Geeks On Call ® Windows XP J R King ® Geeks On Call® Windows® XP Geeks On Call ® Windows XP J R King ® Geeks On Call® Windows® XP: 5-Minute Fixes Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard Indianapolis, IN 46256 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Geeks On Call America, Inc., Norfolk, Virginia Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN-13: 978-0-471-77456-3 ISBN-10: 0-471-77456-1 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 1B/TQ/RR/QV/IN No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600 Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: WHILE THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR HAVE USED THEIR BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS BOOK, THEY, GEEKS ON CALL AMERICA, INC., OR ANY GEEKS ON CALL® FRANCHISEE OR LICENSEE MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR WRITTEN SALES MATERIALS THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR SITUATION YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH A PROFESSIONAL WHERE APPROPRIATE NEITHER THE PUBLISHER, AUTHOR, GEEKS ON CALL AMERICA, INC., OR ANY GEEKS ON CALL® FRANCHISEE OR LICENSEE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S at (800) 762-2974, outside the U.S at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data King, J R., 1975– Geeks on call Windows XP : 5-minute fixes / J R King p cm Includes index ISBN-13: 978-0-471-77456-3 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 0-471-77456-1 (pbk.) Microsoft Windows (Computer file) Operating systems (Computers) I Title QA76.76.O63K558 2005 005.4'46—dc22 2005026332 Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission Geeks On Call and the Geeks On Call logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Geeks On Call America, Inc Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books Credits Executive Editor Carol Long Development Editor Tom Dinse Copy Editor Kathryn Duggan Editorial Manager Mary Beth Wakefield Production Manager Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Richard Swadley Vice President and Executive Publisher Joseph B Wikert Project Coordinator Ryan Steffen Graphics and Production Specialists Jennifer Heleine Lynsey Osborn Barbara Moore Alicia B South Quality Control Technicians John Greenough Brian H Walls Proofreading Sossity R Smith Indexing TECHBOOKS Production Services Contents Introduction Part I: TROUBLESHOOT XP Chapter 1: Solve Common Problems Close an Unresponsive Program Delete an Undeletable File Restore Windows to a Healthy State Use System Restore When Windows Won’t Start Protect Windows from a Botched Software Installation If a Program Won’t Start or Run Properly Download a Newer Version Download a Patch Temporarily Disable Antivirus or Antispyware Software Chapter 2: Eliminate Irritations Prevent Windows Messenger from Loading Hide or Disable Windows Messenger Remove Windows Messenger from the Start Menu Rename Windows Messenger’s Folder Force Windows to Use a Different Instant Messenger Change the Windows Registration Name Pop the Balloon Tips Stop Highlighting New Software Turn Off Error Reporting Disable Step-by-Step Searches Disable the Search Characters Show Inactive Icons Re-Sync the Windows Clock Disable Automatic Cleanup of Your Desktop Adjust AutoPlay Repair AutoPlay Disable AutoPlay Chapter 3: Fix Internet Issues Repair a Broken Internet Connection Temporarily Disable Your Software Firewall Reboot Your Modem,Your Router, or Both Use ipconfig Reinstall TCP/IP xiii 3 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 15 17 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 24 26 31 31 31 32 33 33 viii Contents Repair the Winsock Use the System File Checker Back Up Your Bookmarks Restore Missing “Favicons” Automatically Restore Favicons Manually Restore Favicons Prevent Crashes When Copying Text from a Website Easily Locate Your Downloads Prevent Broken Downloads Reduce the Internet Cache Save QuickTime Movies for Free Block Pop-Ups Chapter 4: Heal E-Mail Headaches 34 39 40 41 41 42 44 45 46 46 47 51 53 Back Up E-Mail Import E-Mail Automatically Spell Check E-Mail If Spell Check Is Missing Repair a Malfunctioning Spell Check Back Up the Address Book Import an Address Book Change the Location of Your Stored E-Mail Speed Up a Slow Outlook Express View a Blocked E-Mail Attachment View and Print E-Mail Without