Don’t Get Fooled by Generic Windows XP Product Keys from Microsoft

There is a page from Microsoft TechNet containing a list of 7 generic product keys for Windows XP and Whistler. Lots of websites and software sellers cheat people by telling them that these are genuine XP product keys and can be used to activate Windows without any problem. They even ask for money to provide these keys but the worst thing is ...

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In our daily computer tasks, we use Desktop Properties quite often. Sometimes to change Desktop wallpaper, sometimes to change Windows theme and sometimes to change Display settings like screen resolution, monitor settings, etc. For each change, we need to go through various steps: right-click on Desktop and select "Properties / Personalize" and...

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Hidden Trick to Exit Windows Explorer Using Shutdown Dialog Box in Windows XP

Many times we install a software, shell extension which requires a restart. Sometimes logging off or end task of Explorer does the job and we don't need to restart the whole system. We usually End task of Explorer using Task Manager but Windows XP provides a lot easier way to Exit Explorer which is better than using Task Manager to forcefully...

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How to Fix “Windows NT Setup Files Detected” Error Message While Running UXTheme Patcher in Windows XP

As you all know that Windows by default doesnt allow 3rd party themes to be used. But you can patch system files to use them without any problem. In Windows XP, you need to patch "UXTheme.dll" file to be able to use 3rd party themes. As you might be aware of my "VistaVG" and "SevenVG" theme series: Theme for Windows XP Although I have included...

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How to Install and Apply Styler Toolbar Skin in Windows XP Explorer?

NOTE: If Styler toolbar entry is not available or greyed out in Explorer toolbar context menu, enable "Enable third-party browser extensions" option in Internet Explorer's Options window. Log off or restart your system and now you should be able to enable Styler toolbar in Explorer. Thanks to our reader "Royan" for this info. In this tutorial,...

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The Best and The Easiest Way to Slipstream Service Pack 3 (SP3) into Windows XP Setup

We all know Microsoft has released the third and last service pack for Windows XP. So here I'm posting a simple and detailed guide for slipstreaming this SP3 into your Windows XP Setup, so that whenever you do a fresh Windows installation, you'll not need to wait for hours to download and install Windows updates or to manually install SP3. If you are wondering why should I slipstream SP3 into my Windows setup, then following are a few points which will satisfy you: 1. By slipstreaming SP3 into Windows setup, you'll get an up-to-date Windows...

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How to Enable / Disable Changing Themes, Wallpapers, Screen Savers and Other Desktop Settings?

Windows you can change desktop wallpaper, screen saver, themes and other appearance settings by right-click on Desktop and select "Properties". Sometimes you might want to disable all or a few options in Desktop Properties to restrict users or you might want to enable those options in case they are disabled by your system administrator or a virus...

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How to Enable / Disable New XP Style Welcome Screen, Log Off and Shutdown Dialog Box in Windows XP?

If you are a Windows XP user, you can see the new XP welcome screen at Windows startup. Also when you click on "Log Off" or "Shutdown" options in Startmenu, it shows new XP Style dialog boxes as shown in following screenshots: New XP Style Log Off Dialog Box: New XP Style Shutdown Dialog Box: There are also Classic dialog boxes available in Windows...

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Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Setup Error: Access is denied.

As we all know Microsoft has released the final version of Windows XP SP3 to public and its available via Automatic Updates, Windows Updates and Downloads Center. Earlier we posted about it at following link: Windows XP SP3 RTM Available on Windows Update, Automatic Update and Download Center You can download the SP3 from the above mentioned link. A few people are facing a problem while installing SP3. Whenever they try to install it, Windows shows following error message: Service Pack 3 setup error. Access is denied.ORService Pack 3 setup...

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How to Change Default Wallpaper Directory in Desktop Properties in Windows XP?

his tip is for Windows XP users. When you want to change the desktop wallpaper, you right-click on desktop, select Properties and goto "Desktop" tab. Now you see a few wallpapers in the given list: You can select any of them but if your wallpapers are somewhere else, you'll need to click on "Browse" button and then goto that folder and select...

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How to Add / Remove Items from New Menu in Windows?

In Windows, whenever we right-click on Desktop or Explorer, we get "New" menu which contains shortcuts for various known file types. We can easily create new files using this handy "New" menu. Sometimes we may want to remove a few unwanted items from "New" menu or we may want to add a few necessary items to "New" menu which are not present. So...

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How to Add Your Name in Desktop Context Menu in Windows XP?

