PCTips - Windows XP

Windows XP Tips:

Reinstalling Windows - The Ultimate Solution

Reinstall and upgrade at the same time

How to stop Windows XP hiding the 'not recently used' items in the Classic Start Menu

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

Blank Explorer Bar

My Recent Documents

Password is going to change in 14 days. How to disable this.

Accounts

How to make XP dial-up like Windows 95/98/ME

Product Activation after a Reinstall

Product Activation after a Hard Disk failure

Windows XP logs off immediately after entering the password

Windows XP Indexing Service

Windows XP starts up with the “Classic” logon prompt like Windows NT

Releasing Disk Space

Windows Genuine Advantage

Pop those Balloons!

Can you downgrade from XP Professional to XP Home?

How to stop an application being listed in the “recently used programs” above the Start button.

Desktop Cleanup Wizard

Desktop Icons

XP Product Activation

Put Program Icons on your Desktop

Rename a Desktop Icon

Rename and number files

Corrupt Local Profile

Stop having to enter User Name and Password

Speed-up Startup

My Pictures Slideshow

Task Manager Disabled

Dangerous Windows Administrator Accounts

How to open an Administrator program in a Limited Account - Part 1

How to open an Administrator program in a Limited Account - Part 2

Device Manager

Super Search (or Fast Find!)

Control Panel Options

To Standby or to Hibernate?

Click Name after Standby or Hibernate

Move the Swap file to another disk

On-Screen Keyboard

Keyboard Shortcuts

Desktop Icons Disappeared?

Can I give away my old XP?

How to Logon as Administrator

How long can I run XP?

Windows Automatic Updates

Empty Device Manager

Task Manager Changed

Updates for Pirate XP

System file missing or corrupt

Reducing Size of Photographs

Windows XP Service Pack 3

The Ultimate Solution!

When you take a faulty PC to that big shop in the out-of-town shopping centre or phone up the supplier’s help line they may eventually resort to the Ultimate Solution - Reinstall Windows.

This is the quickest way for them to solve most problems other than faulty hardware. They don’t have to waste time trying to find the causes of your problem because reinstalling will solve them all.

Most new PCs don’t come with a Windows disk - instead they have a hidden partition on the hard disk that contains an image of the original disk contents when it left the factory.

So if you have to resort to reinstalling from the hidden partition you will loose everything that has happened since the day you got the PC. But at least your PC will work properly again!

I like to try to solve the particular problem, but after a while it is no longer cost or time effective to continue. Rather than go for The Ultimate Solution I like to resort to what I call:

The Penultimate Solution

Microsoft calls this an “in-place upgrade” and all it means is that you overwrite your existing Windows files with an undamaged set.

This is not guaranteed to cure all problems because it does not, for instance, replace the Registry, but in many cases it does work and you do not loose any of your work or programs.

But to do it you need a Windows CD for the appropriate version of Windows with the correct service pack built in (but see the next tip). And nerves of steel!

If you can still get into Windows then before you begin you should run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard and transfer the resulting file somewhere safe, just in case the whole thing goes belly up and you have to resort to The Ultimate Solution.

If you can’t get into Windows then I would use a Linux live CD to boot the PC and copy off your important documents to a USB drive.

It’s also advisable to take and store a copy of wpa.dbl - see Product Activation after a Reinstall. And note down your Windows Registration number off the side of your PC. You might need them both if it all goes wrong.

Rather than me repeat it here, the method is well documented by Microsoft. Go to www.microsoft.com and put 315341 into the search box.

Good Luck!

Reinstall and upgrade at the same time

The previous tip (The Penultimate Solution) assumes that you have a Windows CD with the appropriate built in Service Pack in order to reinstall your faulty copy of Windows.

But I have successfully done an “in-place upgrade” on a Windows XP Home Service Pack 1 installation by using an XP Home with Service Pack 2 CD. And the result was a simultaneously repaired and upgraded PC!

This may work with other combinations - perhaps XP Home with no Service Pack could be repaired and upgraded at the same time in the same way. It may also work for XP Professional. But I haven’t tried any of these other combinations yet!

I would certainly try it again with XP Home.

How to stop Windows XP hiding the 'not recently used' items in the Classic Start Menu

I use the “Classic” start menu because I prefer it to the Windows XP one. (I’m just an old fashioned guy!)

But I got fed up with it hiding items that I hadn’t used recently (I want them there for when I do want to use them!).

So this is how to stop it:

Right click Start, select Properties,

Select "Start Menu" tab

Against "Classic Start Menu", click Customize button

Deselect "Use Personalized Menus"

Click OK button

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

This is an excellent tool to help transfer all your stuff from an old PC to a new XP PC.

Briefly, you put the XP CD into your old PC and run the wizard. It finds and compresses all your documents, pictures, music, etc. and either saves it to a medium that can then be connected to your new PC or does the transfer through a network (or cable) connection.

You go to your new PC, put the CD in and run the wizard again to copy the data from the transfer medium to the new PC.

Nowhere in the help files or on the Microsoft web site does it spell out that the Wizard operates on a per-user basis, not on a per-computer basis. In other words:

IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE USER ACCOUNT ON A PC THEN YOU NEED TO USE THE WIZARD ON EACH ACCOUNT.

So four users means 4 file transfers - and you need to ensure that you don’t muddle them up!

If a PC is really messed up I often wipe a customer’s hard drive and reinstall their copy of Windows - this solves a multitude of sins. But if they want their Files and Settings transferred I have to run the wizard for each user - both before I wipe it and then after I have reinstalled.

One or two things to remember.

1. The Wizard will not transfer passwords.

2. The Wizard expects your stuff to be stored in the Microsoft way - in My Documents, etc. If you have stuff in other folders it may well ignore it.

3. Most people don’t get the XP CD with their new PC - so how do they run the wizard?
Fire up the new PC and go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools where you will find a copy of the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
Run the wizard and tell it that this is your new PC. It will then offer to create a Wizard Disk for you to use in your old PC. (Providing both PC’s have got floppy drives!).

Blank Explorer Bar

I have only come across this problem once, but I have heard of it elsewhere.

When Explorer is opened the right hand panel displays the files and folders as selected, but there is no information in the left hand explorer bar.