the “>” Symbol Create an E-Mail Shortcut Remove Wasted Space Prevent E-Mail Corruption Recover from E-Mail Corruption 53 54 55 55 56 58 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 66 67 Part II: MAKE XP BETTER, STRONGER, AND FASTER 71 Chapter 5: Avoid Digital Dangers Manually Update Windows XP Automatically Update Windows XP Disable Unsafe Services Protect Your Computer from Viruses Antivirus Software Block Worms from Invading Your Computer Prevent Spyware Infections How Does Spyware Infect a Computer? Antispyware Programs Reactive Antispyware Programs Proactive Antispyware Programs Beware of Phishing Scams Control Cookies Delete Tracking Cookies 74 74 75 76 78 78 78 79 79 80 80 80 81 82 84 188 Glossary Word: Microsoft’s popular word-processing program It does not come with Windows XP and must be purchased separately WordPad: A very basic word-processing program that comes free with Windows worm: A program that infects a computer either by slipping into a PC that hasn’t been updated with the latest security patches for Windows or by being launched when an infected e-mail attachment is opened or run In some cases, all you have to to become infected is to access the Internet with a computer that lacks the latest Windows security patches INDEX SYMBOLS > (greater than symbol), printing e-mail without, 64–65 - (minus sign) by keys in Registry Editor, + (plus sign) by keys in Registry Editor, A Acronis True Image program, 90 Ad-Aware free antispyware program, 80, 137 Address Bar, 110, 185 address book, 58–60, 185 Alerter service, disabling, 147–148 alphabetizing bookmarks, 105 Alt key combinations See keyboard shortcuts animated characters (Search Companion), 21, 170 anti-phishing toolbars, 82 AntiSpyware program (McAfee), 80, 137 antivirus and antispyware software disabling temporarily, 10, 140 interfering with other programs, 10 restarting, 10 spyware prevention, 79–80 spyware removal, 137–138 virus protection, 78 winsock file repair and, 38, 39 AntiVirus program (Norton), 78 A1 Free Sound Effects website, 174 Apple iTunes website, 179 applications See programs; specific programs attachments to e-mail blocked, viewing, 63–64 security dangers and, 78, 79, 80 audio warnings for Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock keys, 126 AutoPlay adjusting settings, 23–24 defined, 185 disabling, 26–29 repairing (enabling), 24–26 AVG Anti-Virus program, 78 avi files, deleting, 4–6 B backing up address book, 58–59 bookmarks, 40–41 data, 89–90 defined, 185 e-mail messages, 53–54 programs for, 90 Backup NOW program (NTI), 90 Backup program, services needed by, 148 balloon tips, disabling and enabling, 17–19 batch renaming for files, 122–123 BCWipe wiping software, 87 Bearshare file-sharing software, uninstalling, 137–138 BestCrypt encryption software, 87 BitTorrent file-sharing software, uninstalling, 137–138 blocking pop-ups, 51 190 Index bookmarks alphabetizing, 105 backing up, 40–41 changing lineup in Favorites list, 105 creating, 74–75 defined, 185 organizing in folders, 106–107 renaming, 106 restoring missing favicons, 41–44 burning custom music CDs, 180–181 C cache (Internet), 185 See also Temporary Internet Files folder Calculator, desktop shortcut for, 113 Caps Lock key, audio and visual warnings for, 126 capturing screen images, 169 CD Slide Show Generator PowerToy, 134 CD-Maker program (NTI), 90 CDs or DVDs adjusting AutoPlay settings, 23–24 burning custom music CDs, 180–181 creating digital songs from music CDs, 177–178 determining drive letter for, 57–58 disabling AutoPlay, 26–29 disabling Windows built-in CD-burning program, 148 disc-imaging programs, 90 enabling AutoPlay, 24–26 restoring DMA mode for drives, 154–156 classic Windows appearance, 161–162 ClearType Tuner PowerToy, 135 clock, synchronizing system with atomic, 22 closing See also disabling CPU hogs, 138–139 erasing Recent Documents list when exiting Windows, 96–98 unresponsive programs, Cloudmark SafetyBar toolbar, 82 compacting e-mail messages, 66 compressed air, dusting with, 150 cookies, 82–84, 185 CPU, defined, 185 CPU hogs, removing, 138–139 crashes by Word when copying website text, 44–45 Cryptainer encryption software, 87 CryptoForge encryption software, 87 Ctrl key combinations See keyboard shortcuts customizing XP adding themes, 162–163 capturing screen images, 169 changing animated character for Search Companion, 