63 replies to this topic

[philpem]

CHANGE LOG:
2008-08-03 21:29 BST -- Added section on Acrobat Reader
2008-08-03 19:14 BST -- Added some more tweaks to the Firefox section (disable password storing, search history and form field auto-filling). Minor formatting corrections.

As I'm sure some of you are aware, my 1000H is dual-booting WinXP and Kubuntu. I think I've spent enough time taming Kubuntu, now it's time to move onto taming the big dog.. Windows XP.

Warning: I consider myself a 'power user'. I don't like it when my PC tries to second-guess what I'm trying to do. I absolutely hate things like Microsoft Live Messenger that take ages to start up, and don't actually work properly anyway. You can feel free to swap and change things around in this tutorial if you, say, want to keep Outlook, or don't want all the Firefox add-ons that I'm suggesting. As a bare minimum I'd suggest you keep Firefox and Adblock Plus though :)

So let's start with the easy stuff...

We Can Make Him Faster, Stronger, Better!
Let's start by cleaning up some of the junk on the base XP install. Admittedly it's not as bad as some machines (I once tried to clean up the base install on a Vaio for a friend - operative word: tried), it isn't as fast as it could be...

Taskbar Tidy-Up
Right click the taskbar and select Properties.
Switch to the Start Menu tab, and make sure Classic Start Menu is selected. Now click Customise Start Menu.
In the list at the bottom, disable Use Personalised Menus. If you want a bit more screen space, select Show Small Icons in Start Menu. Hit the Sort button, then OK your way out.

Excising the Teletubby Interface
Drop back to the Desktop (Windows-D is the quickest way to do this). Right-click a blank area, and click Properties. On the "Themes" page, select "Windows Classic". Click Apply.
Switch to the Desktop tab, and disable "Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days". I usually make sure "My Documents", "My Computer" and "My Network Places" are selected under "Desktop Icons" too. My Network Places is only useful if your Eee is going to be on a network with other Windows machines (or Linux machines running Samba) at some point in its life. Disable it if you don't need it.

Making those Desktop icons smaller
In my opinion, the default icon size on the Eee-customised version of XP is far larger than it should be. Once again, this setting is hiding in the Screen Properties (desktop right-click) window.
Right-click on the desktop, then select Properties. Select the Appearance tab, then the Advanced button. In the "Item" drop-down, select "Icon". Set the value in the "Size" field to 32 (the default is 48). OK your way out. Windows will make you wait a few seconds while it fixes the desktop icons.
Now to get rid of the huge gap between the icons, right-click the desktop, select Arrange Items By, then deselect Align to Grid. Go back into the same menu, and re-enable Align to Grid. The space will disappear. The icon text might stick on one line though -- once you log off and back on again (or reboot), the text will wrap as normal.

Taking out the rubbish
Open Control Panel (Start -> Settings -> Control Panel). Switch to the Classic View (click the link on the top left), and select "Add or Remove Programs." Get rid of all the Windows Live stuff -- this will save you between 75MB and 100MB of space, and a lot of trouble. They're only really useful if you use MS Live on a regular basis. I don't, so they're just a waste of space.
If you need an instant messaging client, Pidgin (http://www.pidgin.im/) is at least as good as Live Messenger, and quite a bit faster in my experience. It also supports the Jabber, MSN, ICQ, AOL and Yahoo instant messaging systems, so saves you having the clients for all five loaded at the same time.
I also remove Microsoft Works (because I prefer OpenOffice.org), but left the PowerPoint viewer installed. SQL Server Compact Edition seems to be largely redundant too.
I'm also tempted to remove StarOffice and replace it with OpenOffice.org (it's effectively the same thing) but haven't done so yet.

Explorer layout tweaks
Open an Explorer file browser window -- double click on My Computer if you don't have one open. Open the Tools menu, then select Folder Options. Switch to the View tab, then make sure the following options are selected:
Display the full path in the address bar: ON
Hide extensions for known file types: OFF (aka "yes, Windows, there is a difference between myfile.txt and myfile.jpg...")
Hidden files and folders: Show hidden files and folders

Begone, Internet Explorer!
Grab the Firefox 3 installer (or 2 if you prefer) from http://www.getfirefox.com/. Install it as normal (basically keep clicking Next).

The items below are all Firefox add-ons. You can skip any or all of these, but make sure you follow the final setup instructions at the end.

Adblock Plus (advert blocker)
Start Firefox, then go to http://adblockplus.org/. Select "Installation", right-click the "Install Adblock Plus" link and click "Copy Link Location". Paste the address into the address bar, and hit Enter. When Firefox asks you to confirm the installation, do so. You'll note that the XPI (plugin package) file is actually on addons.mozilla.org, Mozilla's official Firefox add-on repository.

