The Zen PC

Xoftspy For Those PC Nasties

2005-07-07T19:14:00.000-05:00

I know that there are quite a few spyware and adware programs out there, but one in particular has recently caught my attention. It's called Xoftspy, and it is wonderful. Xoftspy has helped me get rid of some rather atrocious spyware and trojans that other spyware programs couldn't deal with. It is completely free software. I urge you to try it out!

Features Include:

* Complete PC scanning, inc. memory & registry
* Removes ALL Spyware Parasites,
* Removes unwanted Toolbars and Browser Hijacks
* Largest database in the industry
* New Spyware added Monthly + free updates
* Prevents identity and credit card theft
* Increases your computer's speed
* User-friendly interface

Go Full Screen

2005-07-07T00:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a cool trick for Windows XP users:

When you need a really big window, don't just maximize it. Go full screen! To view a window full screen, hold down the Ctrl key and double-click the window's title bar, or when the window is active, press the F11 key at the top of your keyboard to get the biggest window possible. This does not work with the Mozilla window.

Recover Deleted Files In XP

2005-06-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

It's bound to happen sooner or later, the accidental deletion of an important file from your Windows XP computer. Fret not, for there is a way to recover your file using the 3rd party software client File Saver. At last, all is not lost!

Back In Business

2005-06-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

The Zen PC is back in business finally. For personal reasons, I have had to put off posting for the last few months, but I am back with a fresh new perspective on things and ready to resume posting.

Adobe Buys Macromedia

2005-04-19T02:40:00.000-05:00

Adobe has acquired Macromedia as of yesterday for 3.4 billion dollars. What now? Well, Rumor has it that the deal has left Microsoft quite nervous, as the upcoming "Windows Longhorn" OS is believed not to support the use of Adobe reader, but will have the new Microsoft version of the popular reader. A costly alternative no doubt, if I know Microsoft . . .

Happy Birthday Gmail!

2005-04-01T02:57:00.001-05:00

Today marks the one year anniversary of Google's email client Gmail. On the eve of their big day, Google has decided to extend Gmail's storage space to a whopping 2GB! As I logged in to my Gmail account I discovered that the amount of storage space had gone from 1000MB to 1125MB. Not quite 2 gigs yet, but it's counting up to it. I'm not so sure that I'll use all that space, but it's still pretty cool.

A Short History of the IBM PC

2005-02-14T05:32:00.000-05:00

Here is an interesting article detailing some of the history behind the IBM PC and its rise to greatness. Of course, you can't have an article about IBM without making reference to the goddess of GUI . . . The famous "Apple Lisa".

Happy Valentines Day!

Where Have I Been?

2005-02-10T02:18:00.000-05:00

Yes . . . I know, I haven't been posting as often as I should lately. I just wanted to let all of those who are faithful readers of The Zen PC blog know that I am going to resume my normal daily posting as soon as life slows down a bit. There should be plenty of great tips on the way, as I plan on rebuilding my current PC over the next few weeks. Be sure to check back soon!

Warmest Regards,

M Cat

Windows Longhorn

2005-02-02T03:51:00.000-05:00

There's a new OS coming, and its codename is "Windows Longhorn". Due to its ambitious nature, Longhorn has had its release pushed out to sometime in late 2006. This is believed to be the reason for the release of Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, which is rumored to include a few of Longhorns features, particularly relating to security.

Some of the key features of Longhorn include:

* Improved security -- through it's NGSCB initiative

* WinFS, a new file system based around relational database technology (NTFS will still be available)

* New user interface technologies based on DirectX rather than the aging GDI interface. Every window in the release version will be a 32-bit, z-buffered, 3D surface.

* A new presentation and UI design subsystem, codenamed "Avalon," based around XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language).

* A new communications architecture, codenamed "Indigo," that's an enhanced and integrated version of Microsoft's .NET framework.

The full user interface is still under development. Stay tuned for more updates on the development of Windows Longhorn.

Goodnight Johnny . . .