170 changing desktop wallpaper, 164–165 changing icons for shortcuts and folders, 165–169 changing picture for account, 163–164 disabling system sounds, 171–172 restoring classic Windows appearance, 161 restoring Start menu to classic mode, 161–162 skins for changing appearances, 169 system sounds, 172–174 viewing slide shows of photos, 170–171 D The Daily Wav website, 174 dat files (index files), deleting, 84–85 data backing up, 90 deleting completely (wiping), 86–87 encrypting, 87–89 reasons for loss of, 89–90 transferring to secondary hard drive, 141 date, inserting into text file, 123–124 DBXtract tool, 69 defragment, defined, 185 defragmenting your hard drive, 140–141 deleting See also closing; disabling cookies, 84 data securely, 86–87 file-sharing software (uninstalling), 137–138 icons from Quick Launch toolbar, 100 index files, 84–85 My Computer or My Documents icon from desktop, 103–104 Recent Documents list when exiting Windows, 96–98 Show Desktop shortcut, avoiding, 101 spyware, 137–138 undeletable files, 4–6 video files (.avi extension), 4–6 Index wasted space for e-mail messages, 66 Windows Messenger from Start menu, 12–13 desktop See also desktop shortcuts changing wallpaper, 164–165 cluttered, cleaning up, 99–104 disabling automatic cleanup, 22–23 jumping from folders or programs to, 100 rearranging shortcuts on, 104 restoring missing icons, 104 restoring Show Desktop shortcut, 100–103 showing inactive icons, 21–22 Desktop Cleanup Wizard, disabling, 22–23 Desktop Firewall, 86 desktop shortcuts See also My Computer; My Documents folder adding to Send To menu, 124–126 changing icons, 167 disabling automatic cleanup of, 22–23 for e-mail contacts, 65 for folders, 112 rearranging, 104 renaming, 112, 113 restoring missing, 104 for screensavers, 126–128 showing inactive icons, 21–22 starting with keyboard shortcut, 127–128 for Temporary Internet Files folder, 49 transferring to Quick Launch toolbar, 100 for Windows programs, 113 for WordPad, 131 Details view for files, 115–116 digital dangers See security digital photos creating wallpaper from, 165 getting quick dimensions of, 116–117 viewing slide shows, 170–171 viewing thumbnails of, 117 digital songs burning to CD, 180–181 ripping from music CDs, 177–178 direct memory access (DMA) mode, restoring, 154–156 directories See folders 191 disabling See also deleting; enabling animated characters in Search Companion, 21 antivirus and antispyware software temporarily, 10, 140 AutoPlay, 26–29 balloon tips, 17–19 Desktop Cleanup Wizard, 22–23 error reporting, 20 Hide Inactive Icons feature, 21–22 highlighting of new software in Start menu, 19–20 Indexing service, 148, 153 Outlook Express attachment blocking, 63–64 Outlook Express Contacts pane, 61 programs from loading at startup, 144–145 qttask, 144, 146–147 realsched, 144 Recent Documents list, 94–96 software firewall temporarily, 31–32 step-by-step searches, 20–21 system sounds, 171–172 unneeded services, 147–148 unsafe services, 76–77 Windows Messenger, 11–12, 13–14, 61, 76–77 disc-imaging programs, 90 disconnecting from the Internet, 10 Disk Cleanup program, unfreezing, 113–115 Disk Defragmenter, 113, 140–141 displaying See enabling; hiding; showing DMA (direct memory access) mode, restoring, 154–156 double-click, restoring ability to open folders with, 121–122 download manager programs, 46 downloading See also Internet resources locating downloads easily, 45 pirated software, dangers of, 78, 79 preventing broken downloads, 46 drive letter, determining for CD or DVD drives, 57–58 DriveCrypt encryption software, 87 drivers, 131–133, 186 dusting inside your computer, 150 DVDs See CDs or DVDs 192 Index E F e-mail See also Outlook Express add-on programs for spell checking, 55 address book backup, 58–59 backing up messages, 53–54 changing storage location for, 60–61 compacting messages, 66 corruption, preventing, 66–67 corruption, recovering from, 67–69 extracting messages from dbx files, 69 guidelines for folders, 66–67 importing address book, 59–60 importing messages, 54–55, 68 phishing dangers and, 81 printing without “>” symbol, 64–65 repairing spell check malfunctions, 56–58 security dangers for attachments, 78, 79, 80 spam, 78 speeding up Outlook Express, 61–63 spell checking automatically, 55 viewing blocked attachments, 63–64 e-merchants, separate passwords for, 93 eMusic website, 179 enabling See