23 Ways To Speed Up Windows XP

Since defragmenting the disk won't do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance the performance and reliability of your customers' PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothing.

1.) To decrease a system's boot time and increase system performance, use the money you save by not buying defragmentation software -- the built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine -- and instead equip the computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizing the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK. At the prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press the Enter key. This process may take a while; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.

The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disabling it.

Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.

5.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on my site.

6.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
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9.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google or another Web search engine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer -- only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editing their registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Microsoft's Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update the customer's anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure they have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure the customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on their computer. The more fonts they have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.
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18.) Do not partition the hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If the PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check the drive manufacturer's Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you'll be able to upgrade the recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it's free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you're sick of a single Windows Explorer window crashing and then taking the rest of your OS down with it, then follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, then Folder Options. Now click on the View tab. Scroll down to "Launch folder windows in a separate process," and enable this option. You'll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

23.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks. For more information on this leaking-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.


Following any of these suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to the performance and reliability of your customers' computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that the main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in the event of a crashed drive.

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Boot Windows XP Fast

Follow the following steps

1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' grayed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.

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11 Fast and Free Security Enhancements

Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will

protect you against the most common threats.

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly

(_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall.

SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm(_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker.

Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy(_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies and Spyware Terminator(www.spywareterminator.com) is also good too.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP

It can be achieved by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically.

Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l( A combination of letters, alphabets and Special
Characters). This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

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6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the
Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous
vulnerabilities.

7. Buy Anti virus software and keep it up to date.

If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., www.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at www.pandasoftware.com/activescan and http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features:

Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security

Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats
quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet.

Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."

11. Be regular viewers of the following blogs.

It will help you to know about the latest trends in Computer and Secrity fields.

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10 Reasons Why PC's Crash-U must Know!

Fatal Error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1. Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.
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Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS Settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings
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Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your anti virus software manufacturer.
Some anti virus programmes are McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.
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If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.
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It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

If you need any help more please give it as comments...........

A to Z Useful Windows Run Commands

Do you use the Run feature in Windows XP?
For most, this feature remains unused (or rarely used). Why is that? Well, First off nearly all of the Run Commands Correspond to a particular Control Panel Item or a Utility, Tool or Task that can be accessed through Windows. There are, however, tools and utilities that I bet you never knew you had that can be accessed through the Run feature. The main reason most people don't use the Run feature is because they don't know the Commands. So, to solve that problem, I decided to put together the following listing, which lists A to Z Run Commands and what they correspond too...
Short Cut to Run- Windows Key + R
Accessibility Controls - access.cpl
Add Hardware Wizard - hdwwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs - appwiz.cpl
Adobe Photoshop (if installed) - photoshop
Administrative Tools - control admintools
Automatic Updates - wuaucpl.cpl
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard - fsquirt
Calculator – calc
Certificate Manager - certmgr.msc
Character Map - charmap
Check Disk Utility - chkdsk
Clipboard Viewer - clipbrd
Command Prompt - cmd
Component Services - dcomcnfg
Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
Date and Time Properties - timedate.cpl
DDE Shares - ddeshare
Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)* - directx.cpl
Direct X Troubleshooter - dxdiag
Disk Cleanup Utility - cleanmgr
Disk Defragment - dfrg.msc
Disk Management - diskmgmt.msc
Disk Partition Manager - diskpart
Display Properties - control desktop
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Display Properties - desk.cpl
Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected) - control color
Dr. Watson System Troubleshooting Utility - drwtsn32
Driver Verifier Utility - verifier
Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc
File Signature Verification Tool - sigverif
Findfast - findfast.cpl
Folders Properties - control folders
Fonts - control fonts
Fonts Folder - fonts
Free Cell Card Game - freecell
Game Controllers - joy.cpl
Group Policy Editor (XP Prof) - gpedit.msc

Right Click On Web Pages That Don’t Allow Right Clicks

How you can right-click a webpage (e.g. to save pictures) that usually displays an error like ‘Right-click not allowed’ or ‘Please subscribe to do this action’ when you try to right-click.
In Internet Explorer, click Tools -> Internet Options.
Click on the Security tab of Internet Explorer then click the Restricted Sites zone.
Click the Sites… button and enter the URL of the website you would like to allow right-clicking on (e.g. http://www.clipart.com).
Click the Add button.
Click the OK button on the Restricted Sites dialog box.
Click the OK button on the Internet Options dialog box.
Visit the site and you should now be able to right-click content on the site.
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You may need to reset the security settings for the Restricted Sites tab if the settings have been changed. In the Internet Options dialog box, under the Security tab, click the Restricted sites zone and click Default Level. Then click OK.

How To Recover a Dead Windows Machine

It’s dead, Jim! How do you bring your Windows PC back from horrid, gory Windows-induced Seppuku?

This process can take up to 48 solid hours of exasperating labor.
Back up your work. The first step in any restore is to back up your data from the hard drive. If your machine runs well enough attempt recovery, then you may be able to plug a USB2 hard disk and back up your files. It will make you feel a lot better to have that backup if the computer hangs halfway through the ‘restore’ and then never boots again. A failing hard drive can work intermittently enough to get the data off maybe once and then die for good.

New User

Sometimes a system that partially boots and/or misbehaves badly, or has a ‘dead’ application that can’t be run anymore can be ‘recovered’ simply by creating a new user account and logging in as that new user. A corrupted registry is the most common culprit for ‘dead’ windows machines, and a large subset of these (potentially) corrupt entries are in your user profile. On Linux machines, often ‘corrupt’ application settings are in a particular user account as well.
Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel->User Accounts.
Create a New Account.
Give it a Name.
Give it ‘Administrator’ privileges. (This sounds bad, and it is bad, but many Windows applications assume they’re ‘Administrator’ (’root’ in Linux) at all times. Reducing privileges can make the computer more secure, but can also disable some of your software.)
Reboot or log out and login as the ‘new’ user.
See if the system is stable.
If the system is stable, you will still have to restore all of the settings you had on the old account, and move the ‘My Documents’ contents from the old account to the new one.
BACK UP YOUR WORK.
You can’t trivially delete and re-use the dead old account. Windows will just try to re-use the same bad data again.
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System Restore on Windows XP
Use System Restore for a shaky computer that still boots but doesn’t work well.
Go to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore.
Leave the radio button on ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’.
Click on ‘Next’.
Pick a date before the bad system behaviors began.
Reboot and see if it works better.
If it does not, try again with an earlier restore point.
Go through your documents and files. You’ll discover ‘versioned’ file names of various files that were modified between now and your restore point.
Delete or remove the ‘old’ files and make sure the ‘newest’ or most correct versions of files exist.
Windows XP does not come with a tool to browse the old restore point files to individually recover them, even though that would be super handy.
The Windows XP boot disk does not have a ‘System Restore’ tool to restore Windows to earlier states like this, so your computer must boot to use this method. If the machine does not boot, try one of the methods below to recover your data and your machine.

