Wipe Out Windows Annoyances
Banish the worst glitches, time-wasters, and irritations in the world's most popular operating system with these 29 tips. Plus: Get the scoop on Windows' biggest rivals.PC World's Internet Tips columnist Scott Spanbauer spends hours meditating to get over annoying Windows problems.
Illustration by Hal Mayforth
Windows XP may be more stable and secure than its predecessors (which, let's face it, isn't saying much), but it is just as annoying. If you spend your days with XP, you'll run into many idiotic little things that need fixing, from poky startups to icons playing hide-and-seek. Some problems lack a good solution--though I'll offer a workaround--and land on my wish list for the next Windows version. But nirvana is in sight: I'll show how to fix many XP foibles to bring your computing experience closer to heaven. If you're fed up with Windows, check out "The Truth About Windows Alternatives" to get the lowdown on Mac and Linux.
System Snafus
Speed Up the Windows Boot
The annoyance: I installed some new applications on my system, and now Windows blithely lets them load automatically every time Windows boots, slowing my speedy startup to a crawl. Adding insult to injury, the new apps don't offer any way to disable this automatic launching.
The fix: If you can't find a program's startup configuration settings (perhaps because they don't exist), use Windows' System Configuration Utility to block program startup manually. Choose Start, Run, enter msconfig in the 'Open' text box, and click OK. Select the Startup tab, uncheck one or more of the items listed (for clarity, try disabling just one item at a time), click OK, and then click Restart. When Windows restarts, the System Configuration Utility will pop up in an annoying test mode. If no serious problems have cropped up, check Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility and click OK.
Bring Backup Home
The annoyance: Windows XP Professional includes Backup, a basic but handy backup utility (find it in Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools) that I use on my office computer. I've searched--and searched, and searched--for the same backup program on my XP Home Edition system back at the ranch. Where has Microsoft hidden the utility?
The fix: Fortunately, the Windows XP Home installation CD contains Backup. To install it, browse to the CD's valueadd\msft\ntbackup folder, right-click ntbackup.msi, and choose Install. If (like me) you're unlucky enough to have received a system restore disc with your PC instead of an actual XP installation disc, you may have to hunt for the necessary Backup files. I found the valueadd\msft\ntbackup folder on my hard disk under the Windows folder. If you have enabled packet writing on your system (as described in "Burn It Now"), Backup will even work with your CD-R/RW drive.
Terminate Temp Files
The annoyance: Browsing the Web, installing utilities, and performing other normal Windows activities can cause a whole bunch of useless files to build up in a hard-to-find Temp folder. (Typically it's located in Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp.) Worse, Windows skips this folder when I tell it to delete temporary files.
The fix: In Windows Explorer, right-click the C: drive (or other drive, as appropriate), select the General tab, and click the Disk Cleanup button. Even though the Disk Cleanup tool deletes useless files and thereby frees up disk space, it doesn't touch the Temp file folder under Local Settings (see Figure 1
Figure 1: When Windows says there aren't any temp files on your hard disk, don't believe it. Find and delete them yourself.
). So I have to delete these orphaned files manually: To do that, close all programs, navigate to the folder, press <Ctrl>-A to select the files, and press <Delete>.
Uncover Hidden File Name Extensions and Expose Cloaked Files
The annoyance: Windows XP thinks I don't need to see file name extensions and hidden files. Guess what? I do. For one thing, it's just good information as I browse through my stuff--are those images JPEG or BMP files?--but also, virus writers use the default-to-hidden setting to try to trick me into launching their code. With no file extensions showing, I might launch SafePic.jpg.exe, because all I saw in my e-mail program was an icon labeled SafePic.jpg.
The fix: To display all file name extensions, open Windows Explorer, select Tools, Folder Options, View, uncheck Hide extensions for known file types, select Show hidden files and folders directly above it (for good measure), and click OK.
Halt CPU Hoggers
The annoyance: I have closed all but one application to dedicate my system's full resources to a task, but Windows is still sluggish. What gives?
The fix: The likely culprit is a program or service that has malfunctioned and continues to run, even though it may not show a window or taskbar icon that you can use to close it. To find and close these CPU hogs, first close all running applications, press <Ctrl>-<Alt>-<Delete> to launch Task Manager, and select the Processes tab. Scroll down the list of processes until you come to the one that's gobbling up the resources. Select it and click End Process. Don't worry about System Idle Process--that simply shows the percentage of processor resources that remain unused.