also disabling; opening or starting Address Bar, 110 animated characters in Search Companion, 21 AutoPlay, 24–26 balloon tips, 19 DMA mode for drives, 154–156 software firewall, 32 Status Bar, 109–110 encryption, 87–89, 186 erasing See deleting error messages, 4, 20 eTrust EZ Antivirus program, 78 EZ Firewall, 86 PestPatrol antispyware program, 80, 137 exiting See closing exporting address book from Outlook Express, 58–59 extracting e-mail messages from dbx files, 69 EZ Antivirus program (eTrust), 78 EZ Firewall (eTrust), 86 FAT32 file system, converting to NTFS, 151–153 favicons defined, 41, 186 missing, restoring automatically, 41–42 missing, restoring manually, 42–44 FavOrg program, 41–42 Favorites, 186 See also bookmarks File Shredder wiping software, 87 file systems, converting FAT32 to NTFS, 151–153 files See also folders; specific files and types of files hidden, showing, 48 printing directory of, 119–121 renaming several at once, 122–123 security dangers and file extensions, 78, 79 showing in groups, 117–118 undeletable, deleting, 4–6 viewing details, 115–116 file-sharing software, 79, 137–138 firewalls (hardware), 85, 186 firewalls (software) defined, 186 described, 85 disabling temporarily, 31–32 free firewalls, 86 hardware firewalls with, 85 retail firewalls, 86 using, 85–86 winsock file repair and, 38, 39 folders See also specific folders adding commands to toolbars, 107–109 adding to Send To menu, 124–126 for bookmarks, 106–107 changing icons for, 167 creating new folders and subfolders, 111 desktop shortcuts for, 112 displaying Address Bar, 110 displaying Status Bar, 109–110 for downloads, creating, 45 for e-mail, changing, 60–61 for e-mail, copying, 53–54 e-mail, guidelines for, 66–67 hidden, showing, 48 jumping to desktop from, 100 printing directory of, 119–121 Index restoring ability to open with doubleclick, 121–122 restoring original icons, 167 showing files in groups, 117–118 viewing digital photos as thumbnails, 117 viewing digital photos as Tiles, 116–117 viewing file details, 115–116 for Windows Messenger, renaming, 13–14 fonts ClearType Tuner PowerToy, 135 defined, 148 reducing number of, 148–150 reinstalling, 150 freeware See shareware or freeware frozen Disk Cleanup program, fixing, 113–115 Function keys See keyboard shortcuts G GetRight download manager, 46 Ghost disc-imaging program (Norton), 90 glossary, 185–188 Google Toolbar, 51 greater than symbol (>), printing e-mail without, 64–65 H hackers, spyware installed by, 80 hard drives defragmenting, 140–141 installing fast drive, 150 restoring DMA mode, 154–156 transferring data to secondary drive, 141 hardware firewalls, 85, 186 Hide Inactive Icons feature, disabling, 21–22 hiding See also showing Recent Documents list, 94 Windows Messenger, 12–13, 62–63 highlighting in Start menu, turning off, 19–20 HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT registry key, 121–122 HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key disabling balloon tips, 17–19 disabling Recent Documents list, 94–96 193 erasing Recent Documents list when exiting Windows, 96–98 finding, 17–18 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key changing computer owner’s name, 15–17 deleting video files (.avi extension), 5–6 finding, repairing AutoPlay, 25–26 restoring DMA mode for drives, 155–156 speeding up Outlook Express, 62–63 unfreezing Disk Cleanup program, 114–115 winsock file repair with no Service Packs or Service Pack 1, 35–36 hogging a CPU, stopping, 138–139 HTML Slide Show Wizard PowerToy, 134 computer crashes by Word when copying website text, 44–45 frozen Disk Cleanup program, fixing, 113–115 I IconForge icon-creation software, 166 icons See also desktop shortcuts adding to folder toolbars, 107–109 changing picture for Windows account, 163–164 defined, 186 for desktop shortcuts, changing, 167 downloading collections, 166 for folders, changing, 167 icon-creation software, 166 restoring missing favicons, 41–44 for special shortcuts, changing, 168–169 IconXP icon-creation software, 166 ID3 tags for songs, 179–180 IIS Admin service, disabling, 76–77 IM (instant-messaging) programs See also Windows Messenger designating default program, 14–15 links sent with messages, not clicking, 78, 79 phishing dangers and, 81 Image Resizer PowerToy, 135 IMAPI CD-Burning COM service, disabling, 148 194 Index importing address book, 59–60 e-mail