System Properties is a gateway to open Device Manager, display your computer informations and another important informations. To open it you can by Control Panel - System icon. But Windows XP provides an easier way to open it, just press Windows + Pause keys and then your System Properties will opened.

If you're using Windows XP, I ensure you if you use Windows Explorer every time. To open Windows Explorer, you can press Windows + E keys or go to Start - All Programs - Accessories - Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer has 5 model of column views. Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, List, Details.

And if you are like me who like set it to Details view, you will often faced with a column or more which don't enough to display the informations. The information can be file name, file size or else. To expand them, usually I click column header and then drag it until they are expanded.
But to make it easier you can press Ctrl + [+] keys to make them expanded. I suggest you to press the [+] key where located on numpad group.

httpd.conf file is Apache server configuration file. In that file you can configure Apache server settings. You can to install Apache HTTP server in many OSes. And I ever install it on Mac OS X and Windows XP. And Apache doesn't provide a GUI configuration screen so you must find the httpd.conf file and then open it with text editor application such as notepad to configure it.

On Windows XP you can find the httpd.conf file in conf folder inside installed Apache folder (if you installed on its default folder so you can find it in : C:\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\conf\ folder.
And on Mac OS X you can find the httpd.conf file inside folder: /etc/httpd/folder.

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.

If you often play with registry, I make sure that you'll need to explore its keys too. Usually, I open Registry Editor and point to my key because Registry Editor will open your last opened key by default. Microsoft provides another way to make it more effective.

The tool called Regjump, and you can find it on Microsoft website.
To use it, download it first, extract it because Microsoft give Regjump in ZIP file, extract it into your own folder but I suggest you to extract it into root folder or C:\Windows folder so you can call it although you currently in different folder with Regjump folder because C:\Windows folder is folder that included in %PATH variable environment value. To configure Windows Environment Variable you can learn on Otak Atik.
In fact, Regjump will help you pointing to certain key in Registry Editor.
Using Regjump is very easy. Regjump is a MS-DOS tool but you can call it through Run menu. OK to begin use it, click Start - Run menu, type regjump in box and then click OK button to test Regjump and if you run for first time, you'll confirm for its Term, just click Agree button and you won't to ask again at next time.
And to using it just type in Run textbox: regjump "registry_path". For example, if you want to open "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows" path, just type in textbox regjump "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows" and then press Enter. And Registry Editor will open with "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows" has opened.

Registry is very important for Windows series system because entire Windows Configurations are saved inside Registry. So, that's very important to backup it (especially for users who like to 'play' with the registry value).

You can find several ways to backup the registry, but according to my experiments, the easiest way is export the value to single .reg file. To create the registry backup is so easy, just pointing to key which you want backup, right click that key and then click Export menu on context menu. In Save dialog, choose your folder where you want to put the backup file, type your file name and then click Save button. Done!
For example, if you want to backup HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run key, right click it, click Export menu, give it a file name and click Save button.

If you want to backup entire registry, in Save dialog, click All option inside Export Range frame. Or click My Computer key first, right click it, choose Export menu and next steps are same as above steps.

Start Menu is our gate to go everywhere in our computer. And that's useful for us. But on other side if another user can modify your Start Menu, you can get a trouble with it. To make is safer, just disable right click ability in Start Menu. Because if you right click the Start Menu item, they can modify it, including delete it.

To disable it, we'll play with registry again. OK, like usual to modify registry we'll need Registry Editor and to open it click Start - Run menu, type regedit in box and then press Enter to execute it. In Registry Editor, pointing to HKEY_CURRENT_USER | Software | Microsoft | Windows | CurrentVersion | Policies | Explorer path. Then, create NoChangeStartMenu DWORD value if you don't find it by right click on empty space at right panel, click New - DWORD value menu and then replace the key name with NoChangeStartMenu name.
If NoChangeStartMenu has created, double click it and replace the value with 1.
Close Registry Editor and restart your computer. Now, your user can't right click in Start Menu.