Enable Hibernation
The annoyance: I want to boot up my laptop quickly. But by default, it either shuts down entirely or goes into a battery-consuming standby mode that, in turn, rapidly leads to dead-battery syndrome.
The fix: There is a third option: hibernation, where Windows writes the current state of the PC into the hard disk before powering off. You get a quicker boot from hibernation than from a normal shutdown, without wasting battery life. But you have to enable it. Go to Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance in Category View, open Power Options, select the Hibernate tab, and check Enable hibernation.
Keep three things in mind when trying to enable hibernation: You need a sufficient amount of free disk space (I recommend 1.5 times the RAM); you must log in as a Computer Administrator or Power User; and you have to install the latest updates to Windows, your applications, and your drivers. (Windows XP Service Pack 2 fixes a problem with hibernation in computers that use 1GB of memory; however, reports persist of problems with hibernation on SP2 systems that are equipped with 1.5GB or more of memory. Microsoft acknowledges that this is an ongoing issue and will be looking into a solution.)
Security Setbacks
Protect Your PC During Reinstalls
The annoyance: A hard disk failure forced me to reinstall Windows. In order to complete the job, I had to go online to download SP2 and other patches. In its newly restored, unpatched state, my machine was defenseless against the Web-connected army of zombie PCs infested with spyware, worms, and Trojan horses targeting any Windows system--including mine. My PC was toast.
The fix: Before beginning the installation, physically isolate the PC from the Internet by disconnecting the network cable or phone line. Next, perform the Windows XP installation. Then log on to Windows, go to Control Panel, launch Network Connections, right-click the network connection through which you access the Web, and choose Properties, Advanced. Check Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet, and click OK (see Figure 2
Figure 2: Unpatched, Windows XP will probably crash before you can download fixes for it over the Internet, unless you first enable its built-in firewall.
). Now the PC will be safe enough from incoming attacks to visit the Windows Update site (Start, All Programs, Windows Update) and download SP2. If you have multiple PCs, consider burning a copy of SP2 (its file size is about 178MB) to disc.
Modify User Accounts
The annoyance: Windows XP keeps a tight rein on who can do what by way of its user account groups. But running my PC as part of the default, all-powerful Computer Administrator group is risky; any malware that infiltrates my system may inherit the same privileges. Switching my account to the only other level available in Control Panel's User Accounts applet--Limited--ain't so great, either. When I attempt to install an app or perform other administrative tasks from a Limited account, I'm constantly stymied.
The fix: Fortunately, other user types exist between these arbitrary extremes, and Windows XP Pro lets me use them (these steps won't work in Home Edition). The Power Users group has fewer rights than the Computer Administrator group, making it safer, but it can still install more applications than Limited accounts. To add an account to the Power Users group, open Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance (if you're in Category View), Administrative Tools and launch Computer Management. In the left pane, double-click Local Users and Groups and select Users; in the right pane, double-click the user name whose rights you want to modify (see Figure 3
Figure 3: Don't settle for XP Pro's basic user account types when you can choose something safer or more convenient.
). Select the Member Of tab, and click Add. Type Power Users in the 'Enter the object names to select' list box, and click OK.
Desktop Disarray
Be Still, My System Tray
The annoyance: I can access some of my favorite utilities only through the system tray; but when one of these icons has lain idle for a while, XP "helpfully" hides it.
The fix: You don't have to put up with XP's unwelcome assistance. Clicking the arrow that shows hidden icons can be frustrating because, shortly after you click it, it collapses again. It's tempting simply to make Windows always show all of the icons. To do that, right-click the Start button or taskbar, choose Properties, uncheck Hide inactive icons in the 'Notification area' section, and click OK. Unfortunately, that approach could lead to a huge system tray that squeezes out program icons on the rest of the taskbar. I prefer to use the Customize button instead of unchecking 'Hide active icons'; then I set the hiding behavior for individual icons to suit my needs, as shown in Figure 4
Figure 4: Take charge of the System Tray Notification Area icons so they will be there when you need them and will vanish when you don't.
.
Have Explorer (Mostly) Your Way
The annoyance: I was getting a headache from configuring Windows Explorer to provide the file and folder information I wanted instead of its default view, every time I opened a new folder.
