How to Disable/Enable the Windows XP Welcome Screen?

Windows XP gives the user a couple ways to log into the computer. You can use the traditional or classic method of typing in the username and password to login or you can use what's called the Welcome Screen to login.

What if you want to change the way your computer logs in, can you disable or enable this Welcome Screen?

The Windows XP Welcome Screen is tied to another feature called "Fast User Switching". This feature lets a user leave all his programs running if another user needs to use the computer. The first user can Log Off the session and Switch User back to the Welcome Screen so that another person can use the computer. When the second person is done, the user can switch back to his profile with all the programs still running where they left off. In order to use this feature, you have to use the Welcome Screen. However, if you dont need or want this feature, follow the instructions below to remove the Welcome Screen.
Remove the Welcome Screen

If you dont want to use "FAST USER SWITCHING" you may want to disable the Welcome Screen. You must be logged in as an Administrator to do this. Note:To do this follow the directions below:
1) Click on Start

2) Click Control Panel

3) Double-click on User Accounts

4) Click on "Change the way users log on or off"

5) Uncheck "Use the Welcome Screen" (note: this will also disable "Fast User Switching")

6) Click on Apply Options

7) Close the User Accounts window and the Control Panel

8) The next time you reboot your computer, the classic login prompt will be used

What if I dont want the Welcome Screen OR the classic prompt? Can I disable both?

To Login automatically to a user account, follow the instructions below:
1) Click on Run2) Type in the following command and click OK
control userpasswords2
3) Highlight the user you want to log into automatically, then uncheck the box for
"Users must enter a username and password to use this computer"
4) Click on Apply and you'll be asked to verify the username and password to log in automatically 5) Click OK and the next time you restart your computer, you'll automatically be logged in without having the classic prompt or Welcome Screen.

How to Delete Undeletable Files in Windows

Many times when trying to remove an unwanted program, especially a piece of adware or spyware, you may run across a file that is undeletable by any normal method. When you try to remove it you'll receive the error message shown below telling you "access denied" and explaining the file may be in use. You may also receive one of the following messages.Cannot delete file: Access is deniedThere has been a sharing violation.The source or destination file may be in use.The file is in use by another program or user.Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.So if the file is in use, how do you delete it?I'll show you several ways of removing these types of files and even some freeware programs that help you remove these pesky undeletable files.

Windows 95/98/ME

If you are using Windows 95, 98, or Windows ME, the easiest way to remove an undeleteable file is to boot to a DOS prompt and manually delete the file. Before you do this, you'll want to make a note of the location of the file including the entire path to it. Follow the steps below to delete these types of files.If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Find, Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the Named or Search For box
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click on Find Now or Search Now and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe
6. Close the search box
7. Locate a boot disk for your version of Windows, if you do not have a boot disk, follow the steps on the link below to create an emergency boot disk.How to Create an Emergency Boot Disk for Windows
8. Shut down and restart your computer with the boot disk in your floppy drive.
9. The computer will boot to a DOS prompt that will look similar to c:\
   
10. Type the following command and press Enter to delete the filer, substituting the phrase with the actual path and file name you discovered in Step 5 above.del Example: del c:\windows\undeleteablefile.exe
11. Remove the boot disk in the floppy drive and restart your computer
12. The file should now be deleted.

Windows XP

In Windows XP, there are a couple ways to remove an undeleteable file, a manual way, and a couple automated ways using some freeware programs. First, I'll show you the manual way.

Manual Method

If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Search, All Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the box shown
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click Search and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe
6. Close the search box
7. Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and Press Enter to open a Command Prompt window
8. Leave the Command Prompt window open, but proceed to close all other open programs
9. Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR.EXE and press Enter to start Task Manager
10. Click on the Processes tab, click on the process named Explorer.exe and click on End Process.
11. Minimize Task Manager but leave it open
12. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory where the file is located. To do this, use the CD command. You can follow the example below.Example: to change to the Windows\System32 directory you would enter the following command and Press Entercd \windows\system32
13. Now use the DEL command to delete the offending file. Type DEL where is the file you wish to delete.Example: del undeletable.exe
14. Use ALT-TAB to go back to Task Manager
15. In Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the Windows shell.
16. Close Task Manager

Enable IMAP in your Gmail email account

IMAP allows you to download your Gmail email to other devices such as mobile phones, blackberries, and computers. So for example if you wanted to read your Gmail email in Outlook Express which is installed on your computer, then you will have to enable IMAP. This is a new feature in Gmail email that the other free email services do not offer.