Boot with Linux
Download and burn a Linux boot disk from your favorite Linux distribution. You may need to use another computer if you have not done this already.
Boot from the Linux CD.
Mount the Windows partition.
Using Linux, back up your data from the damaged partition onto a USB drive, or the network, or burn a CD.
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Use a Third Party Boot Disk
Try ‘UBCD’ (see link below), a free ISO of a self-booting CD image accompanied by a big pile of tools and utilities.
Various hard disk tools like ‘Partition Magic’ or ‘Norton Utilities’ come on a bootable CD that will let you tinker with ‘bad’ drives. It is best to back up any intact data before attempting to ‘recover’ lost data.

Use the Recovery Disk or Recovery Partition
Many manufacturers don’t give you a Windows boot disc anymore instead you get a ‘Recovery Disc’ or a ‘Recovery Partition’ that contains an image of the boot partition in the state hey shipped the machine.
Put the disc in (or boot off the ‘recovery partition’), follow the prompts, and the version of Windows with all the right drivers and all of the default unlicensed bundleware that came with the PC will be restored and ready to go and need licensing (or deletion) again.
This restore will not restore other applications that were installed, downloaded, etc.
This restore will not restore software licenses that you paid for on-line and didn’t keep the receipts and keys to.
This restore will not restore drivers for new hardware you added since you bought your computer.
This restore will usually destory any data on the Windows partition, including including personal information in Documents and Settings, which includes your ‘My Documents’ and anyone else’s ‘My Documents’ on the computer.

Reinstall from a Windows CD
If your computer didn’t ‘System Restore’ or have a ‘Recovery Disc’, but did come with a shiny Windows CD and still has that hologram license (or the license is often stuck on an inside door or on the case) then
Put the CD in the drive and boot from the Windows CD.
Change your BIOS settings to start the computer from the CD.
Install Windows and reboot the fresh install.
Rummage around for the driver CDs and any software CDs you had, and follow the prompts to install each driver CD for the motherboard, monitor, etc. as required.

Remove the Hard Drive
Pull the hard drive out of the dead PC if the computer can’t be made to boot, restore or install its operating system.
If you have one, plug an IDE drive into a USB2 or Firewire hard drive adapter to be plugged into another computer. Nearly external USB2/Firewire hard drive can be opened up and used temporarily in this manner.
If you don’t have an adapter, or your drive is SATA or SCSI, you can plug it into another computer’s available compatible port. Just make sure to configure BIOS so the drive you add doesn’t get booted on the host machine when it starts up, or any ‘infection’ could be spread to it, and Windows tends to throw a nasty fit attempting to ‘detect’ the new computer, and XP wants a new ‘authorization’.
Backup the data from the mounted drive.
If the drive won’t mount (and the host OS definitely can mount the NTFS file system), then try some data recovery software (this may require you to plug the drive into an IDE/SATA/SCSI device directly). If that doesn’t help, the data on the drive may just be lost to you.
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BACK UP YOUR WORK! When the hard disk PHYSICALLY CRASHES, your work is probably lost, no matter what. Even investing thousands of dollars for data recovery might not get much more than file fragments back. Back up early, back up often. An ounce of backup is worth a TON of re-creating things from scratch.
Get some REAL system recovery software, like Norton Ghost (formerly PowerQuest Drive Image), and make hard drive image backups of your own boot drive with ALL of your software and drivers installed. It turns a day-long, maybe even week-long ordeal into a mere 45 minute cuss-fest when ANY version of Windows self-destructs and croaks on you. Especially useful if your living is based on your PC. It also means that you don’t have to “live with” a Windows installation that has gone ’senile’ from all the viral and spyware junk that crawled into it, or got wrecked when you bought a new piece of hardware that installed 100 megs of buggy garbage into the OS to ‘extend it’, instead of a simple device driver.
You really should have backed up the data very routinely on your own, every month or so, or whenever you did “important work”, but almost no normal computer user ever does. Tragic.
If you have system restore, be sure to save everything, and create a new, named checkpoint just before you install a new piece of hardware or a new driver. There will usually be a lot less mess to back out of when you need to.
Save your passwords, registration codes, receipts, etc. When you make logins/passwords, or receive registration codes, record them somewhere safe.
A text file on a cheap little USB thumb drive can be used for saving information like logins, passwords, utility company addresses, online accounts, etc. and whatever other ‘private’ things, like tax records. It can sit in a box, or a safe only to come out when you NEED it, and keep all those private things will be off-line and unavailable to the various frightful things that get into Windows. Anyway, if the computer takes a dump all over you, then all that stuff you lazily and insecurely left on the PC for anyone ELSE to steal will not die with it. Grow a carpal tunnel and type those passwords when you’re prompted. You won’t forget them so much.
Make two partitions when you partition and format a hard disk, or buy a second hard disk. One partition gets Windows and the software installations. One partition gets the data and work files, like the contents of ‘My Documents’. When you need to STOMP the Windows partition, the other data can remain safe and relatively untainted. A second hard disk can even be UNPLUGGED so the Windows install or other system recovery software can’t “accidentally” reformat it “for you”.
To a degree, the ‘two partitions or two drives’ thing applies to Linux and other operating systems. For straight-forward recovery after a little mishap or major disaster, you seriously don’t want OS/programs and your personal documents and work intermixed.
The partition (or separate hard disk) with your data and work files should be formatted ‘FAT32′ and have ‘System Restore’ turned OFF. That way, if you have to mess with or re-format or restore a backup copy of a mangled Windows partition, you don’t have to overwrite all of your current work, and you can get that drive mounted by nearly any other OS.
What drives ‘System Restore’ operate on can be configured from “Start->Settings->Control Panel->System”, then picking the ‘System Restore’ tab.
Nothing you do with the software can really damage modern hardware. However, sometimes things like the CMOS memory can be overwritten, and (if you leave jumpers set the wrong way) even EEPROM BIOS on the motherboard can be stomped.
CMOS is relatively easy to ‘fix’, just go into the BIOS settings for the motherboard and reset it and then set the time and reconfigure it back the way it used to be.
EEPROM BIOS being clobbered, well you’ll have to order a new chip from the manufacturer and swap it out. Some flash-able BIOS chips have a ROM backup that they can always revert to. If not, and it’s soldered to the motherboard, then the motherboard will need to be replaced. If the BIOS can be flashed, find out which jumper (if any) disables flashing the BIOS and make sure that’s disabled, and you should never have this problem.
A USB2 backup drive that’s probably twice as big as the hard drive in your computer can be had dirt cheap. It’s a good investment for backing up data. After the initial, time consuming backup, incremental backups take only a few minutes. Then the backup drive can be unplugged and put away somewhere safe, preferably where the same kinds of physical disasters that kill your computer won’t get it, too.

