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Assorted WindowsXP Tips #7 Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Removing MSN Messenger From Outlook Express

Windows Messenger has become one of the most popular programs around. Many people use it to as a means of communicating with co-workers, friends, and family. So if you hadn't already noticed, Windows Messenger is installed by default with Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition. Every time you start your computer, the Windows Messenger icon appears in the system tray.

If you aren't a fan of Windows Messenger, you can prevent it from running. If you are running Windows Messenger 4.5 or later, you can use the following steps to prevent the program from running.

  1. Click Start, point to Run, and type regedit. Press Enter.
  2. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft.
  3. Click Edit, point to New and click Key.
  4. Type in Messenger for the name of the new key.
  5. Click the registry key you just created. Click Edit, point to New, and click DWORD Value.
  6. Type in PreventRun as the name of the value.
  7. Right click the DWORD value you just created and click Modify.
  8. Type 1 for the value and click OK.

By Diana Huggins in Lockergnome Windows Fanatics

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Add "Copy to Folder" and "Move to Folder" to Explorer Context Menu


The Windows 95 PowerToys has a similar function, the "Send to Folder" option. You can add "Copy to Folder" and "Move to Folder" to the Explorer context menu, so when you right-click a file or folder in Explorer, you have the option to Copy or Move it to another folder.

Start the Registry Editor
Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ AllFilesystemObjects \ shellex \ ContextMenuHandlers \
Right-click the ContextMenuHandlers entry, and from the menu select New Key
Name the new key Copy To
Repeat step 3, but this time for the name (step 4) choose Move To
Change the (Default) string value found in the Copy To key to {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Change the (Default) string value found in the Move To key to {C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Close the registry editor

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Adjust System Restore


To customize which drives should be excluded, start System Restore Start All Programs/ Accessories/ System Tools/System Restore and click on the System Restore Settings link.

Select the drive for which you want to change the System Restore settings, and press the Settings button. You can change the amount of disk space used by System Restore on the selected drive, or turn System Restore monitoring off for the selected drive.

Adjust # of restore points by setting size of restores

Select the hard drive you wish to adjust . Start by choosing the smallest allowable Restore area (usually a still-hefty 200 megabytes) by moving the slider all the way to the left.

Over the next few days and weeks as you use your system, you can check to see if you have enough "Restore Points" available for your own needs and preferences. Here's how:

Click Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Restore.

select "Restore my computer to an earlier time" and click next. You'll then see a calendar with some dates in bold; those are the days with one or more available Restore Points. Note how far back the bold dates go. Next, click Cancel to exit the Restore tool. (In other words, don't go on to the next step and actually to perform a System Restore; you're just checking to see what Restore Points are available.)

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Improve Performance By Disabling Indexing Service


To disable the Indexing service, open Computer Management from Administrative Tools (on the Start menu if you enabled this, or from the Control Panel), select Services and Applications, double click Services, and find the Indexing Service. Double click to bring up the Properties window, and click Stop to let Windows stop the service. Then from the Status type drop down box select Disabled.


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Folders View as Default


To open My Computer with the folders displayed in the left panel, without having to click the "Folders"
button every time and without having to go to the Windows Explorer shortcut.

Folder Options/Filetypes tab/find and select Folder (NOT File Folder, that's very important)/click Advanced/select Explore and click Set Default.

From Windows Annoyances.com forum

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WinXP Single Click Double Click Options


Look under Folder Options/General Tab to reset.


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Customizing Win XP animations and shadows.


By Brandon Watts in Lockergnome Windows Fanatics

Windows XP comes with a selection of window animations and shadows. This is a nice inclusion if you are using a fairly recent computer, but if you are running an older machine then you are probably trying to get every last drop of performance that you can. You can customize these visual extras to your liking.

Go to the Start menu and open the Control Panel.
Double-click the System icon. If you're in category view, select Performance and Maintenance and then select System.
Select the Advanced tab.
Click the Settings button under Performance.
Four options are available to choose from:
Let Windows choose what's best for my computer.
Adjust for best appearance.
Adjust for best performance.
Custom
Select the setting that you would like and click OK.


By Brandon Watts in Lockergnome Windows Fanatics
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