Configure Windows XP - Geek Style
Any true geek can't stand the peewee's playhouse look that WinXP sports. Win2k's interface was down right industrial compared to XP's plush bullshit. This is how I setup any WinXP box that I can get my hands on - and make it look a lot like Win2k did (I'm not against change, really!). Remember: I'm assuming that you're a "power user" here. If you're not comfortable with the registry, then please read up on it first:
Taskbar & Start menu settings
Right-click on any empty part of your task bar and choose Properties.
Under the Taskbar Tab, choose the following:
Appearance
Right-click anywhere on your desktop (not over an icon, you jackass), and choose Properties.
Under the Themes tab, change the Theme to Windows Classic.
Performance
Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties
Under the Advanced tab and the Performance heading, click on Settings. Choose Adjust for best performance.
Windows Explorer Settings
Double-click on My Computer.
Go to the View menu and select Details.
Go to the Tools menu and select Folder Options.
Under the General tab, use the following settings:
Search
I want to shoot that goddamn dog.
To restore the win2k classic search, you'll have to download and install TweakUI for XP. Launch the app (Start > Programs > Powertoys for XP > TweakUI).
Click on Explorer in the left column then scroll all the way down to the bottom on the right column. Check the second to the last box, Use Classic Search in Explorer. This one will require a reboot.
Uninstall MSN Messenger
Any real man uses Trillian anyway.
Start > Run > (copy and paste the following line)
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
Disable Windows Messenger
First of all, there's no excuse for any home computer user to be without a firewall (either software or hardware) - but if for some reason you do, make sure you have the Windows Messenger service disabled. Spammers love to send you "system" pop-ups (different than browser pop-ups).
Start > Settings Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. Double-click on Messenger, click on Stop, then change Startup Type to Disabled.
Disable file & print sharing for external NICs
Once again, if for some unknown reason you're not running any type of Firewall (may I recommend a Linksys broadband router?), you need to disable file & print sharing for your network card. If you DO have a home firewall and are on your own private network, you should leave this on in order to share files with your other computers.
Right click on My Network Places (on your desktop) and choose Properties. Under Lan or High Speed Internet, find the network card that your intarweb is connected to. Right-click on it and choose Properties. Uncheck the File and Printer sharing for Microsoft Networks box.
Enable classic file sharing security model
You should only do this if you DO have a home firewall/router as it is a security risk otherwise. This will allow you to connect to your machine's drives remotely with ease.
Start > Settings Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy. In the left column, Local Policies > Security Options. In the right column, find Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts. Double-click on this, then choose Classic.
From another computer, you can now access your current computer's hard drive by: Start > Run > "\\computername\c$" (for drive c). You may then be prompted for a login and password: enter the administrator login and password on the computer you are trying to connect to (If "computername" doesn't work, try using the IP address, i.e. "\\192.168.0.4\c$").
My work laptop (which comes home with me) is a member of a domain. I can still connect to my home file server using the above method. When at work, I obviously can't connect to my home server (which is inside my firewall), so I have a batch file setup that will map drives to my home file server. I run this batch file whenever I boot up my laptop on my home network. It looks like this:
Traybar/startup crap
Many applications like to put a little icon in the tray bar, next to your clock. When an application does this, it often speeds up the launch of itself, but it can use valuable system resources slowing down the rest of your system. For some applications, you can simply remove them from startup (either in the startup group or registry). Other applications require you to edit the preferences within the application (or they will re-add themselves to the startup!).
Some applications that I use that like to add themselves the traybar are: Quicktime, Real Player, Mozilla, Winzip, Winamp (Winamp agent), and Quicktime. There are many others.
To remove an application from the startup group, click on Start > Programs > Startup. Right-click on anything you want to remove and select delete.
To remove an application from starting up in the registry, Start > Run > "regedit" > OK. From there, navigate your way through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run and delete the entries for applications you wish not to start up.
Network Security
This isn't necessarily WindowsXP related, but it deserves your attention: Many people now want wireless access in their house. Many people also plug in their broadband wireless rotuer and leave it alone. By default, your wireless router or access point as no security. Many people (like myself!) who believe in the free information age don't mind if our neighbors share our internet connection once in awhile. There's one thing you should be aware of, however: On your broadband wireless router, the wireless connection is inside your firewall. That means that not only can your neighbors share your internet connection, they can access your computers. Even if they are password protected, there are "brute force" utilities out there to break into your system.
Therefore, I'd like to suggest one of the following:
Taskbar & Start menu settings
Right-click on any empty part of your task bar and choose Properties.
Under the Taskbar Tab, choose the following:
- Lock the taskbar: OFF. Locking the taskbar keeps you from sliding toolbars around. I like doing this. Call it a nervous habit...
- Auto-hide the taskbar: ON. You don't want your coworkers to see everything you have open, do you? This will keep your taskbar hidden until you put your mouse at the bottom of the desktop.
- Keep taskbar on top of other windows: ON. Self-explanitory. Your preference.
- Group Similar Taskbar Buttons: OFF. If you have three copies of internet explorer open, this function will keep them all under the same "button" - you click the button and it gives you a list of the IE windows you have open. This may save valuable taskbar space, but it requires another click. I like to be as efficient as possible.
- Show Quick Launch: ON. I personally use the quick launch button for four things: [Show Desktop], Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Winamp
- Show the clock: ON.
- Hide Inactive Icons: OFF. If an icon is on my traybar, it's there for a reason. I want to see it.
- Classic Start Menu. Forget that cartoony taskbar bullshit.