ONLY when the documents, internet shortcuts, mail, work files, etc. that the user used to have are safely and securely backed up onto another hard drive and/or burned to a CD or DVD, should you attempt to format or reinstall Windows.
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Don’t get carried away. THINK. What’s more important? Booting this irritating, dead box, or the data (contacts, mail, work, documents, media, etc.) that it contains? The DATA is job #1. NOT the computer

Crack Office 2007 activation without a crack

For those who don't like confronting with Microsoft
For this procedure, you will need
* Office 2007 that requires activation
* A computer able to run Office 2007 (XP or higher required for Office 2007)
* At least 3 minutes of time
Instructions
* Uninstall Office 2007 from your computer if you have it on there right now
* Install Office 2007 IMPORTANT! When installing Office 2007, when it asks for a serial number, just click Continue and with the dialog that pops up, click No. Then continue with your installation.
* Once Office 2007 is installed, you should be able to open Office apps and be prompted for activation. This is normal.
* Close all open Office apps.
* In Windows Explorer, browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE12\Office Setup Controller\Proof.en
* In any plain text editor you want, open Proof.xml
* Find:

Code:

      </Feature> <Feature Id=”SetupXmlFiles” Cost=”1248″>
      <OptionRef Id=”AlwaysInstalled”/>
      </Feature>

* Replace "AlwaysInstalled" to "neverInstalled" (make sure to get the casing right) so that it will look like the this:

Code:

</Feature> <Feature Id=”SetupXmlFiles” Cost=”1248″>
      <OptionRef Id=”neverInstalled”/>
      </Feature>

* Save the XML file.

* That's it! You're done. Next time you open an Office app, it will not rudely ask for a serial number

Assigning a Static IP Address

To assign a Static IP Address to your network connection follow these steps:

1. Open Network Connections

2. Right click the connection you wish to assign a Static Address to and choose Properties.

3. In the Properties box that comes up select “Internet Protocol TCP/IP” and click the Properties button beneath.

4. In Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties place a dot in “Use the following IP Address“.

5. Enter the IP address you wish to use and OK the change. Click OK on Local Area Connection Properties.

6. Reboot

How To Detect what process is thrashing your hard drive

Every once in a while you notice that your hard drive is working extra hard for what seems like no reason. A background process has taken your hard drive hostage, forcing it to thrash loudly as it struggles to keep up with the high rate of reads and writes. Your computer responds slowly as the process overloads the physical limitations of your drive. What are you to do?The solution is simple, although a little tricky at times: identify and stop the process that is killing your drive. There are two methods and tools that you can use to identify the process.

Method 1
Click on the Start Button and key in Reliability. Click on the Reliability and Performance Monitor shortcut.
On the main screen click on the Disk section down arrow to see a list of all processes and the files they are writing or reading from your drives.
Click on the Read or Write headings to sort all disk operations to identify which process and file is currently using the disk the most.
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Method 2
Visit Microsoft’s Sysinternals web site and download Process Explorer.
After you have started Process Explorer, click on the View menubar item and then Select Columns.
Click on the Process Performance tab and check:
I/O Reads
I/O Read Bytes
I/O Writes
I/O Write Bytes
Hit OK.
You will now see the new columns listed for each process. To identify what process is killing your hard drive, just look for the process with the highest number of Reads or Bytes

Avoid Compulsory Registration in a Website

Many websites on internet need you to register to acess the information, like many forums force you to register to have acess to their discussion pages. Below are some techniques that i found to bypass compulsory registrations on websites.

BugMeNot

Bugmenot- Free login Details to bypass compulsory registration

Bugmenot is a groovy website to find and share logins for websites that force you to register. Just fill in the web adress in the search box and Login details will be provided if available for that particular site.
For more information on using Bugmenot, you can see Wikihow Article on using Bugmenot.

Also you can download Bugmenot Firefox Extension to bypass compulsory web registration via Firefox’s right-click context menu.

Google Bot

Most of the websites today get maximum number of visitors from google. So all the websites including ones that require registration, would like to see their content indexed by Google. Therefore as soon as they detect the google bot, they allow it to acess pages that are normally restricted to human users, so if a normal human being visits the website using a web browser, he is politely redirected to the “Please register first” webpage.

There is a cool Firefox Extension called Firefox User Agent Switcher that lets you switch the user agent so that the reg-only website is fooled to think that you are a web spider.

You can download the Firefox user agent switcher extension here . After downloading and installing the extension you have to do the following:-
Goto Tools>>Extensions>>Select User Agent Switcher

Click Options button and select User Agents from the Sidebar.

Then click Add to add new User Agent.

In the description box write “Google Bot” and in the User Agent Box write “Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)” .

Done. Enjoy ! Bypass Registration on Websites with Google Cache

This trick even work on some websites that usually require paid registration in order to access their content.
Find the exact page that you want in a list of Google search results. For example, if you know there’s a page on RegisteredAccess.com that has some data about turtles that is only accessible to registered users, you can search on google for “site:RegisteredAccess.com turtles”. Once you find the link to this article, you can simple click on “Cached” to see what version Google has.

Working with Username and Password, using net user command

The following example shows the syntax of the net user command:
net user [username [password | *] [options]] [/domain]
username {password | *} /add [options] [/domain]
username [/delete] [/domain]

You can use the net user command to create and modify user accounts on computers. When you use this command without command-line switches, the user accounts for the computer are listed. The user account information is stored in the user accounts database. This command works only on servers.
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You can use the following parameters with the net user command:• username
Is the name of the user account you want to add, delete, modify, or view. The name of the user account can have as many as 20 characters.
• password
Assigns or changes a password for the user’s account. A password must satisfy the minimum length set with the /minpwlen option of the net accounts command. It can contain as many as 14 characters.
• *
Produces a prompt for the password. The password is not displayed when you type it at a password prompt.
• /domain
Performs the operation on the primary domain controller (PDC) of the current domain. This parameter applies only to computers running Windows NT Workstation that are members of a Windows NT Server domain. By default, Windows NT Server-based computers perform operations on the PDC.
• /add
Adds a user account to the user accounts database.
• /delete
Removes a user account from the user accounts database.

