WinXP Balloon tips can be irritating. They pop up above the Notification area with update notices, Microsoft Passport account solicitations, reports on system status, and other reminders that users typically don’t need. But to get rid of these tips, you have to enter the Registry (click Start, Run, and enter “regedit”). In the left pane of the Registry Editor navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advanced subkey. Make sure the Advanced folder is highlighted in the left pane and right-click an empty area of the right-pane; point to New, select DWORD Value, and name the new entry EnableBalloonTips. Then, double-click the new entry and make sure the value data is set to 0. Click OK, quit the Registry Editor, log off Windows, and Log back on. The Balloon tips will be gone. Be careful to follow these instructions exactly and not make other changes to the Registry, as doing so can harm your computer.