2005-01-23T20:13:00.000-05:00

As many of you have already heard, Johnny Carson passed away early this morning at the age of 79. I know this is not tech related, but I have very fond memories of watching The Tonight Show with my parents as a child, and I wanted to say a few words about this great american icon. I just wanted to say that "Johnny, you meant so much to so many people, especially me. Thanks for every minute of laughter. You will be missed greatly".

Johnny Carson 1925 - 2005
"Rest well my friend"

8 Gmail Invites

2005-01-22T02:08:00.000-05:00

I have 8 Gmail invites . . . If you want one, just leave your comment to this post with your email address, and I will send the invite your way!

Birthday Time Again!

2005-01-20T02:06:00.000-05:00

Well Zen PC fans, there remain only 11 more shopping days until yours truly turns yet another year older. Is it me or did the past year just go by in a total blur? Oh well, not sure what I'll be doing on the big day, but I know it will involve at least a couple of cocktails! ;)

Cheers,

M Cat

Set priority for individual applications

2005-01-14T14:30:00.001-05:00

When multitasking in XP, open applications often default to "normal" priority. However there is a way to increase the performance of the most demanding applications.

To do this: Load the program you wish to change the priority for and press CTRL+ALT+DEL to bring up the Task Manager. Select the applications tab and highlight your program. Right click the program and select 'go to process. Now right click on the highlighted process and choose "set priority".

The higher you set the priority above normal, the more CPU time the program will steal from other applications when you are multitasking.

Hacking Windows XP

2005-01-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

Wanna hack XP? Try X-Setup Pro. This awesome application allows you to control nearly 1,700 hidden functions with a few simple clicks (e.g. Windows, Internet Explorer, Instant Messaging, Office, Explorer appearance, Server options, Network settings, Security, etc.). Give it a go, I think you'll like it.

Software For PC Health

2005-01-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

I thought I would post a few of my top software choices for your PC's health for you to check out. I use these applications myself, and have been very pleased with the results.

Executive Software Diskeeper - Much more thorough than the Windows defrag application. Includes the option to schedule your computers defrag times.

System Mechanic - A totally integrated suite of powerful PC tools to keep your system running smooth, fast, and error-free. This is one of my favorite applications.

Spybot Search and Destroy - Application to scan for spyware, adware, hijackers and other malicious software.

Spyware Blaster - Download the latest version of Spyware Blaster to keep spyware from installing in the first place!

Gmail Invites

2005-01-05T15:21:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more Gmail invites for the taking. Enjoy!

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-1d116d8512-287d9cd091-8c4f386ed9

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-1d116d8512-261d3e2636-a36d7cfcb2

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-1d116d8512-58dae8288d-6683c39f1c

Windows XP Boot Disks

2005-01-05T09:59:00.000-05:00

Windows XP boot disks are always a handy item to have in your PC arsenal. Fortunately the powers that be have made it easy for you to have. Download the complete set of boot disks and you're ready to create the six MS boot disks for Windows XP.

The Windows Key

2005-01-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

For those of you looking to take a break from your trusty mouse, here are some great shortcuts involving the Windows key that you may find useful from time to time.

Windows key = Displays taskbar and Start menu

Windows key + E = Starts Windows Explorer

Windows key + F = Finds files or folders

Ctrl + Windows key + F = Finds a computer

Windows key + M = Minimizes all windows

Shift + Windows key + M = Restores all minimized Windows

Windows key + R = Displays the Run dialog box

Windows key + Tab = Cycles through the taskbar buttons

Windows key + Break = Displays System Properties

Alt + Tab = Toggle (switch) between open windows.

More Gmail Accounts

2005-01-02T22:29:00.000-05:00

I can't seem to give these things away fast enough, so I will be posting links to gmail accounts until all of them are taken. I think I have 25 now. Anyway, here are a few more for anyone who needs one.

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-ee284bcd40-b1522696ed-873079a40e

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-ee284bcd40-52dd00ff6d-08244c6d86

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-ee284bcd40-36b5d72a12-85002e4dd4

http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-ee284bcd40-4c15acfd81-1f658807ad

Enjoy!

Gmail Invites

2004-12-29T17:49:00.000-05:00

I have 12 gmail invites for anyone interested. If you you would like one, please leave your comment to this post and the account will be emailed to you immediately. Thanks!