CONVERTING FAT32 to NTFS

Converting a partition from FAT32 to NTFS can be done by an inbuilt utility in the Windows XP operating system — but it is important to realise that it is a one-way process. You cannot convert back, except possibly by use of Partition Magic 7.01, and that is not always successful. Windows XP has no tool for converting from NTFS to FAT32.

There are a couple of things to do in advance if the conversion is to be efficient. If you do not take these preliminary steps, you are liable to end up with only 512 byte clusters, which is not a good idea.

What happens is that FAT32 partitions formatted by most Windows versions except Windows XP itself (and possibly Windows 2000) have an odd multiple of 2 kilobytes in the “system” sectors before the data area, where the File Allocation Tables themselves and clustering start. Therefore, clusters 4 KB in size are not aligned on 4 KB boundaries, as NTFS will want. CONVERT.EXE, finding it cannot use 4K clusters, gives up and makes the clusters only 512 bytes (one half KB) instead.

It is, therefore, important to realign the partition before conversion, by moving all the data area up to a 4K boundary. (This will absorb odd sectors at the far end which otherwise would not get used). For this, I suggest BootIT NG, from BootitNG.com. This is a shareware program, priced at US$30 but with a 30-day fully functional trial. You may well find it valuable also for its Disk Imaging and Partition Management capabilities.

Download the BOOTITNG.ZIP file to its own folder, extract the contents of the ZIP file, then run BOOTITNG.EXE, which will make a bootable floppy. Boot this floppy. For purposes of Partition Management, there is no need to install the program to hard disk, so click Cancel Install, thus entering Maintenance. Click Partition Work. Highlight the partition you intend to convert. Click Slide, which has an option check box to Align for NTFS only. Click OK. As it has to move almost every sector on the entire partition, this will take a very long time — schedule it for a meal break, or start it to run overnight. (If it finishes quickly, that probably means that the partition was properly aligned already.)

Then restart the computer, boot Windows XP, being sure to logon as an Administrator, and defragment the disk. This ensures that there is, as far as possible, a contiguous area for the NTFS Master File Table. It is best if there is a fairly substantial amount of free space while you do it.
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Now use the Windows XP convert tool: Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt (or, from a Run box, type CMD) and, assuming you intend to convert C:, give the command:

VOL C:

Note the name of the disk in the first line, and the Volume Serial Number (for example, 3F4E-2D1B) in the second. Then type:

CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS

It will ask for that name in confirmation. Then it will ask two further questions. Reply Y each time to set up conversion to happen at the next boot, then restart the machine. (If you are converting a partition other than the operating system’s partition, you may find that it runs without rebooting.) After returning to Win XP, the hard disk will work for two or three minutes, tidying up. Leave things alone during this time.

Change a MAC Address

MAC addresses were designed to be fixed numbers that cannot be changed. However, there are several valid reasons to want to change your MAC address
Changing a MAC Address To Work With Your ISP

Most Internet subscriptions allow the customer only a single IP address. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) may assign one static (fixed) IP address to each customer. However, this approach is an inefficient use of IP addresses that are currently in short supply. The ISP more commonly issues each customer dynamic IP address that may change each time the customer connects to the Internet.ISPs ensure each customer receives only one dynamic address using several methods. Dial-up and many DSL services typically require the customer to log in with a username and password.
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Cable modem services, on the other hand, do this by registering and tracking the MAC address of the device that connects to the ISP.

The device whose MAC address is monitored by an ISP can be either the cable modem, a broadband router, or the PC that hosts the Internet connection. The customer is free to build a network behind this equipment, but the ISP expects the MAC address to match the registered value at all times.

Whenever a customer replaces that device, however, or changes the network adapter inside it, the MAC address of this new equipment will no longer match the one registered at the ISP. The ISP will often disable the customer’s Internet connection for security (and billing) reasons.
Change a MAC Address through Cloning

Some people contact their ISP to request they update the MAC address associated with their subscription. This process works but takes time, and Internet service will be unavailable while waiting for the provider to take action.A better way to quickly workaround this problem is to change the MAC address on the new device so that it matches the address of the original device. While an actual physical MAC address cannot be changed in hardware, the address can be emulated in software. This process is called cloning.

Many broadband routers today support MAC address cloning as an advanced configuration option. The emulated MAC address appears to the service provider identical to the original hardware address. The specific procedure of cloning varies depending on the type of router; consult product documentation for details.
MAC Addresses and Cable Modems

In addition to MAC addresses tracked by the ISP, some broadband modems also track the MAC address of the host computer’s network adapter within the home network. If you swap the computer connected to the broadband modem, or change its network adapter, your cable Internet connection may not function afterward.In this case, MAC address cloning is not required. Resetting (including recycling power) on both the cable modem and the host computer will automatically change the MAC address stored inside the modem.
Changing MAC Addresses through the Operating System

Starting with Windows 2000, users can sometimes change their MAC address through the Windows My Network Places interface. This procedure does not work for all network cards as it depends on a certain level of software support built into the adapter driver.In Linux and versions of Unix, the “ifconfig” also supports changing MAC addresses if the necessary network card and driver support exists.
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Summary - Change a MAC Address

The MAC address is an important element of computer networking. MAC addresses uniquely identify a computer on the LAN. MAC is an essential component required for network protocols like TCP/IP to function.Computer operating systems and broadband routers support viewing and sometimes changing MAC addresses. Some ISPs track their customers by MAC address. Changing a MAC address can be necessary in some cases to keep an Internet connection working. Some broadband modems also monitor the MAC address of their host computer.
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Although MAC addresses do not reveal any geographic location information like IP addresses do, changing MAC addresses may improve your Internet privacy in some situations.

