Yeah... you thought you knew 'em all... you thought you'd sucked the sensai of this dojo dry for XP tweakin' tips...

WRONG! Time for fifth Edition of XP tweaking... remember the Pimprig Logo "Smack yo' rig up"!


KILLING OFF THOSE ANNOYING MESSENGES!

Yep... Windows XP just LOVES to bug you with crap... Windows Messenger, error reporting, pop-up balloons... After so much "Help" it makes you wanna scream "LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE ALREADY!"

SO! let's get these suckas gone!

POP UP BALLOONS:

Go to Start, Run, "regedit".

Open into: Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Add (right click, and hit "Add") a "DWORD" string called "EnableBalloonTips". Right click, "Modify" and make sure the string is labeled "0". If you wanna turn it back on, change this value to "1".

ERROR REPORTING:

Right click on "My Computer" and hit "Properties" (or go to the Control Panel, and hit the System icon). Go to the "Advanced" tab and look at the bottom two buttons... hit the "Error Reporting" button. Click on "Disable Error Reporting". I usually leave the box checked for reporting major problems.

Microsoft Messenger:

Okay... Messenger is evil incarnate for getting that damn thing to shut off and STAY OFF. I'll run it when I want to thank you, which AIN'T every single damn time I turn on my rig!

Go to Start, Run, "msconfig".

Go to the "Startup" tab and look for "msmsgs". Uncheck the box.

Now then... the next time you restart... WTF! It's BACK!

What happened? Messenger has been tied to so many programs it's not even remotely funny.

HOW TO KILL MSM OUT OF YOUR E-MAIL:

OUTLOOK:

Go into Outlook, go to the "Tools" menu, go to "Options". Hit the "Other" tab. Look at the bottom and uncheck "enable Instant Messenging in Outlook".

OUTLOOK EXPRESS:

Go to Tools menu, "Options" and on the General page, it's the third check-box down that says "Automatically log on to Windows Messenger". Uncheck the box.

NORTON ANTIVIRUS 2003

Et tu Norton? Open into Norton, go to the Options menu, go to "Instant Messenging" on the side bar there...

Uncheck ALL of them (MS Messenger, AOL and Yahoo) unless you're really heavy into sending files in chat with people who don't use antivirus programs... I usually just scan stuff when people send it to me. It's less annoying to do it that way than to have MSM trying to pop up all the time!

JUST FUN CRAP TO DO IN WINDOWS XP:

XP DOS FUN

Go to the command prompt (DOS mode)

Start, all program, accessories, command prompt

Type in "Help Color" or just type in "Color F1" for fun...


MAKE YOUR COMPUTER LOOK LIKE WINDOWS 98!

This is actually pretty easy to do... people who hate Windows XP lay-out loved it when I pulled this trick... if you miss the ol' look and feel of Windows 98, just follow along!

Right click on my computer, properties, advanced, performance. hit the "Adjust for Best Performance" radio button. Apply.

Go into the control panel, click "Use Classic Mode" on the left side of the screen (I use classic mode myself because I hated XPs CP layout).

Right click on your task bar at the bottom. Check the box "Show Quick Launch Icons", uncheck "Hide Inactive Icons" and then go to the "start menu" tab. Select "Classic Mode".

Look familiar?

GET INTO SYSTEM PROPERTIES QUICK!

Push the Windows Key and the "Pause" (or break) key. I found this one while diggin' around... wish someone woulda told me about this one awhile ago!!!

Anyway... I'll probably have more later!

Dark samurai your windows tweaks have been cool as all hell. I have done damn near everything you suggested and my rig runs windows XP faster than a mofo now. Much thanks for the tweaks, and a big salute to your skill.

Thanks Spartan... tweakin' the crap out of Windows XP is almost becoming an obsession these days!

Good to know the work that goes into these has been worth it!