streamlining

Slipstream Service Pack 3 into Your Windows XP Installation CD

2:00AM Kevin Purdy | Next time you wipe your PC’s hard drive clean and reinstall Windows with that old installation disc, you don’t want to connect your fresh, unpatched and vulnerable system to the internet only to download 176 new updates from Microsoft. If your XP installation CD is older than 2004, once your system is online, you’ll have to wait for hefty service packs to download, chained to your mouse while pushing the Next button, watching progress bars, and rebooting multiple times. Wouldn’t it be better to start your installation, head out to run errands or grab coffee, and come back to an up-to-date system before your system gets online? It’s possible, using some free software and a blank disc. After the jump, I’ll show you how to create an automated, customised XP installation CD or DVD, that includes Microsoft’s official-but-not-released Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. More »

Keep Rewards Card Numbers on a Mobile Phone

5:30AM Kevin Purdy | A reader at the Unclutterer blog suggests that since stores only really need the number off the cards they issue, she’s put all her account numbers in her cell phone contacts list to lighten her wallet: Basically, I have every membership number saved in my phone, organized to be alphabetised together such as ‘aMemb-Barnes&Noble, aMemb-Southwest, aMemb-Avis, etc’ so they are easy to find. It has uncluttered my wallet/purse and made is substantially easier to find the number when I need it. More »

Turn Off Shadow Copies to Speed Up Vista

12:00AM Kevin Purdy | Tech magazine PC Advisor rounds up 30 fairly standard “quick fixes” to fine-tune Windows XP and Vista systems, but one tip in particular caught my eye. Noting that all versions of Vista make “Previous Versions” or “Shadow Copies” of files when they change, but only the Enterprise, Business and Ultimate flavors can actually restore from them, the feature recommends moving your documents and personal files on a separate partition or drive and turning off “System Protection” on that portion. It might seem a bit excessive to save a few CPU cycles, but as the site points out, separating documents and programs also makes essential backups much easier to pull off. 30 quick fixes for Windows XP & Vista [PC Advisor UK] More »