How to Enable IMAP in your Gmail Email Account so you can send and receive emails with Outlook or Windows Mail:

1. Sign into your Gmail email account. If you don not have one you can go to http://www.gmail.com/ and signup for a free email account.


2. Sign into your Gmail Email account. You will see your email links and settings.


3. Go to the top right of the page and press on settings. (see screenshot below)


4. Now the Gmail email settings will appear. (See the first screenshot below)


5. Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.


6. Go to the bottom section and choose the enable IMAP by checking the box.


7. Now Press the SAVE CHANGES button at the bottom. If you do not press this the changes will not take effect.

Block email messages from a particular country to control spam

Blocking email messages from a particular country is a new feature in Windows Mail. Previously, in Outlook Express you could not block an entire country from sending you spam emails. This is a fantastic feature that really helps stop spam and junk email coming into your inbox. I personally can't believe how well it works.

How to find out what country the spam email is coming from?

A website or an email from a particular country usually has a specific code. For example an email address from Australia can have .com.au on the end and so can a website from Australia. If an email was from Canada it would have .ca on the end.
Some more examples are UK - United Kingdom, ZA - South Africa, TH - Thailand, RU - Russian Federation, and more... Unfortunately this is not a clear cut answer because there are also hotmail.com and other email addresses that are available to any country but it can still help.

How to block email messages from a particular country to control spam?

1. Open Windows Mail
2. Go to the tools menu and choose Junk E-mail options..

3.The Junk e-mail Options will open

4.Press on the button that says Blocked Top-Level Domain List

5.Now tick the box next to any country that you wish to block messages from.

6.You can choose to select all and then untick the ones you want to allow.
7.This is the easiest way for me because all of my email message I receive are from Australia, the UK, and the USA and Canada. Therefore I only have to untick these ones.

How to repair a damaged boot sector by replacing the master boot record (MBR) in Windows XP

Your computer may continually restart, sometimes load the Windows logo screen, or even just have a black screen. There are a number of symptoms that occur when you have a damaged boot sector such as the master boot record.

What is a boot sector of a hard drive?

Your hard drive is split into small sectors and the first of these is the boot sector. It is the most important and is obviously accessed first when the computer first boots up. If your hard drive is not partitioned it will have a Volume Boot Record.

What can damage the Master Boot Record in the Boot Sector?

• Having problems when installing Operating Systems can damaged the master boot record.


• Stopping half way through installation is the most common cause.


• Changing the Windows Registry entries.


• Getting a virus that infects the MBR. Many viruses are built to attack the MBR.

What you will need to Repair the master boot record (MBR) of a hard drive?

1. An original Full Version Windows XP. The one you used to originally put Windows on your computer. An OEM version may not have this option, it depends on the company it came from. ( Dell, Acer, HP, etc)


2. You will need to know the administrator password for your Windows installation.

How to repair the master boot record (MBR of a hard drive manually (quicker).?

1. Put your original Windows XP CD into the cd drive of your computer.


2. Restart your computer and hopefully it will come up and say press any key to boot from the cd.


3. So therefore you must press any key on your keyboard to start from the cd.


4. If this does not come up you need to enter your bios and change the boot order or sequence. How to get into Your BIOS and change settings
   Sooner or later you will have to go into your computers bios and change certain settings. The main reason I go in there is to set the boot sequence or boot order of the computer. Different computer makes and models have different version and types of bios however they all have the common basics, but may call them different things.
   To access any bios on any computer you must watch the startup screen on the computer. It will usually say "To enter setup press......." Some common keys you may have to press are F1, F2, F10, or maybe the delete key. You must press this key when the startup screen is showing. If you miss this you have to restart again.
   Once you have entered the bios there will be a menu to choose from. Some Bios have Boot sequence as a menu item, but if they do not you have to find it under another menu name. Once you have found it, change the cd rom to be the first to boot to, then hard drive as the second. This is for when you format your computer. To change it back, repeat steps and change it to boot to hard drive 0.
5. A blue screen will appear and you are on your way..


6. You may need to press F8 to agree to the Windows Setup agreement.


7. After that the setup options will appear (see screen shot below).


8. Do not press ENTER as it will start installing Windows from scratch and you will loose all of your data on your hard drive.


9. Press the letter R on your keyboard to enter the Recovery Console.


10. When Recovery Console starts you will have to enter the number that corresponds with the installation you want to repair. For example if you have only one Windows installed on your computer then you would press the number one key. If you have two operating systems on your computer and you want to repair the second one then press 2.


