Windows XP HOW TO - Basics

Enable or disable System Restore How do I disable some of my Startup programs? Remove all the System Restore points except the recent one Add or remove items in my SendTo shortcut list Add items to my Quick Launch bar Show all Favorites in IE, rather than displaying the most used items only Change the Start Menu to Classic Style or XP Style View the error messages registered in Event Log Create a System Restore point Backup files and folders in XP Enable Windows to Show/Hide all files Create a screenshot of my window and save to a file Sort the Favorites alphabetically in Internet Explorer Backup my Internet Favorites to a disk Make Windows XP automatically login Restore the Taskbar to the default (bottom) position Disable the Welcome Screen at Logon Start Windows in Safe Mode Show or hide a Control Panel item in Windows XP Set Internet Explorer as the default browser in XP SP1 and above How to turn off Personalized Menus ? Do I have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed ? Use System Restore to Undo Changes if Problems Occur How to show file extensions for all file types? How to backup Outlook Express data?

How do I enable or disable System Restore?

System Restore is a feature of Windows XP which can restore your computer to a previous state, if a problem occurs, without losing your personal data files (Word documents, Internet History, Internet Favorites, or e-mail messages). System Restore automatically creates Restore Points every 24 hrs (by default). These restore points allow you to revert the system to a previous time. The Restore Points are also at the time of significant system events (such as when an application or driver is installed). You can also create and name your own restore points at any time. By default, the System Restore can use a maximum of 12% of the hard disk space. If the 12% allocation point is reached, System Restore will start purging it's Restore Points in a First In First Out basis, to accommodate room for the future Restore Points. Sometimes, the System Restore points may get infected by a virus. In that case, clearing the System Restore point is the only option to eradicate the virus in that area. The procedure is explained below: To disable System Restore feature, try the steps below: Right-click My Computer and choose Properties Click System Restore tab Check Turn Off System Restore on all drives Click OK

Restart Windows, and now the previous Restore Points will be purged by Windows XP. To enable the System Restore, repeat the above steps, but remove the check mark on "Turn Off System Restore on all drives" option.

How do I disable some of my Startup programs?

When you start your computer, many applications might load at startup, out of which some may not be required at all. Windows comes with a startup managing utility called MSCONFIG, using which you can disable startup applications. This is also called System Configuration Utility. To access MSCONFIG, try these steps: Click Start, Run and type MSCONFIG Click Startup tab and view the listings there Uncheck the corresponding entry for the application which you want to disable from startup Click OK

The entries are reappearing again.....What now?

Some applications will repopulate the entry in the Startup. In that case, you need to check into that software's options page and disable it's "Run at startup" or similar feature.

Which startup items are mandatory?

Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows XP does not require any program for mandatory startup. Everything is your choice. The very recommended ones which needs to run at startup are: Firewall programs Anti-virus and anti-spyware utilities Keyboard software or related for hotkey functionality (this one is optional as well) Software provided by your Internet Service Provider (for Internet Connectivity) (View Screenshot of the MSCONFIG Window - Click to enlarge)

How do I remove all the System Restore points except the recent one?
All the System Restore points can be cleared by disabling and enabling the System Restore option. This is discussed here. However, Windows XP provides an option to clear all the System Restore points except the very recently created point. This can be accomplished through the Disk Cleanup Utility in XP. Click Start, Run and type CLEANMGR and press Enter Select the hard disk partition and press OK At the top of the dialog, click the tab More Options Under System Restore section, click the button "Clean up..."

Now, all the System Restore points (except the recent one) are cleared and more hard disk space will be free.

How do I add or remove items in my SendTo shortcut list?

When you right-click a file and choose Send To, you will see various destinations such as the following: Compressed (zipped) Folder Desktop (create shortcut) Mail Recipient My Documents and more....

You can add your own folder shortcut to that location. Click Start, Run and type shell:sendto This opens the Send To folder. Create a shortcut for your folder there. This can simply be done by right-clicking the folder (which you want to put in SendTo list) and choosing Copy. In the Send To folder, choose Paste Shortcut. The shell:sendto command basically opens the SendTo folder in your user profile. ( %userprofile%\sendto )

How do I add items to my Quick Launch bar?

