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26. Rollback Device Drivers in Case of Error

Windows XP provides the ability to 'roll back' or replace current device (hardware) drivers with the most recent previous version. This function can be accessed in safe mode and can save you a lot of headaches when you run into issues with new drivers.

To roll back a device driver to a previous version right click on 'my computer' and select 'manage.' Open 'device manager' and highlight and double click the device whose drivers you wish to roll back. Go to the 'driver' tab and select 'roll back driver.' Your system will revert to the most recent saved driver after a restart.

27. Avoid Having to Re-Activate Windows XP After Reinstallation

Normally, when you reinstall Windows XP you need to also reactivate the operating system by phone or Internet in order to use it. This can be avoided by simply copying a single file from your old installation to your new one.

The 'wpa.dbl' file, located in the 'c:\windows\system32\' folder, indicated to the operating system whether the current hardware configuration has been activated or not. As long as you have not changed any of the hardware in your PC during the reinstall, you can simply copy the file onto a floppy, CD or USB key and copy it back into Windows after the reinstall to avoid the re-activation procedure.

28. View PowerPoint Documents Without PowerPoint

If you use certain versions of Microsoft Office, you might be frustrated by the lack of the PowerPoint application for creating and viewing presentations. This can be especially frustrating if you need to view someone else's essential PowerPoint slides. Fortunately, Microsoft offers a free PowerPoint viewer which you can use to open (but not edit) power point presentations in Windows XP.

You can get it here. Microsoft also offers equivalent viewers for Word and Excel files if you are in a pinch.

29. Control Clear Type Text With Free Tool

Microsoft's Clear type technology incorporates font smoothing to make ordinary text clearer on certain kinds of screen, most notably LCD monitors and displays. Clear type is built into XP, but enabling and configuring it involves several steps. Microsoft recently made a tool available which consolidates all the clear type configuration menus into one neat application. Get it here to find out if clear type is for you.

30. Mouse Problem? Use MouseKeys

If your mouse is absent or malfunctioning in some way, attempting to troubleshoot the problem can become extremely frustrating. Granted, there are keyboard shortcuts for just about everything in Windows XP, but without intimate familiarity with these commands, you still can't get around as fast as with the mouse.

Fortunately, Windows XP includes the 'mousekeys' application in with its suite of accessibility applications. This small program enables the number pad keys to control the mouse pointer, making your life much, much easier.

To activate MouseKeys, hit CTRL + left SHIFT + NUM LOCK

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31. Recovering Deleted Files

So your two year old has just deleted five hours of essential work? So he somehow managed to avoid the recycling bin altogether in the sort of computer anti-miracle that only the very young and the very tech-phobic seem to be able to achieve? Don't panic. Though the recycling bin is present as a safety net against accidental or mistaken file deletion, just because it's not in there doesn't mean your data is gone forever.

Data that is deleted from a hard drive is not actually removed from the disk. It is simply marked by the operating system as having been deleted, and will be treated as empty disk space from then on. Until it is actually written over by new data, the old data remains and is easy to recover.

To get your data back, you should obtain a copy of Restoration, a free file recovery utility. This program is small, effective and very easy to use, which is why we like it. To recover accidentally deleted files start Restoration...

Choose the drive you wish to scan in the ' drives' drop down box, and click 'search by deleted files.'
A list of deleted files is created. To restore one or more files, highlight them and click 'restore by copying' then choose a target directory

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32. Install the Backup Utility in XP Home

Windows XP Home does not come with the Windows backup utility installed like other versions of Windows XP. However, this useful utility does exist on the XP Home CD, and will work just fine once installed.

To install Windows backup on XP Home place your XP Home CD in your drive and navigate to '(CD drive letter):\valueadd\msft\ntbackup\'. Then, double click the 'NTBACKUP.MSI' file to start the installation process.

33. Schedule Automatic Data Backups

You can schedule automatic backups of your Windows data using the built-in backup software and the task scheduler. For more information on the backup utility in Windows XP and how it works.

