How to disable or uninstall the pilot version of Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications

Disable WGA Notifications

1.	Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrative permissions.
2.	Make sure that the WGA Notifications version that exists on the computer is a pilot version. The version format for the pilot version is 1.5.0532.x. In this case, you can uninstall versions 527-532 only. For example, you can uninstall versions that range from 1.5.0527.0 to 1.5.0532.2. To find the WGA Notifications version, follow these steps. a. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. b. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, click Windows XP - Software, click Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, and then click Click here for support information. c. In the Support Info dialog box, verify the version number, and then click Close.
3.	Rename the following files by changing the extension to .old: • Rename %Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.dll to %Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.old • Rename %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.exe to %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.old
4.	Restart the computer.

Manually uninstall WGA Notifications

1.	Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrative permissions.
2.	Make sure that the WGA Notifications version that exists on the computer is a pilot version. The version format for the pilot version is 1.5.0532.x. In this case, you can uninstall versions 527-532 only. For example, you can uninstall versions that range from 1.5.0527.0 to 1.5.0532.2. To find the WGA Notifications version, follow these steps: a. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. b. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, click Windows XP - Software, click Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, and then click Click here for support information. Note If Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications does not appear, the release version is installed. You cannot uninstall the release version of WGA Notifications. c. In the Support Info dialog box, verify the version number, and then click Close.
3.	Rename the following files by changing the extension to .old: • Rename %Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.dll to %Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.old • Rename %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.exe to %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.old
4.	Restart the computer.
5.	Unregister LegitCheckControl.dll by using Regsvr32. To do this, follow these steps: a. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK. b. At the command prompt, type the following, and then press ENTER: Regsvr32 %Windir%\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll /u
6.	Restart the computer.
7.	Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
8.	At the command prompt, delete the following files by typing the Del command. Press ENTER after you type each command. • Del %Windir%\system32\wgalogon.old • Del %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.old • Del %Windir%\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll
9.	At the command prompt, type regedit.
10.	Locate and then right-click the following registry subkeys. Click Delete after you locate each subkey. • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Uninstall\WgaNotify

When starting up Windows, before the desktop appears I get a STOP 0x0000007F blue screen error message.

Possible Solution: If you have Symantec’s Norton Anti-Virus, this problem occurs because there is a limited amount of kernel space available for kernel drivers. For Windows 2000, this limit is 12 KB. If the operating system runs out of kernel space, then the computer displays a blue screen error message. See this web site for more information: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ent-security.nsf/docid/2002071208532048?Open&src=w (See also: KStackMinFree.reg)

Also, turn OFF Windows XP’s Prefetching.

The Prefetcher component in Windows XP is part of the Memory Manager, and helps to shorten the amount of time it takes to start Windows and programs.

In some configurations, the prefetcher can cause errors (such as drivers not loading after bootup, Code 10 errors, etc.). It has also been said that the application prefetcher does not actually speed up application launching.

To disable the Prefetcher component, use Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) to locate the EnablePrefetcher value under the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session

Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

Change the value of the EnablePrefetcher value to 0 , and then quit Registry Editor. The next time you start your computer, the Prefetcher component will not start.

You can also adjust how the Prefetch behaves by chaning the value of "EnablePrefetcher" as follows:

0 ---- Disable Prefetching

1 ---- Enable Application Prefetch

2 ---- Enable Boot Prefetch

3 ---- Enable both Boot and Application prefetching (Default value)

5 is not a valid value for this parameter as it is a 2 bit switch.

Even if you keep the prefetch ON, you should periodically delete the contents of the following folder. It's contents will be refreshed in 3 days or immediately if you run the command below. Be sure to reboot

twice after deleting the contents of the folder.

Contents to Delete: c:\windows\prefetch

Rebuild Now (run):

%windir%\System32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks

System32 Folder Opens When Logging on to Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you log on to Microsoft Windows, a Microsoft Windows Explorer window may open that displays the contents of the System32 folder.

This behavior also occurs if there is a String value that contains only a single quote character (") as the Value data in the following Registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if a null, incomplete, or damaged entry exists in the registry.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Use Registry Editor to view the following two Windows registry keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Verify that all the values in these keys do not contain any incorrect, incomplete, or null entries (such as "").