To add items to the Quick Launch area in the Taskbar, you can simply drag a program's shortcut to the Quick Launch area and place it there. Or, click Start, Run and type the following to open the Quick Launch folder: %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch You can create new shortcut in that folder by right-clicking and selecting New Shortcut. And the newly created shortcut should reflect in the Quick Launch area in the Taskbar.

Show all the Favorites in IE, rather than displaying the most used items only
When you click the Favorites menu in Internet Explorer, only the recently-used favorites items might be displayed. You need to click the chevron to get all the items displayed.

To disable this behavior and to make all the favorites show by default, disable the option "Enable Personalized Favorites Menu" in the Internet Options Advanced tab. Open Internet Explorer and click Tools menu Choose Internet Options, and click the Advanced tab Under Browsing, uncheck Enable Personalized Favorites Menu Click OK to close the dialog. Close Internet Explorer and restart.

How do I change the Start Menu to Classic Style or XP Style?

Windows XP offers two types of Start Menu style. One, the Classic Style which you see in Windows 95/98/ME systems and the New XP Start Menu which is very attractive. However, many people still stick on to the Classic Style Start Menu. Here is the way to switch between both modes.

Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and choose Properties Click the tab named Start Menu at the top You'll be presented with two options namely Start Menu and Classic Start Menu o Start Menu is the new XP Style o Classic Start Menu is the Windows 9x Style Choose any of the options and click OK

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How do I view the error messages registered in Event Log?

Event Viewer maintains logs about program, security, and system events on your computer. You can use Event Viewer to view and manage the event logs, gather information about hardware and software problems, and monitor Windows security events. Event Log helps you track more information about an unknown error, such as the following one: Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience This message does not give any further information right? But, Windows would have recorded more information about this error in the Event Log. Here is how to access the Event Viewer: Click Start, Run and type eventvwr.msc Select Application entry in the left pane In the right-pane, look for the Error entry denoted by a Red X

Sort by date and track-down the entry based on what time the error exactly occurred. Locate and double-click the entry and you'll see more information in the resulting dialog, as given below: Event Type: Error Event Source: Application Error Event Category: None Event ID: 1000 Date: 7/11/2004 Time: 6:16:42 PM User: N/A Computer: SUPERCOMPUTER Description: Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2800.1106, faulting module shell32.dll,

version 6.0.2800.1106, fault address 0x0019dec6. For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp. Data: 0000: 41 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74 Applicat 0008: 69 6f 6e 20 46 61 69 6c ion Fail 0010: 75 72 65 20 20 65 78 70 ure exp 0018: 6c 6f 72 65 72 2e 65 78 lorer.ex 0020: 65 20 36 2e 30 2e 32 38 e 6.0.28 0028: 30 30 2e 31 31 30 36 20 00.1106 0030: 69 6e 20 73 68 65 6c 6c in shell 0038: 33 32 2e 64 6c 6c 20 36 32.dll 6 0040: 2e 30 2e 32 38 30 30 2e .0.2800. 0048: 31 31 30 36 20 61 74 20 1106 at 0050: 6f 66 66 73 65 74 20 30 offset 0 0058: 30 31 39 64 65 63 36 0d 019dec6. 0060: 0a . This indicates that Explorer has crashed with the resulting module named Shell32.dll. This information is vital for a troubleshooting personnel. Click the copy button at the top and copy the whole event and paste it to a Notepad document and save it.

