1. Go to the installation folder of acrobat reader
(C:\program files\adobe\acrobat\reader\.. whatever)

2. Move all the files and folders from the “plugins” directory to the “Optional” directory. (I repeat.. cut and paste the files NOT copy & paste).

Also make sure that acrobat reader is not open else it will lock the files and not allow you to move the files).

Now your acrobat reader will load very fast and almost as good as notepad..

Bookmark to:

1). Start any application, say Word. Open some large documents.

2). Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to open Windows Task Manager and click Processes tab and sort the list in descending order on Mem Usage. You will notice that WINWORD.EXE will be somewhere at the top, using multiple MBs of memory.

3). Now switch to Word and simply minimize it. (Don’t use the Minimize All Windows option of the task bar).

4). Now go back to the Windows Task Manager and see where WINWORD.EXE is listed. Most probably you will not find it at the top. You will typically have to scroll to the bottom of the list to find Word. Now check out the amount of RAM it is using. Surprised? The memory utilization has reduced by a huge amount.

5). Minimize each application that you are currently not working on by clicking on the Minimize button & you can increase the amount of available RAM by a substantial margin. Depending upon the number and type of applications you use together, the difference can be as much as 50 percent of extra RAM.

In any multitasking system, minimizing an application means that it won’t be utilized by the user right now. Therefore, the OS automatically makes the application use virtual memory & keeps bare minimum amounts of the code in physical RAM.

Bookmark to:

This tweak allows you to show or hide any of the applets found in the Windows Control Panel.

Open CONTROL.INI (usually found in the C:\WINDOWS) and add the following lines under the “[don't load]” subsection. If the “[don't load]” section doesn’t already exist then create it be adding it on a new line at the end of the file.

For each control panel applet to be hidden add a new line with text in the format “applet.cpl=no” (e.g. fax.cpl=no).

Common Control Panel Applets:
access.cpl – Accessibility Applet
appwiz.cpl – Add/Remove Programs Applet
console.cpl – Console Applet
timedate.cpl – Date and Time Applet
desk.cpl – Display Applet
fax.cpl – Fax Applet
hdwwiz.cpl – Hardware Wizard Applet
irprops.cpl – Infrared Port Applet
intl.cpl – International and Regional Applet
inetcpl.cpl – Internet Settings Applet
joy.cpl – Joystick Applet
liccpa.cpl – Licensing Applet
main.cpl – Mouse and Keyboard Applet
mlcfg32.cpl – Mail Applet
mmsys.cpl – Sound and Multimedia Applet
modem.cpl – Modem and Phone Applet
ncpa.cpl – Network and connectivity Applet
netcpl.cpl – Network and Dial-up Connectivity Applet
nwc.cpl – Netware Client Applet
odbccp32.cpl – ODBC Applet
devapps.cpl – PC Card Applet
ports.cpl – Ports Applet
powercfg.cpl – Power Management Applet
sticpl.cpl – Scanner and Camera Applet
srvmgr.cpl – Server Manager Applet
sapi.cpl – Speech Properties Applet
sysdm.cpl – System Applet
telephon.cpl – Telephony Applet
tweakui.cpl – TweakUI Applet
nusrmgr.cpl – User Manager Applet
wspcpl32.cpl – WSP Client Applet
quicktime.cpl – QuickTime Applet
S32LUCP1.cpl – Norton Live Update Applet
cpqmgmt.cpl – Compaq Insight Agents Applet

Exit the registry and restart Windows for the change to take effect.

Bookmark to:

Open Regedit by going to START – RUN and type Regedit and hit enter.

Then you should navigate to following entry in registry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and delete it.

This action should remove recycle bin from your desktop.

Bookmark to:

Ping options:

example .. In DOS .. c:>ping 192.168.0.1 -t

-t Ping the specifed host until interrupted

-a Resolve addresses to hostnames

-n count Number of echo requests to send

-l size Send buffer size

-f Set Don’t Fragment flag in packet

-i TTL Time To Live

-v TOS Type Of Service

-r count Record route for count hops

-s count Timestamp for count hops

-j host-list Loose source route along host-list

-k host-list Strict source route along host-list

-w timeout Timeout in milliseconds to wait for each reply

Experiment to see how helpful these can be!

