Post Windows XP Installation Free Software and Configuration

Windows XP is an old version of Microsoft's operating system, but you may need to use it if you have some older hardware. This is a list of stuff I have for when I (re)install Windows XP. It's easier for me to reference online than on paper and maybe you will find something useful. Cheers.

Note for computer beginners: There is no "left click". The terms for the mouse are "click", using the left button, or "right-click", using the right button.

1. Go and get my favorite (or needed) free software for Windows:

   *Ad-Aware Spy-ware detector. Free for personal use.
   *Adobe Reader for PDF files.
   *AVG Anti-Virus Program - Free for personal use.
   *Firefox web browser with Noscript script control. Try Noscript for a couple of hours. It will speed up your web browser experience and stop annoying animations.
   *Adobe Flash Plugin - Plays Youtube videos. Install after getting Firefox.
   *GIMP for photo manipulation Graphics Image Manipulation Program (like Photoshop).
   *iTunes - To get Quicktime Player mostly. You might be okay with just VLC.
   *OpenOffice - Free Office Suite Software. This will install the Java Runtime Environment.
   *PSpad - Favorite Windows text editor.
   *VLC Media Player - Plays audio (mp3, etc.) and various video files. Get this one if you are having trouble playing any media format.
   

2. Use the "classic" (simple) Start Menu that doesn't hide stuff:

   Right-click the Start button and choose "Properties". Select "Classic Start Menu". Under "Customize" check the boxes for "Display Admin Tools", "Show Small Icons", and "Expand Control Panel".

3. Use Quick Launch and stop hiding things:

   Right-click on the task bar at the bottom of the screen. Check "Show Quick Launch" and UNcheck "Hide Inactive Items".

4. Create shortcuts in the Start Menu or Quick Launch bar:

   I only use about 4 or 5 programs that I need to star up myself. I put them in the Quick Launch bar and keep the desktop clear so I can see my entire photo that I'v used as a background. Use the start button to get to a point where you can see the program name you want to create a shortcut to. Right-click on it and drag it to a clear area of the desktop. Click on the shortcut you created and drag it to the Quick Launch bar. You should see a vertical black line where the shortcut will be placed.

   To create shortcuts at the "beginning" of the Start Menu (when it first pops up), you can create a shortcut as described and then drag it on top of the Start button. Hold it there a couple of seconds and the menu should pop up. You can then drag the mouse to the place you want the shortcut. A horizontal black line will show you where the shortcut will be.

5. Useful Folder Options in Windows Explorer:

   Open up "My Documents" (or "My Computer"... same program). Click on the top menu "Tools" and then "Folder Options". Under "General" tab, choose "Use Classic Folders", because I never end up using the sidebar. Click the menu item "View" and UN-check "Hide extensions for known file types" and check "Show Control Panel in My Computer" so that I can find it.

6. Firefox Setting:

   At the top menu, click "Tools" and then "Options". In the "Downloads" section, check "Close it when all downloads are finished" and click in the circle for "Always ask me where to save files" so that they don't all end up on your desktop.

7. Create User who is NOT a part of Administrators Group!

   This might be the first thing you want to do, although adding software and changing the Start menu for everybody requires Administrator privileges. It is a VERY BAD idea to do all your work using an account that has Administrator privileges.

   Before you delete the original account created while loading the operating system, go to Start -> Admin Tools -> Computer Management. Right-click "Users" and click "Add...". If you are happy with the security of your network, you can create users with blank passwords, so that you don't always have to type it in.

   Then, delete the original account that had Administrator privileges, but was not called "Administrator". If you want to make significant changes to your computer, like adding a program, you will need to log in as the Administrator, or Windows may give you an option to "Run program as" the Administrator, if you supply the password. The Admin account must have a good password.