The Event ID can further be drilled-down using these sites: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/eventserrors.mspx http://www.eventid.net/search.asp Another Example: Event Type: Error Event Source: Application Error Event Category: None Event ID: 1000 Date: 12/30/2004 Time: 2:41:34 PM User: N/A Computer: SUPERCOMPUTER Description: Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.2900.2180, faulting module hyperbar.dll, version 1.0.1.1, fault address 0x0000e956. For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Data: 0000: 0008: 0010: 0018: 0020: 0028: 0030: 0038: 0040: 0048: 0050: 0058:

41 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74 Applicat 69 6f 6e 20 46 61 69 6c ion Fail 75 72 65 20 20 65 78 70 ure exp 6c 6f 72 65 72 2e 65 78 lorer.ex 65 20 36 2e 30 2e 32 39 e 6.0.29 30 30 2e 32 31 38 30 20 00.2180 69 6e 20 68 79 70 65 72 in hyper 62 61 72 2e 64 6c 6c 20 bar.dll 31 2e 30 2e 31 2e 31 20 1.0.1.1 61 74 20 6f 66 66 73 65 at offse 74 20 30 30 30 30 65 39 t 0000e9 35 36 0d 0a 56..

How do I create a System Restore point?

Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore For Classic Start Menu: Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. Click Create a restore point, and then click Next. In the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this restore point. System Restore automatically adds to this name the date and time that this Restore Point is created. To finish creating this restore point, click Create. You can also launch System Restore window by typing the command below, in the RUN box: %SystemRoot%\System32\restore\rstrui.exe

How do I backup my files and folders in XP?

Windows XP comes with a backup tool called NTBACKUP (NTBACKUP.MSI from Windows XP CD-ROM). In Windows XP Home Edition, this tool has to be installed manually from the CD-ROM, whereas in Windows XP Professional, this tool is installed by default. Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file in the following location on the Windows XP Home Edition CD to start a wizard that installs NTBackup: X:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP X:\ refers to the CD-ROM drive-letter Note: Usually, OEMs such as Compaq, DELL won't ship the Windows XP CD nor they include the NTBACKUP utility by default. You can download a copy of NTBACKUP.MSI here.

Backing up your files using NTBackup Utility:

Click Start, Run and type NTBACKUP Select Backup tab at the top In the left pane, scroll to the file/folder which you want to backup and put a checkmark on it. At the bottom, mention the output filename (the backup output) Once set, click Start Backup button in the right, and again click Start Backup in resulting dialog

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> NTBACKUP does not have the ability to write to CDs directly. You will need to save the backup to hard drive, then transfer or burn it to a CD-ROM. Also, while backing up several files, make sure you backup the files in separate sets of each max 650MB (so that it fits on a CD-ROM)

See also
FREE Windows Backup Software add-on for NTBackup Enhanced Windows Backup uses Windows' built in backup engine called Windows Backup (ntbackup.exe) which provides state-of-the-art core backup technology. Enhanced Windows Backup substantially extends the capabilities of NTBackup, providing an effective integrated backup solution.

How do I enable Windows to Show/Hide all files?

By default, Windows Explorer does not display files with attribute set to Hidden. Use this method to make Explorer show all the hidden files: Click Start, and then click Control Panel Double-click Folder Options On the View tab, under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders

Hidden files and folders will appear dimmed to indicate they are not typical items. Usually, hidden files are program or system files that should not be deleted or changed. Still some files remain hidden? Windows XP adds another layer of hidden files, known as "Super-hidden" or Protected Operating System files. Generally, these protected files are not intended to be visible for the user as they're not intended to be modified by the user. To display other hidden files, clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.

How do I create a screenshot of my window and save to a file?

When you contact a tech support team regarding an error in Windows, they may ask you a screenshot of the error message window. To capture the error window, use the Print Screen key in your keyboard. Here are the instructions. When the Error Window is displayed in the system, press and hold your ALT key, then press the Print Screen key located at the top row in the keyboard (usually). Now, release the ALT key. The screen is now captured into the clipboard. Next, open Microsoft Paint (type mspaint in Start, Run window) and while in PaintBrush, use the menu option Edit and choose Paste. Save the image as a JPG file (preferred, due to it's file compression rate)

While saving the image in Paint, crop the image and remove the white-space surrounding the picture. This not-only improves the look, but also reduces the file size to a greater extent. Always save the image as JPG (from the Save As dialog box

drop-down box), unless specifically requested for BMP format. Attach the image file and send it to the recipient.

How do I sort the Favorites alphabetically in Internet Explorer?