messages, 54–55, 68 index files, deleting, 84–85 Indexing service, disabling, 148, 153 installing See also updating or upgrading software FavOrg program, 41–42 firewall (reinstalling), 32 fonts (reinstalling), 150 pirated software, dangers of, 78, 79 PowerToys, 134 setting a restore point before, 8–9 spyware dangers and, 79–80 TCP/IP (reinstalling), 33–34 themes, 162–163 instant-messaging programs See IM programs; Windows Messenger Internet accelerators or optimizers, avoiding, 46 blocking pop-ups, 51 bookmarks, backing up, 40–41 bookmarks, creating, 74–75 cache, reducing, 46 disconnecting from, 10 downloads, locating easily, 45 favicons, restoring missing, 41–44 preventing broken downloads, 46 repairing broken connection, 31–40 saving QuickTime movies for free, 47–50 speeding connection, 46 toolbars, 51, 82 Word crashes when copying text from website, 44–45 Internet cache, 185 See also Temporary Internet Files folder Internet connection repair disabling software firewall temporarily, 31–32 rebooting modem and/or router, 32–33 reinstalling TCP/IP, 33–34 resolving IP address issues with ipconfig, 33 System File Checker for, 39–40 winsock file repair, 34–39 Internet Explorer backing up bookmarks, 40–41 creating bookmarks, 74–75 displaying Status Bar, 110 keyboard shortcuts, 130 pop-up blocker, 51 restoring missing favicons, 41–44 Internet radio, 175–176 Internet resources anti-phishing toolbars, 82 antispyware software, 80, 137 antivirus software, 78 atomic clock, 22 backup programs, 90 DBXtract tool, 69 disc-imaging programs, 90 download managers, 46 encryption software, 87 FavOrg program, 41–42 firewall software, 86 icon collections, 166 icon-creation software, 166 movie trailers, 47 music players, 184 music stores online, 179 music visualizations, 182 Paint program alternatives, 170 patches for programs, 10 PowerToys, 134, 186 Process Library website, 145 program updates, search engines, 41 skins for Windows appearances, 169 skins for Windows Media Player, 183–184 spell checking add-ons, 55 themes, 162 toolbars, 51, 82 video card drivers, 132 wav files, 172–173 Windows Update site, 73 wiping software, 87 WordPad-replacement programs, 131 XP enhancements from Microsoft, 170 Internet Security firewall (Norton), 86 ipconfig program, resolving IP address issues with, 33 J Jarte WordPad-replacement program, 131 K Kazaa file-sharing software, uninstalling, 137–138 Index 195 launching See opening or starting Leo’s Icon Archive website, 166 Limewire file-sharing software, uninstalling, 137–138 My Computer adding icon to desktop, 103 changing icon for, 168–169 removing icon from desktop, 103–104 restoring original icon, 169 My Documents folder See also folders adding icon to desktop, 103 changing icon for, 168–169 organizing with subfolders, 111 removing icon from desktop, 103–104 restoring original icon, 169 My Network Places icon, 168–169 M N mailto: shortcut icons, creating, 65 McAfee AntiSpyware program, 80, 137 Personal Firewall, 86 Virus Scan program, 78 Media Player See Windows Media Player 10 memory (RAM) adding more, 141–142 defined, 187 Virtual Memory and, 157 memory (virtual), adjusting, 157–158 Messenger service, 186 MetaPad WordPad-replacement program, 131 Microangelo icon-creation software, 166 Microsoft Plus website, 162 Microsoft Word See Word (Microsoft) Microsoft XP downloads site, 170 minus sign (-) by keys in Registry Editor, modem, 32–33, 186 mov files See QuickTime Movie Sounds Central website, 174 movies deleting avi files, 4–6 saving QuickTime movies for free, 47–50 MP3, 186 MS Software Shadow Copy Provider service, disabling, 148 MSN Music website, 179 MSN Toolbar, 51 music See Windows Media Player 10 Music Now website, 179 Musicmatch Jukebox program, 184 names computer owner, changing, 15–17 for desktop shortcuts, 112, 113 ID3 tags for songs, 179–180 renaming bookmarks, 106 renaming several files at once, 122–123 renaming Windows Messenger folder, 13–14 for restore points, Napster website, 179 Nero Burning ROM or Nero Express, 90 Netcraft Toolbar, 82 NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing, disabling, 76–77 networks, synchronizing time and, 22 Norton AntiVirus program, 78 Ghost disc-imaging program, 90 Internet Security firewall, 86 Personal Firewall, 31 Notepad copying text from websites into, 44–45 creating file for Show Desktop shortcut, 101–102 defined, 186 desktop