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Windows XP Tips 'n'
Tricks -
posted by "teck" at ISONEWS.COM
=========================
Please note that some of these tips
require you to use a Registry Editor (regedit.exe),which could render your
system unusable. Thus, none of these tips are supported in any way: Also
note that most of these tips will require you to be logged on with
Administrative rights. Please do not e-mail me for tech support on any of these
tweaks. Use them at your own risk.
Unlocking WinXP's setupp.ini
=========================
WinXP's setupp.ini controls how the CD acts. IE is it an OEM version or
retail? First, find your setupp.ini file in the i386 directory on your WinXP CD.
Open it up, it'll look something like this:
ExtraData=707A667567736F696F697911AE7E05
Pid=55034000
The Pid value is what we're interested in. What's there
now looks like a standard default. There are special numbers that determine if
it's a retail, oem, or volume license edition. First, we break down that number
into two parts. The first five digits determines how the CD will behave, ie is
it a retail cd that lets you clean install or upgrade, or an oem cd that only
lets you perform a clean install? The last three digits determines what CD key
it will accept. You are able to mix and match these values. For example you
could make a WinXP cd that acted like a retail cd, yet accepted OEM keys. Now,
for the actual values. Remember the first and last values are interchangable,
but usually you'd keep them as a pair:
Retail = 51882 335
Volume License = 51883 270
OEM = 82503 OEM
So if you wanted a retail CD that took retail keys, the last line of your
setupp.ini file would read:
Pid=51882335
And if you wanted a retail CD that took OEM keys, you'd use:
Pid=51882OEM
Rip high-quality MP3s in Windows Media Player 8
=========================
The relationship between Windows Media Player 8 and the MP3 audio format is
widely misunderstood. Basically, WMP8 will be able to playback MP3 files, but
encoding (or "ripping" CD audio into MP3 format will require an MP3
plug-in. So during the Windows XP beta, Microsoft is supplying a sample MP3
plug-in for testing purposes, but it's limited to 56 Kbps rips, which is pretty
useless. However, if you have an externally installed MP3 codec, you can use
WMP8 to rip at higher bit rates. But you'll have to edit the Registry to make
this work.
Fire up the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ MediaPlayer \ Settings \ MP3Encoding
Here, you'll see sub-keys for LowRate and LowRateSample,
which of course equates to the single 56 Kbps sample rate you see in WMP8. To
get better sampling rates, try adding the following keys (Using New then DWORD
value):
"LowRate" = DWORD value of 0000dac0
"MediumRate" = DWORD value of 0000fa00
"MediumHighRate" = DWORD value of 0001f400
"HighRate" = DWORD value of 0002ee00
Now, when you launch WMP8 and go into Tools, then
Options, then Copy Music, you will have four encoding choices for MP3: 56 Kbps,
64 Kbps, 128 Kbps, and 192 Kbps. Note that you will not get higher bit rate
encoding unless you have installed an MP3 codec separately; the version in
Windows Media Player 8 is limited to 56 Kbps only.
Find the appropriate location in the Registry... ...add a few DWORD values...
...And then you'll be ripping CDs in higher-quality MP3 format!
ENABLE HIDDEN PROGRAM UNINSTALLATION
=========================
Add/Remove optional features of Windows XP
=========================
To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows XP
after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct drive
letter for your version of Windows) and open the sysoc.inf file. Under Windows
XP Professional Edition RC1, this file will resemble the following by default:
[Version] Signature = "$Windows NT$"
DriverVer=06/26/2001,5.1.2505.0
[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk. cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm. dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext. dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
msnexplr=ocmsn.dll,OcEntry,msnmsn.inf,,7
smarttgs=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,msnsl.inf,,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7
[Global]
WindowTitle=%WindowTitle%
WindowTitle.StandAlone="*"
The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not
show up in Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global
search and replace for ,hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma).
Then, save the file, relaunch Add/Remove Windows Components, and tweak the
installed applications to your heart's content.
Cool, eh? There are even more new options now under
"Accessories and Utilities" too.
Create a Shortcut to Lock Your Computer
=========================
Leaving your computer in a hurry but you don’t want to log off? You can
double-click a shortcut on your desktop to quickly lock the keyboard and display
without using CTRL+ALT+DEL or a screensaver.
To create a shortcut on your desktop to lock your
computer:
Right-click the desktop.
Point to New, and then click Shortcut.
The Create Shortcut Wizard opens. In the text box, type the following:
rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
Click Next.
