Computer Tips & Tricks

[EvilAngel]

Edit your BOOT.INI file.

I just had to do this because I had a dual boot running and reformatted with PM6 boot disks so I guess it didn't change to boot sector at all when I installed XP soley.

Well this tutorial allowed me to boot directly to XP without getting a dualboot option of ..."WindowsXP or Unknown operating system on C:"

Saved me alot of greif.

Enjoy.

[SLK]

Tired of the stupid large vol control screen. Open volume control (On taskbar) once opened hit CTRL + S, Itll shrink

[TEH WIN]

If you dual boot you can have each windows share your favorites and my documents

FAVORITES: make a master folder on a partition, preferably a partiton that doesnt have an OS on it. i put a folder on my "user files" drive named "user"
copy all your favorites from each OS to that folder
install tweakui (http://www.download.com search for tweakui)
run tweakui and goto the "my comptuer tab"
click the down list arrow for the "folder" section and select favorites. click "change location" click yes on the warning message. choose your new folder for your favorites
repeat on each os. all OSes will now share the same favorites.. its a beauty and also very easy to backup

MY DOCUMENTS:
do the same as above but respectivly use My documents instead of favorites

[sito]

Here's a different way to remove ms messenger, you can actually uninstall it. Here's how:

Use a text editor to open C:\WINDOWS\inf\sysoc.inf, and change
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 to
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7

That's it. Messenger will now appear in the add/remove application under Windows Components where you can uninstall it.

[fish59]

Originally posted by sitosterol
Here's a different way to remove ms messenger, you can actually uninstall it. Here's how:

Use a text editor to open C:\WINDOWS\inf\sysoc.inf, and change
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 to
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7

That's it. Messenger will now appear in the add/remove application under Windows Components where you can uninstall it.

And if you remove all the HIDEs in sysoc.inf,lots of other things show up in add\remove Windows components

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Originally posted by fish59



And if you remove all the HIDEs in sysoc.inf,lots of other things show up in add\remove Windows components

[ColdFusion]

i love this thread!

[Norm]

Making your own "Autostart" CD's

If you look in the root directory of any of the CD's you now have, (that autostart) you'll notice a file called autorun.inf in the root dir of the CD. They all have it. It is this file that makes a CD autostart to a particular program on the CD. If you open this file and have a look at it's contents, you'll see a couple of lines such as the following:

[autorun]
OPEN=someprogram.exe
ICON=someicon.ICO

All you need to do is make a file like this one and put it in the root of the CD you are creating and if you like put an icon (.ico) file in the root as well to have your CD show an icon as well. Just replace the "someprogram.exe" with "yourprogram.exe" or any other file extention type that is associated with a program to open in.
For example:

[autorun]
OPEN=start any.html
This would open IE to the file you called "any.html" in the root of the CD.

[autorun]
OPEN=start \anydir\any.html
This would open IE to the file you called "any.html" in the directory you called "anydir" in the root of the CD

Starting to get it now?

[autorun]
OPEN=start any.txt
This would open notepad to the file you called "any.txt" in the root of the CD.

[autorun]
OPEN=start \anydir\any.bmp
This would open MSPAINT to the file you called"any.bmp" in the directory you called "anydir" in the root of the CD. (or it would open in your associated graphic editor, like Photoshop etc.)

Now for the ICON
[autorun]
ICON=any.ICO
Just put any .ico file in the root of the CD and you'll see this icon as the icon for the CD Drive when you insert the CD.

To make a file called autorun.inf, just right click the desktop, select "new", then select "text document" and name the file autorun.inf. Then open it and add the lines:
[autorun]
OPEN=someprogram.exe
ICON=someicon.ICO
Using the files of your own name of course, and save the file.
When creating the CD, just put this file in the root of the CD and it will autostart to the program or file you asked it to.
Any questions, feel free to ask, that's what I posted this for

Remember if you want to open any file other than a .bat, .com, or .exe you must use the word start and leave a space. eg:

[autorun]
OPEN=start any.doc
ICON=someicon.ICO

.bat, .com, and .exe files do not need the start command.

XP is different
Do some testing, and see if XP can handle it without the 'start' command.

One way to do some testing without actually burning a CD is to make a new dir (on your desktop) or anywhere on your HD.
The autorun.inf files work on directories on the HD as well.
If any folder has an autorun.inf in the root, windows will use it.

[JawZ]

Originally posted by Ken
Great stufferz guys, keep it up!

If you want to keep the favicons, or small icons, from sites, on your links bar, quick launch, etc..., and hate them resorting to the default IE icon everytime that you delete cookies, then this will solve that problem.

The easy way is to first clear you cookies and TIF files, then go to the site you want to have a button for, drag the link to the bar of your choice.
If the small icon doesn't show up on the bar with the short cut, just click on the link and hold it then drag it an inch and let it go. Do this a couple times if necessary...

Then head back to Inet options> Settings> view files. Look for the icon in there. Right click on it, Properties, copy, then paste in your address window. It will open a page at the site that will only have a tiny icon (favicon), Right click on the favicon and select "Save as".
Put it in a folder in your pictures such as "My Favicons" or whatever you choose that is easy for you to find and remember.

When you save it, be sure that you add a diferent number to eack favicon...
example:
The red "SG" for speedguide is in my folder, named as "SGfavicon1.ico"
For [H]OCP, it is "Hfavicon2.ico"

Note that I added the "SG....1" to "favicon.ico"

Then just Right click on the shortcut on the bar, properties, change icon, browse... Then find your favicon folder, click on the icon that you want for the link, then, OK, apply and OK again.
Batta bom, batta bing, it's a done deal! You will always have that icon represent that shortcut.

Another secrete is that you can, if you choose, have that same favicon represent what links you choose, and as many as you want. It doesn't matter...

Now come on!! Let's get some tips & tricks posted!
Hey YOU!, Yeah YOU! Quit just reading this and post a tip! I know that you know some!...

Please use this freebie tool.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,108438,00.asp

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Originally posted by Norm
Making your own "Autostart" CD's

If you look in the root directory of any of the CD's you now have, (that autostart) you'll notice a file called autorun.inf in the root dir of the CD. They all have it. It is this file that makes a CD autostart to a particular program on the CD. If you open this file and have a look at it's contents, you'll see a couple of lines such as the following:

[autorun]
OPEN=someprogram.exe
ICON=someicon.ICO

All you need to do is make a file like this one and put it in the root of the CD you are creating and if you like put an icon (.ico) file in the root as well to have your CD show an icon as well. Just replace the "someprogram.exe" with "yourprogram.exe" or any other file extention type that is associated with a program to open in.
For example:

[autorun]
OPEN=start any.html
This would open IE to the file you called "any.html" in the root of the CD.

[autorun]
OPEN=start \anydir\any.html
This would open IE to the file you called "any.html" in the directory you called "anydir" in the root of the CD

Starting to get it now?

[autorun]
OPEN=start any.txt
This would open notepad to the file you called "any.txt" in the root of the CD.

