Windows XP has many startup points locations. From Startup folder inside Start Menu, Win.INI and registry. This time, I want discuss about startup points in registry because many viruses infected and put its trigger string in registry value so as the virus will triggered every you restart computer.

To look your startup program which triggered by registry, open your Regedit first by click Start - Run menu, type regedit in box and then press Enter key. Regedit has some startup keys location:
1. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. In this key every string inside it will run every startup.
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce, in this key every program inside it will run once and registry will remove it after executed.
3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, this key has same function with point 1 but if in HKEY_CURRENT_USER will run on your account only but in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE will trigger on every account on your computer.
4. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce,
this key has same function with point 2, but startup item in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE will trigger on every account on your computer.

So, if you computer infected by viruses, try to look on those keys registry first.

According to Microsoft, Windows Vista has shorter loading time if comparing with Windows XP. But you can make it shorter with System Configurations tool. Yup, I thought there are so many ways to make it shorter but I try it one by one.

Windows Vista has high resolution loading screen than Windows XP and that's great to look but on other hand you have to pay it with give it about 5 seconds loading time longer (At least as my experiment).
So, if you think you don't need that screen, just remove it. To remove it, open your System Configuration, I've wrote about how to open System Configuration.
In System Configuration, click Boot tab then check No GUI boot check box and don't forget click OK button to save your settings. And after you remove it, you'll save a little bit more time when Vista is booting.

By default, if you press your computer power button, Windows Vista will bring computer to sleep mode. But I like to make it to shut down it than sleep it. You can configure it easily.

To configure it, click Start – Control Panel then double click Power Options icon. In Power Options, click Choose what the power buttons do link in left sidebar.
Then focus at When I press the power button: combo box, click the combo box and choose Shut down. Click Save changes button to save your settings.
That’s it, now your computer will shut down if you press power button.

I ever wrote about System Configuration on Windows XP and I thought System Configuration is a useful application to configure startup and load items on Windows XP. And how does about it on Windows Vista?

Microsoft looks like to hide System Configuration application on Windows XP. On Windows Vista, gladly Microsoft still kept it; even Microsoft put its shortcut in Administrative Tools (inside Control Panel). So you can open it by click Start - Control Panel - Administrative Tools menu and then locate the System Configuration in there.
And sure, you still can open it through Run menu by click Start – Run, type msconfig and then hit Enter key.

Since I installed Windows Vista a week ago, my friends who use Windows XP couldn’t make remote desktop connection to my computer. And I try to found the trouble maker and yesterday I’ve found it.

The trouble maker was remote desktop configuration. If you get a same problem, maybe you can try this solution.
Open Control Panel, double click System icon, and click Remote settings menu on left sidebar and then you’ll bring to Remote tab in System Properties. In Remote Desktop frame, choose Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop option and then click OK button to save the configuration.
Now, try to make remote desktop connection into your computer from another computer which running Windows XP.

Creating a password is looks like an easy deal for us. But remember, other than you create an “easy to remember” password, you have to create a complicated password also for security reason. And that’s the problem, to creating a complicated password you must combine number, letter and mark.

But you don’t worry Windows is provide a solution for us to creating a “strong” password.
We’ll using net command to do this. First, open the Command Prompt console by click Start-Run menu, type cmd in textbox and then click OK button.
At DOS prompt type net user “your_account_name” /random then press Enter. For example, if you want create password for Administrator account, type net user “Administrator” /random then press Enter key. Then your password will created and then write it. And you need to know, that password will apply to your account directly. So, on next login you’ll need to enter that password.
Now, try to restart your computer.