Koroush Ghazi XP Optimization

WWW.TWEAKGUIDES.COM

[ Version 5.0 ]

THE TWEAKGUIDES TWEAKING COMPANION

2 Copyright 2010 Koroush Ghazi

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents........................................................................................................................................................... 2 Copyright & Credits ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Before Using this Book .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Basic Requirements ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Different Versions of Windows ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Where are the Pictures? .................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Why is the Book So Long? ................................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Recommended Software ................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Problems with the Book ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Your Responsibilities .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Basic PC Terminology ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Bits & Bytes .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Data ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 PC .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 CPU ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Motherboard ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Memory ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Storage Drives ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Graphics Card ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Display Device ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Sound Card .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Speakers .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Power Supply Unit .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Cooling Devices .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Case ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Peripheral ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Operating System and Software ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19

System Specifications ................................................................................................................................................ 20 System Information Tools .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Windows System Information Tool .................................................................................................................................................................. 20 Device Manager .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20 DirectX Diagnostics ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 20 SIW ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21 3DMark ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 Sandra................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 CPU-Z ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 GPU-Z ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 HD Tune ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Providing System Specifications ............................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Backup & Recovery ..................................................................................................................................................... 24

Manual Backup ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 24 Automatic Backup ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25

Windows Backup Utility ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Third Party Drive Imaging Software ................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Online Backup ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

System Restore ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Backing Up the Windows Registry ........................................................................................................................................................................... 27

ERUNT .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Backing Up & Restoring Passwords ........................................................................................................................................................................ 28

Backing Up Login Password ............................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Restoring Login Password ................................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Resetting your Login Password ........................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Storing Passwords .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Recovering Passwords ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

File Deletion and Recovery ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Recovering Deleted Files .................................................................................................................................................................................. 30



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Permanently Deleting Files ............................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Low Level Format and Zero Fill ........................................................................................................................................................................ 31

System Recovery ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 31 Recovering from a Corrupted Registry............................................................................................................................................................ 31 Safe Mode ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 32 Recovery Console ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 System File Checker .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 34

BIOS Optimization ....................................................................................................................................................... 35 The BIOS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35

Post Screen .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35 BIOS Settings ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36 BIOS Updates ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Firmware Updates ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 36

Interrupt Requests (IRQs) .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Disable Unused Devices .................................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Move Conflicting Devices .................................................................................................................................................................................. 38 Disabling ACPI .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 38

Installing Windows ...................................................................................................................................................... 39 Prior to Installation ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39

Slipstreaming Windows XP SP3 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 39 nLite ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 40

Preparing the Drive(s) ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 40 NTFS vs. FAT 32 File Systems ........................................................................................................................................................................ 40 Converting Existing FAT32 Disk to NTFS ...................................................................................................................................................... 41 Multiple Partitions ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 41 Dual Boot/Multiboot System .............................................................................................................................................................................. 41 RAID Configuration ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 42

Installing Windows ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 43 New Drive ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 43 Drive with Existing install of Windows ............................................................................................................................................................. 44 Windows XP Bootdisks ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 44

Windows Product Activation & Windows Genuine Advantage ....................................................................... 45 Windows Product Activation ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Windows Genuine Advantage ................................................................................................................................................................................... 45

Driver Installation ........................................................................................................................................................ 46 Driver Installation ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46

Step 1 - Service Packs ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Step 2 - DirectX ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 47 Step 3 - Driver Signing & Windows Update ................................................................................................................................................... 47 Step 4 - Motherboard Drivers ........................................................................................................................................................................... 47 Step 5 - Graphics Drivers .................................................................................................................................................................................. 49 Step 6 - Sound Drivers ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 49 Step 7 - Peripheral Drivers ................................................................................................................................................................................ 49 Step 8 - Firewall, Windows Update & .NET ................................................................................................................................................... 50

General Driver Installation ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 51 The Latest Drivers............................................................................................................................................................................................... 51 Uninstalling Drivers ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 51 Installing Non-Executable Drivers .................................................................................................................................................................... 51 General Driver Tips............................................................................................................................................................................................. 52

PC Security .................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Security Threats ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 54

Viruses & Worms ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 54 Trojan Horses ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 55 Spyware ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 55 Adware .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 55 Rootkits ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 55 Phishing ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 55

