Windows XP UI Tips
You will need TweakUI* for some of the following tips.
(*This direct download comes straight from Microsoft)
For the rest of the Windows XP Power Toys, Go here
 
Is Windows Forgetting your Folder Options? Microsoft Windows XP Power Toys
Remove Account Name from the Start Menu  
Remove Unread Mail from Welcome Screen ClearType Tuner PowerToy
Color Your DOS Prompt Text HTML Slide Show Wizard
Remove the Places Bar in Dialog Boxes Alt-Tab Replacement
Give Explorer a Toolbar Background Texture Open Command Window Here
Change Slide Show Timing Tweak UI
Show Compressed Files in a Different Color Tweak UI for Itanium™-based systems
Change How Driver Letters are Displayed Power Calculator
Hide Taskbar Notification Icons Image Resizer
Show Internet Explorer Image Toolbar for Smaller Images CD Slide Show Generator
Repair Unread Mail Count Virtual Desktop Manager
Don't Automatically Lock the Machine For Screensavers Taskbar Magnifier
Take a Tour Webcam Timershot
Remove the Taskbar Balloon Help  
Stop Running Desktop Cleanup Wizard  
Access the Start Menu During Full-Screen Setups The links above, are direct downloads from the Microsoft web site
Display Programs Menu in Alphabetical Order  
Remove the Quick Launch Area  
Stop Hiding Inactive Notification Area Icons  
Remove 'Connect To' from Start Menu  
Access 'Control Panel' Quickly From Start Menu  
Remove the Taskbar Clock  
View Large Quick Launch Icons  
Change a Folder's Icon  
Missing Search, Back, Folders, Other Buttons  
Hide the 'Go' button in Local Explorer views  
Remove the Left Pane Common Tasks  
Move Toolbars in Explorer Views  
Disable Titles in Thumbnail View  
View Hidden Files and Folders  
Modify the Send To Menu  
Lock or Unlock the Toolbars  
Cannot Delete a File  


 

Is Windows Forgetting your Folder Options?
SUMMARY: Keep Windows XP from forgetting your folder tweaks.
 
When you tweak folder view options with Windows XP, such as folder icons, folder background graphics, whether or not to show icons or file details, etc., you expect Windows XP to remember these changes, right?

Wrong. Windows XP will only remember a selected number of folder customizations. After that, the least recently used customization will be eliminated, meaning the time you spent making folders look the way you like will be all for naught. This is because folder customizations take up memory, but if your computer has a lot of memory (512 MB or more), you may be able to keep more of your customizations from getting discarded. To make this change:

1. Download and run Tweak UI for Windows XP.
2. Click the "Explorer" link.
3. Underneath, click the "Customizations" link.
4. In the right pane, enter in how many folders Windows XP should remember customizations for. Remember that if you set this number too high, Windows XP will not have enough physical memory for applications and may have to use virtual memory more often, causing excessive disk thrashing.
5. Click "OK" when done.
 
Remove Account Name from the Start Menu
SUMMARY: Clear your name from the Windows XP Start menu.
 
Normally, the Windows XP Start menu shows your current account name at the top. If you are the only one accessing your machine, or if you just don't want this displayed, do the following:

1. Start Tweak UI
2. Click the "Taskbar and Start Menu" link.
3. Uncheck "Show name on Start menu".
4. Clock "OK" to close Tweak UI.
 
Remove Unread Mail from Welcome Screen
SUMMARY: Keep Windows XP from showing everyone you don't have time for your e-mail.
 
Normally, on the Windows XP welcome screen, each account's unread mail count is displayed. If you would like to turn this off, do the following:

1. Start Tweak UI
2. Click the "Logon" link and expand it.
3. Underneath "Logon", click "Unread Mail".
4. Uncheck "Show unread mail on Welcome screen".
5. If desired, select "Apply setting to all users".
6. Click "OK" to close Tweak UI.
 
Color Your DOS Prompt Text
SUMMARY: Highlight text in a Windows XP DOS prompt with Tweak UI.
 
While the Windows XP DOS prompt lets you change the default foreground and background colors for text, there is a somewhat-hidden feature that lets you select text in a prompt window and change just the color of the selected text. This may be useful for highlighting text in a prompt, then taking a screenshot of the prompt and using it for printouts or for documenting processes. First, to enable this feature:

1. Start Tweak UI
2. Click the "Command Prompt" link.
3. Check "Enable selection coloring.
4. Click "OK" to close Tweak UI.