Happy Holidays!

2004-12-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

Well, the holidays have arrived, and I am heading out tonight to visit family for the next week. My grandparents just bought themselves a new Dell system for Christmas. I hear my grandfather is having a blast with the pinball game in XP! It will be fun teaching him all about the joy that is technology! :) I will resume posting as soon as I return from vacation. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Holiday! See you soon . . .

Happy Holidays,

M Cat

Clusty Beta

2004-12-20T05:38:00.000-05:00

Looks like competition is coming to the realm of search engines. Clusty is still in Beta, but may soon give Google a run for it's money. I was very suprised at how much I enjoyed searching with Clusty. Try it out, even if you are a diehard Google fan. I think you'll find it to be a very unique search engine that produces great results. It also features a Firefox toolbar, which I have not yet tested.

(Link courtesy of Kevin Rose)

Instant Message Under The Radar

2004-12-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

As much as I dislike AOL in general, I am a big fan of AIM (AOL's instant message client). However, I do feel that AIM has always lacked that extra bit of security that is much needed in the world of instant messaging. That, my friends, is why I am so excited about AIM Encrypt. Using SSL certificates, A.E. keeps all of your conversations private, and as always, the best part is that it's free.

Speed Up Nero In XP

2004-12-17T10:32:00.000-05:00

Go to "administrative tools" in the control panel, and in the "services" list, disable the IMAPI CD-Burning COM service.
(Note: manual setting is not enough it must be disabled) It is the built-in CD-burning capability for windows XP (incidentally, written by Roxio).

Once it is disabled, Nero will start up much quicker.

This tip works in Windows XP PRO only

Right Click Defrag

2004-12-15T02:16:00.000-05:00

In order to add defrag to the right click context menu for all drives you'll need to create a new registry import file using Notepad, and place the following text inside:

; context_defrag.INF

; Adds Defrag to the right click context menu in Windows XP

[version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"

[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=AddMe

[AddMe]

HKCR,"Drive\Shell\Defrag\command",,,"DEFRAG.EXE %1"

Save the new file as context_defrag.inf (save it with the save as type set to All Files and not Text Documents). Then, right-click the new file and choose Install. To execute defrag, navigate to a drive in My Computer, right-click, and choose "Defrag". A command line window will appear, and that drive will be defragged. When it's complete, the window will disappear.

NOTE: To remove this functionality, Open the registry editor and navigate to the following location:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell
Then delete the Defrag folder and close Regedit.

TweakUI Bug Fix

2004-12-13T08:17:00.000-05:00

As all of you Windows XP users may know by now, there is a utility called "TweakUI" which gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface. While in full tweak mode last night, I discovered for myself a small bug regarding the way this application handles icons.

After using the Rebuild Icons feature in Tweak UI, my icons system wide looked very pixelated and all of them had been resized. Apparently, this is a known issue, caused by incorrect data assigned to the "Shell Icon BPP" registry value in XP. This registry edit will fix restore your icons should this ever be an issue:

Remember: Before making changes to the registry, remember to back it up!!!

1. Open Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]

2. In the right-pane, double-click Shell Icon BPP and set it's value to 16
3. Close Registry Editor.

Restart Windows for the changes to take effect.

Leo's Thoughts

2004-12-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

Check out Leo Laporte's comments regarding G4techTV and the group of TechTV veterans that were recently let go. All I have to say is "you took the words right out of my mouth Leo". Long live the days of TechTV, minus the G4.

(Link courtesy of Joey The Intern)

Decrease XP's Boot time

2004-12-09T16:23:00.000-05:00

BootVis is a Microsoft application which works to analyze and decrease Windows XP boot time. After downloading and uncompressing BootVis, proceed with the following steps:

1. Run BOOTVIS.EXE
2. Go to Trace/Next Boot + Driver Delays
3. This will reboot your computer and provide a benchmark
4. Following the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.
5. Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)
6. Next, go to Trace/Optimize System
7. go to Trace/Next Boot + Drive Delays once more
8. Note how much time has decreased

My boot time went from 35 seconds to 26 seconds. A great improvement in my opinion.