[autorun]
OPEN=start \anydir\any.bmp
This would open MSPAINT to the file you called"any.bmp" in the directory you called "anydir" in the root of the CD. (or it would open in your associated graphic editor, like Photoshop etc.)

Now for the ICON
[autorun]
ICON=any.ICO
Just put any .ico file in the root of the CD and you'll see this icon as the icon for the CD Drive when you insert the CD.

To make a file called autorun.inf, just right click the desktop, select "new", then select "text document" and name the file autorun.inf. Then open it and add the lines:
[autorun]
OPEN=someprogram.exe
ICON=someicon.ICO
Using the files of your own name of course, and save the file.
When creating the CD, just put this file in the root of the CD and it will autostart to the program or file you asked it to.
Any questions, feel free to ask, that's what I posted this for

Remember if you want to open any file other than a .bat, .com, or .exe you must use the word start and leave a space. eg:

[autorun]
OPEN=start any.doc
ICON=someicon.ICO

.bat, .com, and .exe files do not need the start command.

XP is different
Do some testing, and see if XP can handle it without the 'start' command.

One way to do some testing without actually burning a CD is to make a new dir (on your desktop) or anywhere on your HD.
The autorun.inf files work on directories on the HD as well.
If any folder has an autorun.inf in the root, windows will use it.

Ohhhh that's nice Norm! Now I can create a better, more professional auto.exe file for my resumes and video portfolio.

[GatoNanashi]

Originally posted by Joint Chiefs Of Staff


Nice!!

Or you could always restart your machine

[TEH WIN]

Originally posted by GatoNanashi


Or you could always restart your machine

why do that when you can do it in 1 second?

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Originally posted by TEH WIN


why do that when you can do it in 1 second?

What he said.

[ColdFusion]

When you goto create the share, make the sharename <name> + $. So ... if i wanted to share my music folder i would share it as music$ ... To access it, just type in the computers name so like COLDFUSION\music$

[ColdFusion]

Here is a tip for those of use who or security conscience. msn messenger
keeps a list of all the people who are on the contact list of anyone who
has used msn on your computer. open up regedit or what ever you use I use
nortons version.

step one: navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Step two: open up software
step three: open up microsoft
Step four: open up MessengerService
Step five: open up ListCache
step six: click on .NET Messenger Service and steer in amazment that all
that info is on your computer and u didn't even know about it
step seven: right click on .NET Messenger Service and press DELETE.
step eight: give yourself a pat on the back

Msn will continue to work as normal and as far as im aware it doesn't
replace the entry.

Note: I have only tested this on WIN98SE as that it's the only OS I havE
access to. if you use something else I suggest exporting the entry before
you delete it just to be sure your safe.

[ColdFusion]

Get out of Windows without warning:

Using this trick you can shutdown or restart your Windows without
any warning. For using this right-click on desktop and create a
short-cut and enter the command line as follows:
Shutting down: ?rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows? (without
quotes)
Restarting: ?rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindowsexec? (without
quotes)
Note: you can even shutdown Windows by running this command in
Windows directory.

The next tips we will be looking at involve the registry. Before doing anything i suggest you backup your registry ... you can do this by going into your registry and file>export>filename to export to ...

Run a program every time Windows starts:

You can run a program every time when the Windows startup. To do
this go ?HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Run? and
create a new string Value and modify its value to the path of the
program (Example: C:\program files\winamp\winamp.exe) you want to
start every time when Windows starts and restart the Windows. Your
program should automatically start on Windows startup.
Note: You can stop a program from loading at Windows startup by
removing the appropriate value from the ?Run? directory in
registry.

Display a notice every time Windows starts:

You can use this trick if you want a message to be displayed every
time Windows starts. Go to
?HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Winlogon?. Create a
new string values as follows.
Name: LegalNoticeCaption and Value: Caption of the dialog box
here
Name: LegalNoticeText and Value: Your message here
After adding the values, restart your Windows, a dialog box should
appear before the Windows startup.

remove the ?shortcut to?? on shortcuts:

To do this go to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer
Create a new Binary value with name ?Link? (without quotes) and
change its value to ?00 00 00 00?. Restart your system for
applying your new settings.

automatically log onto windows

Using this operation you can logon to your personal settings
without every time typing your passwords. Go to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
And create a new string value with name ?Default Password?
(Without quotes) and modify its value to your exact password.
Note: The default username can be found at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon\username.

Remove the internet icon form Desktop:

Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\E
xplorer
and Create a new DWORD value named ?NoInternetIcon? and set its
value to ?1?.

Disable the Shutdown command:

To disable the Shutdown command go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\E
xplorer
and create a new DWORD value ?NoClose?(Without quotes) and set
it?s value to ?1? (Without quotes). Restart the system for the new
settings to apply. To enable the Shutdown command change the value
of ?NoClose? to ?0? (Without quotes).

Hide icons on desktop:

To hide all the items on the desktop go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\E
xplorer
and create a new DWORD value ?NoDesktop? (Without quotes) and set
its value to ?1?. Restart the computer for the new settings to
take place.

Hide the Network Neighbourhood icon from desktop:

To do this operation go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\E
xplorer
and create a new DWORD value ?NoNetHood? (Without quotes) and set
it?s value to ?1? (Without quotes).

Automatically close Non-Responding programs:

In Windows often users encounter Non-responding programs due to
several reasons like low ram availability, low processing power
etc. This helps to close automatically the Non-responding programs
in Windows. To do this operation go to HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control
Panel\Desktop and a new string value to this folder. Ad name the
string value to ?AutoEndtasks? (Without quotes) and set it?s value
to ?1? (Without quotes).

Take control over the auto complete mode:

In Windows Operating System there is an option called auto
complete mode. This helps to avoid the repeated typing of the same
text in text boxes.
Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\A
utocomplete
and create a new string value named ?Append Completion? (Without
quotes) and set it value to ?yes? (Without quotes) to enable the
auto completion and ?No? (Without quotes) to show only a list of
relevant text.

Model your explorer toolbars:

This helps you add an image to the background of your explorer
toolbar. To do this go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\toolbar and
add a new string value named ?BackBitmapShell? (Without quotes) to
it and set its value to the path of the image file.

Clear the recent documents on windows exit:

This tweak helps you to remove the recent documents upon exiting
the Windows. Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\E
xplorer
and add a new DWORD valus named ?Clearrecentdocsonexit? (Without
quotes) and set its value to ?1?.

Customizing the start menu ( all operations fall under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\E
xplorer) :

Remove Favorites from start menu:

Create a Dword value named ?Nofavoritesmenu? and set its value to
?1?

Remove folders from settings on the start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoSetFolders? (Without quotes) and
set its value to ?1?

Remove Documents folder from start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoRecentDocsMenu? and set its
value to ?1?.

Remove the help option from start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoSMHelp? and set its value to
?1?.

Remove My documents from documents in start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoSMMyDocs? and set its value to
?1?.

