I have a computer running Windows XP and I just connected it to my TV via VGA cables. The TV reports its maximum resolution as 1024x768, which Windows will happily provide, however my TV is 16:9. This results in an over-wide picture. I would like to have Windows use this 1024x768 resolution, but tell it to use non-square pixels, or something similar to bring everything back to the correct shapes.
posted by Xoder on May 30, 2009 - 10 answers

How should I keep up-to-date on hardware for graphic design? I'm not a graphic designer by trade, but I would like my personal (WinXP) computer to be suitable for hobby-work graphics. More details and criteria inside. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on May 5, 2009 - 10 answers

My girlfriend's Thinkpad T23 is infected with a virus. [more inside]
posted by Student of Man on Mar 29, 2009 - 9 answers

[WinXP] How can I create a separate user account that is completely separate from the main admin account? I.e. doesnt share the same programs, settings, etc [more inside]
posted by Jimmeh on Mar 17, 2009 - 4 answers

WTF? I thought I knew what I was doing! I reinstalled WinXP on C:\ and it screwed up all my drive letters and made a secondary partition into a system partition. Help me get it back to normal! [more inside]
posted by jluce50 on Jan 10, 2009 - 7 answers

So I went against my better judgment and installed SP3 on one of my XP Pro machines. I figured it was safe by now but, as luck would have it, I am now unable to see that computer on the network. Help! [more inside]
posted by jluce50 on Dec 16, 2008 - 6 answers

I need to scan an XP registry BEFORE an installation, then rescan the registry AFTER the installation, and end up with a merge-able reg file that I can then apply to multiple computers via AD or startup script. [more inside]
posted by John Kenneth Fisher on Dec 5, 2008 - 7 answers

My PCI Simple Communications Controller has bitten the dust. [more inside]
posted by carsonb on Oct 12, 2008 - 4 answers

How do I make iTunes on Windows XP stop stuttering? [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Sep 18, 2008 - 10 answers

External hard showing "weird". Better known as, sharing an external/portable hard drive between osx and winxp. [more inside]
posted by jadepearl on Jun 23, 2008 - 10 answers

Will Windows 98 and XP run and dual boot (or, treble boot, I suppose,) with my new Vista running computer? [more inside]
posted by Snyder on Jun 8, 2008 - 5 answers

winXP filter: Taskbar takes focus away from applications; Setting 'dont steal focus' in powertoys has not helped; What tools can I use to help me find out why/what is doing this? [more inside]
posted by jak68 on Jun 5, 2008 - 11 answers

Two quick computer hardware questions before I try setting up a new drive. [more inside]
posted by Ceci n'est pas une marionnette de chaussette on Apr 21, 2008 - 2 answers

Why is the Archive command missing from Outlook's File menu? [more inside]
posted by VeniceGlass on Apr 6, 2008 - 9 answers

How can I move application data to another drive? [more inside]
posted by underwater on Mar 15, 2008 - 3 answers

Is there a free program that would allow me to have my cursor (mouse) disappear on system start up and/or after remaining motionless for a few seconds? I found one program, "cursor hider", but it is not free. Too bad, because it is exactly what I want. This is for a winxp system. [more inside]
posted by Infernarl on Mar 4, 2008 - 5 answers

I am a computer illiterate person trying to understand the information from Wireshark. Help! [more inside]
posted by Brandon1600 on Feb 3, 2008 - 6 answers

How do I copy a large number of files in Windows XP without changing the date created/modified? [more inside]
posted by muckster on Feb 2, 2008 - 6 answers

Please help me restore my user settings (Win XP Pro). All of my wife's personal settings (also folders and files) have beem sent to the recycle bin upon restart. I tried to use the recycle bin restore feature, but to no avail. There is only one user account, and that seems to be set to new machine status. She wants her desktop back ! Last time, you guys saved my butt...can you do it again? Thanks.
posted by lobstah on Jan 11, 2008 - 4 answers