The fix: Fortunately, you can make Explorer remember your preferences instead of its own. First, tweak Explorer to your liking, specifying which details (or attribute columns) it displays, what type of view (thumbnails, list, details, or the like) it opens in, and whether and how files are grouped. To make your custom view Explorer's default view, choose Tools, Folder Options, select the View tab, and click Apply to All Folders. Voilà--all done. I also like to see the folder tree structure (instead of the default task panel) in the left-hand pane and the currently selected folder contents in the right-hand pane, because this arrangement offers the easiest way to drag files from one folder to another. For some annoying reason, though, Explorer refuses to remember this feature, always reverting instead to displaying the task pane. Longhorn will fix this by moving task links to a new horizontal toolbar.
Get Instant Desktop Access
The annoyance: I keep important stuff that I use frequently--including program icons, downloaded files, and the Recycle Bin--on the Windows desktop. But as soon as I launch a program, the desktop icons on the Quick Launch menu disappear because other elements crowd them out of the visible part of the menu, or because the Quick Launch menu itself isn't visible.
The fix: No worries: You can add an icon to your taskbar that will show the desktop in one easy click. First, enable the Quick Launch toolbar, right-click an empty spot on the taskbar, and select Toolbars, Quick Launch. The Quick Launch toolbar should display the Show Desktop button by default. If the Show Desktop button in Quick Launch doesn't appear, it may have been pushed off onto the menu's pop-up overflow (indicated by the double-arrow icon) to the right. To keep it handy, drag and drop it onto the visible part of the menu. You can also get instant access to desktop icons without minimizing windows, by adding the Desktop toolbar to the taskbar. Right-click a vacant area of the taskbar and choose Toolbars, Desktop.
Point My Documents to Yours
The annoyance: Like its predecessors, XP encourages me to keep my files in the My Documents folder. That may be convenient for Microsoft's developers, but it's not for me. I prefer to keep my files elsewhere so that they're easier to browse to, back up, or access from other versions of Windows.
The fix: XP is fairly obliging about letting you change the location of My Documents. Right-click the My Documents folder, choose Properties, select the Target tab, and click Move to transfer your current My Documents folder and its contents to another location (see Figure 5
Figure 5: You can put the My Documents folder wherever you want, and Win XP will even help you move it.
). To make My Documents point to an existing folder, click Find Target instead of Move.
Put Your Documents at Your Fingertips
The annoyance: Windows puts a link to My Documents on the Start menu so I can open an Explorer window to my files quickly. But if what I want to do is open a particular file ASAP, I have to click, click, and click again to launch it. What a pain.
The fix: If you like the way the Start menu's submenus unfold automatically, make My Documents work the same way. Right-click the Start button, click Properties, select the Start Menu tab, click Customize, and select the Advanced tab. Next, scroll down the 'Start menu items' list to the 'My Documents' section, select Display as a menu, and click OK. Applying the same operation to some of the other Start menu items listed, such as Control Panel and My Computer, can expedite access to those parts of Windows, as well.
Connection Conundrums
Banish Wi-Fi Pop-Ups
The annoyance: Several wireless networks I connect to have weak signals. The connection is usually there, but occasionally it wavers in and out of existence. Each time this happens, Windows notifies me (via little text balloons that pop up from the connection's system tray icon) that the connection has been lost and then reestablished. After 10 or 15 of these messages appear, I'm ready to live without a wireless network, if only for the freedom from incessant status updates.
The fix: Fortunately, I found a way to pop those bothersome balloons permanently. Right-click the connection's system tray icon and choose Open Network Connections. Right-click the connection there, choose Properties, uncheck both Show icon in notification area when connected and Notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity, and click OK. This works with wired network connections, too.
Put ActiveX on Hiatus
The annoyance: I'm surfing along the Net with Internet Explorer, when suddenly hypertext links appear on a page that I'm sure didn't have them before. The culprit? Adware that surreptitiously installed itself on my PC, due to overactive ActiveX controls, which open the door to programs downloaded from Web pages.