Remove the find command from start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoFind? and set its value to
?1?.

Remove Run command from start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoRun? and set its value to ?1?.

Remove the control panel from start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoControlPanel? and set its value
to ?1?.

Remove the taskbar from the settings option on start menu:

Create a new DWORD value named ?NoSetTaskbar? and set its value to
?1?.

Modify internet explorer:

Hiding the Internet Explorer icon from desktop:
To do this go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\E
xplorer
and create a new DWORD value named ?NoInternetIcon? and set its
value to ?1?.

Disable the Go Button in Internet Explorer:

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
and create a new string value named ?ShowGoButton? and set its
value to ?no?.

Change the Internet Explorer Search Engine:

Go to ?HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Search url? and create a new string value named ?Default?
(Without quotes) and set its value to the address of the search
Engine. (Example: For Altavista the value should be
?http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=%s?)

Changing the Internet Explorer window title:

Just go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Main and create a string value named ?Window Title? with
the new caption as its value.

Customize Internet Explorer 5:

The following all values are to be added to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Restrictions for playing the trick. Set the values of the
below give DWORD values to ?1? to enable it and ?0? to disable
it.

Disable closing Internet Explorer: NoBrowserClose
Hide the Internet Options dialog box: NoBrowserOptions
Disable Save As..: NoBrowserSaveAs
Disable New command in File menu: NoFileMenu
Disable Full screen option: NoTheaterMode
Disable the right-click context menu: NoBrowserContextMenu

CLSID folders- What they really are?:

In Windows Operating System, the system folders are protected from
accidental deletion. Each system folder is represented by a
16-bit value known as CLSID value in the Windows registry. These
values point to the specific system folders. These values are
stored in the registry in ?HKCR\CLSID?. Below given are some of
the CLSID values of some folders

Recycle Bin- {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F9554E}
Network Neighbourhood- {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-O8002B30309D}
My Computer- {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Control Panel- {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
My Briefcase- {85BBD920-42AO-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
History- {FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
Printers- {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-O8002B0309D}
Dial-up Networking- {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD01CCC48}
Fonts- {BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948534}

To delete a folder simply delete the corresponding value to the
folder in the above key mentioned.
Note: To delete a key from the desktop go to
?HKLM|Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\Names
pace?
and delete the corresponding key.

Customize the right-click menu of the CLSID folders:

This operation deals with editing the DWORD value of ?attributes?
in the shellfolder of the corresponding CLSID folder. To do this
go to
?HKCR\CLSID\{CLSID VALUE}\Shellfolder? and find the DWORD value
named ?Attributes? in it and change its value to
the following values according to your requirement.

70 01 00 20 ?Adds both rename and delete to the menu
50 01 00 20 ? Adds only rename option to the menu
60 01 00 20 ? Adds only delete to the menu
47 01 00 20 ? Adds cut, copy, paste to the menu
40 01 00 20 ? Changes the menu to its default condition

Now you can do anything to the folders. But, remember editing
these values could eve crash your system. So, be careful while
editing them.

Playing with Explorer.exe:

Explorer is like the heart to Windows Operating System. It is
mainly responsible for the originating windows in Windows OS.
So,
the life of Windows lies in Explorer.exe. Now we shall see editing
this file. Remember, editing explorer.exe is a complicate
issue to take a backup of all the important data you have and also
have a copy of explorer.exe.

Change the ?Start? text on Start button:

To do this restart your computer in MS-Dos and go to C:\Windows>
and type the following command.
?edit /70 explorer.exe? (without quotes). The /70 option helps you
to see only 70 columns on the screen. It is in the line 2390 of
the editor window, there is a text ?S t a r t?. Now you can
replace the text on start button with any word of 5 characters.
Simply replace the letters in ?S t a r t? with any the required
letters with null characters (remember not spaces) in between
them.
Example: Replace the ?S t a r t? with ?S n e h a?.

If by mistake you typed a space between the letters, copy a null
character from the remaining document and paste it over the
typed space.


Thats it ... enjoy!

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

IE: Another way to fix IE6 slow page load
I read around here others (including me) were having slow page loads here's what you need to do.

After doing this I am now back to my happy place.

1. click on Internet Explorer

2. go to to your root dir (usually C

3. open Documents and Settings folder

4. open "your username folder"

5. open UserData

6. **close IE if you have it open**

Rename index.dat to index.old logoff and log back on (don't need to restart)

Open up IE and go to a web page or site that always seemed to load slowly. It should load a lot more quickly now.

[MrHyde]

hrm.......


.....might werk.......might not......

[ColdFusion]

Originally posted by Joint Chiefs Of Staff
IE: Another way to fix IE6 slow page load
I read around here others (including me) were having slow page loads here's what you need to do.

After doing this I am now back to my happy place.

1. click on Internet Explorer

2. go to to your root dir (usually C

3. open Documents and Settings folder

4. open "your username folder"

5. open UserData

6. **close IE if you have it open**

Rename index.dat to index.old logoff and log back on (don't need to restart)

Open up IE and go to a web page or site that always seemed to load slowly. It should load a lot more quickly now.

what exactly is that point of that ... what does it do ?

[ms_pammy]

Originally posted by ColdFusion
i love this thread!

Ditto for me!!

Some very good tips, Im gonna be trying a few as soon as I set some time aside

[Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Originally posted by ColdFusion


what exactly is that point of that ... what does it do ?

Even if you install the web page tweak I find some pages on the net (including here) are incredibly slow to load.

Give it a shot. You'll see a noticeable difference.

[UnitedWeStand]

To clear your IE cache it also erases the hard to get rid of entries in your index.dat file.. if anyone can revise this and make it work faster.. feel free to post in the programming forum.

Copy the following code between the lines. Open up Notepad and past it and save as "IECacheCleanup.js" with the quotes. To use it just double click it. And Answer Yes. then reboot. (maybe I'll find a way to make it close down running applications and restart computer...) (nah.. thats too aggressive.)