Open Internet Explorer and click the Favorites menu Scroll down and right-click on a favorites item Choose Sort by Name Now the Favorites are sorted alphabetically.

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How do I backup my Internet Favorites to a disk?

Open Internet Explorer and click File menu, choose Import and Export... Click Next, choose Export Favorites, Select the top-level folder Type a filename, say C:\Favorites.htm and click Finish The favorites are now stored as a Netscape type bookmark file named Favorites.htm. You can transfer this file to a floppy/CD if you want to backup or transfer to another system.

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How do I make Windows XP automatically login?

Default behavior of Windows XP is that it automatically logs in if there is only one user account in the system and is not password protected. As everyone tend to create more user accounts and assign passwords for their user accounts, Windows asks for password at logon. Here is a way to make XP automatically login to an user account. Click Start, Run and type CONTROL USERPASSWORDS2 Uncheck Users must enter a username and password to use this computer Click Apply. Now, fill-up your user information and password there.

Important: By default, it shows Administrator. You need to input your username and password.

Note that the Tweak UI PowerToy from Microsoft also provides an option to set XP automatically login.

How do I restore the Taskbar to the default (bottom) position?

Sometimes, the Taskbar may get misplaced/docked on to the top or the sides. To revert it back to the default bottom position, follow these steps: Right-click an empty area in the Taskbar and uncheck Lock the Taskbar option Click on the middle area of the taskbar (it should be an empty area) and drag it towards the bottom by clicking the mouse button and bringing it down.

Note: The Taskbar will not move along as you move the mouse. But, after you move the mouse to the bottom most area of the screen, the Taskbar will dock itself to the bottom. Once moved, right-click the Taskbar and enable Lock the Taskbar option.

How do I disable the Welcome Screen?

To disable the Welcome Screen and replace it with the classic Windows 2000 style login screen, try these steps: Click Start, Run and type Control Userpasswords Click Change the way users log on or off Uncheck Use the Welcome Screen box Click Apply Options button

Note
Fast User Switching will also be turned Off when Welcome Screen is turned Off Disabling Welcome Screen does not mean XP will automatically login. It still prompts for password using Classic Logon. You need to configure automatic login separately. See this page Disabling Welcome Screen also removes the User picture from the top of Start Menu

How do I start Windows in Safe Mode?

Safe mode is the diagnostics mode of Windows. When you start the computer in Safe mode, only the bare-minimal components that are needed to run the operating system are loaded. This mode is useful for troubleshooting the PC, in the event if Windows does not load normally. Safe mode restricts the user in terms of using some functions, such as a connection to the Internet. Safe mode also loads a standard video driver at a low resolution. It's a method to diagnose and troubleshoot the computer for load problems and other issues, by isolating the cause and pinpointing which software or driver is causing the problem. Here is the procedure to start Windows XP in Safe Mode. Turn On your computer. The first screen will be the memory test or the BIOS logo is displayed. After the page finishes, you'll see the Startup options listed. Select the Operating System which you want to start, and Press F8 key Using the arrow keys on the keyboard, scroll to and select the Safe mode menu item, and then press Enter.

Show or hide a Control Panel item in Windows XP

You can hide (or show) a particular CPL from the Control Panel view, using Tweak UI. To do so, follow these steps: Download Tweak UI and install it Launch Tweak UI and click Control Panel section in the left pane In the right-pane, under Control Panel extensions section, uncheck an item to prevent the applet from being displayed in the Control Panel. Click Apply, and then click OK

Tweak UI Download Links:

Version 2.00 Version 2.10 (requires minimum XP SP1)

Set Internet Explorer as the default browser in Windows XP SP1 and above
You may use the Set Program Access and Defaults feature to set your default browser. To set Internet Explorer as the default (this repairs the file association settings as well), try this: From Control Panel, open Add/Remove Programs applet, and choose Set Program Access and Defaults button. [ Alternately, click Start, Run and type control appwiz.cpl,,3 ] Click the Custom button once. From the list that appears, select Internet Explorer and then click the OK button.

How to turn off Personalized Menus ?