Essential Security Software ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 56 Malicious Software Removal Tool .................................................................................................................................................................... 57 Microsoft Security Essentials ............................................................................................................................................................................ 57 A-Squared Free ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Spybot Search & Destroy .................................................................................................................................................................................. 60 Rootkits ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 62



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Phishing Protection ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 62 Firewalls ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 62

Important Security Tips ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 63 Malware Avoidance Methods ............................................................................................................................................................................ 63 Balancing Security vs. Convenience ............................................................................................................................................................... 67

Memory Optimization .................................................................................................................................................. 68 Memory Hardware ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 68

CPU Cache .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 68 Physical RAM ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 68 Video RAM ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 69

Windows Memory Management ............................................................................................................................................................................... 70 Disk Cache ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 70 Icon Cache ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 70 General Memory Settings .................................................................................................................................................................................. 70 Windows Prefetcher ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 70 Virtual Memory .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 71

Upgrading Memory ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 73 Drive Optimization ....................................................................................................................................................... 74

Windows Disk Indexing .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 74 Drive Controllers .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 74 Master File Table ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 76 Windows Disk Defragmenter ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 76

Background Defragmentation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 77 Advanced Defragmentation ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 77

PageDefrag .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 77 Dirms & Buzzsaw ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 77 Frequency of Defragmentation ......................................................................................................................................................................... 78

Boot Analysis & Optimization .................................................................................................................................................................................... 78 Bootvis .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 78 Analyzing System Startup ................................................................................................................................................................................. 79 Optimizing System Startup ................................................................................................................................................................................ 79

The Control Panel ........................................................................................................................................................ 80 Accessibility Options ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 80 Add Hardware .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 80 Add or Remove Programs ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 80

Set Program Access and Defaults ................................................................................................................................................................... 81 Administrative Tools .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 81

Component Services .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 81 Computer Management ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 82 Data Sources (ODBC) ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 82 Event Viewer ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 82 Local Security Policy .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 82 Performance ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 82 Services ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 82

Automatic Updates ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 83 Data Sources (ODBC) ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 83 Date and Time .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 83

Date and Time ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 83 Time Zone ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 83 Internet Time ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 84

Display ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 84 Themes ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 84 Desktop ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 84 Screen Saver ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 84 Appearance .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 84 Settings ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 85 ClearType ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 86 Graphics Card Control Panel ............................................................................................................................................................................ 86

Folder Options .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 86 General ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 86 View ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 86 File Types ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 87 Offline Files .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 87

Fonts ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 87



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Game Controllers ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 87 Internet Options ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 88 Keyboard ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 88 Mouse ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 88

Pointers ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 88 Pointer Options .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 88 Wheel .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 88 Increasing USB Sample Rate ........................................................................................................................................................................... 88

Network Connections .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 89 QoS Packet Scheduler ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 Windows Firewall ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 89

Network Setup Wizard ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 89 Phone and Modem ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 Portable Media Devices ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 90 Power Options .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 90

Power Schemes .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 90 Advanced .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 90 Hibernate .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 90 UPS ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 90

Printers and Faxes ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 91 Regional and Language Options .............................................................................................................................................................................. 91

Regional Options ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 91 Languages ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 91 Advanced .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 92

Scanners and Cameras .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 92 Scheduled Tasks ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 92 Security Center ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 92 Sounds and Audio Devices ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 93

Volume .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 93 Sounds .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 93 Audio, Voice ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 94 Optimal Sound Configuration ............................................................................................................................................................................ 94

Speech ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 95 System ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 95

General ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 95 Computer Name .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 95 Hardware .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 95 Device Manager .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 96 Remove Unused Devices .................................................................................................................................................................................. 96 Advanced .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 97 System Restore ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 99 Automatic Updates ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 99 Remote ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 99

Taskbar and Start Menu ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 99 Taskbar ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 99 Start Menu .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 100

User Accounts ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 100 Fast Startup - Skipping Login Screen ............................................................................................................................................................ 101

User Accounts - Advanced ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 101 Users ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 101 Advanced ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 101

Windows Firewall ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 102 Wireless Network Setup Wizard ............................................................................................................................................................................. 103

Startup Programs....................................................................................................................................................... 104 Finding Startup Programs ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 104

Microsoft System Configuration Utility .......................................................................................................................................................... 104 Registry Editor ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 106 Autoruns ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 106 Windows Startup Inspector ............................................................................................................................................................................. 107 HijackFree .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 107

