[for those who use winamp....]

I use the classic skin on Winamp 2.91. One of the reasons I use Winamp is because it's so unobtrusive, no need for a skin.

[Prefetch]

I'm pretty sure it helps programs load up faster. I don't know how but my guess is that it stores some info or part of the .exe files that are loaded.

[Are you pierced ?]

What about those with no piercings?

[Need help with RegTweaks]

Yeah I changed from ClearType to Standard and I got this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"FontSmoothingType"=dword:00000001

[Need help with RegTweaks]

Display Properties - Appearance - Effects

[Google Scholar beta]

OMG. This is brilliant stuff. You're a legend!

Cheers for this, best thing since sliced bread.

[How do you totally secure comps. from hackers?]

Just be smart on the net, don't open emails from unknown people, don't visit warez/crack sites don't download suspicious files from people you don't trust and keep your computer running smoothly so you can easily tell when something is not right.

I also recommend downloading X-NetStat Pro ( http://www.copperhead.cc/xnetstatpro.html ) so if you do suspect something is a bit suspicious you can find out if a hacker (or at least an unknown computer) is connected to you.

[How do you totally secure comps. from hackers?]

The real answer: Don't use the net at all.

However that's not really a solution, so a harware firewall, software firewall with default "No" answers to outgoing programs and incoming connections and last but not least: common sense.

A http server for one is not a very safe idea at all.

[where does windows update store?]

Or you could go here and have the hotfixes listed by release date. However you'll have to decide whether or not you need the fix.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/results...layEnglishAlso=

[TEMP directory Tweaks]

I've got these currently implemented, which change the temp and tmp directories to C:\Temp\

; Changes TMP/TEMP dirs to %SystemDrive%\Temp
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment]
"TEMP"="c:\\Temp"
"TMP"="c:\\Temp"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Environment]
"TEMP"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,44,00,72,00,69,00,76,\
  00,65,00,25,00,5c,00,54,00,45,00,4d,00,50,00,00,00
"TMP"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,44,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,\
  65,00,25,00,5c,00,54,00,45,00,4d,00,50,00,00,00

[where does windows update store?]

C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\

That's basically a temp file with no extension. However, if you run/install the hotfix, the file should end up in a randomly named folder inside your temp folder (probably c:\Windows\Temp\).

So while it's installing, justy make sure you grab it before it finishes, else rename the temp file with no extension.

[Difference between Symantec Anti Virus & Norton An]

Symantec does indeed have a smaller footprint. Norton is much heftier, so if you were basing your choice of AV on memory usage, choose Symantec.

[The Best anti-virus]

I have to disagree. Maybe it's just me, but after installing Kaspersky, my computer was much slower. Once I lowered the real-time scanning level it was much better, but still slower than every other AV product.

Symantec, AVG and eTrust are all faster than Kaspersky concerning real-time scanning, which I rely on, because as you said; after you scan your computer you'd expect to encounter the virus whilst using the computer for everyday tasks.

It's for these everyday tasks my computer usage is my primary priority, not AV scanning. Especially when transferring files over a network, Kaspersky is slow, scanning every file even if it's not directly accessed by me

[The Best anti-virus]

I've heard that Kaspersky relies entirely on it's database though. It doesn't use heuristics. So while it may be the best for an on-demand scan, it would not be for real-time scanning of an unknown virus...

This is why I don't use Kaspersky anymore, it may be very thorough with on-demand scanning, but Kaspersky's real-time scanning slows down everyday computer usage greatly.

[Windows Cleaner]

Yeah I recommend Crap Cleaner too.

[Whats the best Defragmentation Software]

O&O Defrag is the way to go

[Win XP or Server 2003]

Properly converted to a workstation using the MSFN guide and then tweaked as you would XP, Server 2003 is the better choice. The whole SP1 issue is not a problem as Server 2003 already comes with many of the XP problems fixed. Unlike what many people have said here, Server 2k3 does not have severe compatibility issues. Most XP/2K drivers are sufficient for Server 2k3. The only problem I've encountered is that Logitech Mouseware drivers don't yet support Server 2k3, but everything still works fine.