Bookmark to:

Do this trick to add up ur name in place of AM and PM beside time and make urself to feel proud among ur group of frnds.
Its simple…

Start -> Control Panel -> Regional and Language option -> Customize (beside English US) -> Go to TIME tab -> Change AM symbol and PM symbol from AM and PM to your name -> Apply -> Ok …

IS it changed Might be not …Now go to time in taskbar and Double Click it to open “Date and time property” …Look place where time changes in digital form i.e. 02:47:52 AM , click to arrow to change the AM or PM by selecting and press arrow. It will Show ur name or name that was entered by u, Apply -> OK

Bookmark to:

a
Get-Acl Get permission settings for a file or registry key
Set-Acl Set permissions
Get-Alias gal Return alias names for Cmdlets
Import-Alias ipal Import an alias list from a file
New-Alias nal Create a new alias.
Set-Alias sal Create or change an alias
Get-AuthenticodeSignature Get the signature object associated with a file
Set-AuthenticodeSignature Place a signature in a .ps1 script or other file
c
Set-Location cd/chdir/sl Set the current working location
Get-ChildItem dir/ls/gci Get child items (contents of a folder or registry key)
Get-Command gcm Retrieve basic information about a command
Measure-Command Measure running time
Trace-Command Trace an expression or command
Add-Content ac Add to the content of the item
Get-Content cat/type/gc Get content from item (specific location)
Set-Content sc Set content in the item (specific location)
Clear-Content clc Remove content from a file/item
ConvertTo-Html Convert the input into an HTML table
ConvertFrom-SecureString Convert a secure string into an encrypted standard string
ConvertTo-SecureString Convert an encrypted standard string into a secure string
Clear-Host clear/cls Clear the screen
Clear-Item cli Remove content from a variable or an alias
Copy-Item copy/cp/cpi Copy an item from a namespace location
Get-Credential Get a security credential (username/password)
Get-Culture Get region information (language and keyboard layout)
d
Get-ChildItem dir/ls/gci Get child items (contents of a folder or registry key)
Get-Date Get current date and time
Set-Date Set system time on the host system
Get-PSDrive gdr Get drive information (DriveInfo)
New-PSDrive mount/ndr Install a new drive on the machine
Remove-PSDrive rdr Remove a provider/drive from its location
e
Get-Eventlog Get eventlog data
Get-ExecutionPolicy Get the execution policy for the shell
Set-ExecutionPolicy Change the execution policy (user preference)
Export-Alias epal Export an alias list to a file
Export-Clixml Produce a clixml representation of powershell objects
Export-Console Export console configuration to a file
Export-Csv epcsv Export to Comma Separated Values (spreadsheet)
Invoke-Expression Run a PowerShell expression
Exit Exit Powershell
f
ForEach-Object foreach Loop for each object in the pipeline
ForEach Loop through values in the pipeline
For The for statement
Format-Custom fc Format output using a customized view
Format-List fl Format output as a list of properties, each on a new line
Format-Table ft Format output as a table
Format-Wide fw Format output as a table listing one property only
g
Get-Item gi Get a file/registry object (or any other namespace object)
Get-ChildItem dir/ls/gci Get child items (contents of a folder or registry key)
h
Get-Help help Open the help file
Add-History Add entries to the session history
Get-History history/h/ghy Get a listing of the session history
Invoke-History r/ihy Invoke a previously executed Cmdlet
Get-Host Get host information
Clear-Host clear/cls Clear the screen
Read-Host Read a line of input from the host console
Write-Host Display objects through the host user interface
i
if Conditionally perform a command
Import-Clixml Import a clixml file and rebuild the PS object
Import-Csv ipcsv Take values from a CSV list and send objects down the pipeline.
Get-Item gi Get a file object or get a registry (or other namespace) object
Invoke-Item ii Invoke an executable or open a file (START)
New-Item ni Create a new item in a namespace
Remove-Item rm/del/erase/rd/ri/rmdir Remove an item
Set-Item si Change the value of an item
Clear-ItemProperty Delete the value of a property
Copy-ItemProperty Copy a property along with its value
Get-ItemProperty Retrieve the properties of an object
Move-ItemProperty Move a property from one location to another
New-ItemProperty Set a new property of an item at a location
Remove-ItemProperty Delete the property and its value from an item
Rename-ItemProperty Rename a property of an item