I have an Intel iMac with Leopard, and via Boot Camp, a partition with Windows XP. The normal way to boot into XP is--after restarting Leopard or turning on the computer--to hold down the Option (Alt) key and then choose the OS. Is there a way around this? Is there some setting or third-party app that will reboot my computer from Leopard and automatically start Windows so I don't have to wait around holding down that key? [more inside]
posted by zardoz on Dec 19, 2007 - 9 answers

How do I get my Kinesis Ergo PS2 keyboard to work with a KVM switch and USB adapter? [more inside]
posted by KirkJobSluder on Dec 3, 2007 - 3 answers

My wife's WinXP laptop is now showing this error: UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME I've poked around the net to find a cure , but nothing works. Safe Mode just shows a string of entries and locks up, Normal Mode returns to the blue screen. I tried to re-install the OS , but although I can hear the disc spinning, it does not show up on the screen. What to do? ...and for bonus points, can I save the data on the HD? Thanks in advance.
posted by lobstah on Nov 25, 2007 - 17 answers

I've spent the weekend playing with my new Intel iMac, and I finally got Windows XP installed only to run into a brick wall with internet connectivity... [more inside]
posted by zardoz on Nov 11, 2007 - 2 answers

Restarting my wireless router after some failure while I was at work-probably short power outage. [more inside]
posted by snsranch on Nov 3, 2007 - 14 answers

I'm thinking of nuking my hard drive and reinstalling Windows XP. This means iTunes, which sits on my C Drive, will obviously be wiped and reinstalled. If I do this, will I lose all the star ratings and other individual settings I have for my mp3s (which are stored on another partition that I won't be wiping)? If so, is there some file in the iTunes directory or somwhere else that I could back up and add to my new iTunes installation so I don't have to individually rate every mp3 I have all over again?
posted by Effigy2000 on Oct 31, 2007 - 5 answers

Is it possible to buy a new laptop for around $500 with Windows XP? [more inside]
posted by nzero on Sep 30, 2007 - 6 answers

windowsXP logon restriction question: We have a small public computer room with about 15 computers where we only want certain people to be able to log into and use the computers. What is the easiest way to administer who has access to them? [more inside]
posted by jak68 on Sep 27, 2007 - 10 answers

I have one computer and two hard drives. I'd like to emulate 2 completely separate computers. That is, each hard drive will have a separate Windows XP image and I will choose at startup which one to boot. OK so far, but, I do not want either Win XP image to ever see or interact with the other one in any way. If I am running from one hard drive, I want the other one to be completely invisible. Possible? [more inside]
posted by DarkForest on Aug 17, 2007 - 34 answers

I'm having strange Wireless issues. I've tried two PCI cards (they were both LINKSYS WMP11 PCI Wireless-B Adapter) and a USB dongle (Netgear WG111T USB) in Windows XP and Ubuntu Feisty Fawn. Any time I get to the point where the wireless connection is being made, the computer completely freezes. No keyboard or mouse response at all. I have to shut the computer's power off. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by bofe on Aug 6, 2007 - 1 answer

There's a 1 pixel square window in the upper left hand corner of my Windows XP computer that I just noticed. How do I figure out which process owns that window? [more inside]
posted by yellowbkpk on Jun 27, 2007 - 5 answers

Windows XP wierdness (NT has not found enough memory - extended memory required) after motherboard upgrade. Arg. [more inside]
posted by porpoise on Jun 22, 2007 - 15 answers

In the rare times I've needed to hit ctrl-alt-delete within the past few months, the task manager window pops up, but it lacks the little tabs at the top and the useful little X in the upper right that actually allows me to CLOSE the task manager. What happened? [more inside]
posted by Verdandi on Jun 12, 2007 - 13 answers

I woke up last Saturday morning to find that my WinXP machine has reset itself to settings from a year ago. [more inside]
posted by Irontom on May 16, 2007 - 4 answers