Code: Select all

//
// Internet Explorer Cache Cleanup
//

var TITLE = "IE Cache Cleanup 2.0";
var wsh   = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell");
var fso   = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
var env   = wsh.Environment;
var nfiles = 0;
var nbytes = 0;

function delcache(dirname) {
	// Open directory name, catch "not found" error
	try {
		var dir = fso.GetFolder(dirname);
  	} catch(err) { return err; }
	var e;
	// Delete files in the current directory
	for (e = new Enumerator(dir.files); !e.atEnd(); e.moveNext()) {
		var file = e.item();
		try { file.Delete(1); } catch (err) { }
	}
	// Delete subdirectories recursively
	for (e = new Enumerator(dir.SubFolders); !e.atEnd(); e.moveNext()) {
		var folder = e.item();
		delcache(folder);
		try { folder.Delete(1); } catch (err) { }
	}
	return null;
}

function tally(dirname) {
	// Open directory name, catch "not found" error
	try {
		var dir = fso.GetFolder(dirname);
  	} catch(err) { return err; }
	var e;
	// Count number and size of files in this directory
	for (e = new Enumerator(dir.files); !e.atEnd(); e.moveNext()) {
		var file = e.item();
		nbytes += file.Size;
		nfiles++;
	}
	// Count files in the subdirectories as well
	for (e = new Enumerator(dir.SubFolders); !e.atEnd(); e.moveNext()) {
		var folder = e.item();
		tally(folder);
	}
	return null;
}

// Get IE cache directory name from the registry
var IEDIR = "HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer\\Shell Folders\\Cache";
var iecache = "";
try {
	iecache = wsh.RegRead(IEDIR);
} catch(err) {}
if ( iecache && fso.FolderExists(iecache) )
	iecache = iecache.replace(/\\$/, "");

// Get IE cache max size (in megabytes) from the registry
var IEMAX = "HKLM\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Internet Settings\\Cache\\Content\\CacheLimit";
var iemax = 0;
try {
	iemax = wsh.RegRead(IEMAX);
} catch(err) {}
if ( iecache.length < 4 || !iemax ) {
	wsh.Popup("Cannot determine IE cache directory or settings.",0,TITLE,16);
	WScript.Quit(1);
}
if ( !iecache.match(/temp/i) ) {
	var msg = "Cache Folder: "+iecache;
	msg += "\n\nYour cache folder has a very non-standard name. ";
	msg += "There may be a problem with your configuration. No changes made.";
	wsh.Popup(msg,0,TITLE+": Too Scary To Delete!",16);
	WScript.Quit(1);
}

// Do you really want to go through with it?
tally(iecache);
var mb = Math.round(100*(nbytes/(1024*1024)))/100;
var msg = "Internet Explorer cache will be cleaned:\n\n";
msg += "Folder:\t"+iecache+"\n";
msg += "Maximum:\t"+iemax+" MB\n";
msg += "Currently:\t"+mb+" MB, "+nfiles+" files\n";
if ( mb > iemax )
	msg += "(NOTE: Cache space overflow!)\n";
msg += "\nYou will need to reboot to finish cleaning the cache.";
msg += "\nDo you want to continue?";
var yn = wsh.Popup(msg,0,TITLE,36);
if ( yn != 6 ) {
	wsh.Popup("Cancelled at your request. No changes made.",0,TITLE,16);
	WScript.Quit(4);
}

// Create batch file that will run on boot
var tmp = env("TEMP") || env("windir")+ "\\Temp";
var batfile = tmp+"\\iecache!.bat";
var fh = fso.CreateTextFile(batfile, true);
fh.WriteLine("prompt $G ");
fh.WriteLine(iecache.substr(0,2));
fh.WriteLine("cd \""+iecache+"\"");
try {
	fso.GetFolder(iecache+"\\content.ie5");
	fh.WriteLine("cd content.ie5");
} catch(err) { }
fh.WriteLine("attrib -r -h -s index.dat");
fh.WriteLine("del index.dat");
fh.WriteLine("rem ------ IE Cache cleanup complete, please close this window. ------");
fh.Close();

// Goodbye cache, hello disk space!
delcache(iecache);
var ROKEY = "HKLM\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\RunServicesOnce";
wsh.RegWrite(ROKEY+"\\ClearCache", batfile);

msg =  "Please reboot NOW to complete the\nInternet Explorer cache cleanup.";
wsh.Popup(msg,0,TITLE,64);
WScript.Quit(0);

[ColdFusion]

nice ...

".js" is that javascript ?

[ColdFusion]

i get an error:

Windows Script Host

Script: C:\Documents and Settings\Matt\Desktop\iechacheclean.js
Line: 49
Char: 65
Error: Uterminated string constant
Code: 800AO3F7
Source Microsoft JScript compilation error

[UnitedWeStand]

Originally posted by ColdFusion
i get an error:

Windows Script Host

Script: C:\Documents and Settings\Matt\Desktop\iechacheclean.js
Line: 49
Char: 65
Error: Uterminated string constant
Code: 800AO3F7
Source Microsoft JScript compilation error

For some reason this site won't handle long script lines..
if you notice in the IECacheCleanup script above,
line 54 needs a backspace to bring \\Explorer\\Shell\\Folders\\cache"; to finish the that path.
if you look at line 64 same thing
and line 117
something about this site and the clipboard won't make the script function.. infact after making the change it still wont work..
sorry. I'll have to find a better way to get it to work.
darn windows puts things so deep in directories its just hard to get a script to even work like It should.. I'm venting....

[ColdFusion]

tried it again ... same thing

[UnitedWeStand]

I guess you cant paste it and copy and paste it on this site, tried it myself and it didn't work.
I know where the mistake is but it won't stick..
when I bring it from this site to the notepad.. it doesn't stick.
I'm looking for another way..

Okay I found alternative... but not as effective as jscript..
here is the reg hack.

Automatic MS IE cache clear:

Make sure Internet Explorer is not running.
Run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Cache
Double-click on the "Persistent" value in the right hand pane, and:
- if DWORD [IE 3/4]: type 0 or 1 in the Decimal box, or
- if Binary [IE 5/6]: delete the first two digits, and then type 0 or 01.
Click OK.
Where:
0 = clears the cache every time IE closes.
1 = saves IE's cache."



Add the following to your autoexec.bat for windowsMe,2k. EDIT autoexec.bat by adding entries below.

---------begin copy & paste--------
DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\HISTORY\*.* > NUL
DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\*.* > NUL
DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\*.* > NUL
DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\*.* > NUL
DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\APPLIC~1\MICROS~1\OFFICE\RECENT\*.* > NUL
DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\ShellIconCache
DELTREE /y c:\WINDOWS\RECENT\*.* > NUL
if exist del C:\WINDOWS\FF*.tmp
if exist del C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\advert.dll
---------end copy & paste-----------

then hit alt+f then s then alt+f then x
reboot computer.


For WindowsXP
add a file to your Start>Programs>Start Up
Open Notepad
--------begin copy & Paste---------
cd %homedrive%%homepath%
rd /s/q locals~1\tempor~1
rd /s/q locals~1\temp
rd /s/q cookies
rd /s/q temp
rd /s/q locals~1\temp\history
rd /s/q locals~1\temp
md locals~1\temp
--------end copy & Paste----------

Hit Alt+F then s Save as xp.cmd
then alt+f then x
cut this file and drag it to your Startup folder located in your start menu (by default).

reboot computer.
**********Use With Caution**********

Let me know if there is problems.

