How to Hide the drives(c:,d:,e:,a:…etc)
How to Hide the drives(c:,d:,e:,a:…etc)
This is a great trick you can play on your friends. To disable the display of local or networked drives when you click My Computer

1.Go to start->run.Type regedit.Now go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Now in the right pane create a new DWORD item and name it NoDrives(it is case sensitive). Now modify it’s value and set it to 3FFFFFF (Hexadecimal) .Now restart your computer. So, now when you click on My Computer, no drives will be shown(all gone…). To enable display of drives in My Computer, simply delete this DWORD item that you created.Again restart your computer.You can now see all the drives again.

SPEED UP UR RAM
Clean Ur RAMU may recognize that ur system gets slower and slower when playing and working a lot with ur pc. That’s cause ur RAM is full of remaining progress pieces u do not need any more.
So create a new text file on ur desktop and call it .. uhm.. “RAMcleaner” or something…
Type
FreeMem=Space(64000000)in this file and save it as RAMcleaner.vbs [ You may choose the "All Files" option when u save it ]
Run the file and ur RAM may be cleaned :>Of course u can edit the code in the file for a greater “cleaning-progress”.
FreeMem=Space(1280000000)
just try it out.. it worked for m

As my project work requires writing and running codes, I generally have at least one Windows command prompt open. If this is the case with you then it is much faster to manage your windows processes from command prompt than to open up the Task Manager, just like we do on Linux using “ps” and “kill” command. Get to know the following commands and you can easily use the command prompt to see and kill processes.

1. Tasklist : This command is similar to “ps” command on Linux and is used to see the details of the programs and processes that are running in Windows. Tasklist can be applied to see how much memory and CPU time running processes are using, what DLL files they rely on, and other information. Thus it can be a very useful troubleshooting tool.

• Processes info: When you enter tasklist on the command prompt, you can see the following informations by default. Image Name, PID, Session Name, Session#, Mem Usage
• Processes detailed info: Additional info like, Status, User Name, CPU Time, Window Title can be displayed using tasklist /v
• Services and Processes info: Use tasklist /svc to get a table relating Image Name, PID, and Services, very useful to know the relationship between a process and the services that are running on a system.
• dlls and Processes info: Tasks and Use tasklist /m to find which DLLs are used by each process.
• Filtering processes: Processes can be filtered using ImageName, PID, MemUsage, Status, Username and WindowTitle. For Example,
  • Use the following command to to find processes that are not responding.
    • tasklist /fi "status eq not responding"
  • Use the folliwing to list the processes eating up more than 10MB.
    • tasklist /fi "memusage gt 10000"
• More Info: To get more info on advanced syntax of the command use tasklist /? or refer to Microsoft’s documentation.

(NOTE: Although Tasklist is a part of Windows XP Professional, it does not come with the Home edition. Those with the Home version of XP can download this file and can put it in the system path.)

2. Tskill : This command is used to end a process, using its name of its PID.

• Kill with name: Use tskill processname to kill a process with name processname. For example:
  • tskill winword (closes all the Microsoft documents that you have open)
• Kill with PID : Similarly use tskill processid to kill a process with PID processid. Tasklist can be used to find the PID of a process.
• More Info: To get more info on advanced syntax of the command use tskill /? or refer to Microsoft’s documentation.

(NOTE: Tskill is a part of both Windows XP Professional and the Home edition.)

3. Taskkill : Similar to Tskill, this command is also used to end a process but it provides us more options in doing so. Apart from specifying the PID or the image name of the process to kill, we can also use ceratin filters to kill the matching processes as explained below.

• Kill with name: Use taskill /IM imagename to kill a process with the given Image name. For example:
  • taskkill /im notepad.exe /f (forces notepad to be killed.)
• Kill with PID : Use taskill /PID processid to kill a process with the given processid.
• Filtering Taskkill: Processes to be killed can be filtered using ImageName, PID, MemUsage, CPUTime, Session, Status, Username, WindowTitle, Services or Modules (dll). For Example,
  • Use the following command to forcefully shut down all the processes that are not responding.
    • taskkill /f /fi "status eq not responding"
  • Use the folliwing to close down all programs using more than 10 MB..
    • taskkill /f /fi "memusage gt 10000"
• More Info: To get more info on advanced syntax of the command use taskkill /? or refer to Microsoft’s documentation.

(NOTE: Taskkill is only a part of Windows XP Professional.)

Go on, show the power of your commands to the processes. Happy killing them.

(Extra Note (Added for my own safety) : I am not responsible if anything goes wrong, while trying out the commands given here.)

Windows shortcuts, Run commands ...

Run Commands
-----------------------------------------------------------
compmgmt.msc - Computer management
devmgmt.msc - Device manager
diskmgmt.msc - Disk management
dfrg.msc - Disk defrag
eventvwr.msc - Event viewer
fsmgmt.msc - Shared folders
gpedit.msc - Group policies
lusrmgr.msc - Local users and groups
perfmon.msc - Performance monitor
rsop.msc - Resultant set of policies
secpol.msc - Local security settings
services.msc - Various Services
msconfig - System Configuration Utility
regedit - Registry Editor
msinfo32 _ System Information
sysedit _ System Edit
win.ini _ windows loading information(also system.ini)
winver _ Shows current version of windows
mailto: _ Opens default email client
command _ Opens command prompt

Run Commands to access the control panel
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Add/Remove Programs control appwiz.cpl
Date/Time Properties control timedate.cpl
Display Properties control desk.cpl
FindFast control findfast.cpl
Fonts Folder control fonts
Internet Properties control inetcpl.cpl
Keyboard Properties control main.cpl keyboard
Mouse Properties control main.cpl
Multimedia Properties control mmsys.cpl
Network Properties control netcpl.cpl
Password Properties control password.cpl
Printers Folder control printers
Sound Properties control mmsys.cpl sounds
System Properties control sysdm.cpl