(If "Search", "Media", "Favorites" or "History" is selected (View, Explorer Bar,) then the corresponding info is displayed but if "Folders" is selected -there is only a blank panel with an "X" to close it).

Correcting this needs a mod to the Registry - always save a copy of the Registry before you make any changes.

Here is the location of the faulty Registry entry: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
{EFA24E64-B078-11D0-89E4-00C04FC9E26E}\
InProcServer32]

Faulty registry points to BROWSEUI.DLL but should point to SHDOCVW.DLL.

Use REGEDIT to find this key and change it to SHDOCVW.DLL.

My Recent Documents

If you share your computer you may want to prevent the “My Recent Documents” option on the Start menu. It can be awkward if your kids notice your Santa’s shopping list in there!

So if you use the normal Windows XP Start menu, this is what to do:

Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties.

On the Start Menu tab, click Start menu, and then click Customize.

On the Advanced tab, at the bottom of the box, unselect the “List my most recently opened documents check box”.

If you want, whilst on the Advanced tab, click “Clear List” (at the bottom right) to empty the My Recent Documents folder.

(None of the above deletes any documents from the computer - you just have to remember where you saved them).

Windows XP Password is going to change in 14 days. How to disable this.

Right-click My Computer and select "Manage."
Expand the Local Users and Groups folder and click on Users.
Right-click the appropriate User and select "Properties"
Place a check mark next to the text labelled "Password never expires" and click Apply.

Windows XP Accounts

“I was wondering if you could help me with the following:

I have just loaded a handset (mobile phone) management program on my PC for my son's new phone, it would not let him load it on through his account on the PC due to him not being an administrator.

So I loaded it on through my account, however he cannot access the program from his account, it has loaded all right as I can see it under programs in my account but it does not show up in his account.

How can I allow him to have access to this program from his account?”

The quickest way to solve this one is to:

a) temporarily change son's account to an Administrator account,
b) install the program through his account,
c) change his account back to a Limited account

He should then have full access to the program.

You can do a) and c) by logging in to your (Administrator) account and going:
Start,
Control Panel,
User Accounts,
Pick an account to change,
Change Account Type

How to make XP dial-up like Windows 95/98/ME:

This will restore the "dialing" box for Firefox or any other applications, also will enable Auto Disconnect for Internet Explorer.

1. Go to settings, Control Panel. Administrative Tools, Services Shortcut.

2. Scroll down to Net Logon. Right click Properties, Set to Automatic.

3. Do the same for Network Connections, Remote Access Auto Connection Manager and Remote Access Connection Manager.

4. Return to Settings. Select Network Connections. Click Advanced -at the Top- Click Dial-up Preferences. -Make sure "Always ask..." and "Disable autodial..." at the bottom are unchecked.

5. Go to Control Panel,Internet Options

6. Connections,Settings,

7. Properties,Options.

8. Under "Dialing Options",check the first one "Display progress while dialing" and the third one, "Include Windows Logon Domain".

Windows XP Product Activation after a Reinstall

This is a way that users of a valid and already activated copy of Windows XP can avoid having to reactivate the software after a full reinstall onto the same hardware to which it was originally installed.

The trick is to copy and reuse the c:\windows\system32\wpa.dbl file. It's small, so it will easily fit on a floppy or you can copy it to another safe location on your hard drive. Do that, then do the reinstallation in the normal way.

After you've reinstalled XP, either boot to a DOS floppy or start in XP's Safe Mode/Command Prompt (i.e. hit the F8 key when your system "beeps" during the boot process). Then copy your original wpa.dbl from its safe location back into the c:\windows\system32 folder, and then reboot.

WARNING - don’t do the above copy operation when Windows is running normally - do it in DOS or safe mode. If you do it when Windows is running you will end up having to reinstall from scratch again.

Because nothing on your system has changed (it's the same BIOS, CPU, RAM, etc.) and because you're installing the same copy of XP that was previously installed, the "old" WPA key should be accepted as valid, saving you the hassle of reactivating the software.

Note that this won't work if you try moving the file to a different machine, so it's not a way to pirate Windows.

Product Activation after a Hard Disk failure

You can successfully reinstall and activate Windows XP on a new hard disk (without having previously created a full disk backup).

But before you begin you will need:
A Windows XP CD of the same version (Home or Professional or Media Centre) and same Service Pack as on the original hard disk.
The original Product Key.
A copy of the c:\windows\system32\wpa.dbl file from the old hard disk. (Take a copy of this NOW, and store it away safely - you will be glad of it when your hard disk fails)

Physically install the new hard disk.

Boot from the Windows CD and install Windows - using the original product key.

Boot from a DOS floppy/CD or start in XP's Safe Mode/Command Prompt (i.e. hit the F8 key when your system "beeps" during the boot process). Then copy your original wpa.dbl file from its safe location back into the c:\windows\system32 folder, and then reboot.

Your newly installed copy of windows will probably still need activating but this will be just like activating a newly purchased copy of Windows. Just go online and follow the prompts. No conversation with Microsoft required, no new copy of XP to buy.

But if you have changed anything more than the hard disk this will not work.

Windows XP logs off immediately after entering the password

Has a spyware removal program just been run?
The userinit value may have been corrupted by the removal of Blazefind. It adds wsaupdater.exe to the logon value in the Registry.

Some anti-spyware programs detect and remove wsaupdater.exe, but don't then correct the Registry damage

This is the Registry key that may be damaged:

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

Userinit string value should be:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,

In a corrupted Registry it's one of these:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\wsaupdater.exe,
or
C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,C:\WINDOWS\system32\wsaupdater.exe,

The solution is to boot to the Recovery Console. At the command prompt, type:
cd c:\windows\system32
then type:
copy userinit.exe wsaupdater.exe
then restart normally.

Once back in Windows you should change the registry value back to C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe, and delete wsaupdater.exe.

Windows XP Indexing Service

The Indexing Service indexes your files to shorten the time needed to search your hard drive for a specific file or part of a phrase inside a file.

In return for speeding up an occasional search from 10 seconds to 5 seconds this service noticeably slows down your computer for the rest of the time.
I always switch it off and I haven't noticed any greater delay when I do my searches - but I do notice the improvement of having more processor capacity available.

