Windows XP FAQ F

Floppy Drive - Is Active

1. Check your recent documents that point to the A: drive. And/or try clearing My Recent Documents.

2. Do a search for *.lnk, then delete any references to A: that are not "Send To" or similar "shortcuts".

3. Right click the My Computer icon/Manage. Services and Applications/Services/Shell Hardware Detection and set
     it to Automatic. Or Programs/Administrative Tools/Services/In the right pane set "Shell Hardware Detection" service
     to automatic.

4. Start/Run/gpedit.msc/User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Windows Explorer.
     In the right pane double click Hide these specific drives from my computer. Enable then use the drop box.

5. Do a Start/Run/CMD then type in the path command. Is a: listed in the search path?

6. Some AV software will automatically scan the floppy drive at both startup and shutdown.

7. This may be a reappearance of the NTFS bug on showing color. Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, View uncheck
     "Show encrypted or compressed NTFS folders in color"

8. In the BIOS set the PC to boot first to drive C, not the A. And also, go into the boot section in the bios and and
    turn off floppy drive seek at boot.

9. Task Scheduler can cause floppy seeking on startup. Even is you choose to *Stop using Task Scheduler* (but do
     not Disable the service) in the Scheduled Tasks>Advanced Options, you will still get the thrashing - you have to
    *disable* the service altogether to get rid of the thrashing.

10. Log off then log back on

Floppy Drive - Please insert disk

This behavior can occur if a folder that includes a .pif file that references a program file on a floppy disk drive is opened.
For example, if you have a .pif file with a command line "a:\edit.com" in the Windows\Temp folder, your floppy disk
drive may be active when you start your computer.

To resolve this issue, change the command line reference in the Properties of the shortcut, or delete the shortcut: For example, if the command line reads a:\edit.com, change the line to read edit.com.

This issue most often occurs after the contents of a floppy disk are copied to a folder on your hard disk. This can also
occur if a shortcut on your hard disk references a program that is on a floppy disk. Note that this can also occur on
other removable media.

Check your settings here: Programs/Administrative Tools/Services. In the right pane set "Shell Hardware Detection"
service to automatic.

"Please Insert Disk into Drive A:" Appears Repeatedly at Startup

Folder

How to Designate the Original Folder Name for a Reinstallation of Windows XP

Folder Backgrounds - Customizing

Select the folder you want to use for your background wallpaper. You MUST convert the folder you want to use to
a SYSTEM folder. At the command prompt screen (Start/Run/CMD) which looks something like this: c:\> type this command: attrib +s c:\myfolder and then hit the return key.

Copy and paste the script below into Notepad and change the line that says IconArea_Image to point to the directory
and the file that you want to use for the background image.

[ExtShellFolderViews]
{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}={BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}

[{BE098140-A513-11D0-A3A4-00C04FD706EC}]
Attributes=1
IconArea_Image=C:\YOUR LOCATION\OF\ANY\IMAGE.JPG
IconArea_Text=0x00000000

The last line in the script tells Windows what color the font will be when you read the files in that folder. For instance:

0x00000000 = black
0x00FF0000 = blue
0x0000FF00 = green
0x000000FF = red
0x00C000C0 = purple

Now save the file you just created as desktop.ini and place it into the directory you just converted into a system folder.
Now close that folder and then reopen. (From a Newsgroup post made by Alberich)

Tip: If a folder uses the wrong background picture and you can't change it: Start/Run/Regedit and remove this key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags.

Added Note:

Question: One of my special folders (e.g. My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, Shared Documents, etc) has lost
its name, lost its icon, or has the wrong Task Pane template, how can I get it back?

Answer: This problem can occur if the hidden desktop.ini file in the special folder is corrupt or missing. Here are the
steps to fix this problem:

Open the special folder, then in the address bar type \desktop.ini at the end of the path and press enter. This will open Notepad.

If, instead of opening Notepad, you get a message saying Windows cannot find the file right click in the folder and select properties, then go to the Customize tab and click Change Icon then click OK and click OK again. This will create a desktop.ini with the correct Hidden and System attributes. Now you can repeat the first step.

    In Notepad change the text of the file to the correct text specified below (My Documents, My Music,
        My Pictures, My Videos, Favorites, Shared Documents, Shared Music, Shared Pictures, Shared Videos).
        Then save the file and exit Notepad.
Log Off all the way and then Log In.

Note: When the text of one of these files contains Douglas Thrift replace it with your own user name.

