Now power users can rejoice! Windows XP Hacks offers tips, tools, and know-how to bend Windows XP to your will. The book delves into XP topics such as controlling the control panel, changing unchangeable icons, removing uninstallable XP components, stopping pop-up ads, taking a bite out of cookies, speeding up file downloads, protecting yourself with firewalls and proxy servers, and more. Users of both Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Pro Edition will find smart, timesaving, fun, and useful hacks for virtually every feature in their operating system. Even if you're not a power user yet, this book will have you well on your way.

Windows XP marks the biggest change to the Windows OS since the advent of Windows 95. It combines the stability of the NT/2000 operating system with the user-friendliness and hardware support of the consumer Windows line—and it does so literally, because those two operating systems have been combined for the first time in XP. Although there are two versions of XP—Home Edition and Professional Edition—the differences between them are relatively minor and have to do primarily with security and administrator tools. Under the hood, they're the same OS.

XP marks several other change as well. DOS is no longer a part of the underlying OS, although it's still available as a command prompt. Multimedia and graphics have been built into the operating system more directly than before and are no longer treated as an afterthought. And, cosmetically, XP has been given a makeover, in both the way it looks (rounded windows and almost cartoonish at times) and the way it works.

All this is good news for would-be operating system hackers. Because of the operating system's greater stability, those who work under the hood of XP can concentrate on actually getting work done and making the OS more effective, rather than trying to fix its shortcomings. Because of the richer interface and greater support for graphics and multimedia, you can more easily change the way the operating system works and looks. And, because the OS offers a variety of tools for recovering from errors, you can hack to your heart's content without worrying that you'll damage the OS beyond recognition.

This collection is based on the hands-on, real-world experience of those who in many cases have been using PCs well before any version of Windows even existed. They have wrestled with each new version of Windows as it was released, and found ways to take advantage of every nook and cranny of the operating system. When XP came out, they applied that hard-earned knowledge to it as well, and came up with ways to take advantage of the myriad new features of the operating system.

The results is 100 hacks that are useful, frequently entertaining, and will save you countless hours at the keyboard. Whether you want to speed up your PC, customize XP's interface, hack your wired and wireless network, get more out of the Web, make better use of email, use the Registry to bend the operating system to your will, or use XP for countless other useful tasks, you'll find what you're looking for here. And each hack doesn't just show you how to do something; it also teaches why it works. Each hack is a starting point, rather than an ending point, so that you can apply the knowledge you've gained to create new hacks of your own. Try it out—who knows, in the next edition of this book, you may get a hack of your own published.

Content:
Preface
How to Use This Book
How This Book Is Organized
Conventions Used in This Book
How to Contact Us

Chapter 1. Startup and Shutdown
Section 1.1. Hacks #1-7
Hack 1. Customize Multiboot Startup Options
Hack 2. Change the Picture that Appears on the XP Startup Screen
Hack 3. Speed Up Boot and Shutdown Times
Hack 4. Halt Startup Programs and Services
Hack 5. Create Multiple Startup Profiles with Advanced Startup Manager
Hack 6. Miscellaneous Startup and Shutdown Hacks
Hack 7. Control User Logins by Hacking the Registry

Chapter 2. The User Interface
Section 2.1. Hacks #8-20
Hack 8. Customize the GUI with TweakUI
Hack 9. Control the Control Panel
Hack 10. Hack the Start Menu and Taskbar
Hack 11. Clean Up the Most Frequently Used Programs List
Hack 12. Rename and Change "Unchangeable" Desktop Icons and System Objects
Hack 13. Remove "Unremovable" Desktop Icons
Hack 14. Create Your Own XP Themes and Find Thousands Online
Hack 15. Give XP a Makeover with WindowBlinds
Hack 16. Hacking Your Way Through the Interface
Hack 17. Remove "Uninstallable" XP Utilities
Hack 18. Create Transparent Windows
Hack 19. Make Your Own Cursors and Icons
Hack 20. Windows XP to Windows 2000: Retro is Cool

Chapter 3. Windows Explorer
Section 3.1. Hacks #21-32
Hack 21. Generating Folder and File Listingsfor Printing or Editing
Hack 22. Control Windows Explorer with Command-Line Shortcuts
Hack 23. Empower Windows Explorer with PowerDesk
Hack 24. Better File Rename
Hack 25. Find Files Faster by Mastering the Indexing Service's Query Language
Hack 26. Hiding Folders and Files with the Encrypting File System
Hack 27. Forcing Windows Explorer Into True Usefulness
Hack 28. Customize Folder Icons and Balloon Text
Hack 29. A Power User's Hidden Weapon: Improve the Context Menu
Hack 30. Take Your Work on the Go with Offline Files and the Briefcase
Hack 31. Get More Hard Disk Space by Using NTFS Compression
Hack 32. Put a Command-Line Prompt on Your Desktop

