More Win XP Tips! 

11)  Use the Desktop Cleanup Wizard in Windows XP

To start the Desktop Cleanup Wizard:

Click Start , and then click Control Panel.

In Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes under Pick a category.

Under or pick a Control Panel icon , click Display.  The Display Properties dialog box is displayed.

In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop.  The Desktop Items dialog box is displayed.

Under Desktop cleanup , click to clear the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days check box if you do not want the Desktop Cleanup Wizard to automatically start every 60 days.

Click Clean Desktop Now.  The Desktop Cleanup Wizard starts.

12) Remove Unwanted Shortcuts

In the Welcome to the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, click Next.

In the Shortcuts dialog box, a list of shortcuts are displayed in the Shortcut to Clean Up list.  The shortcuts that you click are removed from the desktop and placed in the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder on the Windows desktop.

If you do not want a shortcut to be removed from the desktop, click to clear the check box for that shortcut, and then click Next when you are finished.

In the Completing the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, view the items in the Shortcuts box to confirm that you want them removed from the desktop, and then click Finish.

The Desktop Cleanup Wizard moves the selected shortcuts to the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder and then quits.

13)  Restore Shortcuts

If a shortcut that you want is removed, follow these steps to restore the shortcut:

On the Desktop, double-click the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder.  The Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is displayed.  Note:  If the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is maximized, click the Restore Down button (appears to the left of the red Close button).

Drag the shortcut that you want to the Windows desktop.

Close the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box.

14)   How to Turn On Automatic Updates

Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click System.

Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click one of the following options:

- Download the updates automatically and notify me when they are ready to be installed.  (This is the default setting.)

- Notify me before downloading any updates and notify me again before installing them on my computer.

15)  How to Turn Off Automatic Updates

Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click System.

Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Turn off automatic updating.  I want to update my computer manually.

16)  How to Update Your Files Manually by Using Windows Update

If you choose not to use automatic updating, you can still install specific updates from the Windows Update Web site. Windows Update is a catalog of items such as drivers, security fixes, critical updates, the latest Help files, and Internet products that you can download to keep your computer up-to-date.

Click Windows Update in Help and Support Center.

On the Windows Update home page, click Scan for updates.

Click Yes when you are prompted to install any required software or device drivers.

17)  How to Have Windows Remind You About Pending Updates

Click Remind Me Later in the Automatic Updates dialog box before you download or install the update.

In the Reminder dialog box, you can specify the amount of time Windows should wait before reminding you.

If the reminder is for downloading, Windows reminds you only when you are connected to the Internet.

If the reminder is for installing, Windows reminds you according to the schedule that you specify.

18)  How to Download Available Updates

If you configured automatic updating to notify you before downloading any updates, an icon is displayed in the notification area each time new updates are found. 

Double-click the icon in the notification area.

Do either of the following steps:

If you want Windows to download an update, make sure that the check box beside it is selected.-or-

If you do not want Windows to download an update, click to clear the check box beside it.

Your selected updates are downloaded in the background; this behavior allows you to continue working uninterrupted.  Downloading does not interfere with or slow down other network activity, such as Internet browsing.

When downloading is finished, the icon is displayed in the notification area to notify you that updates are ready to be installed.

19)  How to Pause or Resume Downloading

After the download process has started, you can pause or resume downloading at any time.  If you close your Internet connection or restart your computer after pausing a download process, Windows automatically resumes the download process the next time you are connected to the Internet.

During the download process, click the icon that is displayed in the notification area, and then click Pause.

When you are ready for Windows to start downloading again, click the Automatic updating icon, and then click

Resume.

Restore an Update that You Previously Declined

If you decide not to download a specific update, you can prompt Windows Update to offer that update again.

Click Start , click Control Panel, and then double-click System.

Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click Restore Declined Updates.

20)  Using  the Ultimate Configuration Tool (Professional Edition Only)

One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists.  It's called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short. It just like old Poledit.exe.

To start this editor:

Select Start and then Run, then type the following:

gpedit.msc

After you hit Enter, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify almost every feature in Windows XP without having to go to regedit.