When a registry hive becomes damaged, your computer may become unbootable,
and you may receive one of the following Stop error messages on a blue screen:
Unexpected Shutdown
Stop:0xc0000135
Registry damage often occurs when programs with access to the registry do not
cleanly remove temporary items that they store in the registry. This problem may
also be caused if a program is terminated or experiences a user-mode fault.
Click here for the article from Microsoft.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Easy CD Creator 5.0 Does Not Function In Windows XP
When you try to use Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.0, any of the following symptoms may
occur:
Your computer may stop responding (hang) or may stop functioning correctly.
You may receive an error message on a blue screen. The error message may be
similar to:
Stop 0x00000050: PrtSeqRd deferencing null device object
After you receive this error message, your computer restarts.
You may receive an error message that is similar to:
Createcd50.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the
inconvenience.
Click here for the article from Microsoft.
occur:
Your computer may stop responding (hang) or may stop functioning correctly.
You may receive an error message on a blue screen. The error message may be
similar to:
Stop 0x00000050: PrtSeqRd deferencing null device object
After you receive this error message, your computer restarts.
You may receive an error message that is similar to:
Createcd50.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the
inconvenience.
Click here for the article from Microsoft.
HOW TO: Use Automatic Completion with a Command Prompt in Windows
To Activate Automatic Completion
For example, to change to the Program Files folder, you can type cd \pro
control_character. Or, to display the contents of the Myfile.txt file, you can type type
myf control_character. If there are multiple folders or files that match the characters
you type, typing the control character again displays the next matching instance.
When the correct folder or file is displayed, press ENTER to complete the command.
If no folder of file matches the characters that you type, you hear a beep. You can
activate or deactivate this feature for a computer, for a user, or for only the current
command session.
Click here for the article from Microsoft.
For example, to change to the Program Files folder, you can type cd \pro
control_character. Or, to display the contents of the Myfile.txt file, you can type type
myf control_character. If there are multiple folders or files that match the characters
you type, typing the control character again displays the next matching instance.
When the correct folder or file is displayed, press ENTER to complete the command.
If no folder of file matches the characters that you type, you hear a beep. You can
activate or deactivate this feature for a computer, for a user, or for only the current
command session.
Click here for the article from Microsoft.
Try automatic camera recognition in windows xp
If you have a digital camera, try this trick for downloading pictures to your machine.
Don't load any of the drivers or software that comes with your digital camera.
Instead--if your camera supports USB--connect your camera via a USB port. There's
a good chance that Windows XP will recognize the digicam. After a few moments, the
Scanner And Camera Wizard should start up and walk you through the steps
involved in copying your pictures from the camera to a folder of your choice on your
computer--much faster than doing it manually. You may still need to install your
camera's software if it provides configuration controls you can't access in any other
way, such as those for changing the picture resolution on your camera or the
software's special editing functions.
Don't load any of the drivers or software that comes with your digital camera.
Instead--if your camera supports USB--connect your camera via a USB port. There's
a good chance that Windows XP will recognize the digicam. After a few moments, the
Scanner And Camera Wizard should start up and walk you through the steps
involved in copying your pictures from the camera to a folder of your choice on your
computer--much faster than doing it manually. You may still need to install your
camera's software if it provides configuration controls you can't access in any other
way, such as those for changing the picture resolution on your camera or the
software's special editing functions.
Disable Automatic Windows Update
Windows XP is configured out of the box to routinely scan for and download updates
to Windows XP automatically. While this can be somewhat convenient for those with
very fast Internet connections and those who would otherwise forget to check for
updates, it can be a nuisance for the rest of us, who are still using 56k or, even
worse 33k modem connections.
To control or disable automatic updating, open the System icon in Control Panel (or
right-click My Computer and select Properties), and choose the Automatic Updating
tab.
To check for updates manually, open Internet Explorer and select Windows Update
from the Tools menu.
to Windows XP automatically. While this can be somewhat convenient for those with
very fast Internet connections and those who would otherwise forget to check for
updates, it can be a nuisance for the rest of us, who are still using 56k or, even
worse 33k modem connections.
To control or disable automatic updating, open the System icon in Control Panel (or
right-click My Computer and select Properties), and choose the Automatic Updating
tab.
To check for updates manually, open Internet Explorer and select Windows Update
from the Tools menu.
How to Create a Password Reset Disk for computers that are part of a
Note that this procedure requires one blank, formatted floppy disk.