Slipstreaming XP

2004-12-08T05:37:00.000-05:00

Through a process known as "Slipstreaming" you can create a legal, bootable Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2 included as long as you possess an original Windows XP CD. This process allows for the patches and the OS to live on the same bootable Windows XP CD. Learn more about Slipstreaming.

Trash The Cache (Images)

2004-12-08T04:14:00.000-05:00

When you view pictures on your computer, Windows creates a "thumbs.db" file. This is a cache of the current pictures in that directory. These files are not needed and can safely be deleted in order to save a small amount of disk space. To do so, simply do a search on your computer for "thumbs.db" (no quotes), and delete each of the files that it finds. In order to prevent Windows from caching more of these files in the future, do the following:

1. Right click on any folder and select "Explore" from the menu

2. Go to Tools / Folder Options / View

3. In the first section under Files and Folders, check "Do not cache thumbnails"

Comments Update

2004-12-07T01:37:00.000-05:00

Ok . . . It seems that the comments are working now. So, feel free to post those comments! Thanks for your patience.

Comment Issues

2004-12-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

My comments are currently not working for some odd reason. If you want to leave me a comment please do so on The Zen PC forums. I am working to resolve this issue. Sorry for the inconvenience . . .

Configure Firefox 1.0

2004-12-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

Firefox 1.0 is truly a magnificent browser for all who dare to make the leap from Internet Explorer. However there are a few not so well known tweaks that can greatly improve Firefox's already stellar performance. Take a look at Secrets of Firefox 1.0 for some of those tweaks.

My New Toy!

2004-12-05T02:44:00.000-05:00

I am so excited right now that I could hardly wait to post the good news. Tonight at my lovely fiance's company Christmas party, I won an ipod mini! Yes I, who never wins anything, won a $250.00 ipod mini. My Fiance won a Cappuccino/Espresso maker, so now it's cappuccino and ipods for breakfast!

Check it out!

"Cybersecurity for the Homeland"

2004-12-04T18:08:00.000-05:00

While surfing this afternoon, I ran across an interesting PDF file on one of my favorite blogs. Here, for your enjoyment is the Cybersecurity for the Homeland report, to be released on Monday.

(Link courtesy of kevin rose dot com)

Increase Graphics Performance

2004-12-03T17:51:00.000-05:00

By default, Windows XP uses alot of shadow, fade and slide effects to enhace the way its menus are displayed. It is my experience that these settings only work to slow down the performance of your machine. Let's take a look at how we can increase XP's graphical performance:

1. Right click on the My Computer icon
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button
5. Tick the "Adjust for best performance" category

Command Line Utilities

2004-12-03T17:39:00.000-05:00

From time to time I like to post my current favorite command line utilities. Here are some that I have been using lately. Just go to Start>Run>type "cmd" (no quotes).

Then type any of the following utilities:

bootcfg - Configures, queries, or changes Boot.ini file settings.

driverquery - Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties.

getmac - Returns the media access control (MAC) address and list of network protocols associated with each address for all network cards in each computer

gpresult - Displays Group Policy settings and Resultant Set of Policy (RSOP) for a user or a computer

netsh - You can use commands in the Netsh Interface IP context to configure the TCP/IP protocol

schtasks - Schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a specific time

systeminfo - Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system

The DSL Blues

2004-12-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

I'll make this brief, because I have to. I will be posting again in a couple of days hopefully. The deal is, my current ISP, who shall remain nameless (for now at least), decided to do some holiday maintenance. So, long story short . . . My DSL craps out every few minutes. This makes it impossible to get anything done online. I hope to be posting again in a day or two.

Keep your fingers crossed . . .

