~*A*~ *Access Denied: Error Message - Windows Update * Network policy settings prevent you from using Windows Update to download and install updates on your computer. If you believe you have received this message in error, please check with your system administrator. *For Windows XP Pro:* Start/Run/gpedit.msc. User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Windows Update. In the right pane, double click, Remove access to all Windows Update Features and set it to disabled. *For Windows XP Home Edition:* Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\WindowsUpdate Locate the value in the right pane called DisableWindowsUpdateAccess. Double click this entry and change the value to 0 (zero) or right click it and select Delete. If editing the Registry manually isn't to your liking click here for a small Visual Basic Script that will make the change for you. *Access Denied: Error Message - Windows Update* Network policy settings prevent you from using Windows Update to download and install updates on your computer. If you believe you have received this message in error, please check with your system administrator. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer Dword value: NoWindowsUpdate Gives the same error as HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\WindowsUpdate\ DisableWindowsUpdateAccess Double click this entry and change the value to 0 (zero) or right click it and select Delete. If editing the Registry manually isn't to your liking click here for a small Visual Basic Script that will make the change for you. WINUP-Err Msg: "Cannot Display Page" *Accessibility* Windows XP MS-KB Articles About Accessibility *Acdsee* Acdsee.exe May Cause an Error Message *Activation - Troubleshooting * Blank Activate Windows Page in the WPA Wizard Service Pack 1 Changes to Product Activation Windows XP Prompts You to Re-activate After You Restore Your Computer *Activation - Explained: * Windows XP will typically remind you to activate the product (most users will have 30 days to activate XP after installation). To activate XP manually, you can use the Start menu shortcut in the System Tools Accessories folder. At the command prompt, type: oobe/msoobe /a or Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Activate Windows. *Tip:* msoobe stands for "Microsoft Out of Box Experience." *Tip:* Windows Product Activation by MS-MVP Alex Nichol *Activation - Workaround* (Ronnie Vernon MVP) If you are reinstalling XP on the same hardware, you can back up the activation status and then restore it after you reinstall the OS. To save the activation status, back up the wpa.dbl file from the %systemroot%\system32 folder to a floppy disk. After you reinstall the OS, start in Minimal Safe mode. Open the \%systemroot%\system32 folder. Rename wpa.dbl to wpa.noact. Copy the backed up wpa.dbl file to the system32 folder. Reboot your system. This isn't a hack to avoid activating installations and will work only on the same hardware for an XP installation that you've already activated. *Active Partition* The Computer Does Not Start After You Change the Active Partition by Using the Disk Management Tool *Ad Aware *Ad-aware is an award winning, free multi ad/spyware removal utility, that scans your memory, registry and hard drives for known spyware components and lets you remove them safely. Many options like scanning depth or automatic modes can be set in the preferences menu. Ad-aware features an easy to use wizard-style interface, guiding you through the scanning and removal process. Ad-aware runs under Win9x\ME\NT40\XPand Win2000. Download here . *AdKiller * Maximize your bandwidth with this free ad-blocking tool. It speeds up your surfing by removing banner ads and other advertisements from Web pages. It supports both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape. Download here . *Add and Remove* Add Programs to Add/Remove * *To add additional components to the Add/Remove Programs list (Windows Components): Tools/Folder Options/View/Show Hidden Files and Folders and Show Extensions for known file types. Then go to Windows Explorer/Inf Folder/Sysoc.inf (Double Click it). You will find several lines that include the word 'hide'. Simply remove the word 'hide'(but leave the comma). Save and exit. From there you will be able to remove it from add/remove. Add and Remove - Show All Files Windows XP doesn't let you add or remove all the programs it installs by default. Multimedia applications, the XP messenger, games, accessories, and accessibility options do not show up in the Add/Remove Programs dialog box. What if you want to get rid of them? Here's how to make Windows treat these applications just like it treats all the others. Go to Windows Explorer/Inf. In the right pane, scroll down to sysoc.inf, double click it. Scroll down to: [Components] NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4 WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7 Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7 Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7 NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7 iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7 com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7 dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7 IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7 TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2 msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6 ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7 fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7 AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7 msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 WMAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wmaccess.inf,,7 RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7 IEAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,ieaccess.inf,,7 OEAccess=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,oeaccess.inf,,7 WMPOCM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wmpocm.inf,,7 Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7 AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7 CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7 MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7 AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7 Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7 MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7 ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7 # The word "HIDE" in an entry hides that application from your Add/Remove Programs dialog box. To add games to the Add/Remove menu, delete the word HIDE from its entry (but leave the commas that surround it). You also have to remove "HIDE" from "AccessUtil=" for this tip to work. # Save the file. Check for the new entries in the Add/Remove Programs dialog box after you restart your computer. HOW TO: Add or Remove Windows XP Games http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q307/7/68.asp http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307768#2 *Add and Remove -Removing Invalid Entries in the Add/Remove Programs Tool * Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall Each program listed in Add/Remove Programs has a subkey listed here. Locate the correct subkey for the program in question and right click it, then select Delete. You may want to choose Export, first, to export the key to a REG file. The REG file can be re-imported if you find you made a mistake.* * You may have to contact the manufacturer of the program that you want to remove if you need to clean up the disk and registry entries. The procedure described in this section does not remove all the files and registry entries used by the program; it removes only the reference in the Add/Remove Programs tool. *Note:* Other checkpoints to consider when trying to remove a program: Check to see if the software/program is listed here: Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run 1. Right click the Program's shortcut/Properties to gain the Target Path. 2. Go to Start/Run/Msconfig/Startup and make sure it is not listed or checked there. If so, uncheck it and remove the program listing from here: Start/Run/Regedit For items that were in the Start menu, Programs, Startup folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupfolder. You'll find a subkey for each disabled item. For items loaded from the Registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg. Again, you'll find a subkey for each disabled item. 3. Go to Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/File Types. If the program file type is listed, either use Change or Delete. 4. Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications. If the program is listed, right click, delete. 5. Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to these keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE. If the program is listed, right click, delete. 6. Go to Start/Run/Regedit. Edit/Find and under Find What type in the program path gained from step one. From there either use Find next or F3. 7. Removing Invalid Entries in the Add/Remove Programs Tool HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall You Cannot Reinstall a Program with the Add/Remove Programs Tool *Add and Remove - Remove or Hide Entries* This program enables you to hide items listed in your Add/Remove Programs list in the control panel without losing the information needed to uninstall the program. To hide a program that is listed in the Add/Remove Programs list, simply uncheck the entry. If you want to uninstall a program that you have hidden, simply run the cleaner and check the empty check box. The program will then be visible in the Add/Remove Programs list.* Download here . Add and Remove - Error Message * "Error 1719. The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" Error Message When You Add or Remove Program *Add and Remove - Restrictions *Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key: (The first one is per user, the second, per system) [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Uninstall] [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Uninstall] Create a new DWORD value for each restriction required according to the table below. Set the value to equal "1" to enable the restriction or "0" to disable it. * *NoAddRemovePrograms* - Disable Add/Remove Programs * *NoRemovePage* - Disable Change and Remove Programs * *NoAddPage* - Disable Add Programs * *NoWindowsSetupPage* - Disable Windows Components Wizard * *NoAddFromCDorFloppy* - Hide "Add a program from CD-ROM or disk" option * *NoAddFromInternet* - Hide "Add programs from Microsoft" option * *NoAddFromNetwork* - Hide "Add programs from your network" option * *NoServices* - Go directly to Windows Components Wizard * *NoSupportInfo* - Disable Support Information You may need to restart Windows for the changes to take effect. *Add and Remove - SP1 (Parser Message: Value creation failed " at line 472" error) *If you are using Style XP - Right click the Desktop/Properties/Desktop/choose Windows XP and try again.