40. Using the Windows XP
repair installation process
Is your
XP system is refusing to boot, giving you constant blue screens or other
unpleasantness? before you decide to head off to your local computer shop or reinstall Windows yourself, give this tip a try. It may
not work, but then again, it might fix everything, as it has for me on a couple
of occasions when my operating system became corrupted because of some....
(ahem) software. You will need a valid Windows XP
CD for this tip:
Boot the
system from your XP CD. Choose the 'press enter to set up Windows XP now'
option.
Press F8
to skip through the EULA (though if you haven't read it before, you should now.
See PCstats' legal article for details as to why).
Now press R to begin a
repair installation.
Your
system will go through the entire XP install process, but will not attempt to
replace any of your existing data. It will simply reinstall the vital system
files, fixing any that are corrupted or missing. If this is the problem that is
causing your system not to boot, chances are things will be back to normal.
41. Add, Clear or remove the
'my recent documents' menu
In
Windows XP Professional, the Start menu contains a 'My Recent Documents' folder
that holds 15 of your most recently accessed documents. If, for privacy reasons,
you would like to remove this feature, or at least clear it, read on:
Right-click the start button, select 'properties' then
'customize.' Select the 'advanced' tab. At the bottom, in the 'recent documents'
section, you have the options to clear the list, or remove it completely.
If you
are using Windows XP Home and you would like to have the 'my recent documents'
folder available to you: Right-click the start button, select 'properties' then
'customize.' Select the 'advanced' tab. Now place a checkmark in the 'list my
most recently opened documents' check box.
42. Creating a desktop
shortcut for locking your computer
If you
use your computer in an area where others may have access to it, and there are
things on your system you would rather have kept confidential, locking your
desktop when you leave the computer is an essential task. Here's a recipe for a
desktop shortcut that will lock your computer in two easy clicks:
Right
click on an empty area of the desktop and choose 'new' then 'shortcut.' The
create shortcut wizard will open; in the first text box, type
'%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' and then give your
shortcut an appropriate name on the next page, and hit 'finish.'
You will
notice that the shortcut you created has a blank icon. To select a more
appropriate one, right click on the shortcut and hit 'properties.' In the
'shortcut' tab, click the 'change icon' button.
In the
'look for icons in this file' box, type '%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll' then
click 'ok' to see a range of icons for your new shortcut. Choose an appropriate icon.
Your desktop locking
shortcut is now ready for use. Test it out.
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