Upgrade Paths

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Secure Attention Sequence Title

1. Start the registry editor (regedit.exe).
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
3. From the Edit menu, select New> String value. 
4. Enter a name of Welcome, and press Enter. 
5. Double-click the new value, add the text you want to display after Windows Security (e.g., for 5 Star Support), and click OK.
6. Close the registry editor. 
7. Press the SAS sequence to see the new dialog box title.

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Configure Auto Updates

Here's how to configure Windows XP to automatically download updates:

1. Single-click the Start Menu and then the Control Panel.
2. Single-click the Performance and Maintenance icon and then the System icon.
3. On the System properties dialog, click the Automatic Updates tab.
4. Click the radio button next to the text labeled "Download the updates automatically and notify me when they are ready to be installed."
5. Click the Apply button.

The next time you're online and there happens to be an available update, you'll be prompted to install it.

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System Information

Cancel A Print Job

Saving Space

Monitor USB Bandwidth Usage

1. Go to Start>> Right click on My Computer.
2. Select Properties>> Hardware>> Device Manager
3. Once at the Device Manager, double click "Universal Serial Bus Controllers", then double click the first USB Root Hub listing (see Figure #1).

Playing a DVD Movie using WinDVD

1. Open the DVD drive door, place a DVD into the tray, shiny side down, and close the DVD drive door.
   
2. If a window pops up asking which application you would like to use, choose WinDVD and then select OK. If any other windows appear other than WinDVD, just close the window.
   
3. WinDVD should start automatically. If it does not, you can start it from the All Programs menu. Here's how:
   
   • In Windows 98 and Me: Go to Start>> Programs>> Accessories>> Entertainment>> DVD Player
     
   • In Windows XP: Go to Start>> All Programs>> Intervideo WinDVD
     
4. The WinDVD console and viewing window will now appear. The DVD should automatically start playing at this point, but in the event that it does not, try the following:
   
   • Click the Play control, a dark triangle that points to the right (see Figure #1).
     
   • If the DVD movie still does not play, click the small down pointing arrow directly under the WinDVD logo on the console to view the console menu options. You will also see a 'Help' option if further troubleshooting is required (see Figure #2).

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Make a backup copy of your Windows XP Registry

1. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
2. Once in the Registry Editor, choose File from the toolbar.
3. Select Export
4. In the resulting Export Registry File window (click image below), locate the "Save in:" selection menu. Choose a location for this file that will be easily found if needed.
5. Name the file whatever you would like (I use the days date) in the "File name:" text box.
6. At the bottom of the window you will see the Export Range category. Tick the "All" selection.
7. Click the Save button.

Uninstall Windows Updates

1. Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Add or Remove Programs
2. Select the Change or Remove Programs button
3. Locate the offending update, click it to highlight it, then click the Change/Remove button

If it is an updated device drive that is causing the problem, here's how you can uninstall the updated driver and go back to the previous one.

1. Go to Start>> Control Panel>> System
2. Click the Hardware tab
3. Select Device Manager
4. Double click the offending device
5. Click the Driver tab
6. Select Roll Back Driver

Method #2

Using System Restore, you can quickly and easily take your system back to a restore point before installing the update. Here's how:

1. Go to Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> System Tools>> System Restore
2. Tick the task that states "Restore my computer to an earlier time"
3. Click Next, then follow the onscreen instructions

Microsoft Narrator

1. Select Start, Programs >> Accessories  >>Accessibility >>Narrator. (Or press the Windows key plus the letter "U" to open the Utility Manager.)
2. Once you've read through the intro screen (or let the Narrator do it), click OK.
3. You'll  now see a dialog box of Narrator options. 

Assuming you want to leave Narrator running, select the desired options, then minimize its dialog box. And if you've opened the Utility Manager, feel free to close it.
To turn Narrator off, click the Exit button or right-click its taskbar item and select Close.