Windows is providing sharing a folder or more ability to gives us an easy way to exchange our files to others. But there is not easy to display other client shared folder list.

But don't worry you can empower the net tool. Net is a great tool to manage your networking business. Because net command is a MSDOS command, to use it you have to open MSDOS Console first.
To open MSDOS Console, click Start - Run menu (or your also can press Windows + R keys), type cmd in box and press Enter. I've wrote about net command at otakatik.com to send a message to others with it.
At MS DOS prompt type net view //computer_name and then press Enter. For example: if you want display a computer which has name:server_1st, type net view //server_1st then press Enter to display all server_1st shared folder.
It's so easy, isn't it?

You can display your drivers list in Device Manager. In there your installed drivers displayed clearly and you can see their status, get trouble or not. By default Windows XP will display Plug and Play Devices only and hide the Non-Plug and Play devices. But you can display them if you curious with your Non-Plug and Play devices.

First, open your Device Manager by click Start – Control Panel, double click System icon, click Hardware tab and then click Device Manager button. Inside Device Manager, click View-Show hidden devices menu and your hidden devices will show up.

Since Windows XP, we could set an icon/picture for our account. Actually, you can change it through Control Panel and then open User Account configuration. But Windows XP has a shorter way to change your account icon. And that’s very easy…

To change your icon, you just need to click your icon in Start Menu. So, click Start Menu then click your icon (usually at above of Start Menu), you’ll bring to Pick a new picture for your account dialog and then click the picture that you want or if don’t satisfy with them you can click Browse for more pictures link to find more picture inside your hard drive. And don’t forget to click Change picture button.
And your account picture has changed.

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.

By default, Windows XP or Vista will save all of your changes when it shut down or restart. This is giving us some benefits because you don’t need to rearrange your Desktop or others Windows settings so that appropriate with your need. But on other hand, this is bringing some negative effect such as if your computer use by more than a user, I sure they will change your settings according they like.

So, to prevent it, set your system so that Windows doesn’t save the settings changed.
To set it you need modify your registry system. So, open your Registry Editor first by click Start – Run menu, type regedit in textbox then press Enter button. Then point the cursor to HKEY_CURRENT_USER | Software | Microsoft | Windows | CurrentVersion|Policies | Explorer path. Locate the NoSaveSettings key and if you don’t find it create it by right click on empty space of right panel, choose New – Dword value menu. Replace the original key name to NoSaveSettings. Then change NoSaveSettings value to 1 by double click it then type 1 in Value data field and click OK to confirm it. Close your Registry Editor and then restart your computer.
Now, your Windows won’t save the system settings changes. And if you want to make it save settings again, just change NoSaveSettings value to 0.

Windows XP designed for all kind of computers. But Windows XP still has incompatibility issues. And if Windows XP met with it, usually Windows will warn it by show the Blue Screen Of Death. But incompatibility is not only the cause of BSoD, it can caused by software error, hardware failure or others. Unfortunately, by default Windows XP doesn’t give us an enough time to read it because Windows XP will restart the computer automatically.

But you also can configure it so that Windows XP doesn’t restart computer automatically when BSoD is shown.
To configure it, right click My Computer icon then click Properties menu or you also can through System icon in Control Panel. In System Properties dialog, click Advanced tab then click Settings button inside Startup & Recovery frame.
In Startup & Recovery dialog, make sure that Automatically restart (located inside System Failure frame) is unchecked then click OK to confirm the configuration changed.
Now, if you get BSoD, you can read it as long as you want.

Add a new printer driver on Windows XP is very easy. Even it’s too easy. That’s very good to user to add printer onto Windows XP but on other side if all user can add it easily, that’s can be an irritating problem. The solution is restricting the access to install a new printer driver.