To disable the Indexing service:
Left click Start
Left click Control Panel,
Left click Performance and Maintenance,
Left click Administrative Tools
Left double click Services,
Left double click Indexing Service to bring up Properties, General Tab,
Left click Stop to stop the service.
Then from the Startup type box select Disabled.
Left click OK

Windows XP starts up with the “Classic” logon prompt like Windows NT

To return to a normal XP startup:

Left click through: Start, (Settings), Control Panel, User Accounts, (User Accounts), Change the way users log on or off.

Ensure that there are ticks against “Use the Welcome screen” and against “Use Fast User Switching”.
(This applies even when there is only one user - but they won't see the "Click your name" screen.)

Left Click the Apply Options button and then close the remaining Control Panel windows.

Left click Start, then Run... and type “control userpasswords2”.

Left click OK and ensure that there is a tick against “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”.

Left click OK and when you next reboot you should be back to the normal XP startup screen.

Releasing Disk Space

My daughter is using an old Laptop with a very small (by today’s standards) hard disk. She has filled it up with music to load onto her iPod, and it keeps complaining that it’s running out of space.

She has done Disk Cleanup -

Open My Computer
Right click on the C:/ drive
Left click Properties
Select the General tab
Left click Disk Cleanup

but after the first time it doesn’t help much.

But there is a further option here that can release a lot of space if you are confident that you are not going to want to restore your computer to an earlier state.

After you have opened Disk Cleanup you can select the More Options tab and then go down to the System Restore section. Left click on Clean up and then left click Yes to delete all but the most recent restore point.

ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING. I ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOU NO LONGER BEING ABLE TO RESTORE YOUR PC TO AN EARLIER STATE.

This released a lot of space on my daughter’s PC - but it will fill up with restore points again if you don’t reduce the maximum amount of space that System Restore can use:

Hold down the Windows key and press Pause/Break.
System Properties will open.
Left click the System Restore tab
Move the Disk space usage slider to the left.
How far you move it is up to you - but my previous warning also applies here!

Back in the More Options part of Disk Cleanup you might also want to investigate the other two sections - Windows components and Installed programs.
There could be more savings to be made here, but be aware of what you are doing - if you haven’t got the installation disks then you will not be able to restore the components and programs that you delete.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Again!

Windows Genuine Advantage

This is Microsoft’s new weapon against counterfeit software. It installs itself as though it is a normal Windows update but starts flashing up messages if it finds that your copy of Windows XP is a “Pirate”.

Of course, it also advises you how to purchase a legitimate copy of Windows - this is good business for Microsoft in this slack period before the launch of Windows Vista.

Some commentators are spitting feathers about this - the “update” cannot be uninstalled and it checks that your Windows is genuine every 24 hours. They say that it qualifies as Spyware in every possible way. Lawsuits are apparently being prepared.

Anyway, Microsoft have backpedalled on this one, and after a lot of unofficial uninstall instructions were published on the Internet they have now published their own OFFICIAL unistall instructions. Read them here.

http://www.support.microsoft.com/kb/921914

To see some of the comments on this, go to these articles on the Windows Secrets web site:

http://www.windowssecrets.com/comp/060615/ and http://www.windowssecrets.com/comp/060629/

My tips for implementing the procedure are as follows:

Follow the instructions and check your spelling fastidiously before entering each command.

The first 4 steps in "Manually remove" are identical to the "Disable" section, so you don't have to do them twice.

Don't bother with step 2 - the procedure also works for later versions of WGA (so far), so there's no point in wasting time finding out which version you have got.

%Windir% usually means c:\Windows for most PC's, but %Windir% will pick up the minority of installations that are not on the C: drive or not in the Windows folder.

Sometimes there can be several copies of WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe - there may be WgaLogon(2).dll etc. You need to rename them all in step 3 and delete them all in step 8.

After step 8 search the windows\system32\ folder for any remaining files starting with "wga" to make sure that you have deleted all the copies. If any remain just delete them with Shift Delete

If you are removing WGA because you have what MS thinks is a pirate version of Windows then you are likely to get WGA notifications again when MS decide to release a new version. So switch off Automatic Updates in the Security Center in Control Panel. (Or change it to just notify and then be very careful about which updates you select to install - MS aren't likely to tell you which is really just a new version of WGA are they?)

If the nags from the Security Center about Automatic Updates are going to annoy you, then whilst in the Security Centre click "Change the way Security Center alerts me" and untick "Automatic Updates".

Pop those Balloons!

Do those information balloons (speech bubbles) annoy you? Well you can get rid of them, but it requires a Registry edit, so the usual warnings apply.

IF YOU ARE NOT CONFIDENT TO EDIT THE REGISTRY, DON’T TRY. MAKING A MISTAKE CAN WRECK YOUR WINDOWS SETUP. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Start, Run, type: regedit, OK

Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Right click in the right-hand pane, select New, then DWORD value. Name the key EnableBalloonTips and leave it set to zero.

Reboot and the bubbles are burst!

You can always switch them on again by setting the DWORD value to one, or deleting it completely.

Can you downgrade from XP Professional to XP Home?

No.

You can go the other way by just buying Professional and running the disk and answering the questions, but it’s not that easy to upgrade downwards!

But why would you want to?

Thanks to the Windows Genuine Advantage program a lot of people are finding that they have “counterfeit” Windows XP Professional on their PCs (the cowboys used corporate CDs to install the OS, hence they are mainly the Professional version). And the cheapest way to get legal is to buy an OEM copy of XP Home.

The way to do it is to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to get all your stuff off the PC onto a portable disk, then install Home (wiping your disk in the process), and then put your stuff back using the F&STW again. And then reinstall all of your applications of course.

If your Windows is dodgy the chances are that your Office is to, so why not take the opportunity to try OpenOffice.org instead? It works for me.

How to stop an application being listed in the “recently used programs” above the Start button.

This requires a Registry edit, so the usual warnings apply.

IF YOU ARE NOT CONFIDENT TO EDIT THE REGISTRY, DON’T TRY. MAKING A MISTAKE CAN WRECK YOUR WINDOWS SETUP. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Start, Run, type: regedit

Navigate to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications

Find the name of the application’s program in the list, left click it to select it then right click in the right hand pane.

