[Tyler]

79. Reduce the Size of Your Recycle Bin

By default, the Windows XP recycling bin reserves up to 12% of each logical drive for storing deleted files. If you're the type that doesn't often empty the bin, your hard disk space will suffer for it. Fortunately it's quite simple to set the bin to use less of your precious space in the future:

Right click on the recycling bin and choose 'properties.' There will be a tab corresponding to each of your logical partitions (c:, d:, etc.). Click on each and lower the slider to reduce the amount of space the recycle bin will steal for its files. Click 'ok' to save the settings.

80. Make Sure of Your Location on the Internet

If you're about to make an online transaction or enter personal information on the web, take a second to make sure the page you are currently looking at is actually belongs to who it says it does. This is especially important if you are visiting a link sent through an email message. Scam banks, ebay and other web merchant pages have become commonplace in the last couple of years, so it pays to be careful with your credit card and banking information.

Phony pages often disguise themselves with long and confusing URLs so potential victims do not look to closely. By entering the java script line

javascript:alert("Actual URL address: " + location.protocol + "//" + location.hostname + "/");

in the address bar, then hitting 'go' or ENTER, you can display the basic address of the site you are on. For example:

http://login.yahoo.com/config/login_...mb=0&pkg=&owd=

resolves to

http://login.yahoo.com

This is much more reassuring. If the resolved address does not sound right, or does not contain the name of the company with which you were about to do business, be very cautious.

81. Arrange the 'All Programs' List Alphabetically

Here's a simple tip that can make a big difference to the usability of your system. To alphabetize the 'all programs' section of the start menu, right click an area of the 'all programs' menu and choose 'sort by name.' Your programs will be arranged alphabetically instead of in the strange, jumbled format that XP seems to default to.

[Tyler]

82. Force 'My Computer' and Other Folders to Open in Windows Explorer Automatically

If you like to use the Windows Explorer application for most of your file management, you may find it irritating that the 'my computer' icon always opens like a standard folder. Wouldn't it be much easier if it, along with the rest of the folders in your system, would open in Windows Explorer automatically? Here's how to fix it:

Open 'My computer' and go to 'tools\folder options.' Choose the 'file types' tab. Find the entry that says '(NONE) folder' and click the 'advanced' button. Highlight 'explore' and hit the 'set default' button to make Explorer the default application for opening folders.

83. Boost Foreground Applications

If you find yourself doing a lot of work with one demanding program, or you do not multi-task much, you can set Windows XP to devote more resources and processor time to the foreground (active) application than it will to any other processes. XP already does have a slight bias towards the foreground app, but you can increase it further with this simple registry edit:

Open Regedit and navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contr ol\PriorityControl'

Modify 'Win32PriorityControl' and give it a decimal value of 38.

84. Place the Volume Control on the Taskbar

You can return the volume control applet to its rightful place on your taskbar with a quick settings change. Here's what to do; go to 'start\control panel\sounds and audio devices.' Under the 'volume' tab, check 'place volume icon in the taskbar.'

85. Experiment with Linux Without Installing Software

Linux is the pre-eminent 'alternative' operating system out there right now, with the one amazing advantage of being free. Of course, being a free and open source operating system means that there are a zillion different versions out there, most of which are not instantly intuitive to Windows lifers.

This being the case, removing Windows XP or installing a dual boot with Windows XP and Linux is not the most attractive prospect for Linux Beginners.

Fortunately, there are several 'live' flavours of Linux that can be booted directly from CD (or even a floppy or USB drive) without requiring hard disk installations. Using one of these live CDs is a great way to get to know the various Linux desktops (like KDE and Gnome) as well as get an idea of how Linux runs 'under the hood.' All you need is a CD burner and some hard drive space.

The most popular live distribution of Linux is Knoppix, but there are many others available. Try here for starters.

[Tyler]

86. Use Virtual Desktops in Windows XP

One of the great things about Linux is its ability to use multiple 'virtual desktops.' These are desktop spaces held in memory which can be switched in and out of the 'active' desktop window being displayed on your monitor. In effect, you can have several different desktops with different backgrounds, running programs and icons, and switch back and forth at will.

Microsoft has made a tool available that opens up the same functionality for Windows XP. The Virtual Desktop Manager is available here

87. Capture Screenshots in Windows XP

Windows XP comes with a simple screen-capture utility that is attached to the PRINT SCREEN button on your keyboard. A simple press of the PRINT SCREEN button will capture the entire desktop to your clipboard, ready to be pasted into an application. Pressing ALT + PRINT SCREEN will grab only the currently active window on the desktop.