My Documents

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Douglas Thrift
Personalized=5
PersonalizedName=My Documents

My Music

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Douglas Thrift
Personalized=13
PersonalizedName=My Music
[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-237

My Pictures

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Douglas Thrift
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures
[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\System32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101

My Videos

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12690
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-238
[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Douglas Thrift
Personalized=14
PersonalizedName=My Videos

Favorites

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll
IconIndex=-173
LocalizedResourceName=@shell32.dll,-12693

Shared Documents

[.ShellClassInfo]
LocalizedResourceName=@shell32.dll,-21785

Shared Music

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
LocalizedResourceName=@shell32.dll,-28995

Shared Pictures

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
LocalizedResourceName=@shell32.dll,-28997

Shared Videos

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12690
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-238
LocalizedResourceName=@shell32.dll,-28996

Folder Guard - FAT32 Systems

When you use FAT32 for your file system, you do not have access to the security features of NTFS. You can use this program to hide your private files and folders from other users. Restrict access to important system files and be in full
control of the way your files and programs are used by other users of your computer with Folder Guard: http://www.winability.com/folderguard

Folders - Add Fields to the Details View of Folders

You can add other columns to the Details view of the files contained in Windows XP folders, such as Comments, Description, Category, and many others. To add new columns:

Right�click the column header of the files list, and then click one of the fields listed, or click More. In the Choose Details dialog box, you can reorganize the order of column headers, specify column widths, and add columns to display details
for the files in that folder. When you click the new column header, the width of the selected column is displayed in pixels
in the Choose Details dialog box.

Folders - Add Folder To Taskbar

Right-click a blank area of the taskbar and select Toolbars, New Toolbar. Navigate your way to the folder you have
in mind, then click OK. The folder's name will appear on the taskbar, to the left of the notification area.

To access a file inside, click the double-arrow at the right edge of the new toolbar, select any subfolder(s), if necessary,
then select the file you're after. To open the entire folder window, right-click the toolbar and select Open Folder.

Folders - Add Picture to Front

Stick pictures on individual folders to remind you of what's inside. (Note: Don't change the default folder icon, or you
won't see the picture.) Right-click a folder, select Properties and click the Customize tab. Click Choose Picture,
navigate your way to the desired picture, then click OK. And remember, you'll only see the picture in Thumbnails
view. (To switch to Thumbnails view, open a folder and select View, Thumbnails.)

Folders - Copy Files and Folders to a CD

�Insert a blank, writable CD into the CD recorder.
�Open My Computer.
�Click the files or folders you want to copy to the CD. To select more than one file, hold down the CTRL key while you
click the files you want. Then, under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy this file, Copy this folder, or Copy the selected
items.
�If the files are located in My Pictures, under Picture Tasks, click Copy to CD or Copy all items to CD, and then skip to
step 5.
�In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive, and then click Copy.
�In My Computer, double�click the CD recording drive. Windows displays a temporary area where the files are held
before they are copied to the CD. Verify that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD appear under Files
Ready to be Written to the CD.
�Under CD Writing Tasks, click Write these files to CD. Windows displays the CD Writing Wizard. Follow the
instructions in the wizard.

Notes:

�Do not copy more files to the CD than it will hold. Standard CDs hold up to 650 megabytes (MB). High�capacity CDs hold up to 850 MB.
�Be sure that you have enough disk space on your hard disk to store the temporary files that are created during the CD writing process. For a standard CD, Windows reserves up to 700 MB of the available free space. For a high�capacity
CD, Windows reserves up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of the available free space.
�After you copy files or folders to the CD, it is useful to view the CD to confirm that the files are copied. To stop the CD recorder from automatically ejecting the CD
�Open My Computer.
�Right�click the CD recording drive, and then click Properties.
�On the Recording tab, clear the Automatically eject the CD after writing check box.

Folders - Expand All in Windows Explorer

Press the '*' key on the numeric keypad while in Explorer to immediately expand all folders and subfolders on that drive.
Be careful of what you choose to expand, however; if it's a giant Network drive, you could be sitting idle for a minute
or two.

Folders - Move

How to Move Shell Folders and Contents
Registry Settings for Folder Redirection in Windows

Folder Opens Search Window

Go to Start/Run and type in: regsvr32 /i shell32

If that doesn't correct the issue use this automated edit:

Search Opens When Double Clicking a Folder or Drive (Line 18)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use the VBS File: Download .vbs file and save it to your hard drive (you may want to right click and use Save
Target As). Double-click the vbs file. You will be prompted when the script is done.