To doing it, we’ll play with registry. So, open your Registry Editor first by click Start – Run menu, type regedit then hit Enter key.
In Registry Editor, pointing to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | Software | Microsoft | Windows | CurrentVersion | Policies | Explorer path. Inside this registry path, find NoAddPrinter key but if you don’t find it, create new it manually. To create it, right click on empty space in right panel then choose New – DWORD Value menu (You also can right click on Explorer key). Then replace your new DWORD value(usually its name is New Value #1) to NoAddPrinter value. Double click NoAddPrinter value, replace its value to 1 then click OK button. Close your Registry Editor.
Now, try to add a new printer and if you’re doing this trick right you’ll get a restriction message but if it doesn’t appear, try to restart your computer.
If you want to open the restriction, just change 1 value to 0 or delete the NoAddPrinter key.

To look the PC specification (Processor, Cache Memory, RAM, Mainboard) you can look them when the computer booting up or you can find it in Control Panel's System. But if you want more detail specifications, I think you don't satisfied with it.

But I found a freeware application that calls CPU-Z that will giving you a lot details that you need. To install it is pretty easy. Just download then double click the downloaded file then follow the instruction and you can use it soon.
You can get your Mainboard series, Processor, RAM, Cache Memory and more. As long as I use it, the accuracy of result is amazing.
I recommended it for you and the best part is you don't necessary to pay to owned the application :D.
Even CPU-Z can determine my processor on Parallels Desktop Virtual Machine which run Windows XP on my MacBook (you can see it at my attached picture in this article).
Happy trying....

If you're using a LCD monitor, Windows XP provide a great tool to smoothing your font by reduce jaggies from them. It calls ClearType. It using an anti aliasing technique to make fonts appearance to being great. But on other side some peoples said, ClearType make the fonts being blurry.

To configure the font smoothing, just right click empty space on your desktop, click Properties menu (you can open it by double-click Display in Control Panel too), click Appearance tab and then click Effects button.
Select ClearType in Use The Following Method To Smooth The Edge Of The Screen Fonts drop-down box and then click OK to confirm it.
Then your ClearType is turn on now. And if you're feel it is too blurry, adjusts or tunes it by visit it's website on Microsoft.com then follow the instruction in there by using or download the ClearType Tuner tool, you can find them in the website too.
But if you don't own the LCD monitor you still can try to using the ClearType too, I think it be gonna great for you.

Even though Windows XP and nowadays processors are supporting multitask but actually they only can do one task at a time. So, Windows XP do the task by the priority that set by system. Windows will run the highest priority first then the lower priority.

By default, Windows XP set to Normal priority every you open an application. The priorities are Realtime, High, AboveNormal, Normal, BelowNormal, Low.
So you need set it manually if you want to give an application to higher priority. Windows XP provides two ways to set it. First way, with Task Manager and command line.
First way, to use Task Manager, you need press Ctrl + Alt + Del keys together. Then click Processes tab, right click the application which will set to certain priority, click Set Priority menu then choose your priority. (To open Task manager you also can through Run menu (Start-Run menu), type taskmgr.exe in box).
Second way, with command line, click Start - Run menu then in box type start /priority_parameter application_exe_filename. Parameters are /low, /belownormal, /normal, /abovenormal, /realtime. For example if you want to put Microsoft Word to realtime priority, type start /realtime winword.exe then press Enter key.
Now your favorite application can run on higher priority so then your application can run more smoothly.

By default, Windows Explorer will open My Documents folder as its initiate folder. And if you want to modify it to your own folder, just modify the parameter in its shortcut.

Usually, user will open Windows Explorer by click its short where located in Start - All Programs - Accessories, so if you open from there too, right click the Windows Explorer icon/shortcut then click Properties menu. In Shortcut tab, focus on Target text box, you'll get in there shortcut string to explorer.exe that wrote like this %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe. To pointing to your folder automatically if it started, add this parameter /e, c:\your_own_folder, for example if you want pointing to C:\Data folder, type like this /e, c:\data. So in target text box fill like this %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:\data then click OK button to save it.
Now, type to open it. Almost forgeted, you also can create your own Windows Explorer shortcut on your Desktop to open it easier. To create shortcut (I think you're already knew to create it), right click on empty space of Desktop, click New - Shortcut menu then type in Type the location of the item text box : explorer.exe /e, C:\data then click Next, give it your own name of shortcut then click Finish to create the shortcut.
You can save your mouse clicks now.