To create a password reset disk for your local user account:
1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE. The Windows Security dialog box appears.
2. Click Change Password . The Change Password dialog box appears.
3. In the Log on to box, click the local computer. For example, click Computer
(this computer) .
4. Click Backup . The Forgotten Password Wizard starts.
5. On the "Welcome to the Forgotten Password Wizard" page, click Next .
6. Insert a blank, formatted disk in drive A, and then click Next .
7. In the Current user account password box, type your password, and then click
Next . The Forgotten Password Wizard creates the disk.
8. When the progress bar reaches 100 percent complete, click Next , and then
click Finish . The Forgotten Password Wizard quits and you return to the
Change Password dialog box.
9. Remove, and then label the password reset disk. Store the disk in a safe
place.
10. In the Change Password dialog box, click Cancel .
11. In the Windows Security dialog box, click Cancel.
If you forget your password, you can log on to the computer with a new password
that you create by using the Password Reset Wizard and your password reset disk.
To gain access to your local user account on a computer that is a member of a
domain, or has been disconnected from a domain:
1. In the Welcome to Windows dialog box, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
2. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type an incorrect password in the
Password box, and then click OK .
3. In the Logon Failed dialog box that appears, click Reset . The Password Reset
Wizard starts. The Password Reset Wizard lets you create a new password for
your local user account.
4. On the "Welcome to the Password Reset Wizard" page, click Next .
5. Insert the password reset disk in drive A, and then click Next .
6. On the "Reset the User Account Password" page, type a new password in the
Type a new password box.
7. Type the same password in the Type the password again to confirm box.
8. In the Type a new password hint box, type a hint that will help you remember
the password if you forget it. NOTE : This hint is visible to anyone who
attempts to log on to the computer by using your user account.
9. Click Next , and then click Finish . The Password Reset Wizard quits and you
return to the Log On to Windows dialog box. The password reset disk is
automatically updated with the new password information. You do not have to
create a new password reset disk.
10. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your new password in the
Password box.
11. In the Log on to box, click the local computer. For example, click Computer
(this computer) , and then click OK . You are logged on to the local computer
with your local account information.
To create a password reset disk for your local user account:
1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE. The Windows Security dialog box appears.
2. Click Change Password . The Change Password dialog box appears.
3. In the Log on to box, click the local computer. For example, click Computer
(this computer) .
4. Click Backup . The Forgotten Password Wizard starts.
5. On the "Welcome to the Forgotten Password Wizard" page, click Next .
6. Insert a blank, formatted disk in drive A, and then click Next .
7. In the Current user account password box, type your password, and then click
Next . The Forgotten Password Wizard creates the disk.
8. When the progress bar reaches 100 percent complete, click Next , and then
click Finish . The Forgotten Password Wizard quits and you return to the
Change Password dialog box.
9. Remove, and then label the password reset disk. Store the disk in a safe
place.
10. In the Change Password dialog box, click Cancel .
11. In the Windows Security dialog box, click Cancel.
If you forget your password, you can log on to the computer with a new password
that you create by using the Password Reset Wizard and your password reset disk.
To gain access to your local user account on a computer that is a member of a
domain, or has been disconnected from a domain:
1. In the Welcome to Windows dialog box, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
2. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type an incorrect password in the
Password box, and then click OK .
3. In the Logon Failed dialog box that appears, click Reset . The Password Reset
Wizard starts. The Password Reset Wizard lets you create a new password for
your local user account.
4. On the "Welcome to the Password Reset Wizard" page, click Next .
5. Insert the password reset disk in drive A, and then click Next .
6. On the "Reset the User Account Password" page, type a new password in the
Type a new password box.
7. Type the same password in the Type the password again to confirm box.
8. In the Type a new password hint box, type a hint that will help you remember
the password if you forget it. NOTE : This hint is visible to anyone who
attempts to log on to the computer by using your user account.
9. Click Next , and then click Finish . The Password Reset Wizard quits and you
return to the Log On to Windows dialog box. The password reset disk is
automatically updated with the new password information. You do not have to
create a new password reset disk.
10. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your new password in the
Password box.
11. In the Log on to box, click the local computer. For example, click Computer
(this computer) , and then click OK . You are logged on to the local computer
with your local account information.
Create a Password Reset Disk
Microsoft has enhanced security features in XP including the the ability to create a
floppy diskette to recover your password incase it is forgotten.