New will come up. Left click String Value and change the key’s name from New Value #1 to NoStartPage

Close the Registry editor and then reboot the PC to check that the entry has been deleted.

Desktop Cleanup Wizard

When you install a new copy of Windows XP there are no icons on the desktop other than the recycle bin.
(Which is empty. So why is it there? What can you do with it?)

Anyway, what’s the point of a desktop without any icons on it? Isn’t that what it’s there for? I can honestly say that I have never seen a PC with an empty desktop (other than those that I have just installed XP on).

Some geek in Microsoft decided that everyone should strive for an empty desktop, so he created the Desktop Cleanup Wizard and switched it on by default.

So every 60 days it asks you if you want to clean up your desktop. And if you say yes it puts unused icons away - into a folder - ON THE DESKTOP! I think he might need treatment!

Everybody (except him) likes to have shortcuts on their desktop, and they are all quite capable of highlighting an icon that they don’t want any more and hitting delete.

So how do you switch off the Wizard?

Right click on an empty part of the desktop
Left click Properties
When the Display Properties box opens, left click the Desktop tab
Left click the Customize Desktop button
Deselect Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days
Left click OK
Left click OK

I wonder if the Wizard ever cleans up its own Unused Icons folder? If so, where does it put it?

Desktop Icons

Windows XP was designed by someone who didn’t like icons on his desktop. But there was one icon that he considered to be so important that he allowed it to be shown on the default desktop. It’s the recycle bin. WHY?

Anyway, if you buy a new PC from any supplier they will have put loads of icons on the desktop - links to ISPs, trial versions of software, the user manual, etc.

But the icons that most people want still aren’t there.

I’m talking about My Computer, My Documents and Internet Explorer.

So, right click on an empty part of the desktop
Left click Properties
Left click the Desktop tab
Left click Customize Desktop...
At the top of the General tab you will see Desktop Items.
Left click to select the ones that you want
Left click OK
Left click OK

Now you will see those icons on your desktop, but they probably won’t be where you want them.

So, left click and hold down on the icon that is in the space where you want to put My Computer and drag it to a bit of empty space.
Then left click and hold down to drag My Computer into the vacated space.
Move the other icons around in the same way until it’s just how you want it.

I did come across someone the other day who wanted his icons in alphabetical order - and believe it or not there is a similar pedant in Microsoft, so the way to do that is to:
Right click on an empty part of the desktop
Left click Arrange Icons By
Left click Name

Personally I just want My Computer in the top left hand corner, followed by My Documents. But then I suppose I’m a pedant too!

XP Product Activation

Windows XP and Office XP use Product Activation to reduce piracy.

On installation (of non corporate editions) they create a snapshot of the PC’s hardware which covers:

Boot disk volume serial number
Network adaptor MAC address
CD-ROM drive ID data
Graphics card ID data
IDE adaptor ID data
SCSI adaptor ID data
Hard disk ID data
Processor Model and serial number
Amount of RAM
Dockable (laptop) or not (desktop)

This information is stored in the wpa.dbl file

Each time that the system starts up it compares the installed hardware with the wpa.dbl data and if a significant change is detected the system will need reactivation.

“Significant” in this case means over six changes or a network card and three other changes. (Why?)

You can change any one item over and over again and it will still count as only one change.

So you can do a large amount of upgrading before reactivation is required.

But if you do exceed the number of allowed changes (by installing a new motherboard and processor for instance) your system will tell you that you need to reactivate within 3 days. When you try do do that over the internet the reactivation will fail and ask you to either key in a new Product Key or telephone Microsoft to speak to a representative.

In fact when you telephone Microsoft you don’t have to speak to a representative - only press your telephone buttons in response to an automated system. Carefully answer the questions, including:

Have you made significant changes recently? - Yes.

Was you copy of Windows pre-installed or purchased separately? - You must say purchased separately (even if it is a little white lie).

How many machines have you installed your copy of Windows on? Press 1 for more than 1, press 2 for only 1. (How sneaky is that!)

Get the answers right and the automated system will give you a long string of numbers to enable you to reacivate your system.

Put Program Icons on your Desktop

Some programs put icons everywhere - on the desktop, in the notification area and/or in the Quick Launch area.

But others remain coy and only put their icons in the All Programs list.

If you want to put a shortcut to a program on your desktop, this is what to do:

Left click Start, then hover over All Programs until the list opens.
Hover over the fly-out names to get to the program you want.
Instead of left clicking on the program to open it, hold down the left mouse key and drag the programs name onto an empty part of the desktop. Keep holding down the mouse button while you press and hold down the Ctrl key. Now release the mouse button and then the Ctrl key.

You now have a shortcut to your program on your desktop. You can drag it to a better positon with your left mouse button.

Rename a Desktop Icon

Right click the desktop icon that you want to rename.
Left click Rename.
Type the name that you want to appear under the icon.
Left click on an empty part of the desktop

Done!

You can use any letters, numbers, spaces, and some punctuation marks in desktop icon names. But you can’t use the following characters in icon names:

\ : / * ? " > < |

You can also rename an icon by slowly clicking the name twice and then typing the new name.

Rename and number files

Suppose you have a group of files in a folder and you want to rename them all with just a different number at the end of each file name.

Maybe you have collected together the best digital photos of your friend’s wedding from a number of different photographers who were there. You have them all in a folder, but they have all sorts of names, i.e.:

image34.jpg
scan37.jpg
TedsWed97.jpeg
Pic22.jpg

Doesn’t look very professional does it?

Open the folder in Windows Explorer.
Ensure that all the files that you want to change are of the same file type (i.e. jpg in this example).
Make sure that you are in Details view (left click View then Details).
Left click to highlight the first file that you want to change.
Hold Shift and left click on the last file that you want to change so that all the interim files are highlighted.
Right click on any of the highlighted files and left click on Rename.
The blinking cursor will be on the end of the first file name.
Type your new file name (including the suffix) for all the files and hit Return.
Your files will be renamed like this:

Edward and Jessica’s Wedding.jpg
Edward and Jessica’s Wedding (1).jpg
Edward and Jessica’s Wedding (2).jpg
Edward and Jessica’s Wedding (3).jpg

Much better.