[UnitedWeStand]

To be able to open a file with more than one program, follow these instructions:

From Windows Explorer's menu select View > Folder Options, select the File Types tab
Find the file type you want to work with and double click it
In the Edit File Type dialog that opens you will see a box marked Actions.
This is where Windows 98,ME,2K,XP stores the actions to be taken when you double click on a file, drag it to a printer, and so on.
You can have more than one Open, so long as each action is a unique character string.
For example, you could edit the Gif file type registration so that you have one entry named Open and another named Open (Paint Shop Pro).
For each entry edit the actions needed to open the file with the appropriate application e.g .WAV
To add an entry, simply press New and in the New Action dialog box, type the name of the action in the Action box e.g. Open(WMP)
You can use the Browse button to find the Application used to perform action e.g. C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\MPLAYER2.EXE
Highlight one of the entries and click the Set Default button.
That will be the application used when you double click on a file of that type.
If, however, you right click the file, all of the entries you placed into the Actions box will appear on the context menu making it easy to open the file with the application of your choice.

[Norm]

UnitedWeStand, there is one line in your Bat file that could cause problems.
Some programs use the temp dir to store a file, for use after a reboot, to finish the install. If you clear the temp dir from autoexec.bat before windows loads the install can't finish, since it can't find the file it put there.

DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\*.* > NUL

[UnitedWeStand]

Originally posted by Norm
UnitedWeStand, there is one line in your Bat file that could cause problems.
Some programs use the temp dir to store a file, for use after a reboot, to finish the install. If you clear the temp dir from autoexec.bat before windows loads the install can't finish, since it can't find the file it put there.

DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\*.* > NUL

leave it to the dos master to tell us its not good to do this and that.. try relocating your temp folder

SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\RECYCLE ...LOL...

NOT!!!!
You're right norm.. You and I don't have much to worry about because we use standalone execs .. thanks for that.. I wouldn't want anyone getting pissed at me because there Norton Antivirus couldn't finish installing..
Thank you friend.

[Norm]

It can work fine if the user knows what's up (I assume you know). I delete my temp dir the same way.
It's the newbs I worry about.

Just 'rem' out that line before the reboot, and take the 'rem' out after reboot.

For the newbs that have been following this tip...

rem DELTREE /Y C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\*.* > NUL

[click_here]

When you send an instant message to a friend, pull up a Web page, or download your e-mail, you're establishing a network connection with a remote computer. These connections are cached; the next time you reach out to touch someone, the communication will be quicker. Sometimes, it's proper to flush this cache. Windows 2000 / XP users are well aware of IPCONFIG, the command line network tool. It's time to switch on the switches! Use "/flushdns" (sans quotes) to clear the stored connection data. Use this when your Internet connection is working, but one or two locations aren't resolving. You also might consider doing this before you walk away from the computer (to cover your tracks). So, how can someone see where you've been recently? IPCONFIG, in conjunction with the "/displaydns" switch, will tell all. Now, do you miss the GUI- driven WINIPCFG? You'll want to get WNTIPCFG, which can easily be found through Google.

[click_here]

To boost dramatically your CPU priority in Windows 9x/ME for higher performance, run Regedit and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\PriorityControl Create the "PriorityControl" Registry subkey if not present: right-click in the left hand pane ->
select New -> Key. Name this new subkey "PriorityControl" (no quotes) ->
click OK or press Enter.Highlight this new subkey ->
create a new DWORD Value called "IRQ#Priority": right-click in the right hand pane -> ->
create a New DWORD Value named "IRQ#Priority" -> click OK ->

double-click on it -> check the Decimal box -> type 1 to turn it on -> click OK or press Enter.To get the actual IRQ# go to: Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager -> System Devices -> System CMOS/real time clock -> Properties -> Resources tab -> default IRQ# is 8 on all IBM PC clones [yours included ]. Therefore you need to rename the DWORD above to read "IRQ8Priority" (no quotes).Close Regedit and restart Windows to see the effect.I have applied this trick to Win95 and WinME, both with great results.

[UnitedWeStand]

I've tried this with WinME, Windows 98
seems to make things more snappy.

-----begin copy and paste-----
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\BIOS]
"CPUPriority"=dword:00000001
"FastDRAM"=dword:00000001
"PCIconcur"=dword:00000001
-----end copy And Paste------

Open Notepad
Start>run type NOTEPAD
ctrl+V
Alt+f then S save as PCIAdjust.reg

find file doubleclick it or right click merge.
reboot computer.

[Roody]

Originally posted by Joint Chiefs Of Staff
Get Rid of Unwanted Balloon Tips

Open up the Registry Editor and expand the tree to display the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced

Then, created a new DWORD value named EnableBalloonTips and set it to 0x00000000.

what are balloon tips?

[UnitedWeStand]

Originally posted by Roody


what are balloon tips?

balloon tips are for idiots.. well sorta.. its those annoying balloons that show up above or below or aside your systray, those little things that pop up as a balloon reads "Where are your programs?" "There here, click the down arrow to view your programs."

but to not get off the subject of this thread

I have a tip. its very acceptable too.. didn't see it on here.. and I thought, how can anyone browse with it enabled?
in your IE >Tools>Internet Options >Advanced tab.. look for enable page transistions and uncheck it.
holy makerel I can't believe it but I like it better without the page transistions.. others agree for themselves.

[UnitedWeStand]

hey coldfusion/LC,
I found a better one on the net that works just so fast.
here is the link to the file that works better than the jscript I was trying to get to work on here.

[ColdFusion]

Originally posted by UnitedWeStand
hey coldfusion/LC,
I found a better one on the net that works just so fast.
here is the link to the file that works better than the jscript I was trying to get to work on here.

well i thought it was working until i removed all the cls's from the bat file and found this:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version ******** ]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Matt\Desktop>ieclear.bat
Deleting recent files...
The system cannot find the file specified.
The system cannot find the file specified.
The system cannot find the path specified.
The system cannot find the path specified.
Deleting Temporary files...
Could Not Find C:\*.tmp
File not found - C:\WINDOWS\temp\*.*
C:\WINDOWS\SET3.tmp
Access is denied.
C:\WINDOWS\SET7.tmp
Access is denied.
C:\WINDOWS\temp\*.*, Are you sure (Y/N)? y
'deltree' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
Next line clears ads only from Juno's free internet service!
Cleaning Recycle Bin...
Path not found - C:\recycled
The system cannot find the file specified.
The system cannot find the file specified.
Cleaning .gid files...
File not found - C:\WINDOWS\help\*.gid
File not found - C:\WINDOWS\system\*.gid
File not found - C:\WINDOWS\*.gid
Could Not Find C:\WINDOWS\help\*.gid
Could Not Find C:\WINDOWS\system\*.gid
Could Not Find C:\WINDOWS\*.gid
Cleaning Miscellaneous files...
Could Not Find c:\scandisk.log
The system cannot find the path specified.
The system cannot find the file specified.
The system cannot find the file specified.
C:\Documents and Settings\Matt\Desktop>

lol it isnt even working at all!