Enter a name for the shortcut. You can call it "Lock Workstation" or
choose any name you like.
Click Finish.
You can also change the shortcut's icon (my personal
favorite is the padlock icon in shell32.dll).
To change the icon:
Right click the shortcut and then select Properties.
Click the Shortcut tab, and then click the Change Icon button.
In the Look for icons in this file text box, type:
Shell32.dll.
Click OK.
Select one of the icons from the list and then click OK
You could also give it a shortcut keystroke such
CTRL+ALT+L. This would save you only one keystroke from the normal command, but
it could be more convenient.
Create a Shortcut to Start Remote Desktop
=========================
Tip: You can add a shortcut to the desktop of your home computer to quickly
start Remote Desktop and connect to your office computer.
To create a shortcut icon to start Remote Desktop
Click Start, point to More Programs, point to
Accessories, point to Communications, and then click on Remote Desktop
Connection.
Click Options.
Configure settings for the connection to your office computer.
Click Save As, and enter a name, such as Office Computer. Click Save.
Open the Remote Desktops folder.
Right-click on the file named Office Computer, and then click Create Shortcut.
Drag the shortcut onto the desktop of your home computer.
To start Remote Desktop and connect to your office computer, double-click on the
shortcut
Instantly Activate a Screensaver
=========================
Turn on a screensaver without having to wait by adding a shortcut to your
desktop:
Click the Start button, and then click Search.
In the Search Companion window, click All file types.
In the file name box, type *.scr
In the Look in box, choose Local Hard Drives (C or the drive where you have
system files stored on your computer.
Click Search.
You will see a list of screensavers in the results. Pick a screensaver you want.
You can preview it by double-clicking it.
Right click on the file, choose Send To, and then click Desktop (create
shortcut).
To activate the screensaver, double-click the icon on your desktop
How do I get the "Administrator" name on Welcome Screen?
=========================
To get Admin account on the "Welcome Screen" as well as the other
usernames, make sure that there are no accounts logged in.
Press "ctrl-alt-del" twice and you should be
able to login as administrator!
finally worked for me after i found out that all
accounts have to be logged out first
Fix Movie Inteferance in AVI files
=========================
If you have any AVI files that you saved in Windows 9x, which have interference
when opened in Windows XP, there is an easy fix to get rid of the interference:
Open Windows Movie Maker.
Click View and then click Options.
Click in the box to remove the check mark beside Automatically create clips.
Now, import the movie file that has interference and
drag it onto the timeline. Then save the movie, and during the rerendering, the
interference will be removed.
Create a Password Reset Disk
=========================
If you’re running Windows XP Professional as a local user in a workgroup
environment, you can create a password reset disk to log onto your computer when
you forget your password. To create the disk:
Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User
Accounts.
Click your account name.
Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password.
Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard
to create a password reset disk.
Store the disk in a secure location, because anyone
using it can access your local user account
Change Web Page Font Size on the Fly
=========================
If your mouse contains a wheel for scrolling, you can change font size on the
fly when viewing a Web page. To do so:
Press and hold Ctrl. Scroll down (or towards yourself)
to enlarge the font size. Scroll up (or away from yourself) to reduce the font
size.
You might find it useful to reduce font size when
printing a Web page, so that you can fit more content on the page.
WinXP Clear Page file on shutdown
=========================
WINXPCPS.REG (WinXP Clear Page file on shutdown)
This Registration (.REG) file clears the Page file when
you power off the computer.
Restart Windows for these changes to take effect!
ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES!
Browse to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \
CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Session Manager \ Memory Management
and add the DWORD variable "ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000001
You can also do this without reg hacking.
Go to Control panel Administartative tools, local security policy. then goto
local policies ---> security options.
Then change the option for "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"
Speed up the Start Menu
=======================
The default speed of the Start Menu is pretty slow, but
you can fix that by editing a Registry Key. Fire up the Registry Editor and
navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay
By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller
value, such as 0, to speed it up.
Speed up the Start Menu (Part two)
=========================
If your confounded by the slow speed of the Start Menu, even after using the tip
above, then you might try the following: Navigate to Display Properties then
Appearance then Advanced and turn off the option titled Show menu shadow . You
will get much better overall performance.
Speed up Internet Explorer 6 Favorites
=========================
For some reason, the Favorites menu in IE 6 seems to slow down dramatically
sometimes--I've noticed this happens when you install Tweak UI 1.33, for
example, and when you use the preview tip to speed up the Start menu. But here's
a fix for the problem that does work, though it's unclear why:
Just open a command line window (Start button -> Run -> cmd) and type sfc,
then hit ENTER. This command line runs the System File Checker, which performs a
number of services, all of which are completely unrelated to IE 6. But there you
go: It works.