11. Enter your Administrator password for that windows installation. You must enter an admin password here and if you do not, you cannot continue.


12. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type fixmbr.


13. You will be asked to confirm that you want to do this by pressing the Y key for yes.


14. Now your Master Boot record will be fixed.

Now if that did not work you can also repair the Boot sector by following the same steps but typing fixboot instead of fixmbr.

Close your non-responsive programs automatically!!!

Normally you end tasks the non-responsive programs manually using windows task manager with (CTRL + ALT +DELETE) keys. Sometimes these non-responsive programs creates problem to run windows and others programs properly. You can configure your computer to manage these non-responsive programs automatically. Windows has a feature that will close all non responding program automatically. If you have little knowledge about editing windows registry then you can configure your computer for this purpose.

Follow the given steps to configure windows registry for auto end task

• First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option. Here locate the location to:
• Go to Hkey_Current_User\Control Panel\Desktop
• Here in right side panel, double click on AutoEndTasks and here its default value is 0. Now change it to 1. Now windows will close your all non-responsive programs automatically.
• Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Automatic Screen Refresh Tips

• When you are working on your local computer and want to refresh any changes in your system automatically. For example some times you are watching sports results, online Stock Exchange rates and any changes to your hard drive but these changes are not usually refreshed until you press the F5 key on your keyboard.
  To refresh your screen automatically you should edit your system Registry. But the best technique to edit the windows registry keys, always export or backup the whole windows registry keys on backup drive before editing. Because any mistake in Registry can cause serious problem in your computer to run properly.

Follow the given steps to change the updates automatically.

• First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
• In Registry Editor panel go to the path:
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet /Control / UpdateMode
• Here in right hand side panel edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 5.
• Now restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Mobile phone viruses, simple measures to protect yourself

What’s a mobile phone virus?
A mobile phone virus or mobile malware - malicious mobile software - is a computer virus specifically adapted for the mobile phone environment and designed to spread from one vulnerable phone to another.
A virus is a program code that replicates by being copied to another program. Viruses can be transmitted as attachments to an email or in a download file. Some viruses take effect as soon as their code is executed; other viruses can lie dormant. A virus that replicates by resending itself as an email attachment or as a part of a network message is known as a worm.
Viruses can range from benign to quite harmful; they can erase data from the infected phone or send fake messages purporting to be from the phones owner. How prevalent are mobile phone viruses? The current security risk from mobile phone viruses and worms is low.
Until many more smart phones or PDAs are in use, and users of these phones are regularly exchanging executable files, the risk will remain low. The mobile industry takes the threat of viruses very seriously and is continually monitoring its networks and working to protect users from any future risk from mobile phone viruses. There are also some simple measures that individual users can implement to protect themselves.

What can I do to protect my phone?
The following tips can help prevent problems with viruses on your phone:

1. Switch to Bluetooth hidden mode. If your phone has Bluetooth capability, ensure that the Bluetooth capability is switched to hidden or invisible mode unless you specifically need it to be visible. This will help prevent other Bluetooth-enabled devices from finding your phone (unless you grant them the necessary permission) and will therefore help protect your phone from worms that spread using the Bluetooth wireless technology.
2. Exercise caution before opening attachments. When accepting applications sent via Bluetooth, or opening MMS attachments, exercise caution, just as you would when opening an email attachment on your PC, because they may include harmful software. Ensure the application or attachment comes from a known source, and is wary of opening files that have unfamiliar text attached to them, even if they come from someone you know.
3. Only download content from a trusted source. Trusted sources may include operator portals and other well-known brands that offer adequate protection against viruses and other harmful software. Be aware though that, as with emails, malicious or fraudulent users may be able to fake the appearance of a trusted source.
4. Consider anti-virus software. Some software is available to prevent phone viruses. You may wish to consider downloading this software.
5. Contact your phone manufacturer if concerned. If you think you have a virus, call the phone manufacturer’s care line. They can assist you confirm if it is a virus, and help fix the problem.

