How to Delete Files with Illegal or Reserved Names
Sometimes an application will create a file that has an “illegal” file name (that is, a name that’s reserved by the operating system, such as LPT1 or PRN). If this happens, you may not be able to delete these files using the graphical interface. Here’s how to delete them:
- If the partition on which the files reside is formatted in FAT, at the MS-DOS prompt, type DEL and then the file name with wildcard characters, such as DEL LPT?.*
- If the partition is NTFS, you’ll need to use a syntax that bypasses the normal reserved word checks: DEL \.(drive letter):(path)(file name) (for example: DEL \.c:myfolderlpt
How to Add the Comment Pane in Word
You can add a comment pane feature in Word 2002 or 2003 by creating a macro and running it in a Word document that contains comments. Instructions and code for the macro are shown in KB article 913759 here.
How to Edit the Registry to Replace In-use Files at Windows Startup
There are several ways to replace a file that’s in use by Windows at startup. One way is to edit the Registry. Always back up the registry before editing it.
- Start your favorite registry editor.
- Navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession Manager
- Create a new value of the type REG_MULTI_SZ and name it PendingFileRenameOperations.
- In the value data field, type the following on two separate lines: ??c:tempwin32k.sys !??c:winntsystem32win32k.s
- Close the registry editor.
Direct Hosting of SMB over TCP/IP
Windows 2000/XP/2003 supports file and printer sharing traffic by using Server Message Block (SMB) directly hosted on TCP, unlike earlier versions of Windows that required NetBIOS over TCP (NetBT). Disabling NetBIOS has several advantages. KB article 204279 includes instructions for disabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP here.
How to Configure the Popup Blocker in XP SP2
When you install Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, it adds a popup blocker to Internet Explorer, which is turned on by default. You can configure its settings to allow popups on certain web sites or block all popup windows. You can also configure IE to play a sound to notify you when a popup window is blocked. KB article 843016 tells you how to configure the popup blocker to suit your needs here.
No Results Returned when you Search for Files or Folders
Sometimes if you run a search for files or folders over a slow network link, you Windows XP computer may give you a message that says “Search is complete. There are no results to display” even though the files or folders you’re searching for exist. It happens because Windows mistakenly determines that the files or folders are offline and excludes them from the search. To find out what to do about the problem, see KB article 885843 here.
Deb Shinder