Windows XP and VISTA Secrets.(Make Your Computer Faster)

In Windows XP everytime you open My Computer to browse folders XP automatically searches for network files and printers. This causes a delay in displaying your icons. You probably see the “default” windows icon and as you scroll it changes to the correct icon. This is how to stop that…

1. Open My Computer
2. Click on the Tools menu and select Folder Options…
3. Under Folder Options select the view tab.
4. Uncheck the very first box that reads “Automatically search for network folders and printers”.
5. Click “Apply” or “OK”

You should see a dramatic increase in speed when Windows displays your icons.

What is Windows Explorer:
Windows Explorer is an application that is part of modern versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system that runs on top of the Windows operating system and provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems, though is not integral to the running of a Windows computer. It is the component of the operating system that presents the user interface on the monitor and enables the user to control the computer. It is sometimes referred to as the Windows GUI shell, or simply “Explorer”.

Overveiw:
The Windows Explorer debuted in Windows 95 as a replacement for the older Windows 3.x File Manager. It could be accessed by double-clicking the new My Computer desktop icon, or launched from the new Start Menu (which succeeded the earlier Program Manager). There is also a shortcut key combination — Windows key + E. Successive versions of Windows (and in some cases, Internet Explorer) introduced new features and capabilities, removed other features, and generally progressed from being a simple file system navigation tool into a task-based file management system.
While “Windows Explorer” is a term most commonly used to describe the file management aspect of the operating system, the Explorer process also houses the operating system’s search functionality and File Type associations (based on filename extensions), and is responsible for displaying the desktop icons, the Start Menu, the Taskbar, and the Control Panel. Collectively, these features are known as the Windows Shell.
In the Explorer window, Files and Folders are displayed by a ListView component (SysListView32) making up the majority of the window. When a user chooses to “Explore” the left hand side will display a TreeView, showing the folder structure.