Set-ItemProperty Set the value of a property
k
Stop-Process kill/spps Stop a running process
l
Get-Location pwd / gl Get and display the current location
Pop-Location popd Set the current working location from the stack
Push-Location pushd Push a location to the stack
Set-Location cd/chdir/sl Set the current working location
m
Add-Member Add a member to an instance of a PowerShell object
Get-Member gm Enumerate the properties of an object
Move-Item move/mv/mi Move an item from one location to another
o
Compare-Object Compare the properties of objects
Group-Object group Group the objects that contain the same value for a common property
Measure-Object Measure the properties of an object
New-Object Create a new .Net object
Select-Object select Select properties of objects.
Sort-Object sort Sort objects by property value
Where-Object Filter the objects passed along the command pipeline.
Out-Default Send output to default
Out-File Send command output to a file
Out-Host oh Send the pipelined output to the host
Out-Null Send output to null
Out-Printer lp Send the output to a printer
Out-String Send objects to the host as strings
p
Powershell Launch a powershell session
Convert-Path cvpa Convert a ps path to a provider path
Join-Path Combine a path and child-path
Resolve-Path rvpa Resolves the wildcards in a path
Split-Path Return part of a path
Test-Path Return true if the path exists, otherwise return false
Get-Pfxcertificate Get pfx certificate information
Pop-Location popd Set the current working location from the stack
Push-Location pushd Push a location to the stack
Get-Process ps/gps Get a list of processes on a machine
Stop-Process kill/spps Stop a running process
Clear-ItemProperty clp Remove the property value from a property
Copy-ItemProperty cpp Copy a property along with it’s value
Get-ItemProperty gp Retrieve the properties of an object
Move-ItemProperty mp Move a property from one location to another
New-ItemProperty Set a new property
Remove-ItemProperty rp Remove a property and its value
Rename-ItemProperty rnp Renames a property at its location
Set-ItemProperty sp Set a property at the specified location to a specified value
Get-PsProvider Get information for the specified provider
Set-PSdebug Turn script debugging on or off
Add-PsSnapIn Add snap-ins to the console
Get-PsSnapin List PowerShell snap-ins on this computer
Remove-PSSnapin Remove PowerShell snap-ins from the console
r
Read-Host Read a line of input from the host console
Remove-Item rm/del/erase/rd/ri/rmdir Remove an item
Rename-Item ren/rni Change the name of an existing item
Rename-ItemProperty Rename a property of an item
Run/Call & Run a command (call operator)
s
Get-Service gsv Get a list of services
New-Service Create a new service
Restart-Service Stop and then restart a service
Resume-Service Resume a suspended service
Set-Service Change the start mode/properties of a service
Sort-Object sort Sort objects by property value
Start-Service sasv Start a stopped service
Stop-Service spsv Stop a running service
Suspend-Service Suspend a running service
Start-Sleep sleep Suspend shell, script, or runspace activity
Switch Multiple if statements
Select-String Search through strings or files for patterns
t
Tee-Object Send input objects to two places
New-Timespan Create a timespan object
Trace-Command Trace an expression or command
Get-Tracesource Get components that are instrumented for tracing.
Set-Tracesource Trace a PowerShell component
Start-Transcript Start a transcript of a command shell session
Stop-Transcript Stop the transcription process
u
Get-Uiculture Get the ui culture information
Get-Unique gu Get the unique items in a collection
Update-Formatdata Update and append format data files
Update-Typedata Update the current extended type configuration
v
Clear-Variable clv Remove the value from a variable
Get-Variable gv Get a powershell variable
New-Variable nv Create a new variable
Remove-Variable rv Remove a variable and its value
Set-Variable set/sv Set a variable and a value
w
Where-Object where Filter input from the pipeline
While Loop while a condition is True
Get-WMIobject Get WMI class information
Write-Debug Write a debug message to the host display
Write-Error Write an object to the error pipeline.
Write-Output echo Write an object to the pipeline
Write-Progress Display a progress bar
Write-Verbose Write a string to the host’s verbose display
Write-Warning Write a warning message
# Comment / Remark

In addition to the above all the standard XP and Resource kit commands can be run under Powershell (apart from internal commands.)

