Copyright: © 2002 TuneUp Software GmbH


About this Help File

This help file contains the context help in TuneUp Utilities and should not be opened directly.

If you need help for a specific program, start the program and then press F1. The corresponding help page will be displayed automatically.


Completes the current operation and then closes the Wizard.


Opens a dialog for selecting a file.


Closes the current window.


Saves all changes without closing the window or application.


Adds an element to the list.


Removes the selected element from the list.


Moves an element down one position.


Moves an element up one position.


Starts TuneUp MemOptimizer.


Sets all settings in the current tab to the values recommended by TuneUp Utilities.


Starts TuneUp StartUp Manager.


Starts TuneUp Process Manager.


Goes back to the previous step in the Wizard.


Moves to the next step in the Wizard.


Discards changes and closes the current window.


Displays the help page for the current application window.


Saves changes and closes the current window.


Optimizes all settings in the current tab to increase the speed of Windows.


Resets all settings in the current tab to the default Windows settings.


Activates all options in the current tab to provide the best appearance. These settings may slow down your system considerably depending on the speed of your processor and your graphics card.


Click here to apply the selected settings to all users on this computer.


Click here to apply the selected settings to the current user only.


Starts TuneUp Icon Engineer.


Starts Microsoft Disk Defragmenter.


Starts TuneUp System Optimizer.


Wildcard	Meaning
Asterisk (*)	Use the asterisk when you don’t know or don’t want to enter part of the search term. If you want to find a word that starts with "tune", for example, enter the following search string: tune*
Question mark (?)	Use the question mark when you don’t know or don’t want to enter one letter of the search term. Enter tune? to search for words that begin with tune and end with an unknown character. A possible result for this search would be "tune1".


A protocol standard that CD-ROM drives use to communicate with an IDE hard disk controller.


The file cache is a reserved part of memory in which Windows saves all of the files that it works with. Accessing files from the cache is always faster than loading them again.


A context menu is a menu that appears when you click on an object (such as a folder or file) with the right mouse button. A context menu offers practical actions that can be completed with the object that you have clicked on, for example Copy, Delete, etc.


The menu New is a submenu of the context menu for the folder and desktop background. Click in the free area of a folder window or the desktop with the right mouse button to call up the context menu.


Drag and drop means moving or copying objects with the mouse. If you wish to move a file into a folder, for example, click on the file with the left mouse button, hold the button and "drag" the mouse cursor over the folder symbol. Release the mouse button ("drop"), and the file is moved into the folder.

The left mouse button is normally used for drag and drop, but the right mouse button can also be used. If you use the right mouse button, a context menu that offers actions such as Move To, Copy and Create Shortcut is displayed when you release the mouse button.


The Documents menu is located in the Start menu under My Recent Documents (or Documents before Windows XP), unless it has been deactivated. This menu allows you to quickly access documents that you have opened or worked on recently. Whenever you open a file in an application such as Microsoft Word, the file is added to the documents menu. This feature can be very useful, but also tells other people what you did on the computer.


The Notification area is a special area to the left of the clock on the taskbar. Applications that are running in the background can display a small icon here to provide access to important functions, for example controlling volume, playing music, installing Windows updates and much more.


A codec is a conversion program that transforms a digital stream of bits and bytes into a visible video image or audible music.


A so-called GUID ("Globally Unique Identifier") is a random combination of letters and numbers that most likely occurs only once in the world due to its length. This means that a GUID can be used to clearly identify a person, program or computer.


Select the checkboxes next to all of the drives that you want to analyze with TuneUp DiskCleaner. Click on Next to start scanning.


The status of the analysis of the selected drives is shown here. An orange arrow blinks next to the drive that is being analyzed. This arrow is replaced with a green check mark as soon as the analysis is completed.


The progress of the analysis of the current drive is shown here.


Shows a list of categories in which unnecessary files may have been found on your drives. You can specify whether the files found in this category should be deleted or not by selecting or deselecting the checkbox in front of the category.

Click on a category in the list to display more information on the selected category on the left side of the screen. You can double click on many categories in the list to call up a detail view of the files that have been found in order to specify which files should be deleted individually.


Shows detailed information on the category selected in the list. The drive list tells you how much drive space the files in this category occupy on which drives.

Select the checkbox Backup with RescueCenter (if available) to back up the files in this category in compressed format before deleting them. All files that have been backed up in this manner can be restored with TuneUp RescueCenter at any time.


Indicates whether the files in this category should be backed up in compressed format before they are deleted. All files that have been backed up in this manner can be restored with TuneUp RescueCenter at any time.


Shows how much space the files in the selected category occupy on your drives. This list shows on which drives you can gain the most space by deleting the files.


Shows the current status of the cleanup of your drives. If you select the categories Recycle Bin or Internet Cache for cleaning, the display may remain in the same place for several minutes if a large number of elements must be deleted. The status display is updated after every processed file for all other categories.


Shows a list of available icon packages. Select an icon package and then click on OK to install the package.


Deletes an icon package from the hard drive permanently.


Adds a new icon package from a folder to the list.


Repairs the icon cache. The computer must be restarted after this repair is completed.


Forces all icons in the Windows interface to be reloaded.


Specifies the spacing between icons on the desktop and in the Explorer. In the Explorer, this setting only applies in folders for which the view settings are set to Large Icons.


Specifies the size of the icons on the desktop and in the Explorer (in view Icons).