shortcut for, 113 inserting date and time into text file, 123–124 printing directory of files or folders, 119–121 NTFS file system, converting from FAT32, 152–153 NTI Backup NOW program, 90 CD-Maker program, 90 keyboard shortcuts creating for screensaver, 127–128 described, 128 for Internet Explorer, 130 for Windows, 128–129 “Windows” key for, 129–130 L 196 Index Num Lock key, audio and visual warnings for, 126 O Object Desktop website, 169 opening or starting See also enabling; restarting Registry Editor, 4–5 restoring ability to open folders with double-click, 121–122 System Restore in Safe Mode, 7–8 System Restore normally, Task Manager, Windows faster, 144–145 Outlook Express See also e-mail Contacts pane, disabling, 61 speeding up, 61–63 owner of computer, changing name for, 15–17 P Paint program, 113, 170 Paint Shop Pro program, 170 passwords guidelines for creating, 92 importance of using, 90 keeping track of, 93 kinds to avoid, 93 pass-phrases for, 92 separate, for separate e-merchants, 93 for Windows XP Home Edition, 91 for Windows XP Professional Edition, 91–92 PC-cillin antivirus program, 78 performance adjusting Virtual Memory, 157–158 closing CPU hogs, 138–139 defragmenting your hard drive, 140–141 disabling qttask, 144, 146–147 disabling unneeded services, 147–148 dusting inside your computer, 150 fast hard drive for, 150 Internet connection, 46 Outlook Express, 61–63 reducing fonts, 148–150 removing spyware, 137–138 removing unused programs, 151 setting visual options for, 143–144 starting Windows faster, 144–145 transferring data at high speeds, 154–156 video card upgrade for, 150 Personal Firewall (McAfee), 86 Personal Firewall (Norton), 31 PestPatrol antispyware program (eTrust), 80, 137 PGP Corporation encryption software, 87 phishing, 81–82, 186 photos, digital See digital photos PIO mode, switching to DMA mode, 154–156 pirated software, dangers of, 78, 79 plus sign (+) by keys in Registry Editor, pop-up blockers, 51 pop-up, defined, 186 Power Calculator PowerToy, 134 PowerToys, 27–28, 134–135, 186 printdir.bat command, creating, 119–121 printing directory of files or folders, 119–121 e-mail without “>” symbol, 64–65 images captured from screen, 169 proactive antispyware programs, 80 Process Library website, 145 programs See also installing; uninstalling; updating or upgrading software; specific programs adding to Send To menu, 124–126 antivirus and antispyware software interfering with, 10 closing unresponsive, downloading newer versions, downloading patches, 10 highlighting in Start menu, turning off, 19–20 jumping to desktop from, 100 not starting or running properly, 9–10 pirated, dangers of, 78, 79 preventing from loading at startup, 144–145 removing unused, 151 spyware dangers and, 79–80 Q qttask, disabling, 144, 146–147 Quick Launch toolbar defined, 187 folder icons on, 112 Show Desktop shortcut, 100–103 Index transferring desktop shortcuts to, 100 using, 99–100 QuickTime defined, 187 disabling qttask, 144, 146–147 free movie trailers, 47 saving movies for free, 47–50 quitting See closing R radio, Internet, 175–176 RAM (memory) adding more, 141–142 defined, 187 Virtual Memory and, 157 RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer PowerToy, 134 reactive antispyware programs, 80 realsched, disabling, 144 rebooting See restarting Recent Documents list, 94–98 Recycle Bin icon, 168–169 Reel Wavs website, 174 ReGet Pro download manager, 46 registration name for computer, changing, 15–17 Registry cleaners, 115 registry, defined, 187 Registry Editor (regedit) changing computer owner’s name, 15–17 defined, 187 deleting avi files, 4–6 disabling balloon tips, 17–19 disabling Recent Documents list, 94–96 erasing Recent Documents list when exiting Windows, 96–98 opening, 4–5 plus and minus signs by registry keys, repairing AutoPlay, 24–26 restoring ability to open folders with double-click, 121–122 restoring DMA mode for drives, 155–156 speeding up Outlook Express, 62–63 unfreezing Disk Cleanup program, 114–115 winsock file repair with no Service Packs or Service Pack 1, 35–36 reinstalling See installing 197 Remote Desktop Help Session Manager, disabling, 76–77 Remote Registry, disabling, 76–77 removing See deleting; disabling renaming See names restarting See also opening or starting antivirus and antispyware software, 10 modem or router (rebooting), 32–33 software firewall, 32 