Personalized Menus keeps the Programs menu clean by hiding items you haven't used recently, while still keeping other programs easily accessible. You can gain access to hidden programs by clicking the down arrow at the bottom of the Programs menu. If you don't want this feature, and want to display all the items in the Programs menu, you need to disable the Use Personalized Menus option for the Classic Start Menu. Follow these steps: Right-click the Taskbar, and choose Properties Click the tab named Start Menu

Assuming Classic Start Menu is selected, click the Customize button In the Advanced Start Menu options, uncheck Use Personalized Menus

Click OK, OK and close the dialog boxes.

Do I have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed ?

You can determine your Service Pack level using different methods: Click Start, Run and type Winver and press Enter. The following screen appears which shows the Service Pack level of your system. If the words Service Pack 2 is present at the end of the line, then you have Windows XP SP2 installed.

Use System Restore to Undo Changes if Problems Occur

Every time you download or install a new game, application, or software update, you make changes to your computer. Sometimes that change may make your system unstable. Have you ever wanted to go back to the way it was? With System Restore, you can. System Restore works a lot like the Undo command in Microsoft Word. You can use System Restore to remove any system changes that were made since the last time you remember your computer working correctly. System Restore does not affect your personal data files (such as Microsoft Word documents, browsing history, drawings, favorites, or email) so you won't lose changes made to these files. To undo changes youve made to your computer Before you open the System Restore console, you may want to save your work and close all programs since System Restore requires you to restart your computer.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Click Start. Point to All Programs. Point to Accessories. Point to System Tools. Click System Restore. From the Welcome to System Restore screen of the System Restore Wizard select Restore my computer to an earlier time. Then select the date you created the restore point from the calendar in the Select a Restore Point screen. All of the restore points you created and you computer created on the selected date are listed by name in the list box to the right of the calendar.

Note: System Restore does not replace the process of uninstalling a program. To completely remove the files installed by a program, you must remove the program using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel or the program's own uninstall program. To open Add or Remove Programs, click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs. Visual aid

How to create a System Restore point manually? Though System Restore checkpoints are created every 24 hrs, there are certain criteria which is discussed here. Due to these limitations, one should depend on these two methods: 1. Manually create a System Restore point. More Info.....

2. Backup the whole registry using ERUNT before you install a software. I run the ERUNT Autobackup which backups up the registry daily / automatically during the first startup for the day.

How to show file extensions for all file types?

By default, file name extensions for known file types are hidden. To See All File Extensions in the Desktop and Windows Explorer, follow this: Click Start, Control Panel Double-click Folder Options Click the View tab Uncheck the Hide extensions for known file types check box Click OK

How to backup Outlook Express data?

Backing up the Outlook Express mails, address book, message rules and the account information manually was never an easy task. However, there is an useful tool builtin Windows XP, which facilitates Outlook Express data backup. It is the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

Using Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to backup Outlook Express data
1. Type MIGWIZ.EXE in Start, Run dialog. This launches the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

2. Click Next.

3. Select Old computer, and click Next

4. Mention the location where the data will be stored. Click Next

5. Select the option Both files and settings in this dialog. Also, select the Let me select a custom list of files...... option.

6. Remove all the other entries except Outlook Express. Click Next

Outlook Express data is now backed up. Important Note: Though Files and Settings Transfer Wizard is a handy utility, this is not my preferred mode of backup. This is because the backup image is prone to corruption, and sometimes unrecoverable, thus leading to data loss. I recommend using a specialist third-party program like Genie-Soft - Outlook Express Backup. Note that this program has always proved helpful in my experience. One of the useful features of Genie-Soft Outlook Express Backup is that it can create a self executable EXE file. The backup file will be in the form of a standalone EXE file that can be executed on any machine even if Genie Backup Manager is not installed. More information available at the vendor's site. Here are some screenshots of Genie-Soft Outlook Express Backup program:

Error Message: "Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator"

Published: February 2004 Send your feedback

(Muchas gracias a Pepe Gallardo, Microsoft MVP, por traducir el artculo original al espaol. Para una versin inglesa del mismo, clic aqu.) Read the Spanish version of this article here.