To use these captured images, you will need to open an image-editing program like Photoshop or Microsoft Paint and paste the image into a new file, then save it.

88. Create an Easy HTML Picture Slide Show for Your Website

If you'd like to display pictures on your personal website, Microsoft offers a free tool that will create an HTML slide show for your pictures easily and automatically. Get it here.

89. Import Pictures from a Digital Camera

Many digital cameras, especially older models, include software to enable you to transfer pictures from the camera onto your computer. This software can often be difficult to use, and on Windows XP is just unnecessary. Assuming your digital camera connects to the computer via a USB cable, you should be able to use The standard USB mass storage drivers built into Windows XP.

What this means is that you can plug in the camera, turn it on, open 'my computer,' open the new 'removable drive' or camera icon that has appeared then simply drag and drop your pictures from the camera to another directory. Try it if you haven't already, it's simple!

90. Prevent XP From Shutting Down Normally

While we admit this is an odd sort of tip, there may be times when you want to ensure that no one can shut down your PC normally. This can come in handy on a display PC, for example. A quick registry edit ensures that anyone who wants to shut the PC down must go through the task manager first.

To prevent normal XP shutdown: Open Regedit and Navigate to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Policies|Explorer\'

Create a new DWORD value called 'NoClose' and give it a value of '1'. Close Regedit and restart explorer or Windows. To reverse this, delete the 'NoClose' value.

[Tyler]

91. Access Your PC From any System Over the Internet (XP Professional)

As you may know, Windows XP Professional comes with a built-in remote desktop utility that allows you to remotely access your system, desktop and files from another computer over the Internet. The way this feature works normally, you must download a client software package to any computer that you wish to use to connect to your desktop remotely.

Microsoft has made a downloadable addition to remote desktop available. This add-on allows remote connection to your desktop though any Windows system with Internet Explorer 4.0 or better. Your remote desktop is hosted on a website on your system, and remote computers simply connect with the correct credentials. This makes using remote desktop considerably less of a hassle. Check it out here

92. Speed up Network Browsing in Windows XP

By default, when you attempt to browse another machine's shared folders over a network, Windows XP attempts to check for any relevant scheduled tasks on the remote machine before providing a list of shared folders. This can add a significant delay to your browsing time. Using the registry, you can disable this somewhat pointless behaviour.

To do this open Regedit and navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Cur rentVersion\Explorer\Remote Computer\Namespace.

Delete the key '{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}' Close Regedit and restart.

93. Get the Most out of Your Wireless Network

Got a wireless network? Not happy with the performance? Remember that WiFi is a radio technology with a limited range and can be considerably affected by obstacles like walls or ceilings. Get the most out of your wireless with these positioning tips.

Locate your wireless AP centrally: Don't put your AP next to an outside wall. Put it as close to the middle of your home or office as you can. In this way, you get more of the signal and others get less…

Keep your antenna up: Generally speaking, the higher the antenna is on your wireless AP and adaptors, the better the reception will be.

Keep wireless out of the kitchen: Other 2.4 GHz devices can really mess up wireless signals, especially microwave ovens. Cordless phones can also have an impact. Keep this in mind when placing your devices.

Obstacles to your signal: Metal objects or surfaces provide the biggest obstacle to WiFi performance. Keep your AP and wireless adaptors away from such things as much as possible.

[Tyler]

94. Benchmark Your Wireless Connection

If you really want to get the most out of your wireless connection, you can benchmark it with the handy (and free) Qcheck program available here. Using this software, you can analyze the performance of your AP and wireless adaptors in different locations throughout your home or office.

95. Fixing the 'Guest Only' Network Access Problem

A fairly common XP networking issue is the 'guest access only' problem. The major symptom is only having the (computername)/Guest account available to you when you attempt to connect to other systems on your network. The cause is generally a misconfigured local security policy.

To fix this annoying networking issue, you will need to go to 'start\control panel\performance and maintenance\administrative tools' and open 'local security policies.'

Expand 'local policies' followed by 'security options,' highlight 'network access: sharing and security model for local accounts and set it to 'classic - local users log in as themselves.'

96. Hiding Your Computer From Other Systems in the Same Network

If you are on a network you do not really trust, and would like to hide your computer from curious eyes while still being able to share files, one simple solution is to conceal your system from the 'network neighborhood' type applications.