Now that this is enabled, open a DOS prompt. Highlight text, then press CONTROL-0, CONTROL-1, etc. or any combination through CONTROL-9 to change the background color of the selected text. Or, press ALT-0, ALT-1, etc. or any combination through ALT-9 to change the foreground color of selected text in the DOS prompt.
 
Remove the Places Bar in Dialog Boxes
SUMMARY: Remove the Places Bar in Windows XP dialog boxes with Tweak UI.
 
Normally, when Windows XP applications show an open or save dialog box, on the left side of the box is a Places Bar, a list of favorite places to open or save files from or to, plus a list of top-level locations on your computer. These may be places such as the Desktop, the "My Documents" folder, "My Computer", etc.

If you do not often open or save files from/to these Places, you can completely hide this from most dialog boxes with Tweak UI.

1. Start Tweak UI
2. Click the "Common Dialogs" link.
3. This should expand the tree. Click "Places Bar".
4. Select the radio button "Hide places bar".
5. Click "OK" to close Tweak UI.
 
Give Explorer a Toolbar Background Texture
SUMMARY: Add a pleasing texture to Windows XP Explorer's toolbar background.
 
With Tweak UI for Windows XP, you can tweak your Explorer windows by placing a graphic texture behind the menu bar and toolbar buttons.

1. Download and run Tweak UI for Windows XP.

2. When the "Tweak UI" window appears, click "Internet Explorer" in the left pane to expand the menu.

3. Click "Toolbar Background".

4. In the right pane, check "Use sample background for Explorer toolbar".

5. Click the "Change" button next to the checked box and navigate your system to find a graphic of your choosing.

6. When done, click "OK" to close the dialog box.

Now, open an Explorer window and you should notice the toolbar placed above a background texture. You should choose light-colored textures that keep the words on toolbars and menu bars easily viewable.
 
Change Slide Show Timing
SUMMARY: Use Tweak UI to change how long pictures in a Windows XP slide show display onscreen.
 
When you open a folder in Windows XP containing images, you can double-click an image to preview it in a new window. Then, if you press F11 from this new window, you can start a slide show of all recognizable images in the current directory (note that Windows XP will not recognize all image types but just a few such as .BMP, .GIF, and .JPG).

Normally, the images appear onscreen for 5 seconds (5000 milliseconds) and then the next picture appears. If you would like to shorten or lengthen the amount of time images appear onscreen, use Tweak UI.

1. Start Tweak UI

2. Click the "Explorer" link.

3. This should expand the tree. Click "Slide Show".

4. Next to "Time per picture (ms)", enter the amount of milliseconds you would like each image to appear before the next one shows onscreen. For example, if you want images to appear for 2 seconds, enter 2000. If you want pictures to appear for 7 seconds, choose 7000.

5. Click "OK" to close Tweak UI.
 
Show Compressed Files in  a Different Color
SUMMARY: Easily distinguish compressed files from within Windows XP Explorer.
 
If your hard drive contains compressed files, Windows XP displays them in a different color. Normally, compressed files are in blue, encrypted files are in green, and when you hover over files, they will be displayed in dark blue. If you would rather change these colors to your liking:

1. Download and run Tweak UI for Windows XP.

2. When the "Tweak UI" window appears, click "Explorer" in the left pane to expand the menu.

3. Click "Colors".

4. Next to the three options, "Compressed files", "Hot-tracking", and "Encrypted files", click on the respective color to change how Explorer displays the files.

5. When done, click "OK" to close the dialog box.
 
Change How Driver Letters are Displayed
SUMMARY: Change how Explorer in Windows XP displays drive names.
 
Normally, when accessing "My Computer", Windows XP shows drive letters after the drive's label, such as SYSTEM_SAV (D:). However, if you'd rather see the drive letter before the label, or if you'd rather hide drive letters altogether and only rely on a drive's label, you can make the change:

1. Download and run Tweak UI for Windows XP.

2. When the "Tweak UI" window appears, click "My Computer" to expand the menu.

3. Click "Drive Letters".

4. Choose from one of the four options: Show all drive letters after the label, Show all drive letters before the label, Show network driver letters before the label and show local drive letters after the label, or Never show drive letters.

5. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
 
Hide Taskbar Notification Icons
SUMMARY: Keep Windows XP from filling up the Taskbar Notification area with attention-getting icons from the operating system.
 