Corrupt Local Profile

If Windows XP says it cannot load your profile because it may be corrupted - then it probably is.

You will need to recreate an uncorrupted copy of your user profile, and to do that you need to logon as another user with administrative privileges (or as the Administrator).

Open My Computer then Tools then Folder Options then View. Select Show hidden files and folders.

Now you need to find and rename the corrupt profile - the folder is usually c:\Documents and Settings\Usersname. Just change Usersname to OldUsersname.

Log off from the administrators account and log in to the original name of the account that was corrupt. Windows will create a new profile for that name.

Having recreated the profile you should log off and log in to the administrators account again.

Now you will need to copy all the folders and their contents from c:\Documents and Settings\OldUsersname to c:\Documents and Settings\Usersname. But don’t copy the files beginning ntuser in that directory.

Your user profile should now be restored.

Stop having to enter User Name and Password

If you are fed up with clicking your user name and entering your password then you can change the way Windows XP boots up.

Left click Start, then Run

In the box beside Open: type control userpasswords2 and left click OK.

Deselect (untick) the box marked Users must enter a user name and password to user this computer.

Left click Apply.

If there is more than one user account on your computer it will then ask you which user you want to be automatically logged on at startup, so select that user.

If that user has a password set it will ask you to type their password and then confirm it.

Left click OK all the way out and you should find that you start up without any hassle next time.

Speed-up Startup

Windows XP keeps a list of frequently/recently used programs in the Prefetch folder. This is used at startup to load program components into memory so that when you start that program it loads fast.

But if you have only ever used a program once and will probably never use it again, why load its components at every startup?

Open Explorer/My Computer and navigate to C:\windows\prefetch.

Open the folder and see how many programs it contains!

Highlight them all and delete them all.

You should find that your Windows startup time improves. (But the opening time for each new program that you start will be increased until Windows has regenerated the contents of the prefetch folder).

In a few weeks time the prefetch folder will have filled up again - so delete its contents frequently.

If you are confident enough to edit the Registry then you can switch off Prefetch completely by opening Regedit and going to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contr ol\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

and setting the DWORD value for EnablePrefetcher to 0 (zero).

My Pictures Slideshow

This has been part of Windows XP since it was launched, but I have never come across anyone else that uses it as their screen saver.

Like most other people I now take digital photographs and I store them in different folders for each year. When I get time I scan my old slides and negatives so that I am building up files for the years before digital.

I very rarely print any of my digital photographs because I use the My Pictures Slideshow screen saver. This allows me to select a folder and display a random selection from that folder as my screen saver.

Every time I get fed up with the current folder of photos I change it. So over time I get to see all my photos and don’t need an album!

Right click an empty area of the desktop
Left click Properties.
Left click the Screen Saver tab
Left click the down arrow and left click My Pictures Slideshow
Left click the Settings button and, in the middle of the box, Browse
Navigate to and select the folder of pictures that you want to display
Left click OK
Make any other adjustments to the Settings that you fancy
Left click OK twice.

Task Manager Disabled

You open Task Manager by right clicking the task bar and then left clicking Task Manager, or by using the “three finger salute” (Control, Alt, Delete).

But if you get the message “Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator” - and you haven’t got an administrator, then you need to change a registry setting as follows:

IF YOU ARE NOT CONFIDENT TO EDIT THE REGISTRY, DON’T TRY. MAKING A MISTAKE CAN WRECK YOUR WINDOWS SETUP. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Start, Run, type: regedit, OK

Navigate to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

Change the value for DisableTaskMgr from 1 to 0 (zero)

OK out and you should find that you can open Task Manager.

If you can’t find that Registry entry then search the entire Registry for DisableTaskMgr and if you find it make the change.

If you can’t find it at all in the Registry then either your Task Manager is not disabled or your PC is subject to "Local Group Policy" or "Domain Group Policy". Visit http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=555480.

Or see your administrator!

Dangerous Windows Administrator Accounts

When you set up a new Windows XP computer you have to set up at least one user account. And by default every account that you set up is an "Administrator" account. This is very dangerous.

Users with Administrator accounts can do anything to the computer - install programs, modify settings, etc. And any bad programs, viruses, spyware, whatever you call them, that arrive in an Administrator account can just install themselves using the “Administrative Privileges” of that account.

The safest way to set-up any computer is to have only one Administrator account that is password protected and only ever used to install programs etc. All the other users (including the main user and/or computer owner) should be set up as Limited users and these should be the only accounts for everyday use.

In a domestic situation the typical WRONG model is to have the "man-of-the-house" with his “I’m in charge” Administrator account that he uses all the time and the "wife and kids" with Limited accounts. Invariably the badware gets onto the PC through the Administrator account which is left on and unattended for a lot of the time (and the kids know the password anyway!).

The problem is in the names - everyone wants to be promoted to "Administrator" with "Administrative Privileges" rather than being a lowly "Limited User". But try to think of the Administrator as "Security Risk" and Limited User as "Safe User". The equivalent to Administrator in Linux is "Root". Doesn't sound so good does it!

If YOU are using an Administrator account right now to read this web page then you are taking stupid risks. Try to NEVER connect to the net with an Administrator account.

So what is the sensible thing to do?

If you want to have more than one user on your PC, then the first created (and therefore Administrator) account should NOT be someone’s own named account but should have a name like "PC Admin" (you can't use the name "Administrator" because every PC has a hidden "Administrator" account) and should be password protected. Then set up the remaining accounts with all the user's names (Fred, Mary, Mum etc.) and these should all be Limited User accounts. The main user/owner of the computer should be included and should also be a Limited User. You can put passwords on these accounts if you want.

All normal use of the computer should be with the personal Limited User accounts. When something needs to be installed the computer owner should logon with the PC Admin account, do the job and then logoff quickly. Treat this Administrator account as being a major security risk that should be on for as little time as possible - and connected to the net for even less! Don't use it for email, net surfing, anything other than installing what you have to and then logging off

If you only want one user on your PC (so that you don't have to go through that "clicking your name" business) then you can still do that with one Administrator Account and one Limited User Account.

