Techie Details for Windows XP Users
While most of our readers are recreational and business computer users, we do get a good number of requests from Windows XP techies looking for more "inside info" on Windows XP. If you're a member of this group, check out this article on the innards of Windows XP. We learned a few things we didn't know about from this and you will too!
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030805TI-Techie_Details
More Cool Outlook Calendar Shortcuts
A few weeks ago we shared with you some cool Outlook Calendar shortcuts. Jason Advani sends in some of his own:
- Alt + - will change to week view
- Alt + 0 will change to a 10-day view
- Alt + + will change to month view
- Alt + or changes the weeks
Speed Up Windows XP by Keeping the Operating System in Memory
One thing you can do to speed up Windows XP is to make sure that key operating system functions stay in memory. Memory (also called "RAM") is much faster than the hard disk. Perform the following steps to pep up your XP computer's performance:
- Click the Start button. Click the Run command and type regedit in the Open text box. Click OK. As always, be very careful when editing the Registry.
- In the Registry Editor, go to the following registry key:
HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
- Right click the DisablePagingExecutive entry in the right pane of the Registry editor and click Modify.
- In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, type the number "1" (without the quotes) in the Value data field. Click OK.
- Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Enable the NUMLOCK Key BEFORE Users Login
We've talked about the enabling the NUMLOCK key before. However, the methods we've described work on a per user basis. Here's how you get it to automatically turn on before users logon:
- Click the Start button. Click the Run command and type regedit in the Open text box. Click OK. As always, be very careful when editing the Registry.
- In the Registry Editor, go to the following registry key:
HKEY USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Keyboard
- Double click the InitialKeyboardIndicators entry in the right pane of the Registry editor.
- In the Edit String dialog box, type the number "1" (without the quotes) in the Value data field. Click OK.
- Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Restore the Default AutoSearch Search Page
Some forms of scumware delivered by popups and spam can change the default search page used by Internet Explorer. Many ISP installation kits will change it too. Here's how to fix it:
- Click the Start button. Click the Run command and type regedit in the Open text box. Click OK. As always, be very careful when editing the Registry.
- In the Registry Editor, go to the following registry key:
HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl
- Double click the (Default) entry in the right pane of the Registry editor.
- In the Edit String dialog box, type "http://home.microsoft.com/access/autosearch.asp?p=%s" (without the quotes) in the Value data field. Click OK.
- Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
How to Run Your Own Webserver from a Home DSL or Cable Connection
Many Windows XP Professional users are big do-it-yourselfers. They want to run their own Web- and FTP server. No problem! Windows XP Professional has a Web- and FTP server included with it. However, there are many things to consider when running your own Web and FTP server on your own DSL or cable connection. David Vinson writes in with a very cool link that gives you all the details. If you've ever wondered how to host your own Web server from home, then you definitely want to check this out:
http://www.winxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=030805TI-Webserver
It's a long one, but if you've ever wanted the sense of accomplishment of running your own Web site, then this article will get you where you want to go.