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Install the NetBEUI Protocol

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections.
2. Right-click the adapter you want to add NetBEUI to, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Install.
4. Click Protocol, and then click Add.
5. Click Have Disk, insert your Windows XP CD-ROM, open the Valueadd\msft\net\netbeui folder, click the Netnbf.inf file, and then click Open.
6. Click OK, and then click OK to complete the installation.

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Reinstall the Windows games

1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click Add or Remove Windows Components.
3. Select Accessories and Utilities, and then click Details.
4. Select Games, and then click Details.
5. Uncheck all games.
6. Click OK on any open window.
7. Click Next on the Windows Component Wizard window.
8. When the process finishes, click Finish.
9. Repeat steps 1-8, this time rechecking the Games check box.

1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.
2. On the Windows Setup tab, double-click Accessories.
3. Uncheck Games.
4. Click Apply, and then OK to close any open windows.
5. When the process finishes, repeat steps 1-4, but this time recheck the Games check box.

Print only selected text from web sites

1. Highlight the text that you would like to print by left clicking once and while holding the click down, drag your mouse over the chosen text (see figure #1).
2. Once the text is highlighted, right click the highlighted area and select Print.
3. In the resulting Print window, tick the "Selection" entry under the Page Range option (see figure #2).
4. Click Print.

Email a picture of your screen

1. Go to Start>> All Programs>> Accessories>> Paint.
2. Go to Edit>> Paste. This will paste your captured image into the picture palette area.
3. Using the rectangular shaped (Select) tool from the left menu, you can select a rectangular area around the particular message that you would like to copy (see Figure #1).
4. With the area selected, go to Edit>> Copy.
5. Next, go to File>> New. Choose not to save the changes to the old palette. A new palette will now be created.
6. Now, go to Edit>> Paste. The selected area of your first palette is now in the new palette (see Figure #2).
7. Go to File>> Save as... Name the file whatever you would like and save it to a location that can be easily found later (such as your desktop).
8. Create a new email message and save this new image as either a picture to be inserted into the body of your email or as an attachment to your email.

Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windows XP

• Create slideshows
• Touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures
• Add stunning special effects and soundtracks
• Narrate your photo stories
• Personalize them with titles and captions
• Send your photo stories in an e-mail
• Watch them on your TV, a computer, or a Windows Mobile-based portable device

System Requirements:

• Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP; Windows XP Home Edition; Windows XP Media Center Edition; Windows XP Professional Edition; Windows XP Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 2
• Processor Required: Intel P3 700-megahertz (MHz)
  or equivalent processor, an Intel P4 1.7-gigahertz (GHz) or equivalent
  processor recommended.
• Memory: 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM, 512 MB of RAM
  or more recommended.
• Disk space: 400 MB of available hard disk space.
• Monitor: Super VGA (800 x 600) or
  higher-resolution video adapter and monitor.
• Windows Genuine Advantage.
• Microsoft Windows Media Player 10.
• Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or later.
• Windows XP-compatible sound card and speakers.
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing
  device.
• Microphone to record narration.

Drill to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

The following values tell the following information:

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How to login as Administrator

XP's built-in Administrator account is hidden from the welcome screen when a user account with admin privileges exists and is enabled. XP Home Edition allows you to login as built-in administrator in safe mode only. In XP Professional, just press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice at the Welcome Screen then type in your admin password into the resulting classic logon window that appears. Below, you will find two methods to have the admin account display in the welcome screen.

[1] TweakUI:

You can download Tweakui for free here:
http://www.5starsupport.com/info/xpinfo.htm#powertoys

1. Once you open Tweakui. 
2. In the left pane, click the Logon option. 
3. Then place a checkmark in the Show Administrator option. 
4. Click OK

Once you logoff, the welcome screen should now list Administrator login.

[2] Edit Windows Registry:

Warning: Be sure to make a backup copy of the registry prior to making any changes.

Go to Start>> Run>> Type in: regedit [Enter]

Drill down to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon/SpecialAccounts/UserList

Right-click an empty space in the right pane and select New DWORD Value. Type in the word Administrator as the value. Double-click this new value, and enter 1 as the data. Close the registry editor.