Assuming that your PC is currently setup with one user (who will be an Administrator) then first setup another Administrator user (call it PC Admin for example) by going Start, Settings, Control Panel, User Accounts, Create a new account. Give this account a strong password. (NOT the family dog's name). Then logoff your original account, logon to the PC Admin account and change your original account to a Limited User account.

To make the PC always start up in your original (now limited) account you need to stay in the PC Admin account and go: Start, Run... and type "control userpasswords2" (without the speech marks) into the box. On the Users tab, untick the box "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer". When you click on the "Apply" button you will get the option to choose which user should be automatically logged on. Make that your original (now limited) account name and put the password (if there is one) in appropriately. OK out. Logoff the PC Admin account and try to never use it again unless you need to install something.

How to open an Administrator program in a Limited Account - Part 1

If you are using Windows XP safely by using a Limited User account (as you should) you may sometimes come across a situation where you need to run a program that needs “Administrative Privileges”.

For instance, I use a program called QuickBooks to do my finances but it will only run on an Administrator account. This is because the program was badly written (the publisher is aware and has said it will be changed in the next version). Because Microsoft makes all new accounts default to being Administrator accounts, most users don’t notice this security risk, hence there are very few complaints.

The easiest way to run a program like this is to change into an Administrator account and run the program from there. But that opens your PC up to all the risks (see Dangerous Windows Accounts) associated with using that sort of account for the whole time that it is open.

A safer way is to use “Run as...”.

From you limited user account, right click the program that you want to run. You should see the “Run as...” option. (If you don’t, hold down the Shift key whilst you right click)

Left click on “Run as...”, left click the button beside “The following user:” and select your Administrator account (not the one called “Administrator”).

Type the password and left click “OK”.

The program will then run with Administrative Privileges within the safety of your Limited User account.

How to open an Administrator program in a Limited Account - Part 2

You can use “Run as...” as described above, which is the “correct” way to do it. But I have just discovered another way for at least one program (QuickBooks 6.0).

Right click on the program icon or shortcut and then left click on Properties at the bottom of the box.

Left click on the Compatibility tab and left click to select “Run this program in compatibility mode for:”.

Then left click on the down arrow to select an older version of Windows and left click OK. (I chose Windows 98 / Windows Me, but on subsequent testing I find that all 4 possible options work for QuickBooks 6.0).

I have no idea how many other badly written programs this may work with. So if you have a program that needs “Administrative Privileges” give it a try.

And the good thing is that the rest of your system is still protected - see Dangerous Windows Accounts.

Device Manager

Nowadays when you take your car to a garage they plug in a machine that tells them what is wrong with it. Well PCs already have one of these as part of Windows.

It’s the Device Manager. It doesn’t deal with software problems, but does monitor the hardware that forms your PC.

Hold down the Windows key (the one between Ctrl and Alt on the left hand side of the bottom row) and then hit Pause/Break (with your other hand if you are a normal human!). The System Properties box will open.

Left click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button.

If you are running as a Limited User (as you should normally be) then you will get a warning box at this stage. Just click OK to get rid of that and Device Manager will open.

This should show a list of the devices on your computer, with pretty little icons.

If there is a little [+] beside all the items in the list then all is well (and if you left click these [+]s they will expand to give you further information about the devices in each category).

But if one (or more) of these is a [-] it will already be expanded and there will be a yellow or red warning symbol because Windows thinks that there is a problem with that device. It may be that you need to reinstall the drivers or that the device is really faulty. But you have now found your problem and can try to fix it.

Right click on the expanded item and then left click Properties to get further information about your particular device problem.

Super Search (or Fast Find!)

If you want to find a mislaid file the chances are that you will go Start, Search, All files and folders, type in the file name and then wait while your supposedly super fast PC takes what seems like hours to find the file.

It works, but it is slow. If you have Indexation switched on (and I recommend that you don’t) then the search will be significantly faster (but everything else will be slower!).

You can get free desktop search programs from Google and Yahoo, but they also rely on indexation and sit in the background draining your processors resources all the time.

There is a faster search engine already built into Windows - but you have to go to the command line to use it.

So go Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt.

The black Command Prompt box will open (so familiar to those of us that started with MSDOS) with the cursor flashing after C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name>

First go to the root directory of the c: drive by typing: cd\ and hitting Enter

Then to find your file type: dir filename /s and hit Enter (replace “filename” with the name of the file that you are looking for).

The file (or files if there are more than one) will be found in much less time than Windows Search takes. Test it - time it, see if I’m not right!

Obviously you can also use the wildcard characters like * and ? in your search. (? = any single character, * = any number or characters).

Control Panel Options

In a default Windows XP installation the Control Panel is displayed as a link - when you click Start then Control Panel is in the right hand list and when you click on it you can “Pick a category”.

But you can choose to display Control Panel as a menu, (or not at all) -

RIGHT click Start, then left click properties. The Start Menu tab should already be selected and the Start menu option should also be selected. Left click the Customize... button and then the Advanced tab. The Control Panel options are then the first items in the Start menu items: box.

I prefer to display Control Panel as a menu because it needs less clicks to get to the item (called an applet) that you want.

If you want you can create a shortcut to Control Panel on your desktop. Minimize or close any open programs so that you can see the desktop. Left click Start then left click and hold down the left mouse button over Control Panel and drag it onto the desktop. Release the mouse button and you have a shortcut which you can then drag to wherever you want.

You can also create desktop shortcuts to individual Control Panel applets in exactly the same way - just “left button drag” them out of the Control Panel box or menu onto an empty part of the desktop.

To Standby or to Hibernate?

Standby switches off the screen and the hard drive(s) but keeps the PC running in low power mode to retain the contents of the RAM. So that when you resume from standby the PC returns to exactly how you left it.

Hibernate copies the entire contents of RAM to the hard drive and then switches everything off. So when you next startup, instead of loading Windows from scratch it will read the contents of RAM back from the hard drive and return to the state in which you left it.

So a PC that has been set to Standby will start up quicker than one that was set to Hibernate. And a PC that has been set to Hibernate will start up quicker than from a “clean boot”.

Typical startup times are: 15 seconds from standby, 35 seconds from hibernate, 2 minutes from a normal start.