Group Policy for Windows XP
=========================
One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden
right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists. It's
called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short. To invoke this
editor, select Start and then Run, then type the following:
gpedit.msc
After you hit ENTER, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which
lets you modify virtually every feature in Windows XP without having to resort
to regedit. Dig around and enjoy!
Forgetting What Your Files Are?
=========================
This procedure works under NTFS.
As times goes along you have a lot files on your
computer. You are going to forget what they are. Well here is way to identify
them as you scroll through Windows Explorer in the future.
This procedure works under NTFS.
1.. Open up a folder on your system that you want to keep track of the different
files you might one to identify in the future.
2.. Under View make certain that you set it to the Details.
3.. Highlight the file you want to keep more information on. Right click the
file and you will get a pop up menu. Click on properties.
4.. Click on the Summary Tab (make sure it says simple not advanced on the
button in the box), You should now get the following fields,
Title,Subject, Author, Category, Keywords, Comments
You will see advanced also if you have changed it to simple, Here will be other
fields you can fill in.
5.. Next you can fill in what ever field you want.
6.. After you finished click the apply button then OK.
7.. Next right click the bar above your files, under the address bar and you
should get a drop down menu. Here you can click the fields you want to display.
8.. You should now see a list with the new fields and any comments you have
done.
9.. Now if you want to sort these just right click a blank spot and then you
sort the information to your liking
Add a Map Drive Button to the Toolbar
=========================
Do you want to quickly map a drive, but can’t find the toolbar button? If you
map drives often, use one of these options to add a Map Drive button to the
folder toolbar.
Option One (Long Term Fix)
Click Start, click My Computer, right-click the
toolbar, then unlock the toolbars, if necessary.
Right-click the toolbar again, and then click
Customize.
Under Available toolbar buttons, locate Map Drive, and
drag it into the position you want on the right under Current toolbar buttons.
Click Close, click OK, and then click OK again.
You now have drive mapping buttons on your toolbar, so
you can map drives from any folder window. To unmap drives, follow the above
procedure, selecting Disconnect under Available toolbar buttons. To quickly map
a drive, try this option.
Option Two (Quick Fix)
Click Start, and right-click My Computer.
Click Map Network Drive.
If you place your My Computer icon directly on the desktop, you can make this
move in only two clicks!
Temporarily Assign Yourself Administrative
Permissions
=========================
Many programs require you to have Administrative permissions to be able to
install them. Here is an easy way to temporarily assign yourself Administrative
permissions while you remain logged in as a normal user.
Hold down the Shift key as you right-click on the
program’s setup file.
Click Run as.
Type in a username and password that have Administrative permissions.
This will also work on applications in the Start menu.
Software not installing?
========================
If you have a piece of software that refuses to install because it says that you
are not running Windows 2000 (such as the Win2K drivers for a Mustek scanner!!)
you can simply edit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion/ProductName
to say Microsoft Windows 2000 instead of XP and it will install. You may also
have to edit the version number or build number, depending on how hard the
program tries to verify that you are installing on the correct OS. I had to do
this for my Mustek 600 CP scanner (compatibility mode didn''t help!!!) and it
worked great, so I now have my scanner working with XP (and a tech at Mustek can
now eat his words).
BTW, don''t forget to restore any changes you make
after you get your software installed
You do this at your own risk.
Use your Windows Key
====================
The Windows logo key, located in the bottom row of most computer keyboards is a
little-used treasure. Don''t ignore it. It is the shortcut anchor for the
following commands:
Windows: Display the Start menu
Windows + D: Minimize or restore all windows
Windows + E: Display Windows Explorer
Windows + F: Display Search for files
Windows + Ctrl + F: Display Search for computer
Windows + F1: Display Help and Support Center
Windows + R: Display Run dialog box
Windows + break: Display System Properties dialog box
Windows + shift + M: Undo minimize all windows
Windows + L: Lock the workstation
Windows + U: Open Utility Manager
Windows + Q: Quick switching of users (Powertoys only)
Windows + Q: Hold Windows Key, then tap Q to scroll thru the different users on
your pc
Change your CD Key
==================
You don't need to re-install if you want to try the key out ... just do this:
1. Go to Activate Windows
2. Select the Telephone option
3. Click "Change Product Key"
4. Enter xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx ( your 25 character product key)
5. Click "Update"
Now log off and log back in again. It should now show
60 days left, minus the number of days it had already counted down.