[UnitedWeStand]

you didn't tell me you were using XP you goof..
lemme look for one for XP. I'll just edit this post. when I have it working.. just hold on.
oh nevermind..
I found something..
before I bite my tongue I better try it first.
Thanks to Paul Brown I found this bat file very handy as well as others handy. below is an.
XP batch Cleaner. Not guaranteed to work because Temp TIF Recycle and other useless data must be in default locations on your system.. unless you edit this batch file to suit you. You can le me know where they are located so I can edit this batch file..for you or you can do it yourself. Good Luck!
the folowing must be saved as xencleanxp.bat and placed in your startup folder located in start>program files>startup

___________begin copy & paste _______
:: Xen standalone XP cleanup V1.80 by Paul Brown May 2002

@ECHO OFF
FOR %%? in (PROGS ROOT) do set %%?=

::-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SET PROGS=C:\PROGRA~1
SET ROOT=C:
:: dont change any of above as detected automatically
::-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SET COPYCMD=/Y
CLS
C:
CD\
IF "%PROGRAMFILES%"=="" GOTO NOENVPRO
IF "%SYSTEMDRIVE%"=="" GOTO NOENVSDR
IF "%SYSTEMROOT%"=="" GOTO NOENVSRT
IF "%USERPROFILE%"=="" GOTO NOENVUSE
IF "%TEMP%"=="" GOTO NOENVTMP
IF "%TMP%"=="" GOTO NOENVTMP
IF NOT EXIST "%ROOT%\Xen" MD "%ROOT%\Xen"
IF NOT EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Xen" MD "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Xen"

ECHO --cleaning temporary files from XP folders
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\temp" RD /S /Q "%SYSTEMROOT%\temp"> nul
IF NOT EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\temp" MD "%SYSTEMROOT%\Temp"> nul

ECHO --cleaning temporary files in non standard locations
IF EXIST "%TEMP%" RD /S /Q "%TEMP%\"> nul
IF NOT EXIST "%TEMP%" MD "%TEMP%\"> nul

ECHO --cleaning your temporary files
IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\temp" RD /S /Q "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\temp"> nul
IF NOT EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\temp" MD "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\temp"> nul

ECHO --cleaning your internet temporary files
IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1" DEL /F /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\temporary internet files\*.*"> nul

ECHO --cleaning your recent history
IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\recent" DEL /F /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\recent\*.*"> nul

ECHO --cleaning your internet history
IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history" DEL /F /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history\*.*"> nul

ECHO --creating startup file for cleaning index.dat and history.dat from IE
IF EXIST %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat GOTO GOTBATXP
ECHO :: xen cleanup of IE index.dat and history.dat at startup> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO.>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO @ECHO OFF>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF "%SYSTEMROOT%"=="" GOTO END>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1\index.dat" DEL /F /A "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1\index.dat">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1\content.IE5" DEL /F /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1\content.IE5\*.*">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1\content.IE5" RD /S /Q "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1\content.IE5">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history\index.dat" DEL /F /A "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history\index.dat">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history\history.IE5" DEL /F /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history\history.IE5\*.*">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history\history.IE5" RD /S /Q "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\history\history.IE5">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\cookies\index.dat" DEL /F /A "%USERPROFILE%\cookies\index.dat">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\cookies" DEL /F /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\cookies\*.*">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO :END>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO cls>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat
ECHO EXIT>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.bat

:GOTBATXP
ECHO --creating reg startup file to execute cleanxpdat.bat at startup once only
IF EXIST %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg GOTO GOTDATXP
ECHO Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg
ECHO.>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg
ECHO ; xen startup entry to execute cleanxpdat.bat at startup once only>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg
ECHO.>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg
ECHO [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce]>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg
ECHO "CleanIEDAT"="\\xen\\cleanxpdat.bat">> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg
ECHO.>> %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg

:GOTDATXP
regedit/s %SYSTEMDRIVE%\xen\cleanxpdat.reg

ECHO --cleaning default user's netscape cache
IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\cache" DEL /F /Q /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\cache\*.*"> nul
IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\default\cache" DEL /F /Q /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\default\cache\*.*"> nul
IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\%USERNAME%" DEL /F /Q /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\%USERNAME%\cache\*.*"> nul

ECHO --utilising recyclenow command to empty your recycle bins
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\recyclenow.exe" START recyclenow.exe

ECHO --cleaning your cookies - this may say process cannot access etc which is normal
IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\tempor~1\*.txt" DEL /F /A "%USERPROFILE%\locals~1\temporary internet files\*.txt"> nul
IF EXIST "%USERPROFILE%\cookies" DEL /F /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%\cookies\*.*"> nul

ECHO --cleaning default user's netscape cookies
IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\default\*.txt" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\default\*.txt"> nul
IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\%USERNAME%\*.txt" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\netscape\users\%USERNAME%\*.txt"> nul

ECHO --cleaning backup temporary files
FOR %%v IN (old bak syd bkp bk! _bk da0) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (old bak syd bkp bk! _bk da0) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning diagnostic files created by windows
FOR %%v IN (bootlog.prv suhdlg.dat iebak.dat ndimage.dat) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\%%v"
FOR %%v IN (bootlog.prv modemdet.txt suhdlg.dat system.1st) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\%%v"
FOR %%v IN (iebak.dat ndimage.dat) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\%%v"

ECHO --cleaning help avi files from help folder
FOR %%v IN (avi ftg fts gid) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\help\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\help\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning help file search data
FOR %%v IN (gid) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (gid) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (gid) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning log and text files from root dir and xp system32 folder
FOR %%v IN (log txt) DO IF EXIST %SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v DEL /F /A %SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v
FOR %%v IN (log txt) DO IF EXIST %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\*.%%v DEL /F /A %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\*.%%v
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\detlog.*" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\detlog.*"
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\detlog.*" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\detlog.*"

ECHO --cleaning marketing files from shareware programs
FOR %%v IN (diz) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (diz) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning save disk error from scandisk and lost cluster files
FOR %%v IN (chk chklst chklist _dd) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (chk) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\chklst.*" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\chklst.*"
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\chklist.*" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\chklist.*"

ECHO --cleaning temporary application ole supported files
FOR %%v IN (shs) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (shs) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning temporary files left over by applications
CD %SYSTEMDRIVE%\
FOR %%a IN (~*.* *.??~ *.?$? *.??_ *.--- *.___ *.tmp *.~mp *._mp *.hfx *.cdx *.hfa) DO DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\%%a"
FOR %%a IN (*.b~k *.bmk mscreate.* ffastun.* acad.e* *.da1 *.lhx *.par ~$*.doc) DO DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\%%a"
CD %SYSTEMROOT%\
FOR %%a IN (~*.* *.??~ *.?$? *.??_ *.--- *.___ *.tmp *.~mp *._mp *.hfx *.cdx *.hfa) DO DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\%%a"
FOR %%a IN (*.b~k *.bmk mscreate.* ffastun.* acad.e* *.da1 *.lhx *.par ~$*.doc) DO DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\%%a"
CD %SYSTEMDRIVE%\