* *Style XP has an update available for SP1 If you have renamed the uxtheme.dll (patch) you could try running SFC /Scannow to restore the original MS version. Or check in the root directory for "UxTheme.dll.tqtbak" and rename it to UxTheme.dll and replace the copy in "C:\windows\system32" with the new renamed copy. The original MS Version - 6.0.2800.1045 (1.98 kb) The patch can be downloaded here Errors from trying to use Add or Remove after installing SP1 * Add and Remove vs. System Restore *- Anshul Rawat [MS] System Restore does not completely uninstall any program by itself if restoring to a point prior to the program installation. Since system restore is based on an inclusionary model, any file added or modified by the installation which System Restore does not monitor or files added to or modified in a non monitored drive will not be tracked by System Restore. Thus System Restore cannot delete or undo any modifications made to these files. To remove all the changes an installation may have made on the system, the user should first use the Add/Remove option in the control panel to remove the application prior to using System Restore. System Restore however will undo all recorded changes made to the registry & monitored files caused by the application install including: a.. Delete monitored files the program installation may have added to the system b.. Undo modifications to monitored files made by the installation c.. Replace the current registry with the registry snapshot taken when the restore point chosen was created. (*note: some current values will persist) d.. Any file type not monitored by System Restore added or modified on the system will not be restored or removed. E.g. .jpg, .txt files. For additional information on System Restore please visit: http://microsoft.com/technet/itcommunity/Newsgroups/FAQSRWXP.asp *Add Defrag to the Right Click (Context Menu)* Information and download here . *Add New Hardware* Try opening the device manager, locate the category for your new device, right click the category and click, 'Scan for Hardware Changes'. Device Manager Conflicts, Error Codes and Solutions *Address Bar* In Microsoft Internet Explorer, use Alt + D to highlight the address bar. This allows you to enter a URL without the mouse. And if you're still typing "http", "www", and ".com" as part of the address -- don't. It's just not necessary. Toolbars missing in Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/ToolbarRepair.Exe *Address Book* Move your Address Book to a Safe Location OLEXP: Error Message: Address Book Failed to Load OLEXP: Mail Folders, Address Book, and E-mail Messages Are Missing After You Upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Err Msg: Address Book Failed to Load, Outlook Express Is... OLEXP: Outlook Express Address Book Does Not Load *Note:* For KB Articles Q191946 and Q274745 (the above two), with OE 6, the value in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{7790769C-0471-11d2-AF11-00C04FA35D02} Should read "Address Book 6" without the quotes. *Administrator Account - Add to the Welcome Screen* Download the INF fix here . To use: Download the xp_admin_enable.inf file (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Locate the file you downloaded and right click on it, then select Install. Or Download the VBS Fix here . To use: Download the xp_admin_enable.vbs file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save Target As). Double-click the xp_admin_enable.vbs file. You will be prompted when the script is done. INF and VBS files can be viewed in Notepad. *Administrator Account - Access from Welcome Screen* On Pro Edition, from the Welcome screen, press ctrl-Alt-Delete Twice. Press Control/Alt/Delete Twice for Pro and Boot into safe mode and login for Home. On Home, boot to Safe Mode, and logon. More information and options here: http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_wel_screen.htm http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm *Administrator Password* Start/Run/compmgmt.msc/System Tools/Local Users and Groups/Right click Administrator/Set Password. For a more comprehensive solution, make a password recovery disk. Under Related Tasks in the User Accounts Control Panel applet, click "Prevent a forgotten password." More information here: http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_passwords.htm *Administrative Shares * HOW TO: Restore Administrative Shares That Have Been Deleted HOW TO: Create and Disable Administrative Shares on Windows XP *Administrative Tools Folder Does Not Appear on the Start Menu After You Install a New Program * After you install a new program that belongs in the Administrative Tools folder, the Administrative Tools folder does not appear in the Start menu. To resolve this behavior, customize the Start menu: Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click Customize. On the Advanced tab, under Start menu items, click System Administrative Tools. Click to select either the Display on the All Programs menu or the Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu option. Click OK , and OK again to save the change. *Tip: *Administrator Tools Missing:* *Open a Search