MORE INFORMATION

An incorrect entry in the following registry value has been confirmed to cause the behavior described above:

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Value: ActiveMovie File Extensions
Value Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: ActMovie.exe /Check

If the value data for this entry is null or appears in Registry Editor as quotation marks, you may experience the problem described above. To correct the problem, change the value data to match the entry above or delete the ActiveMovie File Extensions value.

You can resolve this behavior by deleting the Remainder value that has "" next to it is in the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run

If you are uncertain whether an entry is incorrect or incomplete, you may want to delete all entries other than the default Windows entry. The following entry to run the System Tray is the only required Windows default entry:

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Value: SystemTray
Value Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: SysTray.exe

Increasing Windows XP's performance

Possible Solution: Disable Kernal paging using the following regedit:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\SESSION MANAGER\Memory Management.

Click on the Memory Management folder and right-click the LargeSystemCache entry. Select Modify, and type 1 in the Value Data field.

If you have 512MB or more of RAM, you should also locate the DisablePagingExecutive entry and ensure it is set to 1 as well. (This setting keeps as much information as possible loaded into RAM rather than to the swap file.)

How To Display, Use, and Clear "My Recent Documents" on the Start Menu in Windows XP

To Display the My Recent Documents Folder

To display the My Recent Documents folder on the Start menu:

1.	Right-click Start, and then click Properties. Or, if the Start menu is already displayed, right-click an empty area of the Start menu, and then click Properties.
2.	Click Customize.
3.	Click the Advanced tab.
4.	Under Recent documents, click to select the List my most recently opened documents check box, click OK, and then click OK. The next time you click Start, the My Recent Documents command is displayed on the Start menu.

To Clear the Contents of the My Recent Documents Folder

To clear the My Recent Documents list, follow these steps:

1.	Right-click Start, and then click Properties. Or, if the Start menu is already displayed, right-click an empty area of the Start menu, and then click Properties.
2.	Click Customize.
3.	Click the Advanced tab.
4.	Under Recent documents, click Clear List, click OK, and then click OK. Your most recently used documents are removed from the My Recent Documents folder. Note that this action does not delete the documents from your hard disk.

How to connect and disconnect a network drive in Windows XP

Connect a drive from My Network Places

1.	Click Start, click My Network Places, click Entire Network, and then double-click Microsoft Windows Network.
2.	Double-click the domain that you want to open.
3.	Double-click the computer that has the shared resource you want to map. All the shared resources for that computer automatically appear in the window.
4.	Right-click the shared drive or folder that you want to map, and then click Map Network Drive.
5.	Click the drive letter that you want to use, and then specify whether you want to reconnect every time that you log on to your computer. Note Network drives are mapped by using letters starting from the letter Z. This is the default drive letter for the first mapped drive you create. However, you can select another letter if you want to use a letter other than Z.
6.	Click Finish.

Connect a drive from My Computer or Windows Explorer

1.	To connect a drive from My Computer, click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Explore. To connect a drive from Windows Explorer, right-click Start, and then click Explore.
2.	On the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.
3.	In the Drive box, click a drive letter.
4.	In the Folder box, type the UNC path for the server and shared resource in the following format: \\server name\share name. You can also click Browse to find the computer and shared resource.

Use the Net Use command to map or disconnect a drive

You can use the net use command for batch files and scripts. To use the net use command to map or disconnect a drive:

•	To map a network drive: 1. Click Start, and then click Run. 2. In the Open box, type cmd. 3. Type net use x: \\computer name\share name, where x: is the drive letter you want to assign to the shared resource.
•	To disconnect a mapped drive: 1. Click Start, and then click Run. 2. In the Open box, type cmd. 3. Type net use x: /delete, where x: is the drive letter of the shared resource.

Disconnect from a mapped network drive

1.	Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2.	Right-click the icon for the mapped drive.
3.	Click Disconnect.

Note When you disconnect from a mapped drive, you remove the mapped drive letter that you assigned to the shared resource. You can still access the resource from My Network Places.