To schedule backups in Windows XP open the backup program ('start\all programs\accessories\system tools\backup'). Go to the 'schedule jobs' tab. Choose a month and day when you want the backup job to run for the first time and click 'add job.'

This will open up the backup wizard which will prompt you for the backup type, location and backup update details. Enter this information and continue until you reach the 'when to back up' window.

Click the 'set schedule' button.From here, use the 'schedule task' dropdown box to set when the backup should occur and the 'start time' box to set the specific time. Click 'ok,' then 'next' and enter your account information (in case another user is logged in when the job runs). Your scheduled backup has been created.

To edit previously scheduled backups, open the scheduled tasks application at 'start\all programs\accessories\system tools\scheduled tasks

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34. Place Your Internet Favourites on Your Start Menu

Here's a quick tip which saves you a step or two in opening your web browser to commonly used web sites. Right click on the start button and choose 'properties,' then hit the 'customize' button. Choose the 'advanced' tab and scroll down the 'start menu items' box until you reach the 'favourites menu' option. Check it to add your IE favourites list to the start menu as a new tree.

35. Restore Your Essential Data

Have you ever lost access to your computer's hard drive, either by accidental formatting, partitioning or other accidental circumstances? Can't even boot your computer into Windows, let alone find out what's wrong? Don't panic, we can help.

36. Enhance the Windows calculator

The Windows XP calculator is simple, but lacking in many functions, even if you use the 'view' menu within the application to change it to scientific calculator mode. Microsoft has provided a free addition for the XP calculator that, apart from a new look, adds a whole range of conversion functions plus

The 'calculator Plus' application can convert a range of measurements, and even comes with a currency converter that can download rates from the European exchange (currently only for European currencies though). You can also manually enter exchange rates via the 'currencies' option in the 'file' menu. If you don't like the new look you can revert to the old by going to 'view' and selecting 'classic view.' Calculator plus can be downloaded here.

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37. Disabling Startup Password

If you are the only user of your system and you are tired of entering the username and password each time you login, you can disable this requirement. To do this go to 'start\run' and type 'control userpasswords2'.

Uncheck the 'user must enter a user name and password to use this computer' checkbox. Note that this is not recommended for systems that connect to the Internet via broadband connections due to security concerns.

38. Remove Orphaned Software Applications from Add/Remove Programs

Sometimes, even after you have uninstalled a program, it remains as an option in the 'add or remove programs' control panel application. This can happen due to poor coding or an error in the un-installation process. To clean these orphaned entries up, a registry edit is called for.

To delete orphaned program entries open Regedit and navigate to:
'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Cur rentVersion\Uninstall'

Look for the offending program entries and delete them. Note that some programs may be listed with a string of letters and numbers. Open the value inside these keys to see the actual name of the program.

39. Troubleshooting Shutdown Issues

Does your PC not shut down automatically, instead stopping at the 'it is now ok to shut down your computer' screen? Here's a couple of quick resolution to the two most common causes of this problem in Windows XP:

Open Device manager (right click on 'my computer' and select 'manage' then 'device manager.'). Go to the 'view' menu and select 'show hidden devices.' Look for the 'APM/NT Legacy Node' entry. If it is disabled, enable it and try to shutdown your PC again.

If this did not help, go to'start\control panel\power options' If you have an 'APM' tab, make sure the option 'enable advanced power management support' is checked.

If neither of these steps are applicable, you may wish to try updating your motherboard's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System).

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40. Alter Your Windows User Name

If you'd like to change the user name you entered when installing Windows (not your current user name, but the 'owner' name entered for license purposes during the install process), here's a quick registry edit to accomplish just that.

To change your registered user name open Regedit and navigate to:
'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\'

Double click the 'RegisteredOwner' value and change it as desired. You can also change the company name by editing the 'RegisteredOrganization' value.

41. Adding 'Safe Mode' to the Boot Menu

If you find yourself using Windows XP's alternate safe mode or VGA mode options often, you may want to add these options to the Windows XP boot menu.

Adding safe mode or VGA mode to the boot menu will cause the menu to be displayed every time you start Windows with options shown for normal startup and whatever other modes you have chosen. You can choose one of the options to boot XP a specific way.