Note: If your crack de-activated REGWIZC.DLL and LICDLL.DLL, you are going to
have to re-register them.
Remove the Shared Documents folders from My Computer
=========================
One of the most annoying things about the new Windows XP user interface is that
Microsoft saw fit to provide links to all of the Shared Documents folders on
your system, right at the top of the My Computer window. I can't imagine why
this would be the default, even in a shared PC environment at home, but what's
even more annoying is that you cannot change this behavior through the shell
: Those icons are stuck there and you have to live with it.
Until now, that is.
Simply fire up the Registry Editor and navigate to the
following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
\ My Computer \ NameSpace \ DelegateFolders
You'll see a sub-key named
{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. If you delete this, all of the Shared
Documents folders (which are normally under the group called "Other Files
Stored on This Computer" will be gone.
You do not need to reboot your system to see the
change.
Before: A cluttered mess with icons no one will ever use (especially that
orphaned one). After: Simplicity itself, and the way it should be by default.
Do an unattended installation
=========================
The Windows XP Setup routine is much nicer than that in Windows 2000 or Windows
Me, but it's still an hour-long process that forces you to sit in front of your
computer for an hour, answering dialog boxes and typing in product keys. But
Windows XP picks up one of the more useful features from Windows 2000, the
ability to do an unattended installation, so you can simply prepare a script
that will answer all those dialogs for you and let you spend some quality time
with your family.
I've written about Windows 2000 unattended installations and the process is
pretty much identical on Windows XP, so please read that article carefully
before proceeding. And you need to be aware that this feature is designed for a
standalone Windows XP system: If you want to dual-boot Windows XP with another
OS, you're going to have to go through the interactive Setup just like everyone
else: An unattended install will wipe out your hard drive and install only
Windows XP, usually.
To perform an unattended installation, you just need to
work with the Setup Manager, which is located on the Windows XP CD-ROM in D:\SupportTools\DEPLOY.CAB
by default: Extract the contents of this file and you'll find a number of useful
tools and help files; the one we're interested in is named setupmgr.exe. This is
a very simple wizard application that will walk you through the process of
creating an answer file called winnt.sif that can be used to guide Windows XP
Setup through the unattended installation.
One final tip: There's one thing that Setup Manager
doesn't add: Your product key. However, you can add this to the unattend.txt
file manually. Simply open the file in Notepad and add the following line under
the [UserData] section:
ProductID=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx ( your 25
character product key)
Then, just copy winnt.sif to a floppy, put your Windows
XP CD-ROM in the CD drive, and reboot: When the CD auto-boots, it will look for
the unattend.txt file in *** automatically, and use it to answer the Setup
questions if it's there.
Finally, please remember that this will wipe out your
system! Back up first, and spend some time with the help files in DEPLOY.CAB
before proceeding.
Enable ClearType on the Welcome Screen!
=========================
As laptop users and other LCD owners are quickly realizing, Microsoft's
ClearType technology in Windows XP really makes a big difference for
readability. But the this feature is enabled on a per-user basis in Windows XP,
so you can't see the effect on the Welcome screen; it only appears after you
logon.
But you can fix that. Fire up the Registry Editor and
look for the following keys:
(default user) HKEY_USERS \ .Default \ Control Panel \
Desktop \ FontSmoothing (String Value)
HKEY_USERS \ .Default \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ FontSmoothingType (Hexadecimal
DWORD Value)
Make sure both of these values are set to 2 and you'll
have ClearType enabled on the Welcome screen and on each new user by default.
Stop Windows Messenger from Auto-Starting
=========================
If you're not a big fan of Windows Messenger simply delete the following
Registry Key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Softwar
e\Microsoft\Windows\Curre
ntVersion\Run\MSMSGS
Display Hibernate Option on the Shut Down dialog
=========================
For some reason, Hibernate may not be available from the default Shut Down
dialog. But you can enable it simply enough, by holding down the SHIFT key while
the dialog is visible. Now you see it, now you don't!
Add album art to any music folder
=========================
One of the coolest new features in Windows XP is its album thumbnail generator,
which automatically places the appropriate album cover art on the folder to
which you are copying music (generally in WMA format). But what about those
people that have already copied their CDs to the hard drive using MP3 format?