Gmail Invites

2004-12-01T01:04:00.000-05:00

I have 2 Gmail invites to give away. Please respond to this post if you want one. Be sure to include your email address so that I can send you the invite. Cheers

Blazing Firefox

2004-11-30T22:11:00.000-05:00

Over Thanksgiving I ran across a killer tweak to make Firefox (the best browser in the universe) a great deal faster. So . . . I thought I would post it here for you to enjoy as well. Follow these instructions and get ready to ride the lightning with Firefox:

Open Firefox.
Type "about:config" in the address bar (no quotation marks).
Locate the following options, double click each one and change to the values listed below:

network.http.max-connections: 48

network.http.max-connections-per-server: 24

network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy: 12

network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server: 6

network.http.pipelining: true

network.http.pipelining.maxrequests: 32

network.http.proxy.pipelining: true

(Tip courtesy of the_last_rit at Tech Guy Forums)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

Well . . . it's here again. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I am prepared to eat like a king. I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday, and I will be back in a few days after I have recovered from the Turkey!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Prepare To Be Liked?

2004-11-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

Wanna be liked . . . ALOT? If your answer is yes, then you should most definitely click here. Have fun and enjoy!

Life Without The RIAA

2004-11-20T19:13:00.000-05:00

Since September of 2003, the RIAA has filed well over 7000 lawsuits against people who they claim illegally share media files over peer to peer networks such as Kazaa, edonkey, and Limewire. This week another 761 lawsuits were added to that list.

I think that downloading music is a fantastic innovation, but to many, the aggressive actions of the RIAA can be downright scary. Many P2P networks are quickly becoming the recording industry's killing fields. They are flooding these networks with bad music files and viruses in an attempt to thwart file sharing.

With this in mind, I give you my favorite way to download music, legally. It's called All Of MP3, and it is wonderful. You do have to pay for the music you download, but believe me, the cost is far better than anything you will find elsewhere. Best of all, it's life without the fear of the RIAA.

The Mysteries Of Science

2004-11-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

Ever wondered why the sky is blue? Or exactly how gravity works? Well here is your chance to find out once and for all. Watch these entertaining and highly informative moments from Tech TV's "Unscrewed". You'll be glad you did!

Reformatting: Why It's Important

2004-11-18T02:39:00.000-05:00

Why should you reformat? This question can be answered quite easily. Despite our best efforts to keep things nice and tidy on our PC's, the registry and other Windows system files become extremely cluttered with digital debris that will eventually lead to a very sluggish computer, and inevitably more serious problems.

To avoid these unwanted issues, back up all of your important files and reinstall a fresh copy of Windows. Do this once a year and it will be like getting a new PC every Christmas. Your computer will thank you for it.

Floppy Knowledge

2004-11-18T02:09:00.000-05:00

Working directly from a floppy disk is certainly tempting, as it reduces the few seconds that it takes to copy the file(s) from the disk to your hard drive. However, working directly from the disk is one of the best ways to lose data . . . permanently.

The most effective way to avoid losing that data is to copy the file on the floppy disk to your hard drive and then proceed with your work.

Also, don't forget to periodically check the data on your floppy disks to make sure it's still readable, by copying the data back to your hard drive and opening it.

Command Line Reference

2004-11-17T09:54:00.000-05:00

If you want a quick and easy reference guide to the Windows XP command line, here is the way to get to it:

1. Go to start>Run

2. Copy and paste the following into the Run dialog box

hh.exe ms-its:C:\WINDOWS\Help\ntcmds.chm::/ntcmds.htm

(Note: You may want to create a shortcut to this file as well, for future reference)

Windows XP Activation

2004-11-16T03:39:00.000-05:00

Should you need to reinstall XP at any time, which is a certainty for everyone who runs Windows on their box, there is no need to activate it yet another time. Prior to reinstalling Windows, simply navigate to C:\WINDOWS\System32 and locate the file "wpa.dbl". Save that file to a floppy disk, and then simply place the file back in C:\WINDOWS\System32 after reinstalling XP.

Clear The DNS Cache

2004-11-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

One of Windows XP's less well known features is the option to perform a boot defragment. This option is usually enabled by default. However, if your computer is booting up dog slow, then consider that this option may be disabled on your system. There is a simple way to check this and enable boot defrag if need be. This tip involves a registry tweak. It is always recommended that you back your files before attempting to tweak the registry. (Warning: Attempt this tweak at your own risk. Problems which occur while working in the registry can have serious consequences resulting in the reinstillation of your operating system)

1. Start>Run>Type "regedit" (no quotes)

2. Navigate to the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and follow the folder path \Software\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction

3. Locate the string "Enable"

4. If the value is Y, do not do anything and close out of the registry editor as boot defrag is enabled. If the value is N then change it to Y to enable it and close out of the registry editor.

