The Microsoft Windows paging file, also known as the swap file and virtual memory, is very important to the operation of the operating system. Providing a critical memory feature by allowing the operating system to use more random access memory (RAM) than the computer actually has allows users to use more robust programs without having to upgrade their memory.The paging file can be thought of as a large file on the hard disk that is a collection of system memory used by open applications and operating system components. As more and more applications are started, the amount of free space in the system memory, the RAM, decreases and can eventually be completely used up.When a user starts a program and the RAM used is full, the operating system still loads an application into memory. Before it can do that, it must first make room, and so it pushes a page of low-priority memory out of the RAM and into the paging file.The exact method that the system uses to decide what programs will stay in the physical RAM and what programs will go is unknown. However, there are several paging file hacks that will help you optimize your computer’s use of the paging file.With the help of hacks to the System Registry, you can prevent certain files from being pushed into the paging as well as completely disabling the paging file.

Disabling the paging file

Users of computers with a large amount of RAM have the ability to stop the operating system from pushing any data out into the paging file. This will allow for the faster memory management and memory access that is physically possible for your RAM. Reading and writing directly to the RAM is always significantly faster than having to use the page file. Reading and writing to the paging file requires multiple steps and that takes time. Moreover, reading from the hard drive is nowhere as fast as reading from the RAM.If your system has a large amount of RAM, over 1 gigabytes, then you can consider disabling the paging file. If you have less than 1 gigabyte of RAM, do not even consider disabling the paging file or else you will be running into problems.What can happen if you disable your paging file? If you have enough RAM, then nothing.But if you do not have enough RAM, then if you run a large program such as Photoshop and are working on a large image, you will run into “out of memory” errors and the application will crash, causing you to lose all of your work. This is a pretty extreme example, but it can happen.Basically, stick to the 1 gigabyte minimum and you will have no problems. But be aware that if you ever choose to run some memory-intensive applications, such as rendering a two-hour 3D movie, you could run out of memory easily.So, now that I have warned you, are ready to follow these steps to disable the paging file:
1. Enter System Properties, either by right-clicking the My Computer icon on the desktop and selecting Properties or by doing the same to the My Computer icon in the StartMenu.
2. Once the System Properties window has loaded, click the Advanced tab and then click the Settings button under Performance.
3. Once you are in the performance options, click the Advanced tab again.
4. Click the Change button that is located under the Virtual Memory section.
5. This will load the Virtual Memory screen. Locate and select the No Paging File radiobutton, under the Paging File Size for Selected Drive section.
6. Click the Set button and then click OK three times and you are finished. After you reboot, your page file will be disabled.Feel free to delete the pagefile.sys file from your hard drive after you reboot to claim some extra few hundred megabytes of free space.If you do not have enough RAM to disable the paging file completely, follow the directions in the next section to adjust the size of the paging file for best performance.

Adjusting the size of the paging file

The size of the page file can automatically be set by the system or it can be set by the user. In some situations, having the page file managed by the system is a good idea, but in others, it is better to manage the paging file yourself.The biggest argument for setting the paging file size and limit manually is to eliminate the growing on the page file when it is set by the system.When the system is managing the size of the paging file, it will monitor the size of the file and will then automatically make it larger when it is needed. This causes two problems. First of all, it causes a noticeable delay for all applications running on your computer because the computer has to expand the paging file and this is a hard disk–intensive operation. Secondly, allowing the system to grow and shrink the paging file causes fragmentation errors.For the sake of having enough speed, your page file should not have any file fragments. In the next section on defragmenting, you will learn exactly how to do this. But before the defragmentation can be successful, the page file needs to have a constant size. If the page file will be growing frequently, and because the defrag utility has no clue by how much, it cannot put the file in a place on the hard disk so that it will never get fragmented, as is the case when you set the page file manually to Constant Size.Setting the paging file to a constant size does have some disadvantages. For example, the lost disk space taken up by the paging file can be as high as 1 gigabyte. Additionally, when you set the maximum paging file size manually, you are setting a limit that your computer can never go above. Should you run some extremely memory-intensive application and your limit is too low,your paging file will fill up and you will be out of luck.Why setting the correct paging file size is so important. A real easy way to calculate the maximum size of your page file will be to take the recommended size of the page file from the Virtual Memory Settings window, and multiply it by 2.5. If you are having problems finding where your computer states the recommended size,perform the following steps for changing the paging file to a constant size, because this value is on the same screen as that on which you will be working.Now that you are ready to optimize the paging file to a constant size, follow these steps:
1. Get inside the System Properties again. Do so by right-clicking one of the MyComputer icons that is either in the Start Menu or the desktop and selecting Properties.
2. Next, click the Advanced tab and click the Settings button under the Performance section.
3. On the Performance Options window, click the Advanced tab and then click the Change button under the Virtual Memory section.
4. This will bring up all of the page file settings. Once this information is shown, you will want to modify the custom values so that the initial and maximum sizes are the same.Enter in the value that you calculated in these two boxes. If you have not yet calculated what your size should be, you will find the recommended size on the bottom of this window.
5. Click the Set button and then click OK three times to close all of the windows and save your settings.Once you restart, you will be using the new constant size paging file. You are now ready to run your defragmenter to defragment the paging file to ensure optimal performance.
Be aware: The method that I use to calculate the size of the constant paging file is a very conservative approach. I figure it would be better to be safe than sorry. The method of calculating the size is an effective one. However, if you feel the need for more free disk space, feel free to play around with the calculation, such as only multiplying the recommended amount by 2 ormaybe even 1.5. Although if you do that, keep in mind that you will be increasing your chances of maxing out your paging file.