DownThemAll (download manager)
Another Firefox special - this is a really nifty download manager that can resume downloads if they fail part-way through.
Go to http://www.downthemall.net/ and click "Install It!" (next to the big blue arrow). This will redirect you to addons.mozilla.org again. Click "Add to Firefox". That's it - easy, huh?

Download Statusbar
This is a nifty little addon that moves all the myriad of Firefox download windows onto the status bar, which saves a lot of taskbar space. This lives at https://addons.mozil...irefox/addon/26 and can be installed exactly how you installed DownThemAll -- just click the "Add to Firefox" button.

Macromedia/Adobe Shockwave and Flash Players
Go to http://www.adobe.com...ckwave/download. Download the installer, and remember where you saved it, you'll need it later.
For Flash, go to http://www.adobe.com...=shockwaveflash. Again, download the installer.
Close any and all Firefox and IE windows you have open. Wait a few seconds for the disc activity to more or less stop, then run the Shockwave installer. Watch out for the "Free Norton Security Scan" window, then uncheck (disable) "Install free Norton Security Scan". The last thing you need on a UMPC is Symantec/Norton bloatware. Click Next, then Finish. Wait for it to finish, then run the Flash Player installer. This one, thankfully, doesn't come with any 'additional baggage'. Again, follow the instructions, wait a bit, and click Close when the installer finishes.

A quick tidy-up
Open Firefox. You'll now be hit by a barrage of questions for the plugins you just installed.
DownThemAll will ask you to read its licence agreement (basically, it's the GNU Public Licence). Read it, then click Accept if you agree. I usually go into DTA's configuration (Tools, Addons, Extensions, DownThemAll!, Options) and then disable Download Chunking -- this is on the Advanced tab under "Max number of chunks per download." Set this to "1 (Disabled)" and OK your way out. On an ADSL or faster connection, all Download Chunking will do is put more load on the server you're downloading from. Server admins hate this...
AdblockPlus will ask you which advertisement filter set you want to subscribe to. This basically means ABP will automatically update the filter list -- don't worry, it doesn't cost anything. I usually use the EasyList filter set. Pick your poison, then click Subscribe.

I'd also suggest going into Firefox's Options panel (Tools -> Options menu), then on the Privacy tab disable the options "Remember what I've downloaded" and "Remember what I enter into forms and the search bar". Go onto the Security tab and disable "Remember passwords for sites" as well.

Making Firefox the default browser
Open the Start menu, then select "Set Program Access and Defaults". Expand the "Custom" box, then select "Mozilla Firefox" under "Choose a Default Web Browser". Find the entry for Internet Explorer, then uncheck "Enable access to this program." I usually disable access to Windows Media Player, Windows Messenger, Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail at the same time. Click OK, and you shouldn't be plagued by MSN Messenger and the rest of the Microsoft Monster Crew any more. For extra bonus points, the Internet Explorer icon will disappear from your desktop.


What's the word? It's Thunderbird!
It has to be said, Outlook Express is not the best email client in the world... in fact it's an RFC-ignorant, buggy, crash-prone pile of junk and I absolutely despise it. This is how you get rid of OE and replace it with Thunderbird...

Download the installer from http://www.mozilla.c...US/thunderbird/ and run it. Follow the instructions, but don't launch Tbird at the end. Click Finish.
Now go back into Set Program Access and Defaults. Expand "Custom", and select "Mozilla Thunderbird" from the "Default e-mail program" section. Make sure the "Enable access to this program" checkboxes for Outlook Express and Live Mail are unchecked. Run Firefox and follow the instructions to set up your email account.


It's Good to Talk
Hmm, we need to find something to replace Live Messenger. Grab Pidgin from http://www.pidgin.im/download/windows/. Run the installer, follow the instructions and set up your IM accounts.
For the record, Pidgin (formerly Gaim) is one of the most popular messaging clients for the Linux platform -- it's since been ported to Windows, and is starting to grow in popularity. Trillian (from Cerulean Studios, shareware) and Miranda IM (open-source) are also worth looking into if you don't like Pidgin.


Tweak, Tweak, Every Trip
If you've never heard of Tweak UI, then you've either been living in a cave for the past fifteen years, or you've never used Windows before. Tweak UI allows you to change a ton of internal Windows settings to make things move faster, work better, or just plain suit your working style better.
Go to http://www.microsoft...ppowertoys.mspx and look for "Tweak UI" on the right hand side of the screen. You want the standard Tweak UI, not "Tweak UI for Itanium." Run the installer. When it finishes, open up the Start Menu, go into "Powertoys for Windows XP" and select "Tweak UI".