Reinstall of WinXP and I just noticed that when I load up Add/Remove Programs the list never populates. How do I fix this? [more inside]
posted by absalom on Apr 12, 2007 - 4 answers

I was attempting to resize the partitions on my laptop when accidentally my laptop shut down and now I can't boot back into windows. [more inside]
posted by sk381 on Apr 4, 2007 - 10 answers

WinXP appearance question... [more inside]
posted by Irontom on Mar 20, 2007 - 5 answers

iTunes Filtering Filter: I would like to be able to sort my iTunes library (ether in iTunes or using a standalone piece of software) by the account that purchased the song from the iTunes Music Store. Is this possible? How? [more inside]
posted by Charlie Brown on Feb 25, 2007 - 5 answers

I'm trying to get Postgre running on my winxp thinkpad. Please hold my hand. I can't get this users stuff straight. [more inside]
posted by miniape on Feb 20, 2007 - 3 answers

IdiotFilter, Windows XP. I was trying to make it stop telling me, every single day, that my password was about to expire and would I like to change it. [more inside]
posted by scratch on Dec 19, 2006 - 11 answers

How can I get to applications on a second monitor over Remote Desktop? [more inside]
posted by event on Dec 13, 2006 - 6 answers

I bit the bullet and bought the hardware to create a cheap PC. Dual core and 64 bit with a decent upgrade path, but I digress. Now I need to know: WinXP SP2 or WinXP x64? I figure I'll "try" before I buy the latter, but to save headache and hassle I thought I might simply ask. It's basically 2007, here, folks. Should I run a 32bit OS on a 64bit platform? What are the ups and downs, the pros and cons, in your experience. Thanks!
posted by Grod on Dec 10, 2006 - 8 answers

My LCD screen on my laptop refuses to stay on. [more inside]
posted by chicobangs on Dec 3, 2006 - 9 answers

Dropped my laptop (IBM Thinkpad T42) from about 3 feet. It seemed ok for a week except that it randomly rebooted from time to time. However now it says it can't even load the operating system. I don't have a recovery disk. I don't have the original XP CD. I can't send this to a repairman because I have very sensitive information stored in files on the desktop. How sunk am I? [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Nov 24, 2006 - 19 answers

How do I use the program settings from the admin user account across several limited user accounts in WinXP? I don't want to have to "reinstall" iTunes, Reason, Ableton Live, Photoshop, etc. just because I am using a different login in windows, but I want to get away from using the admin account for general use (for security reasons). [more inside]
posted by adi on Nov 22, 2006 - 7 answers

I have a ( WinXP using IE6 )webpage image viewing problem. [more inside]
posted by lobstah on Nov 12, 2006 - 9 answers

What's the most efficient way to transfer an entire functioning Windows XP PC to my new Mac running Parallels? [more inside]
posted by maniabug on Oct 20, 2006 - 3 answers

Which of the files in this 4mb zip file (link to website) can I get rid of so that I can fit it all on one 3.5" floppy disk so that the Windows XP installation program will recognise my brand new SATA drive? [more inside]
posted by Effigy2000 on Sep 3, 2006 - 4 answers

Help me make my choice from one of the three options below: 1) Fix Windows so that it boots without messing up my Ubuntu. 2) Remove Windows completely. I don't need it anyways. 3) Shrink Windows to the bare minimum and reclaim the space with Ubuntu. [more inside]
posted by furtive on Aug 28, 2006 - 7 answers

Mouse sometimes double-clicks on a single click [more inside]
posted by porpoise on Aug 26, 2006 - 6 answers

Anyone on MetaFilter any good at writing Windows Scripting Language (VBScript) scripts? I am a total nonprogrammer but need a simple task done, which is copying a file from one directory to another (on a Win XP) system either (a) every twenty minutes, or better still (b) after checking to see if the archive bit on the file has been reset, indicating that it has been changed since the last filecopy. This should run as a background script without any user intervention or evidence that it is happening, if possible. [more inside]
posted by emg on Aug 19, 2006 - 3 answers