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Q. I use Windows XP Home version. If I select "Run" and type in msconfig, what would I uncheck and change to make the overall startup faster? Are there other things I can do? Someone suggested deleting as many icons as I can from the Windows screen. What suggestions do you have?
A. Good question, one that hasn't been asked in such exact terms. Maybe in a future article I can detail what is loaded at startup for a default Windows XP install.
Of course, every system will have differences depending upon the hardware configuration and components. These are the things I would do to investigate what is starting on my system: Run MSCONFIG and click the Services tab. Click the "Hide All Microsoft Services" option box at the bottom. Most of the Microsoft services are the necessary components for the XP operating system. Some may not be necessary in all cases, but we'll save that for another time.
Click the Manufacturer tab to sort by the remaining service manufacturer. Among the services I'd expect to see here would be the particular antivirus application installed on my system; most will identify themselves with descriptive names. All others you will need to investigate to determine exactly what they are.
The Windows Service viewer (Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Services) may have more descriptive information on these services. If you're in doubt as to whether a particular service is a necessary part of your system, it is best left alone until you can gather more information.
Clicking to uncheck a service in the System Configuration tool will disable the automatic startup of that service on the next boot.
Next, click the Startup tab. Here you will find the applications that are started from your Startup folder and from the startup area of the registry. Expand the Command column (double-click the right column separator) to expose the entire command, which will include the file directory from which the application starts. Again, you should see operating system components such as LVComS, Dumprep, Taskswitch, mouse or keyboard drivers, as well as some antivirus commands and programs. All others should be investigated. The directory names should help provide clues as to exactly what they are.
As far as the desktop icons, it is always a good idea to keep the desktop as clean as possible. But a properly configured system - one with plenty of random access memory - should not be noticeably slowed by too many desktop icons. After all, the Desktop is meant to be a convenience.
Changing registered namesQ. In your April 7 column, the item about replacing an original registered name was very exact. I tried it on Windows 2000, where I'm having the problem, and it never gets to registered organization.
A. For Windows 2000, you'll find this registry information at: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion] with the keys named RegisteredOrganization and RegisteredOwner (each key being one word with no spaces).
Outlook Express attachmentsQ. You had an article with instructions for temporarily discontinuing the Outlook Express removal for security reasons. I can't locate that newspaper.
A. You can access all previous columns (along with many other things) at the Personal Tech archive Web site. The main Personal Tech address is www.sptimes.com/Technology.shtml At the bottom of this page is a link to the archives (www.sptimes.com/Technology/archive.shtml)
Now, for your Outlook Express problem: From the Outlook Express menu, click Tools, Options and the Security tab. Uncheck the "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus" option box.