These are the standard tweaks I apply to every Windows system I set up:
Explorer section
Allow Help on Start menu: OFF. This is an annoyance!
Manipulate connected files as a unit: OFF. Basically if you delete a saved webpage called "myfile.html", Windows will also delete the associated "myfile_files" folder.
Use Classic Search in Explorer: ON. I prefer the Windows 2000 file search tool to the XP one. The puppy 'search assistant' is an even bigger annoyance than Clippy the paperclip!
Desktop section, First Icon subsection
First Icon on Desktop: My Computer. I'm a Windows 95 refugee that got used to having My Computer first :)
My Computer, AutoPlay, Types
AutoPlay Drive Types: both "CD and DVD drives" and "removable devices" OFF. CD-ROM autoplay is annoying, USB thumbdrive autoplay is a security risk. See http://wiki.hak5.org...USB_Switchblade for more information.

Hit OK to apply the tweaks. You'll probably need to reboot for these to take effect.


On With the Show: Multimedia
Next on the agenda is a decent MP3 player, media player and codec pack (so you can play DivX/XviD/MP4 files). I have my own preferences, feel free to substitute your own:
MP3 player: Winamp. The old dog of the MP3 player kennel. It's been around since the Win95 days, and is pretty lightweight compared to most modern players (I'm still waiting patiently for the Windows port of Amarok though <grin>). Get this from http://www.winamp.com/. Don't let it install the Winamp Agent (system tray bug) or
Codec packs: CCCP (Combined Community Codec Pack). This allows you to play XviD files (among other things) and comes with a very nice video player (Media Player Classic). Get this from http://www.cccp-project.net/
QT Lite (from http://www.codecguide.com/qt_lite.htm) and Real Alternative (from http://www.codecguid.../about_real.htm) are also worth having -- QTL plays Quicktime files, and RA plays RealAudio/RealVideo files.. without the excess baggage of their respective player applications.
Media player: VideoLAN, aka VLC. The original lightweight, does-everything media player. Fast, stable, and doesn't require external codecs. Has some issues with soft-subtitled videos (where the subtitles are text files and can be turned on and off) though. Get this from http://www.videolan.org/.

With these you can play just about any common media file, and a few uncommon ones as well.


Protect the Fortress!
Last but not least, we need some security software, namely an antivirus scanner. I usually use AVG:
Grab the installer from http://free.grisoft.com/ and run it. I normally run an Advanced installation, and opt not to install the email scanner (I have virus scanning active on my email server). I also don't install the AVG Security Toolbar.
Follow the instructions, and you'll be asked to run an update, then restart your PC.


A Newer Acrobat is not Always a Better Acrobat
Truth be told, the new Acrobat Reader 8 user interface really doesn't grab me. It's ugly, slow, and eats up far too much screen real estate. So I downgraded to AR7.0.9 and removed the adverts :)

First you need the AR7 installer. This is on [url]http://www.oldversion.com/[url]. Scroll down to "Utilities", then click "Acrobat Reader". Click the "Acrobat Reader 7.0.9" link on the next page to download it.
Now you need to get rid of AR8. Start -> Settings -> Control Panel, then Add or Remove Programs. Select "Adobe Reader 8.1.1" from the list, then click Remove. Wait a few minutes for it to uninstall... It'll probably ask you to reboot - if it does, allow it to do so.
By now AR8 should have finished obliterating itself. Run the AR7 installer, and follow the instructions as normal.
Once the installation completes, close AR7 (if it's open) and any web browser windows (AR7 has a browser plugin). Start up Notepad, then copy and paste the text below into the window:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\7.0\FeatureLockdown]
"bUpdater"=dword:00000000
"bShowEbookMenu"=dword:00000000
"bShowAdsAllow"=dword:00000000
"bRegisterProduct"=dword:00000000
"bPurchaseAcro"=dword:00000000
"bCreatePDFOnline"=dword:00000000
"bEFIPrintMe"=dword:00000000

Open the File menu and select Save As. Save the file on the Desktop as "AR7 Adblock.reg" - you need to include the quotes or Notepad will save it as "AR7 Adblock.reg.txt", which is not what you want. Close the Notepad window, and go back to the desktop (Windows key + D). Double-click the registry file, and allow Windows to merge it into the registry. Reboot again, and you should find that when you restart Acrobat Reader, all the advertising (PrintMe, "Go Pro", etc.) will be missing... All that screen real-estate freed up for actual, useful text... :)


Right, well I think that just about covers the Taming of the Eee...
Comments or suggestions, as always, are much appreciated.

- Phil.

Edited by philpem, 03 August 2008 - 08:28 PM.

[thedude]

Nice write up! Thanks.

[maxedfx]

Thanks!!!!!!
Good Startup tips....

[Chocolate Cake]

Awesome post, should be stickied. Are there mods around here? Don't see them much.