Command Prompt
--------------------------------------------------------------
ANSI.SYS Defines functions that change display graphics, control cursor movement, and reassign keys.
APPEND Causes MS-DOS to look in other directories when editing a file or running a command.
ARP Displays, adds, and removes arp information from network devices.
ASSIGN Assign a drive letter to an alternate letter.
ASSOC View the file associations.
AT Schedule a time to execute commands or programs.
ATMADM Lists connections and addresses seen by Windows ATM call manager.
ATTRIB Display and change file attributes.
BATCH Recovery console command that executes a series of commands in a file.
BOOTCFG Recovery console command that allows a user to view, modify, and rebuild the boot.ini
BREAK Enable / disable CTRL + C feature.
CACLS View and modify file ACL's.
CALL Calls a batch file from another batch file.
CD Changes directories.
CHCP Supplement the International keyboard and character set information.
CHDIR Changes directories.
CHKDSK Check the hard disk drive running FAT for errors.
CHKNTFS Check the hard disk drive running NTFS for errors.
CHOICE Specify a listing of multiple options within a batch file.
CLS Clears the screen.
CMD Opens the command interpreter.
COLOR Easily change the foreground and background color of the MS-DOS window.
COMP Compares files.
COMPACT Compresses and uncompress files.
CONTROL Open control panel icons from the MS-DOS prompt.
CONVERT Convert FAT to NTFS.
COPY Copy one or more files to an alternate location.
CTTY Change the computers input/output devices.
DATE View or change the systems date.
DEBUG Debug utility to create assembly programs to modify hardware settings.
DEFRAG Re-arrange the hard disk drive to help with loading programs.
DEL Deletes one or more files.
DELETE Recovery console command that deletes a file.
DELTREE Deletes one or more files and/or directories.
DIR List the contents of one or more directory.
DISABLE Recovery console command that disables Windows system services or drivers.
DISKCOMP Compare a disk with another disk.
DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one disk and place them on another disk.
DOSKEY Command to view and execute commands that have been run in the past.
DOSSHELL A GUI to help with early MS-DOS users.
DRIVPARM Enables overwrite of original device drivers.
ECHO Displays messages and enables and disables echo.
EDIT View and edit files.
EDLIN View and edit files.
EMM386 Load extended Memory Manager.
ENABLE Recovery console command to enable a disable service or driver.
ENDLOCAL Stops the localization of the environment changes enabled by the setlocal command.
ERASE Erase files from computer.
EXIT Exit from the command interpreter.
EXPAND Expand a Microsoft Windows file back to it's original format.
EXTRACT Extract files from the Microsoft Windows cabinets.
FASTHELP Displays a listing of MS-DOS commands and information about them.
FC Compare files.
FDISK Utility used to create partitions on the hard disk drive.
FIND Search for text within a file.
FINDSTR Searches for a string of text within a file.
FIXBOOT Writes a new boot sector.
FIXMBR Writes a new boot record to a disk drive.
FOR Boolean used in batch files.
FORMAT Command to erase and prepare a disk drive.
FTP Command to connect and operate on a FTP server.
FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations.
GOTO Moves a batch file to a specific label or location.
GRAFTABL Show extended characters in graphics mode.
HELP Display a listing of commands and brief explanation.
IF Allows for batch files to perform conditional processing.
IFSHLP.SYS 32-bit file manager.
IPCONFIG Network command to view network adapter settings and assigned values.
KEYB Change layout of keyboard.
LABEL Change the label of a disk drive.
LH Load a device driver in to high memory.
LISTSVC Recovery console command that displays the services and drivers.
LOADFIX Load a program above the first 64k.
LOADHIGH Load a device driver in to high memory.
LOCK Lock the hard disk drive.
LOGON Recovery console command to list installations and enable administrator login.
MAP Displays the device name of a drive.
MD Command to create a new directory.
MEM Display memory on system.
MKDIR Command to create a new directory.
MODE Modify the port or display settings.
MORE Display one page at a time.
MOVE Move one or more files from one directory to another directory.
MSAV Early Microsoft Virus scanner.
MSD Diagnostics utility.
MSCDEX Utility used to load and provide access to the CD-ROM.
NBTSTAT Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT
NET Update, fix, or view the network or network settings
NETSH Configure dynamic and static network information from MS-DOS.
NETSTAT Display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information.
NLSFUNC Load country specific information.
NSLOOKUP Look up an IP address of a domain or host on a network.
PATH View and modify the computers path location.
PATHPING View and locate locations of network latency.
PAUSE Command used in batch files to stop the processing of a command.
PING Test / send information to another network computer or network device.
POPD Changes to the directory or network path stored by the pushd command.
POWER Conserve power with computer portables.
PRINT Prints data to a printer port.
PROMPT View and change the MS-DOS prompt.
PUSHD Stores a directory or network path in memory so it can be returned to at any time.
QBASIC Open the QBasic.
RD Removes an empty directory.
REN Renames a file or directory.
RENAME Renames a file or directory.
RMDIR Removes an empty directory.
ROUTE View and configure windows network route tables.
RUNAS Enables a user to execute a program on another computer.
SCANDISK Run the scandisk utility.
SCANREG Scan registry and recover registry from errors.
SET Change one variable or string to another.
SETLOCAL Enables local environments to be changed without affecting anything else.
SETVER Change MS-DOS version to trick older MS-DOS programs.
SHARE Installs support for file sharing and locking capabilities.
SHIFT Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch program.
SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer from the MS-DOS prompt.
SMARTDRV Create a disk cache in conventional memory or extended memory.
SORT Sorts the input and displays the output to the screen.
START Start a separate window in Windows from the MS-DOS prompt.
SUBST Substitute a folder on your computer for another drive letter.
SWITCHES Remove add functions from MS-DOS.
SYS Transfer system files to disk drive.
TELNET Telnet to another computer / device from the prompt.
TIME View or modify the system time.
TITLE Change the title of their MS-DOS window.
TRACERT Visually view a network packets route across a network.
TREE View a visual tree of the hard disk drive.
TYPE Display the contents of a file.
UNDELETE Undelete a file that has been deleted.
UNFORMAT Unformat a hard disk drive.
UNLOCK Unlock a disk drive.
VER Display the version information.
VERIFY Enables or disables the feature to determine if files have been written properly.
VOL Displays the volume information about the designated drive.
XCOPY Copy multiple files, directories, and/or drives from one location to another.
TRUENAME When placed before a file, will display the whole directory in which it exists
TASKKILL It allows you to kill those unneeded or locked up applications



Windows XP Shortcuts
--------------------------------------------------------------
ALT+- (ALT+hyphen) Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu
ALT+ENTER View properties for the selected item
ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order they were opened
ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program
ALT+SPACEBAR Display the System menu for the active window
ALT+TAB Switch between open items
ALT+Underlined letter Display the corresponding menu
BACKSPACE View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer
CTRL+A Select all
CTRL+B Bold
CTRL+C Copy
CTRL+I Italics
CTRL+O Open an item
CTRL+U Underline
CTRL+V Paste
CTRL+X Cut
CTRL+Z Undo
CTRL+F4 Close the active document
CTRL while dragging Copy selected item
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging Create shortcut to selected iteM
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word
CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word
CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph
CTRL+UP ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph
SHIFT+DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin
ESC Cancel the current task
F1 Displays Help
F2 Rename selected item
F3 Search for a file or folder
F4 Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
F5 Refresh the active window
F6 Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop
F10 Activate the menu bar in the active program
SHIFT+F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu
SHIFT+CTRL+ESC Launches Task Manager
SHIFT when you insert a CD Prevent the CD from automatically playing
WIN Display or hide the Start menu
WIN+BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box
WIN+D Minimizes all Windows and shows the Desktop
WIN+E Open Windows Explorer
WIN+F Search for a file or folder
WIN+F+CTRL Search for computers
WIN+L Locks the desktop
WIN+M Minimize or restore all windows
WIN+R Open the Run dialog box
WIN+TAB Switch between open items