Depending on the way that they are set up, most laptops will move to Standby after a few minutes of inactivity and then will go to Hibernation after a few more minutes. You can change these settings in: Start, (Settings), Control Panel, (Performance and Maintenance), Power Options, Power Schemes. The options are self-explanatory.

A PC that is always started from standby or hibernation will need starting normally from time to time to clear out the gradual buildup of memory errors that accumulate thanks to poor programming.

Click Name after Standby or Hibernate

People who use Standby or Hibernate for the first time are sometimes surprised to find that when they switch on again they are asked “To begin, click your user name”.

The people who are surprised are those that have only ever had one user set up on their PC and don’t have a password so they have never previously been asked to do that. Folk with multiple user PCs are used to clicking their name and entering their password at startup.

This little nuisance can be stopped by left clicking through: Start, Control Panel, (Performance and Maintenance), Power Options, Advanced and then left clicking to remove the tick next to “Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby”. Left click OK and then exit from the Control Panel.

Better wording would be “Prompt for user and password when computer resumes from standby or hibernation.”

Move the Swap file to another disk

If you have more than one hard disk in your PC it can sometimes be advantageous to move the swap file from the C: drive to another one. This could be to free up space on the original drive, to fix the size of the swap file and ensure that it does not become fragmented or to move it to a faster drive.

Hold down the Windows key and hit Pause/Break.
The System Properties box will open.

Left click the advanced tab and then, in the Performance section, the Settings button.
The Performance Options box will open.

Left click the Advanced tab and then, in the Virtual memory section, the Change button.

Click on the C: drive and select No paging file.

Click on the drive where you want the new paging file and select System managed size or Custom size.

If you go for Custom size make sure the minimum is greater than the size of your RAM and the maximum is greater than twice the size of your RAM.

For a contiguous non fragmented swap file, set the minimum and maximum to the same size, just over twice the size of your RAM. (And you should have defragmented the drive just before starting this exercise.)

Left click OK three times to back out.

You will need to reboot to implement the new settings.

On-Screen Keyboard

If you can’t or don’t want to use a conventional keyboard then try the On-Screen Keyboard.

If you have a conventional keyboard and can manage to type three keys to get you started, then the easiest way to start it is:

Left click Start, then Run...
Type “osk” then left click OK.

If you have no keyboard or cannot type “osk” then:

Left click Start,
point to All Programs,
point to Accessories,
point to Accessibility, and then
left click On-Screen Keyboard.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Here is a list of all the Windows XP keyboard shortcuts that I can remember. There are probably more - when I find them I will add them here!

CTRL+A = Select all the items in the active window
CTRL+C = Copy the item or items to the Clipboard
(CTRL+Insert also copies the item or items)
CTRL+F = Display the Find all files dialog box
CTRL+G = Display the Go to folder dialog box
CTRL+N = Display the New dialog box
CTRL+O = Display the Open dialog box
CTRL+P = Display the Print dialog box
CTRL+S = Display the Save dialog box
CTRL+V = Paste the copied item or items from the Clipboard
(Shift+Insert also pastes the copied item or items)
CTRL+X = Cut the item or items selected to the Clipboard
CTRL+ Z = Undo the last action
CTRL+ F4 = Close the active document window
CTRL while dragging = Copy the selected item (instead of moving the item)
CTRL+SHIFT with arrow keys = Highlight a block of text
CTRL+F4 = Close the active document
CTRL+F6 = Open the next document window in the active application
ALT+ENTER = View the properties for the selected item
ALT+F4 = Close the active item, or quit the active program
ALT+SPACEBAR = Open the shortcut menu for the active window
ALT+TAB = Switch between the open items
ALT+ESC = Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened
F1 key = Help on the active window or selected item.
F2 key = Rename the selected item
F3 key = Search for a file or a folder
F4 key = Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
F5 key = Update the active window
F6 key = Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop
F10 key = Activate the menu bar in the active program
Windows Key = Display or hide the Start menu
(CTRL+ESC also displays or hides the Start menu)
Windows Key+PAUSE = Display the System Properties dialog box
Windows Key+D = Display the desktop
Windows Key+M = Minimize all of the windows
Windows Key+SHIFT+M = Restore the minimized windows
Windows Key+E = Open My Computer
Windows Key+F = Search for a file or a folder
CTRL+Windows Key+F = Search for computers
Windows Key+F1 = Display Windows Help
Windows Key+ L = Go to Logon Screen
Windows Key+R = Open the Run dialog box
Windows Key+U = Open Utility Manager
TAB = Move forward through the options
SHIFT+TAB = Move backward through the options
CTRL+TAB = Move forward through the tabs
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB = Move backward through the tabs
ALT+Underlined letter = Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option
ENTER = Perform the command for the active option or button
SPACEBAR = Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box
F1 key = Display Help
F4 key = Display the items in the active list
Arrow keys = Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
BACKSPACE = Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box
END = Display the bottom of the active window
HOME = Display the top of the active window
NUM LOCK+Asterisk = Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder
NUM LOCK+Plus = Display the contents of the selected folder
NUM LOCK+Minus = Collapse the selected folder
LEFT ARROW = Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder
RIGHT ARROW = Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder

Desktop Icons Disappeared?

My caller was confused - he had struggled to setup a BT Home Hub and had eventually succeeded. But in the process he seemed to have lost all his desktop icons. He blamed the BT CD, but it was probably nothing to do with that.

Right click on an empty part of the desktop
Left click Arrange Icons By
Left click to select Show Desktop Icons
Wait several seconds and your Icons will return!

Can I give away my old XP?

I am using XP but will soon be upgrading to Vista. Can I send my old XP installation disk to my friend in South Africa to enable her to upgrade from Windows 98?

If your version of XP Home is a full (not an upgrade or OEM) version and you replace it with a full (not an upgrade or OEM) version of Vista then you can legally install the old XP on to another machine.

But if either the old XP or the new Vista are upgrade or OEM versions then you cannot. That's why the upgrade version of Vista is significantly cheaper than the full version.

If you send your XP disk to your friend the installation will probably require validation over the internet or over the phone. The validation will probably fail because the Product Key is already registered to another PC (yours) unless your friend can convince the Microsoft representative that the old installation of XP has been completely uninstalled (and not upgraded). Even then they may not validate it if your copy of XP is an OEM version which is registered to your motherboard and cannot therefore be transferred.