NOTE: If you are facing problems while saving a file after editing in resource hacker, then make sure you have disabled WFP (Windows File Protection) service using WFP Patcher, it can be found in our "Download" section. Also if you are getting error "Can't create file...", that means you have edited and saved the same file in past and there is...

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Download Windows 7 Boot Screen for XP and Vista

As we all know that Windows 7 contains a new animated boot screen which shows animated items/balls that come together to form Windows logo. If you want to enjoy the same boot screen in Windows XP or Vista, then here is a good news for you. Windows 7 look-like boot screens are available for Windows XP and Vista: You can download the boot screens...

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Start Killer: Remove Start Button from Windows Taskbar

Do you also think that the Start button in taskbar should be removed to gain some extra free space? Actually many people use WIN key in keyboard to access the startmenu and find the start button useless for them. If you also want to remove the start button, here is a good app for you. "Start Killer" is a very small program which can remove the...

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How to Disable Annoying Caps Lock Key in Windows?

So what was the last time when you used "Caps Lock" key in your keyboard? Can't remember? Actually Caps Lock key is one of the most unused keys in the keyboard. Its also one of the most annoying keys. Tell us honestly how many times did you face that annoying situation when you pressed this key accidentally and typed a line or full paragraph without even knowing that Caps Lock is ON? Your answer would be many times. So here is a simple solution for this annoying problem. You can either permanently disable "Caps Lock" key or change it to...

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Customize or Disable Any Key in Your Keyboard Using SharpKeys

Recently I got my new laptop "Dell XPS M1530". Its great but I faced one problem. My previous laptop was a Toshiba one and it had the "Delete" key placed between right Ctrl key and left arrow key. This new Dell laptop has the Delete key at top-right corner. I found it very uncomfortable and pressed a wrong key quite frequently. Have you faced...

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Get Windows 7 Look-Like Desktop Context Menu in XP, Add “View”, “Screen Resolution”, “Gadgets” & “Personalize” Options

Windows 7 Desktop context menu is much different than XP one. Following are a few things which are new in Windows 7 menu and we are going to have them in XP: "View" menu visible in Desktop context menu "Arrange Icons By" renamed to "Sort by" "Properties" renamed to "Personalize" "Auto arrange icons" and "Align icons to grid" options moved from...

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Microsoft Adds Support for exFAT File System Format in Windows XP

Windows XP doesn't support exFAT file system format but now Microsoft has released a small update for Windows XP which adds the support for exFAT file system. The update number is "KB955704" and can be downloaded from following link: Download Update The update can be installed in XP SP2 and SP3. The exFAT system offers following advantages: Enables the file system to handle growing capacities in media, increasing capacity to 32 GB and larger. Handles more than 1000 files in a single directory. Speeds up storage allocation processes. Removes...

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Organize Your Windows Desktop Icons in a New Way Using Stardock Fences

Do you have lots of unused icons on your Desktop but can't get sufficient time to organize them? Do you want to make your Desktop clutter-free? If your answer is YES, here is a new great tool for you to make your task easier. "Stardock Fences" is a new free utility from Stardock which allows you to draw labeled shaded areas on your desktop, which...

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Stopper: How to Prevent / Restrict Users from Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete Operations in Windows?

Ever faced a situation when someone used your system and copied some data which you didn't want to share with him? Your answer would be "YES". Almost all of us face this situation. We all have some private data or some software which we don't want to share with others. But we can't do anything when our friends or relatives copy them from our system....

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Force CapsLock, NumLock and ScrollLock Keys Behavior Using Windows Registry

Its a very common problem among Windows users. Whenever Windows starts, it automatically turns "CapsLock", "NumLock" or "ScrollLock" keys On at login screen even if you turned the keys off before the login or boot screen. If you want to permanently change their behavior, then you can use following steps to do so: 1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box...

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Get Windows 7 Volume Control Box in Windows XP

Windows 7 contains a redesigned Volume Control window which shows better details and graphics for device volumes. Now you can get a similar window in your XP. Thanks to fediaFedia for creating this mod. Download the required file from following link: Download Windows 7 Volume Control for XP Alternative Link After downloading the ZIP file, extract...

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Nimi Visuals: Add Various Eye Candy Effects to Windows

Nimi (formerly known as Tophaz) is a small program that adds various window effects that can be adjusted by user. Currently, those are: Transparency effects, with fading Desktop shadows - turn all windows transparent and click-through when desktop is selected. Holding mouse with button pressed over transparent window activates it again. Window fading in on creation - fade in window on it's creation Contrast screen - creates contrast between active and non-active windows Taskbar and start menu transparency(no fading) Ttransparency on window...

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