Chapter 4. The Web
Section 4.1. Hacks #33-41
Hack 33. Stop Pop Ups, Spyware, and Web Bugs
Hack 34. Take a Bite Out of Cookies
Hack 35. Read Web Pages Offline
Hack 36. Better Internet Searching from Your Desktop
Hack 37. Hack Internet Explorer with the Group Policy Editor
Hack 38. Speed Up File Downloads
Hack 39. Surf Anonymously Without a Trace
Hack 40. Secrets of Web Site Hosting with Internet Information Services (IIS)
Hack 41. Run Java Applets Without Crashes or Problems

Chapter 5. Networking
Section 5.1. Hacks #42-62
Hack 42. War Driving for WiFi Access
Hack 43. Test Your Security with Shields Up!
Hack 44. Tweak DNS Settings for Faster Internet Access
Hack 45. Fix Windows Media Player's Privacy Problems
Hack 46. Protect Your Computer with the Internet Connection Firewall
Hack 47. Use a Proxy Server to Protect Your PC
Hack 48. ZoneAlarm: The World's Best Free Firewall
Hack 49. Optimize Your Residential Gateway
Hack 50. Punch an Escape Hole Through Your Firewall
Hack 51. Close Down Open Ports and Block Protocols
Hack 52. Troubleshooting Network Connections with ping, tracert, and pathping
Hack 53. Troubleshooting Network Connections with netsh, netstat, and ipconfig
Hack 54. Speed Up Network Browsing
Hack 55. Extend the Range of Your Wireless Network
Hack 56. Install NetBEUI for Better Peer-to-Peer Networking
Hack 57. Check WiFi Network Performance with QCheck to Help Improve Throughput
Hack 58. Control Another PC with Remote Access
Hack 59. Make Servers Always Available by Mapping a Hostname to a Dynamic IP Address
Hack 60. Renewing Your DHCP-Assigned IP Address
Hack 61. Repair a Broken TCP/IP Connection
Hack 62. Set Up a Virtual Private Network

Chapter 6. Email
Section 6.1. Hacks #63-67
Hack 63. Slam That Spam
Hack 64. Open Blocked File Attachments in Outlook and Outlook Express
Hack 65. Back Up and Restore Outlook and Outlook Express Data Files
Hack 66. Fire Outlook and Outlook Express
Hack 67. Retrieve Web-Based Email with Your Email Software

Chapter 7. The Registry
Section 7.1. Hacks #68-72
Hack 68. Don't Fear the Registry
Hack 69. Hacking Away at the Registry
Hack 70. Safely Edit the Registry Using .reg Files
Hack 71. Better Registry Backups
Hack 72. Track and Restore Registry Changes with RegSpy

Chapter 8. Basic Utilities
Section 8.1. Hacks #73-79
Hack 73. Store Multiple Clips and Boilerplate Text with a Better Clipboard
Hack 74. Speed Up Your Hard Disk by Improving Defragging
Hack 75. Build a Better Backup Strategy
Hack 76. Extending Your Screen Real Estate with Virtual Desktops
Hack 77. Top Screenshot Tips
Hack 78. Going Beyond Messaging with Windows Messenger
Hack 79. Universal Messaging: Trillian Unites AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, and ICQ

Chapter 9. Applications
Section 9.1. Hacks #80-85
Hack 80. Remove Unruly Applications and Uninstall Entries
Hack 81. Force XP-Incompatible Applications to Run
Hack 82. Force Older Programs to Use XP Common Controls
Hack 83. Launch Applications with Command-Line Shortcuts
Hack 84. Open and Create Microsoft Documents without Microsoft Office
Hack 85. Stop Hidden Fields in Word from Stealing Your Files and Information

Chapter 10. Graphics and Multimedia
Section 10.1. Hacks #86-90
Hack 86. Image Conversion in a Pinch
Hack 87. Problem-Free CD Burning
Hack 88. Save Streaming Music to Your PC
Hack 89. File Sharing without the Spyware
Hack 90. Tips for Making Videos with Windows Movie Maker

Chapter 11. System Performance
Section 11.1. Hacks #91-94
Hack 91. Track System Performance with the Performance Console
Hack 92. Getting the Most Out of Your RAM
Hack 93. More Power: Registry Hacks to Speed Up XP
Hack 94. Repair and Recovery with the Recovery Console

Chapter 12. Hardware
Section 12.1. Hacks #95-100
Hack 95. Troubleshoot Hardware by Decoding Device Manager Error Messages
Hack 96. Uncover Hidden Hardware with the Device Manager
Hack 97. Check Your PC's Pulse and Tweak It for Better Performance
Hack 98. Remap Your Keyboard
Hack 99. Use ClearType for Better Laptop and LCD Resolution
Hack 100. Networking on the Cheap: Set Up a Direct Cable Connection

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