working with printers called the Printer User Interface tool.

Using this tool, you can create some really fancy batch files for accessing and managing every aspect of local and network-based printers.

To view the full listing of printer operations that you can perform with the Printer User Interface command-line tool, you can open a detailed dialog box by entering the following command at a command prompt:

Rundll32 Printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /?

The first 60 lines in the dialog box list the syntax and the various parameters and switches that you can use with the Printer User Interface command-line tool. The remaining lines provide examples and descriptions of all the operations that you can perform.
 

Add a command shortcut to Windows Explorer

If you spend a lot of time working from the command prompt window, you know how difficult it can be to move from one folder or directory to another by using the Change Directory (CD) command. It takes extra work to type long folder names on the command line, and if you make one typo, you have to start all over.

To make this task easier, Microsoft added the Open Command Window Here tool to the Windows XP PowerToys. Once you install the PowerToys, you can open a command prompt window from within Windows Explorer by right-clicking a folder and selecting Open Command Window Here from the shortcut menu.

Not everyone wants to install the entire XP PowerToys package just to get the Open Command Window Here shortcut. Fortunately, you can add this shortcut to Windows Explorer via a small registry edit. Here's how:

1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\.
3. From the Edit menu, select New | Key, and name the new key cmd.
4. Double-click the Default value inside the cmd key.
5. Type Open Command Window Here in the Value Data text box and click OK.
6. Select the cmd key.
7. From the Edit menu, select New | Key, and name the new key command.
8. Double-click the Default value inside the command key.
9. Type cmd.exe /k "cd %L" in the Value Data text box and click OK.
10. Close the registry.

Note: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before saving any changes.

Add a layer of Internet security

Network admins sometimes have to make trade-offs when dealing with security. If a system is completely secure, some functionality may be lost; if all the functionality is retained, it can open up the system to vulnerabilities.

Firewalls help secure computers that are directly connected to the Internet. To add another layer of security, disable two services: Client For Microsoft Networks and File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks. These services are already disabled on dial-up network connections.

1. Open the Network Connections folder.
2. Right-click on the connection to the Internet--Local Area Connection--and select Properties.
3. In the General tab, deselect Client For Microsoft Networks and File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks.
4. Click OK.

Disabling the Client For Microsoft Networks prevents the computer from accessing shared folders and printers through the SMB/CIFS protocol. Disabling File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks prevents others from accessing that computer's shared folders and files.

Note: These two settings are individually defined for each network interface.
 

Add a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu

When you're experiencing a problem with Windows XP, you may need to boot the system into Safe Mode more than once. However, doing so can be a tiresome process. When the Boot menu appears, you must press [F8], and then you must select Safe Mode from yet another menu.

Wouldn't it be nice if Safe Mode were available from the Boot menu? In fact, it's relatively easy to add a Safe Mode option to the Boot menu.

Follow these steps:

1. Press [Windows][Break] to open the System Properties dialog box.

2. On the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Startup And Recovery section.

3. In the System Startup section, click the Edit button.

4. When the Boot.ini file opens in Notepad, locate the line that ends with the /fastdetect switch.

5. Highlight and copy that line, and paste it in the line below.

6. Change the section on the line that reads WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" to WINDOWS="Safe Mode."

7. Add the following to the end of the line:

/safeboot:minimal /sos /bootlog

Add a Subfolder in the Start Menu Visible to All Users

Normally, when you add a submenu to the Start menu, it's limited to your own account; others who log on can't see it. But there's a simple way to add a Start menu subfolder visible to anyone who logs on. You must be logged on as an administrator.

Just right-click on the Start button, select Open All Users, and double-click on the folder to which you want to add a subfolder (this will usually be Programs). Right-click on any empty area within the box and select New, and then choose Folder. Type the name of the new folder and hit Enter.

Add details to the Getmac command's report

You may be familiar with the Getmac command, one of Windows XP's handy command line utilities. Getmac displays the physical or media access control (MAC) address assigned to a network interface adapter in a local or a remote computer. Knowing the MAC address can come in very handy in a number of troubleshooting operations.

If a system has more than one network interface adapter, the standard report generated by the Getmac command will list all MAC addresses, but it won't identify which MAC address is assigned to which network interface adapter.