Buying A PC

First Steps
Before beginning your search for your new computer:
- Decide if you want a desktop PC or notebook/laptop PC. Desktop PCs can be more powerful but notebook PCs are portable
- Decide how much approximately you want to spend
- Decide what you will be using the PC for. You won't need a particularly powerful system if you're only going to browse the Web and send e-mails
- Read some computer buying advice magazines such as What PC?, PC Advisor and Personel World- Talk to friends, relatives and colleagues about what make of PC they use, where they bought it and their experiences Where To Buy From
High-street stores may seem the most place for first-time PC buyers but although they do offer some advantages (such as being able to see and touch example PCs and get an idea of the size of the screen) they are not always good value and you may find yourself spending more than you need to.
Often the sales person will also try to sell you warranty packages. These may provide some peace of mind, including things like health checks and repairs, but if you look after your PC and keep your security software up-to-date, you will most likely never use the service and will have paid a lot of extra money for nothing.
You could try small local computer shops who can often put together a PC package to suit your exact needs, though you may find the price a lot higher than the standard packages offered by high-street stores. For first-time buyers a standard package often seems far simpler than trying to figure out the specific types of components you need.
Buying online is often the best option from Amazon; though obviously you need to find some way of getting on the Internet (on a friend's PC or at your local library) and then begin the process of searching for online stores and comparing packages and prices. As with any large purchase you make, you will want to be cautious and have all the facts in front of you before you make a decision.
What to look for
Often when reading about PC packages you will be confronted with a huge list of specifications which will mean nothing to you if you don't have much knowledge of computer hardware. Some companies may try to confuse you with technical details, hoping that by mentioning large enough numbers you will think the PC is better than it really is.
Computer specifications change all the time, and your needs will determine what size or speed components are appropriate for you. The following is a general guide with some tips on what to look for.

Desktop or Notebook - the type of PC you need will depend on how powerful you need your machine to be and whether you want to be able to do work on the move.Desktop PCs are usually more powerful than notebook/laptop PCs for the same price, but the latter have the advantage of being portable and taking up much less space.

Monitor - it is important to check this is mentioned as although this may seem like an essential part of a desktop PC system, some packages may not include one.TFT (Flat Panel) monitors are common nowadays because of how thin they are compared to the old bulky CRT monitors. When buying a monitor you want the highest resolution, which will give a more detailed and sharper picture. A resolution of 1280x1024 should be fine for most users. Response time is also important - the lower the number, the better.

Keyboard & Mouse - all desktop PCs should include these and there is often little difference between the various models. One thing to note is that some have more than just the left and right buttons on the Mouse - they often also include a Wheel in the center which can be a useful addition. Nowadays you can also get wireless keyboards and mice. If you want to use a mouse with your notebook PC you may need to buy it separately, as many notebooks use a touch pad system instead of a mouse.

Tower - the shell of the desktop PC contains all the components which make your system work including the processor, memory and Hard Disk. You should check how many USB ports are included, as you will need one for each peripheral you connect such as scanners and printers.

Processor - the heart of your PC, this is the engine that powers your computer and processes all the instructions it is given, therefore you want it to be as fast as possible. The higher the processor speed (in Ghz) the faster your PC should be. Dual-core technology now offers even greater speed. Examples are Intel Pentium or Celeron, and AMD Athlon or Sempron.

RAM - the temporary memory the computer uses to do its calculations. The more RAM you have, the faster and more efficient your programs will run. Look for at least 512 MB or 1 GB of RAM.

Hard Drive - where all your programs and data are stored. As usual, more is better. At least 100GB or more will be needed to store lots of music, games or movie files. Hard disk space is relatively cheap, and there are also external drives available that you can plug in to add more memory.

Graphics Card - handles video and display calculations. A more powerful card means better quality video graphics and smooth-running games. The most popular cards are the NVidia GeForce and ATI Radeon series. Another thing to note is that the graphics card also has its own RAM memory, and again the more the better.

Sound Card - most PCs should include decent enough sound for playing music or video, but you can opt for better quality sound cards such as the Creative Audigy series which will improve sound quality and performance in movies and demanding games.

Speakers - 2 normal desktop speakers should be fine for most users, but games players may want to invest in larger setups such as 5.1 (5 small Satellite speakers and 1 large Sub-Woofer to handle the bass sounds).

CD/DVD R/RW Writer/Burner Drive - as with CD/DVD-ROM Drives but also able to write or 'burn' discs as well as read them. This way you can create your own data, music or video discs, especially useful for backing up large amounts of data. There are two main categories of writeable discs : Recordable discs such as CD-R or DVD-R or DVD+R are discs that can only be written once and Re-Writeable discs such as CD-RW or DVD-RW or DVD+RW can be written over many times.

Windows - Microsoft's operating system Windows is included with most PCs. Since 2001, Windows XP has been the version for home users but 2007 has seen the launch of its successor Windows Vista.