You can download album cover art from sites such as cdnow.com or amguide.com,
and then use the new Windows XP folder customize feature to display the proper
image for each folder. But this takes time--you have to manually edit the folder
properties for every single folder--and you will lose customizations if you have
to reinstall the OS. There's an excellent fix, however.
When you download the album cover art from the Web,
just save the images as folder.jpg each time and place them in the appropriate
folder. Then, Windows XP will automatically use that image as the thumbnail for
that folder and, best of all, will use that image in Windows Media Player for
Windows XP (MPXP) if you choose to display album cover art instead of a
visualization. And the folder customization is automatic, so it survives an OS
reinstallation as well. Your music folders never looked so good!
Album cover art makes music folder thumbnails look
better than ever!
Remove Windows Messenger
========================
It seems that a lot of people are interested in removing Windows Messenger for
some reason, though I strongly recommend against this: In Windows XP, Windows
Messenger will be the hub of your connection to the .NET world, and now that
this feature is part of Windows, I think we're going to see a lot of .NET
Passport-enabled Web sites appearing as well. But if you can't stand the little
app, there are a couple of ways to get rid of it, and ensure that it doesn't pop
up every time you boot into XP. The best way simply utilizes the previous tip:
If you'd like Windows Messenger to show up in the list
of programs you can add and remove from Windows, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf
(substituting the correct drive letter for your version of Windows) and open
sysoc.inf (see the previous tip for more information about this file). You'll
see a line that reads:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Change this to the following and Windows Messenger will
appear in Add or Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows Components, then , and
you can remove it for good:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
MASSIVE FILE RENAMING
=========================
A new, small, neat feature for winXP deals with renaming files. I personally
have always wanted the OS to include a way to do a mass file renaming on a bunch
of files. You can now rename multiple files at once in WinXP. Its real simple:
Select several files in Explorer, press F2 and rename
one of those files to something else. All the selected files get renamed to the
new file name (plus a number added to the end).
ASPI LAYER
=========================
WinXP does not come with an aspi layer. So far almost 90% of the problems with
winXP and CD burning software are aspi layer problems. After installing winXP,
before installing any CD burning software do a few things first:
1. Open up "My computer" and right click on
the CD Recorder. If your CD recorder was detected as a CD recorder there will be
a tab called "Recording". On this tab uncheck ALL of the boxes. apply
or OK out of it and close my computer.
2. Next install the standard aspi layer for NT. Reboot
when asked.
That is after the reboot you can install any of the
currently working cd recording applications with no problems. If using CD
Creator do not install direct CD or Take two as they are currently incompatable
but Roxio has promised a fix as soon as XP is released.
-note also see the aspi layer link at bottom
NETWORK THROUGHPUT
=========================
may or may not work, depends on your configuration. add the Dword values shown
below increases the number of buffers that the redirector reserves for network
performance it may increase your network throughput. the range is 0-255. It is
set at 100 here. make MaxCmds & MaxThreads have same value. The default is
15
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters]
"MaxCmds"=dword:00000064
"MaxThreads"=dword:00000064
as always - editing the registry can cause serious
problems. If you don't know what your doing then don't do it.
INTERNET EXPLORER TASKBAR PROPERTIES
=========================
WinXP will group multiple open windows (IE windows for example) into one group
on the task bar to keep the desktop clear. This can be annoying at times -
especially when comparing different web pages because you have to go back to the
task bar, click on the group and then click on the page you want and then you
only get one page because you have to click on each one separately. I think the
default for this is 8 windows - any combination of apps or utilities open.
You can modify this behaviour by adding this reg key at:
Change number of windows that are open before XP will
start grouping them on the Taskbar
HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
add reg_Dword "TaskbarGroupSize"
modify "TaskbarGroupSize" entry to be the
number of windows you want open before XP starts to group them on the task bar.
A value of 2 will cause the Taskbar buttons to always group
DNS CACHING
=========================
when you connect to a web site your computer sends information back and forth,
this is obvious. Some of this information deals with resolving the site name to
an IP address, the stuff that tcp/ip really deals with, not words. This is DNS
information and is used so that you will not need to ask for the site location
each and every time you visit the site. Although WinXP and win2000 has a pretty
efficient DNS cache, you can increase its overall performance by increasing its
size.
You can do this with the registry entries below:
************begin copy and paste***********
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTE
M\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters]
"CacheHashTableBucketSize"=dword:00000001
"CacheHashTableSize"=dword:00000180
"MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000fa00
"MaxSOACacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000012d
************end copy and paste***********
make a new text file and rename it to dnscache.reg. The
copy and paste the above into it and save it. Then merge it into the registry.
