3. Stop Automatic Grouping of Taskbar Programs

If you're not fond of the way that Windows XP groups similar icons together into a single entry on the taskbar (a group of Internet Explorer Windows for example), you can restore the default taskbar behaviour of previous versions of Windows quite easily.

I find that the default setting annoys me to no end, so this is one of the first tips in the guide that I employed personally. Right click on an empty area of the taskbar or start button and click 'properties.' Choose the 'taskbar' tab and uncheck the 'group similar taskbar buttons' option. There, all done!

4. Close Multiple Desktop Windows Fast

If you've opened several related windows, there's an easy way to close all of them fast.
Simply hold down the SHIFT key as you click on the X button to close the most recent of the windows. This will close all the windows related to the one you clicked on. This is great for getting rid of all those job search pages when the boss walks by your desk. ;-)

5. Add Some Useful Commands to the Right-Click Menu

When navigating and handling files in Windows Explorer, the right click 'context' menu is extremely useful. However it is lacking some options which would make it even more invaluable and save you a fair bit of time. This registry edit will enable you to add the 'move to folder' and 'copy to folder' commands to your right click menu.

Those two useful shortcuts will reduce the time it takes to move files around within the WinXP GUI.

To do this open Regedit and navigate to:
'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers'

Create two new keys, 'Copy To' and 'Move To'
Set the value of 'Copy To' to '{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}'
Set the value of 'Move To' to '{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}'
Close Regedit, you now have the 'copy to folder' and 'move to folder' options in your right-click menu.

6. Add More Destinations to the Right-Cick Menu's 'Send To' Command

The 'send to' command on the context menu is a great way to move files around quickly, but by default it doesn't contain very many useful destinations. Fortunately there's an easy way to add more shortcuts, making 'send to' a quick and powerful way to move files where you want them most in Windows

To add 'send to' destinations go to 'c:\documents and settings\(your user name)\sendto' .

Note that this is a hidden folder by default, and you will have to have enabled the 'show hidden files and folders' option in the 'tools\folder options\view' menu of explorer before you can see it.

This folder contains the shortcuts that the 'sendto' command uses for its list of destinations. Simply create a shortcut for the directory or program you want to use and drag-and-drop it into the 'sendto' folder to add that destination.