Windows XP 100 tips tricks (15)

Getting an Older Program to Run on Windows XP
If an older application gives you trouble when running Windows XP, you can set the compatibility properties manually so that the program runs in a different mode, such as Windows 95, or in a different display or resolution setting.
· Right-click the executable or the program shortcut to the executable, and then click Properties.
· Select the Run this program in compatibility mode check box.
· From the list, select an operating system that the program runs in comfortably.
· If necessary, also change the display settings and/or resolution, or disable the
Windows XP visual themes.
Run the program again when you're finished changing the settings. Adjust the compatibility settings again if the program is still not running smoothly: a program that's unhappy on Windows 2000 may flourish on Windows 98.

Fix Movie Interference in AVI Files
If you have any AVI files that you saved in Windows 9x, which have interference when opened in Windows XP, there is an easy fix to get rid of the interference:
· Open Windows Movie Maker.
· Click View and then click Options.
· Click in the box to remove the check mark beside Automatically create clips.
· Now, import the movie file that has interference and drag it onto the timeline.
Then save the movie, and during the rerendering, the interference will be removed.

One-Click Shutdown
If you have Clean Sweep Deluxe, you should disable it before proceeding. Follow these directions to create a one-click shutdown shortcut:
· Navigate to your Desktop.
· On the Desktop, right-click and go to New, then to Shortcut (in other words, create a new shortcut).
· You should now see a pop-up window instructing you to enter a command line path.
Enter one of these as the path: SHUTDOWN -s -t 01
· If the C: drive is not your local hard drive, then replace "C" with the correct letter of the hard drive.
· Click the "Next" button.
· Name the shortcut and click the "Finish" button.
Now whenever you want to shut down, just click on this shortcut and you're done. Also, if you want to make life better and faster, you can right-click the new shortcut you just made, go to Properties, and type in X (or whatever letter) in the Shortcut Key box.

Move the Paging File in Windows XP
This article describes how to change the location of the paging file in Windows XP. The paging file is the area on the hard disk that Windows uses as if it were random access memory (RAM) This is sometimes known as "virtual memory." By default, Windows stores this file on the same partition as the Windows system files. You can increase the performance of Windows, and increase free space on the boot partition, by moving this file to a different partition.
· Log on to the computer as Administrator.
· Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
· Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
· Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance, click Settings.
· Click the Advanced tab, and then under Virtual memory, click Change.
· In the Drive [Volume Label] list, click a drive other than the one on which Windows is installed (Windows is usually installed on the drive C). Under Total paging file size for all drives, note the value that is displayed next to Recommended.
· Click Custom size, and then type the recommended value in the Initial size (MB) box.
Type the maximum size that you want to allow for paging in the Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.
· In the Drive [Volume Label] box, click the drive on which Windows is installed (usually the drive C), and then use one of the following steps:
· If you do not want a paging file on the drive, click No paging file, and then click Set. A message similar to the following message appears:
If the pagefile on volume C: has an initial size of less than 126 megabytes, then the system may not be able to create a debugging information file if a STOP error occurs.
Continue anyway?
· Click Yes.
· If you want to keep the minimum size of the paging file on the drive, click Custom size, and then type a value that is equal to or greater than the amount of RAM in the computer in the Initial size (MB) box. Type that same value in the Maximum size (MB)box, and then click Set.
The following message appears:
The changes you have made require you to restart your computer before they can take effect.
· Click OK, click OK, click OK.
· Then click Yes when you are prompted to restart the computer.

Disable Error Reporting
You can get rid of the Windows XP error report messages if you don't want to send another one in.
· Click Start, and then click Run.
· Type msconfig to open the System Configuration Utility.
· Click the Services tab.
· Clear the Error Reporting Service check box, and then click OK.
· Hit Restart to reboot your system.
Your computer will now start without loading the error reporting service.

source:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/191328/Windows-Xp-100-Tips-Tricks