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Download PowerToys for Windows XP

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

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Clear AutoComplete Entries from Web Forms

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Go to Tools>> Internet Options>> Content tab
3. Under the Personal Information category, press the AutoComplete button.
4. Press Clear Forms from the resulting menu.

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How to tell if SP2 is installed

1. Go to Start
2. Right click on My Computer
3. You will now see a similar image to that of my illustration below

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Find out what programs are installed

1. Go to Start>> Help and Support
2. In the left column of the Help and Support window and under "Pick a Help Topic", select "Windows basics".
3. In the left pane, click the plus (+) symbol to expand "Core Windows tasks".
4. Click "Searching for information".
5. In the right pane, under "Pick a task:", click "Get information about your computer".
6. In the right pane, under "What do you want to do?", click "View a list of Microsoft software installed on this computer".

Once you have the information in view, you can Print this information by clicking the Print button located in the toolbar above the list of information.

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Questions you should ask yourself when buying a new computer

1. Is it the latest technology?
   Make sure that you are getting the latest technology. With computers changing so rapidly, you could run the risk of having an outdated system in a very short period of time. It also may not be a bad idea to make sure that your new system is upgradeable.
    
2. Does it have everything I need?
   Do you need a new monitor with it? Does it come with the software that you need? Do you need a new printer? Will the printer that your system comes with fit your needs? If you are buying a package deal, make sure that what you are getting is going to be good enough for you. At the same time, make sure you are not getting things that you will never use.
    
3. What technical support is included?
   Almost all computers are essentially made from the same parts. It is the technical support that can often set one company apart from the others. There is great peace of mind in knowing that if a problem should arise, you have competent tech support at your service! Make sure that they have a toll free number and check to see what their hours of operation are. Be sure to check on the actual coverage. Many times the computer stores extended service coverage will only start when the manufactures warranty has expired.

Be sure to ask plenty of questions when purchasing a new computer. Feel free to shop around. The Internet has made shopping for computers very easy and most manufactures web sites have excellent descriptions and visual references to their systems and system components. If you do a little homework before you buy your new computer, you will help ensure that your system will work well for you.

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Capture a Windows Screen

1. Press the Printscreen (prt scr) key. This will place a digital image of your screen on to the clipboard.
2. Open any image editing software such as:

• Paint
• Word
• PowerPoint

3. Select Edit and Paste

The image will now be available to edit. From here you can print it, save it to a file or post it to the Web like the screen capture below.

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Limit Computer's Function

Also see: Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit

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Easily re-activate your XP installation

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1. Go to Start>> Control Panel>> Performance and Maintenance>> Power Options.
2. In Power Option Properties, select the Hibernate tab.
3. Place a checkmark in the checkbox titled: Enable hibernation. Click Apply
4. Click the Power Schemes tab.
5. In the Power Schemes drop down menu, select Max Battery from the list.
6. In the "System hibernates" category, select a time that is less than your maximum backup battery life. Click Apply
7. Exit all windows.

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1. Download and Run the KeePass program.
2. From the 'File' menu select "New Database".
3. Enter a Master Password or select a "Key Disk".
4. You can now store your passwords in Groups. As an example; Store all of your banking, asset management or home business passwords in a group named "Financial". Store all of your game site passwords in another group named "Games".
5. Populate each group by selecting each group in the right pane and right click the group entry. Select "Add Entry" from the resulting menu.

Note: To get familiar with this powerful utility, you can browse their help files. Click on the "?" for help.

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BIOS Settings

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Windows Utilities Shortcuts

Simply type the shortcut command in to the Run textbox (Start>> Run), then click OK.

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Create a Password Reset Disk

1. Go to Start>> Control Panel>> User Accounts
2. Select your account name.
3. Under the Related Tasks category, select "Prevent a forgotten password".
4. The Forgotten Password Wizard will now be invoked. Follow the onscreen instructions to successfully create your Password Reset Disk.

Important: Be sure to store this disk in a safe place. Anyone having access to it can easily access your information.

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Using the Windows Key