Doug's Home Page

Welcome to Doug's Windows Page

This page is a bunch of notes I put together about the Windows O/S.

How to Modify the List of Programs that Run When You Start Windows, or Start->Run->msconfig

Press the "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" keys at the same time. This fires off the "Windows Task Manager". Click the "Processes" tab at the top. Look at the processes running. Clear as mud? Well... check what's running on your PC: http://www.programchecker.com/activeintro.aspx

Get some info: Start->Run->msinfo32

Get CPU speed and other good stuff: Start->Run->dxdiag

Windows Update fail? Check the log: Start->Run->%windir%/windowsupdate.log

Test your PC:
http://stealthtests.lockdowncorp.com

Microsoft security check

Copy Windows XP CD to the Hard Drive....

http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/xpvirtualcd.html, or
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp1_cd.htm, or
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm, or
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/story/0,24330,3426623,00.html

HOW TO: Change the Logon Screen Saver in Windows

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder Permissions in Windows XP

How to Ghost a system.

How to change your (Internet Explorer) throbber:
1. Go to Start, choose Run, then type "gpedit.msc" (without the quotes).
2. Go to User Configuration\Windows Settings\Internet Explorer Maintenance\Browser User Interface and choose Custom Logo from the right-hand pane.
3. Check the boxes to add customization, and browse to add any files you would like to see as resting images. They must be bitmaps (extension ".bmp") and they must conform to the proportions indicated.
4. Now for the animation. Your small animated image should be a strip of 10 slightly different individual images pasted together so it appears like a strip of film. You have a series of 10 (or more or less) images that are 22x22 pixels, creating a bitmap that is 22 pixels wide by 220 pixels high (if there are 10 images).
5. The large animation bitmap will be 38 pixels wide by 380 (more or less) pixels high.
  A note on this process:
  Older versions of Internet Explorer would accept strips of images 220 pixels wide and 22 pixels high, meaning the film strips were flipped on their side. If you find any throbbers on the Internet with this format, do not try to use them. They will not work with current versions of Internet Explorer.
6. Some freeware that can help modify IE.

Cool tweak page: http://kadaitcha.cx/performance.html

Office update page: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdate/CD010224941033.aspx

Screen or Window Dump:
1. To copy the whole screen to your Clipboard hold down the Ctrl key and press the Print Screen (Prt Scrn) key.
2. To copy the selected window to your Clipboard hold down the Alt key and press the Print Screen (Prt Scrn) key.
Then paste the picture into a Word doc (or whatever it is you use).

Make a shutdown or reboot ".bat" file so we can simply double click the file and down the PC:

File name: Shutdown.bat
Info put into the file: c:\windows\system32\shutdown -s -t 5 -c "Oh Nooooooo.... I'm shutting down!!!!"

File name: Reboot.bat
Info put into the file: c:\windows\system32\shutdown -r -t 0

Wipe document history info:

File name: Wipe.bat
Info put into the file: cmd /c "cd %userprofile%\Recent && echo y| del *.*"

You open a Word doc from Outlook and the stupid thing is in "Reading Layout Mode". A split screen (sometimes). Stop this nonsense by clicking the following in the opened Word doc:
```
Tools->Options->General tab->Allow starting in Reading Layout check box
```

How to synchronize time with an external source (tick.ucla.edu).
1. Click Start, Run, type cmd (or command) to bring up a command (DOS) window.
2. The tick.ucla.edu server is the time server you want to connect to. Type the following line and then press Enter:
```
w32tm /config /syncfromflags:manual /manualpeerlist:tick.ucla.edu
```
3. Finaly type the following then press ENTER.
```
w32tm /config /update
```

Stop Windows error reporting.
1. Right click "My Computer" and select "Properties".
2. Click on the "Advanced" tab then the "Error Reporting" button.
3. Select "Disable error reporting" (and I turn off the "But notify me" selection).
4. OK everything to close out.

Copy/compress your data using WinRAR so you can further back it up to CD:

Make a Notepad.txt file.

Cut and Paste this stuff into the text file.