However, the Getmac command comes with an often overlooked parameter. The /v parameter configures the command to provide detailed information in its report. This detailed information includes the actual names of the network interface adapters.

To make the report even easier to read, use the /fo LIST parameter, which specifies that the Getmac command format its report in a list format.

Here's an example:

Getmac /V /FO List

Add the Address Toolbar to the Taskbar

If you know the path and name of the folder you want to go to, typing it in the Address toolbar can get you there faster than pointing and clicking. To make the toolbar available, right-click on the taskbar; choose Toolbars and then Address. Windows will add the toolbar just to the left of the system tray in the taskbar. You can then open files and folders by typing in their paths. Windows folders, such as My Documents and My Computer, can be opened simply by typing their names.

You can also launch a program from the Address toolbar or open Internet Explorer and go to a Web site by entering its URL. Type winword and Microsoft Word will launch.

If a program doesn't launch from the Address bar, you can fix this by placing a shortcut on your desktop. Then you can open the program by typing the shortcut name (not the program's filename). If you have a shortcut named Lotus Notes, for example, enter the name as lotus notes, not as notes or notes.exe.

Adjust the Level 2 cache setting

During Windows XP installation, Setup queries the system processor to determine the size of the Level 2 cache. However, it doesn't always succeed. When this happens, Setup configures a default setting of 256 KB in the registry.

If your computer has a larger Level 2 cache than Setup configured in the registry, your system won't perform optimally. To significantly increase the performance of your system, change the value in the registry to match your Level 2 cache.

Here's how:

1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management.

3. Double-click SecondLevelDataCache DWORD value.

4. Using the options below, change the value in the Value Data text box to a number that matches the size of your Level 2 cache. Then click OK.

Level 2 cache            Value Data setting
256 KB                       0
512 KB                       200
1024 KB                     400

5. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.

Note: Editing the registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.

Administer PCs from a remote location

Windows XP Professional includes the Remote Desktop feature, which allows you to remotely control and see the output screen of your computer. While Remote Desktop is very useful, it isn't the only remote control technology available. Two popular alternatives are AT&T Labs' Virtual Network Computing (VNC) and Symantec's pcAnywhere.

Here are some facts about these utilities:

Remote Desktop:

• Ships with Windows XP Professional (not the Home Edition) and is very easy to configure and use.
• Performs better than competition on slow dial-up links.
• Uses the same client software as Windows 2000 Terminal Server.
• Allows users to select any screen resolution, independent of the resolution that's set on the computer.

• Must be purchased.
• Has built in security features to protect the network.
• Is very popular with Windows 9x administrators.

Alter the most frequently used programs list

The Start menu in Windows XP features the most frequently used programs list, which is designed to provide you with quick access to the programs you use the most.

To configure this feature, XP only provides you with two controls: the ability to completely clear the list and the ability to specify the maximum number of programs that can appear on this list at any one time. However, you may also want to prevent certain applications, such as Calculator and Notepad, from appearing on the list.

Fortunately, you can prevent an application from appearing in the Start menu's most frequently used programs list by adding a special key to the registry. Here's how:

1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications.

3. Right-click the Applications key and select New | Key.

4. Name the key the same name as the application's executable file.

5. Right-click your new key and select New | String Value.

6. Name the string value NoStartPage.

7. Close the Registry Editor.

8. Reboot or log off and log back on for the change to take effect.

Note: Since editing the registry is risky, be sure you have a verified backup before saving any changes.

Automatic Wireless Device Configuration

Windows XP includes built-in drivers for several popular wireless LAN cards. In most cases, you can simply pop in a wireless card and use it with no configuration changes. But the generic Microsoft wireless LAN driver doesn't provide access to some manufacturer-specific features, like manual channel selection and proprietary authentication schemes.

If you need access to these features, you'll need to install the driver provided with your wireless card. But be aware that if you install a manufacturer-specific driver, you may lose the ability to connect to any wireless LAN you may encounter. Whereas Windows XP automatically connects to any new wireless LAN that it sees, some manufacturers' drivers don't let you do this without changing settings (usually the system-specific ID, or SSID) in the LAN card driver.