My personal recommendations are:

Don't upgrade to Vista yet - it needs double the RAM to work at the same speed as XP and is incompatible with a lot of current software and hardware. Some of those incompatibilities will eventually be solved with new drivers, but others will not (buy the new version of X - it's Vista compatible!). Maybe get it in about a years time when the inevitable Service Pack 1 comes out! (And it's incredibly annoying to use!)

If your friend wants an up-to-date operating system with all the applications she could possibly want then get her a copy of Ubuntu. It's South African! And free! So free that they will send you a CD copy at their expense!

http://www.ubuntu.com/ for more information.

Or stick to Windows 98 - if it still does everything that your friend wants, why upgrade? It's only an operating system after all.

How to Logon as Administrator

Every Windows XP computer has a (usually hidden) Administrator account.

You may need to logon to this account if you need to perform administrative tasks, such as upgrading the operating system or configuring system parameters.

Or maybe someone has set a password on their user account and you can’t contact them to get it.

With both XP Home and XP Professional you can both see and log on to the Administrator account by starting the PC in Safe Mode. (Keep F8 pressed during start up until you are given a list of start up options.)

Additionally, after a normal startup, if you do Ctrl+Alt+Del twice at the Welcome screen (where you would normally select your account name) you will get the old Windows NT logon box. Here you can enter the User name Administrator (and password if necessary). But you will only be able to successfully logon this way with XP Professional - XP Home will let you enter the info, but will not log you on.

In XP Home the ONLY way to logon to the Administrator account is through Safe Mode.

A normal default installation of XP Home has a blank Administrator password. But if either version of XP will not accept a blank password and you do not know the correct password then you have a problem.

But if you are prepared to take a risk and boot from a Linux floppy or CD then I suggest that you take a look at: http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/

How long can I run XP?

Now that Vista has been released, how long is it before we have to move to it?

Theoretically you can keep running XP for as long as you like. If you have the installation disk (and your copy is not an OEM version tied to the original motherboard) then you can replace every component of your PC as it fails and can keep on running XP.

But practically the situation will be that you will not be able to replace failed components with identical items. And the later versions of the components will eventually not be compatible with XP or will not have drivers for XP.

Free Microsoft phone support for XP will end in April 2009 although their phone support will continue until 2016 if you are prepared to pay.

Security updates will also continue until 2016 through the normal on-line Windows update service.

So most businesses will change over by 2016 because they cannot risk running without support or security updates.

The above dates only apply to Windows XP with Service Pack 2. If you haven’t got that then you are already on your own with no support.

And much earlier than 2016 you will find that new software and hardware will not run on XP.

So 2016 looks like the absolute limit - that’s 9 years after XP was replaced - I think that’s pretty good. Not many PCs last that long!

Windows Automatic Updates

After removing hundreds of items of Malware from a PC without Antispyware I downloaded and installed Microsoft Windows Defender.

But when I tried to download the latest updates for Windows Defender I received an error message.

I was also having trouble with the little yellow shield that was telling me that updates were ready - but there weren’t any there!.

Something had obviously gone wrong with Windows Automatic Updates.

The solution was to reset Windows Automatic Updates by opening a Command Prompt box (Start, Run..., type “cmd”, OK) and typing the following commands:

net stop "Automatic Updates"
del /f /s /q %windir%\SoftwareDistribution\*.*
net start "Automatic Updates"
wuauclt.exe /detectnow

(Each line should be followed by hitting return. Don’t make any typing errors - get the spaces exactly right.)

Alternatively you could open a new text document, copy and paste the above commands into it, save it, rename it as reset.cmd and then double left click on it to run it. That way you will ensure that you don’t make any typos.

Empty Device Manager

If Device Manager is completely empty then
there may be missing permissions in the registry.

You must be logged on with an administrator account to correct this.

1. Left click Start then Run, enter regedt32 and left click OK
2. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum
3. With Enum selected click the Edit menu at the top of the screen then the Permissions option. The Permissions for Enum box will open.
4. Under "Security" there should be an entry for "Everyone" and "SYSTEM"
5. If not, you need to add them as follows:
6. Click Add. The Select Users or Groups box will open.
7. Under "Enter the object names to select", type Everyone and left click OK. You will go back to the Permissions for Enum box.
8. Click Add. The Select Users or Groups box will open.
9. Under "Enter the object names to select", type SYSTEM and left click OK. You will go back to the Permissions for Enum box.
10. Left click to select Everyone and under the "Allow" column tick only the Read box.
11. Left click to select SYSTEM and under the "Allow" column tick the Full Control box.
12. Left click the Advanced button at the bottom of the box.
13. On the Advanced window tick Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects.
14. Left click OK
15. On the warning window click Yes
16. Left click OK
17. Close REGEDT32

Re-boot the system and check Device Manager to see if everything is showing now.

If not, then left click Start, then Run, type services.msc in the run box, left click OK.

Look in the list of services for Plug and Play. If Plug and Play does not say "Started" then Device Manager won't list any devices.

If it is turned off, right click it and select start.

Task Manager Changed

If your Task Manager looks like this:

TaskManOdd

And you want it to look normal like this:

TaskManNormal

Then the solution is dead simple - just double left click in the positions that I have marked with a red cross to switch between the two views.

This undocumented “feature” was apparently deliberately programmed to enable the geeks at Microsoft to have a cool little window like this in the corner of their desktop.

TaskManCool

But if you don’t know about it and have accidentally done it then you think that Windows might have been corrupted!

Updates for Pirate XP

Now that Vista has been released Microsoft are more relaxed about illegal copies of Windows XP and it is possible to get updates in the normal way.

Obviously I do not condone the use of illegal copies of any software, and I refuse to work on any PCs that I find with illegal Windows XP (other than to wipe them and install a legal copy).

But there are a lot of pirate copies of XP installed out there, most of which have got Automatic updates switched off so as not to get the dreaded Windows Genuine Advantage. Because they have not received any updates since Service Pack 2, these PCs are now very insecure.

If you have one of these I suggest that you sw