Bookmark to:

An A-Z Index of the Windows XP command line

ADDUSERS Add or list users to/from a CSV file
ARP Address Resolution Protocol
ASSOC Change file extension associations•
ASSOCIAT One step file association
AT Schedule a command to run at a later time
ATTRIB Change file attributes
b
BOOTCFG Edit Windows boot settings
BROWSTAT Get domain, browser and PDC info
c
CACLS Change file permissions
CALL Call one batch program from another•
CD Change Directory – move to a specific Folder•
CHANGE Change Terminal Server Session properties
CHKDSK Check Disk – check and repair disk problems
CHKNTFS Check the NTFS file system
CHOICE Accept keyboard input to a batch file
CIPHER Encrypt or Decrypt files/folders
CleanMgr Automated cleanup of Temp files, recycle bin
CLEARMEM Clear memory leaks
CLIP Copy STDIN to the Windows clipboard.
CLS Clear the screen•
CLUSTER Windows Clustering
CMD Start a new CMD shell
COLOR Change colors of the CMD window•
COMP Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
COMPACT Compress files or folders on an NTFS partition
COMPRESS Compress individual files on an NTFS partition
CON2PRT Connect or disconnect a Printer
CONVERT Convert a FAT drive to NTFS.
COPY Copy one or more files to another location•
CSCcmd Client-side caching (Offline Files)
CSVDE Import or Export Active Directory data
d
DATE Display or set the date•
Dcomcnfg DCOM Configuration Utility
DEFRAG Defragment hard drive
DEL Delete one or more files•
DELPROF Delete NT user profiles
DELTREE Delete a folder and all subfolders
DevCon Device Manager Command Line Utility
DIR Display a list of files and folders•
DIRUSE Display disk usage
DISKCOMP Compare the contents of two floppy disks
DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one floppy disk to another
DISKPART Disk Administration
DNSSTAT DNS Statistics
DOSKEY Edit command line, recall commands, and create macros
DSADD Add user (computer, group..) to active directory
DSQUERY List items in active directory
DSMOD Modify user (computer, group..) in active directory
e
ECHO Display message on screen•
ENDLOCAL End localisation of environment changes in a batch file•
ERASE Delete one or more files•
EXIT Quit the current script/routine and set an errorlevel•
EXPAND Uncompress files
EXTRACT Uncompress CAB files
f
FC Compare two files
FIND Search for a text string in a file
FINDSTR Search for strings in files
FOR /F Loop command: against a set of files•
FOR /F Loop command: against the results of another command•
FOR Loop command: all options Files, Directory, List•
FORFILES Batch process multiple files
FORMAT Format a disk
FREEDISK Check free disk space (in bytes)
FSUTIL File and Volume utilities
FTP File Transfer Protocol
FTYPE Display or modify file types used in file extension associations•
g
GLOBAL Display membership of global groups
GOTO Direct a batch program to jump to a labelled line•
h
HELP Online Help
i
iCACLS Change file permissions
IF Conditionally perform a command•
IFMEMBER Is the current user in an NT Workgroup
IPCONFIG Configure IP
k
KILL Remove a program from memory
l
LABEL Edit a disk label
LOCAL Display membership of local groups
LOGEVENT Write text to the NT event viewer.
LOGOFF Log a user off
LOGTIME Log the date and time in a file
m
MAPISEND Send email from the command line
MBSAcli Baseline Security Analyzer.
MEM Display memory usage
MD Create new folders•
MKLINK Create a symbolic link (linkd)
MODE Configure a system device
MORE Display output, one screen at a time
MOUNTVOL Manage a volume mount point
MOVE Move files from one folder to another•
MOVEUSER Move a user from one domain to another
MSG Send a message
MSIEXEC Microsoft Windows Installer
MSINFO Windows NT diagnostics
MSTSC Terminal Server Connection (Remote Desktop Protocol)
MUNGE Find and Replace text within file(s)
MV Copy in-use files
n
NET Manage network resources
NETDOM Domain Manager