window and do a find for *.msc files in C:\Windows\System32. You can create the missing shortcuts by pointing them to the correct file. *Administrative Tools on the Start Menu - Hide *This folder contains powerful administration utilities and therefore can be hidden to avoid accidental use. Open your registry (Start/Run/Regedit) and find the key mentioned below. [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced] Value Name: StartMenuAdminTools Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value) Value Data: Yes or No Create a new string value, or modify the existing value, named 'StartMenuAdminTools'. Modify the value to equal 'YES' to show the administrative tools folder or 'NO' to hide it. Exit your registry and log off for the changes to take effect. Note: By using the same key except under the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE] tree the tweak can be enforced system wide, instead of only user based. Note: Hiding the folder does not stop the use of the tools, it only make it more difficult to locate them. *Administrative Tools - Restore * *Album Covers* Album Cover Art for Windows XP and Windows Media Player 8 *All Part2 is Null* Go to Start/Run/CMD and type in: net stop winmgmt. Then delete the %windir&\system32\wbem\repository directory. Once done go back to Start/Run/CMD and type in: net start winmgmt "Help and Support " Does Not Collect All Hardware Information WinMgmt could not initialize the core parts: To reinstall wmi into the registry: Go to Start/Run and type in: CMD, then Winmgmt/? for information. Then run each of these hitting enter after each: winmgmt/clearadap winmgmt/kill winmgmt/unregserver winmgmt/regserver winmgmt/resyncperf *Alt-Tab - Restore to Default Behavior* Open Control Panel/Add/Remove Programs. Powertoys for Windows XP. Remove the Alt-Tab replacement. When you install Windows XP Powertoys, it comes with a program called TaskSwitch.exe designed to enhance the Alt+Tab task switcher. To disable this feature, go to Start/Run and type: msconfig. Click the "Startup" tab and uncheck startup item "taskswitch". Click Start, Run and enter TASKMGR. In Processes, locate the TaskSwitch process and end it. Your Alt-Tab will be back to normal. To manually apply: Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop "CoolSwitchColumns" "CoolSwitchRows" The above values reflect how many columns and rows, respectively, you want to appear in the Alt+Tab cool switch display. *Animation - Disable Windows Animation in XP* Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics. In the right pane, select New/String. Name it MinAnimate. Set Value to 0. Exit/Reboot. *Anti-Virus* List of Antivirus Software Vendors *Application - Opening Applications In The Back* Make your documents and programs open behind the currently active window by pressing and holding the Ctrl key while you double-click on its icon. *Application Path - Creating Path to use the Run Command* To create an application path, so you can run an application in Windows XP from the Run dialog box you need to: 1. Run regedit and go to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths 2. Create a new key with the what ever you want to use as your run command: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\nameofprogram.exe 3. In the key folder that you created, create a new string, call it 'Path' and modify the value to point the specific folder of your executable your running: C:\ProgramFiles\nameofprogram. 4. Use the default string and modify it's value to point to the executable you want to run. *Applications - Restrict Users from Running Specific Applications * This setting allows you to specify applications and filenames that users are restricted from running. Open your registry and find the key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \Policies\Explorer] Create a new DWORD value and name it "DisallowRun" set the value to "1" to enable application restrictions or "0" to allow all applications to run. Then create a new sub-key called [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \Policies\Explorer\DisallowRun] and define the applications the are to be restricted. Creating a new string value for each application, named as consecutive numbers, and setting the value to the filename to be restricted (e.g. "regedit.exe"). *Explained:* DK Right click in the right pane and select New, DWord value. Name the new value DisallowRun. Double click the new value and set it to 1. Then right click on the Explorer sub branch, in the left pane and select New, Key Name the new key Disallow Run. Highlight this key, then in the right pane, right click and select New, String value. Give it "1" for the name, without the quotes. Double click this new value and enter the actual file name of the executable you wish to restrict this user from running. Example: calc.exe This prevents this user from running Calculator. They'll get a "This operation has been cancelled message" when they try. Note: The way around this is for the user to rename Calc.exe to something else. For additional entries, just give the "values" names in numerical order, 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on. DisallowRunReg and DisallowRunCalc Restart Windows for the changes to take effect. *Applications - Restrict Applications Users Can Run * HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. Value Name: RestrictRun Open your registry and