After your computer infected by virus, usually your Windows XP system files got some errors or corrupted. And that's not by virus only the cause of corrupted files, the error of system file can caused by installer that replace file system or hard drive bad sector or another reasons those we're not realized. And we can see the error from the shown problems. The problems are from trouble when computer can't shutdown, several softwares can't open, and Windows is slow downed. So, try to check your files system first to initiating the problems and Microsoft has been give the tool freely.

The tool is sfc command. To use sfc command is very easy, just type sfc /parameter at MSDOS prompt to execute it then your files system will checked.
SFC command will check the version all of your Windows XP file system and if sfc find the version is older, sfc will replace with original file version that taken from Windows XP Setup CD.
And here are the list of sfc parameters:

• /SCANNOW Scans all protected system files immediately.
• /SCANONCE Scans all protected system files once at the next boot.
• /SCANBOOT Scans all protected system files at every boot.
• /REVERT Return scan to default setting.
• /PURGECACHE Purges the file cache.
• /CACHESIZE=x Sets the file cache size.

For example, if you want to scan your file system immediately, type sfc /scannow at your MSDOS prompt. So, to using it, open your MSDOS console first by click Start - Run, type cmd in textbox then hit Enter.

And don't forget to prepare your Windows XP Setup CD, because sfc command will asked for replace the changed file system that found during scanning progress.

By default, Windows XP has multiple accounts inside it. Usually when Windows XP installed for the first time, Windows put at least two accounts within it, the accounts are Administrator and Guest. If you're an Administrator for your office's LAN, I am sure you won't give administrator's accounts right for your clients. Usually, you would give them Power User or User right. Also, some programs will configure to run in Administrator permission only. So when you works at client computer that logged as User right, you'll get trouble when you're open a program which needs Administrator right to run. Yup, you can log off then login as Administrator but that's not an efficient way. Then, Microsoft gave us RunAs command to make it be easier.

The RunAs command allows you to work with the command shell using any user account that has sufficient permissions to perform a task from the command line. And don't forget that RunAs command is not run to run an application as an Administrator account only but you can run as your own account. RunAs is similar with sudo command in UNIX console but if sudo run for Administrator privilege only.

Actually, you also can use Run As ability in context menu when the EXE file is right clicked. But this time we will discuss about RunAs command in MSDOS console.
Open your MSDOS console first to try this command, by click Start - Run menu, type cmd in textbox then press Enter. At console prompt type runas to display all its parameters.
RunAs command requires the Secondary Logon service to run. To check the service status, open Control Panel - Administrative Tools then double click Services icon. Find Secondary Logon service in the list, double click it to see the status (by default, Windows has been enable it), if it is in Stop status, just click Start button. Or you can do it through MSDOS console, type in its prompt : net start seclogon then hit Enter key.
OK back to RunAs command, RunAs has syntax to run like this runas /parameter(s) program_to_run.
And here are its parameters :

/profile : Loads the user profile for the user specified in the /user parameter.
/noprofile : Specifies that no user profile is to be loaded.
/env : Specifies that the current environment, rather than the network environment, should be used.
/netonly : Indicates that user access specified in the /user parameter is for remote access only.
/savecreds : Uses the credentials (username and domain name) the user has saved instead of loading a new copy.
/smartcard : Indicates that the smart card is to be used for supplying user credentials.
/trustlevel : Indicates the level of authorization at which the user can run the application.You can use the /showtrustlevels parameter to display a list of available trust levels.
/showtrustlevels : Displays a list of options for the /trustlevel parameter.
/user:UserAccountName : Specifies the name of the user account to be used to run the program.The user account name following the RunAs command must be specified in the username@domain or domain\username format.
program : Specifies the command, program, or application to be run under the credentials of the user specified in the /UserAccountName parameter.

And these some examples of RunAs command :
runas /user:Administrator winword.exe
runas /user:Farrel "notepad c:\data\manual.txt"

I hope this article can make you understand the runas command easily.