To add safe mode or VGA mode to the Windows boot menu open the 'run' prompt ('start\run') and type 'c:\boot.ini'. This will bring up the boot.ini file in notepad. This file is used by XP to determine boot options, among other things.

Under the '[operating systems]' heading, copy the current entry, and paste another version of it into the next line. For example: 'multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micr osoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect'.

Now edit the quoted area of the pasted version so it is different from the original line and informative. You might want to change "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" to "Safe Mode boot" on your safe mode entry, for example. If you want to add an entry for VGA mode, repeat the above steps again and edit the third entry appropriately to represent VGA mode.

Save the file, open the run prompt again and type MSCONFIG. Go to the 'boot.ini' tab.

You will see your new additions here. To enable safe mode on the boot menu, highlight the entry you created for safe mode, then check the '/safeboot' boot option. To enable VGA mode, highlight your VGA mode entry then check '/basevideo.' Click 'ok' then restart. The boot menu will pop up allowing you to choose between normal, safe and VGA modes of booting XP.

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42. Use XP File Compression to Save Space

If hard disk space is getting tight on your system, Windows XP includes a built in file compression feature which can save considerable space. To activate file compression on a file or folder highlight the file or folder you want to compress, right click it and select 'properties.' Hit the 'advanced' button at the bottom of the screen.

Choose the 'compress contents to save disk space' option. Hit 'ok' twice and you will be prompted to apply the compression to just that file or folder or any subfolders and files that may exist under it. Choose and click 'ok.'

Windows will compress the contents of the file or folder (which may take a while on a slower PC). You will notice the icon text of the compressed folder is now blue to indicate its status.

43. How to Check if There is a DVD Decoder Installed in the PC

If you want to check if you have DVD decoding software installed, or what decoder you actually have, this quick tip can help.

Open the command prompt ('start\run' then type 'cmd') and type 'dvdupgrd /detect'. This will pop up a window on the desktop with information on your decoding software or lack of same.

44. Learn to Love XP Safe Mode

Many users have no idea what the 'safe mode' feature of most Windows operating systems is for. This is a pity, because it could end up costing them some serious money if they run into problems with Windows. The Windows XP safe mode is one of the best (and easiest to use) diagnostic and troubleshooting tools for Windows XP.

The most important feature of safe mode is that it loads Windows with a minimal set of drivers and software. If you are having problems with a faulty driver or auto running program that will not let you boot into Windows normally, safe mode can let you get around this and eliminate the problem from within the Windows environment. This is not all that safe mode can do for you.

45. Use the Program Compatibility Toolkit

If you are having trouble getting a particular application to run in Windows XP, Microsoft might have a solution for you. The company has made a free tool available that automatically edits settings for hundreds of Windows-XP-incompatible programs to allow them to run properly. This application Compatibility Toolkit can be found here.

46. Use the System Restore Utility From 'Safe Mode Command Prompt.

The Windows XP system restore utility is extremely useful for rescuing your system from various software disasters that might befall it, but it does have some limitations. The most major of these is the fact that it cannot be invoked from the repair console, and can only restore the most recent save point when chosen from the XP boot menu. This means that if your system will not boot fully into Windows or into safe mode you are out of luck. Well not quite.

It's possible to start the system restore utility from the 'safe mode command prompt' boot option of Windows XP. This gives you one more option for rescuing your system, since this safe mode may load where other Windows XP boot options do not.

To invoke the system restore utility from the safe mode command prompt, type 'c:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe. For more information about the Windows XP safe mode and how to use it.

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47. Configure the WindowsXP SP 2 Firewall

Windows XP's Service Pack 2 contains a considerable upgrade to the operating system's built-in firewall software. For one thing, the firewall is enabled by default, unless you have another form of software firewall installed on your PC such as Zonealarm. The new version of the firewall also contains more flexibility, and watches out for some new threats and actions.

To configure the SP2 Windows XP firewall go to 'start\control panel\windows firewall.