Find a MAC Address

The method used to find a MAC address depends on the type of network device involved. All popular network operating systems contain utility programs that allow one to find (and sometimes change) MAC address settings.
Find a MAC Address in Windows

In Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME, the winipcfg utility displays the computer’s MAC address. Use the ipconfig utility (with the /all option) in Windows NT and any newer versions of Windows.Both ‘winipcfg’ and ‘ipconfig’ may display multiple MAC addresses for one computer. One MAC address exists for each installed network card. Additionally, Windows maintains one or more MAC addresses that are not associated with hardware cards.
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For example, Windows dial-up networking uses virtual MAC addresses to manage the phone connection as if it were a network card. Some Windows VPN clients likewise have their own MAC address. The MAC addresses of these “virtual” network adapters are the same length and format as true hardware addresses.
Find a MAC Address in Unix or Linux

The specific command used in Unix to find a MAC address varies depending on the version of the operating system. In Linux and in some forms of Unix, the command “ifconfig -a” returns MAC addresses.You can also find MAC addresses in Unix and Linux in the boot message sequence. These operating systems display the computer’s MAC address on-screen as the system reboots. Additionally, boot-up messages are retained in a log file (usually “/var/log/messages” or “/var/adm/messages”).
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Find a MAC Address on the Macintosh

You can find MAC addresses on the Macintosh in the TCP/IP Control Panel. If the system is running Open Transport, the MAC address appears under the “Info” or “User Mode/Advanced” screens. If the system is running MacTCP, the MAC address appears under the “Ethernet” icon.

How to Build a Computer

Branded computers can offer both value and performance, the parts used can be powerful and cheap, and you can switch on and start work. Yet parts are often short-spec in one place or another. Sadly you'll often get a performance "bottleneck" such as a slow graphics card, only a basic amount of memory, or a slimline motherboard with too few upgrade slots. Luckily, computers are surprisingly easy to build. If you can afford the time to plan and build your own machine, you can design a system more targeted toward your own use.

Steps

1. Outline the benefits you're seeking from building your own computer. Different configurations suit different purposes:
   
   
   • Basic System. Nothing special, just some good parts from solid brands.
   • Home System. More RAM and a slightly better CPU for that added boost.
   • A Gamer's Rig. You'll need a killer graphics card, and a lot of RAM.
   • Music Producer. Specialist sound cards offer lots of features and multi-channels.
   • Video Editing Suite. Your processor, hard drive, and memory (some situations graphics card too) are used extensively.
   • Server System. You need a really powerful rig that can shift large amounts of data 24/7.
2. Choose your setup. The cost implications of choosing between these uses are huge. A cheap work computer might cost only two or three hundred. A server can reach tens of thousands. Take the advice of experienced users in your field. Spend no more than is required for your usage. Ignore salesmen or others who implore you to waste money on unneeded upgrades. Refer to the table below for guidelines.
3. Select your hardware. Review the Things You'll Need section below to determine what to obtain for your computer. Consult the many forums on the Web for people who enjoy building their own computer systems. Post what you are planning on building, and ask for suggestions. Many people on forums are more than willing to make sure that you have chosen parts that are good, and that the overall computer will work.
4. Make sure the parts you have selected will work together. Almost all good computer parts websites have detailed lists of specifications to view and check what type of connection the specific part uses. Usually this entails:
   • CPU socket-Motherboard socket (ex. 775, AM2)
   • Graphics card slot-Motherboard slot (ex. PCI-E, AGP)
   • Hard drive type-Motherboard connections (ex. SATA, PATA, RAID 0)
   • Case type-Motherboard type (ex. ATX, Micro-ATX)
   • PSU type-Case type (ex. ATX, Micro-ATX)
   • RAM type-Motherboard RAM supported (ex. DDR-400, PC-3200)
   • Monitor-Graphics card connection (ex. VGA, DVI)
   • Sound Card slot-Motherboard slot (ex. PCI)
5. Know where each part will go and how they will connect and disconnect from the socket/slot. This is crucial as incorrect placement can ruin computer components.
6. Connect your hardware according to the instructions that come with the motherboard. Don't leave the hardware on your floor for days while you figure out what you should do, as this may lead to electrostatic discharge which can damage or ruin computer components. When not attached to the motherboard and case, all components should be left in their anti-static bags. Generally, this entails:
   • Attach the PSU (power supply unit) to the inside of the case, following the instructions included with the case (some cases might have this step completed).
   • Place the motherboard on top of its antistatic bag.
   • Insert the processor into the motherboard. This is done by opening the ZIF [zero insertion force] socket, and carefully inserting the processor (NO force needed, if it doesn't slip right in, or it feels like you have to push, something is probably not right). Then close the ZIF socket arm (little force needed).
   • Apply good thermal paste to the CPU. Use a very small pea sized amount and spread it in a thin layer over the entire processor surface (or if this is an older Athlon series without the protective cover, only apply to the chip in the center of the processor board). Adding too much thermal paste will decrease the life of the processor.
   • Attach the heat sink. This varies from heat sink to heat sink, so read the instructions.
   • Insert the RAM in the proper slots by opening the slots and pushing the RAM in until the little handles can lock it into position.
   • Screw the standoff screws (usually gold hexagonal screws) into the case at the proper points where the motherboard will be screwed in.
   • If your motherboard came with an IO backplate, pop out the one that came with your case and snap in the new one. This sometimes takes a bit of force. If your motherboard has standard IO connectors, your case will already have an appropriate backplate. Just snap out the metal covers (by bending from side to side) for each IO port that your motherboard has.
   • Insert the motherboard into the case (it helps to hold on to the heatsink), and secure it (fasten screws into the holes, which will go into the standoffs).
   • Attach the video card (if you have one ) and any other PCI cards into the motherboard. Be sure to secure them into place via the proper screws.
   • Insert the floppy drive, CD-ROM drives, and the hard drives. Connect them with the appropriate cables, either IDE or SATA.
   • Attach the power supply cables to the appropriate connectors in the computer (motherboard, floppy drive, hard drive, fans, CD-ROM drive). Each cable will only fit in the correct orientation, but pressure will still be needed to push the cables in. Be sure to read the directions that came with each component.
   • Use zip ties to carefully bundle all of the cables, and route them to prevent them from blocking the airflow.
   • Connect front panel connectors to the motherboard (the layout is in the motherboard and/or case manuals).
7. Plug in your computer. Turn on the computer and immediately open the CD drive. Put the CD for your operating system in the drive and close it. Restart your computer by pressing the power button until it shuts off and then push the power button again to turn the computer back on. Don't forget to turn your monitor on.
8. Check your motherboard manual for keys to use to start the "boot sequence" or "CMOS settings", or sometimes "BIOS settings". Click this button when the motherboard splash screen appears. Set your computer's CD/DVD drive as the first boot option. You may have to reboot your computer for these settings to take affect.
9. Follow the instructions to install your operating system. With most operating systems, this will include: Formatting the hard drive, configuring the boot loader, configuring the operating system, and finally installing the operating system. Once the operating system is installed, you're ready to go!