Manual Edit:

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell

Set the Default value to "none" without the quotes. To do this, double click where it says Default.

You may also need to check:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell
The default value for this entry should be "none", as well.

Folder Options

When you try to use options in Windows Explorer to apply the view setting of the current (selected) folder to all of the folders that are on your computer, Windows XP may not apply the setting to another folder that is open.

This behavior can occur if more than one instance (copy) of Windows Explorer is running on your computer.

To work around this behavior, follow these steps: Quit all instances of Windows Explorer, and then restart Windows Explorer so that only one instance of Windows Explorer is running. Make the necessary changes to the view setting.

Click Folder Options on the Tools menu, and then click Like Current Folder on the View tab. Quit Windows Explorer,
and then start Windows Explorer again.

The View Setting of the Current Selected Folder Is Not Applied to Another Open Folder

Folder Options - Restricted

When you try to access Folder Options from within Windows Explorer, or Internet Options from within Internet Explorer,
you receive the following error message:

"Restrictions - This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact you system administrator."

The Folder Options and Internet Options may still be available from the Start Menu, Settings, and the Internet Options Control Panel applet.

A NoBrowserOptions setting in the Registry causes both Folder Options from within Windows Explorer and Internet Options from within Internet Explorer to be 'restricted'. Why Folder Options is affected, is not known at this time.

Click the link below and download the nobrowseroptions.inf file. Save the file to your hard drive. Locate the file and right click it, select Install. This will clear the Registry entry. You may need to log off/log on for the change to take effect.

nobrowseroptions.inf

Folder Permissions - Automate

How To Automate Folder Permissions (Q180464)

Folder Type as Template

Every Windows XP folder provides a list of hyperlinked tasks appropriate to that type of folder next to the folder contents. For example, the Pictures folder type contains task links for ordering prints online and for printing pictures. If you want
to use a folder type as a template for a selected folder, follow these steps:

Right�click a newly created folder, and then click Properties. Click the Customize tab. In the Use this folder type as a template list, click the template type you want to apply, and then click OK. Now, when you open the new folder, it will contain a hyperlinked task list common to the type of folder you selected as the template.

Folder Views

HOW TO: Arrange Files Using Folder Views
HOW TO: Customize the Windows Explorer Views
HOW TO: View Previously-Opened Folders When You Log On to Windows XP

Folder Views - Change Window To Double-Paned View

Want to switch a folder window from single to a double-paned view (as if you opened the folder inside Windows
Explorer)? All it takes is one click.

Open any folder window and look for the Folders icon on the Standard Buttons toolbar. Click it once to jump to a
double-paned window. Click it again, and you're back to a single pane.

Folder Views - Keep Settings

Go to - Start/Run/Regedit and Delete these two keys, reboot then re-set your folder options.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags

If you prefer not to deal with the registry, you can use the edit from here:

Restore Folder Views (Line 2)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Windows remembers 400 folders. When that number is reached things start to go wrong. You can up this to 1000 by a
dding this to the registry. All tested and working. Things will last a little longer.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:000003e8

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam]
"BagMRU Size"=dword:000003e8

If you prefer not to deal with the registry, you can use the edit from here:

Increase Folder View Options Limit: (Line 2)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Save Settings on Exit (Line 54)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Note: Apply to all folders does not stick:
If you are using TweakUI/Uncheck Only allow Windows Classic Shell

Folders - Special

Question: One of my special folders (e.g. My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, Shared Documents, etc) has lost
its name, lost its icon, or has the wrong Task Pane template, how can I get it back?

Answer: This problem can occur if the hidden desktop.ini file in the special folder is corrupt or missing. Here are the
steps to fix this problem: Illustrated, detailed instructions here: http://computers.douglasthrift.net/winxpfaq/#faq3

Folders - To Set the My Documents Folder to Private

On the Start menu, right-click My Documents, and then click Properties. Click the Sharing tab, and then click to select
the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box. Click Apply, and then click OK.

Note: You cannot make your folders private if your drive is not formatted as NTFS.

Home Edition: Set Permissions for Shared Files and Folders. Boot into safe mode and logon to the 'Administrator'
account. Right click the folder in question/Sharing and Security/Make Folder Private.

To view the Security tab for a file or folder in XP, hold down the Ctrl key while right-clicking the file or folder, and select Properties. If you are in a domain instead of a workgroup, this approach is unnecessary.

