On Resume, Password Protect vs on Resume, Display Welcome Screen Setting in Windows XP

When you open the Display Settings Control Panel applet and click the Screensaver tab, one of the following options are shown:

• On resume, display Welcome screen
• On resume, password protect

The second option is seen in systems which are connected to domain (which disables the Welcome screen.) If you enable this option, you’ll see the "Unlock Computer" classic logon prompt when resuming from screensaver mode. Whereas the former displays the Welcome screen when resuming from screensaver mode.

What if the "On resume, password protect" option is shown in a standalone system where the Welcome screen is enabled? What causes the "On resume, password protect" option to be shown in standalone systems and systems in a Workgroup?

This was asked by many Windows XP users over these years in various forums where I participate, but no entire explanation for this observation has been found anywhere. Hence this article was written.

How to Enable or Disable Thumbnail Previews Quickly Using Right-Click Menu in Windows Vista and Windows 7

If you had disabled thumbnail previews in Windows Explorer for performance, but want to have a means of enabling or disabling thumbnail previews in a jiffy, here is a solution for you. To enable or disable thumbnail previews in Windows Vista and Windows 7, you normally click on the Organize button in the folder view, choose Folder and Search Options, select the View tab and then select or deselect the Always show icons, never thumbnails.

Editor’s note: Of course, one can change the folder view options to Tiles or Details, and apply the setting to other folders. This article is for users who prefer the "icons" view, but want to enable or disable thumbnails quickly without getting into Folder Options.

Here is a REG file and a VBScript that adds a Enable/Disable Thumbnails option to the right-click menu. This script works in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

1. Download togglethumbs.zip and save it to the Desktop.

2. Unzip the archive and extract the contents to a folder.

3. Move the file togglethumbs.vbs to the C:\Windows directory.

4. Double-click togglethumbs.reg to merge the contents to the registry.

The Enable/Disable Thumbnails option is now added to the context menu, which will be seen when you right-click on the Desktop and when right-clicking on an empty area in a folder.

Use Theme on XP

Reduce the overhead associated with WinXP's new Themes. This is valid for Windows XP Home and Pro. I have observed between 4 MB to 12 MB of RAM used for the new themes.

With the default Category Control Panel:

Head to Start
Select Control Panel
Select Performance and Maintenance
Select System
Select Advanced Tab
Under Performance, select the Settings button
Select Visual Effects Tab
Select "Adjust for best performance."
Select the Ok button

With the Classic Control Panel:

Head to Start
Select Control Panel
Select System
Select Advanced Tab
Under Performance, select the Settings button
Select Visual Effects Tab
Select "Adjust for best performance."
Select the Ok button

Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing

Remove Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop Sharing.

Take note: Remote Desktop Sharing is not available with Windows XP Home. You may request assistance from someone only using Windows XP Pro.

Where do you find it?

With the default Category Control Panel:

Head to Start
Select Control Panel
Select Performance and Maintenance
Select System
Select Remote Tab
Uncheck both "Remote Assistance and Desktop Sharing" options
Select the Ok button to apply the settings

With the Classic Control Panel:

Head to Start
Select Control Panel
Select System
Select Remote Tab
Uncheck both "Remote Assistance and Desktop Sharing" options
Select the Ok button to apply the settings

Disable Shutting Down in Windows XP

You can prevent users from being able to shut down the computer. This might be useful in cases such as when you’re running a server and you don’t want anyone to shut it down inadvertently.

Navigate to:
HCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
And to:
HLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In these locations, create or modify the DWORD value called NoClose and set it to 1. Reset it to 0 to enable shutting down.

Log out and log back in, or restart Windows, for the change to take effect.

Disable Right-Click on the Start Button

As part of securing the desktop, disable the ability to right-click on the start button and select the command options Open, Explore and Find.

Navigate to:
HCR\Directory\shell
And to:
HCR\Folder\Shell

For both these keys, rename “shell” to “shell.old“. Exit the Registry editor and right click on the start button: the options will not be available. To re-enable them, simply remove the “.old” suffix.

Lock Your Computer on Mouse Click!

Instead of pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL or windows + L to lock your machine you can create an icon to lock your machine. There are very simple steps by using it you can simply lock your computer using single mouse click.

• Right click an empty spot on desktop

• Select New and click Shortcut.

• In the Create Shortcut dialog box, type the following in the 'Type the location' of the item text box:

rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation

• Click Next.

• In "Type a name for this shortcut", type (any name as u wish) and Click Finish.

• This will Create a shortcut on your Desktop.

• Now each time when you want to lock the computer , Just click on this shortcut.