Appearance
Right-click anywhere on your desktop (not over an icon, you jackass), and choose Properties.
Under the Themes tab, change the Theme to Windows Classic.
Performance
Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties
Under the Advanced tab and the Performance heading, click on Settings. Choose Adjust for best performance.
Windows Explorer Settings
Double-click on My Computer.
Go to the View menu and select Details.
Go to the Tools menu and select Folder Options.
Under the General tab, use the following settings:
- Use Windows Classic Folders
- Open each folder in its own window
- Double-click on open an item (single-click to select)
- Automatically search for network folders and printers OFF
- Display the full path in the address bar ON (Useful for cutting & pasting paths)
- Display the full path in the title bar OFF (Useless since it'll be in the address bar)
- Hidden files and folders: Show hidden files and folders.
- Hide extensions for known file types OFF (This is the default setting that caused stup^H^H..err..uninformed users to execute viruses with filenames such as InternetHoochie.jpg.vbs)
- Hide protected operating system files OFF (Remember, I'm assuming that you know what you're doing here)
- Remember each folder's view settings OFF
Search
I want to shoot that goddamn dog.
To restore the win2k classic search, you'll have to download and install TweakUI for XP. Launch the app (Start > Programs > Powertoys for XP > TweakUI).
Click on Explorer in the left column then scroll all the way down to the bottom on the right column. Check the second to the last box, Use Classic Search in Explorer. This one will require a reboot.
Uninstall MSN Messenger
Any real man uses Trillian anyway.
Start > Run > (copy and paste the following line)
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
Disable Windows Messenger
First of all, there's no excuse for any home computer user to be without a firewall (either software or hardware) - but if for some reason you do, make sure you have the Windows Messenger service disabled. Spammers love to send you "system" pop-ups (different than browser pop-ups).
Start > Settings Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. Double-click on Messenger, click on Stop, then change Startup Type to Disabled.
Disable file & print sharing for external NICs
Once again, if for some unknown reason you're not running any type of Firewall (may I recommend a Linksys broadband router?), you need to disable file & print sharing for your network card. If you DO have a home firewall and are on your own private network, you should leave this on in order to share files with your other computers.
Right click on My Network Places (on your desktop) and choose Properties. Under Lan or High Speed Internet, find the network card that your intarweb is connected to. Right-click on it and choose Properties. Uncheck the File and Printer sharing for Microsoft Networks box.
Enable classic file sharing security model
You should only do this if you DO have a home firewall/router as it is a security risk otherwise. This will allow you to connect to your machine's drives remotely with ease.
Start > Settings Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy. In the left column, Local Policies > Security Options. In the right column, find Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts. Double-click on this, then choose Classic.
From another computer, you can now access your current computer's hard drive by: Start > Run > "\\computername\c$" (for drive c). You may then be prompted for a login and password: enter the administrator login and password on the computer you are trying to connect to (If "computername" doesn't work, try using the IP address, i.e. "\\192.168.0.4\c$").
My work laptop (which comes home with me) is a member of a domain. I can still connect to my home file server using the above method. When at work, I obviously can't connect to my home server (which is inside my firewall), so I have a batch file setup that will map drives to my home file server. I run this batch file whenever I boot up my laptop on my home network. It looks like this:
net use M: \\freethinker\c$ /user:administrator my_admin_password /persistent:no
net use N: \\freethinker\d$ /user:administrator my_admin_password /persistent:no
net use O: \\freethinker\e$ /user:administrator my_admin_password /persistent:no
Traybar/startup crap
Many applications like to put a little icon in the tray bar, next to your clock. When an application does this, it often speeds up the launch of itself, but it can use valuable system resources slowing down the rest of your system. For some applications, you can simply remove them from startup (either in the startup group or registry). Other applications require you to edit the preferences within the application (or they will re-add themselves to the startup!).
Some applications that I use that like to add themselves the traybar are: Quicktime, Real Player, Mozilla, Winzip, Winamp (Winamp agent), and Quicktime. There are many others.
To remove an application from the startup group, click on Start > Programs > Startup. Right-click on anything you want to remove and select delete.
To remove an application from starting up in the registry, Start > Run > "regedit" > OK. From there, navigate your way through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run and delete the entries for applications you wish not to start up.
Network Security
This isn't necessarily WindowsXP related, but it deserves your attention: Many people now want wireless access in their house. Many people also plug in their broadband wireless rotuer and leave it alone. By default, your wireless router or access point as no security. Many people (like myself!) who believe in the free information age don't mind if our neighbors share our internet connection once in awhile. There's one thing you should be aware of, however: On your broadband wireless router, the wireless connection is inside your firewall. That means that not only can your neighbors share your internet connection, they can access your computers. Even if they are password protected, there are "brute force" utilities out there to break into your system.
Therefore, I'd like to suggest one of the following:
- If you want to share your internet access with others, put your wireless access point outside your firewall. If you have an integrated broadband router/firewall, you can simulate this by blocking access to all other private IP addresses from the wireless. Of course, this will prevent you from sharing files with other PCs inside your network.
- If you do not want to share your internet access with others, make your wireless access point as secure as possible:
- Enable 128-bit WEP (wireless encryption key). I recommend using a random 26 character HEX string as it is up to 6 times harder to crack than a ASCII string.
- Enable MAC address filtering. This will only allow specified MAC addresses to connect to your wireless. MAC addresses can be spoofed and WEP can be cracked, but enabling both of these will usually make it more trouble than it's worth to gain access to your files.
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