If the firewall is enabled, it will be 'on' here. The 'don't allow exceptions' option allows no internal software to accept outside connections.Exceptions, as accessed by the 'exceptions' tab, allow certain programs installed on your computer to accept connections from the Internet which would otherwise be blocked by the firewall. You can choose 'add program' to add any application from a list of all that are installed on your PC. Once checked, this program can act as though the firewall did not exist.

The 'advanced' tab contains several options. The most important is the 'services' settings. You can access these by highlighting your Internet connection in the ' network connection settings' window and hitting 'settings.'This is more or less identical to the pre-SP2 firewall configuration. These 'services' allow information to pass through the firewall on certain ports, similar to the 'exceptions' we talked about earlier. These are based on the ports used by each service, not on applications though. If you wish to host a web site or FTP site on your firewalled PC, check those options here.

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48. Prevent Computer Users From Logging on to Windows at Certain Times.

If you would like to prevent a member of your household or office from logging into his or her computer at certain times, you can create restrictions on their user account to do this.

To restrict access times for a certain user open the command prompt ('start\run' and type 'cmd'). To restrict a certain user's log in times to Monday - Friday, 5AM to 8PM, type 'net user (username) /time:m-f,5am-8pm

Replace (username) with the required user name. You can change the days using (m,t,w,th,f,s,su) and change times using the same method shown. The user will not be allowed to log in at any other time.

Note that this will not prevent users from using the computer during restricted times if they have already logged in. It only prevents them from booting into Windows.

49. Encrypt Your Important Files (XP Professional)

Windows XP Professional contains a built-in file encryption utility which can make your essential data inaccessible to anyone who does not possess the correct user name and password. Essentially, no one can read the encrypted files except you.

To encrypt your data, right click a file or folder you wish to encrypt and choose 'properties'. Then click the 'advanced' button at the bottom. Check the 'encrypt contents to secure data' button to encrypt your file or folder. Hit 'ok' to confirm. You'll notice the icon text has changed to green to indicate that the file is encrypted.

If you wish to allow certain other users access to the file or folder, right click the encrypted file again, choose 'properties' and 'advanced' then hit the 'details' button at the bottom of the screen.

Under the 'users who can transparently access this file' heading, use the 'add' button to add any users you want to allow access to.

Note that files and folders are encrypted using a numerical key derived from the unique SID (Security IDentifier) number assigned to each XP user account. This means that you MUST un-encrypt your files if you plan to either delete your user or re-install WindowsXP. Even if you create a new user with the same name and password, they will not be able to access the files.

Only the original creator and users they designate can open encrypted documents.

Windows XP allows the creation of a recovery agent which can transfer the ability to open encrypted files to another user account. For more info on recovery agents and file encryption.

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50. Scan your computer for vulnerabilities with Microsoft's free security scanner

Microsoft provides a tool called the Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to help network administrators or concerned users check their machines for security vulnerabilities. The software is available here. Download and run the device to test both your local computer and any PCs on your network (you will need access to an administrative account on all machines you wish to scan). The MBSA creates a security log for each scanned computer which contains easy to read info on any vulnerabilities that may exist and how to correct them. We highly recommend that you use this tool to check your PC for security flaws.

51. Disable USB Storage Device Writing (Service Pack 2)

USB storage devices are very easy to use in Windows XP. Since they use the built-in mass storage drivers, anyone can just plug in a memory key and download whatever they want onto it. This can be a security concern for both business networks and home users who let others have access to their PCs. This is especially true because of the large amount of information that can be put on the typical memory key, and the speed of their use.

If you are concerned about this issue, Windows XP Service Pack 2 contains a feature that lets you combat it. You can now make USB storage devices read-only, meaning that no one will be able to move data onto them.

To make USB mass-storage devices read only:

Open Regedit and navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control key'

Highlight the subkey 'StorageDevicePolicies' If there is no such subkey, create it by right clicking 'control key' and choosing 'new\key'. Once you have the 'StorageDevicePolicies' subkey highlighted, right click it and select 'new\ DWORD value.' Give the value the name WriteProtect. Double click the new value and give it the value of '1' Exit and restart.