Normally, Windows XP will show notification icons on the taskbar when it needs to get your attention for a variety of reasons, such as low disk space, too many icons on the desktop, etc. If you find these notifications annoying, however, you can hide them:

1. Download and run Tweak UI for Windows XP.
2. When the "Tweak UI" window appears, click "Taskbar and Start menu".
3. Uncheck "Show taskbar notification icons".
4. When done, click "OK" to close the dialog box.
 
Show Internet Explorer Image Toolbar for Smaller Images
SUMMARY: Force the Internet Explorer image toolbar to appear when you hover your mouse pointer over all images.
 
By default, in Internet Explorer 6, when you hover your mouse pointer over an image of at least 200 pixels, an image toolbar will appear allowing you to save, print, or email the image. However, if you'd like the image toolbar to appear for smaller images:

1. Download and run Tweak UI for Windows XP.

2. When the "Tweak UI" window appears, click "Internet Explorer" in the left pane to expand the menu.

3. Click "Image Toolbar".

4. In the right pane, next to "Minimum image size", make this number as small as desired. Lower this all the way to 1 and even 1 pixel "spy" images will cause an image toolbar to be displayed if you hover the mouse pointer.

5. When done, click "OK" to close the dialog box.
 
Repair Unread Mail Count
SUMMARY: Fix the unread mail count viewed on your Windows XP welcome screen with Tweak UI.
 
If you have the "Friendly" welcome screen turned on in Windows XP and login to access your computer, you may notice the count of unread mail appearing below your account name. If the number of unread mail messages is constantly wrong, you may be able to repair the count with Tweak UI.

1. Start Tweak UI
2. Click the "Repair" link.
3. In the right pane, click the pulldown and choose "Repair unread mail count".
4. Click the "Repair Now" button.
5. Click "OK" to close Tweak UI.
 
Don't Automatically Lock the Machine For Screensavers
SUMMARY: Keep password-protected screensavers from automatically locking your machine.
 
If you have your Windows XP screensaver set for password protection, whenever your screensaver runs, even if you quickly move the mouse or hit a keystroke, you will have to enter your password in order to re-access your system.

If you frequently sit at a desk working on other activities, you may find it annoying to have to keep typing in your user password, yet you may still want this locking capability whenever you leave your desk for long periods of time.

Now, you can have your cake and eat it too! Force Windows XP to wait before it locks down the computer whenever a screensaver runs. Using Tweak UI, you can add a grace period of a few seconds, minutes, or longer, before a password-protected screensaver actually requires you to re-enter your user information. To enable this feature:

1. Download and run Tweak UI for Windows XP
2. Click the "Logon" link.
3. Underneath, click the "Screen Saver" link.
4. In the right pane, select the grace period (in seconds). The longer the grace period, the longer the screensaver can display without becoming password-protected.
5. Click "OK" when done.
 
Take a Tour
SUMMARY: View an animated tour of Windows XP's features.
 
You may have seen it before, but if you'd like to see it again, you can take a tour of the new features in Windows XP. To do so, select "Start", "Programs", "Accessories", then "Tour Windows XP". A dialog box will appear asking whether you'd like an animated or non-animated tour. Make your selection, press "Next"
 
Remove the Taskbar Balloon Help
SUMMARY: Prevent the Windows XP Taskbar balloon help from notifying you of events or errors.
 
Occasionally the Windows XP Taskbar pops up help in the form of small balloons, such as when a network connection is established or disconnected or when the desktop cleanup wizard needs to run. If you find these balloon tips intrusive, you can disable them via a registry patch.

To disable the balloon tip notifications, access Microsoft Knowledge Base article 307729 at the following URL:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;307729

Note that while the balloons can be intrusive, if you have automatic updates turned on that require user intervention before downloading or installing updates, removing the balloon tips will cause you to never see these important updates.
 
Stop Running Desktop Cleanup Wizard
SUMMARY: Prevent Windows XP from asking to clean up messy Desktops.
 
Depending on your computer configuration, every 60 days Windows XP may ask you to run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard. This moves icons Windows XP deems unused to a folder to help keep your desktop clear. If you're like me and keep lots of icons available on the Desktop for quick access, you don't want to run this tool:

1. Right-click an empty area of the Desktop and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Display Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Desktop" tab.

3. Click the "Customize Desktop" button.

4. The "Desktop Items" multi-tabbed dialog box should appear. Select "General".

5. Uncheck "Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard€"

6. Click "OK" on the dialog boxes to close.
 
Access the Start Menu During Full-Screen Setups
SUMMARY: Access the seemingly inaccessible Start Menu when installing software in Windows XP.
 
