Windows XP Tips and Tweaks Part 3

Windows XP Tips and Tweaks Part 3

This is the third and final chapter of my series on Windows XP Tips and Tweaks. You can the other posts at Part 1 and Part 2.

Enable Hibernation: By default, there are 3 options for turning off computer, which are: Stand By, Turn Off and Restart. There is a 4th option, which is Hibernate. In hibernation, all active tasks are saved in to memory and the computer shuts down. When you restart the computer, it will start where you left off. Hibernation is best suited for laptops while Stand By is best suited for desktops. To enable hibernate, you need to use Windows XP's Power Option. Here's how to enable hibernate.

1. Go to Start Menu > Control Panel > Power Options > "Hibernate" tab > check "Enable Hibernation." > [Apply] >[O.K.].
2. Now, the next time to turn off the computer, hold down the [Shift] key and Stand By will switch to Hibernate. Viola.

Install Windows XP Backup Utility: Windows XP comes with NTBackup, a backup utility. It is not the most robust backup utility but NTBackup can perform both full and incremental backups. It also allows shadow copying (i.e. you can have NTBackup working in the background while you continue your work). Windows XP Professional version already has NTBackup installed. However, for what ever odd reason, by default, NTBackup is not installed on Windows XP Home Edition. To install NTBackup in Windows XP Home Edition, you will need your Windows XP installation CD. Here's how to install NTBackup.

1. Place the Windows XP installation CD in to your CD drive.
2. Right click on the CD drive and select "Open."
3. Browse to [Drive Letter]\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.
4. Copy "ntbackup.msi" on to your hard drive.
5. Double click on .msi file to install NTBackup.

Change the Refresh Rate of Your Monitor: The picture on your monitor is constantly being refreshed. The refresh rate is expressed as the number of frames per second. Most people can't detect if the display is being refreshed with a refresh rate of >70. If the refresh rate is too low, people will notice the display flickering on and off. If you notice your monitor is flickering on and off, it is time to increase the refresh rate. Here's how to change the refresh rate.

1. Go to Start Menu > Control Panel > Display >"Settings" tab >[Advance] >"Monitor" tab > Adjust the refresh rate > [Apply] > [O.K.].
2. Restart.