Windows Notes

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Windows XP In A Nutshell

p29 Alt key double click for file properties

p65 put short cuts to applications at \Documents and Settings\{user name}\SendTo. This lets your right click files and open with 'the short cut' program, great for HTML files you can open with a text editor, browser(s), HTML editor. Same for JPEG files, etc. (right click 'Open with' usually works too, but not always)

p107 windows\system32\backup.exe Professional only but I wonder if I can find it or something like it.

p117 windows\system32\charmap.exe (see my list below)

p124 windows\system32\cmd.exe (I can't see using this)

p154 windows\system32\fsscint.exe (I uninstalled, but I'm curious if it would read my Global fax files? I doubt it.)

p160 windows\system32\fc.exe open Command Window type fc /? for directions compares two files.

p232 windows\system32\nslookup.exe Command Window type nslookup craigmaas.net to find ip address 66.227.36.177 type nslookup effectiveconcepts.net to find ip address 66.227.36.177 same

p256 windows\system32\ping.exe Command Window type ping google.com to find time to send four pings. (It doesn't seem to work for my websites?)

p260 windows\system32\eudcedit.exe Make bitmap unicode charactors. I made the EC logo as F800 A bad program and doesn't seem very usable.

p288 windows\system32\subst.exe open Command Window type subst /? directions. Cool way to make a folder into a drive temporarily. Solves problem of opening files in photoshop and saving them elsewhere.

p298 windows\system32\taskmgr.exe primary way of closing application, processes and checking the operating systems. It also has some real-time graphs.

p309 Telenet, but most servers are now using SSH: www.ssh.com or putty.bhni.net

p310 windows\system32\tracert.exe open Command Windowtype tracert /? for directions Trace Route of communications over the internet

p298 windows\system32\sndvol32.exe The sound control panel

p321 windows\system32\ipconfig.exe open Command Window type ipconfig /? for directions Trace Route of communications over the internet

p330 use Regedit to delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\image\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers. By deleting the ContextMenuHandlers key it will allow you set proper applications for opening JPEG and other image files.

p403 Print Out a Directory Listing- this really annoys me about Windows.

Annoyances.org

creativelement.com/powertools

I decided to go the simpler shareware route rather than write a batch file, command prompt, or hack the registry.

Windows XP Hacks

More Info.

p6 Startup Screen, themexp.org copy ntoskrnl.ext in safemode to C:\Windows\System32, bootxp.net shareware to make bootscreens

p25 PowerToys

TweakUI (In my System folder under the Start Menu) has tons of controls for the interface

p57 System Beeps, I think I turned them off with TweakUI but if not:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Sound Beep Extended Sounds String (set each value to) No

p72 Folder and File Listings

Batch File: filelisting.bat

dir /a /-p /o:gen >filelisting.txt

Windows Explorer --> Tools --> Folder Option --> File Types tab --> Folder --> Advanced --> New

Action "Create File Listing", Application (browse to filelisting.bat file)

to delete: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Create_File_Listing and delete key

p102 Copy to Folder, Move to Folder

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

create key: Copy To set value to {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}

create key: Move To set value to {C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}

note the {} ARE part of the value

p103 Send To Documents and Settings\\SendTo

p107 Use Briefcase for File Transfers In Windows Explorer File->New->Briefcase

p122 Personal Firewall ZoneAlarm www.zonealarm.com, Spyware detector and eradicator www.lavasoft.de

p160 DNS HOSTS file C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc\HOSTS

p217 Virtual Private Network

Home machine: Control Panel -> Network and Internet Connections -> Network Connections -> Create a New Connection (New Connection Wizard) "Set up an advanced connection", "Accept Incoming Connections" and "Allow virtual private connections"

Set up matching users with a really good password

use VPN client on Laptop(?) may have to configure router to allow the VPN traffic to pass through to your VPN server. (Hack 49, call Qwest?)

p223 Spam, Email Javascript generator

p258 Back up Registry Use Registry Editor, open program, select MyComputer File -> Export to restor File -> Import

p271 Backup Utilities, Windows XP Home install from disk:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP\Ntbackup.msi

p279 Screen Capture

1. PrintScrn button (saves entire screen to Clipboard)
2. Alt-PrintScrn button (saves active screen to Clipboard)
3. Snagit.com to capture actions

p299 Force Older Programs to use XP common controls (doesn't seem to have much effect) place below text file in same folder as application with .manifest extension ie for ClarisWorks.exe this becomes ClarisWorks.manifest

p304 Microsoft Office replacements software602.com or openoffice.org

p335 Recovery Console lots of vague information, need the book to proceed. boot.ini (Has to be on the C Drive) Talks about the MBR (Master Boot Record, which I could have probably fixed if I had known more about it- of course if I knew more about it I might not have erased it in the first place.

p340 Device Manager run devmgmt.msc in Command Window Lots of detail in the book including Error Message Codes; yet they all seem to require new or updated Drivers View -> Display Hidden Devices should show all the items ever hooked to the computer

Other Books:

Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition by David A. Karp

Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide by Jerry Honeycutt

Character Map

Acute é alt+0233 é

Umlat ü alt+0252 ü

Umlat Ãœ alt+0220 Ü

Curl single open quote '

Curl single closed quote '

Curl double open quote "

Curl double closed quote "

Degree ° alt+0176 °

function Æ’ alt+0131 ƒ

Divide ÷ alt+0247 ÷

pound £ alt+0163 £

Euro € alt+0128 €

Copyright © alt+0169 ©

Registered ® alt+0174 ®

Trademark â„¢ alt+0153 ™

Dagger † alt+0134 †

Doubledagger ‡ alt+0135 ‡

paragraph ¶ alt+0182 ¶

Not(Tab)¬ alt+0172 ¬ Panorama uses this as a tab charactor

Left doubleangle ( alt+0171 «

Right doubleangle ) alt+0187 »

delta, symbol font or unicode

function, symbol font or unicode

notequal, symbol font or unicode

approximate, symbol font or unicode

pi, symbol font or unicode ϖ

Infinity, symbol font or unicode