BROADBAND
=========================
this ones simple:
this is for broad band connections. I didn't try it on
dial up but might work for dial up.
1.make sure your logged on as actually
"Administrator". do not log on with any account that just has
administrator privileges.
2. start - run - type gpedit.msc
3. expand the "local computer policy" branch
4. expand the "administrative templates" branch
5. expand the "network branch"
6. Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in left window
7. in right window double click the "limit reservable bandwidth"
setting
8. on setting tab check the "enabled" item
9. where it says "Bandwidth limit %" change it to read 0 reboot if you
want to but not necessary on some systems
your all done. Effect is immediate on some systems. some need re-boot. I have
one machine that needs to reboot first, the others didn't. Don't know why this
is.
This is more of a "counter what XP does" thing. In other words, XP
seems to want to reserve 20% of the bandwidth for its self. Even with QoS
disabled, even when this item is disabled. So why not use it to your advantage.
To demonstrate the problem with this on stand alone machines start up a big
download from a server with an FTP client. Try to find a server that doesn't max
out your bandwidth. In this case you want a slow to medium speed server to
demonstrate this. Let it run for a couple of minutes to get stable. The start up
another download from the same server with another instance of your FTP client.
You will notice that the available bandwidth is now being fought over and one of
the clients download will be very slow or both will slow down when they should
both be using the available bandwidth. Using this "tweak" both clients
will have a fair share of the bandwidth and will not fight over the bandwidth.
BROADBAND CABLE
=========================
This tweak is for broad band cable connections on stand alone machines with
winXP professional version - might work on Home version also. It will probably
work with networked machines as well but I haven't tried it in that
configuration.
This is for winXP only, it does not work on win2000.
In the referenced post I mentioned removing the PSched
registry entry. This way however is better and gives a noticeable connection
speed increase. I use 3 Com cards so I don't know how it works on others at this
point. I have others but I didn't test on them. It does not involve editing the
registry. This tweak assumes that you have let winXP create a connection on
install for your cable modem/NIC combination and that your connection has tcp/ip
- QoS - file and print sharing - and client for microsoft networks , only,
installed. It also assumes that winxp will detect your NIC and has in-box
drivers for it. If it doesn't do not try this.
Install the speed tweaks from the above referenced post
if you want. The change this tweak makes is noticible without them.
Before beginning:
A. in the "My Network Places" properties
(right click on the desktop icon and choose properties), highlight the
connection then at the menu bar choose "Advanced" then "Advanced
Settings". Uncheck the two boxes in the lower half for the bindings for
File and Printer sharing and Client for MS networks. Click OK
B. Continue as indicated below
steps:
1. from the winXP cd in the support directory from the support cab, extract the
file netcap.exe and place it in a directory on your hard drive or even in the
root of your C:\ drive.
2. next, open up a command prompt window and change
directories to where you put netcap.exe. then type "netcap/?". It will
list some commands that are available for netcap and a netmon driver will be
installed. At the bottom you will see your adapters. You should see two of them
if using a 3Com card. One will be for LAN and the other will be for WAN
something or other.
3. Next type "netcap/Remove". This will
remove the netmon driver.
4. Open up control panel / system / dev man and look at
your network adapters. You should now see two of them and one will have a yellow
! on it. Right click on the one without the yellow ! and choose uninstall. YES!
you are uninstalling your network adapter, continue with the uninstall. Do not
restart yet.
5. Check your connection properties to make sure that
no connection exists. If you get a wizard just cancel out of it.
6. Now re-start the machine.
7. After re-start go to your connection properties
again and you should have a new connection called "Local area connection
2". highlight the connection then at the menu bar choose
"Advanced" then "Advanced Settings". Uncheck the two boxes
in the lower half for the bindings for File and Printer sharing and Client for
MS networks. Click OK.
8. Choose connection properties and uncheck the "QOS"
box
9. re- start the machine
10 after restart enjoy the increased responsiveness of
IE, faster page loading, and a connection speed boost.
Why it works:
It seems that winXP, in its zeal to make sure every
base is covered installs two separate versions of the NIC card. One you do not
normally see in any properties. Remember the "netcap/?" command above
showing two different adapters? The LAN one is the one you see. The invisible
one loads everything down and its like your running two separate cards together,
sharing a connection among two cards. this method breaks this "bond"
and allows the NIC to run un-hindered.
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