How to get rid of the "New Items" highlight in the Programs menu

When you install a new program in XP, it will be highlighted in orange in the list of programs. This can be useful for helping you to notice what new programs have been installed, but if you'd prefer not to have new programs highlighted, it's easy to get rid of this feature. Here's how:

1. Right click an empty space on the taskbar.
2. Select Properties.
3. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click the Start Menu tab.
4. Click the Customize button.
5. Click the Advanced tab.
6. Uncheck the box labeled "Highlight newly installed programs."

Is there a way to show the file extension for some files and not others?

As a matter of fact, it is possible to show file extensions for specific file types only.

1. In Explorer, click Tools Folder Options.
2. Click the File Types tab.
3. In the list of registered file types, choose the file type for which you want to display the extension.
4. Click the Advanced button.
5. Click "Always Show Extension."

How to prevent blue screen when installing new motherboard in XP computer?

A new motherboard is the most significant upgrade that you can make to a computer, since the motherboard also determines what processor(s) you can use, how much and what type of RAM you can install, and so forth. Sometimes installing a new motherboard can be tricky and some folks have reported getting a blue screen that says "inaccessible boot device" after the upgrade. Ouch. Here are some tips for preventing that:

1. Before installing the new board, boot into XP.
2. Right click My Computer, click Manager and click Device Manager in the left pane of the Computer Management console.
3. Select the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller.
4. Select your current storage controller.
5. 5. Right click select Update Driver and click "Install from a list or specific location."
6. 6. Select "Don't search, I will choose the driver to install."
7. 7. Select the standard dual channel IDE controller.
8. 8. The first time you boot XP after installing the new motherboard, boot in Safe Mode. XP will install needed drivers. You can also install the motherboard drivers from the disc that comes with it.

How to turn off system sounds without muting everything?

There may be times when you want your computer to just shut up - you don't want to hear sounds when you start up, receive email, get an instant message, etc. You could just mute your speakers, but then you couldn't listen to music or hear the audio when you play a video file. The answer is to temporarily change the Windows sound scheme. Here's how:

1. Right click the desktop
2. Select Personalize
3. Click Sounds at the bottom of the window
4. On the Sounds tab, click the down arrow under "Sound Scheme" and choose "No Sounds"
5. Click OK If you only want to turn off sound for specific events (such as email), you can do that, too. Under "Program Events," scroll down to the event you want to silence (New Mail Notification), highlight it, then under "Sounds" at the bottom, click the down arrow and select "(None)."