How to set performance options in Windows XP

How to manually change the performance of foreground and background programs

1.	Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
2.	Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance.
3.	Click the Advanced tab, and then use one of the following methods under Processor scheduling: • Click Programs to assign more processor resources to the foreground program than the background program. • Click Background services to assign equal amounts of processor resources to all programs.

Notes

•	If you click Programs, the foreground program runs more smoothly and responds more quickly. If you want a background task such as a Backup utility to run faster, click Background services.
•	The Programs option allocates short, variable time slices (quanta) to running programs, and the Background services option assigns long, fixed quanta.

How to manually manage computer memory

When your computer is running low on RAM, and you must have more RAM immediately, Windows uses hard disk space to simulate RAM. This is known as virtual memory. It is also known as the paging file. This is similar to the UNIX swapfile. By default, the virtual memory paging file (named pagefile.sys) that is created during installation is 1.5 times the RAM on your computer.

You can optimize virtual memory use by dividing the space between multiple drives and by removing space from slow or heavily accessed drives. To best optimize your virtual memory space, divide it among as many physical hard drives as possible. When you select drives, follow these guidelines:

•	Try to avoid having a paging file on the same drive as the system files.
•	Avoid putting a paging file on a fault-tolerant drive such as a mirrored volume or a RAID-5 volume. Paging files do not require fault-tolerance, and some fault-tolerant computers experience slow data writes because they write data to multiple locations.
•	Do not put multiple paging files on different partitions on the same physical disk drive.

How to manually change the size of the virtual memory paging file

You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

1.	Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
2.	Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance.
3.	Click the Advanced tab, and then click Change under Virtual memory.
4.	Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file that you want to change.
5.	Under Paging file size for selected drive, click Custom size, type a new paging file size in megabytes (MB) in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.

If you decrease the size of either the initial or maximum paging file settings, you must restart your computer to see the effects of those changes. When you increase the paging file size, you typically do not have to restart your computer.

Notes

•	To have Windows select the best paging file size, click System managed size. The recommended minimum size is equivalent to 1.5 times the RAM on your computer, and 3 times that figure for the maximum size. For example, if you have 256 MB of RAM, the minimum size is 384 MB, and the maximum size is 1152 MB.
•	For best performance, do not set the initial size to less than the minimum recommended size under Total paging file size for all drives. The recommended size is equivalent to 1.5 times the RAM on your computer. It is good practice to leave the paging file at its recommended size. However, you may increase its size if you frequently use programs that use much memory.
•	To delete a paging file, set both the initial size and the maximum size to zero, or click No paging file. We strongly recommend that you do not disable or delete the paging file.

How to manually optimize the memory usage

You can optimize your computer's memory usage. If you use your computer primarily as a workstation instead of as a server, you can devote more memory to your programs. Your programs will work faster and your system cache size will remain the default size that came with Windows XP. You can also set aside more computer memory for a larger system cache if your computer is used primarily as a server, or if you use programs that require a larger cache.

1.	Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
2.	Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance.
3.	Click the Advanced tab, and then use one of the following methods under Memory usage: • Click Programs if you use your computer primarily as a workstation instead of as a server. This option allocates more memory to your programs. • Click System cache if your computer is used primarily as a server or if you use programs that use a larger cache.

How to manually change the visual effects

Windows provides several options to set the visual effects of your computer. For example, you can show shadows under menus. Shadows give menus a 3-D look. You can configure Windows to display all the contents of a window while you move the window on your screen. To make large text more readable, you can display the smooth edges of screen fonts.

Windows provides options to turn on all the settings (for best appearance), or none of the settings (for best computer performance). You can also restore the default settings.

To change the visual effects, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, click Run, and then type sysdm.cpl in the Open box.
2.	Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance, click Settings.
3.	Click the Visual Effects tab, and then use one of the following methods: • Click Adjust for best performance to have Windows automatically adjust the settings for best performance. • Click Adjust for best appearance to have Windows automatically adjust the settings for best appearance. • Click Custom, and then select the check boxes for those items that you want to turn on. Clear the check boxes for the items that you want to turn off.