Create nameless folders and hide without any software

create folder and rename hold the alt key and type 0160, release alt key,
right click on folder select properties-------customize-----change icon...--------select blank ---ok--ok

To change the Startup and Logoff screens

* Create a 320x400 bitmap in the root directory and name it LOGO.SYS
* You can use LOGOW.SYS file in the Windows directory as a starter
Logoff Screens
1. There are several files called LOGOX.SYS
2. They are actually bitmaps 320x400 that just have a different extension
3. The hidden one in the root directory LOGO.SYS is the startup logo.
4. There are two files in the Windows directory.
5. LOGOW.SYS is the Wait while Shutting down ... screen
6. LOGOS.SYS is the You may now shut-off or Reboot screen
7. To edit them, rename them with a BMP extension and use your favorite graphic editor
8. You can edit these files or create you own
9. They just need to be the same size

Adding Options to the Right-Click of the Start Menu

1. Go to Control Panel, View, Options
2. Click on the File Types Tab
3. Scroll down until you see File Folder
4. Click on Edit
5. Click on New
6. Type in the Name you want to in the Action box
7. Type in the Application you want to use

Adding a Protected Briefcase

You can make your briefcase a shortcut on the on desktop so if you have multiple users on your PC and you don't want to have a password for your briefcase, you can at least protect it from inadvertent deletion by just making the briefcase a hidden file or in a different location other than \Windows\Desktop\My Briefcase, then send a copy or shortcut to the desktop.

Removing the Start Button

1. Click on the start menu button twice, so there is a dashed line around the button
2. Press Alt and the minus sign
3. Choose Close to make the start button disappear, or move to move it to the right!
Note from vinod: - You have to re-boot to get it back again.

When you want to send files to another folder

1. Select the files with Explorer
2. Right Click
3. Select Send to and the name you just created
4. You them have the option of copying or moving the file to a folder of your choice

You can create a nice 3D effect for your windows

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Colors
3. Make sure the following setting are there:
* ButtonHilight=128 128 128
* ButtonShadow=255 255 255

Creating Shutdown, Restart and Logoff Icons

To create the icons, create a shortcut on the desktop.
For Shutdown, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindows
For Restart, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE user.exe,exitwindowsexec
For Logoff, the command is C:\WINDOWS\RUNDLL.EXE shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 0

Restoring a Lost Desktop

If you ever lose the Desktop but Explorer is still running with the Start Button,
you can do this to bring back your Desktop in a Windows box.
1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type a period " . "
4. Then press Enter

Display album art in your music folder thumbnails

If your music files are in WMA format, XP automatically picks up the album art and displays it, both in the folder thumbnail as well as in the Windows Media Player display. If your files are in MP3 format, you can download the album art from the Internet and then customize each folder to display it. But this takes a lot of time. A faster way around is to save each image as 'folder.jpg' and put it in the correct folder. Once you do this, XP will pick up that image and use it as the thumbnail for the folder, and also use the image to display in Windows Media Player while playing songs from the album.

Put your Monitor to sleep

Right click on the desktop and click on Properties. In the dialog box that appears, click on the Screen Saver tab. Click on Power and in the dialog box that appears click on the Turn off Monitor list. Select a time to automatically after which the monitor will be turned off. Click OK twice and you're set.

Looking for a better screen font display?

Enable ClearType, Microsoft's trademark font display technology, for a drastic improvement in screen font rendering. Right-click anywhere on your desktop. Now select Properties. Under the Appearance tab, click Effects. Check the box for Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts, and in the drop-down menu, select ClearType. Press OK, and apply the change.