Software - some packages will include office suites, security programs, DVD creation, games and entertainment software.

Internet Access - many packages come with free Internet trials, but you can choose a different provider if you find a better deal. To access the Internet from home you will need to connect your PC to your phone line. There should be instructions with your PC how to do this. There are many different Internet packages available, and with some you will need to buy additional equipment. To learn more, contact an ISP(Internet Service Provider) or visit their web site.

Wireless Internet - modern PCs often come with built-in wireless support, to allow you to connect to any wireless Internet networks within range. If not, wireless adapters can be bought separately.
You can usually replace and upgrade your PC components in the future if you decide you need more memory or a faster graphics card, for example.
And you can always upgrade or buy new software if you find the included programs too limited for your needs.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows key - access start menu
Windows key + Pause - Open System Properties
Windows key + D - minimise/restore windows
Windows key + F - open Search window
Windows key + F1 - open Help and Support Center
Windows key + E - open Windows Explorer window
Windows key + M - minimise all windows
Windows key + TAB - move through open windows on Taskbar
Windows key + SHIFT + M - restore all windows
Hold CTRL while dragging - make a copy of selected item
Hold CTRL + SHIFT while dragging - make a shortcut to selected item
CTRL + ESC - open Start menu
CTRL + C - Copy
CTRL + X - Cut
CTRL + V - Paste
CTRL + A - Select All
CTRL + Z - Undo
CTRL + B - Bold highlighted text
CTRL + U - Underline highlighted text
CTRL + I - Italicise highlighted text
CTRL + Plus key - increase browser text size
CTRL + Minus key - decrease browser text size
CTRL + ALT + DELETE - open Task Manager
ALT + underlined letters in menus - open menu item
ALT + ENTER - show Properties of selected object
ALT + F4 - close current window or proagram
CTRL + F4 - close window within program
ALT + TAB - switch between open windows or programs
TAB - move forwards through control items or links in current window
SHIFT + TAB - move backwards through control items or links
ENTER - click selected control item or link
BACKSPACE - move up one folder level
HOME- go to start of current line or web page
END - go to end of current line or web page
CTRL + END - go to end of current document
PAGE UP - move up through current document or web page
PAGE DOWN - move down through current document or web page
PRINT SCREEN - take snapshot image of current screen
ALT + PRINT SCREEN - take snapshot image of current window
F2 - rename selected item
F5 - refresh current window or web page
F6 - move through window panes

How to change the boot Time in window XP?

You can set the boot time in windows XP as your wish if you are install two operating systems on same computer, for example window 2000 with windows XP or more than two. Yow can do this with editing Boot.ini file. Here you can also set the sequence for operating system which operating system boot first.

First Right Click on My Computer option and then select its Properties. In next dialog box open Advanced tab button. Under Startup and Recovery, click on the Settings button. Use the spin box "Time to display list of operating systems" to set the number of seconds you want the system to wait before automatically starting the default operating system. Here you will set time in seconds and its range start from 0 and ends with 999 seconds.
After set the time, then click OK option to close the dialog box to save your change. The next time you restart, the new time will take effect.

How to access the sharing data offline?

Access the shared data offline allows you to keep using your shared files, folders and software programs when disconnected from the data server. When you reconnect to your data server, all files will be synchronized to the files on the network.
There are two types of configurations required to set the access shared folders offline available, one for data server and other for client computer.
Configuration on Data Server

First locate the folders that you would like to share or make new folders then share these folders so they can be accessible to any one on the network.
Now right click on that folder and click on the option "Sharing and security".

A small dialog box will appear with the title "data properties". Under the "Sharing" tab, select the check box "Share this folder on the network" under the "Network sharing and security".

Now set the share level permissions that you want to give the users on every folder. Enable cache of share folders by click on cache button (by default it will be enabled).

Configuration on Client Computer On the client computer, first open My Computer then click on Tools.

In Tools menu bar, click on Folder Options, a window will appear with the title Folder Options.
Under the Offline File tab, check the option Enable Offline File. Here you can choose the synchronization process "Synchronize all offline files when logging on", "Synchronize all offline files before logging off" and others.

Click on Apply button to save the settings and then Ok button to close this window.
Now sitting on the client computer, try to access the shared folder from the data server.
First Right click on the shared folder and Click on Make available offline.To synchronizing the offline work from client computer to data server, again open My Computer then click on Tools. Click on Synchronize then click on synchronizing button.

After that down to data server and then try to access share folders by give the UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path of data server. But it will be accessible weather the server is down or up.