All Narfed Up photography and words by Bryan Villarin

Windows XP


How to free over 4 GB of space on Windows XP

Using TreeSize Free, I found that I had over 4 GB of files taken up in:
C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\
All those sub-folders are temporary, but they haven’t gotten cleared out. CCleaner doesn’t touch this folder, either. Very odd. I deleted them and haven’t noticed anything wrong yet. *knock on wood*
Thunderbird users — Also, I [...]

What’s left to test on a freezing computer?

I’m working on a friend’s computer, which I built at least five years ago. Due to Windows XP giving me the blue screen on start up — even in Safe Mode — I decided to backup his documents and clean install Windows. (I did this for him three years ago, so I think it’s due.)
Unfortunately, [...]

Prevent packet sniffing with DD-WRT, PPTP and VPN

If you connect to the internet wirelessly, a firewall and antivirus software won’t prevent possibly sensitive information — transmitted from your laptop to the router — from being seen by packet sniffers. Why do you need to implement a security system like this? (My emphasis added.)
Uses of packet sniffers: “Spy on other network users and [...]

Disable Windows XP’s Balloon Tips

I was reading an article from PCWorld, and it mentioned using TweakUI to disable balloon tips. I don’t like installing something if I’m only going to run it once. That’s why I like Doug Knox’s tweaks. He has this specific VB script that does this for you. (Note: He uses frames, so the link below [...]

Finally with new hard drive and external enclosure

I finally bought a new hard drive for my computer. It’s a Seagate 120GB 7200RPM hard drive, and that replaced the Western Digital 60GB 5400RPM that’s about 5-6 years old. I installed the HD, partitioned it, moved my data onto the larger partition, removed the older HD, then did a clean Windows XP install onto [...]

Webpages loading slowly

Someone I know has been having problems with his computer, and I have to pass it along here. I’m not feeling up to the task of troubleshooting, so I hope someone can help him out.
My internet is running terribly slow. The other computer on my network is running normal and every website opens up super [...]

Fixing IE after spyware cleaning

One of my posts, which asks readers how I can repair IE 6 without a Windows XP CD, has gotten a large amount of comments (for me, at least). In particular, Keith’s comment suggests using WinSock XP Fix:
I have used it after fixing several machines with spyware installed. 90% success rate at re-establishing internet connectivity.
He [...]

Found how to use msstyles!

Thanks O.F. Jay! I didn’t even need 3rd-party software, except to hack the uxtheme.dll file. ClearLooks looks nice!

FAQ: Using msstyles for Windows XP
Neowin UXTheme Multi-Patcher

ClearLooks for Windows XP

How do you install ClearLooks for Windows XP? Update: Got it!

Reduce Windows XP size

Where’s the article that simply explains how to reduce the size of Windows XP? I found a huge guide from Bold Fortune, but that’s not the article I saw. (Although it looks very comprehensive, and worth a read!) If you know what I’m talking about, I’d love to get the link. Thanks!
Update 2006-05-26: After [...]

← Before