ECHO --cleaning temporary files other in root directory
FOR %%v IN (prv fts ftg $$$ fnd mtx $db DB$ mfd wpx nu3) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (dos sdi 000 001 002) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning temporary files other in windows directory
FOR %%v IN (prv fts ftg $$$ fnd mtx $db DB$ mfd wpx nu3) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"
FOR %%v IN (dos sdi 000 001 002) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning offline web pages
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\offline web pages" DEL /F /Q /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\offline web pages\*.*"> nul

ECHO --cleaning msoffice recent files
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\applic~1\microsoft\office\recent" DEL /F /Q /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\applic~1\microsoft\office\recent\*.*"> nul

ECHO --cleaning msword backup files
FOR %%v IN (wbk) DO IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v" DEL /F /Q /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\*.%%v"

ECHO --cleaning msword stored backup files
IF EXIST "%SYSTEMROOT%\applic~1\microsoft\word" DEL /F /Q /A "%SYSTEMROOT%\applic~1\microsoft\word\*.*"> nul

ECHO --cleaning opera3 cache and cookies
IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\cache" DEL /F /Q /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\cache\*.*"> nul
FOR %%v IN (cookies.dat vlink.dat) DO IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v"
FOR %%v IN (opera.win global.dat) DO IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v"
FOR %%v IN (opera.dir) DO IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v"

ECHO --cleaning opera4 and opera5 cache, cookies and links etc
IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\cache4" DEL /F /Q /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\cache4\*.*"> nul
FOR %%v IN (cookies4.dat vlink4.dat) DO IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v"
FOR %%v IN (opera.win global.dat) DO IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v"
FOR %%v IN (opera.dir download.dat autopera.win) DO IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v" DEL /F /A "%PROGRAMFILES%\opera\%%v"

ECHO --cleaning recently opened file records in registry (MRUs)
IF EXIST %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg GOTO GOTMRU
echo REGEDIT4> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo ; xen cleanup of recently opened files in registry>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ComDlg32\LastVisitedMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ComDlg32\OpenSaveMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Doc Find Spec MRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FindComputerMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\OCXStreamMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\PrnPortsMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RecentDocs]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StreamMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpaper\MRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Paint\Recent File List]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Wordpad\Recent File List]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo "Download Directory"="">> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\TypedURLs]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Explorer Bars\{C4EE31F3-4768-11D2-BE5C-00A0C9A83DA1}\ContainingTextMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Explorer Bars\{C4EE31F3-4768-11D2-BE5C-00A0C9A83DA1}\FilesNamedMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\RecentFileList]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\RecentURLList]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Radio\MRUList]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerService\PhoneMRU]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Management Console\Recent File List]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant\ACMru]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Netscape\Netscape Navigator\URL History]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Kodak\Imaging\Recent File List]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wang\Imaging\Recent File List]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Network\Recent]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo "LastKey"="">> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Telnet]>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo "Machine1"="">> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo "LastMachine"="">> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg
echo.>> %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg

:GOTMRU
regedit/s %ROOT%\xen\cleanmru.reg

ECHO.
ECHO.
ECHO.
ECHO -- XenClean V182 by Paul Brown 2002 http://www.x9000.net
ECHO finishing up cleaning with ms cleanup manager and exiting...
ECHO.
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\cleanmgr.exe /sagerun

:END
cls
EXIT

:NOENVPRO
COLOR 4F
cls
echo variable not found...
echo.
echo XenClean can only run from within windows.
echo If you are not in windows please reboot. If you are in windows
echo please edit this file manually by inserting the exact path to
echo your program files folder. Insert the path near the top of Xen.
echo.
echo For example
echo SET PROGRAMFILES=C:\progra~1
echo.
PAUSE
GOTO END

:NOENVSDR
COLOR 4F
cls
echo variable not found...
echo.
echo XenClean can only run from within windows.
echo If you are not in windows please reboot. If you are in windows
echo please edit this file manually by inserting the exact paths to
echo your systemdrive folder. Insert the paths near the top of Xen,
echo pointing to your root directory.
echo.
echo For example
echo SET SYSTEMDRIVE=C:
echo.
PAUSE
GOTO END

:NOENVSRT
COLOR 4F
cls
echo variable not found...
echo.
echo XenClean can only run from within windows.
echo If you are not in windows please reboot. If you are in windows
echo please edit this file manually by inserting the exact paths to
echo your systemroot folder. Insert the paths near the top of Xen,
echo pointing to your XP directory.
echo.
echo For example
echo SET SYSTEMROOT=C:\windows
echo.
PAUSE
GOTO END

:NOENVUSE
COLOR 4F
cls
echo variable not found...
echo.
echo XenClean can only run from within windows.
echo If you are not in windows please reboot. If you are in windows
echo please edit this file manually by inserting the exact paths to
echo your userprofile folder. Insert the paths near the top of Xen,
echo pointing to your XP user profile directory.
echo.
echo For example
echo SET USERPROFILE=C:\docume~1\paul
echo Obviously changing paul to your username.
echo.
PAUSE
GOTO END

:NOENVTMP
COLOR 4F
cls
echo variable not found...
echo.
echo XenClean can only run from within windows.
echo If you are not in windows please reboot. If you are in windows
echo please edit this file manually by inserting the exact paths to
echo your temp folders. Insert the paths near the top of Xen.
echo.
echo For example
echo SET TEMP=C:\documents and settings\paul\locals~1\temp
echo SET TMP=C:\documents and settings\paul\locals~1\temp
echo Obviously changing paul to your username.
echo.
PAUSE
GOTO END
-----------------------end copy & paste -----------
Hope this one fits in the post.

[ColdFusion]

This guy made a whole list of XP tweaks (really sweet stuff i didnt know u could do!) ...

Never re-activate after a new installation
If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to re-activate too. Well not anymore. Just copy wpa.dbl after you activated the first time. It is located in the system32 folder. Now if you reinstall Windows XP just copy the file back and you're up and running again.

Here's how to check if your copy of XP is Activated
Go to the run box and type in oobe/msoobe /a
and hit ok ...theirs your answer

Windows Explorer Tip
When launched in Windows Millennium/Win2k/WinXP,Explorer by default will open the "My Documents" folder. Many people prefer the behavior from previous versions of Windows, where Windows Explorer would open and display "My Computer" instead of the new way. To revert to the old way [My Computer by default rather than My Documents as the default], simply edit the shortcut to Windows Explorer, by right clicking on it, and left clicking "Properties" and changing the "Target" box to: "C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n,/e," [adjust the path/drive letter if needed]. The key is to add the "/n,/e," to the end of the shortcut (don't type the quotes).
Backup your Fresh install
After you complete your clean install and get all your software installed I would recommend that you use something like Drive Image 3 or 4 to do an image of your install partition, then burn the image to CD and keep it. XP is a different creature for some people. If you mess it up when playing around with it, just bring the image back. You can be up and running again in 20 minutes vs. the two to three hours it will take to get the whole thing and all your stuff installed again.
Note the default install of XP is about 1.5gigs and the DI image may be larger that 700 meg. So don't install too much on the OS partition. To help downsize the Image I run the System file checker and reset the cache size to 40 or 50 meg (It's well over 300 by default).
To run it open the command prop and type:
SFC /?
SFC /purgecache
SFC /cachesize=50
and finally rebuild the cache with SFC /scannow (have the CD ready)
I also Delete the Pagefile.sys and hibernate.sys files before running Drive Image..