Tips

• The more preparation, research and careful selection of parts you do (and making it), the less proportion of your life you will spend making the darn thing work.
• If you feel overwhelmed, it's better to ask nicely and get an experienced technician to source the parts and build the machine. Individual hardware can have niggling incompatibilities that can ruin your user experience. Insist on years of experience. You'll be glad you did.
• This is a basic outline to build computers, but you still need an operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux).
  • Most people have Windows and know it well, but the legal Windows version for a custom machine may be more expensive than the pre-installed OS you get in the computer from the shop.
  • Linux is great and free but may need more attention to install and configure. However building machine from pieces gives you great opportunity to check the list of supported hardware and be sure that your devices (especially video cards) will work.
• Choose the right amount of memory. The correct amount and type of memory is crucial for system function and stability.
• Don't go cheap on the power supply. A low-grade power supply can fail and destroy your motherboard. When this happens, you will replace the power supply, motherboard, CPU and RAM as your old CPU and RAM won't work in the new motherboard. Spend the extra $50 and make sure your system lasts for several years.
• If you put the computer system together and it does not work, take out everything except the power supply and motherboard (and video card if not using an on-board video card). Ensure that works by viewing your BIOS start up screen. Turn it off, then plug in your hard drives and verify that works. Turn it off, then plug in your CD-ROM and ensure that works. Turn it off, and continue to plug in each additional peripheral until everything is plugged in and working. The idea here is to put in the minimum components to get it to power up, then add one at a time so you know what component is causing the problem.
• Read online or magazine reviews on each component before purchasing it.
• It may be very helpful to request the assistance of a friend who is familiar with building computers. At the very least, ask for their opinions on the parts you plan to use.
• Be mindful of the price. It may be cheaper to buy a brand name computer.

Warnings

• The quality and price of a component are often linked when comparing one brand's component to another brand's component of the same specs. Make a judgment call based upon the brand's reputation, the quality of their support (ie: RMA process), and online reviews. Do not settle for a component of sub-par reliability just to save a few dollars. The biggest differences in price come from each component's level of technology (ie: Core 2 Duo verses Core 2 Quad).
• Do not use force to insert any component into any slot or socket. The tolerances of newer hardware components may be narrow, but everything should still fit without the need to apply too much force. Memory modules are among the few types of components that may require a bit of pressure to install. Before installing your memory modules, make sure they match the memory slots by comparing the notches.
• Do not force cable connections. Fortunately, cables at the back of a computer will only fit onto their intended connector. All cables, except for coaxial and some laptop power connections, will only connect when they are in the same orientation as their connector. For example, DVI and VGA video cables have a trapezoidal connector, not a rectangular one.
• If you are unsure about any aspect of the construction of your computer, DO NOT try "winging" it, either ask for someone who knows what their doing to "spot" you while you build or hire a professional to do it for you.
• Avoid electrostatic discharge when installing components. Wear a static wristband or regularly ground yourself by touching a metal part of the case before handling components. Read the Related wikiHow on How to Avoid Destroying a Computer With Electrostatic Discharge for additional information.
• Double-check all connections before switching on the computer for the first time.
• Do not spill any liquids on electronic components, especially when they are powered on.
• When plugging in CPUs and PATA (IDE) devices, be gentle. If you bend a pin, use tweezers or a narrow needle-nose pliers to straighten it. If you break a pin, on a CPU or CPU socket, your hardware will no longer function correctly. If you break a pin on an IDE connector, you have a 7 in 40 chance that you've broken a ground pin, which may not be critical to a device's functionality. Reference this chart to verify.
• Don't skimp on purchasing quality components. This is especially important of computer's power supply. Acquire a power supply made by a well-known and respected manufacturer. A low-quality or inadequate power supply may damage other system components if it fails.

