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Sat, Mar 28, 2009 10:25 am

Customizing the Start Menu

In Windows XP, if there are certain programs that you use quite frequently and would like to have immediately accessible when you click on the Windows Start button, you can add them to the Start menu, which is the menu that appears when you click on that button.

Normally, you will see your default email client and web browser at the top of the start menu. There may also be other items already on the menu.

Start Menu - before

If you want to add another item at the top of the start menu in the same section as the shortcuts for your default email client and web browser, all you need to do is click on Start, select All Programs and then locate the the program you wish to add to the menu. Right-click on that program and select Pin to Start menu. In the example below, Windows Live Messenger has been selected to be added to the Start menu.

Start Menu - pin Windows Live Messenger

You will then see the program on the upper-left side of the Start menu. You can now run the program by clicking on the Start button and selecting the program from that location.

Start Menu - after

If you ever want to remove the program from the Start menu, click the Start button, right-click on the program, and choose Unpin from the Start menu.

Start Menu - unpin Windows Live Messenger

References:
  1. Customize your Start menu
    Published: September 7, 2006
    Microsoft Corporation

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

Mon, Mar 02, 2009 7:04 pm

Slipstreaming XP SP 3 with nLite

If you need to reinstall Windows XP on a system, it is very time consuming to have to install the operating system and then, when that process is completed, install the latest service pack and other updates for the operating system. The process is certainly much faster, if the XP installation CD you have on hand already incorporates the latest service pack. But chances are that installation CD is for the original version of XP before any service pack was released, or incoporates a prior service pack version, e.g. the installation CD may be for Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2, while Service Pack 3 is the current service pack version.

There is a way to create a new installation CD that incorporates the latest service pack into the version that came on your installation CD. The process is called "slipstreaming". There are various tools to help you create a slipstream disc; nLite, is one such tool. For instructions on how to use nLite for such a purpose, see Slipstreaming XP SP 3 with nLite.

[/os/windows/xp/slipstream] permanent link

Sun, Feb 22, 2009 6:11 pm

Remove Hotfix Backups and $NTServicePackUninstall on MoonDreaming

I installed Doug Knox's Remove Hotfix Backups on MoonDreaming, a Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 system. Windows Explorer reported "Free space: 46,294,945 bytes 43.1 GB" and checking for $NT*KB* directories showed the following: 

C:\TEMP>dir /ah \Windows\$NT*KB*
 Volume in drive C is Sys-WinXP
 Volume Serial Number is B0E3-65A7