When you install new software on your machine, it is highly recommended to close down all of your currently running programs in case the setup program needs to modify key operating system files. To encourage this, many setup programs go into full-screen mode, hiding your taskbar.

If during a setup, however, you absolutely have to run another piece of software or look through your hard drive for files, go ahead and press the Windows key on your keyboard. Or, if you do not have such a key (it looks like a Windows logo), hold down the CONTROL key and press ESC. More often than not, the "Start" menu will appear, allowing you to run software, access files, connect to the Internet, etc. Note that once you select an option from the "Start" menu, the menu may disappear again. Just perform the same above tasks to get it to reappear.
 
Display Programs Menu in Alphabetical Order
SUMMARY: Sort the Windows XP Programs menu by name.
 
By default, Windows XP's All Programs menu should display items in alphabetical order - first the folders in alphabetical order, then individual programs in alphabetical order. This naturally makes it easier to find software. However, after installing and uninstalling many applications, items tend to appear in a seemingly random order. If you'd like to re-sort the items in your Programs menu so they appear from A to Z, follow this tip.

1. Click "Start" => "All Programs".
2. Right-click on any entry in the "All Programs" menu.
3. Choose "Sort by Name".
 
Remove the Quick Launch Area
SUMMARY: Disable Quick Launch icons from taking up space on your Windows XP taskbar.
 
The Quick Launch area, directly to the right of the Start button, normally displays icons to software Windows XP thinks you commonly need to access, such as Internet Explorer. However, it seems nowadays that every single installed application wants to add an item to the Quick Launch area. This can easily flood the area with tons of icons, making it much less useful.

If you disable the Quick Launch area, your taskbar will have more room to show currently running software. Thus, if you want to disable it:

1. Right-click on an empty area of the taskbar.
2. Choose "Toolbars" and uncheck "Quick Launch".
 
Stop Hiding Inactive Notification Area Icons
SUMMARY: Keep notification area icons on the Windows XP taskbar from disappearing for no reason.
 
Windows XP, in an effort to help keep the Notification Area of the Windows Taskbar uncluttered (the icons on the right side of the Taskbar, usually next to the clock) will periodically hide icons it deems inactive. This frees up more room on the Taskbar for showing running programs, and all inactive icons are accessible by clicking the left-pointed arrow to the left of the notification area.

However, if you find Windows XP frequently hiding icons that you need to use, stop it from hiding them.

1. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Taskbar" tab.

3. Uncheck "Hide inactive icons".

4. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
 
Remove 'Connect To' from Start Menu
SUMMARY: Remove "Connect To" from the Windows XP Start Menu if you connect to the Internet via a LSN, cable, DSL, or other means.
 
If you only connect to the Internet via a LAN, cable, or DSL connection, you probably do not switch ISPs often, if ever. In that case, the "Connect to" option on the Windows XP Start Menu is probably just taking up space as you never need to manually connect to an ISP - your computer connects to the Internet automatically. To remove it:

1. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Start Menu" tab.

3. Underneath "Start menu items", scroll down to "Network Connections".

4. Click the "Don't display this item" radio button.

5. Click "OK" on the dialog boxes to close them.
 
Access 'Control Panel' Quickly From Start Menu
SUMMARY: Access the Control Panel as a submenu from the Windows XP Start Menu.
 
To access the Control Panel, you normally have to click "Start" => "Control Panel", wait for the Control Panel to load, and then choose your desired option. However, if you regularly tweak your system settings, you might rather have Control Panel options displayed on the Start Menu as a submenu, just like the submenu for "All Programs". To make this change:

1. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Start Menu" tab.

3. Underneath "Start menu items" scroll to "Control Panel".

4. Click the "Display as a menu" radio button.

5. Click "OK" on the dialog boxes to close them.

Now, if you click "Start" - "Control Panel", all of your options are easily accessible.
 
Remove the Taskbar Clock
SUMMARY: Disable the clock on the Windows XP Taskbar.
 
While many people find the taskbar clock convenient, others may find it annoying. If you remove it from the Windows XP Taskbar, it has more room to display the list of currently running software. To get rid of the clock:

1. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Taskbar" tab.

3. Underneath "Notification area", uncheck "Show the clock".

4. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
 
View Large Quick Launch Icons
SUMMARY: Make the Windows XP Quick Launch icons easier to see.
 