Things You'll Need

• Motherboard - The motherboard is basically the computer. Without it nothing happens. Everything connects into the motherboard, which makes it really important. Modern boards contain PCI-Express (PCI-E) slots that are much faster than the old PCI. Motherboard makers list compatible CPU and memory products online. Read them before making your CPU and memory selections. You might want to look at the processor an the motherboard at the same time. Make sure your motherboard has enough USB slots for all your peripherals. Although the performance chart states MicroATX as the lowest performance motherboard, that is not always true. Though the MicroATX form factor has fewer expansion slots, it is often similar in performance to its larger cousins. It is indeed possible to create a MicroATX system that has high performance and reliability.
• Processor (CPU) - This is the thing that makes the computer run, it does everything from running a game to adding 2+2. There is not a lot to think about in a CPU but there is one major decision. Intel or AMD. Up until recently, AMD showed better results in gaming and desktop computing, and Intel had better straightline speeds for data-crunching. Since the release of Intel's Core 2 Duo Processor line, however, this has changed. In the sweet spot for gaming performance, AMD could be competitive by significantly lowering prices for the Athlon 64 X2 or Athlon 64 FX-62. However, either a Core 2 Duo or an Athlon will fill your needs, as long as you purchase a processor from either line that is powerful enough for your needs.
• Power Supply - Focal to the computer is the power supply itself, which provides power to the components. Power supplies are mainly rated by their power output in watts. Watts, however, aren't everything. A good quality 400 watt power supply from a reputable manufacturer will generally be a much better choice than a generic '550 watt' unit. If you get a case with the power supply included, then there's nothing you need to worry about. Antec generally makes high quality cases and power supplies. If you are looking to make a gaming rig then you must also look at how much power your video card will draw, both amps and watts. Many of today's power supplies have 2 or more 12-Volt rails, which is where a video card draws its power. This divides the total available amps and watts evenly between these. Certain high end Video cards will need to draw more amps or watts then a single one of these rails can provide so it may be important to get a single 12Volt rail power supply. Be certain to check that the power supply you want also has the proper connectors for the newer video cards.
• Hard Drive - The hard drive stores everything you'll need: the operating system and all other data that you put on your computer. The only criteria for your hard drive is capacity and type. SATA, the current interface, offers RAID support and faster transfer speeds. All new motherboards are compatible with SATA hard drives. A 7200 RPM drive is crucial (anything less will bottleneck your entire system). Perpendicular Recording Technology is recommended for high capacity. Use RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is you require rapid reading and writing of large quantities of data or if you need to duplicate your data among different drives to ensure reliable storage; otherwise, don't bother. People have different opinions about which are the best hard drives, but Seagate drives have been shown to be very reliable. Check the reviews. As always, avoid no-name components.
• RAM/Memory - Since the hard drive is slow to give information, a lot of information has to be stored in a place where it can be accessed fast. This is where the RAM comes in. However, it is not a replacement to a hard drive because it is not a permanent memory. Sometimes more is better than faster, depending on what applications you want to use. RAM choice is dependent on the motherboard. Go with a stick of 512 MB DDR or DDR2 (depending on the motherboard) RAM as the bare minimum, but for anything other than office applications, you'll want at least 1GB. Install 1 GB per processor core, and stick with Crucial, Corsair and Kingston.
• Additional Drives - In addition to the hard drive, you will also want to purchase a CD/DVD Drive. The CD/DVD drive (optical drive) is an important removable media drive for CD's or DVD's. They are cheap and easy to install. All you have to consider is whether it burns CD's or not and whether it reads/writes DVD's. The most "able-bodied" CD/DVD drive is a combo drive.
• Graphics Card (GPU) - The graphics card is the gateway between your computer and your monitor. It determines how you will see your desktop and everything else you do on your computer. This means how fast you see it and the quality of what you're seeing. For most purposes, fast integrated video like Intel GMA 3000 or nVIDIA 6150 will suffice (even for Vista's Aero Glass), but if you are going to be gaming or editing video a lot, get a standalone video adapter. Your graphics card fits into either a PCI-E slot (the current graphics standard), or an AGP slot. If you are upgrading an older or low-end PC, there may be neither of these slots, in which case you will have to use an empty PCI slot to accommodate a PCI video card. These boards almost always have integrated video. In addition, you have to check the memory of the graphics card. The memory in the graphics card determines what you can do it with the card. Some programs need more memory to run. 256 MB is recommended but 512 MB is better for gamers.
• Case - The case is the enclosure that holds your computer together. It protects your computer from dust and other things that may harm your computer. A mid-size, mini, or micro cube is fine for most users, but a full tower may be needed for servers or users who want a lot of space. The main thing you want to consider in your case is the fans that are in it. The more fans the cooler your computer will be. However, the more fans the more noisier your computer is. In addition, some cases have a Power Supply which will determine if you need to buy a separate one later. Also, make sure the tiny box you'd like has enough space for hard drives, DVD recorders, and that optional card reader. Running out of space is a pain. Antec is usually best.
• Monitor - The monitor is the display on which you will see your desktop and everything you do on your computer. The only thing you have to worry about is whether there are ports that will connect your computer's your monitor. For instance, most graphics cards have DVI ports instead of VGA ports while some only have VGA ports and not DVI ports. The description of the graphics card will tell you if it has a DVI port or not. You may want to get special features with your monitor, but that is completely up to you. CRTs, the large, boxy monitors, are still preferred by graphic artists for their reliability and color accuracy. However, LCDs are much sharper and will leave your desk less crowded. They also consume less power. It's mainly a money and personal preference decision.
• Keyboard & Mouse - There are expensive gaming and work sets available, for first-person-shooter (FPS) games or designing 3D. Just get a cheap set (wireless is good, less congested) for basic computing. A docking rechargeable mouse is great (no more battery changing!). If you love FPS games, then you should go with a laser mouse (not to be confused with an optical mouse!) that has a nice feel and weight to it. If you have a tendency to develop carpal tunnel syndrome then a trackball mouse might be best. They are slightly more expensive, but you don't have to move your wrist at all and you can place them anywhere (leg, table, arm of chair, anything).
• Sound card/headphones - Your sound card or headphones is the device that lets you hear the sounds of your computer. A surround sound card lets you have surround sound with a lot of speakers. There are also headphones that have a microphone built in (headset). You can have either. But remember, if you get a sound card you also have to get speakers. Remember also that many motherboards have excellent integrated high definition audio, so you may not need one for all your sound horsepower.
• Operating system - Keep in mind what Operating System you will be using. Windows Vista will require better performing hardware than Windows XP, MacOS X, or Linux. The operating system you select should fit your needs, your comfort level, and your peripherals. For example, Windows XP and Ubuntu are excellent choices for hardware compatibility and ease of use, but may not always include the latest features of Windows Vista, MacOS X, or other Linux distributions. There are a multitude of Linux distributions such as Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, PCLinuxOS, Knoppix, Kubuntu, Debian, Freespire, Slackware, Gentoo, etc. Avoid distributions such as Slackware that require intimate knowledge of Linux command line shells unless you're comfortable with Linux. Avoid distributions such as Gentoo that require every file to be compiled during install unless you're willing to spend multiple days on an install for a disputable increase in performance.

Recommendations

The following table is a general suggestion table for choosing parts, regardless of a computer's intended use. Value categories are suggestions to save money (ie: build a PC for less than $500 US), performance categories are mainstream or for gamers, and the enthusiast categories are for those who enjoy building high-end systems. These categories are highly subjective, may not be up-to-date beyond its initial writing, and only exist to serve as an example.

	Value	Performance	Enthusiast
Case	Any, typically mini or mid-towers	Mid-tower with room for intake and exhaust fans (example: Antec, Thermaltake, Coolermaster)	Full-tower or mod case with extensive cooling capabilities (ie: room for water cooling system), or built-in passive cooling (example: Lia-li, Coolermaster, Zalman, etc.)
Motherboard	Socket 4xx/9xx, AGP graphics	Socket 775/AM2+, PCI-E graphics	Socket 775/AM2/F, multiple PCI-E slots, Crossfire or SLI support
CPU	AMD X2 or Intel Core 2 E4xxx	AMD Phenom or Intel Core 2 Duo E6xxx/Quad Q6xxx	AMD Opteron (typically in dual-CPU configuration) or Intel Core 2 Extreme (Extreme series CPUs are quad core)
RAM	1GB of DDR/DDR2, any latency	2GB of DDR2, moderately low latency	2GB+ of ultra low latency DDR2/DDR3 (typically 4GB+)
Power Supply	400W+ value PSU (20+ amps of 12V)	500W+ quality PSU or 650W+ value PSU (35+ amps of 12V)	750W+ quality PSU (60+ amps of 12V)
Video	built-in video chip on motherboard, NVIDIA x300/x400/7500, or ATI Radeon x3xx card.	NVIDIA 7600/7800/8500/8600/8800GT or ATI 2600/2900 card	NVIDIA 79x0/8800GTX/8800 Ultra or ATI Radeon HD 38xx card(s)
Audio	built-in sound chip on motherboard, Creative Labs Live, Audigy, or any C-Media based sound card.	Creative Labs X-Fi, Auzentech X-Meridian, or HT Omega (cards with EAX 2.0 or higher)	ASUS Xondar, Auzentech X-Fi Prelude (cards with EAX 5.0), or audiophile cards by E-MU or M-Audio
Hard Drive(s)	Any 7200rpm SATA drive (any capacity)	10k rpm SATA (Raptor) or Ultra320 SCSI drives(s) in standalone or RAID 0/1 configuration (250GB or higher total capacity to store media such as movies and music)	Ultra320 SCSI drives in RAID arrays on RAID controllers with on-board memory (any capacity, but typically 1TB and higher)
Optical Drive(s)	Any DVD reader or burner	DVD lightscribe burner (example: Lite-on brand)	DVD burner w/ Bluray/HD-DVD support or multiple drives (example: Plextor brand)

