Changing MAC addresses on Windows 2000 and XP



This is depending on the type of Network Interface Card (NIC) you have. If you have a card that doesn't support Clone MAC address, then you have to go to second method.
  • Go to Start » Settings » Control Panel and double click on Network and Dial-up Connections.
  • Right click on the NIC you want to change the MAC address and click on properties.
  • Under "General" tab, click on the "Configure" button Click on "Advanced" tab.
  • Under "Property section", you should see an item called "Network
  • Address" or "Locally Administered Address", click on it.
  • On the right side, under "Value", type in the New MAC address you want to assign to your NIC. Usually this value is entered without the "-" between the MAC address numbers.
  • Goto command prompt and type in "ipconfig /all" or "net config rdr" to verify the changes. If the changes are not materialized, then use the second method.
If successful, reboot your systems.

Speedup Winxp Startup by Minimizing Applications Running in System Tray

Remember when your computer was new? It took mere seconds to greet you with the Windows desktop. But today, the time it takes for your computer to start seemingly takes forever.

This is pretty common. One area of your computer that gets bloated over time is the Start menu. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to clean up.
Let's look at what happens when you turn on your computer. First, you hear whirring and clicking. Those sounds are made by the computer's hardware turning on and performing diagnostic tests. After all systems are a go, Windows starts.

As Windows boots up, other programs automatically begin running as well.

It's advantageous to have some programs automatically start. For example, your anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall should always be active. Imagine if you opened an e-mail with an attached virus or inadvertently downloaded some rogue program.

But unnecessary programs also start automatically. Less than five programs running in the background are okay. But too many programs running simultaneously will slow down any computer - no matter how fast the processor and regardless of the amount of memory.

How do these programs get there? You may give them permission to start automatically when you install them. The biggest culprits tend to be music players and instant messaging programs. Many other programs also offer the automatic start. In most cases, that feature has little value.

So how do you know what is running? Check the lower right-hand corner of Windows--the notification area, formerly called the system tray. You should see a few icons there (you may have to click an arrow to display all icons). If you place your cursor over an icon, the program's name will appear.

The notification area only tells part of the story. There may be other programs (also called processes) running that are represented with an icon in the notification area. To find these, press Ctrl+Alt+Del.

This will show the Windows Task Manager dialog box. Select the Applications tab. If you just started your computer, it may not show any programs running. Now click the Processes tab. You might be surprised to find a long list of programs running.

Problem is, the processes aren't listed in clear English. For example, you might see a process called realsched.exe. That program schedules update checks for the multimedia software, Real Player.

How do you identify a process? Process Explorer (www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html) and Process Library (www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/) are two free ways. You can also research a process using a search site, such as Google or Yahoo.

Once you identify the process, you can restrict it from automatically starting with Windows. Each program is different, but you should find an "automatically start with Windows" option. If you can't, check the offending program's help section.

There are other ways to stop such programs. You can delete the program's icon from the Windows Start folder. This doesn't always work, though.

You may need to dig deeper. Most programs that start with your computer can be stopped by using the Windows utility, MSConfig. To find it, click Start>>Run. Enter "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the box and click OK.

Select the Startup tab. Uncheck boxes for programs you don't need to have running (RealTray, Winamp or other audio utilities are good candidates).

You're not deleting the program, just preventing it from automatically launching. But be cautious, as there are a few programs that should be running (including SystemTray and your firewall, anti-spyware and anti-virus software).

MSConfig is part of Windows 98, Me and XP. It is not present in Windows 2000, but there is a free way to get it. Download StartUp Control Panel (http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml).

Resolving Performance Problems XP

Many of the Windows XP Performance and Maintenance newsgroup users are experiencing serious, sudden performance problems. One day, their computer was fine and the next it was painfully slow. This type of problem is often caused by a computer virus or failing computer hardware. The suggestions in this article probably won't fix those types of problems. Instead, perform a virus scan on your computer.
If that's not the issue, you should contact your computer vendor's technical support team for additional assistance. The troubleshooting process for this type of problem requires the knowledge to examine the computer's performance on a process-by-process basis, and usually includes a "process of elimination" phase where drivers, services, and hardware are removed/replaced one-by-one until the problem disappears. There's a very good chance that the computer won't start at all at some point in this process, so it's best to have support during the process.
Searching for "Windows XP Performance" on the Internet turns up a large number of performance tweaks. Some of these are useful, but most should not be attempted unless you understand exactly what you are doing.
In particular, many of the tweaks that claim to improve your performance may only help under very specific circumstances. For example, in Windows XP Performance and Maintenance newsgroup, one user recommended disabling Internet Connection Firewall to solve a performance problem. Even if this did improve performance, it would leave the computer vulnerable to attacks from the Internet. I'd rather have a slightly slower computer than a hacked computer!

RAM Requirement to Speeup Windows XP

Adding more RAM is in-expensive but this is the first tweak you implement if you are experience a slower PC. This is will noticeably improve your system performance.
Nowadays, a home and office computer has to work multiple tasks. Most software have been specified the minimum amount of RAM needed to install and play. For example, Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban requires 256 MB. Computer also needs some RAM for background tasks as well as to run the game. Photo-editing software and web browsing also consume RAM. Some day suddenly your computer can't keep up.
When the more RAM is necessary
If the hard drive light is flickering most of the time, then it's probably time to install more memory. Suppose the hard drive is a filing cabinet where you store your documents, then memory or RAM (random ACCESS memory) is the table you work on. Clearly the table can be accessed more quickly than the filing cabinet.
How much RAM is in your PC
Go to the Start menu, click Settings, and then click Control Panel. Click System and then select the General tab. At the bottom of the page you should see the amount of RAM.
How much RAM you need
The amount of RAM you need depends on the operating system you are using. For Windows 98, 128 MB to 256 MB is enough. Although, Windows XP works better with more RAM. However, for surfing the Internet and writing letters, 256 MB to 512 MB RAM is enough.