Defragmenting the Windows paging file

The Windows paging file can be quite large, as you know from the previous sections. Once you have created a constant size paging file, or if you just want to defragment the paging file, you can defragment the file during the next system boot.Windows will not allow any program to move the paging file around on the hard drive when the operating system is in use. The main reason why Windows does not allow this is because other programs are running in the background as well as operating system services that will depend on the paging file. This is why the defragmentation can only be done during the boot, because very few files are in use then.The built-in Windows XP defragmenter does not defragment the paging file during a normal defrag. Microsoft has a workaround for this limitation. It tells users to do a normal defrag first,then after the free space is consolidated, to delete the paging file by disabling it and then recreating it right after a fresh defrag. Doing so will cause the operating system to create one big,continuous file on the hard drive.

If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown

1. Start up the Registry Editor by clicking the Start Menu and selecting Run. Then typeregedit in the box and click OK.
2. Once the Registry Editor has opened, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdown
3. Look for the ClearPageFileAtShutdown entry and right-click it and select Modify.
4. Enter 1 as the new value in the box and click OK.
5. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to see the new changes.

Did you ever notice how when you buy a Computer from one of the big computer manufacturers your computer has their name and logo in many different parts of the computer? How would you like to replace their branding information with your own? Or if you built your own computer, why not brand it?

Branding system properties

Every time you right-click My Computer and select Properties or click the System applet item in the Control Panel, you will be shown branding information on the general information screen of System Properties. This screen is usually customized by computer manufacturers to display their logo, as well as general information such as the model number and support notes.If you would like to change this information or brand a PC that you made yourself, this section will show you how to accomplish this in just a few easy steps.To get started, assume that your computer is not branded and that you are going to be doing this for the first time. If your computer was already branded, then instead of creating the files that I will mention, just replace them with your versions. Follow these steps to do branding of your own:

1. There are two parts to branding your computer. The first part is creating an image to be displayed on the System Properties General tab. The image must be a bitmap and be no larger than 180 x 115 pixels. Once you have created your file, name it oemlogo.bmp and save it in C:\Windows\System32 folder.
2. Now that you have to get the logo out of the way, you will need to create a file with all of the text that you want to appear on the screen next to it.To do this, open up Notepad and key in the following code. Feel free to replace the text to the right of the = with anything you want.

[General]
Manufacturer=Your Systems
Model=Stuff Put Together
[Support Information]
Line1=No support is provided in English
Line2=Guaranteed to work for at least 5 days
Line3=87% restocking fee for all returns
Line4=Returns only accepted at FFC warehouse in N.W.T

3. Once you have your text in the right format, click the File menu bar item and select Save As.
4. Save the file as oeminfo.ini in your C:\Windows\System32 folder. Make sure to change the Save As file type to All Files instead of .txt so that the file is saved with the correct file extension.If everything went well, the next time you look at the System Properties screen, you should see your new branding information.

The Windows Indexing Service is a service that is designed to index all of the files on your computer into a database. Your computer can then search through all of your files faster. The idea behind the service is great; it will drastically cut down on the amount of time that is needed to search your hard drive. Although this is a great benefit, you have to consider the downside of this feature. In order to create a database of files, the service has to continuously monitor the files on your computer and import basic file details into its database when new files are found. The monitoring is not always done in real time, but at times you will notice it running. The most common symptom of this service working is when you are reading something on your computer and all of a sudden your hard drive starts making a lot of noise as if itis working really hard. That is because it is working hard to update the Indexing Service’sdatabase.Just like any other service that starts up when the system does, the Indexing Service takes up memory—quite a bit of memory compared to other services. In fact, the service takes up exactly 4364KB of memory when the service first starts up on your computer. Eventually, about30 seconds after the service has started, the amount of memory used decreases to 306KB. This is Indexing Service Properties.Looks good, but after you use your computer for a little while, the memory usage will start to creep up again. On average, the service takes up about 1316KB of memory.When the service is idle on your computer, it is just taking up memory. Also, it is running at the lowest CPU priority, so you can be sure that it won’t interfere with other applications very much at all.Personally, I rarely use the Search feature of Windows XP and would much rather disable the Indexing Service and take the performance hit the one time every few months that I actually do need to search for a file. In return, I get more free memory space that can be used for moreuseful services and applications. Follow these steps if you rarely search for files and would like some more free memory:
1. Click the Start Menu and select Run. Then key in services.msc in the box and click OK.
2. This will start up the Services snap-in control, where you can manage all of the services on the system. Look for the Indexing Service on the list, right-click it, and selectProperties.
3. Once you see Indexing Service Properties, click the Stop button, if the service is already running. Then, click the Startup Type drop-down box and select Disabled.
4. Click the OK button and you are finished! Now you don’t have to worry about the Indexing Service using any more of your memory.