Windows Explorer Shortcuts
-------------------------------------------------------------
ALT+SPACEBAR - Display the current window’s system menu
SHIFT+F10 - Display the item's context menu
CTRL+ESC - Display the Start menu
ALT+TAB - Switch to the window you last used
ALT+F4 - Close the current window or quit
CTRL+A - Select all items
CTRL+X - Cut selected item(s)
CTRL+C - Copy selected item(s)
CTRL+V - Paste item(s)
CTRL+Z - Undo last action
CTRL+(+) - Automatically resize the columns in the right hand pane
TAB - Move forward through options
ALT+RIGHT ARROW - Move forward to a previous view
ALT+LEFT ARROW - Move backward to a previous view
SHIFT+DELETE - Delete an item immediately
BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up
ALT+ENTER - View an item’s properties
F10 - Activate the menu bar in programs
F6 - Switch between left and right panes
F5 - Refresh window contents
F3 - Display Find application
F2 - Rename selected item



Internet Explorer Shortcuts
--------------------------------------------------------------
CTRL+A - Select all items on the current page
CTRL+D - Add the current page to your Favorites
CTRL+E - Open the Search bar
CTRL+F - Find on this page
CTRL+H - Open the History bar
CTRL+I - Open the Favorites bar
CTRL+N - Open a new window
CTRL+O - Go to a new location
CTRL+P - Print the current page or active frame
CTRL+S - Save the current page
CTRL+W - Close current browser window
CTRL+ENTER - Adds the http://www. (url) .com
SHIFT+CLICK - Open link in new window
BACKSPACE - Go to the previous page
ALT+HOME - Go to your Home page
HOME - Move to the beginning of a document
TAB - Move forward through items on a page
END - Move to the end of a document
ESC - Stop downloading a page
F11 - Toggle full-screen view
F5 - Refresh the current page
F4 - Display list of typed addresses
F6 - Change Address bar and page focus
ALT+RIGHT ARROW - Go to the next page
SHIFT+CTRL+TAB - Move back between frames
SHIFT+F10 - Display a shortcut menu for a link
SHIFT+TAB - Move back through the items on a page
CTRL+TAB - Move forward between frames
CTRL+C - Copy selected items to the clipboard
CTRL+V - Insert contents of the clipboard
ENTER - Activate a selected link
HOME - Move to the beginning of a document
END - Move to the end of a document
F1 - Display Internet Explorer Help

1. notepad : Starts windows notepad.
2. calc : Opens the calculator.
3. cmd : Opens the Command Prompt.
4. regedit : Opens the registry editor.
5. msconfig : System Configuration Utility (Open this to remove programs from your startup.)
6. dxdiag : DirectX Troubleshooter
7. mspaint : Opens Windows Paint.
8. pbrush : Also Opens Windows Paint. (Yeah! lesser known)
9. iexplore : Opens Internet explorer
10. iexplore <sitename> : Opens the location specified by sitename in IE (E.g iexplore http://gurus.wordpress.com)
11. firefox : Opens Firefox browser if it is installed.
12. firefox <sitename> : Opens the location specified by sitename in Firefox (E.g firefox http://gurus.wordpress.com)
13. explorer : Opens the Windows Explorer.

Now let us list down some lesser know but still useful Run commands.

1. desktop : Opens your desktop folder in Explorer.
2. charmap : Opens the Character Map.
3. chkdsk : Opens the Check Disk Utility.
4. clipbrd : Opens the Clipboard Viewer. (Use it to see the contents copied on your clipboard).
5. cleanmgr : Opens the Disk Cleanup Utility.
6. mstsc : For creating Remote Desktop connections.
7. mstsc /v <server_name> : For creating Remote Desktop connections with the machine specified by server_name.
8. winchat : Opens Microsoft Chat. (I didn’t know about this one earlier!)
9. sysedit : Opens System Configuration Editor.
10. taskmgr : Opens the Task Manager. (Ctrl + Alt + Del will be a better option)
11. magnify : Starts Windows Magnifier.
12. wab : Opens Windows Address Book.
13. wmplayer : Opens Windows Media Player.
14. msmsgs : Starts Windows Messenger.
15. helpctr : Starts Help and Support.
16. moviemk : Starts Microsoft Movie Maker
17. conf : Starts NetMeeting.
18. osk : Starts the On Screen Keyboard.
19. eudcedit : Starts Private Character Editor. (You will be amazed to try this!)
20. msinfo32 : Opens System Information.
21. winver : Displays information about windows version.

Followings are the ones which opens up in Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Note that all of them ends with “.msc”.

1. perfmon.msc : Opens Performance Monitor Utility (Really Cool!)
2. diskmgmt.msc : Opens Disk Management Utility.
3. gpedit.msc : Opens the Group Policy Editor on XP Prof
4. devmgmt.msc : Opens Device Manager Utility.
5. dfrg.msc : Opens Disk Defragment Utility.
6. services.msc : Opens the Services List.
7. fsmgmt.msc : Opens the Shared FoldersList.
8. eventvwr.msc : Opens the Windows Event Viewer.
9. lusrmgr.msc : Opens the Local Users and Groups

Followings are the ones which are used to open applications found in “Control Panel“. They are not hard to remember as all of them starts with the term “control“.

1. control : Opens the “Control Panel”.
2. control admintools : Opens the Administrative Tools section of Control Panel
3. control desktop : Opens the Display Properties panel.
4. control folders : Opens the Folders Properties panel.
5. control fonts : Opens the Fonts Folder. (just ‘fonts’ will also do he trick)
6. control keyboard : Opens Keyboard Properties panel.
7. control mouse : Opens Mouse Properties panel.
8. control netconnections : Opens the “Network Connections”.
9. control printers : Opens the “Printers and Faxes”.
10. control schedtasks : Opens “Scheduled Tasks”.