 Directory of C:\Windows

01/21/2005  02:34 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB828741$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB833987$
01/21/2005  07:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB834707$
01/21/2005  02:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB835732$
01/21/2005  02:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB840987$
01/21/2005  02:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB841356$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB841533$
01/21/2005  01:21 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB842773$
02/12/2005  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB867282$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB871250$
02/12/2005  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB873333$
01/21/2005  05:13 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB873339$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB873339_0$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB873376$
02/12/2005  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB885250$
01/21/2005  05:13 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB885835$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB885835_0$
01/21/2005  05:13 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB885836$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB885836_0$
01/21/2005  07:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB886185$
02/12/2005  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB887472$
02/22/2005  07:22 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB887742$
01/21/2005  07:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB887797$
02/12/2005  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB888113$
02/12/2005  07:58 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB888302$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB889293-IE6SP1-20041111.2356
19$
01/07/2006  11:46 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890046$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890046_0$
02/12/2005  07:58 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890047$
01/21/2005  05:13 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890175$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890175_0$
05/14/2005  07:07 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890859$
05/14/2005  07:08 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890923$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB891711$
02/12/2005  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB891781$
05/14/2005  07:08 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB893066$
05/14/2005  07:08 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB893086$
09/02/2005  03:40 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB893756$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB894391$
01/07/2006  11:46 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896344$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896358$
09/02/2005  03:40 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896422$
09/02/2005  03:40 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896423$
01/07/2006  11:48 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896424$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896428$
10/23/2005  10:05 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896688$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB896727$
09/02/2005  03:28 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB898461$
09/02/2005  03:40 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB899587$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB899588$
10/23/2005  10:05 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB899589$
09/02/2005  03:40 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB899591$
08/13/2006  09:32 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB900485$
10/23/2005  10:05 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB900725$
01/07/2006  11:46 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB900930$
10/23/2005  10:06 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB901017$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB901214$
03/22/2006  07:55 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB902344$
10/23/2005  10:05 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB902400$
10/23/2005  10:04 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB904706$
03/22/2006  07:57 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB904942$
10/23/2005  10:05 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB905414$
10/23/2005  10:04 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB905749$
01/07/2006  11:53 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB905915$
01/12/2006  10:58 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB908519$
08/13/2006  09:29 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB908531$
01/07/2006  11:49 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB910437$
08/13/2006  09:35 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB911280$
08/13/2006  09:32 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB911562$
03/22/2006  07:56 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB911564$
03/22/2006  07:55 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB911565$
08/13/2006  09:29 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB911567$
03/22/2006  07:55 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB911927$
03/22/2006  07:57 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB912475$
01/07/2006  11:53 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB912919$
03/22/2006  07:57 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB912945$
03/22/2006  07:56 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB913446$
08/13/2006  09:29 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB913580$
08/13/2006  09:30 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB914388$
08/13/2006  09:29 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB914389$
04/20/2007  10:10 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB914440$
04/20/2007  10:11 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB915865$
08/13/2006  09:29 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB916595$
08/13/2006  09:32 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB917159$
08/13/2006  09:30 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB917344$
08/13/2006  09:30 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB917422$
08/13/2006  09:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB917734_WMP10$
08/13/2006  09:30 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB917953$
03/21/2007  10:32 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB918118$
08/13/2006  09:30 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB918439$
08/13/2006  09:30 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB918899$
09/15/2006  07:32 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB919007$
01/12/2007  02:35 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB920213$
08/13/2006  09:35 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB920214$
04/20/2007  09:53 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB920342$
08/13/2006  09:30 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB920670$
08/13/2006  09:29 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB920683$
09/15/2006  07:32 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB920685$
09/15/2006  07:32 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB920872$
08/13/2006  09:31 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB921398$
12/29/2007  08:03 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB921503$
08/13/2006  09:35 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB921883$
09/15/2006  07:32 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB922582$
08/13/2006  09:35 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB922616$
10/16/2006  09:54 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB922819$
10/16/2006  09:51 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB923191$
10/16/2006  09:54 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB923414$
01/12/2007  02:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB923689$
01/12/2007  02:35 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB923694$
01/12/2007  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB923980$
10/16/2006  09:54 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB924191$
01/12/2007  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB924270$
10/16/2006  09:53 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB924496$
03/21/2007  10:34 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB924667$
01/12/2007  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB925398_WMP64$
01/12/2007  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB925454$
10/07/2006  01:29 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB925486$
04/20/2007  07:47 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB925720$
04/20/2007  09:54 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB925876$
04/20/2007  09:36 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB925902$
04/20/2007  09:59 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB926239$
01/12/2007  02:35 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB926255$
03/21/2007  10:33 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB926436$
03/21/2007  10:34 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB927779$
03/21/2007  10:34 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB927802$
05/31/2007  11:08 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB927891$
03/21/2007  10:32 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB928090$
03/21/2007  10:34 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB928255$
03/21/2007  10:31 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB928843$
12/29/2007  08:00 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB929123$
03/21/2007  10:33 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB929338$
04/20/2007  07:45 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB929399$
01/12/2007  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB929969$
04/20/2007  09:36 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB930178$
05/12/2007  03:04 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB930916$
04/20/2007  09:36 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB931261$
04/20/2007  09:37 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB931784$
03/21/2007  10:33 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB931836$
04/20/2007  09:35 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB932168$
09/17/2008  11:37 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB932823-v3$
12/29/2007  08:03 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB933729$
12/29/2007  07:54 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB935839$
12/29/2007  07:54 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB935840$
12/29/2007  08:03 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB936021$
12/29/2007  08:03 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB936357$
12/29/2007  07:53 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB936782_WMP11$
12/29/2007  08:04 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB937894$
09/17/2008  11:37 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB938464$
12/29/2007  08:03 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB938828$
12/29/2007  08:03 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB938829$
12/29/2007  07:55 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB939683$
12/29/2007  07:55 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB941202$
12/29/2007  07:55 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB941568$
12/29/2007  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB941569$
01/15/2008  07:12 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB941644$
12/29/2007  07:59 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB942763$
12/29/2007  08:04 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB943460$
01/15/2008  07:12 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB943485$
12/29/2007  07:53 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB944653$
09/17/2008  11:44 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB946648$
09/17/2008  11:37 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB950749$
09/17/2008  11:40 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB950762$
09/17/2008  11:41 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB950974$
09/17/2008  11:39 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB951066$
09/17/2008  11:40 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB951072-v2$
09/17/2008  11:45 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB951376-v2$
09/17/2008  11:41 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB951698$
09/17/2008  11:38 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB951748$
12/18/2008  10:16 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB952069_WM9$
09/17/2008  11:40 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB952287$
09/17/2008  11:44 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB952954$
09/17/2008  11:44 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB953839$
09/17/2008  11:37 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB954154_WM11$
09/17/2008  11:41 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB954156_WM9L$
11/08/2008  10:42 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB954211$
12/18/2008  10:12 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB954600$
11/21/2008  11:23 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB955069$
12/18/2008  10:15 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB955839$
11/08/2008  10:43 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB956391$
12/18/2008  10:12 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB956802$
11/08/2008  10:43 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB956803$
11/08/2008  10:41 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB956841$
11/08/2008  10:43 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB957095$
11/21/2008  11:24 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB957097$
11/08/2008  10:40 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB958644$
02/14/2009  10:34 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB958687$
02/14/2009  10:34 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB960715$
               0 File(s)              0 bytes
             187 Dir(s)  46,294,913,024 bytes free