@ECHO Off

title Backup your stuff

REM ######################################################################################
REM 
REM Using WinRAR to make a backup of user data, compress it and put the file
REM someplace we like for later burning to CD, move to a file share, whatever.
REM 
REM ######################################################################################
REM 
REM       WinRAR.exe = The WinRAR program and it's location.
REM
REM                A = Command telling WinRAR to add to/create an archive.
REM
REM   -AG-YYYY-MM-DD = Add "-Year-Month-Day" to the archive name.
REM                    (It'll look like this: Desktop-2006-07-03.rar)
REM
REM               -P = Password the files.
REM                    -P       - You will be asked to enter a password, and again to confirm.
REM                    -Pabc123 - The "abc123" (or whatever you put there) is your password.
REM                               You wont get asked to confirm.
REM
REM   c:\temp\Backup = The location of our final backups.
REM
REM   ****** NOTE ******
REM   You want to set this to whatever location you like further down in this file.
REM   Also, the directory needs to exist.
REM
REM    %SYSTEMDRIVE% = The main drive (normally c:\).
REM       %username% = Your "home" directory (normally c:\Documents and Settings\your_login_name).
REM
REM                    ****** NOTE ******
REM                    The text "%SYSTEMDRIVE%" is fine to use. You DO NOT have to change it to
REM                    "c:\". Also, the text "%username%" is good to use. To test click on
REM                    Start->Run... and enter %SYSTEMDRIVE% then click "OK" or enter
REM                    "%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and Settings\%username%".
REM 
REM NOTE:
REM   Outlook.......... The higher end email program from Microsoft.
REM   Outlook Express.. The lower end email program free from Microsoft.
REM   Desktop.......... Some folks put files or links directly onto their Desktop.
REM   Favorites........ Your Internet Explorer Favorites.
REM   My Documents..... Your Documents and Pictures.
REM   SendTo........... Special programs or locations you send files to.
REM   Start Menu....... Links to special programs you use.
REM   Firefox.......... A free browser.
REM
REM   Don't forget to add other stuff you want to backup.
REM 
REM ######################################################################################

REM ###### The location of our final backups ######
set BackupDir=c:\temp\Backup

REM ###### The main directory location ######
set MainDir=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and Settings\%username%


REM ######### Stop Outlook #########

REM To copy the Outlook .pst file(s) we need to kill Outlook if it's running then we can grab
REM the file(s) at the end of this BAT file.
ECHO.
ECHO Killing Outlook (if it's running)...
ECHO.
"C:\WINDOWS\system32\taskkill.exe" /IM outlook.exe

REM ######### Stop Outlook Express #########

REM We need to kill (just in case we're running it instead) Oulook Express for the same reasons.
ECHO.
ECHO Killing Outlook Express (if it's running)...
ECHO.
"C:\WINDOWS\system32\taskkill.exe" /IM msimn.exe

REM ######### Copy Desktop files. #########

ECHO.
ECHO Copy your stuff on your "Desktop"...
ECHO.
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\Desktop   "%MainDir%\Desktop"

REM ######### Copy Favorites files. #########

ECHO.
ECHO Copy your "Favorites" (bookmarks)...
ECHO.
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\Favorites   "%MainDir%\Favorites"

REM ######### Copy My Documents files. #########

ECHO.
ECHO Copy your "My Documents" files...
ECHO.  
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\MyDocuments  "%MainDir%\My Documents"

REM ######### Copy Send To files. #########

ECHO.
ECHO Copy your "Send To" items...
ECHO.
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\SendTo       "%MainDir%\SendTo"

REM ######### Copy Start Menu files. #########

ECHO.
ECHO Copy your "Start Menu" items...
ECHO.  
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\StartMenu    "%MainDir%\Start Menu"

REM ######### Copy Firefox files. #########

ECHO.
ECHO Copy your "Firefox" (bookmarks) files.
ECHO.
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\FireFox      "%MainDir%\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles"

REM ######### Copy Outlook files. #########
ECHO.
ECHO Get the Outlook ".pst" file.
ECHO.
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\Outlook      "%MainDir%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\*.pst"

REM ######### Copy Outlook Express files. #########

ECHO.
ECHO Finally get the Outlook Express ".dbx" files.
ECHO.
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" A -AG-YYYY-MM-DD -P %BackupDir%\OutlookExpress  "%MainDir%\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities"

REM #########################  ( End )  ################################################

Change what you need (like the "-P" info).
Change the notepad ".txt" extension to ".bat" (also change the name if you want).
Run the file (this program will save your data to your c:\temp\Backup directory - change that as well if you want).
Burn the "backup" files to your CD.

I developed this site so please send comments to dburton3@tampabay.rr.com. Thanks!

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