• Click Start
Click Control Panel
Click User Accounts
Click on the account which you want to create a password disk
Click Prevent a forgotten password which starts the Forgotten Password
Wizard . This is found under Related Tasks
Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A, and click Next
Enter the password in the Current user account password box
To use the recovery disk, at the Welcome screen
Click the user name whose password is on the recovery disk
Click the question mark button
This causes the Did you forget your password message to appear.
Click use your password reset disk
This will start the Password Reset Wizard.
From this point, just follow the wizard's instructions and you will be able to set a new
password. It is different if you are part of a domain, see next tip.
floppy diskette to recover your password incase it is forgotten.
• Click Start
Click Control Panel
Click User Accounts
Click on the account which you want to create a password disk
Click Prevent a forgotten password which starts the Forgotten Password
Wizard . This is found under Related Tasks
Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A, and click Next
Enter the password in the Current user account password box
To use the recovery disk, at the Welcome screen
Click the user name whose password is on the recovery disk
Click the question mark button
This causes the Did you forget your password message to appear.
Click use your password reset disk
This will start the Password Reset Wizard.
From this point, just follow the wizard's instructions and you will be able to set a new
password. It is different if you are part of a domain, see next tip.
My Computer Won't Shut Down Itself After Installing XP
There are a number of users who have been complaining that their PC will no longer
automatically power down/shut off without pressing the power off button on the
computers unlike in Windows Me/95/2000. There could be a number of reasons for
this - but the main one seems to be that ACPI is not enabled on the computer or in
Windows XP. Here is how to enable it:
1. Click - Start - Control Panel - Performance and Maintenance - Power Options
Tab
2. Then click APM - Enable Advanced Power Management Support
automatically power down/shut off without pressing the power off button on the
computers unlike in Windows Me/95/2000. There could be a number of reasons for
this - but the main one seems to be that ACPI is not enabled on the computer or in
Windows XP. Here is how to enable it:
1. Click - Start - Control Panel - Performance and Maintenance - Power Options
Tab
2. Then click APM - Enable Advanced Power Management Support
Display the Sharing Tab in Folder Properties
In Windows 2000, getting to the Sharing options for a folder was simple: Just right-
click, choose Properties, and you'd see a Sharing tab. In Windows XP, this feature is
missing by default, but you can make the system display the Sharing tab if desired.
Simply open up Folder Options (My Computer, then Tools, Folder Options) and
navigate to the View tab. In the Advanced Settings section, scroll down to the
bottom and uncheck Use simple file sharing (Recommended), a Mickey Mouse
feature if there ever was one. Now share your folders on the LAN as you would in
Windows 2000.
click, choose Properties, and you'd see a Sharing tab. In Windows XP, this feature is
missing by default, but you can make the system display the Sharing tab if desired.
Simply open up Folder Options (My Computer, then Tools, Folder Options) and
navigate to the View tab. In the Advanced Settings section, scroll down to the
bottom and uncheck Use simple file sharing (Recommended), a Mickey Mouse
feature if there ever was one. Now share your folders on the LAN as you would in
Windows 2000.
Automatically defrag drives with a new context menu item
Create a new Registry import file named context_defrag.inf in Notepad (be sure to
save with it with the Save as type set to All Files and not Text Documents) and place
the following text inside:
; context_defrag.INF
; Adds Defrag to the right click context menu in Windows XP
[version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"
[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=AddMe
[AddMe]
HKCR,"Drive\Shell\Defrag\command",,,"DEFRAG.EXE %1"
Then, right-click and choose Install. This will add a context menu to XP that allows
you to automatically defrag drives, using the command line version of the built-in
defragmentation utility. To use it, navigate to a drive in My Computer, right-click,
and choose Defrag. A command line window will appear, and that drive will be
defragged. When it's complete, the window just disappears.
save with it with the Save as type set to All Files and not Text Documents) and place
the following text inside:
; context_defrag.INF
; Adds Defrag to the right click context menu in Windows XP
[version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"
[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=AddMe
[AddMe]
HKCR,"Drive\Shell\Defrag\command",,,"DEFRAG.EXE %1"
Then, right-click and choose Install. This will add a context menu to XP that allows
you to automatically defrag drives, using the command line version of the built-in
defragmentation utility. To use it, navigate to a drive in My Computer, right-click,
and choose Defrag. A command line window will appear, and that drive will be
defragged. When it's complete, the window just disappears.
