This is stolen right from MS:

1. Keyboard shortcuts Open links in a new tab in the background CTRL+click
2. Open links in a new tab in the foreground CTRL+SHIFT+click
3. Open a new tab in the foreground CTRL+T
4. Open a new tab from the Address bar ALT+ENTER
5. Open a new tab from the search box ALT+ENTER
6. Open Quick Tabs (thumbnail view) CTRL+Q
7. Switch between tabs CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
8. Switch to a specific tab number CTRL+n (n can be 1-8)
9. Switch to the last tab CTRL+9
10. Close current tab CTRL+W
11. Close all tabs ALT+F4
12. Close other tabs CTRL+ALT+F4
13. Mouse shortcuts Open a link in a background tab Click the middle mouse button on a link
14. Open a new tab Double-click the empty space to the right of the last tab
15. Close a tab Click the middle mouse button on the tab

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Many people have had some problem with shutting down Windows XP from time to time. Sometimes it hangs, other times it throws a blue screen, and probably the most annoying: it restarts!

Before I get into the less common fixes, check to see if the “Restart on System Failure” feature is enabled. Right-click on My Computer -> click Properties -> click the Advanced tab. Under Startup and Recovery click settings and under System Failure, uncheck the box beside “Automatically Restart.”

While this may fix the issue with your computer automatically restarting, it doesn’t fix the issue that is causing it. All we have done is prevented the system restarting on a system failure: the system failure is still present. It could be something as simple as a USB device that is hanging the system (not critical) or something more important such as a memory, processor, or BIOS error. Sometimes getting these things diagnosed is much like going to the mechanic with a “ticking noise” that never quite ticks when it’s supposed to.

Other Causes:

1. You have ROXIO Easy CD Creator 5 on your system. I won’t go into the details of what it does; all you need to know is a patch is available to fix it. Go to Roxio’s site and download the latest version of 5.x http://www.roxio.com/
2. Windows XP APM (Advanced Power Management). This issue can go either way. Some people report that having it enabled causes problems; while others report having it disabled causes problems. I believe the solution lies in having the operating system AND BIOS having the same/compatible settings. Turn APM on and off to check for the solution. Check for the motherboards latest BIOS and APM drivers for Windows. Go to Control Panel -> Display Properties -> Screensaver tab -> Power -> Advanced. You may have APM issues if you also have problems shifting the system in and out of standby and hibernation. About half the systems I have come across have issues with standby and hibernation.
3. Wake on LAN, USB, Modem settings causing the system to restart. Consult your motherboard manual for the settings to find in your BIOS. Typically it is self-explanatory once you are in the BIOS: look for the lines that say “Wake on” Enabled/Disabled. Disable these, a home user 99.99% of the time will never need these let alone know what they are. Some Ethernet cards have the Wake-On settings in the Device Manager. Right click My Computer -> click Properties -> Hardware tab -> Device Manager -> and click on the Ethernet card and select Properties -> Advanced to find the setting.
4. USB. Some USB hubs have problems letting the system shutdown properly. Also try disconnecting any USB devices before shutdown to see if this corrects the problem. If this is the problem, well, not much of a solution other than to get up-to-date USB/Motherboard drivers, updated USB device drivers, and possibly add a different USB card or HUB to your system.
5. Logitech YSB3 Keyboard, Mouseware 8.6, 9.0, 9.1, and Webstar USB cable modem all seem to have problems. Check for latest updates.

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I recently picked up an Asus EEE PC (7″ screen, 900MHz Pentium M, 4GB SSD, 512 MB RAM, etc). It’s a welcome change from using my Treo 700w or my ThinkPad. It came with a custom version of Xandros that simply wasn’t up to the challenges of a system administrator – so I installed Windows XP. I’ve outlined some tips on slimming down the Windows XP install so you can use some of the 4GB drive for other things.

The default install of Windows XP is pretty hefty, so I’ve done a few things to slim it down.

1. Changing Virtual Memory
   The virtual memory in Windows XP is set to 1.5 – 3 times the amount of memory in the system. This is sufficient for most machines, but on a 4GB hard drive, we have no room to spare. Set this to 256MB or 512MB max. Keep it on your 4GB drive; do not move the pagefile to an external drive or SD Card. It simply won’t perform fast enough. Go to Control Panel -> System -> Advanced Tab -> Settings -> Performance.
2. Turn off System Restore
   This is dangerous, however if you know what you are doing (or are a sysadmin and don’t care) go for it. Turning off system restore disables any restore files and points in the system history. If you get a virus, corrupt file, etc, you’re out of luck. Go to Control Panel -> System -> System Restore ->Click Turn Off System Restore.
3. Relocate My Documents to an SD Card
   Relocating the My Documents folder not only allows the shortcut to point to an SD Card, Windows and many programs will now store temporary documents and configuration files normally reserved for the My Documents folder on the external card. Go to Start -> Right-Click My Documents -> Select Properties -> Click Move.
4. Reduce or Move Internet Explorer Temporary File Storage
   Reduce the amount of space IE temporary files use. In Internet Explorer go to Tools -> Internet Options -> General -> Click Settings under Temporary Internet Files. In the dialog box move the slider to the desired disk space and/or click Move Folder and place the temporary files on an SD Card or external drive.
5. Delete Unnecessary Windows Components
   Go to Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> Click Add/Remove Windows Components. Uncheck the components you do not want.
6. Clear System Backup Data
   Go to Start -> Run -> Type CMD -> type: sfc.exe /purgecache
7. Delete Windows Files
   Go to Start -> My Computer -> Tools Menu -> Folder Options -> Click the View Tab -> Click “Show hidden files and folders” and uncheck “Hide protected operating system files.” This step needs to be done in order to see the files we wish to delete.
   1. Delete Windows Help Files. In Safe Mode go to C:\Windows and delete the “Help” Folder.
   2. Delete DLL Cache. In Safe Mode go to C:\Windows\System32\dllcache and delete files inside.
   3. In C:\Windows delete all KB*.txt files. These are SP2/Hotfix update readme files.
   4. In C:\Windows delete all SET*.tmp files.
   5. In C:\Windows delete \$hf_mig$ and \$NtUninstallKB*$ folders. These are SP2 and hotfix uninstall files. These are necessary for rolling back Windows.
   6. Delete everything inside C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\. This is a big space saver. It holds the install files for hotfixes, SP2, Windows Update files, etc.
   7. Delete everything inside C:\Windows\ie7updates\.
   8. Delete C:\MSOCache folder. This holds Office 2003/2007 install files.

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