You may have seen other operating systems that have a docking area similar to the Windows XP taskbar, except that the icons on the docking area are quite large and more easily viewable and clickable. You can do the same thing to Windows XP's Quick Launch icons.

1. Right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and check "Lock the taskbar" to unlock it.

2. Carefully click an empty area of the Quick Launch area and choose "View" - "Large Icons". If this menu does not appear, click on the separator groove directly to the left of the "Quick Launch" area.

3. Depending on the number of icons you have in the "Quick Launch" area, you may need to resize the taskbar and Quick Launch area.

a. Move your mouse pointer to the top of the taskbar so it turns into a double-sided arrow. Click and hold your left mouse button and slowly drag up to increase the taskbar size.

b. Move your mouse pointer to the groove separating the Quick Launch area from the rest of the taskbar. The pointer should turn into a double-sided arrow. Click and hold your left mouse button down and slowly drag to the right to increase the size of the Quick Launch area.

4. When you are satisfied with your changes, right-click an empty area of the Taskbar and check "Lock the taskbar" to lock it.
 
Change a Folder's Icon
SUMMARY: Change a folder's icon to fit your taste.
 
Tired of most folders looking like the same drab yellow open file? You can change a folder's icon in Windows XP to better signify its contents. To change a folder's icon:

1. Right-click on a folder and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, select "Customize".

3. Click the "Change Icon" button.

4. Choose an icon you wish to use and click "OK", or click "Browse" to browse your system for other icons. Look for .ICO and .EXE files on your system for more icons. You may even want to download some freeware icons over the Internet.

5. Press "OK" to close the dialog box.

Note that you may need to close and reopen the folder for the icon change to take effect.
 
Missing Search, Back, Folders, Other Buttons
SUMMARY: Make missing buttons in Windows XP Explorer views reappear.
 
If Windows XP Explorer or Internet Explorer windows are missing the back arrow, Folders, Search, and other buttons, just click on a folder. Choose the "View" menu, select "Toolbars", and then check "Standard Buttons" to get these conveniences back.
 
Hide the 'Go' button in Local Explorer views
SUMMARY: Remove the "Go" button from Windows XP Explorer folders.
 
The "Go" button may be useful when navigating web pages, but when you navigate your local machine's hard drive and files, the button may just be taking up valuable screen real-estate. It's easy to remove Windows XP's "Go" button - just right-click on the button and uncheck "Go Button".
 
Remove the Left Pane Common Tasks
SUMMARY: Rid yourself of the Windows XP common task display.
 
Normally, Windows XP Explorer folder views contain two panes - the right pane contains the list of files on your system, and the left pane contains common tasks. These may be tasks such as copying photos to a CD if you are in a pictures folder, playing all music songs if you are in a songs folder, or making a new folder if you are in a default folder. While some users may find these tasks convenient, others may want to hide these items to use the entire window to display filenames. To hide these tasks:

1. Open a folder in Windows XP's Explorer.

2. Click "Tools", then "Folder Options".

3. When the multi-tabbed "Folder Options" dialog box appears, click the "General" tab.

4. Click the radio button "Use Windows Classic Folders".

5. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
 
Move Toolbars in Explorer Views
SUMMARY: Customize the location of toolbars in Explorer windows.
 
If you are navigating your computer in Windows XP and want to customize the location of folder toolbars, you may not be able to do so. This is because Windows XP will, by default, lock the toolbars to prevent accidentally resizing them or moving them around. If you want to tweak your folder views by unlocking the toolbar, just right-click on a folder toolbar and uncheck "Lock the Toolbars". You will now be able to move the toolbars around or resize them as desired.
 
Disable Titles in Thumbnail View
SUMMARY: Leave more room for picture thumbnails in Windows XP.
 
To temporarily hide the titles of filenames when viewing folders in Thumbnail view (to give more room for your thumbnails), hold down the SHIFT key when opening a folder that is set up for Thumbnail view. Or, if you are already in a Thumbnail View folder, switch the view to Icons, then hold down the SHIFT key and switch the view to Thumbnail.
 
View Hidden Files and Folders
SUMMARY: Show previously hidden files and folders with Windows XP.
 
Normally, Windows XP hides files and folders that it deems critical to the operating system. This is done, in theory, to protect you from damaging key files. However, there may be times when you need to view hidden files and folders, such as for debugging problems, for tweaking, or for recovering from virus and/or spyware attacks.

