How to make your Windows XP super fast

This tutorial is meant for increasing the performance of Windows XP, either it can be a fresh installation or an older windows.

1.) Following is a registry containing a few registry modifications, which are completely safe and can increase the performance of Windows. Just download the attached ZIP file, extract it and then run the file:
Tweak Windows XP
Restore Default Settings (Use this file if you want to restore default Windows settings)
2.) Right-click on Desktop and select Properties, Now in the new window goto Appearance tab and click on Effects button. Now in the new opened window uncheck the following options:
a.) Use the following transition effect for menus & tooltips.
b.) Show shadows under menus.
c.) Show window contents while dragging. (you may remain this option checked as I hv in my screenshot. It depends upon ur choice.)
d.) Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts. You may select “Standard” for this. I hv selected “Clear Type” coz I hv a TFT, it doesnt work properly for CRT monitors.

3.) Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Properties (or press key + key), now goto Advanced tab in new window and click on Settings button in Performance section:
Now disable all unnecessary options in Visual Effects tab, you can remain following options enabled according to your requirements:
a.) Show window contents while dragging.
b.) Smooth edges of screen fonts.
c.) Use common tasks in folders (If u use the left side pane in My computer, I don’t use it.)
d.) Use drop shadows on icon labels on the desktop. (to make the desktop icons label transparent.)
e.) Use visual styles on windows and buttons. (If u use XP themes.)

4.) Open Tools -> Folder Options and click on View tab:

Now uncheck following options:
a.) Automatically search for network folders & printers.
b.) Display file size information in folder tips.
c.) Display simple folder view in Explorer’s Folders list.
d.) Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color.
e.) Show pop-up description for folder and desktop icons.
f.) Use simple file sharing.
Other options don’t affect the system performance. You can enable/disable them according to your requirements.
5.) Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select Manage (You can also open it by typing services.msc in RUN and press Enter). Now goto Services & Applications -> Services. Here you can set a few unnecessary services to Manual, which will not start with windows and will decrease the boot time and will increase system performance. Please follow the following tutorial to know about which services can be safely set to MANUAL:
Windows XP Services that can be Safely set to MANUAL
6.) Type msconfig in RUN and press Enter. Now goto Startup tab and deselect the unnecessary entries, which you don’t want to start automatically with Windows, e.g. you can disable VGA driver utility, Sound Card utility, etc to speed up the startup time and to increase system performance.
7.) Open Sound & Audio Devices in Control Panel (or type mmsys.cpl in RUN), goto Sounds tab and select No Sounds in Sound Scheme section. Or you can remain some of your favorite sounds but set Exit Windows, Start Windows, Windows Logoff, Windows Logon to (None).
8.) For more options/tips-n-tricks, you can use TweakUI, Tuneup Utilities 2006 and gpedit.msc (Windows XP Professional built-in tool).

Original Post: ASKVG

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10 services to turn off in MS Windows XP

As long as Microsoft Windows has been a network capable operating system, it has come with quite a few services turned on by default, and it is a good idea for the security conscious user of Microsoft’s flagship product to shut down any of these that he or she isn’t using.
Each version of MS Windows provides different services, of course, so any list of services to disable for security purposes will be at least somewhat particular to a given version of Microsoft Windows. As such, a list like this one needs to be identified with a specific Microsoft Windows version, though it can still serve as a guide for the knowledgeable MS Windows user to check out the running services on other versions as well.
If you are running Microsoft Windows XP on your desktop system, consider turning off the following services. You may be surprised by what is running without your knowledge.

