System Tweaks

Disable System Restore

You can gain a lot of drive space by disabling System Restore. (You should already have a backup regimen in place before you do this.) In Vista, right-click My Computer, select Advanced system settings, click the System Protection tab, and uncheck any drives. In XP, right-click My Computer, then under System Tasks, click on “View system information.” Click on the System Restore tab and click the box next to “Turn off System Restore on all drives” to disable it.

Configure Windows Update

Windows Update is great, but if it’s set on autopilot, it will download updates that require a reboot, then pester you forever to install them, and eventually reboot on its own. Change the Windows Update settings (in the Windows Security section of the Control Panel) to download updates but ask you whether to install them. 

Disable Delete Confirmation

You can disable the confirmation that pops up whenever you delete something by right-clicking the Recycle Bin and selecting Properties. Uncheck the delete confirmation box, click Apply and then OK, and you’re done. Also, you can bypass the Recycle Bin entirely by holding down the Shift key while deleting files.

Disable Windows Animations

Sliding Window animations look cool, but you can improve system performance by disabling them completely. Right-click My Computer and go to Properties. In Vista, select Advanced system settings, or click the Advanced tab in XP. Click Settings in the performance box and uncheck any box that says animate, slide, or fade.

Create a Custom Toolbar

If you’re constantly accessing a particular folder, you can add it to your taskbar for quick access. Right-click the taskbar and scroll to Toolbars, then select New Toolbar. It will open an Explorer window, so browse to your folder and select it. It’s also handy to add My Computer as a toolbar.

Tags: System Tweaks

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Four Tips and Tricks For Windows XP

Control Inactive System Tray Icons

You don’t have to hide or show all the icons in your system tray—you
can control their disappearing acts. Right-click on the taskbar and
select Properties. Click on the checkbox next to “Hide inactive icons”
(if it’s not checked by default), then click on the Customize button.
For each item on this list, you can choose “Hide when inactive,”
“Always hide,” or “Always show” options to decide what you’ll see and
when.

Fit More Icons on Your Desktop

If your screen is so cluttered with Word documents and program shortcuts that you can’t see the rolling meadows of your wallpaper, you don’t need to move piles of stuff to the Recycling Bin. Just change the amount of space between icons. Right-click on the desktop, select Properties, then click on the Appearance tab, and click the Advanced button. In the “Item” drop-down, scroll down to Icon Spacing (Horizontal) and Icon Spacing (Vertical); changing the value in the “Size” field will move icons closer together (while increasing the number will move them farther apart). When you’re done, click OK. To make your existing icons follow these rules, right-click on the desktop, select “Arrange Icons By” and then click Align to Grid, then go back to the same menu and click “Auto Arrange.”

Shut Down from Your Desktop

If you’re trying to eliminate every extraneous mouse click, you can shut down your computer with an icon on the desktop. Right-click on your desktop, click “New,” and then click “Shortcut.” In the “Type the location of the item” field, type “shutdown -s -t 00” to give you a way to shut down the computer immediately. (Change the -s to -r to create a reboot shortcut instead.)

Change What Programs Start When Windows Does

You can prevent a lot of apps forcing Windows into chilled-molasses boot times—without uninstalling anything. Click Start, then “Run…,” and type msconfig. This brings up the System Configuration Utility window. Click on the Startup tab to see a list of all the apps slated to start when you boot up Windows. Click the check mark next to any you don’t want, and then click OK to save your choices.

Tags: Tricks For Windows XP

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