Removing Saved Passwords in XP

Re-register DLL Files

NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM Not Found

If you get an error that NTLDR is not found during bootup,If you have FAT32 partitions, it is much simpler than with NTFS.Just boot with a Win98 floppy and copy the NTLDR or NTDETECT.COM filesfrom the i386 directory to the root of the C:\ drive.
For NTFS:(ie: win Y2K and XP)

1. Insert and boot from your Windows XP CD.

2. At the first R=Repair option, press the R key

3. Press the number that corresponds to the correct location for the installation of Windows you want to repair. Typically this will be #1

4. Enter in the administrator password when requested

5. Enter in the following commands (X: is replaced by the actual drive letter that is assigned tothe CD ROM drive.COPY X:\i386\NTLDR C\:COPY X:\i386\NTDETECT.COM C:\

6. Take out the CD ROM and type exit

Corrupted or Missing \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG

Hard reboot

A hard reboot (also known as a cold reboot, cold boot or cold start) is when power to a computer is cycled (turned off and then on) or a special reset signal to the processor is triggered (from a front panel switch of some sort). This restarts the computer without first performing any shut-down procedure. (With many operating systems, especially those using disk caches, after a hard reboot the filesystem may be in an "unclean" state, and an automatic scan of on-disk filesystem structures will be done before normal operation can begin.) It may be caused by power failure, be done by accident, or be done deliberately as a last resort to forcibly retrieve the system from instances such as a critical error or virus-inflicted DoS attack. It can also be used by intruders to access cryptographic keys from RAM, in which case it's called cold boot attack.

[edit] Soft reboot

A soft reboot (also known as a warm reboot) is restarting a computer under software control, without removing power or (directly) triggering a reset line. It usually, though not always, refers to an orderly shutdown and restarting of the machine.

The Control-Alt-Delete key combination on the original IBM PC was designed to allow a soft reboot for a quicker and more convenient (and, some argue, less stressful on system components) restart than powering the computer completely down then back up.[citation needed]

The Linux kernel has optional support for the kexec system call, which shuts down the currently running kernel and executes another one. The entire process is done independent of the system firmware. Note that the kernel being executed does not have to be a Linux kernel.

Most Nintendo Game Boy games feature a soft reset feature when the A, B, Start, and Select buttons are pressed together. This was carried over to the Nintendo DS, with the sequence L, R, Start, and Select. Many Nintendo GameCube games have a similar feature, with the sequence Start, B, A, and X.

When you start your computer, the Microsoft Windows XP start up screen appears, and then the computer restarts. The Windows XP logon screen does not appear.

The CAUSE: This error can occur if the Kernel32.dll file is missing or damaged.

Windows Support & Fix Zone
By: WinFixZone.com

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Install Recovery Console! To resolve this issue, use the Windows Recovery Console to extract a new copy of the Kernel32.dll file from the original Windows XP compact disc (The CD). To do this, and follow these steps: Follow these steps to install Recovery Console: By Raymond 1. Start the Recovery Console. If you do not have the Recovery Console installed, start it from the Windows XP compact disc (The CD). Follow the a. b. c. d. steps to install Recovery Console: a. Insert the Windows XP CD in your CD drive and restart your computer. If prompted, select any options required to boot from the CD. b. When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts; you need to choose the repair or recover option by pressing R . c. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access from the recovery console. d. When your prompted, type the Administrator password. 2. At the command prompt, type cd system32 , and then press ENTER. 3. Type ren kernel32.dll kernel32.old , and then press ENTER. 4. Type map , and then press ENTER. 5. Note the drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM drive that contains the Windows XP CD. It is displayed in a format similar to the following: D: \Device\CdRom0 6. Type expand drive \i386\kernel32.dl_ (where drive is the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive that contains the Windows XP CD), and then press ENTER. For example: Expand d:\i386\kernel32.dl_ Note the underscore character after the "L" in Kernel32.dl_ The following message appears: Kernel32.dll 1 file(s) expanded. 7. Type in exit, after the computer restarts remove the Windows XP CD and start the computer normally.

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Additional information Microsoft Windows Recovery Console Additional information: How to install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console to your hard disk. If you install this tool to your local hard disk, Windows Recovery Console is added as a choice on the Windows Startup menu. The Steps: If you want to install the Windows Recovery Console after Windows is already installed on your computer: Go to Start and click on it, now click Run, and then type CD-ROM drive letter :\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons in the Open box, where CD-ROM drive letter is the drive letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive. Click on OK, now follow the instructions on the screen to finish Setup, and then restart you need to your computer. WinXpFix.com For more information about how to create Setup boot disks for Windows, click here boot disk page!