The followings are from Control Panel commands which ends with “.cpl”

1. appwiz.cpl : Opens Add/Remove Programs. (One of my favorite. Try it out now!)
2. hdwwiz.cpl : Opens Add Hardware Wizard.
3. access.cpl : Opens Accessibility Controls.
4. wuaucpl.cpl : Opens Automatic Updates.
5. inetcpl.cpl : Opens Internet Properties.
6. netsetup.cpl : Opens Network Setup Wizard.
7. wscui.cpl : Opens Windows Security Center.
8. mmsys.cpl : Opens Sounds and Audio.
9. sysdm.cpl : Opens System Properties.
10. nusrmgr.cp : Opens User Account Management.
11. firewall.cpl : Opens Windows Firewall Options.
12. timedate.cpl : Opens Date and Time Properties.

Followings are the shortcuts for the Windows games.

1. winmine : Starts Minesweeper Game.
2. mshearts : Starts the Hearts Card Game.
3. spider : Starts Spider Solitare Card Game.
4. freecell : Starts Free Cell Card Game.
5. pinball : Starts the Pinball Game.

Followings are the commands to start some of your favorite applications, which do not come pre-installed on windows. (Note: These commands will work only if you have the corresponding applications installed on your system.)

1. excel : Starts Microsoft Excel.
2. frontpg : Starts Microsoft Frontpage.
3. winword : Starts Microsoft Word.
4. powerpnt : Starts Microsoft Powerpoint
5. outlook : Starts Microsoft Outlook.
6. acrobat : Starts Adobe Acrobat.
7. imageready : Starts Adobe ImageReady.
8. photoshop : Starts Adobe Photoshop.
9. nero : Starts Nero Burning ROM.
10. msimn : Starts Outlook Express.
11. realplay : Starts Real Player.

NOTE 1: The commands I have listed here have been chosen and categorized based on their usefulness and frequency of use in a normal day to day use of WindowsXP by an average user. If you need a more exhaustive list of commands, please see Useful Run Commands for WindXP on FixMyXP.

NOTE 2: If you have Windows Vista then take a look at this.

NOTE 3: It took me more than 4 hours to categorize the commands and compile this post.

Filed under: How to's, Microsoft, Software, Windows

« Dual-booter’s Dilemma Dreaded Blue Screen Of Death

It is also useful to know some of the Win-key shortcuts:

Win + L: Lock screen or switch user
Win + R: Show the Run dialog
Win + D: Show desktop/Restore windows
Win + E: Open an explorer window
Win + M: Minimize all open windows
Win + F: Find files and folders

There is so much life left into Windows, and Microsoft is gearing up for the moment when it completely runs out of what is now its proprietary operating system.

In this context, the Redmond company is cooking a couple of non-Windows operating systems labeled Singularity and Midori. Singularity, a platform prototype written in managed code, is already out and available for download but only as a research project. Based on Singularity, Midori is designed as the first componentized Microsoft operating system meant to virtually reinvent the proverbial wheel.

According to SDTimes, Midori will be focused not on the desktop as Windows was, but on the cloud and on connected systems. With Windows 7, Microsoft is already bridging the operating system with Windows Live, but Midori will take this aspect one step further in the quest for what will end up as the first fully-fledged Software + Services platform from Microsoft.

What Microsoft has to ensure with Midori is the preservation of the compatibility with the ecosystem of hardware and software products built around Windows. Set up to run on x86, x64 and ARM native hardware, Midori will need to ensure at least a certain degree of continuity with existing Windows products. This will supposedly be achieved through ensuring interoperability or delivering a streamlined migration process.

Additionally, by the time Midori will be out, long after Windows 7, and maybe Windows 8, the environment of existing solutions would have already transitioned to a combination of both local and distributed (remote solutions). This is why Midori will reportedly deliver an asynchronous-only architecture. The end purpose in this respect is for the platform to be optimized for task concurrency and parallel processes and services.

But perhaps one of the most revolutionary aspects of Midori, and one which cannot be achieved solely through the evolution of the Windows platform, is complete componentization. Following its introduction, Microsoft would simply evolve Midori by components, and not as Windows mammoth releases. A benefit of such architecture is the separation of both critical and non-critical areas of the platform. In this regard, Microsoft will be able to offer new security boundaries, a task impossible with Windows' current design, except if the company looks to break compatibility with the vast majority of software and hardware products.

And at the same time a Microsoft experiment in public perception. Well, one is perception versus reality, according to the perspective of Bill Veghte, Senior Vice President, Online Services & Windows Business Group, revealed at the Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting 2008 on July 24, 2008.

The Mojave Experiment is scheduled to go live tomorrow, July 29, 2008. "Duration: 3 days in San Francisco, July 2008. Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 57 degrees. Subjects: Over 120 computer users (Mac, Linux, Windows XP and Windows 2000). Hardware: An HP Pavilion DV 2000 with 2 GB of RAM technical assistance: A retail computer salesperson. Description: Subjects get a live 10-minute demo of "the next Microsoft OS" codenamed "Mohave" – but it's actually Windows Vista."

According to Microsoft, approximately 90% of the feedback returned by the people involved in the Mojave experiment was positive. The Redmond giant blames this on the disastrous public perception of Windows Vista. The website will feature the reactions of the participants in the experiment caught on video and it is an integral part of Microsoft's new efforts to market Windows Vista.

"We took a camera crew down and we did some focus groups where we recruited a set of XP users - think of it as just going down and calling - doing a random-digit dial, generating a bunch of XP users. And the qualification was they had to be using XP, and they had to have a negative perception relative to Windows Vista. They're not using it, but they are predisposed to think about it in a negative way," Veghte stated before a presentation of the actual reactions to the Vista/Mojave demo.

Still, Microsoft has to understand that a 10 minute demonstration of Windows Vista masquerading as a new Windows operating system is in no way relevant to the fully fledged, day-to-day experience that a Vista user will have. A 10 minute presentation of Vista is not an equivalent of living and using the operating system for months or years on end.

And the sad truth about Vista is that public perception is not formed solely through Vista or anti-Vista advertising, but also from end users dealing with the platform day to day. Sure enough, potential customers that have never touched the operating system might get a Vista Wow revelation, but what about the users that have been hit with software and hardware incompatibly problems, with faulty drivers, with slow performance and so on and so forth. Mojave has little to no chances of changing their perception. Nor does Microsoft for that matter.