Identifying Startup Programs ................................................................................................................................................................................... 107 Removing Startup Programs ................................................................................................................................................................................... 108 Regular Maintenance ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 109

Services ........................................................................................................................................................................ 110



Table of Contents

Services Utility ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 110 Default Services ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 110 Customizing Services ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 111 Restarting a Service ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 114 Non-Microsoft Services .................................................................................................................................................................................... 114 Identifying Non-Microsoft Services ................................................................................................................................................................ 114 Change Service Status via Command Line ................................................................................................................................................. 115

Cleaning Windows ..................................................................................................................................................... 116 Disk Cleanup .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 116

Remove Unnecessary Windows Files ........................................................................................................................................................... 116 Add or Remove Windows Components ........................................................................................................................................................ 116 Remove Old System Restore Points ............................................................................................................................................................. 117 Advanced Disk Cleanup Usage ...................................................................................................................................................................... 117

Recycle Bin ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 117 Configuration Advice ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 117 Renaming or Deleting the Recycle Bin ......................................................................................................................................................... 118

CCleaner ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 118 Manual Drive Cleaning ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 120

Cleaning Up After Service Pack 3 .................................................................................................................................................................. 120 Deleting 'In Use' Files ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 121

Task Manager .............................................................................................................................................................. 122 Configuration Advice ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 122 Resource Usage Monitoring .................................................................................................................................................................................... 122

Processes ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 122 Commit Charge ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 123 CPU Usage ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 123 Memory Usage .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 123

Processor Affinity ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 124 Process Explorer ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 125

Windows Registry ...................................................................................................................................................... 126 Registry Editor ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 126

Editing Registry Entries .................................................................................................................................................................................... 126 Creating and Deleting Registry Entries ......................................................................................................................................................... 127 Backing up and Restoring Portions of the Registry .................................................................................................................................... 127

Maintaining the Registry ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 128 CCleaner ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 128 JV16 PowerTools .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 128 NTRegOpt .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 129

Miscellaneous Registry Tweaks .............................................................................................................................................................................. 130 Improve Menu Responsiveness and Shutdown Speeds ........................................................................................................................... 130 Increase NTFS System Performance ............................................................................................................................................................ 130 Change Foreground Application Priority ....................................................................................................................................................... 131 Prevent MSN Messenger From Running ...................................................................................................................................................... 131 Turn Off CD Autoplay ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 131 Turn Off Windows XP Built-in CD Burning ................................................................................................................................................... 131 Turn Off System Beeps .................................................................................................................................................................................... 132 Change Thumbnail Quality & Size ................................................................................................................................................................. 132 Disable Thumbnail Cache ............................................................................................................................................................................... 132 Turn Off 'Low Disk Space' Notification .......................................................................................................................................................... 132 Disable Balloon Tips ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 133 Disable Windows Key ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 133

Group Policy ............................................................................................................................................................... 134 Group Editor Tweaks ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 134

Disable Automatic System Restore Checkpoints ........................................................................................................................................ 134 Turn off built-in XP CD Burning ...................................................................................................................................................................... 134 Prevent Windows Media Digital Rights Management from Internet Access .......................................................................................... 134 Remove 'Shared Documents' Folder ............................................................................................................................................................. 134 Remove Shutdown/Logoff/Restart messages ............................................................................................................................................. 134 Turn off User Tracking (will Also disable personalized menus) ................................................................................................................ 134 Prevent Access to Windows Components ................................................................................................................................................... 135 Turn off CD/DVD Autoplay .............................................................................................................................................................................. 135 Disable Windows Messenger ......................................................................................................................................................................... 135 Customize Internet Explorer Title ................................................................................................................................................................... 135 Remove Recycle Bin Icon from Desktop ...................................................................................................................................................... 135



Table of Contents

Remove My Documents Icon from Desktop ................................................................................................................................................. 135 Remove My Computer Icon from Desktop ................................................................................................................................................... 135

TweakUI ........................................................................................................................................................................ 136 Configuration Advice ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 136

General ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 136 General>Focus .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 136 Explorer............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 136 Explorer>Shortcut ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 136 Explorer>Thumbnails ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 136 Explorer>Customizations................................................................................................................................................................................. 136 Taskbar and Start Menu .................................................................................................................................................................................. 136 My Computer>Autoplay>Types ...................................................................................................................................................................... 137 Control Panel ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 137