1. Open any folder in Explorer.

2. Choose "Tools" then "Folder Options".

3. When the multi-tabbed dialog box appears, select the "View" tab.

4. Select "Show hidden files and folders".

5. Click "OK" to close the dialog box. 
 
Modify the Send To Menu
SUMMARY: Add the option to quickly copy files to various locations or open files with selected software with Windows XP.
 
When you right-click an icon and choose "Send To", you are given several options, including the ability to mail the file as an attachment, copy the file to a floppy disk, send the file to the "My Documents" folder, and others.

You may want to modify this menu. For example, create a Notepad option to easily view text files that don't have a .TXT extension. Perhaps add the ability to send files to a specified folder, such as "C:\information". To modify this menu option:

1. Open the "C:\Documents and Settings" folder from Explorer.

2. Double-click the folder representing your username.

3. Double-click the "Send To" folder. If you do not see this folde,r use the previously mentioned MalekTips tip to view hidden files and folders.

4. Right-click on the folder, select "New" then "Shortcut".

5. A "Create Shortcut" wizard will appear. Select the program name (use the "Browse" button if desired) or the folder to which you would like to send files.

6. Click "Next".

7. Type in a name for this shortcut, which will also be the name of the menu item under "Send To".

8. Click "Finish" to close the dialog box.
 
Lock or Unlock the Toolbars
SUMMARY: Enable or prevent modifying toolbar placement in Windows XP Explorer
 
To lock or unlock the toolbars in the current and future Explorer window in Windows XP, right-click on a toolbar and select "Lock the Toolbars". When you lock the toolbars, you cannot change their placement. Unlocked toolbars can be clicked and dragged to different areas, so, for example, your "Address" bar can be located above a folder's menu bar.
 
Cannot Delete a File
SUMMARY: Remove a file Windows XP does not want to delete.
 
Despite all its quirks, Windows does do some things for a good reason. Some files need to be locked down when they are in use, otherwise you risk damaging the file or harming the Operating System. Unfortunately Windows XP seems to be plagued by files that cannot be deleted. These are frequently simple files like videos (AVI), MP3s or other seemingly harmless files. You try to delete the file, Windows waits a few seconds before announcing that access is denied, the file is currently in use and cannot be deleted. However, you know it's not in use and you just want it deleted.

If you have encountered this problem, here is a step-by-step process for trying to purge the files you can't delete. It starts with the basics for Windows XP and moves on to more involved tricks. The process will work for all recent Windows releases, but Windows XP has been causing the most the problems, so we will focus on it. Please note: we are assuming that the file is not crucial to the operation of Windows - deleting important system files can cause havoc.

1. Is the file in use? It sounds obvious but it happens. If it is being used or open, close the file and the application that opened it. For  example, if it is a Word document, close Microsoft Word.

2. If the file was opened in an application (and subsequently closed), but the program is still running, try quitting the program.Windows will lock a file because the application hasn't yet released it. This is not always Windows fault and can be the fault of the program.

3. If the file is an AVI, in particular a DivX AVI, try renaming it and then deleting it. DivX files don't get on very well with Windows XP and sometimes renaming the file can trick Windows into releasing it.

4. Reboot your PC and don't start any programs. Go directly to the file and delete it.

5. In Windows Explorer, switch to View-Details and then select View-Choose Details. Uncheck everything except the file name. This stops Windows XP trying to read the file - this problem affects many video, audio and graphics files.

6. Still no luck? OK, here is the best trick of all. Most sites give you cryptic Windows registry and DOS commands to remove a file, but the answer is so much simpler. Get a copy of MoveOnBoot. It's free and this simple tool allows you to Move, Copy or Delete files before Windows can lock or alter the files. The changes are made to your hard drive before Windows starts, hence it requires a restart of your system after you give MoveOnBoot its instructions. There are no messy boot or DOS commands, just a simple 3-step process.

Step 1: Locate the name of the file that is causing your problems.

Step 2: Decide if you want to copy, move or delete the file.

Step 3: Choose a destination for moving the file, or a new file name for the rename option (this option won't appear if you are deleting a file).

Click OK to confirm you want to process. The nice thing is that the program doesn't make you reboot straight away. It's a good idea to reboot ASAP, but if you are in the middle of something and want to wait, the program will simply run next time you start Windows.


7. If the file reappears again (check its creation date to ensure it is being recreated) and you can't make it budge, you may have trouble with spyware or a virus on your system (don't overlook the possibility it may also be an important system file). In this case you should get a good spyware removal program to scan your system.