"That's our opportunity. Perception versus reality, that's a conversation that we've got to go have with our customers. We are making a set of investments in consumer marketing this year. We're making those investments in the context of Windows Vista, but a broader conversation around the opportunity with Windows. Having that conversation is something that we must do. We must do to support and continue to extend that incredible brand and value proposition that we have with Windows, and you'll see a variety of efforts on this front as we go forward in the fall," Veghte concluded.

source: news.softpedia.com

 
Each student has their own user account which is a limited user account. Sometimes the lecturer there will complain to me that the administrator password has been hacked and changed by the students. This can be easily done if they did not set a security password for BIOS and allows the student to boot up the computer with a CD that is equipped with a tool to reset any local user account’s password.

When the teachers reported to me that the students managed to turn a limited user account into a computer administrator, my guess was the students reset the administrator password, login as admin and changed the account type to administrator.

But I was wrong. It turns out that the students did not reset the admin password and they were able to do it without logging in to Windows as administrator. After a little searching, I found a free tool that can change a Windows XP limited user account into a computer administrator.

The most powerful feature PCLoginNow have is to support Syskey. SYSKEY is an optional feature since Windows NT 4.0 SP3. It is meant to protect against offline password cracking attacks so that the SAM database would still be secure even if someone had a copy of it. Even though the system registry is protected by Syskey, PCLoginNow can easily bypass this mechanism and reset the Windows passwords.

Only 4 simple steps are required to turn a limited user account into administrator.

1. Download PCLoginNow.
2. Burn the ISO image to a CD/DVD.
3. Boot up the computer with the CD/DVD.
4. Click the Next button when you see the message that says “PC Login Now! is ready to start, please click NEXT to continue…”
5. Select the Windows system that is found by PC Login Now program.
6. Select the user account that you want to edit, check “is Administrator” and click Next.
7. Reboot and the user is now a local administrator of the computer.

I find this tool amazing because it can turn a user from zero into hero. I understand that some students are adventurous and would like to install or configure the system the way they like it but they cannot do it with a limited user account.

Download: PCLoginNow

source: www.raymond.cc/

Some secrets of xp

Private Character Editor:

Secret - Hidden Font Editor
Instructions - Go to Start, Run, type eudcedit - Source

Notes - You can use Private Character Editor to create unique letters and logos for your font library.

FreeCell:

Secret - Instant Win
Instructions - Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 during game play. Then you will be asked if you want to Abort, Retry or Ignore. Choose Abort, then move any card to instantly win.

Secret - Hidden Game Modes
Instructions - In the "Game" menu choose "Select Game". Enter -1 or -2 to activate the hidden game modes.


Hearts:

Secret - Show All Cards
Instructions - Edit this registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts and create a new String value named ZB with a Data value of 42. Start Hearts and Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 to show all the cards.

Background - This secret is a reference to Douglas Adams' book the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 'ZB' is the initials of the character Zaphod Beeblebrox, the Galactic President. '42' is the answer to The Ultimate Question Of Life, the Universe and Everything.


Minesweeper:

Secret - Reveal Mines
Instructions - Minimize or close all running applications. Launch Minesweeper, then type xyzzy. Next hold down either shift key for one second. Now when you move the mouse cursor over a Minesweeper square you will see a tiny white pixel in the top left corner of your desktop screen. This pixel will change to black when your mouse moves over a mine. You may need to change you desktop background to a solid color other then white or black to see the pixel.

Secret - Stop Timer
Instructions - Launch Minesweeper and start a game so the timer starts counting, then press the Windows Key + D to show the desktop. Now when you select minesweeper from the taskbar you can continue playing with the timer stopped.


Pinball

Secret - Extra Balls
Instructions - Type 1max at the start of a new ball to get extra balls.

Secret - Gravity Well
Instructions - Type gmax at the start of a new game to activate the Gravity Well.

Secret - Instant Promotion
Instructions - Type rmax at the start of a new game to go up in ranks.

Secret - Skill Shot
Instructions - Launch the ball partially up the chute past the third yellow light bar so it falls back down to get 75,000 points. There are six yellow light bars that are worth a varying amount of points:

First: 15,000 points
Second: 30,000 points
Third: 75,000 points
Fourth: 30,000 points
Fifth: 15,000 points
Sixth: 7,500 points

Secret - Test Mode
Instructions - Type hidden test at the start of a new ball to activate Test Mode. No notification will be given that this is activated but you can now left-click the mouse button and drag the ball around. While in test mode press the following keys for more secrets:

H - Get a 1,000,000,000 High Score
M - Shows the amount of system memory
R - Increases your rank in game
Y - Shows the Frames/sec rate

Secret - Unlimited Balls
Instructions - Type bmax at the start of a new ball. No notification will be given that this is activated but when a ball is lost a new ball will appear from the yellow wormhole indefinitely. Once this is activated you will be unable to activate other secrets without restarting the game.


Solitaire:

Secret - Instant Win
Instructions - Press Alt + Shift + 2 during game play to instantly win.

Secret - Draw single cards in a Draw Three game
Instructions - Hold down CTRL + ALT + SHIFT while drawing a new card. Instead of drawing three cards you will only draw one. ^ TOP

Add/Remove:

Secret - Hidden Uninstall Options
Instructions - Warning: Proceed at your own risk! Browse to C:\Windows\inf\ and make a backup copy of sysoc.inf. Then open the original file C:\Windows\inf\sysoc.inf in notepad. Go to "Edit" and select "Replace". In "Find what:" type ,hide and in "Replace with:" type , then select "Replace All", save and close the file. Go to the "Control Panel", "Add/Remove", select "Add/Remove Windows Components". You will now see many more Windows components to uninstall. Do not remove anything with no label or that you do not recognize or fully understand what it does. Doing so can break certain functionality in Windows.


Control Panel:

Secret - Hidden Control Panel Extensions
Instructions - Download and install TweakUI, launch, go to "Control Panel" and check any item not selected, then "Apply" and "OK". You will now see the hidden control panel extensions.


Device Manager

Secret - Hidden Devices
Instructions - Go to the "Control Panel", "System" icon, "Hardware" tab and select "Device Manager". Select "View" and Show hidden devices.

Secret - Phantom Devices
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Programs", "Accessories" and select "Command Prompt". At the command prompt, type "set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1" and press Enter. At the command prompt, type "start devmgmt.msc" and press Enter. Select "View" and Show hidden devices. You can see devices that are not connected to the computer. - Source

Notes - When you close the command prompt window, Windows clears the "devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1" variable that you set and prevents phantom devices from being displayed when you select "Show hidden devices".


MIDI Files

Secret - Hidden MIDI Files
Instructions - Browse to C:\Windows\Media and you will find 3 hidden MIDI files:

flourish.mid
onestop.mid
town.mid

Notes - "MIDI" stands for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface" - A compression format for encoding music.