You Cannot Select the "Make This Folder Private" Option

Tip: Hide Files and Folders inside of Windows XP

Windows Explorer/Tools/Folder Options/View/Show Hidden Files and Folders. Right click the folder to be
hidden/Sharing and Security/General Tab/Hidden/Apply Changes to.../

Hide your private files and folders from other users. Restrict access to important system files and be in full control of the
way your files and programs are used by other users of your computer. http://www.winability.com/folderguard

Fonts - Replace All

A font may seem to be installed correctly but does not appear in the Fonts folder because the Fonts key in the registry is missing or damaged.

Move the contents of the Fonts folder to an empty folder. By opening the Fonts folder, select all the fonts, copy them, and paste them to a new folder. Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts. Highlight the key and press DELETE. Once the key has been deleted create a new key to replace it, by selecting Edit/New/Key and name the new
key [Fonts].

Restart the computer, then re-install the fonts by opening the Control Panel, double-click on 'Fonts'. And from the File
menu select 'Install New Fonts...' adding the fonts that were previously copied to the temporary directory.

Fonts Supplied with Windows XP

Format

How to Format Windows XP - MVP Michael Stevens

If you want to format for a clean install, simply boot from the XP CD (you will need to set the bios order to boot from the
CD) and when it finishes it's scan for previous Windows installations choose the XP partition you want to format and setup
will delete, format and do a clean install.

If you want the remove XP to reinstall a previous OS, you can use a Windows 98/Me startup disk to format the partition if
it is Fat 32, or use fdisk to delete the non-dos partition if it is NTFS. Note that you can only use fdisk to delete primary
NTFS partitions.

Obtain a Win 98/Me startup disk here. http://www.bootdisk.com. There is also special XP system startup disk. Scroll
down to the bottom of the page. http://www.drd.dyndns.org/disks.html.

If you cannot boot from the CD and need to delete an extended NTFS partition, you can download the image file to
create a 6 floppy disk start up set that will allow you to run Recovery Console.

There are Home and Pro specific versions.
Home: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33290
Pro: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33291

If you want to format a NTFS or Fat32 partition that is not the system partition, you can do this with XP's Disk Manager.

Format and Recovery of Windows XP

Framedyn.dll

"Application Has Failed to Start Because Framedyn.dll Was Not Found" Error Message When You Open the System Properties Dialog Box

Frequently Used Programs

If FUP are not being listed: Check the number of programs to be listed: Right click the Start button/Properties/Customize/Number of Programs...

The number is also listed here: Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. In the right pane,
check the Value Data under Start_MinMFU.

Tip: To prevent a program from being displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs list:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Add an empty string value named NoStartPage to the following registry key, where <Program name.exe> is the name
of the executable file that is used to start the program: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\<Program name.exe>
3. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

This setting allows you to decide which programs may be shown in the most frequently used programs list on the Windows Start menu. Start/Run/Regedit and navigate to: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications

To stop a specific application appearing on the MFU program list open its sub-key and create a new empty string value called "NoStartPage". To allow an application to be shown in the list delete the "NoStartPage" value. Restart Windows
for the change to take effect.

Frequently Used Programs Not Automatically Added to Start Menu

Policy:Disable user tracking Description:Prevents the system from remembering the programs run, paths followed, and documents used. Registry Value:"NoInstrumentation"

Policy:Remove frequent programs list from the Start Menu
Description:Removes the frequently-used programs list from the Start menu. Registry Value:
"NoStartMenuMFUprogramsList"

Policy Settings for the Start Menu in Windows XP

Front Page

How to get the best answer to your questions in the Microsoft� FrontPage� Newsgroups

Front Page Express doesn't come with XP or Windows 2000. You can download it from here. In the downloaded folder 'Software' search for Software\en\W98IE5\FPESETUP_259 (where the \en is only for the english version and execute the FPESETUP_wu.exe). You can start Frontpage Express then from Start/Programs/Accessories/Internet Tools/Front Page Express.

Tip: Help Files - Start/Run/Regedit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\HTML Help.
Right click on the folder HTML Help/New/String Value. Rename ' New Value #1 ' with fxpress.chm. Double click on this entry and then write the path to the local directory, where the help file is saved. Then you can use the help from inside Frontpage Express.

"HTTP/1.1 404 Object Not Found" Error Message Occurs When a User of Your Web Page Performs a Search