Symptom
When you try to open Task Manager, the following error may occur:

Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator

Resolution
This error is caused if the DisableTaskMgr restriction is enabled. To enable Task Manager, try one of these methods:
IMPORTANT: If this restriction was enabled in your system without you doing anything or without your knowledge, then it's highly likely that a Virus has blocked the usage of Task Manager in your system by enabling the DisableTaskMgr policy via the registry. I strongly suggest that you perform a thorough checkup of your system immediately. Steps listed in the Resolution section of this article helps you unblock the Task Manager, but that does not remove the Virus (if any) from your system.

Method 1 Click Start, Run and type this command exactly as given below: (better - Copy and paste)

REG add HKCU\Softw are\Microsoft\Window s\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_D

Method 2 Download and run this REG fix and double-click it. Method 3
Click Start, Run and type Regedit.exe Navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies\ System

In the right-pane, delete the value named DisableTaskMgr Close Regedit.exe

Method 4: Using Group Policy Editor - for Windows XP Professional

Click Start, Run, type gpedit.msc and click OK. Navigate to this branch:

User Configuration / Administrative Templates / System / Ctrl+Alt+Delete Options / Remove Task Manager

Double-click the Remove Task Manager option. Set the policy to Not Configured.

Removing invalid entries from Add or Remove Programs

Sometimes when you uninstall a program, corresponding entry in the Add or Remove Programs listing may not be removed. This may be due to incomplete uninstall or poorly designed uninstaller itself. To manually remove the orphaned entries from the Add or Remove Programs applet, follow these steps:
Click Start, Run and type regedit.exe Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Uninstall

Backup the branch to a file

Note: Each subkey represents a program that you've installed. To determine which program that each key represents, click the key, and then view the DisplayName value data in the right pane
Select the subkey that you want to delete Right-click on the subkey and choose Delete Close Registry Editor

Still unable to remove an entry?

If the program was installed using Windows Installer, then you may use Windows Installer Cleanup Utility to remove the installer information for that program, and also the corresponding entry in Add or Remove programs.

Related links
Add/Remove program Cleaner is a free and useful program that allows you to clean up the Add/Remove programs list in the control panel. It should only be used

to remove entries that are broken and cannot be removed by running the uninstall program.

How to login as Administrator in Windows XP?

The built-in Administrator account is hidden from Welcome Screen when a user account with Administrator privileges exists and enabled. In Windows XP Home Edition, you can login as built-in Administrator in Safe Mode only. For XP Professional, press CTRL + ALT + DEL twice at the Welcome Screen and input your Administrator password in the classic logon window that appears. To have the Administrator account displayed in the Welcome Screen, try one of these methods:

Method 1: Using TweakUI Power Toy for Windows XP

Download TweakUI from here: v2.00 for Windows XP | v2.10 for XP SP1 and above Open TweakUI and click "Logon" option in the left pane. Put a checkmark against the option "Show Administrator on Welcome Screen". Click OK to close TweakUI. Logoff and see if Welcome Screen lists Administrator login. Changes are immediate and you can use the Winkey + L to switch back to Welcome Screen to see Administrator account is listed. Use this procedure to hide/unhide any user account from the Welcome Screen. Please remember, you can still login to a hidden account using CTRL+ALT+DEL classic logon method, but cannot Fast User Switch to a hidden user account.

Method 2 - Manual registry edit

Click Start, Run and type Regedit.exe Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList

Use the File, Export option to backup the key Create a new DWORD Value named Administrator

Double-click Administrator, and set 1 as its data Exit the Registry Editor.

For Windows XP Home Edition

While you can configure Windows XP Home Edition to show Administrator account in the Welcome Screen, you cannot login as Administrator in Normal mode. Visit the following link for more information:

How to backup the Windows XP Registry?