• IIS – Microsoft’s Internet Information Services provide the capabilities of a Webserver for your computer.
• NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing — NetMeeting is primarily a VoIP and videoconferencing client for Microsoft Windows, but this service in particular is necessary to remote desktop access.
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• Remote Desktop Help Session Manager – This service is used by the Remote Assistance feature that you can use to allow others remote access to the system to help you troubleshoot problems.
• Remote Registry – The capabilities provided by the Remote Registry service are frightening to consider from a security perspective. They allow remote users (in theory, only under controlled circumstances) to edit the Windows Registry.
• Routing and Remote Access – This service bundles a number of capabilities together, capabilities that most system administrators would probably agree should be provided separately. It is rare that any of them should be necessary for a typical desktop system such as Microsoft Windows XP, however, so they can all conveniently be turned off as a single service. Routing and Remote Access provides the ability to use the system as a router and NAT device, as a dialup access gateway, and a VPN server.
• Simple File Sharing – When a computer is not a part of a Microsoft Windows Domain, it is assumed by the default settings that any and all filesystem shares are meant to be universally accessible. In the real world, however, we should only want to provide shares to very specific, authorized users. As such, Simple File Sharing, which only provides blanket access to shares without exceptions, is not what we want to use for sharing filesystem resources. It is active by default on both MS Windows XP Professional and MS Windows XP Home editions. Unfortunately, this cannot be disabled on MS Windows XP Home. On MS Windows XP Professional, however, you can disable it by opening My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options, clicking the View tab, and unchecking the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) checkbox in the Advanced settings: pane.
• SSDP Discovery Service – This service is used to discover UPnP devices on your network, and is required for the Universal Plug and Play Device Host service (see below) to operate.
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• Telnet – The Telnet service is a very old mechanism for providing remote access to a computer, most commonly known from its use in the bad ol’ days of security for remote command shell access on Unix servers. These days, using Telnet to remotely manage a Unix system may be grounds for firing, where an encrypted protocol such as SSH should be used instead.
• Universal Plug and Play Device Host – Once you have your “Plug and Play” devices installed on your system, it is often the case that you will not need this service again.
• Windows Messenger Service – Listed in the Services window under the name Messenger, the Windows Messenger Service provides “net send” and “Alerter” functionality. It is unrelated to the Windows Messenger instant messaging client, and is not necessary to use the Windows Messenger IM network.

On your system, these services may not all be turned on, or even installed. Whether a given service is installed and running may depend on whether you installed the system yourself, whether you are using XP Home or XP Professional, and from which vendor you got your computer if MS Windows XP was installed by a vendor.
With the exception of Simple File Sharing, all of the above listed services can be disabled from the same place. Simply click on the Start button, then navigate to Settings -> Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, and from there open the Services window. To disable any service in the list, double-click on its entry in that window and change the Startup type: setting. In general, you should change services you are turning off for security purposes to a “Disabled” state. When in doubt about whether a given service is necessary for other services, check the Dependencies tab in the service’s settings dialog.
Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list of everything running on your computer that you may want to turn off. It is merely a list of ten items that you most likely do not need to have running, and constitute a security vulnerability if left running. Most users will never have need of any of the services in this list, once the computer is up and running. Other services may be disabled without ill effect as well, though you should research each item in the complete services list before you disable it to ensure that you actually do not need it running. Some of them are quite critical to the normal operation of your system, such as the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service.
Every running — but unused — service on your machine is an unnecessary security vulnerability. If a service is not important at all for authorized users and basic system functionality, turn it off.
Original Post: TechRepublic

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10 security tips for Microsoft Windows XP

When installing and using MS Windows XP, there are some security practices you should keep in mind.