restoring ability to open folders with double-click, 121–122 classic Windows appearance, 161 DMA mode for drives, 154–156 missing desktop icons, 104 original icons, 167, 169 setting a restore point, 8–9 Show Desktop shortcut, 100–103 Start menu to classic mode, 161–162 using System Restore in Safe Mode, 7–8 using System Restore normally, 6–7 Rhapsody website, 179 ripping digital songs, 177–178 router, 32–33, 187 Roxio Easy Media Creator program, 90 running See opening or starting S Safe encryption software (Steganos), 87 Safe Mode, 4, 7–8 saving QuickTime movies for free, 47–50 screen captures, 169 screensavers, 126–128 Scroll Lock key, audio and visual warnings for, 126 Search Companion changing animated characters, 170 disabling animated characters, 21 disabling Indexing service, 148, 153 disabling step-by-step searches, 20–21 finding screensavers, 126–127 Secure IT encryption software, 87 security See also antivirus and antispyware software; firewalls (software) backing up data, 89–90 cookies and, 82–84 deleting data completely, 86–87 disabling Recent Documents list, 94–96 disabling unsafe services, 76–77 Continued 198 Index security (continued) encrypting data, 87–89 erasing Recent Documents list when exiting Windows, 96–98 hardware firewalls for, 85, 186 hiding Recent Documents list, 94 index files, deleting, 84–85 passwords, 90–93 phishing scams, avoiding, 81–82 updating Windows XP automatically, 75–76, 79 updating Windows XP manually, 73–74 virus protection, 78 worms, blocking, 78–79 Security Suite (Steganos), 87 Send To menu, editing, 124–126 Service Packs checking for, 34–35 designating default IM program and, 14 Internet Explorer’s pop-up blocker and, 51 winsock file repair with none or Service Pack 1, 35–38 winsock file repair with Service Pack 2, 38–39 services, disabling, 76–77, 147–148, 153 sfc (System File Checker) program, 39–40 shareware or freeware See also specific programs antispyware, 80, 137 firewalls, 86 spyware dangers and, 79 wav files, 172–173 WordPad replacements, 131 Shift key combinations See keyboard shortcuts shortcut icons See desktop shortcuts shortcut keys See keyboard shortcuts Show Desktop shortcut, 100–103 showing See also hiding digital photos as thumbnails, 117 digital photos as Tiles, 116–117 file details, 115–116 files in groups, 117–118 hidden files and folders, 48 inactive icons, 21–22 missing desktop icons, 104 Quick Launch toolbar, 99 slide shows of digital photos, 170–171 shredding data, 86–87 shutting down See closing skins for Windows appearances, 169 for Windows Media Player, 183–184 slide shows PowerToys for, 134 viewing digital photos as, 170–171 snapshots of screen items, capturing, 169 software See programs; specific programs software firewalls See firewalls (software) sorting bookmarks alphabetically, 105 Sound America website, 174 sounds customizing system sounds, 172–174 disabling system sounds, 171–172 warnings for Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock keys, 126 SoundSentry, 126 spam e-mail, not opening, 78 special shortcuts See also My Computer; My Documents folder changing icons for, 168–169 restoring original icons, 169 speeding up computers or programs See performance spell checking add-on programs for, 55 e-mail messages automatically, 55 repairing malfunctions, 56–57 SpellCheckAnywhere spell checker, 55 Spellex-Anywhere spell checker, 55 Spy Sweeper antispyware program, 80, 137 Spybot Search and Destroy antispyware program, 80, 137 spyware See also antivirus and antispyware software computer slowed by, 137–138 dangers of, 79 defined, 187 removing, 137 sources of, 79–80 types of antispyware programs, 80 Start menu pinning System Restore to, removing Windows Messenger from, 12–13 restoring classic mode, 161–162 stopping highlighting of new software, 19–20 starting See opening or starting; restarting Index Status Bar, 109–110, 187 Steganos, 87 step-by-step searches, disabling, 20–21 Style XP website, 169 synchronizing time with atomic clock, 22 System Configuration Utility disabling qttask, 146–147 preventing programs from loading at startup, 144–145 System File Checker (sfc) program, 39–40 System Idle Process, 139 System Restore defined, 187 desktop shortcut for, 113 opening in Safe Mode, 7–8 opening normally, pinning to Start menu, restoring Windows to healthy state, 6–8 setting a restore point, 8–9 T Task Manager, 3, 139 Taskbar