Windows Tweaks

How to increase broadband connection speed in Windows XP/2003?

2007-01-19T10:06:00.000+05:30

To speed up the Internet connection speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the NIC or the USB modem.

This tip is only recommended if you have 256MB RAM or higher.

Step #1 - Identify the IRQ used by the NIC/USB modem

Follow these steps:

Open the System Information tool by running MSINFO32.EXE from the Run command.
Expand System Summary > Hardware Resources > IRQs.
Look for the listing made for your NIC (in my case - a Intel(R) PRO/100+ Management Adapter). Note the IRQ next to the specified line (in my case - IRQ21).

In case of USB modems you will first need to find the right USB device used by your modem. Follow these steps:

Open the Device Manager tool by running DEVMGMT.MSC from the Run command (or by right-clicking My Computer > Hardware tab > Device Manager button).
Scroll down to Universal Serial Bus controllers and expand it.
Right-click the USB Root Hub and select Properties. Note that you might need to do so for all listed USB Root hubs (if there are more than one) in order to find the right one.

In the Power tab, look for your USB ADSL modem.
In the Resources tab look for the assigned IRQ (in this case - IRQ21).

This is the IRQ we're looking for.

Lamer note: IRQs and modem names might vary...

Step #2 - Modify the system.ini file

Follow these steps:

Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.
Expand the system.ini file window.
Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].
Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type

IrqX=4096

where X is the designated IRQ number we found in step #1, in my case it's IRQ21.

Note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE!!!

Click on the File menu, then choose Save.
Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.

Done. Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots.

How to increase the hard disk speed in Windows XP/2003?

2007-01-19T10:02:00.000+05:30

To speed up your hard disk speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the disk.

This tip is only recommended if you have 256MB RAM or higher.

Follow these steps:

Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.
Expand the system.ini file window.
Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].
Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type

Irq14=4096

Note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE!!!

Click on the File menu, then choose Save.
Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.

Done. Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots.

What is Windows Registry?

2007-01-18T16:43:00.000+05:30

The 32 bit version of Microsoft Windows uses a database to maintain and store the settings and options for the operating system. This database is known as Windows Registry.

The 32 bit versions of Windows includes Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and the latest version Vista.

Registry basically holds settings for Hardware, Software, Users and Peferences.

In order to edit this Registry you need to use a special tool known as Registry Editor.

To invoke the Registry Editor follow the following steps:

Click on Start
Go to Run and Click on in.
Now type regedit and press [Enter]

To Create a Nameless File or Folder

2007-01-17T12:56:00.000+05:30

Normally you have to have a name for an icon, just spaces are not allowed.
To create an icon with no name attached to it follow the steps given below:

Make sure NumLock is on
Highlight the Icon you want to change
Right-Mouse click and select Rename
While holding down the Alt key, type 0160 from the Numeric Keypad
Now the icon will have no name below it.

To Remove the Recycle Bin from the Desktop

2007-01-17T12:54:00.000+05:30

To remove Recycle Bin from the desktop:

Run REGEDIT.
Find NAMESPACE key in left pane (HKEY_Local_Macine \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Explorer \ Desktop \ Namespace)
Expand NAMESPACE (click '+' box)
Delete the value RECYCLE BIN in right pane

Taking Screen Shots of the Desktop

2007-01-17T12:48:00.000+05:30

If you need to get a screen shot, and you do not have a screen capture program, try this:

Hit the Print Screen key. This copies a bitmap of the full screen into the Windows clipboard. Start up a graphics editor and paste it in.
Alt + Print Screen will capture only the active window.