• Windows XP has a best kept secret: the Automated System Recovery Tool. This tool can back up your System Files and create a floppy disk that you can use to restore your system. The ASR only backs up your system configuration, so make sure you use a regular backup method to back up your data files (note that this only works for Windows XP Professional, not for Windows XP Home).
• How To Restore using the floppy disk and the backup you previously created.
• The Windows XP Automated System Recovery Feature allows you to boot into a computer that has experienced catastrophic failure.
• It's always a good idea to back up the registry before making any change.
• When you run Disk Cleanup, one of the categories of files available is "Compress Old Files."
• Sometimes it seems as if the Windows Explorer decides on its own which folder it's going to open up with.
• If you have Windows XP Professional you can use the Local Security Policy to force kids off the computer and allow them to log onto the computer only at certain times.
• Free Voice/Video Calls using NetMeeting and Windows XP
• If you have Windows XP Professional, you can take advantage of a powerful file and folder backup tool called ntbackup right out of the box.
• No back up should be considered valid until you can confirm that you can actually restore the files!
• The Last Known Good Configuration is a start up option that allows you to start the computer with settings that worked.
• You can't have too much disk space, especially when you need to share a computer with other people.
• We've heard from a lot of people who have problems with machine names not showing up in the My Network Places or Network Neighborhood applet.
• The following are a few hints and tips on getting Windows XP and other Windows operating systems to communicate over the network.
• How to : Add More Power to Recovery Console by Using Group Policy in Windows XP Professional
• Have you ever removed a program from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel only to find the entry for the program remains in the Control Panel? If so, you're not alone.
• Windows XP has a useful feature called "Send to" that you can access by right clicking on a file.
• No matter how large your hard drive, it can never be large enough. Time and the Internet take their toll on your available hard disk space and sooner or later you're going to run short of disk space.
• Use the F7 Key to make working with the Command Prompt easier
• Network interface cards (NICs) are very reliable and rarely fail. But sometimes strange things can happen which prevent the NIC from working properly.
• Do you know about the Windows key? That's the one between the CTRL and the ALT keys on the lower left side of your keyboard.
• If you have a modem connected to your Windows XP computer and a phone line, you can send and recieve faxes.
• Here are some of the commands to open XP's commonly used utilities from the command line.

Where IT-Expert on Call shares knowledge and experience, suggestions to solve problems, and compatibility issues.

Where technology problems and/or workarounds are addressed, how to, what to, why to, are provided.

We often give a tip or trick that requires you to edit the Registry. It's always a good idea to back up the registry before making any change. The fastest way to do this is to back up the Registry key to which you're going to make changes.

IT-Expert on Call recommends that you Buy Registry First Aid Platinum [linked for information and purchase], a professional grade Registry editor.

Warning: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Special Note: If you are working on a Corporate Desktop - it may be locked due to your corporate security policy -- consequently you may not be able apply many of the Tips, Hints and/or Tweaks found here. Most Corporate Desktops are prevented from making changes of any kind.