There are general security tips that apply to all operating systems, of course, but each operating system platform provides its own security challenges. The following tips are tailored to Microsoft Windows XP.
1. Disable dangerous features. Microsoft Windows systems come with a number of features enabled by default that do little or nothing for convenience, but introduce significant security risks. Among these are Autorun, the Guest account, and even Automatic Updates — because letting someone in Redmond, WA decide when changes should be made to your system, when he has no idea what software you’re running and you haven’t tested the updates yet, is a bad idea. Microsoft Windows provides many features that are activated by default and either poorly conceived from a security perspective or, at best, unnecessary for the vast majority of users. Each of these features introduces its own risks, and any that you do not need should be deactivated.
2. Disable unneeded services. In addition to local operating system features, you should disable unneeded services.
3. Employ good email security practices. Make use of some basic email security tips to ensure you do not invite the bad guys to read your email, flood you with spam, and take advantage of you through phishing techniques.
4. Install and maintain malware protection software. Regardless of the reason for it, the fact remains that malware is a significant threat to Microsoft Windows systems, and running one without malware protection is irresponsible. Research your options for antivirus and antispyware protection carefully, and choose well. Don’t let your malware protection software’s signature databases get out of date because the software only protects against the threats it can recognize, and don’t rely on your choice of antivirus software from six years ago because there’s no such thing as a trusted brand.
5. Update more than just MS Windows. In the world of Microsoft Windows, the majority of the software most people run on their computers often comes from third-party vendors without any connection to Microsoft’s own software distribution channels. This means that when you install something like Adobe Photoshop or Mozilla Firefox you have to track security updates for these applications separately from the operating system. Just getting your Microsoft updates every month doesn’t always cover it — sometimes some third party application needs to be updated, too. You need to keep track of what’s installed and whether or not it has received any updates if you want to maintain security for your system, because security goes beyond the core operating system.
6. Research and test your updates. It’s important to keep your system updated so that security vulnerabilities that receive patches from Microsoft and other software vendors will not remain open to exploit. It’s also important, however, to ensure that you research and test your software updates before applying them to a production system. All too often, users and sysadmins discover that untested updates are a cure worse than the disease, as they break functionality, open additional vulnerabilities in the system, and even occasionally undo the benefits of previously applied updates. Others may have tested the updates, or have simply applied them and run into problems, so researching others’ experiences can help you plan for such issues as they arise; testing them yourself by installing them on a test system before doing so on your production system is a next necessary step to ensure that your system in particular will not develop problems as the result of a bad update.
7. Investigate alternatives to your default application choices. Should you be using a Web browser other than Internet Explorer, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera? Is the multiprotocol IM client Pidgin with the OTR encryption plugin a better option for your instant messaging needs — including security — than the native clients for AIM, MSN, Y!M, ICQ, and gTalk? The only way to be sure is to determine your own needs and make an informed decision. Don’t settle for default applications without knowing the consequences of that choice.
8. Use a quality desktop firewall. Desktop firewalls are in many respects applications like any other, but they deserve special mention for MS Windows security. Furthermore, even Windows servers are in effect desktop systems, so don’t let the fact that a given computer is a “server” deter you from installing a good “desktop” firewall application on the system if you can spare the CPU cycles and RAM. On an actual end user desktop system, desktop firewall software is even more important. Relying on the defaults you get when you buy the computer is a good way to get your system compromised without even knowing it. The Windows Firewall provided with MS Windows after Service Pack 2 is certainly better than nothing, but one can almost always do better. Look into alternatives to the Windows Firewall, and select the option that best suits your needs.
9. Research your options before assuming MS Windows XP is what you need. The same principles that apply to applications may also apply to operating systems. Different OSes can provide different security and functionality benefits. Are you really certain that MS Windows XP is the operating system you need? Have you investigated other alternatives? What about MS Windows 2000 or Vista? Have you checked into the possibility of MacOS X, FreeBSD, or Ubuntu Linux for a workstation? What about OpenBSD, OpenSolaris, or OpenVMS for a server?
10. Protect yourself the same way you would with any other operating system. Installing MS Windows XP is only the first step to using it. If you stop there, you’re likely to run afoul of the various security threats roaming the wilds of the Internet. Make sure you take care to configure your system to best protect you against the dangers that lurk around every corner.
Original Post: TechRepublic

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Quick speedup tips for Windows XP

Here are some quick tips to help speed up a Windows XP system. There are numerous ways to speed up a Windows XP system, I’ll start with the basic examples and then create a more detailed list in the future.

– Remove programs you are no longer using - Perform a disk cleanup - Perform a defrag

Removing programs you no longer use.
To do this
. Click Start
. Select run
. Type appwiz.cpl in to the box and press enter
. Wait for the list to be populated
. Select a program you rarely use and remove it
Perform a disk cleanup
To do this

. Click Start . Select run . Type cleanmgr in to the box and press enter . Follow the on screen instructions.

Perform a defrag
To do this

. Click Start . Select run . Type dfrg.msc in to the box and press enter . Click defrag

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How to create One-Click Hibernation icon on your desktop?

Today tip will help you to start the quicker hibernation process with a single click on desktop icon. This is the easiest way to start the hibernation process in windows XP. A simple click on hibernation icon, close the all running applications and will start hibernation process properly. This tip is very useful to save energy and time as well. If any case this desktop shortcut does not work, then you should need to configure your computer to enable hibernation. Go on the Start button and select “Settings”. Click on “Control Panel” then double-click on the “Power Options” icon. Click on the “Hibernate” tab and make sure the “Enable Hibernate” checkbox is checked.

Follow the given steps to create the shutdown icon:

To create a new shortcut, right click on any empty area of your desktop and go to New then Shortcut.

Now a small windows dialog box will appear with the title “Create Windows”. In the “Create Shortcut” window, type the following command.

rundll32.exe PowrProf.dll, SetSuspendState

Click Next button to type the name of this shortcut and press Finish to close it. Now click on Hibernate icon to verify the process.

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