Music

Secret - Music from the Installer
Instructions - Browse to C:\Windows\system32\oobe\images\title.wma and play.

Notes - "OOBE" stands for "Out-of-Box Experience".


Shutdown

Secret - Display Hibernate Option on the Shut Down dialog
Instructions - Go to "Start", "Turn Off Computer..." and press either Shift key to change the "Stand By" button to "Hibernate".


Support Tools

Secret - Over 100 Windows XP Support Utilities are on the install CD

Instructions for Pre-SP2 users - If you do not have SP2 installed, put the original Windows XP CD in the CD-ROM Drive, run the D:\Support\Tools\setup.exe file.

Instructions for SP2 users - If you have SP2 installed, Download the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools and install.

Flight that Caused damage....

Did you know that the flight number of the plane that had hit WTC on 9/11 was Q33N ….

In Notepad, type the flight number i.e. Q33N

Increase the Font Size to 72, Change the Font to Wingdings.

You will be amazed by the findings !!!

Using notepad as a log book

Open notepad write .LOG in the first line, save the file and close it. Open the file again, here you will see the current date and time on it. Save again and close it. Everytime you open this file the file will have a timestamp along with text on it. This cool notepad trick can be used to make daily notes or can be used as a diary also. You can even press F5 to get the current date and time anywhere between the text.

Restricted Folder Names in Microsoft Windows

We can't create folders with the following names in Microsoft Windows directly.
CON, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3,COM1 to COM9 and LPT1 to LPT9

The way to create is as follows

1) Open Command Prompt
2) Go to any Root directory like C:\ or D:\ etc
3) Type "md \\.\\c:\\x" (where x represents any one of the restricted names)
4) Check the folder on the respected drive.
5) To remove that directory, type "rmdir \\.\\c:\\x" (where x represents any one of the restricted names)

How to Create a Bootable Windows XP Setup CD/DVD on a System with Windows Pre-loaded Tutorial on how to create a Windows XP install disk from a system with Windows already installed You are here: howtohaven.com (main page) >System "How To" Guides>How to Create a Bootable Windows Install CD/DVD How to Create a Bootable Windows XP Setup Disk on a Preinstalled / Preloaded Windows System If you have bought an off-the-shelf computer recently, chances are that it came with Windows preloaded onto the system. Unfortunately, many of these systems with Windows preinstalled do not come with a Windows setup CDROM; at best they include a Recovery Disk that restores the system to its shipping condition. If you plan to reformat and do a clean installation of your system, you might think that you have to buy another additional Windows XP licence even though you have already paid for one for that same machine. This article shows you how you can re-create a usable and bootable Windows XP installation CD using your running system. Why Create a Bootable Windows Setup CD? There are at least a few reasons why you might need a bootable Windows Setup disc: 1. Very often, people want to reinstall a system to remove the crap that comes preinstalled on their system. If you have bought any PC or laptop from brands like Dell, HP, Acer, etc, you will know what I mean. The manufacturer typically installs tons of demo and trial software, toolbars and other junk that clutter up your system and slow it down. Uninstalling these programs takes a lot of time, and even when it is done, there are still residual pieces of the previous installation littered across your hard disk and the registry. In such a situation, it is useful to reinstall a pristine copy of Windows, load the drivers and only the software you actually want to use. 2. Another possible reason is that you've used your system for some time, and it's become incredibly sluggish and cluttered. You want to reinstall and start from scratch. To simplify the process, you want to integrate (slipstream) all the Windows hotfixes, device

drivers, applications, etc, into your Windows install disk, so that when you finish running the Windows installer, your system is good to go, without the need to wait a few hours for Windows Update to catch up with the last few years' worth of Windows Update. For this slipstreaming to take place, you need a Windows setup CD. 3. If you want to do a repair install of Windows, you will need a bootable Windows install disc. I'm sure there are many other possible reasons why you might need a Windows Installation CD, but let's get on with the procedure for making one. Prerequisites Before you can recreate a bootable Windows installation disk, certain things are required: 1. A Windows XP System This guide only applies to Windows XP systems, be it XP Home or Professional. I have not tested this procedure on other versions of Windows. 2. An I386 Directory (Folder) on your Hard Disk This is essential. Without this, the procedure outlined on this page will not work. To find out whether you can use the steps listed on this page to re-create your bootable Windows XP setup disk, look for into your system drive (usually the C: drive), and see if you can find a folder named I386 in the root directory. That is, see if you have the C:\I386 folder on your hard disk. If your PC or laptop came from the major PC vendors like HP, Dell or Acer, chances are that there is an I386 folder at the root of drive C:, unless you've deleted it. Note that only c:\i386 contains the files needed for this operation. Do not use the files in "C:\Windows\Driver Cache\i386" or any other folders. 3. Windows License Key When you bought your PC or laptop, it probably already came with Windows pre-activated, which means that you could use the computer out-of-the-box without having to enter your Windows licence key from Microsoft or needing to activate the machine. However, when you reinstall Windows, you will need a Windows licence key. You can usually find this taped somewhere on your computer (sometimes on the underside or back of the computer). Without this, you won't get far in the installation. 4. Device Drivers

Some manufacturers provide you with the device drivers for your system on a CD that comes with your system. Others require you to go to their website and download these drivers. Whichever the case may be, make sure you have all your drivers handy before you start. Burn them onto a CD or DVD. Do not leave them on your hard disk, since your clean installation of Windows will probably wipe out everything on your hard disk. If your computer has SATA, IDE, SCSI or other mass storage devices (for your hard disks) that the Windows installer does not recognize out of the box, you will need to create a floppy disk with the drivers for that device. At the appropriate time, when Windows prompts you to hit F6 to load the drivers from a floppy disk, you will need to so. This is however outside the scope of this tutorial. If your manufacturer has not provided you with any device drivers, or if you have lost the drivers CD or DVD that the vendor has provided you, all is not lost. You can try using a device driver backup program to extract the existing drivers on your currently running system. Burn the drivers onto a CD or DVD before starting. You can get a device driver backup program from the Free Device Driver Backup and Extraction Utilities page on thefreecountry.com. Note that backing up your device drivers in this manner will not help you if your computer has SATA, IDE, SCSI or other mass storage devices (for your hard disk) that Windows setup does not recognise. In such cases, you need the manufacturers' textmode drivers which the driver backup utility will not recreate. 5. CD/DVD Burning Software You will need to have a CD/DVD burning software that will allow you to create Bootable CDs. Not all DVD or CD mastering programs allow you to do this, especially the OEM versions that are bundled with new computers or DVD/CD writers. For the purpose of this tutorial, I will use ImgBurn, a free burning software that you can find listed on the Free CD and DVD Burners and Copying Software page. You can of course use other software, but since it is difficult for me to write a tutorial that covers every possible burning software around, this guide will assume that you are using ImgBurn. Since the software is available free of charge, I doubt that this choice will pose significant hardship for anyone. 6. Windows Setup CD Boot Sector You will also need the boot sector of an existing bootable Windows 2000, XP or 2003 setup CDROM. The easiest way to get this is to download the file wxp10.zip from one of the links on http://www.nu2.nu/download.php?sFile=wxp10.zip. In fact, you should do this now. Download the file and save it on your desktop. You will need the file later. I would also strongly suggest that you make a backup image of your entire system before you reinstall it. By entire system, I mean the whole system and not just your data. This is important in case there is some glitch in your installation or some fault in the setup CD that you create, resulting in an unusable system. In such a situation, you will be able to restore your working system from your backup image. (If you are not sure what a backup image is, or think that I'm

