Windows XP Tips and Tricks

How To Turn Off ‘thumbs.db’ File In Explorer.

The thumbs.db file is a file that all windows xp users are familiar with. Some find it disturbing, some term it as a virus while some don’t care. It is a small database file that caches the location of the current item in that location. To turn it off: Go to: My Documents> Tools> Folder Options> View Tab> check ‘Do not cache thumbnails’> Apply and OK





How To View Hidden Files

There are some viruses that attack a system and disable the user from viewing hidden files from folder options even after removing them. In this case, to view hidden files, you need to edit the registry. Scared? Don’t be. Its very simple if you follow these steps:
Start> Run> ‘regedit’
At the left pane of the registry, expand: My Computer> HKEY_CURRENT_USER> Software> Microsoft> Windows> Current Version> Explorer> Advanced
At the right pane, right click ‘Hidden’,
select ‘Modify’,
Under ‘Value’,
enter 1.




How To Remove ‘Recent Documents’ Menu from Start.

In case you want to remove the ‘Recent Documents’ menu, follow these steps:
Start> Run> ‘regedit’
At the left pane: My Computer> HKEY_CURRENT_USER> Software> Microsoft> Windows> Current Version> Policies> Explorer
Right click ‘Explorer’ and select New> DWORD Value (as shown)


At the right pane: Type in "NoRecentDocsMenu" without the quotes.
Right click ‘NoRecentDocsMenu’ and select ‘Modify’.
Under ‘Value’, enter 00000001 and click OK.
Exit regedit.

Piece of cake!