Microsoft Windows XP
Without doubt, the grand daddy of the current crop of Microsoft Operating Systems. Launched in 2001 as the successor to the ill fated Windows ME, Windows XP started Microsofts trend towards changing the appearance of their Operating Systems away from dull coloursto something more vibrant.
Windows XP has the distinction of being the Operating System that Microsoft stuck with the longest without being replaced, it being nearly six years before Vista was in a position to replace it. Even after that, XP still maintained a large user base as many users couldn't run Vista due to hardware limitations. And then just as it looked like XP was going to die out, the popularity of 'Netbooks' in 2008 & 2009 gave it a new lease of life as it was ideal for low cost, low power platforms
Microsoft have pledged to support XP with security updates until 2014, so there is plenty of life left in it yet, and as such we are able to mirror this support, and will be providing articles and advice right up until then.
Customisation / Tweaking
Load Websites Quickly - Loading website from the Taskbar without opening Internet Explorer first.
On Screen Keyboard - How to access the on-screen keyboard in case of emergencies.
Faster Menus - Decreasing the delay between a mouse click and a menu being displayed.
Customising the 'Send To' menu - Adding and removing items to the 'Send To' menu.
Changing the Windows XP Boot Screen - Customising your PC's startup.
Moving your 'My Documents' folder - How to move your documents to a more convienient location.
Removing Shortcut Arrows - How to remove those little white arrows on your desktop shortcuts.
Disable Windows Error Reporting - How to stop those annoying pop boxes when an application crashes.
Removing Windows Balloon Tips - Stopping those pesky balloon tips from popping up all over the place.
Changing the owners name - if you've have a 2nd hand PC then this tip might be useful.
Security
Make USB Devices Read Only - Stopping people from using removeable media to steal your data.
Automatically deleting temporary internet files - How to clear the Internet Explorer cache when you exit the program.
Manually creating a restore point - How to make sure you can recover from serious system problems.
Creating a password recovery disk - Make sure you can always get into your P.C.
A brief explanation of Firewalls - Our response to the question, What is a firewall and do I need one?
Secure Passwords - How to force your users to adopt more secure passwords.
Optimisation / Performance Improvement
Windows shortcut keys - Getting things done quicker without using the mouse.
Disabling File Indexing - How to gain a performance improvement for your hard drive.
Moving the paging file to a different drive - Improve system performanc by re-locating your Virtual Memory.
Unloading .dll files - Increasing system performance by forcing un-required .dll files to be removed from memory.
Troubleshooting
Restoring the recycle Bin- A solution to the common problem of a lost recycle bin.
Forcing your system to use signed drivers - How to stop un-certified drivers from causing system instability.
Checking for un-signed system files - How to make sure that none of your system files have been tampered with.
Windows Media Player
Why can't I play DVD's in Windows Media Player? - A quick answer for this common question.