find the key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \Policies\Explorer] Create a new DWORD value and name it "RestrictRun" set the value to "1" to enable application restrictions or "0" to allow all applications to run. Then create a new sub-key called [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \Policies\Explorer\RestrictRun] and define the applications that are allowed. Creating a new string value for each application, named as consecutive numbers, and setting the value to the filename to be allowed (e.g. "regedit.exe" and "calc.exe"). *Explained: DK* This example prevents any applications but those that you specify from being run: Right click in the Right pane and select New, DWord value and name the new value RestrictRun Double click this entry and set it to 1. Right click on the Explorer sub branch, in the left pane and select New, Key Name the new key RestrictRun. Highlight this key, then in the right pane, right click and select New, String value. Give it "1" for the name, without the quotes. Double click this new value and enter the actual file name of the executable you wish to restrict this user from running. Example: calc.exe Right click again, select New, String value, name the new value "2". Double click the new value, enter REGEDIT.EXE This example would only allow Calculator and REGEDIT to be run. Be VERY careful with this setting. You could wind up locking yourself out of REGEDIT if you were to use the restrictions on your Administrator account. Restart Windows for the changes to take effect. *Note:* If you are the person who applies Group Policy, do not apply this policy to yourself. If applied too broadly, this policy can prevent administrators from running Group Policy or the registry editors. As a result, once applied, you cannot change this policy except by reinstalling Windows XP. Software Restriction Policies may be set to determine what software may or may not be run by users on the system. (Jim Cavalaris [MS]) Software Restriction Policies can be configured via the group policy editor (gpedit.msc) at: Local Computer Policy -->Computer Configuration -->Windows Settings -->Security Settings -->Software Restriction Policies. Policy can be set to either: restrict users from running specified programs - OR -restrict users to allow ONLY the specified programs to be run. For a non-domain machine, policy can be applied to all users on the system, or non-Admin users only (Admins are not affected by the policy, and may run any/all programs). you cannot specify this policy for only certain users, but for a non-domain machine, the Admin/non-Admin breakdown may be sufficient. Using Software Restriction Policies in Windows XP and Windows .NET Server to Protect Against Unauthorized Software *Another Option *- (KWE) - You can move shortcuts out of %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\StartMenu\Programs and place the shortcuts in specific user account profiles to keep program shortcuts from being visible to all accounts. This does not stop the limited account from running the program using a variety of techniques. *Applications - Set Priority *Open TaskManager (Ctrl+Alt+Del or Ctrl+Shift+Esc), Process Tab. Right click the Program in questions, Set Priority. *Application - Modify Application Timeout* The operating system has a set amount of time that a program must be frozen for before it is timed out. Often this number is set too high. But in some circumstances it is set too low. Depending on if the program is doing a lot of calculations in the background the computer may think that it is timed out. To prevent this increase the value of the timeout in the registry. Start/Run/Regedit Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Select HungAppTimeout from the list on the right. Right on it and select Modify. Change the value to the new timeout value. Reboot your computer. *ASPI Drivers for Windows XP* - Download. ASPI stands for Advanced SCSI Programming Interface. Originally developed by Adaptec. It is a software layer that enables programs to communicate with SCSI (and ATAPI) devices. *Attachments - Avoid download of file attachments that may have virus infections.* Start/Run/gpedit.msc. User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Internet Explorer. Configure Outlook Express/Enable Block attachments that may contain a virus. *Attributes - Display the Attributes Column in Explorer* Right click on the column headers and select Columns. You'll get a list of them to choose from. Attributes is one of them. Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\Advanced. Value Name: ShowAttribCol, Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value), Value Data: (0 = disable, 1 = enable). Create a new DWORD value called 'ShowAttribCol' and set the value to '1' to enable the attributes column. *AutoComplete - Clear* IE/Tools/Internet Options/General/Clear History IE/Tools/Internet Options/Content/AutoComplete Can't Clear History: Start/Search/Change Preferences/Turn off AutoComplete *Control the Auto Complete Mode * This setting controls whether the automatic text completion (AutoComplete) feature of Windows explorer appends the suggested text to the words as you are typing as well as showing a drop-down list of available values. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\AutoComplete. Value Name: Append Completion, Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value), Value Data: yes or no. Create a new string value, or modify the existing value, named "Append Completion" and set it to "yes" to append the suggested text as you are typing or "no" to only show a drop-down list. Restart Windows for the change to take effect. Note: This setting also changes the auto complete functionality of Internet Explorer. *AutoComplete Keys and Storage* The specific subkeys for different applications (appear to be) is as follows: IE: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db OE: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\220d5cc1-853a-11 d0-84bc-00c04fd43f8f FTP, Front Page and password protected web sites: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\5e7e8100-9138-11d1-945a-00c04fc308ff Outlook XP: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\220d5cd0-853a-11d0-84bc-00c04fd43f8f Note: the S-1-5-21-839522........ part of the Registry key above may be different on your machine. InfoDelivery, MSN and Identities have their own sub branches off of the Data branch. These number (other than the User number) appear to be the same from machine to machine. *AutoComplete: Remove Google Search History* [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\e161255a-37c3-11 d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\q:StringData] "Behavior"=- "Item Data"=- [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\e161255a-37c3-11 d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\q:StringIndex] "Behavior"=- "Item Data"=- *Note:* The S-1-5 ... portion of this string may be different on your machine. *Note 2: *To delete the value doesn't work unless the Permissions have been set to allow full control. Nor is it possible to delete the keys, without Full Control being allowed. *Tip:* Step by Step instruction: Go to the key listed below: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\ S-1-5-21-1960408961-220523388-682003330-1003 With the S-1-5-21....in blue, choose File/Export and save it to your desktop and name it (ex). googlehistoryclear.reg. Leave the registry open then go to your desktop. Right click the saved reg file and choose Edit. If it needs an association choose Notepad. Scroll down to these keys: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\q:StringData] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\S-1-5-21-839522115-1708537768-1343024091-1003\Data\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\e161255a-37c3-11d2-bcaa-00c04fd929db\q:StringIndex] To make the search/scroll easier they are listed in alphabetic order and you are looking for the end of the string in this case \q:StringData and \q:StringIndex. So scroll down to the q's.... Under q:StringData Highlight what is listed after the word "Behavior"= only up to the words "Item Data"= and delete it. Then place a - (minus sign) after the = so that it looks like this: "Behavior"=- From there highlight what is listed after the words "Item Data"= only up to the next key and delete it. Then place a - (minus sign) after the = so that it looks like this: "Item Data"=- Do the same for q:StringIndex. Once done choose File/Save. Use the red X to close. If it asked to save again, answer yes. Return to the registy and delete this key: (right click, delete, accept the warning) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider\ S-1-5-21-1960408961-220523388-682003330-1003 Then go back to your desktop and double click your saved regedit, answer yes. Then open Google and the search history is gone. *AutoComplete: Save Passwords* Go to Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main In the right pane, right click FormSuggest PW Ask, modify value data with no = do not ask to save passwords, yes... IE AutoComplete Password Prompt VB Script Internet Explorer Control Panel Restrictions AutoComplete Does Not Save Username and Password For Pro: Start/Administrative Tools/Services/Protected Storage. Make sure the Service Protected Storage is Started. Addresses Are Not Resolved When the AutoComplete Feature Is Enabled *Auto-Dial: Disconnect/Disable* Check your settings here: Right click the My computer icon (Desktop), open Manage/Services and Applications/Services. In the right pane scroll down to Remote Accces Auto Connection Manager and double click it. Use the Startup type drop box and choose Disabled. Network Connections/Advanced/Dial-Up Preferences/Enable Auto-Dial by Location/Uncheck all locations and Always ask me before Auto-Dialing. Also check all programs with a Notification Area icon (system tray) for an option to disable or not start at startup. Most can be unselected here: Start/Run/Msconfig/Startup and/or removed from here: Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run *Disable Automatic Modem Connections at Startup * If remote connections are enabled in Windows, the system may try to initiate an Internet connection at Windows startup or at the start of many applications. This setting disables that behavior. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole. Value Name: EnableRemoteConnect, Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value), Value Data: "Y" = enable automatic connections, "N" = disabled. Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called 'EnableRemoteConnect' and edit the value according to the settings above. Exit your registry, you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect. *Modify the Internet Auto-Dial Settings * Windows has the option to automatically dial your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to establish an Internet connection. This option can be controlled using this tweak. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings Create a new binary value named "EnableAutodial", and set the new value to equal "01 00 00 00" to enable autodial or "00 00 00 00" to disable it. Note: This restriction can be used either on a user by user basis by adding it to HKEY_CURRENT_USER or on a computer wide basis by adding it to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. *To view the list of names and addresses recorded by AutoDial, type the following command at a command prompt: rasautou -s * To delete a name or address entry from the list: Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\RAS Autodial\Addresses You can delete any TCP/IP addresses that you see under this key. Note that AutoDial can use IP addresses, DNS fully qualified domain names (FQDN), and NetBIOS names. How to Use the Rasdiag.exe Support Tool in Windows XP *How to make auto-disconnect work in Internet explorer * Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters In the right pane, find Autodisconnect and change the time accordingly. Alternately You can try this from command prompt: net config server /autodisconnect:30 -to set the autodisconnect to 30 minutes. More Information on Auto-Dial and Auto-Disconnect http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_modem.htm *Audigy* Creative SoundBlaster Audigy Audio May Cause an Error Message *Auto-Disconnect Modem* Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters. In the right pane, find Autodisconnect and change the time accordingly. Or... Start/Run/net config server /autodisconnect:30 (30 being an example). To disable Auto-Disconnect set it to -1. Setting Autodisconnect to 0 does not turn it off and results in very fast disconnects, within a few seconds of idle time. (However, the RAS Autodisconnect parameter is turned off if you set it to a value of 0.) Modem Issues, Auto-Connect/Disconnect & Dialup for Windows XP http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_modem.htm *Auto-Logon* 1. At a command prompt, type "control userpasswords2" and press Enter to open the Windows 2000-style User Accounts application. 2. On the Users tab, clear the Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer check box and then click OK. 3. In the Automatically Log On dialog box that appears, type the user name and password for the account you want to be logged on each time you start your computer. *Or... *Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Local Security Settings/Minimum Password Length (0). User account/Remove Password. How to Enable Automatic Logon in Windows Welcome Screen in Windows XP http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_wel_screen.htm Logon and User Profiles http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm *AutoPlay - Add Your CD-Rom Burning Program* Add Your CD Burning Program to AutoPlay Actions - Blank CD Inserted TweakUI/My Computer/AutoPlay/Handlers/Edit *AutoPlay - Checkpoints *Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services/Shell Hardware Detection/Return this service to Automatic. If you are using TweakUI/My Computer/AutoPlay Go to Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/File Types. Highlight AudioCD/Advanced. Make sure that Play is in bold type, then go to Edit and verify that this line is listed under Application used: "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /prefetch:3 /device:AudioCD "%L" Related Registry Entries: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD] "BaseClass"="Drive" @="AudioCD" "EditFlags"=hex:02,00,00,00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\DefaultIcon] @="C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\shell32.dll,40" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\shell] @="play" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\shell\play] @="&Play" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AudioCD\shell\play\command] @="\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Media Player\\wmplayer.exe\" /prefetch:3 /device:AudioCD \"%L\"" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom] "AutoRun"=dword:00000001 *Auto-Play: Disable * TweakUI/My Computer/AutoPlay *To Disable CD Autoplay in Windows XP Pro * [1] Start/Run/GPEDIT.MSC [2] Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/System. [3] Locate the entry for Turn Off Autoplay and modify. Start/Run/Gpedit.msc/Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/System. Check your settings in the right pane, Turn Off Autoplay (double click). *To Disable CD Autoplay, completely, in Windows XP Home* Click Start, Run and enter REGEDIT Then go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer Name: NoDriveTypeAutoRun Type: REG_DWORD If NoDriveTypeAutoRun does not exist, create it and set its value to 145 (decimal). Or... [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoDriveTypeAutoRun"=dword:0x000000FF Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom AutoRun = 0 * Auto-Play: Enable* Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services/Shell Hardware Detection/Return this service to Automatic. * *Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet\Services\Cdrom. AutoRun = 1 Create a system restore point: The Restore