only talking about saving your documents to another location, or worse, think that "image" refers to some sort of picture, please do not carry on with this procedure.) If you don't have a decent hard disk backup and image software, you can check out the Free Hard Disk Backup and Restore, Hard Disk Image and Cloning Utilitiespage. If you are tinkering with your system, you owe it to yourself (and your sanity) to get a good hard disk image (backup) program. Important Note Note that there are NO GUARANTEES with the procedure I outline here. It is possible that it does not work - for example, if your vendor has deleted some essential file in the I386 folder (which we will need), your installation may well fail at some crucial point after it has formatted your hard disk! It is also possible that my procedure will not work on your system, or that I made some mistake in describing it here. So do it all at your own risk. And make sure you have an up-to-date backup of your system that you know works. Steps to Creating a Bootable Windows Setup Disk from the I386 Directory/Folder 1. Create a temporary working folder at the root (top) of the C: drive called "XPSETUP" (without the quotes). Actually, you can name it anything you want and put it anywhere you like, but for ease of explanation, the remainder of the steps below will assume that you have created the XPSETUP folder in the root of drive C:. This C:\XPSETUP folder will be where you will create the CDROM directory structure for your bootable Windows CD. 2. Copy the entire C:\I386 to C:\XPSETUP. When you have finished, you will have C:\XPSETUP\I386. Notice that I said "copy", not "move". Do NOT drag and drop the I386 folder into the XPSETUP directory. If you do so, you may wind up moving it into the XPSETUP folder (depending on where you created the XPSETUP folder). It is important to work from a copy of the I386 directory so that if you make mistakes, you can simply go back and start all over again. If you move the directory or drag and drop it, and you make a mistake, your mistake will be permanent. So once again, COPY the entire I386 folder to XPSETUP. It may take a while for the copy operation to complete, but it's safer this way. If you're not sure how to copy, follow the following procedure: Highlight the I386 folder using Windows Explorer. Right-click the folder and select "Copy". Then open the XPSETUP folder. The folder should be empty at the moment. Right click the empty space in the window and click "Paste". A very lengthy copy procedure will take place. To verify that you have copied the folder and not moved it, return to the top of C: and check that the I386 folder is still there and that the original files in that folder are still there.

3. Create an ASCII text file with only the word "Windows " (without the quotes and including the final space after the word "Windows") in it, followed by a new line. To do this, open up Notepad. Notepad can be found in your Start menu -> Programs -> Accessories -> Notepad. Type the word "Windows" without the quotes and following my case exactly (that is, "W" is a capital letter and the rest are in small letters). Then type one additional space. Finally, hit the ENTER key. Do not add anything else to this file. Do not change anything - for example, do not type everything in capital letters or anything like that. The contents of the file must be exactly as I said, or Windows setup will issue an error message. Save the file with the filename "WIN51" (include the quotes so that Notepad will not add a ".txt" extension behind your back) in C:\XPSETUP. Again, the filename's spelling and case must be exactly like mine. If your PC or laptop originally came with XP Home, make a copy of the file you just created and call it "WIN51IC". If you are using XP Home Service Pack 1 (SP 1), make two copies of the file and call them "WIN51IC" and "WIN51IC.SP1". If you are using XP Home Service Pack 2 (SP 2), make three copies of the file and call them "WIN51IC", "WIN51IC.SP1" and "WIN51IC.SP2". All the copies of the files should be in C:\XPSETUP. If your PC or laptop originally came with XP Professional, make a copy of the file you just created and call it "WIN51IP". If you are using XP Professional Service Pack 1 (SP 1), make two copies of the file and call them "WIN51IP" and "WIN51IP.SP1". If you are using XP Professional Service Pack 2 (SP 2), make three copies of the file and call them "WIN51IP", "WIN51IP.SP1" and "WIN51IP.SP2". All the copies of the files should be in C:\XPSETUP. Note carefully what I said above. You may be running XP SP 2 now, but if your PC came with XP SP 1, you should create the files for XP SP 1. There is an exception to this. If your PC or laptop came with XP or XP SP 1, but you want your Windows install CD to install XP SP 2, create the WIN51 files needed for SP 2 and follow the procedure for slipstreaming Windows service pack 2 (SP 2) into the Windows setup CDROM given in the next step. 4. If your PC or laptop came originally with XP or XP SP 1 (service pack 1) but you want your Windows setup disk to install XP SP 2, do the following. Otherwise, skip to the next step. Note that even if you have since updated your computer to SP 2, you will still need to do this step if you want your setup CD to install Windows XP Service Pack 2. The reason is that updating your running Windows system does not automatically update the I386 directory. Your I386 directory still contains the Windows setup files belonging to whatever version of Windows you had when you first bought your PC/laptop.

