Tips: Windows NT (Windows 2000, XP Professional) Part-01

Desktop Gone Forever
If you can do without the regular NT 4.0 desktop permanently, it's possible to start with just the Task Manager even without Command Prompt. Launch the Registry Editor and locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/ CurrentVersion/WinLogon. Double-click on value named Shell (set by default to Explorer.exe). Enter Taskmgr.exe for the NT Task Manager. For a command prompt, enter Cmd.exe. Close the Registry Editor and log off.

Using the Windows Task Manager
Windows Task Manager can aid you in finding the amount of RAM you can regain by disabling unnecessary system services. Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the context menu. You can view the CPU usage and memory usage under the Performance tab, To regain resources, you can kill unnecessary processes from the Processes tab.

Fast Menus
You can change the Start menu delay in displaying sub-menus. Run Regedit adn navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Control Panel\Desktop. Change the value for MenuShowDelay to any number between 0 (fastest) and 4000 (slowest). If the above does not exist, add a string value with this name.

Launch Faster
You can change the default boot delay of 30 seconds. Open Control Panel > System > Startup/Shutdown. Under the Show List For, change the settings to the desired boot delay value. To bypass the boot menu altogether, set the delay to 0. Note: If you dual boot between the Operating Systems using the NT boot loader, do not set the boot delay value to 0.

Messing with Partitions
Before using Disk Administrator to make changes to the partitions, you may want to make sure you save your current configuration. To do this, click Start > Programs > Administrator tools > Disk Administrator > Partition > Configuration > Save. Insert a formatted floppy disk into your drive and click OK. You can restore the partition structure later by clicking on Partition > Configuration > Restore.