Automatically adjust column widths

When performing file management operations in Windows Explorer with the Details view, it can be very distracting if narrow column widths partially obscure some of the information in the columns. On the other hand, one of the columns may be so wide that it pushes the other columns off the screen.

As you probably know, you can manually adjust the width of columns by using the mouse. To do so, first position the cursor over the column divider. When the mouse pointer turns into a doubled-headed arrow, just drag the pointer to enlarge or shrink the column.

In addition, the following two tricks can save you both time and frustration. First, when the mouse pointer turns into a doubled-headed arrow, simply double-click the column border. When you do, Windows XP sets the column width to a size just wide enough to display all of the data in the column.

Second, you can automatically change all columns to the optimum width by pressing [Ctrl] and [+] on the numeric keypad. Windows XP will automatically adjust all columns.

Automatically clean up roaming profiles

User profiles are downloaded from the server to the local machine when a roaming user logs on to a system. When the roaming user logs off, the system saves a copy of the user's roaming profile in a special cache on the local hard drive.

This cache helps the user log on to the system in the event that the server that stores the roaming profile is slow to respond or unavailable when the user logs on again. However, when many roaming users access the same system, the roaming profile cache on the local hard drive can become quite large.

Here's how to automatically delete the roaming profile when the roaming user logs off:

1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.

3. Right-click the Winlogon key, and select New | DWORD value.

4. Name the value DeleteRoamingCache, and press [Enter] twice to access the Edit DWORD Value dialog box.

5. Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.

6. Close the Registry Editor.

Note: Editing the registry is risky, so make sure you have a verified backup before saving any changes.

AVI Files Bug Explorer

While attempting to copy a bunch of data around, I ran into a snag involving Explorer eating 100% of the CPU time. This was invoked repeatedly while attempting to copy large .AVI video files, though not all .AVI files. The clue that I had an affected file was an error informing me that the file was in use and could not be moved. After that, Explorer eats RAM and CPU like mad until I kill the Explorer process.

I actually didn't put the finger on .AVI files specifically until reading an archived post on NTBUGTRAQ by Russ Cooper. A quick test proved that this was indeed the case. The workaround is simple enough, but it might be helpful to know that I can readily reproduce the behavior on both Windows XP SP1 and Windows Server 2003. Russ hints at an XP fix available through PSS, but after a bit of searching, I didn't come up with any solid information about this particular issue. There are numerous sites that talk about this, as it turns out, but today was the first time I had encountered the problem.

To squash the bug, drill down to the following registry key:

HKEY CLASSES ROOT \ SystemFileAssociations \ .avi \ shellex \ PropertyHandler

Next, double-click the Default value in the right pane and delete the data, leaving the .Default value empty. After wiping out the entry, I can copy all video files with no ill effects, which includes both XP and Windows Server 2003.

Avoid Simple File Sharing

Windows XP's Simple File Sharing, which is enabled by default, is extremely limited. For example, you can't configure a folder so that you and only you can access it remotely, or set per-user permissions as in Windows 2000.

To disable Simple File Sharing in Windows XP Professional, launch Windows Explorer, choose Tools | Folder Options, and click on the View tab. Uncheck the box for Use simple file sharing (Recommended) and click OK. Now when you right-click on a folder and choose Sharing and Security..., the Sharing tab will provide the detailed control found in Windows 2000. Note that Windows XP Home users can't escape Simple File Sharing without upgrading to Windows XP Professional.

Add UNC information to the command prompt

If you're like most system administrators, you more than likely prefer to perform common tasks using Windows XP's vast array of command-line tools. If so, here's another trick to add to your toolbox.

Did you know that you can configure the command prompt to display the full UNC of a mapped drive letter? The ability to tell at a glance which server a particular driver letter maps to can save you both time and frustration when working at the command line.

All you have to do is add a special character to the Prompt command. Follow these steps:

1. Press [Windows][Break] to open the System Properties dialog box.

2. On the Advanced tab, click the Environment Variables button.

3. In the System Variables section, click the New button.

4. Enter PROMPT in the Variable Name text box.

5. Enter $m$p$g in the Variable Value text box.

6. Click OK three times to close all open dialog boxes.

Now, when you open a command prompt and access a mapped drive letter, you'll see the UNC path in the prompt.