NETSH Configure network protocols
NETSVC Command-line Service Controller
NBTSTAT Display networking statistics (NetBIOS over TCP/IP)
NETSTAT Display networking statistics (TCP/IP)
NOW Display the current Date and Time
NSLOOKUP Name server lookup
NTBACKUP Backup folders to tape
NTRIGHTS Edit user account rights
p
PATH Display or set a search path for executable files•
PATHPING Trace route plus network latency and packet loss
PAUSE Suspend processing of a batch file and display a message•
PERMS Show permissions for a user
PERFMON Performance Monitor
PING Test a network connection
POPD Restore the previous value of the current directory saved by PUSHD•
PORTQRY Display the status of ports and services
PRINT Print a text file
PRNCNFG Display, configure or rename a printer
PRNMNGR Add, delete, list printers set the default printer
PROMPT Change the command prompt•
PsExec Execute process remotely
PsFile Show files opened remotely
PsGetSid Display the SID of a computer or a user
PsInfo List information about a system
PsKill Kill processes by name or process ID
PsList List detailed information about processes
PsLoggedOn Who’s logged on (locally or via resource sharing)
PsLogList Event log records
PsPasswd Change account password
PsService View and control services
PsShutdown Shutdown or reboot a computer
PsSuspend Suspend processes
PUSHD Save and then change the current directory•
q
QGREP Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern.
r
RASDIAL Manage RAS connections
RASPHONE Manage RAS connections
RECOVER Recover a damaged file from a defective disk.
REG Registry: Read, Set, Export, Delete keys and values
REGEDIT Import or export registry settings
REGSVR32 Register or unregister a DLL
REGINI Change Registry Permissions
REM Record comments (remarks) in a batch file•
REN Rename a file or files•
REPLACE Replace or update one file with another
RD Delete folder(s)•
RMTSHARE Share a folder or a printer
ROBOCOPY Robust File and Folder Copy
ROUTE Manipulate network routing tables
RUNAS Execute a program under a different user account
RUNDLL32 Run a DLL command (add/remove print connections)
s
SC Service Control
SCHTASKS Create or Edit Scheduled Tasks
SCLIST Display NT Services
SET Display, set, or remove environment variables•
SETLOCAL Control the visibility of environment variables•
SETX Set environment variables permanently
SHARE List or edit a file share or print share
SHIFT Shift the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file•
SHORTCUT Create a windows shortcut (.LNK file)
SHOWGRPS List the NT Workgroups a user has joined
SHOWMBRS List the Users who are members of a Workgroup
SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer
SLEEP Wait for x seconds
SOON Schedule a command to run in the near future
SORT Sort input
START Start a program or command in a separate window•
SU Switch User
SUBINACL Edit file and folder Permissions, Ownership and Domain
SUBST Associate a path with a drive letter
SYSTEMINFO List system configuration
t
TASKLIST List running applications and services
TASKKILL Remove a running process from memory
TIME Display or set the system time•
TIMEOUT Delay processing of a batch file
TITLE Set the window title for a CMD.EXE session•
TLIST Task list with full path
TOUCH Change file timestamps
TRACERT Trace route to a remote host
TREE Graphical display of folder structure
TYPE Display the contents of a text file•
u
USRSTAT List domain usernames and last login
v
VER Display version information•
VERIFY Verify that files have been saved•
VOL Display a disk label•
w
WHERE Locate and display files in a directory tree
WHOAMI Output the current UserName and domain
WINDIFF Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
WINMSD Windows system diagnostics
WINMSDP Windows system diagnostics II
WMIC WMI Commands
x
XCACLS Change file permissions
XCOPY Copy files and folders
:: Comment / Remark•

