How to disable the system tray?

I use the system tray items frequently, but some folks don't, and want a more minimalist look for their taskbars. If you're all about simplifying the look and don't want to be bothered with all those icons in the notification area, there's a registry edit that you can do to get rid of it.

1. Open your favorite registry editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer
2. Click an empty space in the right pane and choose New DWORD Value
3. Right click the new value to rename it to NoTrayItemDisplay
4. Double click the new value and set the value to 1
5. Log off and log back on for the change to take effect

Note that this disables the system tray for your user account only, and it doesn't keep the applications in the tray from running - it just keeps their icons from being displayed there. You can get the tray back by changing the value to 0.

Is there an easier way to use my printer as a copier?

You can turn any scanner and printer (both) into a copy machine using software, and you don't even have to pay for it. A free program called (appropriately enough) Photocopier works with XP, Vista and even older programs such as NT and Windows 98. You set the number of copies and the brightness level, click the Copy button and it just works.

Download it here:

Photocopier

How to disable the "Your computer might be at risk" popup message in XP

If XP doesn't recognize the antivirus you have installed, you may find yourself constantly having to close a "nag screen" popup that tells you that your computer might be at risk because antivirus software might not be installed. The same thing can happen if you turn off the Windows Firewall because you're using a third party firewall. Of course, if you really don't have AV or a firewall, you probably should think about installing one. But if you just use a less-known security program that XP's Security Center doesn't "see," you can get rid of the message. Here's how:

1. 1. Click Start Control Panel and click the Security Center icon.
2. 2. In the left pane, under Resources, click the link that says "Change the way Security Center alerts me."
3. 3. In the Alert Settings dialog box, you can uncheck the box(es) for firewall and/or virus protection.
4. 4. Click OK.
   

Note: Applies to XP SP2 or above.

When you use Sound Recorder to record audio in Windows Vista, the recorded audio may contain pops, clicks, or other distortions

SYMPTOMS
When you use Sound Recorder to record audio in Windows Vista, the recording may contain extraneous noises such as pops or clicks. Or, the recording may sound distorted. This problem may occur when you record from a device that is connected to the line-in port on the computer's sound card. Additionally, this problem may occur more frequently when Sound Recorder is configured to sample at rates other than 16 bits and 44100 hertz (Hz). This problem does not occur when you use certain third-party programs to record audio.

CAUSE
This problem may occur if the recording volume is too high. This causes data clipping in the recording. Certain third-party programs may do a better job of automatically modulating volume levels that are set too high.

RESOLUTION
To work around this problem, use one of the following methods, and then record the audio again:

1. Decrease the volume output of the device that is connected to the line-in port on the sound card. For example, if you have a portable MP3 player connected through the headphone jack of the device, reduce the volume of the MP3 device.
2. Decrease the volume of the recorded sound in the Hardware and Sound item in Control Panel.

To do this, follow these steps:

• Click Start, click Control Panel, click Hardware and Sound, and then click Manage audio devices.
• Click the Recording tab, click the audio device that you use to record sound, and then click Properties.
• Click the Levels tab, drag the volume slider to the left to reduce the volume, and then click OK.