After I ran Remove Hotfix Backups, Windows Explorer reported "Free space: 46,308,824 bytes 43.1 GB" and checking for $NT*KB* directories showed the following: 

C:\TEMP>dir /ah \Windows\$NT*KB*
 Volume in drive C is Sys-WinXP
 Volume Serial Number is B0E3-65A7

 Directory of C:\Windows

01/21/2005  02:34 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB828741$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB833987$
01/21/2005  02:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB835732$
01/21/2005  02:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB840987$
01/21/2005  02:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB841356$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB841533$
01/21/2005  01:21 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB842773$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB871250$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB873339_0$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB873376$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB885835_0$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB885836_0$
01/21/2005  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB889293-IE6SP1-20041111.2356
19$
09/02/2005  03:39 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890046_0$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB890175_0$
01/21/2005  02:38 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB891711$
08/13/2006  09:36 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB917734_WMP10$
01/12/2007  02:37 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB925398_WMP64$
09/17/2008  11:37 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB932823-v3$
12/29/2007  07:53 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB936782_WMP11$
09/17/2008  11:40 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB951072-v2$
09/17/2008  11:45 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB951376-v2$
12/18/2008  10:16 PM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB952069_WM9$
09/17/2008  11:37 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB954154_WM11$
09/17/2008  11:41 AM    <DIR>          $NtUninstallKB954156_WM9L$
               0 File(s)              0 bytes
              25 Dir(s)  46,308,941,824 bytes free

I also removed the $NTServicePackUninstal directory under C:\Windows, which was using 338 MB (355,138,581 bytes) of disk space and holding 2,457 files, by holding down the Shift key to ensure the folder wouldn't go into the Recycle Bin, but, instead would be permanently removed, selected Delete. When asked to confirm the deletion of an exe file I chose "Yes to All" to avoid further prompts for the removal of executable files in the directory.

References:

  1. Freeing Disk Space
    MoonPoint Support
  2. Remove Hotfix Backup Files
    By Doug Knox
    May 29, 2004
  3. Freeing Disk Space on a Windows XP Home Edition System
    MoonPoint Support

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

Sun, Feb 22, 2009 5:53 pm

Java Update and Downloaded Program Files

When you install Java Runtime Environment (JRE) software from Sun Microsystems on a Windows XP system, you will see entries for it in C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files. You can view the information through Windows Explorer, or if you want to view information on what is in that folder from the command line, you can use show-downloaded-program-files.vbs, which you can run from the command line with cscript /nologo show-downloaded-program-files.vbs.

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

Sat, Feb 21, 2009 4:25 pm

Freeing Disk Space on a Windows XP Home Edition System

I have a laptop running Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3 that is running low on free disk space. I need to compact my outlook.pst file on the system, but can't because there isn't enough space to hold a temporary file the same size as the outlook.pst file, which is now 19 GB in size. So I had to look for files and folders to delete from the system to gain additional free space.