Simply reboot XP, and the next time you defragment your hard drive, your boot files will also be optimized.

Browser Of Choice

2004-11-14T02:42:00.000-05:00

I realize that many PC users are probably very attatched to Internet Explorer, seeing as how it is the Windows default browser right out of the box. However, There are a couple of browsers which I feel deserve honorable mention. And by the way, they're totally free!

The first of these is Mozilla 1.7.3. This Netscape based browser has many features, but my favorite one has got to be tabbed browsing. Once you start using this you will never turn back. Mozilla will also import your Internet Explorer favorites list.

The other is my new personal favorite, and my vote for best browser, Firefox 1.0. Firefox is the latest edition to the Mozilla family. This is by far the most customizable browser I've seen to date.

Give them a try and see which one suits you more.

Better Disk Cleanup

2004-11-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

This helpful Windows XP hint will give you access to a much better disk cleanup utility than the default XP utility. This program actually clears your Windows prefetch folder. Here's how it works:

1. Create a new text file and cut & paste the following contents inside:

c:\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sageset: 1
c:
cd cd c:\windows\prefetch
del *.* /q

2. Save the file, and change the extension from .txt to .bat

3. Double click on the file to execute it. Check the items you wish to have cleaned up, and then click OK to run the utility

4. Right-click on the file and click edit. Change the first line to read:

c:\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sagerun: 1

5. Save the file. You can now execute this file in place of running Disk Cleanup!

New MSN Search Engine

2004-11-11T17:17:00.000-05:00

The latest news out of the Microsoft camp is the beta release of its new search engine. As for me . . . I will remain faithful to Google. Though, I find it very interesting and slightly entertaining that Google is at the forefront of the search engine empire, and Microsoft is bringing up the rear. Only time will tell .

index.dat the terrible

2004-11-11T13:38:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most useful commands in my PC arsenal, and it is one of my favorites. index.dat files are those pesky hidden files that log all of your internet activity, and cannot be deleted by simply clearing your browser cache or history. Here is the most effective way that I have found to delete these dangerous internet tracking files.

1. Restart your computer in Safe Mode With Command Prompt (press F8 on startup and choose Safe Mode With Command Prompt)
2. Log on as administrator. Enter your password
3. Once in the command prompt, type "cd \" (no quotes) and hit enter to get to your root directory
4. Type "del index.dat /s" (no quotes) to erase all files named index.dat on your system
5. Type "shutdown -r" (no quotes) to restart your computer normally

Condition clear . . .

Broadband Tweak

2004-11-10T16:06:00.000-05:00

XP seems to want to reserve 20% of the bandwidth for itself. Here is how to get that bandwidth back for yourself! (Note: this tweak only applies to Windows XP Professional)

Logged in as Administrator make the following changes:

1. Start > Run > type gpedit.msc
2. Expand the "Local Computer Policy" branch
3. Expand the "Administative Templates" branch
4. Expand the "Network" branch
5. Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in the left window
6. In the right window, double click the "Limit Reservable Bandwidth" setting
8. On setting tab, check the "enabled" item
9. Where it says "Bandwidth Limit %" change it to read 0
10. Reboot XP

Voila!! Faster DSL!

Tips

2004-11-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

I thought that today would be a great time to start posting some cool tips for Windows XP users. These are just some fun windows tweaks that I've picked up over the last several months. So without further delay, here is tip #1:

Renaming the Windows XP recycle bin: Right click on the recycle bin icon and choose properties. Then, under Appearance, enter the new name for the recycle bin in the "Title" box. As simple as that! Have fun and look for another XP tip tomorrow!

Shameless Plug . . .

2004-10-24T01:17:00.000-05:00

This is off the beaten path a bit, but here's the link to my new music website "Landatee Music". You'll find my musical bio, some cool links to my favorite bands, and sound clips for the songs that I am currently working on. I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!