Show Start Menu Programs in Multiple Columns

I have so many icons in my All Programs menu that they run off the screen.
I have to wait while Windows slowly scrolls the list to the one I want.

You have a few options here: you can either reduce the size of the menu by deleting unwanted items or organizing them into sub folders, or you can display the icons in multiple columns. For this trick, right-click the Start button, go to Properties, click the Start Menu tab, and then click the Customize button. On the Advanced tab, scroll down the "Start menu items" area and uncheck the Scroll Programs checkbox.

Clean Up the Start Menu

There's too much junk in the Start menu. How can I strip out the clutter so I can more easily find the programs I need?

There are three "zones" in the Windows XPstyle Start menu, and following typical Microsoft logic, each one works in a completely different way.

The two items at the top of the left column (above the line) are fixed entries devoted to opening your web browser and email program. To change or hide these entries, right-click the Start button, select Properties, click the Start Menu tab, and click Customize. On the General tab, change the settings in the Show on Start Menu section.

The "zone" immediately below is the somewhat-dynamic list of recently used applications. Back on the General tab, in the Programs section, you can choose how many icons can appear here at once; choose zero to hide the list completely. (You can delete any particular item directly in the Start menu by right-clicking it and selecting "Remove from This List.")

Next, click the Advanced tab to customize some of the entries in the top-right column of the Start menu, such as Control Panel, Favorites, My Computer, My Music, My Network Places, Network Connections, Printers and Faxes, Run, and Search. Click OK when you're done.

Note: If you're running Windows XP Professional, you can use the Group Policy Editor to remove any unwanted items from your Start menu. Go to Start Run, type gpedit.msc , and click OK. Then expand the branches on the left to User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar. Doubleclick any item on the right and click the Disabled radiobutton in the Setting tab; then click Apply, then OK. Here, you can remove the All Programs menu, Network Connections, Favorites, Search, Help, Run, and all of the "My" folders (Pictures, Music, etc.). When you're done, you may have to log out and then log back.

Finally, you can add programs to the top-left zone. One way to do this is to drag any program or shortcut over the Start button and hold it for at least a second. The Start menu will open, and you can then drop the item in the top-left zone. The easier way is to right-click a shortcut or program executable (.exe file) and select "Pin to Start menu." To delete any "pinned" item from this list, right-click the entry and select "Unpin from Start menu."

Backup Files & Folders In XP

Windows XP comes with a backup tool called NTBACKUP (NTBACKUP.MSI from Windows XP CD-ROM). In Windows XP Home Edition, this tool has to be installed manually from the CD-ROM, whereas in Windows XP Professional, this tool is installed by default.

Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file in the following location on the Windows XP Home Edition CD to start a wizard that installs NTBackup: X:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP

X:\ refers to the CD-ROM drive-letter

Note: Usually, OEMs such as Compaq, DELL won't ship the Windows XP CD nor they include the NTBACKUP utility by default. You must download a copy of NTBACKUP.MSI.

Backing up your files using NTBackup Utility:

Click Start, Run and type NTBACKUP

Select Backup tab at the top

In the left pane, scroll to the file/folder which you want to backup and put a checkmark on it.

At the bottom, mention the output filename (the backup output)

Once set, click Start Backup button in the right, and again click Start Backup in resulting dialog


NTBACKUP does not have the ability to write to CDs directly. You will need to save the backup to hard drive, then transfer or burn it to a CD-ROM. Also, while backing up several files, make sure you backup the files in separate sets of each max 650MB (so that it fits on a CD-ROM)

Change the Picture for Your Windows Account

To make your computing experience more fun and eye pleasing, you can customize your Windows XP account by changing the picture located beneath your account’s name on the Start menu and the Welcome Screen.

Windows comes pre-loaded with several dozen images to choose from, but if none of them catch your eye, you can easily use one of your own pictures. Here’s how:

1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.

2. Click the Control Panel.

3. Double-click User Accounts.

4. A window opens. Under the Pick a Task heading, click Change an Account.

5. Click the name of the account you want to change.

6. Click Change My Picture.

7. About two dozen pictures appear in the center of the window. If you see one you like, click it, and then click the Change Picture button. The change occurs immediately.

8. If you prefer to use one of your own pictures, do the following:
a. In the center of the window, click Browse for More Pictures.
b. A new window opens, displaying the contents of the My Pictures folder. If this is where you store your pictures and photos, then find one you like and double-click its name. The change occurs immediately.
c. If you prefer to use a picture located in a different folder, click the Look In drop-down menu located at the top of this window.
d. Browse through the drives and folders on your computer, and then double-click the name of a suitable picture or photo. The change occurs immediately.

Restore the Classic Windows Appearance

Are you bored with the look of Windows XP? Are you tired of staring at the same, dull icons and desktop wallpaper or hearing the same, bland sound effects?

Then give XP a complete overhaul by customizing its audio
and visual features.

Some computer users consider the bright and colorful appearance of Windows XP to be irritating. Instead, they prefer the familiar blue and gray color scheme of older versions of Windows. If you share this perspective, it is easy to restore the classic Windows appearance. Just follow these steps:

1. Right-click the empty space on your desktop.

2. Select Properties.

3. A window opens. Click the Appearance tab.

4. In the middle of this window, under the Windows and Buttons heading, click the drop-down menu and select Windows Classic Style.

5. Click the Apply button.

6. Click the OK button.

Adjust Virtual Memory

When Windows is under a heavy strain, it sometimes needs more system memory (RAM) than your computer currently has. In that case, it seeks help from a digital warehouse called Virtual Memory. No matter how little or how much RAM your computer has, you can adjust the settings of your Virtual Memory to ensure optimal performance. Here’s how:

1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.

2. Select Properties.

3. A window opens. Under the General tab, look for Computer. Beneath it, you should see the name of your CPU as well as your total amount of system RAM. Remember this number.

4. In the same window, click the Advanced tab.

5. Under the Performance heading, click the Settings button.

6. Another window opens. Click the Advanced tab.

7. Under the Virtual Memory heading, click the Change button.

8. A new window opens. Click the Custom Size button.

9. In the Initial Size (MB) and Maximum Size (MB)boxes, type a number based on the following formula:
• If your computer has 128 MB of RAM, use 256 as the Initial Size and 512 as the Maximum Size.
• If your computer has 256 MB of RAM, use 384 as the Initial Size and 768 as the Maximum Size.
• If your computer has 512 MB of RAM, use 768 as the Initial Size and 1536 as the Maximum Size.

10.When you are finished adjusting the virtual memory, make your changes take hold by clicking the Set button.

11.Click the OK button.

12.You are returned to the previous window. Click the OK button.

Disable the Indexing Service

Windows XP has a feature known as Indexing that is supposed to help the Search Companion find your files faster. Although there is some truth to this, it is also true that turning off Indexing can give a slight performance boost to an old or slow computer. To turn off Indexing:

1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.

2. A window opens. Right-click your C: drive.

3. Select Properties.

4. A window opens. At the bottom of the General tab, remove the checkmark from the Allow Indexing Service to Index This Disk for Fast File Searching box.

5. Click the Apply button.

6. Click the OK button.

7. Repeat this process for your other hard drives.