This tip is for tweakers and power users who are looking to take complete control over their Windows installation. If this sounds like you then take a look at XP Smoker (also available for Vista users). XP Smoker allows you to change various settings in the Windows Registry. These settings can improve the performance for your computer drastically. You can also...

Windows XP users who have taken advantage of the excellent user interface control tool, Tweak UI are probably well aware of the fine tuning it offers. Now Windows Vista users have a similar tool available at their disposal: Ultimate Windows Tweaker. The author themselves title the tool ‘Tweak UI For Windows Vista’: Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a Tweak...

There is a lot of information available out there on what certain Windows services do and whether or not they can be safely disabled. For an excellent and actively updated guide for services in each of the current Windows releases, check out these guides on BlackViper’s web site:Windows Vista SP1 Windows XP SP3 – 32 Bit Windows XP SP2 – 64...

For Windows Vista users wanting to make modifications to some of the user interface and security settings, check out WinBubble. You can think of WinBubble as a TweakUI for Vista which allows you to:Customize OEM information. Customize screensavers. Tweak security settings (disable task manager, control panel, etc.). Activate a hidden Aurora boot screen.This...