Section 2 By Ankit
1.When setting up the system with tweaks or making changes to the core OS or hardware always be logged in as administrator. Seems that while XP does create an account upon install that has administrator privileges, its not the same as the administrator account is. Think about it this way - if the account created was the same then why have an administrator account period?

2.It is always better to install winXP clean than to do an upgrade.

3. The files and settings wizard is your friend. However it doesn't save the account passwords for your e-mail and news groups accounts in OE. Export these accounts manually from within OE first before hand and save them in a safe place. This way you will not need to remember what the account info was, just import the account again.

4. If using a SB Live sound card and trying to run Unreal (the game) you may have some problems. This is not the fault of winXP or Unreal. the problem is a bad driver design from creative and the Devloader portion. There is currently no work around for this problem.

5. Many - many games do run in winXP with comparability mode. The easiest way to do this is to simply create a shortcut on the desktop to the game executable and choose the compatibility tab of the shortcut and set up for win98.

6. Do not disable all the services that you find outlined in the win2K tweak guides floating around. Instead set them to manual instead of disabled. This will allow something to start up when it is needed and you'll avoid the BSOD thing that can occur if something gets disabled that wasn't supposed to.

7. The winXP firewall is actually very good. However it is not very configurable. I would recommend tiny personal firewall from http://www.tinysoftware.com. <http://www.tinysoftware.com.> It free and all you need. It so far is the most compatible with winXP - why you may ask? - because (little known trivia fun fact here) this is where the winXP firewall came from. Both the XP built in firewall and tiny will give complete stealth. However what you can do - which is kind of cool is divide the work between the two and use both. use tiny to just filter the ports you want to filter instead of everything and let the built in XP firewall take care of the rest. The result is a smoother running firewall system that reacts much more quickly. I've used Nortons , zone alarm (which contrary to popular belief is not a real firewall and a joke in the IT community as a whole) and several of the rest, Tiny has been the best so far.

8. After you complete your clean install and get all your software installed I would recommend that you use something like drive image 4 to do an image of your install partition, then burn the image to CD and keep it. XP is a different creature for some people. If you mess it up when playing around with it, just bring the image back. You can be up and running again in 20 minutes vs. the two to three hours it will take to get the whole thing and all your stuff installed again.

9. choose winXP pro over the personal version because it has more bells and whistles. However if the bells and whistles do not appeal to you then the home (personal) version is the way to go.

10. Avoid problems with WinXP. Insure that your hardware is on the HCL. Don't be mad because the latest and greatest doesn't work with your hardware. It is not the fault of MS , winXP or anything or one else. Not defending them here, just being practical. Look at it this way - if your dream car costs $100,000 dollars and you don't have $100,000 is it the car manufactures fault? nope because thats the free enterprise system and the way it works. Try to upgrade your hardware if you can. If you can't, wait for drivers from the manufacturer that support winxp. I would highly recommend before installing winXP that you go out and get the win2000 drivers for all your hardware. 99% of the win2000 drivers will work in winXP. This way if winxp doesn't have drivers, you do.

XP will ship with out the Virtual Java Machine.
It will not appear on windows update either. Some sites will prompt you to install it upon visit to their sites. However this might change in the near future due to the problem between SUN and MS so the link you get pointed to might no be there.

You can get the virtual Java machine now and have it ready to use when you install XP.

go to:

<http://www.microsoft.com/java/>

and download the VJM for winNT. If you try to d/l the one for win2000 (which is exactly the same as the one for NT) you will be told to get the service pack. You don't want to do this for XP.

or download it from:

<http://download.microsoft.com/download/ ... javx86.exe>

keep it in a safe place and use it when you install XP.
XP browsing speed up tweak
when you connect to a web site your computer sends information back and forth, this is obvious. Some of this information deals with resolving the site name to an IP address, the stuff that tcp/ip really deals with, not words. This is DNS information and is used so that you will not need to ask for the site location each and every time you visit the site. Although WinXP and win2000 has a pretty efficient DNS cache, you can increase its overall performance by increasing its size.

You can do this with the registry entries below:

************begin copy and paste***********
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters]
"CacheHashTableBucketSize"=dword:00000001
"CacheHashTableSize"=dword:00000180
"MaxCacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000fa00
"MaxSOACacheEntryTtlLimit"=dword:0000012d

************end copy and paste***********

make a new text file and rename it to dnscache.reg. The copy and paste the above into it and save it. Then merge it into the registry.

Grouping multiple open windows
WinXP will group multiple open windows (IE windows for example) into one group on the task bar to keep the desktop clear. This can be annoying at times - especially when comparing different web pages because you have to go back to the task bar, click on the group and then click on the page you want and then you only get one page because you have to click on each one separately. I think the default for this is 8 windows - any combination of apps or utilities open.

You can modify this behavior by adding this reg key at:

Change number of windows that are open before XP will start
grouping them on the Taskbar

HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
add reg_Dword "TaskbarGroupSize"

modify "TaskbarGroupSize" entry to be the number of windows you want open before XP starts to group them on the task bar.
A value of 2 will cause the Taskbar buttons to always group

Another tweak is to disable or enable recent documents history. This can be done at:

HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\
this key should already be present - if it isn't you'll need to add it:
reg_Binary "NoRecentDocsHistory"
modify it so that value reads 01 00 00 00

Wanna network but don't have all the stuff?
If you want to network two winXP machines together you don't have to install a full blown network setup, i.e...switches, hubs, routers, etc...

All you need is two NIC cards (three if you want to share an Internet connection) and a cross over cable.

1. Connect one NIC to your broadband connection device like normal.
2. Install a second NIC in the machine with the broadband connection.
3. install a NIC in the second machine.
4. connect the cross over cable between the second machine NIC and the second NIC in the board band connection machine.
5. re-boot both.
6. Run the networking wizard if necessary.

or:
use a direct connection setup with a parallel port to parallel port connection to the two machines. You will not be able to share a connection with the direct connect.
Help is just a directory away! - Tip
In windows XP pro at C:\Windows\help - you will find many *.chm files. These are the help files. Just start one up and find what your looking for without going thru the main help menu. If for example you are interested in command line tools or command line references start up the ntcmds.chm file. If you use command line a lot for things just create a shortcut on your desktop to this file and it there when you need it.

You could go thru the Help thing to find these but on the home version some are not linked in some of the help. This is shorter.

Speed things up a bit tip
this might help some of you.

1. go to control panel - system.
2. click on the advanced tab
3. under "performance" click on the settings button
4. click on the Advanced tab
5. click on the "Background Services" button
6. Click OK