Published : Mar 2004 Updated : Sep 2006 Send your feedback

Introduction
Registry Editor is an advanced tool for viewing and changing settings in your system registry, which contains information about how your computer runs. Almost the entire settings are stored in the registry. For example, when you resize an application window, the window position (x,y points) is stored in the registry so that the settings are retained permanently. This is just an example, there are much more data stored in the registry, right from your user account names and passwords (if configured to store in the registry). Although Registry Editor enables you to inspect and modify the registry, it's advisable to use Registry Editor only if the GUI does not provide the option you're looking for. Making incorrect changes in the registry can break your system. It's highly advisable to backup the registry before editing any portion of it.

Backing up the XP Registry - Three methods

Method 1: Using System Restore One way to backup the registry is to create a System Restore snapshot. System Restore returns your computer to a previous snapshot without losing recent personal information, such as documents, history lists, favorites, or e-mail. It monitors the computer and many applications for changes and creates restore points. You restore these snapshots when your configuration isn't working. This method is unreliable in case you want to rollback the registry changes made a

longtime ago, in which case the System Restore might have purged that particular restore point - due to space constraints or due to a recent system restore point or even a Restore point corruption. Please remember, System Restore points get deleted for many reasons, making it unreliable, especially in the long run. For more help, see : Creating a System Restore point and Using System Restore to Undo Changes if Problems Occur Method 2: Backing up the selected branch of the registry by exporting (Reliable) This method is preferred if you're making changes to a specific key/area of the registry. To backup a selected branch/key in the registry, try this:
Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK Locate and then click the key that contains the value that you want to edit On the File menu, click Export. In the Save in box, select a location where you want to save the Registration Entries (.reg) In the File name box, type a file name, and then click Save.

(Backing up a selected branch/key of the registry) Now that you've created a Registry backup for that particular key. Save the REG file in a safer location in case you want to undo the registry changes made. You can restore the settings by just double-clicking the REG file. It automatically merges the contents to the Registry. Method 2 (a) : Export registry keys using a command-line (Console Registry Tool) You can use the Console Registry Tool for Windows (Reg.exe) to edit the registry. For help with the Reg.exe tool, type reg /? at the Command Prompt, and then click OK.

Example: To export the key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IOLO] and it's subkeys, try this from Command Prompt: REG EXPORT HKCU\Software\IOLO C:\IOLO.REG To view the REG contents type notepad C:\iolo.reg in Start, Run dialog. Console Registry Tool is extremely handy for network admins and also for home users. Method 3: Backing up the whole registry ("System state") For backing up the whole registry, use the NTBackup utility to back up the System State. The System State includes the registry, the COM+ Class Registration Database, and your boot files. See section "Back Up the Whole Registry" in the following article: HOW TO: Back Up, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows XP NOTE: NTBACKUP is not installed by default in Windows XP Home Edition. Install it using the instructions available at: Q302894.

Lock Windows XP workstation with Welcome Screen and FUS enabled

When you press Winkey+L key combination, you will see the Welcome Screen [if you have Welcome Screen enabled in Control Panel, User Accounts]. When Welcome Screen is disabled, Windows XP automatically locks the workstation [like in Windows 2000] and you see the Unlock Workstation dialog. Some people prefer Locking the Workstation temporarily to avoid anyone logging in to the system in another user account [in the mean-while when you go out for a smoke or for a coffee]. If you wish to lock the workstation temporarily, with Welcome Screen and Fast User Switching enabled, you may use the LockXP utility. Download LockXP from here and run it. As soon as you double-click the file, it locks (Classic Lock as seen in Windows 2000) the workstation irrespective of Welcome Screen/Fast User Switching status. This is very handy if you want to temporarily lock the workstation, without entirely disabling the Fast User Switching feature. It works only with administrator-level user account. Command-line parameters supported

Arguments /L /Q

Description

Locks XP Workstation and the program remains Locks XP Workstation and the program quits

Remove the .NET Credentials (Stored User names and Passwords)

To remove the Stored User Names and Passwords from your system, try this:
Click Start, Run and type Control keymgr.dll Remove the entries from the list.

The other ways to access this dialog are: Type Control Userpasswords2 in RUN box, click Advanced, Manage Passwords -orFrom Control Panel, select your User Account, click Manage your network passwords

Link for winxp troubleshooting http://windowsxp.mvps.org/tips_page.htm