Make Windows faster and easier to use

In this article we’ll show you the hidden secrets of both Windows XP and Vista. You’ll find time-saving shortcuts, performance-boosting techniques and tips to improve the appearance of Windows. Although these tips won’t harm your PC, we recommend you back up all important files before trying them; it’s all too easy to click on the wrong button.

All references to Control Panel in XP assume the Classic View is being used. Check this now by opening the Start menu and selecting Control Panel ­ – a link at the top-left of the window will enable you to switch to Classic View, although if it is labelled ‘Switch to Category View’ you need take no further action.

Create a Flip 3D shortcut (Vista)
Pressing and holding two keys to activate Flip 3D can be fiddly. It’s far better to activate it via a desktop shortcut. To do this, right-click an empty part of the desktop and select New, then Shortcut. Now type RunDll32 DwmApi #105 and click Next, then give the shortcut a name. After clicking the shortcut you can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to move through the pages.

Close multiple Taskbar items (XP)
To close multiple folders and applications on the Taskbar items in one go, hold down the Control key while double-clicking on each one in turn. Now right-click one and select Close Group.

Recover System Restore disk space (XP)
If you’re running out of hard disk space, it’s possible to limit how much is used by System Restore. Click Start, open the Control Panel and then double-click the System icon. Select the System Restore tab and use the slider to determine how much space can be used. If you have no need for System Restore because you have a full and regular hard disk backup routine in place, you can turn it off altogether.

Put a web shortcut in the Taskbar (Vista)
To open websites faster right-click an empty area of the Taskbar, select Toolbars and click the Address option. Now you can type website addresses here and Windows will open it in your web browser.

Bypass the Recycle Bin (XP and Vista)
To save disk space, hold down the Control key when pressing or clicking Delete. This means it will bypass the Recycle Bin and Windows can overwrite the space it occupies on the disk.

Control who can shut down your PC (XP)
To stop other household members from shutting down your PC from the login screen, click Start, Control Panel and then Administrative Tools. Now double-click Local Security Policy. In the window that appears, double-click Local Policies, then Security Options. On the right, scroll to and double-click ‘Shutdown: allow system to be shut down without having to log on’ and select Disabled.

Subdue your Sidebar (Vista)
If the Sidebar is a little overbearing, you can adjust the transparency of each gadget by right-clicking each in turn, selecting Opacity and choosing a percentage value.

Save time with your disc drive (XP)
To add a quick launch icon for your CD or DVD drive, open My Computer and drag the CD or DVD icon to the Quick Launch area of the Taskbar. This will enable you to view files waiting to be burned and even open the drive tray. You can create shortcuts to any other files and folders in the same way.

Use an XP-style file menu (Vista)
Vista’s Start menu looks impressive but some find the old XP version easier to use. To switch between the two, right-click the Start button and select Properties. Now choose either the Start Menu or Classic Start Menu option and click OK.

Speed up Start menu items (XP)
This tip is for confident users only. To eliminate the delay when clicking on the Start menu, click Start, select run and type regedit and press Enter. Double-click HKEY_CURRENT USER, then Control Panel and Desktop. In the right-hand section of the window, locate and double-click the MenuShowDelay entry. Enter ‘0’ as the value and restart.

Change Security Center warnings (Vista)
Windows Security Center helps ensure that your PC is safe from attack but its constant pop-up alerts can become annoying. To change these, type security center into the Start menu and press Enter. On the left, click ‘Change the way Security Center alerts me’ and then choose one of the three options.

Disable error reporting (XP)
To stop XP asking if it can send an error report when a program crashes, click Start, Control Panel and then System. Click the Error Reporting button at the bottom and you can enable or disable error report requests.

Turn off balloon tips (XP)
If you find the pop-up balloon tips in XP annoying, you can turn them off. We recommend you set a System Restore point first (click Start then All Programs, Accessories followed by System Tools and System Restore). Click Run then type regedit and press Enter. Now double-click the HKEY_CURRENT_USER entry and then, in turn, double-click Software, Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, Explorer and finally Advanced. Right-click anywhere in the right-hand side of the window and choose New, then DWORD and name it EnableBalloonTips. Double-click this new entry, type 0 in the ‘Value data’ field, click OK and then restart your PC.

Use keyboard shortcuts (Vista)
There are plenty of keyboard shortcuts in Vista that help speed up common tasks. For example, pressing the Windows key and the spacebar makes the Sidebar appear (as long as it’s running in the background), while the Windows and T key combination cycles through a live preview of the Taskbar items. You can also run items in the quick launch section by holding the Windows key and pressing the appropriate number (Windows and ‘1’ to start the first quick launch entry, and so on).

Add extra world clocks (Vista)
If you need to keep track of the time across the world, right-click the clock in the Notification Area and select ‘Adjust Date/Time’. Select the Additional Clocks tab and click one or both of the ‘Show this clock’ options. Choose the time zone for each and click OK. Hover over the clock and the new time zones will appear.