Change Start Button Text

As you can see from the screen capture above it would seem that the five character limit isn’t etched in stone. The button expanded to accept the text I entered with no problem. I’ve been using the system for a few weeks now with no adverse effects. That’s not to say I won’t discover something down the road a bit, but for now I feel comfortable with the changes. If you’d like to try the procedure I used, the instructions follow.

Step 1 – Modify Explorer.exe File

In order to make the changes, the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows needs to be edited. Since explorer.exe is a binary file it requires a special editor. For purposes of this article I have used Resource Hacker. Resource Hacker^TM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP operating systems. Navigate here to download Resource Hacker.

The first step is to make a backup copy of the file explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer. Place it in a folder somewhere on your hard drive where it will be safe. Start Resource Hacker and open explorer.exe located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe as shown in Fig. 01.

Fig. 01

The category we are going to be using is String Table. Expand it by clicking the plus sign then navigate down to and expand string 37 followed by highlighting 1033. If you are using the Classic Layout rather than the XP Layout, use number 38. The right hand pane will display the stringtable as shown in Fig. 02. We’re going to modify item 578, currently showing the word “start” just as it displays on the current Start button.

Fig. 02

There is no magic here. Just double click on the word “start” so that it’s highlighted, making sure the quotation marks are not part of the highlight. They need to remain in place, surrounding the new text that you’ll type. Go ahead and type your new entry. In my case I used ElderGeek as shown in Fig. 03.

Fig. 03

Compare the screen captures in Fig. 02 and Fig. 03 and you’ll notice that after the new text string has been entered the Compile Script button that was grayed out in Fig. 02 is now active in Fig. 03. I won’t get into what’s involved in compiling a script, but suffice it to say it’s going to make this exercise worthwhile. Click Compile Script and then save the altered file using the Save As command on the File Menu. Do not use the Save command – Make sure to use the Save As command and choose a name for the file. See Fig. 04. Save the newly named file to C:\Windows.

Fig. 04

Step 2 – Modify the Registry

Now that the modified explorer.exe has been created it’s necessary to modify the registry so the file will be recognized when the user logs on to the system. If you don’t know how to access the registry I’m not sure this article is for you, but just in case it’s a temporary memory lapse, go to Start (soon to be something else) Run and type regedit in the Open: field. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon

Fig. 05

In the right pane (Fig. 05), double click the Shell entry to open the Edit String dialog box as shown in Fig. 06. In Value data: line, enter the name that was used to save the modified explorer.exe file. Click OK.

Fig. 06

Close Registry Editor and either log off the system and log back in, or reboot the entire system if that’s your preference. If all went as planned you should see your new Start button with the revised text.

How to Remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications

Windows genuine advantage notifications occur when your computer hasn't passed the validation test. The validation test can be failed due to being sold a pirated (non-genuine) copy of XP, or because you have changed your XP product key to a software-generated key, or sometimes it just happens for no reason at all. The failed validation installs three types of notifications on your computer: one on the log in screen, one log in timer, and one balloon. It also stops updates from Microsoft and disables your ability to install IE7 and Windows Media Player 11. This solution can get rid of all three notifications, even though you will still not be able to update through Windows Update. You will not be able to download things from Microsoft that requires a valid license either.

Steps

1. If you have only just installed Windows Genuine Advantage notifications, simply using the system restore function will remove the program. Then refuse to accept the WGA update next time Windows updates... Otherwise, proceed as detailed below. (NOTE: If you try these steps while you are in "Safe Mode," step #8 is unnecessary).
2. Open System32 by either A or B of the following methods:
   
   
   • a)
     
     Click "Start", "Run", then type-in "System32". Click "Okay".
   • b) Find System32 manually by clicking "Start" > "My Computer" > "(X:)" (Replacing "X" with the drive letter of the host of Windows) > "Windows" > "System32".
     
     
3. In "System32", go to "Tools" > "Folder options" > click on the tab, "View" > Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types". Now you can begin...
4. Check to make sure the window that comes up has a full screen of various files. The files are in alphabetical order, which makes it easier to locate the specific file.
5. 
   Find "WgaLogon.dll" and rename it "WgaLogon.dll.bak".
6. Create an empty copy of WgaLogon.dll:
   
   
   • 
     Right click on a blank space in System32 and select "New" > "Text Document".
   • Leave the text document empty and label it "WgaLogon.dll". Press Enter (on your keyboard).
   • 
     You may get a warning from the above step that says, "If you change a file name extension, the file may become unusable. Are you sure you want to change it?". Click "Yes" on this warning.
7. Be ready to complete the next two steps very quickly! Find "WgaTray.exe" in "System32" and delete it. You will then have 5 seconds to find "WgaTray.exe" in the Task Manager (the next step). NOTE: If you remove the files mentioned above while you are in "Safe Mode," step #8 is unnecessary.
8. 
   Immediately open Task Manager. You can do this by pressing the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys simultaneously, pressing the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys simultaneously, or right clicking the Taskbar and selecting "Task Manager". Click on the process tab and click end process when "WgaTray.exe" is selected. Note: If you take longer, do NOT panic! All that will happen is that "WgaTray.exe" will keep reapearing in the processes list (i.e. you won't be able to delete it as required). To remove the notifications after this, return to system32. You will find two files:"WgaLogon.dll.bak" (the one you renamed) and an Application Extension (0KB) called "WgaLogon.dll". Delete the Application Extension, rename "WgaLogon.dll.bak" to "WgaLogon.dll" and repeat the steps from the fifth one onwards (at a greater speed!!).
9. Restart your computer once you have finished. All the notification messages should be gone.