[ More Info ]

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

Fri, Feb 06, 2009 3:59 pm

Running Control Panel Power Options from the Command Line

To access the Control Panel Power Options from the command line, type powercfg.cpl. Note: if you aren't logged into an administrator account when you run it, you can run it with administrator privileges by obtaining a command prompt and then taking the following steps:
  1. Type runas /user:administrator cmd to obtain a command prompt under the administrator account. Note: you may have to use owner or some other account in the administrator group, depending on your particular system, instead of the administrator account.
  2. Type powercfg.cpl in the new command prompt window that opens for the administrator account.
If you aren't logged in under an account in the administrator group, you can't just open the Power Management window with runas /user:administrator powercfg.cpl. If you try that, you will get the message " powercfg.cpl is not a valid Win32 application."

For a list of of Control Panel tools and how to run them from the command line, see How to run Control Panel tools by typing a command.

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

Tue, Feb 03, 2009 12:40 pm

Hibernate Support on a Toshiba Laptop

To enable hibernation support on a Toshiba laptop, such as the Toshiba Satellite M35X-S109 laptop, on a Windows XP Home Edition system, take the following steps:
  1. Click on Start.
  2. Select Control Panel.
  3. If the Control Panel is set for "category view", click on Performance and Maintenance then Toshiba Power Management. If it is instead set to "classic view", you will already see Toshiba Power Management, which you should click on.
  4. Click on the Advanced tab.
  5. Check the box for "Enable hibernate support". Once you've enabled hibernate support by clicking on the checkbox, you can also set the system to go into hibernation mode when you close the top of the laptop by changing the setting to "hibernate" under "when I close the lid of my portable computer."

    Toshiba - Enable Hibernate Support

  6. Click on OK.
  7. Close the Control Panel window.

Note: in order to enable hibernate support, you will need enough free space on the hard drive to hold the contents of the system's memory. You can determine the amount of memory in the system by clicking on Start, selecting Run, typing winver and hitting Enter. In the window that then opens, you will see a value for "Physical memory available to Windows". You will need that amount of disk space free on the hard drive, because the contents of memory are written to the file hiberfil.sys, usually in c:\hiberfil.sys when the system is put into hibernation mode. If you don't have at least that amount of disk space free, you won't be able to enable hibernation support.

Once hibernation support is enabled, you can put the system into hibernation by clicking on Start, selecting Turn Off Computer, moving the mouse pointer over Stand By, and then hitting the Shift key. The Stand By option should then change to Hibernate, which you can click on to hibernate the computer.

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

Tue, Jan 20, 2009 2:17 pm

Unhiding an Account From the XP Welcome Screen

I had hidden the "owner" account from being visible at the Windows XP Welcome Screen on a laptop running Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (see Hiding an Account from the Welcome Screen). "Fast User Switching" was turned on, so I could switch from one account to another. I could hit Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up a login prompt that would allow me to input the userid of "owner" and the password for that account, but that would only work if no other account was logged on already. I could run programs from the command prompt by using the runas command, but there were times when I also wanted to be able to switch to that account and use it with a GUI interface, so I decided to "unhide" the account.

You can use regedit, which provides a GUI interface for editing the registry or you can use the reg command at a command prompt to query and modify the registry.

Since I was logged in under an unprivileged account, i.e. one not in the Administrators group, I first opened a command prompt under that account and then used the runas command to open another command prompt under an account in the Administrators group, in this case the "Owner" account on the laptop.

C:\>runas /user:owner cmd

I then used the reg query command to check the current registry entry applying to the "owner" account that kept it from being visible at the welcome screen for Windows XP.

C:\>reg query "hklm\software\microsoft\windows nt\CurrentVersion
\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList" /v Owner

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows nt\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Special
Accounts\UserList
    Owner       REG_DWORD       0x0

A value of zero in the key HKLM\software\microsoft\windows nt\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList\userid means the account represented by userid won't be visible at the Welcome Screen. If you put a value of one there, then the account will be visible.

I then changed the value with the reg add command. Note: when using the reg add command, if a value already exists in the registry for a key, you will be prompted as to whether you want to override it unless you use the /f option with the command.

C:\>reg add "hklm\software\microsoft\windows nt\CurrentVersion\W
inlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList" /v Owner /t REG_DWORD /d 1
Value Owner exists, overwrite(Y/N)? y

The operation completed successfully

C:\>reg query "hklm\software\microsoft\windows nt\CurrentVersion
\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList" /v Owner

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows nt\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Special
Accounts\UserList
    Owner       REG_DWORD       0x1

I was then able to use the Windows logo key + L to obtain the welcome screen where I could now see the "Owner" account listed as one of those I could select.