Windows Explorer ..................................................................................................................................................... 138 Set Explorer's Default Startup Folder ............................................................................................................................................................ 138 Speed Up Explorer ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 138 Remove 'Shared Documents' From My Computer ..................................................................................................................................... 139 Force All Columns in Explorer To Be Visible ............................................................................................................................................... 139 Rename Multiple Files ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 139 Edit Context Menus .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 139 Add 'Copy To' and 'Move To' Context Menu Items ..................................................................................................................................... 141 Folder Views Not Being Saved ....................................................................................................................................................................... 141 Repair Incorrectly Displayed Icons ................................................................................................................................................................ 142 Move the My Documents Folder .................................................................................................................................................................... 142 Make the My Documents Folder Private ....................................................................................................................................................... 142 Disable Windows File Protection .................................................................................................................................................................... 142 Change Default Location for Programs and Common Files ...................................................................................................................... 143

Internet Explorer ........................................................................................................................................................ 144 Configuration Advice ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 144

General ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 144 Security ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 146 Privacy ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 147 Content ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 148 Connections ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 148 Programs ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 148 Advanced ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 149 InPrivate Browsing ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 151 InPrivate Filtering .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 152 Accelerators ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 153

Advanced Settings .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 153 Customize Internet Explorer 8's Appearance .............................................................................................................................................. 153 Change or Disable Internet Explorer Click Sound ...................................................................................................................................... 154 Change Internet Explorer Default Download Directory .............................................................................................................................. 154 Start with InPrivate Browsing Mode Enabled ............................................................................................................................................... 154 Start with InPrivate Filtering Mode Enabled ................................................................................................................................................. 155 Customize Internet Explorer Title Bar ........................................................................................................................................................... 155 Built-In Flash Blocking ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 155 Speed Up / Fix Internet Explorer 8 ................................................................................................................................................................ 156 Increase Maximum Simultaneous Connections .......................................................................................................................................... 156 DNS Cache Issues ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 156 Advanced Customization ................................................................................................................................................................................. 157

Windows Update ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 158 Windows Update Usage .................................................................................................................................................................................. 158 Security Patch Links and Release Dates ..................................................................................................................................................... 158 Windows Update on Other Browsers ............................................................................................................................................................ 158 Repairing Windows Update ............................................................................................................................................................................. 159

Other Internet Browsers ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 159 Outlook Express ........................................................................................................................................................ 160

Configuration Advice ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 160 General ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 160 Read .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 160 Receipts .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 160 Send .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 160 Compose, Signatures, Spelling ...................................................................................................................................................................... 161



Table of Contents

Security ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 161 Connection ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 161 Maintenance ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 162

Tips & Tweaks ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 162 Backing Up Emails ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 162 Restoring Emails ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 162 Filtering spam .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 163 Remove Splash Screen ................................................................................................................................................................................... 163 Slowdown Issues .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 164

Other EMail Clients ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 164 Windows Media Player ............................................................................................................................................. 165

Configuration Advice ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 165 Player .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 165 Rip Music ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 165 Devices ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 166 Burn ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 166 Performance ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 167 Library ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 167 Plug-ins ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 168 Privacy ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 168 Security ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 169 File Types ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 169 DVD ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 169 Network ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 169 Graphic Equalizer ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 169 Skins .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 170 Mini Player Mode .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 170

Audio & Video Codecs .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 170 Other Media Players ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 171

Visual & Convenience Tweaks ............................................................................................................................... 172 Tips & Tweaks ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 172

Remove text from desktop icons .................................................................................................................................................................... 172 Remove the box around desktop icon titles ................................................................................................................................................. 172 Create desktop icons for Shutdown or Restart ............................................................................................................................................ 172 Create Desktop icon to lock the computer ................................................................................................................................................... 173 Save desktop icon positions ........................................................................................................................................................................... 174 Change desktop icon size ............................................................................................................................................................................... 174 Set spacing between desktop icons .............................................................................................................................................................. 174 Remove 'Shortcut to...' from new shortcuts .................................................................................................................................................. 174 Create a custom popup menu on the taskbar .............................................................................................................................................. 175

Custom Windows Themes ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 175 WindowBlinds .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 175 Uxtheme.dll Patching ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 176 RocketDock ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 176 Glass2K .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 176

Keyboard & Program Shortcuts .............................................................................................................................................................................. 177 Common Keyboard Shortcuts .....................................................................................................................................................