[devaler]

Awesome.

[tarkin]

Truly an excellent post! Thanks for this

[Mr. Encyclopedia]

Rather than use Adobe Acrobat at all I use Foxit Reader. It's much smaller and faster than bulky Acrobat.

[grantmaster]

You have some of the same setting I use and some I've been wondering about. Nice post!

[JMN]

Great overview. I'd also suggest downloading TinyMenu for Firefox and Thunderbird. This will allow you to make the Menu bar a drop down. Then customize the navigation toolbar and move all the icons off of it and onto the Menu tool bar. When you are done, there should be no items left on the Navigation toolbar. Then deselect the Nav toolbar and you gain back some screen real estate for the browser window. Works in Tbird too.

[Hakim]

If you need screen real estate in Firefox, just press F11. Doesn't make sense to download addons and such, when it's a built in feature.

[mariegn]

Thanks, Phil! What do you think of the antivirus program from Asus - NOD32?

[Pablo_gyds03]

Hey nice document< I never knew "windows+D" the desktop....... lol

[dr_drache]

I would NEVER suggest AVG to ANYONE.
Free or not, it is KNOW to have the most FALSE postives. It's only a contender because of it's price, the paid versions don't get much "play time" when it comes to the heavy hitters.

pay a few dollars and get nod32, which uses almost 1/2 the memory of AVG. (and scans faster, and catches more)(nod32 is know to be one of the most "lightweight" antivirus)

another choice for a video player is KMPLAYER , is uses a BETTER version of the same dll that videolan uses for internal rendering, and doesn't have the softsub bug. (AFAIK)
you can turn it's themes off, and it is Nearly as good for a MP3 Player as winamp. (winamp is NO longer a lightweight in memory use)

also, another option for a codec pack is the "Vista codec pack" (the vista part is just a name) which is more up-to-date with bugfixes and performance. (need to get the MPC seprate, but link is provided)

Edited by dr_drache, 29 August 2008 - 03:19 AM.

[crazyyellowguy]

Anyone know how to completely remove IE?? You can't remove it from the control panel.

The only thing I can think of is searching for files with the word internet explorer and deleting all the files that way.

[phatalbert]

From what I hear, IE is pretty hard-core integrated into the operating system...

[PortaWriter]

Thanks to philpem for this excellent tweek guide! I would only add a couple of things which I found helpful. . .

I don't bother with anti-virus software.

A good fire-wall and some smarts is all I've ever needed. If I suspect I've created problems by installing some dodgy bit of software, (which I almost never do), I just run Spybot or something. Anti-virus software creates what I feel is an unacceptable amount of slowdown and the only time I ever really had problems was once in a paradoxical situation where I had to go online without a firewall on a newly installed system in order to find a firewall program. My system (Win2K) was infected within seconds. Phooey. But that was years ago, and XP comes with a firewall native in the OS.

Anti virus just isn't necessary for me. I just do basic web-browsing and word processing. Nothing fancy. Every six months or so I'll run Spybot or an equivalent, but it's never found any viruses or malware.

My startup time from hibernation on the 1000H is between 11-14 seconds.

Also, I don't bother with the big Office suites. Abiword is my open source word processor of choice. It's only about 6 Mb and it starts up nice and quick. I generally leave documents open, so when the 1000H comes up from hibernation, I'm literally able to pick up typing where I left off no more than 15 seconds after hitting the On switch.

[Marsh Wibble]

Not convinced that lack of antivirus is wise for most users, though I respect your choice.

For one thing since virus writing moved from being an essentially amateur affair to an organised professional criminal affair it can be much harder these days to tell that your system is infected without the correct tools.

Now the gangs are involved they usually try to make infections as stealthy as possible in order to have the best chance to harvest passwords + credit card numbers etc... Whereas in the past they were more concerned in causing some kind of mischief like deleting data etc.....

I agree that it is also a matter of behaviour. Some things will put you in high risk. My surfing is much lower risk than most peoples - Adblock, Noscript etc..... - But on the other hand I use file sharing and torrents which is quite high risk and I definitely recommend virus scanners for that.

In my experience Avast! has much less of a performance impact than AVG Free or McAfee Enterprise, but still scores very highly in comparative virus scan tests.

Edited by Marsh Wibble, 29 August 2008 - 12:03 PM.

[Lisa_T]

@Portawriter, I'm amazed that you think that Abiword is fast - I keep trying it and constantly find it slow to start (certainly so in comparison to either Wordpad or Word 97), inconsistent and buggy. Maybe you dump all the addons?

[drewz21]

I love AbiWord. It is my word processor of choice. Small, fast, works great.

[Flandry]

Thanks Phil! That's an nice collection of tips. And your instructions are well written. Worthy of a sticky.