1. Download Windows XP service pack 2 from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en Save it anywhere you like except in the C:\XPSETUP folder. For the purpose of this tutorial, I will assume you saved it as C:\XPSP2.EXE, that is, in the root folder with the filename "XPSP2.EXE". 2. You will need to update the C:\XPSETUP\I386 folder to contain the updated SP 2 files. As a side benefit, the service pack 2 updater will also create a few files (including setup.exe) in the C:\XPSETUP folder. This process of integrating the service pack files into the original XP or XP SP 1 is known as "slipstreaming". To slipstream SP 2, first open up a command prompt. To do this, click the Start menu, select the Run menu item, and enter the words "cmd". Click the OK button. A black command prompt window will open. Enter the following line into the window and press the ENTER key. C:\XPSP2 /integrate:C:\XPSETUP After the program finishes, you can close the command prompt window. If you look into your XPSETUP folder, you will notice a few new files there. 5. At this point, the C:\XPSETUP directory contains all the files that will be copied to your Windows Setup CDROM. Don't worry if the directory does not contain files like "setup.exe" which you see on the retail CDROMs. You won't need it for a fresh install from the bootable CDROM. Note: You will only have "setup.exe" if you had to slipstream Service Pack 2 as mentioned earlier. The Service Pack 2 slipstreamer creates setup.exe for you. 6. Now open the wxp10.zip file that you downloaded earlier. Simply doubleclicking it in Windows explorer should do the trick. Go into the cds directory and into wxphome (or wxppro; it doesn't matter which) directory, followed by the files directory. Drag the "w2ksect.bin" file into C:\ (the root directory/folder of drive C:). Don't get creative and place it in some other directory. If you do that, ImgBurn will not be able to find c:\w2ksect.bin later. Burning the Bootable Windows Install CD/DVD 1. If you have not downloaded ImgBurn, get it now and install it. You will find it listed on thefreecountry.com's Free CD and DVD Burners and Copying Software page. 2. Open up Notepad, and copy the text from the box below (make sure you select everything - click in the box and type Ctrl+A to select all) and paste it into a blank Notepad window. Save the file as "XPSETUP.ibb" (including the quotes, which you need to prevent Notepad from adding a ".txt" extension to your filename) somewhere on your desktop (or anywhere you like). Do not add or delete anything from the file.

IBB[START_BACKUP_OPTIONS]BuildMode=1Destination=0TestMode=0Verify=1WriteSpeed=0Copies=0FileSystem=1PreserveFullPathnames=0RecurseSubdirectories=1IncludeHiddenFiles=1IncludeSystemFiles=1IncludeArchiveFilesOnly=0AddToWriteQueueWhenDone=0ClearArchiveAttribute=0VolumeLabel_ISO9660=VRMHOEM_ENVolumeLabel_Joliet=VolumeLabel_UDF=Identifier_System=Identifier_VolumeSet=Identifier_Publisher=Identifier_Preparer=Identifier_Application= 3. Start ImgBurn. Select Mode -> Build from the menu. 4. Select File -> Load Project from the menu. A dialog box will open. Select the XPSETUP.ibb file you saved earlier and click "Open". If you can't find a "Load Project" item on the File menu, it means you did not carry out the previous step. Go back and do it. 5. Click the "Labels" tab on the right side of the screen. Change the label in the ISO9660 field to one of the following, depending on what type of bootable setup CD you're making. Version Label to Use Windows XP Home OEM WXHOEM_EN Windows XP Home SP 1 OEM XRMHOEM_EN Windows XP Home SP 1a and SP 2 OEM X1AHOEM_EN Windows XP Professional OEM WXPOEM_EN Windows XP Professional SP 1 OEM XRMPOEM_EN Windows XP Professional SP 1a and SP 2 OEM X1APOEM_EN 6. This step is probably optional if you can't be bothered. I seem to recall having entered a wrong label in the past without having the Windows installer fail on me. 7. Finally, click the "Write" icon at the bottom of the window. To find out which picture the "Write" button is (there are no visual cues, even as to which picture actually represents a button), hover your mouse over the the pictures near the bottom of the window and wait for the tooltip to appear. When you hover your mouse over the correct picture, a tooltip

will appear with the text "Write". (Note: depending on your version of ImgBurn, your icon may read "Build" instead of "Write".) 8. A dialog box will probably pop up saying something like "You've only selected 1 folder! C:\XPSETUP. Does the 'XPSETUP' folder represent the root directory for the image content? (Otherwise the 'XPSETUP' folder will be visible in the root directory of the image.)" Click "Yes" to this. Basically, you want the contents of the XPSETUP folder to be what you see when you view the CDROM's top level directory. 9. If you get an error message from ImgBurn regarding "c:\w2ksect.bin", it means that you have missed one of the steps outlined above. Return to that paragraph and complete the step before continuing. At this point, the bootable Windows setup disk will be created. To use it, place the CD into the CD drive, make sure your BIOS is set to boot first from your CD drive, and reboot. Viola, if all goes well, the Windows installer starts up and you're on the way to reinstalling your system. Copyright © 2006-2007 by Christopher Heng. All rights reserved. Get more "How To" guides and tutorials from http://www.howtohaven.com/. This article can be found at http://www.howtohaven.com/system/createwindowssetupdisk.shtml howtohaven™ Site News Feed Do you find this article useful? You can learn of new articles and scripts that are published on howtohaven.com by subscribing to the RSS newsfeed. Simply point your newsfeed reader or a browser that supports RSS feeds at http://www.howtohaven.com/howtohaven.xml. Please Do Not Reprint This Article This article is copyrighted. Please do not reproduce this article in whole or part, in any form, without obtaining my written permission. Related Pages  How to Create a Bootable "Live" Windows Rescue CD How to Delete Undeletable, Locked, Busy or Currently In-Use Files in Windows Free Partitioning Software - Copy, Create, Move, Resize, Convert, Undelete Partitions Free Antivirus Software Free Spyware/Adware/Trojan/Hijackers Detection, Removal and Prevention Free Secure File / Disk Deletion (Wipe) Utilities - wipe your hard disk before giving away your system

 How to Perform a Full Manual Defragmentation of Your Hard Disk Under Windows Vista Free Defragmentation Utilities / Free Defraggers Free Audio CD Rippers Free DVD/CD Emulators, Free Virtual CD/DVD Drives Free Data Recovery, File and Partition Recovery, Undelete and Unformat Software Newest Pages How to Create an Emergency Windows Rescue CD How to Delete Undeletable, Locked, Busy or Currently In-Use Files in Windows How to Create / Start Your Own Website: The A-Z Guide How to Perform a Full Manual Defragmentation of Your Hard Disk Under Windows Vista How to Create a Website with Dreamweaver CS3 How to Create a Bootable Windows XP Setup CD/DVD on a Preinstalled Windows System How to Record or Save Streaming Music or Audio Free Drawing and Painting Software, Image and Photo Editing Programs Free DVD Authoring and Creation Software How to Link to This Page To link to this page from your website, simply cut and paste the following code to your web page. <ahref="http://www.howtohaven.com/system/ctarget="_top">How to Create a Bootable WindPreinstalled Windows System</a> It will appear on your page as: How to Create a Bootable Windows XP Setup CD/DVD on a Preinstalled Windows System Copyright © 2006-2007 by Christopher Heng. All rights reserved. thesitewizard™, thefreecountry™ and HowToHaven™ are trademarks of Christopher Heng. Last updated: 7 November 2007.

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