Windows XP keeps a record of all files on the hard disk so when you do a search on the hard drive it is faster. There is a downside to this and because the computer has to index all files, it will slow down normal file commands like open, close, etc. If you do not […]
Ali's Knowledge Base
The time is now…
June, 2004 Archive
Kill XP splash screen
You can disable the windows XP splash screen, but you should be aware that removing the splash screen will also cause you not to see any boot-up messages, such as chkdsk, but it should boot a little quicker also. * Edit boot.ini * Add ” /noguiboot” right after “/fastdetect”.
Changing Thumbnail Options
You can change the size of the Thumbnails view in My Computer by opening up the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and navigating to the following location: Current user only: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer All users: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer Add a new DWORD value called ThumbnailSize and give it a hexidecimal value […]
Do Not Highlight Newly Installed Programs
Tired of that annoying little window that pops up to tell you that new software is installed? If it gets in the way when you’re logging off, turn it off completely. * To do this Click Start, right-click at the top of the Start menu where your name is displayed, and then click Properties. * […]
Speed up the Start Menu
The default speed of the Start Menu is pretty slow, but you can fix that by editing a Registry Key. Fire up the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Control Panel Desktop MenuShowDelay By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller value, such as 0, to speed it up. […]
Display the Sharing Tab in Folder Properties
In Windows 2000, getting to the Sharing options for a folder was simple: Just right-click, choose Properties, and you’d see a Sharing tab. In Windows XP, this feature is missing by default, but you can make the system display the Sharing tab if desired. Simply open up Folder Options (My Computer, then Tools, Folder Options) […]
Driverquery tool
This is useful for checking the status of system drivers, is included in Windows XP Professional edition. The primary task of driverquery is to display all drivers installed on the system. When you run the utility, you’ll receive a list of the drivers, their short name, description, driver type, and link date and time. You […]
NTOSKRNL Missing or Corrupt
If you get an error that NTOSKRNL not found: Insert and boot from your WindowsXP CD. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation of Windows you want to repair. Typically this will be #1 Change to the drive that has the […]
System32 Folder Opens When Logging On
If the System32 folder shows on the desktop, there may be an invalid entry in the Registry Start Regedit Go to both: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun Double check that the values do not have incorrect, incomplete, or blank entries
System File Checker
There is a command-line utility called System File Checker (SFC.EXe), which allows an administrator to scan all protected files to verify their versions. The following shows the command-line syntax: /SCANNOW Scans all protected system files immediately. /SCANONCE Scans all protected system files once at the next boot. /SCANBOOT Scans all protected system files at every […]