Commands marked • are Internal commands only available within the CMD shell.
All other commands (NOT marked with •) are external commands which may be used under the CMD shell, PowerShell, or directly from START-RUN

Bookmark to:

DOS = Disk Operating System, or MS-DOS
MSIE = Microsoft Internet Explorer
TIF = Temporary Internet Files (folder)
HD = Hard Drive
OS = Operating System
FYI = For Your Information

1)SEEING IS BELIEVING
No. Enabling Windows Explorer to “show all files” does not show the files in mention. No. DOS does not
list the files after receiving a proper directory listing from root. And yes. Microsoft intentionally
disabled the “Find” utility from searching through one of the folders.

Oh, but that’s not all.

To see for yourself simply do as you would normally do to clear your browsing history. Go to Internet
Options under your Control Panel. Click on the [Clear History] and [Delete Files] buttons. (Make sure
to include all offline content.)

So, has your browsing history been cleared? One would think so.

These are the names and locations of the “really hidden files”:

c:windowshistoryhistory.ie5index.dat
c:windowstempor~1content.ie5index.dat
If you have upgraded MSIE several times, they might have alternative names of mm256.dat and
mm2048.dat, and may also be located here:

c:windowstempor~1
c:windowshistory
Not to mention the other alternative locations under:

c:windowsprofiles%user%…
c:windowsapplication data…
c:windowslocal settings…
c:windowstemp…
c:temp…
(or as defined in your autoexec.bat.)

FYI, there are a couple other index.dat files that get hidden as well, but they are seemingly not very
important. See if you can find them.

2)IF YOU HAVE EVER USED MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER
1) Shut your computer down, and turn it back on.
2) While your computer is booting keep pressing the [F8] key until you are given an option screen.
3) Choose “Command Prompt Only” (This will take you to true DOS mode.) Windows ME users must use a boot
disk to get into real DOS mode.
4) When your computer is done booting, you will have a C:> followed by a blinking cursor.
Type this in, hitting enter after each line. (Obviously, don’t type the comments in parentheses.)

C:WINDOWSSMARTDRV (Loads smartdrive to speed things up.)
CD
DELTREE/Y TEMP (This line removes temporary files.)
CD WINDOWS
DELTREE/Y COOKIES (This line removes cookies.)
DELTREE/Y TEMP (This removes temporary files.)
DELTREE/Y HISTORY (This line removes your browsing history.)
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1 (This line removes your internet cache.)

(If that last line doesn’t work, then type this

CDWINDOWSAPPLIC~1
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1

(If that didn’t work, then type this

CDWINDOWSLOCALS~1
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
If you have profiles turned on, then it is likely located under windowsprofiles%user%, while older
versions of MSIE keep them under windowscontent.)

FYI, Windows re-creates the index.dat files automatically when you reboot your machine, so don’t be
surprised when you see them again. They should at least be cleared of your browsing history.

3)CLEARING YOUR REGISTRY
It was once believed that the registry is the central database of Windows that stores and maintains the
OS configuration information. Well, this is wrong. Apparently, it also maintains a bunch of other
information that has absolutely nothing to do with the configuration. I won’t get into the other
stuff, but for one, your typed URLs are stored in the registry.

HKEY_USERS/Default/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/TypedURLs/
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/TypedURLs/
These “Typed URLs” come from MSIE’s autocomplete feature. It records all URLs that you’ve typed in manually
in order to save you some time filling out the address field.

4)SLACK FILES
As you may already know, deleting files only deletes the references to them. They are in fact still sitting
there on your HD and can still be recovered by a very motivated person.
Use window washer to delete slack files. /http://www.webroot.com/download/0506/reg3ww.exe

5)STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE THROUGH YOUR HIDDEN FILES
The most important files to be paying attention to are your “index.dat” files. These are database files
that reference your history, cache and cookies. The first thing you should know is that the index.dat files
is that they don’t exist in less you know they do. They second thing you should know about them is that
some will *not* get cleared after deleting your history and cache.

To view these files, follow these steps:

In MSIE 5.x, you can skip this first step by opening MSIE and going to Tools > Internet Options > [Settings] > [View Files].
Now write down the names of your alphanumeric folders on a piece of paper. If you can’t see any alphanumeric
folders then start with step 1 here:

1) First, drop to a DOS box and type this at prompt (in all lower-case). It will bring up Windows Explorer
under the correct directory.

c:windowsexplorer /e,c:windowstempor~1content.ie5
You see all those alphanumeric names listed under “content.ie5?” (left-hand side.) That’s Microsoft’s
idea of making this project as hard as possible. Actually, these are your alphanumeric folders that was
created to keep your cache. Write these names down on a piece of paper. (They should look something like
this: 6YQ2GSWF, QRM7KL3F, U7YHQKI4, 7YMZ516U, etc.) If you click on any of the alphanumeric folders then
nothing will be displayed. Not because there aren’t any files here, but because Windows Explorer has lied
to you. If you want to view the contents of these alphanumeric folders you will have to do so in DOS.