Magnifier PowerToy, 135 TCP/IP, reinstalling, 34–39 telephone phishing, avoiding, 81–82 Telnet service, disabling, 76–77 Temporary Internet Files folder cache, defined, 185 creating desktop shortcut to, 49 favicons stored in, 41, 43 finding QuickTime movies in, 49, 50 reducing cache size, 46 text files, inserting date and time, 123–124 text, preventing crashes when copying from websites, 44–45 Theme World website, 162 themes, 162–163, 187 Thumbnails view for digital photos, 117 Tiles view for digital photos, 116–117 time inserting into text file, 123–124 synchronizing with atomic clock, 22 Tiny Personal Firewall, 86 toolbars for folders, adding commands, 107–109 Internet, anti-phishing, 82 Internet, pop-up blockers with, 51 Quick Launch, 99–100, 112 separators for, 108–109 TopDownloads website, 162 199 trailers for movies, 47 TrustWatch Toolbar, 82 Turbo Backup program, 90 turbocharging XP See performance Turbocrypt encryption software, 87 turning off See disabling turning on See enabling Tweak UI PowerToy, 27–28, 134 U Ultimate Paint program, 170 unfreezing Disk Cleanup program, 113–115 uninstalling See also disabling file-sharing software, 137–138 unused programs, 151 updating or upgrading software with newer versions, Paint program alternatives, 170 with patches, 10 video card drivers, 131–133 Windows XP, automatically, 75–76, 79 Windows XP, manually, 73–74 WordPad replacements, 131 V video cards setting for best performance, 143–144 setting for best picture quality, 133–134 updating drivers, 131–133 upgrading for performance, 150 video files deleting avi files, 4–6 saving QuickTime movies for free, 47–50 viewing See hiding; showing Virtual Desktop Manager PowerToy, 135 Virtual Memory, adjusting, 157–158 virus, defined, 187 virus protection, 78 See also antivirus and antispyware software Virus Scan program (McAfee), 78 visual options setting for best performance, 143–144 setting for best picture quality, 133–134 visual warnings for Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock keys, 126 visualizing your music, 181–182 Volume Shadow Copy service, disabling, 148 200 Index W wallpaper, changing, 164–165 Wal-Mart Music Downloads website, 179 warnings for Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock keys, 126 wav files defined, 187 downloading, 172–173 replacing system sounds with, 173–174 Wav Source website, 174 Web accelerators, avoiding, 46 Webcam Timershot PowerToy, 135 websites See Internet; Internet resources Winamp music player, 184 Windows Firewall, 86 “Windows” key shortcuts, 129–130 Windows Media Player 10 alternative music players, 184 burning custom music CDs, 180–181 creating digital songs from music CDs, 177–178 defined, 187 editing song tags, 179–180 listening to Internet radio, 175–176 purchasing music online, 178–179 skins for, 183–184 visualizing your music, 181–182 Windows Messenger See also IM (instantmessaging) programs choosing different IM as default, 14–15 hiding or disabling, 12–15, 61, 62–63, 76–77 Messenger service versus, 186 preventing from loading, 11–12, 61 removing from Start menu, 12–13 renaming folder for, 13–14 Windows Update site creating bookmark for, 74–75 updating Windows XP automatically, 75–76, 79 updating Windows XP manually, 73–74 winsock file repair checking for Service Packs, 34–35 with no Service Packs or Service Pack 1, 35–38 security software affected by, 38, 39 with Service Pack 2, 38–39 WinZip encryption software, 87 wiping data, 86–87 WMA, defined, 187 Word (Microsoft) crashes when copying text from website, 44–45 defined, 188 removing “>” symbols from e-mail, 64–65 WordPad program, 130–131, 188 worms, 78–79, 188 Y Yahoo Music Unlimited website, 179 Yahoo Toolbar, 51 Z ZoneAlarm firewalls, 31, 32, 86 .. .Geeks On Call ® Windows XP J R King ® Geeks On Call Windows XP Geeks On Call ® Windows XP J R King ® Geeks On Call Windows XP: 5- Minute Fixes Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc 104 75 Crosspoint... Corruption Recover from E-Mail Corruption 53 54 55 55 56 58 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 66 67 Part II: MAKE XP BETTER, STRONGER, AND FASTER 71 Chapter 5: Avoid Digital Dangers Manually Update Windows XP. .. 147 148 150 151 151 153 154 157 159 161 161 161 162 162 162 163 164 Contents Replace Your Icons Icon Collections Icon-Creation Software Change Icons Make a Screen Capture Change the Windows Search