How to install Windows 7 to dual boot with XP

Many people who have stuck with XP are getting the itch to give Windows 7 a try - but without making a commitment. Here's the procedure for installing 7 to dual boot with XP on a computer that already has XP installed:

1.If you only have one partition on your hard drive, you need to shrink it so you can create a second one on which to install Windows 7 (I recommend if you have less than 30 GB of free space, you should buy and install a second physical hard drive on which to install Win7).

2. Boot the system from the Windows 7 installation DVD and when you get to the "Where do you want to install Windows?" option, be sure to pick the partition, disk or unallocated space on which XP is not installed. Proceed through the Setup process.

3. Proceed through the Setup process

4. When the system reboots after installing, pick "Earlier Version of Windows" from the boot menu to boot into XP.
If you had XP installed on C:, when you boot into Windows 7 you'll see that it appears to be installed on C:. Don't panic - Windows 7 calls whatever drive it's installed on C:, which actually makes things easier for applications. The drive on which XP is installed won't show up at all by default, although it's there in Disk Management and you can assign it a drive letter if you want it to show up when you're in Win7 (for example, if it has data stored on it that you want to access). For example, you might assign it drive letter X: to denote that it's the XP drive, and you'll see it as X: in Win7 Explorer. However, when you boot back into XP, the drive it's installed on will be C: (or whatever it was originally) again.

Here's a detailed, illustrated tutorial on installing the dual boot configuration:
How to dual boot Windows XP and Windows 7 (XP installed first)

How to reset Windows Firewall settings in Windows XP SP2

There are situations where-in you need to reset your Windows Firewall settings, after removing a Trojan etc. Resetting the Windows Firewall sets the configuration to factory defaults by removing all the programs / port / exceptions settings.

To reset the Windows Firewall to the factory default state, try this:

1. Type firewall.cpl in Start, Run dialog.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Click the Restore Defaults button.
4. Click Yes to continue when you see this dialog

Restoring the default settings will delete all settings of Windows Firewall that you have made since Windows was installed. This may cause some programs to stop working.

Do you want to continue?

The Windows Firewall is now turned ON, and set to factory default state.
Alternately, you can use the NETSH command-line to accomplish this:

Open a Command Prompt window and type NETSH FIREWALL RESET

This command resets firewall configuration to default. This provides the same functionality as the Restore Defaults button in the Windows Firewall interface.

There are situations where-in you need to reset your Windows Firewall settings, after removing a Trojan etc. Resetting the Windows Firewall sets the configuration to factory defaults by removing all the programs / port / exceptions settings.

To reset the Windows Firewall to the factory default state, try this:

1. Type firewall.cpl in Start, Run dialog.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Click the Restore Defaults button.
4. Click Yes to continue when you see this dialog

Restoring the default settings will delete all settings of Windows Firewall that you have made since Windows was installed. This may cause some programs to stop working.

Do you want to continue?

The Windows Firewall is now turned ON, and set to factory default state.
Alternately, you can use the NETSH command-line to accomplish this:

Open a Command Prompt window and type NETSH FIREWALL RESET

This command resets firewall configuration to default. This provides the same functionality as the Restore Defaults button in the Windows Firewall interface.

How can I change the physical location of "My Documents" folder?

By default, the My Documents folder for your user account resides in the %Userprofile% folder:
Example: C:\Documents and Settings\Games\My Documents(Assuming your user account name is Games)
If the system drive is running out of space and you want to redirect the My Documents folder to a different partition, follow this method:

1. Create a folder in a different drive
2. Assign appropriate folder permissions
3. Open My Computer window.
4. From Common Tasks pane, right-click My Documents and choose Properties.
5. Type the target folder path and click Apply