Normally in Windows XP, the 'workgroup computers' command executed from the 'my network places' screen will bring up a list of any systems in the same network and workgroup as your system, and allow you to browse any shared resources on these systems. If you would like to stop your system from showing up in this location, bring up the command prompt ('start\run' and type 'cmd') and type 'net config server /hidden:yes.'

97. Share Multiple Folders Quickly in Windows XP

Normally, sharing folders over a network involves right clicking on each folder and setting individual share options for that folder. If you need to share a lot of information, this can get tiresome fast. Fortunately there is a shared files wizard included with XP that can increase the speed of this operation greatly.

To use this wizard, go to 'start\run' and type 'shrpubw.exe.'

From this window, you can type in or browse to the location of the folder you wish to share and enter the share name. You will then be prompted to set permissions.

[Tyler]

98. Change Web Page Font Size Automatically

Here's a quick Internet Explorer tip which you might find worthwhile if you sometimes have trouble reading website text. By holding down the CTRL key and moving your mouse's scroll wheel in IE, you can increase or decrease the font size of the text on most web pages.

99. Open Web Pages in a New Window Quickly

Another quick and handy Internet Explorer tip. To open links in a new window, simply hold down the SHIFT key as you click on them.

100. Don't Have Anti-Virus Software? Check Your PC for Viruses Online

If you don't currently have anti-virus software installed, and your computer is behaving oddly, you can check for virus infections online at a number of different anti-virus manufacturer's websites. Most only offer scans, not full virus removal, but some do both.

These are not a substitute for a full Anti-virus software package, but they are much, much better than nothing. Remember to download an anti-spyware utility like Ad-Aware and check for spyware as well.

Some free online virus scan utilities:
Panda Activescan
Bit Defender
RAV antivirus
Symantec security scan (scan only)
Trend Micro Housecall (scan only)
Computer associates

101. Save Web Pages for Offline Viewing

There are a couple of ways to save your favourite web pages for viewing when you are not connected to the Internet. The most direct method is to save the current web page using the 'file\save as' option.

This will save the current page in one of four formats, accessed via the 'save as type' dropdown box in the save dialog: 'Web page, complete' will save all of the contents of the current web page, including graphics, animations, etc. It will create a folder at the save location which holds these extras in addition to the file for the website itself. 'Web archive, single file' saves the complete page as a single compressed file which can be opened by IE directly.

The last two modes, html only and text only store just the basic contents of the page in either html or text only format.

The better method for accessing web pages offline, especially if you regularly access them, is to add them to your favourites list and check the 'make this page available offline' option. Internet Explorer will then download and store the page on your system at regular intervals when connected. You can use the 'customize' button to specify whether links on the page will also be downloaded and stored for offline access, and how many.

[Tyler]

102. Easier Searches and Popup Suppression with the Google Toolbar

The Google search engine's free toolbar application is a great way to have the useful search website close at hand without having to set them as your homepage. The toolbar sits below your address bar in IE and contains a field where you can type Google searches directly. As an added bonus, it also contains a popup blocker similar to that seen in the SP2 version of Internet Explorer, plus a few other neat features.

Note that while this toolbar does not install spyware, it does contain features which depending on your viewpoint, you may view as an invasion of privacy. It updates automatically with Google and will report (anonymously) on your browsing habits.

103. Address Shortcut for Internet Explorer

Here's a nifty and quick keyboard shortcut for Internet Explorer. Press ALT+D to move the cursor to the address bar instantly and highlight all text so that typing will immediately start a new address.

104. Remove Microsoft Java VM and Install Sun Java

Given that Microsoft's implementation of Java is flawed and no longer supported, if you intend to play games or visit web sites that require Java functionality on your machine, you'd do well to uninstall the Microsoft Java VM (Virtual Machine) and install the 'official' Java code from Sun Microsystems.

To do this go to 'start\run' and type 'RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection java.inf,UnInstall'
Hit 'yes' to confirm the removal, then reboot when prompted. You may also need to remove the following items manually:

- c:\java (folder)
- java.PNF from the C:\windows\inf folder (file)
- jview.exe and wjview.exe from the c:\windows\system32 folder (files)
- The subkey 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Java _VM' from the registry.
- The subkey 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\InternetExp lorer\AdvancedOptions\JAVA_VM' from the registry.

Now you can download Sun's version of Java from here.

Originally written by: Mike Dowler