Speed up the Start Menu
The default speed of the Start Menu is pretty slow, but you can fix that by editing a
Registry Key. Fire up the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay
By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller value, such as 0, to speed it
up.
If this doesn't work for some reason, then you might try the following: Navigate to
Display Properties then Appearance then Advanced and turn off the option titled
Show menu shadow. You will get much better overall performance.
Registry Key. Fire up the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay
By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller value, such as 0, to speed it
up.
If this doesn't work for some reason, then you might try the following: Navigate to
Display Properties then Appearance then Advanced and turn off the option titled
Show menu shadow. You will get much better overall performance.
Display Hibernate Option on the Shut Down dialog
For some reason, Hibernate isn't available from the default Shut Down dialog. But
you can enable it simply enough, by holding down the SHIFT key while the dialog is
visible. Now you see it, now you don't!
you can enable it simply enough, by holding down the SHIFT key while the dialog is
visible. Now you see it, now you don't!
Fast Boot /Fast Resume Design
Customer research shows a frequently requested feature that users want from their
PCs is fast system startup, whether from cold boot or when resuming from standby
or hibernation. The Windows development team at Microsoft has taken bold steps in
making fast startup PCs a reality with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.
The design goals for Windows XP on a typical consumer PC are:
Boot to a useable state in a total of 30 seconds
Resume from Hibernate (S4) in a total of 20 seconds
Resume from Standby (S3) in a total of 5 seconds
Boot and resume times are measured from the time the power switch is pressed to
being able to start a program from a desktop shortcut. Click here to go to
Microsoft's development center and learn how, download boot tools and read white
papers on the subject.
PCs is fast system startup, whether from cold boot or when resuming from standby
or hibernation. The Windows development team at Microsoft has taken bold steps in
making fast startup PCs a reality with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.
The design goals for Windows XP on a typical consumer PC are:
Boot to a useable state in a total of 30 seconds
Resume from Hibernate (S4) in a total of 20 seconds
Resume from Standby (S3) in a total of 5 seconds
Boot and resume times are measured from the time the power switch is pressed to
being able to start a program from a desktop shortcut. Click here to go to
Microsoft's development center and learn how, download boot tools and read white
papers on the subject.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Not A Tweak, But A Double XP Surprise!
Neither Win2K nor WinME has the ability to create a simple, basic, DOS- based boot
floppy (a "startup disk") unless you jump through hoops or do things in nonstandard
ways. Because XP is the fusion of Win2K and Win9x/ME, I assumed it would follow
the same "no boot floppy" tack. But instead, I was surprised to poke around in XP
and see that the format option there does indeed offer a "Create MS-DOS Startup
Disk."
As an experiment, I created a startup disk, and all went smoothly. I was able to use
the disk to boot my PC without any problems. But when it started up, I got the
second surprise. The DOS boot message showed "Microsoft Windows Millennium." To
confirm this, I typed "Ver" to see what version of DOS was running, and the screen
showed: Windows Millennium [Version 4.90.300]
Although it's very strange to see the WinME startup message on an XP-created
floppy, all this means is that Microsoft cribbed a few essential DOS boot files from
WinME, and made it so XP can drop them onto a freshly- formatted floppy for you.
I'm glad they did: It's a very good thing that Microsoft restored the ability to make a
simple boot disk.
floppy (a "startup disk") unless you jump through hoops or do things in nonstandard
ways. Because XP is the fusion of Win2K and Win9x/ME, I assumed it would follow
the same "no boot floppy" tack. But instead, I was surprised to poke around in XP
and see that the format option there does indeed offer a "Create MS-DOS Startup
Disk."
As an experiment, I created a startup disk, and all went smoothly. I was able to use
the disk to boot my PC without any problems. But when it started up, I got the
second surprise. The DOS boot message showed "Microsoft Windows Millennium." To
confirm this, I typed "Ver" to see what version of DOS was running, and the screen
showed: Windows Millennium [Version 4.90.300]
Although it's very strange to see the WinME startup message on an XP-created
floppy, all this means is that Microsoft cribbed a few essential DOS boot files from
WinME, and made it so XP can drop them onto a freshly- formatted floppy for you.
I'm glad they did: It's a very good thing that Microsoft restored the ability to make a
simple boot disk.
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