The fix: The safest policy is to hobble ActiveX. Choose Tools, Internet Options, select the Security tab, choose the Internet zone, and click Custom Level. Scroll down to the 'ActiveX controls and plug-ins' section, and set 'Download signed ActiveX controls' and 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting' to Prompt--or get really tough and set them to Disable. (Prompt will generate dialog boxes asking you to approve ActiveX downloads. Disable will cause sites that require ActiveX not to work right.) Set 'Download unsigned ActiveX controls' as well as 'Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe' to Disable (if they aren't already; this is the default in SP2). Legions of Firefox converts who surf daily without ActiveX don't miss it, and for the most part neither will you. If you can't do without a site that requires these settings, temporarily enable ActiveX for safe or signed controls. By the way, XP SP2 adds some protection against malicious ActiveX controls, and the forthcoming Internet Explorer 7 browser promises to make ActiveX safer when used under Longhorn by making the browser fully functional in a low-rights user account.
Media Mayhem
Burn It Now
The annoyance: Windows Explorer provides an interface to my CD-R/RW drive that lets me drag files to that drive in Explorer. But often I drag, I drop--and nothing happens. Rather than actually writing the files to the recordable CD, Windows merely queues them in a folder (using up hard disk space in the process) until I'm ready to write and close the CD.
The fix: First make sure you installed the packet-writing driver that came with your drive or PC (Roxio Easy CD Creator and Nero Burning ROM supply their own packet-writing drivers) by looking in the program's Start menu folder for a shortcut (for example, Roxio's is called Drag-to-Disc). Even if you have this driver installed, however, Windows may still queue the files for later writing. The solution is utterly counterintuitive. Right-click the CD writer in Explorer, choose Properties, select the Recording tab, and uncheck (that's right, disable) Enable CD recording on this drive (see Figure 6
Figure 6: Make Windows Explorer write files to recordable media immediately by telling it to do exactly the opposite.
). From now on, when you drag files and folders and drop them on the recordable drive's icon, the burner will write them to the disc immediately, using the packet-writing driver.
Recover Your Autoplay
The annoyance: Once upon a time, Windows anticipated my every move, popping up a wizard when I plugged in my camera, or launching my media player when I inserted a music CD. Then one day (after I installed a new program, or clicked--without reading carefully--a pop-up dialog box), Windows forgot what to do with my music, photos, and other media files.
The fix: Right-clicking the drive or device in Explorer and choosing Properties will lead you to an Autoplay or Events tab where you can reestablish which program should do what when you plug in, but Autoplay settings sometimes remain stubbornly broken. Microsoft's Autoplay Repair Wizard fixes the botched settings. Although the Microsoft download page asks you to validate your copy of Windows before downloading the wizard (how annoying!), you can, perversely enough, opt out of validation and still download the fix.
Essential Anti-Annoyance Add-Ons
Illustration by Hal Mayforth
Gimme Back My Boot Disk
Before Windows 2000 and XP, if things went haywire on your PC, you could always reboot it with a floppy to run virus scans, retrieve lost files, and so on. XP lets you make an Emergency Recovery Disk, but most of us wouldn't know what to do with an ERD's few command-line tools. Instead, download Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE); it's a free tool that creates a bootable Windows rescue CD or DVD from your XP installation disc and can optionally back up utilities, such as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE anti-spyware tool.
Recover Network Connections From Spyware
One way some spyware programs hijack your computer is by inserting themselves deep into Windows' networking software. Spyware removers, such as Sunbelt Software's CounterSpy, should remove the offending software. But such utilities can't always get your network running again. The free WinSock XP Fix gets the information flowing once more.
Organize Photos With Picasa
Windows XP's Camera and Scanner Wizard and the My Pictures folder are better than nothing. But they provide only minimal tools for downloading and organizing your snapshots. Google's free Picasa can perform at least a dozen invaluable photo tricks, including finding duplicates (to save disk space), performing basic image editing (to replace Paint's unchanged-in-decades toolbox), and handling Blogger uploads.
Improve Your IPod Interface
Irritated with ITunes? Mad at your Nomad? Most audio players come bundled with interface software that you may have no choice about using and that may not play well with Windows Explorer. But Red Chair Software sells feature-rich replacement programs customized for lots of players from Apple, Creative, Dell, IRiver, Rio, and Xclef. Red Chair's apps do a better job of integrating your audio player into Windows Explorer. Each costs from $15 to $35, depending on the version.