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Thu, Oct 23, 2008 3:55 pm

Setting the Time Zone from the Command Line

After moving my Outlook data to another laptop, which was running Windows XP Home edition, I noticed that the timestamp on messages appeared to be hours behind when I thought the messages were likely received. When I sent a message where my own address was on the cc line, I noticed that there was a 3 hour difference between the timestamp on the message in my sent folder and the one I received in my Outlook inbox. I thought the timezone was likely set incorrectly, but when I tried cheking it from the account I was logged in under by clicking on the time in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, I recieved a message that "You do not have the proper privilege to change the System Time." Since I had a lot of applications open, I didn't want to close all of my open files, logoff, logon under an administrator account, change the time zone, log back into my account, and then reopen all of the applications and files I had open previously. There is a way that you can check the time zone and change it from the command line.

I used the runas command to run the following command under an administrator account on the system. In this case the "owner" account was in the administrators group on the system.

C:\>runas /user:owner "RunDLL32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %SystemRoot%\system32\TIMEDATE.cpl"

That command opened the Date and Time Properties window. When I clicked on the Time Zone tab, I found the time zone set to "GMT-8:00 Pacific Time (US & Canada)", whereas it should have been set to "GMT-5:00 Eastern Time (US & Canda)". I could now change the timze zone.

The time zone can also be specified on the command line rather than changing it through the Date and Time Properties window. E.g. the command C:\>runas /user:owner "RunDLL32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %SystemRoot%\system32\TIMEDATE.cpl,,/Z US Eastern Standard Time" would allow one to change the time zone to "(GMT-5:00) Indiana (East)". Of course, you don't need the runas /user:owner, if you are already logged into the system as an administrator.

NOTE: You do not encapsulate the time zone string in quotation (") marks. I have quotation marks around the entire rundll32 command for entering a command with spaces in it to the runas command.

You can see what the values are that you should use on the command line for your specific time zone by running regedit and navigating to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Time Zones\.

In this case, I needed to use RunDLL32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL %SystemRoot%\system32\TIMEDATE.cpl,,/Z Eastern Standard Time rather than using "US Eastern Standard Time" to have the time zone be "(GMT-5:00) Eastern Time US & Canada". The value that appears under the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time Properties window is what is listed for the display value under each time zone within the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Time Zones\ registry key.

When I changed the time zone, the time changed also to match the time zone change. I needed to reset it, which I did by opening a command window from the "owner" administrator account using runas /user:owner cmd. I then used the time command to reset the time.

References:

  1. JSI Tip 7525. How do I set the Time Zone from the command line?
    A Web Exclusive from FAQ for Windows
    Jerold Schulman
    WindowsITPro

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

Sun, Aug 10, 2008 9:34 am

Regaining Access to Hidden Windows Account

I have a laptop running Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 with one "hidden account", i.e. the account is not visible on the Windows welcome screen, which shows the accounts one can log into. I can log into that hidden account, by hitting Ctrl-Alt-Del and then putting in the username for the hidden account and its password. But a problem I have when I'm logged into that account and the screen saver activates, is that when I hit a key or move the mouse to access the system again, the system displays the welcome screen with the two visible accounts, but then hitting Ctrl, Alt, and Del won't bring up the login window where I can type in the username for the hidden account and its password.

The screen saver for the hidden account is set to the "Windows XP" screen saver with "On resume, display Welcome screen" checked.

At Hide user accounts from the Windows XP Welcome screen, one can download a tool that makes it easy to hide and unhide accounts. The webpage also mentions that the Ctrl-Alt-Del trick for logging into hidden accounts has a a pitfall - "it will fail to work if a user is still currently logged in."

If I hit Ctrl-End, the cursor is placed in the passwod field for one of the visible accounts, but hitting Ctrl-Alt-Del at that point has no effect and I can't get back into the logged in account.

I've found I can get around this problem by logging into one of the visible accounts and then immediately logging off that account. If I then hit Ctrl-Alt-Del a couple of times, I get the "Log On to Windows" user name and password prompt and can regain access to the hidden account under which I'm already logged in.

[/os/windows/xp] permanent link

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