point will be identified as Automatic Restore Point with the date and time the script was run. http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_sysrestorepoint.htm Then run this regedit: *Restore AutoPlay Icon* - http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm To use the Regedit: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on the file and selecting Edit. *Note:* This REG file contains numerous settings regarding Autoplay, in addition to the icon settings and may correct your problem. *Auto Play - Listen To CDs Without A Click * Since the advent of Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, playing an audio CD has been a click-free task. However, after installing WinXP, when you insert an audio CD for the first time, the Audio CD dialog box appears. The Play Audio CD Using Windows Media Player is already highlighted, so there’s no need to click it. But before you click OK, click the checkbox next to Always Do The Selected Action. This will restore CD playing to its former click-free glory. Click OK and the CD will play. *Auto Play Icon - Restore *Restore the Auto Play Icon* - * http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm or you can Download it here . Download the REG file to your hard drive, then double click it. Answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by right clicking on them and selecting Edit. *Auto - Reboot (Modify auto-reboot setting) *Start/Run/Regedit* *HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl. Select AutoReboot from the list on the right. Right on it and select Modify. Change the value to 0 to disable and 1 to enable. Reboot your computer. *Auto-Reply *Create your message in Word, Wordpad, Notepad or any other text program you like. Save as (name you choose) and make sure you have selected a text extension .txt. I find that wordpad works just fine. Save to wherever you can find it again. Go to OE/Tools/Message Rules/Mail/New and set up a rule. 1. Select your option from the top section for whom you want to send it to. 2. In the second section, scroll down and select "reply with message." 3. In the third section, click on the word "message." You'll be prompted to select the file to use. 4. In the bottom dropdown window, change the extension to text (mail is the default and won't see your saved file.) 5. Select the file you created. It will show the path to the message. To test it, send an email to yourself and see if you get your message back. When you look at the message you sent yourself in the inbox, it should show a reply icon. *Auto-Runs* AutoRuns - Shows what programs are configured to run during system boot up or login. Includes items in startup folders, win.ini, and 14 registry keys. Download here . *Automatic Update * Automatic Update Feature in Windows XP Explained *Automatic Window Refresh* Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Update. Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, named "UpdateMode" and set it to equal "0" for faster updates. Restart Windows for the change to take effect. *Automatically Close Non-Responding Applications on Shutdown * Start/Run/Regedit HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop Value Name: AutoEndTasks, Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value), Value Data: (0 = disabled, 1 = enabled). Modify the value of 'AutoEndTasks' to equal '1' to automatically end tasks or '0' to prompt for action. Note: This change will affect all users but the value can also be changed on a user-by-user basis by modifying [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop] with the same values. *Available Bytes* Description of What the Available Bytes in Task Manager Represents *AVI Files - Fix Movie Interference in AVI Files *If you have any AVI files that you saved in Windows 9x, which have interference when opened in Windows XP, there is an easy fix to get rid of the interference: Open Windows Movie Maker. Click View and then click Options. Click in the box to remove the check mark beside Automatically create clips. Now, import the movie file that has interference and drag it onto the timeline. Then save the movie, and during the re-rendering, the interference will be removed. File Formats Supported by Windows Movie Maker in Windows XP Cannot Use Sony MovieShaker v1.1 and v1.2 to Open AVI Files *AVI Fix* This program was created to be able to watch partially downloaded DivX (AVI) movies. It can rebuild or strip the index part of the movie, which is at the end of the file. There are also a basic error detection, which can detect serious errors in the audio/video stream. Download here . *AVI - Remove* Close all open apps. Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory with the offending files. Then open the Task Manager and click on the Processes tab. select "explorer.exe" under Image Name. Click "End Process". Now you will only have the command prompt and the task manager. In the Command Prompt, DEL the offending files (DEL *.mpg, DEL mus*.avi, DEL test.wmv, etc.) The files should now delete without a problem. Now go back to the task manager and click on the Applications tab. Click the "New Task..." button. in the dialog, type explorer.exe and click OK. How do I delete an "undeletable" file? *AVI - Explorer.Exe* Start/Run/Regedit -HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\.avi\shellex\PropertyHandler. And delete the "Default" key. Powered by FreeFind