64-Bit Windows Is Here--Without the Benefits
I installed Windows XP Pro X64 on Dell's Dimension XPS Gen 5--mostly successfully. But only some users will find that the gains outweigh the pains. Review these tips before you upgrade.
Is 64-Bit Windows for You?
The benefit of 64-bit computing is that memory- and CPU-hungry apps will perform better than their 32-bit versions. But few 64-bit programs exist, and those that do may not offer much benefit. The 64-bit Firefox I tested ran like a charm, but it performed the same as the 32-bit version.
Check for Drivers
Before switching from 32-bit XP Pro to 64-bit, download 64-bit drivers from your computer and component makers' sites and burn them to a CD. Without proper drivers, you'll likely run into problems. I learned this the hard way: When I tried to go online, Windows could not find the network card. Although Dell's Web site offers 64-bit ethernet drivers, they were incompatible with my particular card. So I had to install a different network adapter--one that X64 supports.
Get the Full Version
Once you upgrade your copy of 32-bit XP Pro to X64, you forfeit your license to the 32-bit version. If you run into an incompatibility later, you can't go back to the old version, and you can't legally dual-boot 32- and 64-bit Windows. To make sure you have separate licenses, buy the full version of X64.
Say Goodbye to Old Software
X64 runs 32-bit programs using a 32-bit emulation layer that, as far as I could tell, does not have performance delays. I could run Firefox, Opera, ITunes, Adobe Reader, and OpenOffice.org. But unlike 32-bit XP, X64 doesn't run 16-bit apps, including 32-bit programs that rely on a 16-bit installer (I ran into a snag with an old screen-capture tool). X64 can also balk at utilities that run as drivers. ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm firewall, Symantec's Norton Antivirus 2005, and Grisoft's AVG Antivirus all failed to install during my informal tests.
Click here for more details on X64.
Windows Wish List
Illustration by Hal Mayforth
Accelerate Shutdowns
I'm generally very patient. But quirks in XP that have complex workarounds or no satisfactory solutions make me a little testy. Such problems top my fix-it wish list for the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn. For example, it bugs me that shutdowns and restarts can take longer than backing up my PC. And finding the culprit is a tedious process. Why is there no Windows diagnostic tool--perhaps within Task Manager--that will analyze each program not only while it's running but also while you're shutting down or rebooting, so as to pinpoint ones that are malfunctioning?
In the meantime, use process of elimination to find out whether the issue involves an app or a driver, and then which program or driver. If the slowpoke turns out to be a program, close it before shutdown, or patch it if this is a known problem. If it's a driver, use Device Manager to update it. Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, Hardware, and click Device Manager. Right-click the device and choose Update Driver to search the Windows Update site for a newer version. To test if a particular driver is at fault, choose Disable instead of Update Driver and restart Windows. For more advice, check out Jim Eshelman's Windows XP Shutdown & Restart Troubleshooting tips.
'Repair' for Dead Connections
Here's another item that Microsoft needs to add to its Longhorn to-do list: fixing its current network repair button. I have tried using this button when my network connection suddenly goes kaput, but it has never worked for me. Why does Windows taunt its users this way?
In lieu of a functional Repair button, I've sometimes had success using the command prompt's ipconfig command--but it's easier simply to disable and reenable the network connection. To do this in Windows XP, open Control Panel's Network Connections, right-click the connection, select Disable, right-click the connection again, and select Enable. If that sequence does not do the trick, power-cycle or reset the cable or DSL modem and the router, if any, that you have between your computer and the broadband connection.
Smarter File Operation Fixes
My last feature request for Longhorn: Windows should identify and isolate bad files during batch operations. When I try to do the same thing to 500 files--like drag them from one folder to another--odds are that there will be some hangup with one of them. When that occurs, Explorer just quits, telling me there was a problem, but leaving some of my files moved and the rest unmoved. Even if I can find and fix the error, the task of hunting down the unprocessed files and completing the operation drives me nuts--and there's no guarantee that there won't be another bad file in the batch.
There go 10, 20, 30 minutes of my life that I'll never get back. Instead of quitting, Explorer should isolate the problem files, much as a spyware or antivirus scanner does, but continue to process the ones that have no problems. That way, I get the job done and can focus exclusively on the trouble-making files when that's over.
Unfortunately, the only solution currently available is to press <Ctrl>-Z to undo the move operation; close all programs that might have files open; and then try, try again.