2) Then you must restart in MS-DOS mode. (Start > Shutdown > Restart in MS-DOS mode. ME users use a
bootdisk.)

Note that you must restart to DOS because windows has locked down some of the files and they can only be
accessed in real DOS mode.

3) Type this in at prompt:

CDWINDOWSTEMPOR~1CONTENT.IE5
CD %alphanumeric%
(replace the “%alphanumeric%” with the first name that you just wrote down.)

DIR/P
The cache files you are now looking at are directly responsible for the mysterious erosion of HD space
you may have been noticing.

5) Type this in:

CDWINDOWSTEMPOR~1CONTENT.IE5
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
You will be brought to a blue screen with a bunch of binary.

6) Press and hold the [Page Down] button until you start seeing lists of URLs. These are all the sites
that you’ve ever visited as well as a brief description of each. You’ll notice it records everything
ou’ve searched for in a search engine in plain text, in addition to the URL.

7) When you get done searching around you can go to File > Exit. If you don’t have mouse support in DOS
then use the [ALT] and arrow keys.

Next you’ll probably want to erase these files by typing this:

C:WINDOWSSMARTDRV
CDWINDOWS
DELTREE/Y TEMPOR~1
(replace “cdwindows” with the location of your TIF folder if different.)

9) Then check out the contents of your History folder by typing this:

CDWINDOWSHISTORYHISTORY.IE5
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
You will be brought to a blue screen with more binary.

10) Press and hold the [Page Down] button until you start seeing lists of URLS again.

This is another database of the sites you’ve visited.

11) And if you’re still with me, type this:

CDWINDOWSHISTORY
12) If you see any mmXXXX.dat files here then check them out (and delete them.) Then:

CDWINDOWSHISTORYHISTORY.IE5
CD MSHIST~1
EDIT /75 INDEX.DAT
More URLs from your internet history. Note, there are probably other mshist~x folders here so you can
repeat these steps for every occurence if you please.

13) By now, you’ll probably want to type in this:

CDWINDOWS
DELTREE/Y HISTORY

6)HOW MICROSOFT DOES IT
How does Microsoft make these folders/files invisible to DOS?

The only thing Microsoft had to do to make the folders/files invisible to a directory listing is to
set them +s[ystem]. That’s it.

So how does Microsoft make these folders/files invisible to Windows Explorer?

The “desktop.ini” is a standard text file that can be added to any folder to customize certain aspects of
the folder’s behavior. In these cases, Microsoft utilized the desktop.ini file to make these files
invisible. Invisible to Windows Explorer and even to the “Find: Files or Folders” utility. All that
Microsoft had to do was create a desktop.ini file with certain CLSID tags and the folders would disappear
like magic.

To show you exactly what’s going on:

Found in the c:windowstemporary internet filesdesktop.ini and
the c:windowstemporary internet filescontent.ie5desktop.ini is this text:

[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
Found in the c:windowshistorydesktop.ini and the c:windowshistoryhistory.ie5desktop.ini is this text:

[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
CLSID={FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
The UICLSID line cloaks the folder in Windows Explorer. The CLSID line disables the “Find” utility
from searching through the folder.

To see for yourself, you can simply erase the desktop.ini files. You’ll see that it will instantly give
Windows Explorer proper viewing functionality again, and the “Find” utility proper searching capabilities
again. Problem solved right? Actually, no. As it turns out, the desktop.ini files get reconstructed every
single time you restart your computer. Nice one, Slick.

Luckily there is a loophole which will keep Windows from hiding these folders. You can manually edit the
desktop.ini’s and remove everything except for the “[.ShellClassInfo]” line. This will trick windows into
thinking they have still covered their tracks, and wininet won’t think to reconstruct them.

Bookmark to: