Setting Administrator password(The easy way)

Okay, Well this is very easy and does not involve rebooting or logging off, BUT it requires Administrative Access.

1. Open up Command Prompt.
2. type in "net user Administrator (Password goes here)" (Without the quotes, And put in a password in place of the "(Password goes here)") So lets say you want to set the password to "computers", You would then type in: net user Administrator computers Simple as that! And doesn't involve rebooting!

Happy tweaking!

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Clear pagefile on shutdown

While it is generally not necessary for most users, some people want to clear the pagefile on shutdown. Windows uses this file as virtual memory / extra ram. Lets say that you are working on a highly confidential MS Word doc. When you load this document it is loaded into ram. To save ram windows places certain items in the pagefile. With some effort, the pagefile can then be opened and the document can be extracted as well as any other open program or files. However Microsoft has implemented a feature that will clear the page file but they do not have it enabled by default. Please note, this will significantly increase the amount of time it takes to shut down your computer. We don't necessarily recommend this tweak, but we offer you the option if you want it:

Start Regedit. If you are unfamiliar with regedit please refer to our FAQ on how to get started.

1. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
2. Select ClearPageFileAtShutdown from the list on the right.
3. Right on it and select Modify.
4. Change the value to 1 to enable.
5. Reboot your computer.

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Changing ANY user password without having to know the existing password

This tweak gives a user the opportunity to use it for good or bad. It enables the user to re-password any account without having to know the existing password and also shows you every account that exists on the machine (even the ones that are hidden). This is a good tool to use if you forgot a password to say your administrator account and you needed to be logged into the admin account for any reason.

To view all of the user accounts:

1) While logged onto the computer, click on Start>Run>and type in CMD.

2) From the command prompt window, type in net users. This will show you every account that is made onto the computer whether it is hidden or not.

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To change an account password:

1) While logged onto the computer to an account that has administrative rights, click on Start>Run>and type in CMD.

2) Type in net user then the name of the account then * and press enter. heres an example: net user administrator * or net user "Joe Smith" * . Put the name in quotes if it contains spaces.

3) From there it should ask for a new password. Type in your new password (type very carefully - the command window won't display what you type) and once more to confirm it. If you get the message that the command succeeded successfully you're all set!!

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Administrator Account Password in XP Home

In XP Home Edition the admin account is only accessible from SafeMode. This accounts password is by default BLANK....yeah thats correct there is no password. Gee...PATHETIC.

To ensure a more secure system.

1. Turn off your computer.

2.Power on and hit F8 just after the BIOS check is complete. Select Safe Mode from the List. Its around the top of the list.

3.On the next page press ENTER.

4.Work you way to the Desktop. Goto Control panel...by:

*Clicking on Start\settings\ControlPanel

5.Double Click on Users Accounts

6.Select the Administrators Account from the list.

7.Apply a password.

Then restart the system.

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Block incoming attacks

Limit your exposure to the outside world by blocking incomming connections.

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network Connections

Right click on "Local Area Network" And go to "Properties", In the scroll box, Click on "Internet Protocol (IP/TCP)" and then click on the "Properties" button, In the new window, Click on the "Advanced.." button, Then in the other new window go to the "Options" tab, Click on "TCP/IP Filtering" and hit "Properties", Check off "Enable TCP/IP filtering (All adapters)" next In the Above "TCP Ports" Click on the Radio button "Permit Only" and then add in the ports that you want people to be able to access... If you're running a web server add in 80, If you're running an FTP server add in 21... And so on... Then hit "OK" And close all the other windows, And reboot when it asks you too.

This way you can close the ports that you do not need to be open to the outside world. An alternative to this tweak could be running a firewall or enabling windows built in firewall. Please note that in order for other computers to connect to you, for example sending a file over AOL Instant Messenger or using Windows Messenger to send a file, make sure that the required port is not blocked on your system. Otherwise, nothing will go through.

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Access Stored User Names and Passwords with rundll32.exe

The Stored User Names and Passwords applet lets you assign user names and passwords to use when needing to authenticate yourself to services in domains other than the one you are currently logged into. The normal way of running this applet can be difficult to find quickly, so here is a way to launch it using a desktop shortcut using the rundll32.exe program:

Click on START - RUN and type the following (follwed by ENTER):

rundll32.exe keymgr.dll,KRShowKeyMgr

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Move the Temporary Internet Files Folder

By default Internet Explorer stores a user’s temporary internet files within a user profile typically located under C:\Users or C:\Documents and Settings. This setting can be easily be changed within Internet Explorer.

Configuring Temporary Internet Files in Internet Explorer:

When Internet Explorer is open, click on Tools and then select Internet Options. On the General tab, under Browsing history, click the Settings button.

Click Move folder…

Then select the new drive and folder you want to use and click OK to exit the property pages.

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