Specifies the maximum color depth for Icons. The more colors you select, the more memory is needed to display the icons.


Shows a preview of the selected display options


Restores the icon of the selected folder to the standard Windows icon.


Displays a dialog to change the selected icon.


Shows a tree view of the folder structure of your computer. Select a folder with the left mouse button to show the corresponding symbol on the right side of the window. You can choose a new symbol for the selected folder by clicking Change icon....


Restores the selected icon to the standard Windows icon.


Restores the selected changed symbol to the setting before the last change.


Displays a dialog to change the selected icon.


Opens a dialog in which you can modify all icons to match a specific theme by means of an icon package.


Shows a list of system icons. Select a symbol and then click on Change icon to choose a different symbol. Click the button Reset to discard all changes made during the current session or click Default icon to restore the standard Windows icon.


Also shows the results of the Quick Maintenance when no problems were found and no repairs were necessary.


Shows the results of the Quick Maintenance in a balloon.


Activates TuneUp System Optimizer Quick Maintenance as a scheduled task. You can specify that Quick Maintenance be completed every Friday at 16:30 automatically, for example.


Shows the current schedule settings. Click Change to change the schedule.


Shows a dialog that can be used to change the schedule.


Specifies the maximum number of backups that are saved by TuneUp RescueCenter. The oldest backup is deleted automatically when the number of backups indicated here is exceeded.


Shows a list of TuneUp Utilities components that are monitored by TuneUp RescueCenter. Activate the checkbox in front of each component that should be protected by the RescueCenter. When RescueCenter Protection is activated, all changes that are made to your system with the respective component can be undone.


Specifies the period of time after which old RescueCenter backups are deleted automatically.


Displays a menu entry for deleting with TuneUp Shredder in the context menu of all files and folders.


Displays TuneUp Shredder icon next to the context menu entry.


Displays an entry in the context menu for the My Computer icon for starting TuneUp Utilities Start Center.


Displays an entry in the context menu for the Recycle Bin icon for starting TuneUp Utilities Undelete.


Places a TuneUp Utilities icon on your desktop. Double clicking the icon calls up TuneUp Utilities Start Center.


Displays a logo while starting a TuneUp Utilities component.


Displays a window that offers a brief overview of the functions of the respective component when a TuneUp Utilities component is started.


Provides Details on the selected problem.


The entire registry is scanned for problems when you select Complete and then click on Next. The progress of the analysis is displayed in the area window once you have started the system scan. Please click on Show errors once the scan is completed to call up a complete list.


A list of areas that you can analyze is displayed if you select Choose tests and then click on Next.


If you remove the check mark next to an area, this area will not be scanned during the analysis.


Click on Start cleaning to correct the displayed problems. The number of problems selected for cleaning is then displayed. Start the cleaning process by clicking Next. The blue status bar indicates the progress of cleaning. You may have to scan the registry for new errors created during the cleaning process after cleaning is completed.


The summary shows a list of all categories and all problems found. If you wish to view more detailed information or if you wish to edit an error list, please click on the desired category.


All problems found are displayed in the right window when you click on a category on the left. Click on one of these entries to display further information on the problem at the bottom of the screen.


Click Select problem to "deactivate" the entry. This problem will not be corrected. You can select or deselect all entries under Selection. Invert selection deselects all selected entries and vice-versa. Click on Jump to key to start TuneUp Registry Editor and to display the corresponding entry. You can activate or deactivate the display of detailed information at the bottom of the screen with Show detail bar.


Scans the TEMP folder (a folder for temporary files) for unnecessary files. Deleting these files frees up additional space on your drives.


Scans the registry for structural errors that could prevent access to specific areas and that could slow down the registry.


Determines the fragmentation of the registry. A high degree of fragmentation slows access to data in the registry and increases the size of the registry files.


Checks the validity of the shortcuts in the Start menu and on the desktop and of the registered file types. The cleanup of the problems found can increase the speed of the system, remove sources of errors and can remove orphaned shortcuts.


Scans the registry for faulty or old entries. The cleanup of the problems found can increase the speed of the system and remove sources of errors.


Scans drives and the registry for problems and cleans up the system if desired.


Scans the software and hardware configuration and provides suggestions for optimizing the system.


Shows suggestions that can improve system performance. Click on an entry to display more details in the blue field.


Select the type of Internet connection that you use here. More details on the selected entry are shown in the Details frame.


Specify how the visual effects in your operating system should be adapted here. Deactivating visual effects can significantly increase the performance of your system.


Select the primary use of the computer here.


Prevents the name of the last user from being displayed in the login prompt. This setting can protect your privacy and make it harder for unauthorized persons to access your computer.


Replaces the text "Enter user name and password to log in" in the login prompt with the text in the text box.


Adds the text in the text box to the text in the header of the Windows Security and Unlock dialogs.


Requires that users press Ctrl, Alt and Del at the same time to call up the login prompt.


Prevents the button Shutdown from being displayed in the login box. This means that the computer can only be shut down through the Start menu after the user has logged on.


Specifies the method for smoothing fonts.

The method Standard smooths fonts by adding lighter pixels at the edges of the characters and is best for CRT monitors.

The method ClearType also works with colors that smooth the fonts on TFT/flat screen monitors.


Activates fonts smoothing on the Windows Welcome screen. This smooths the edges of the characters on the screen.


Does not show the number of unread e-mails.


Shows the number of all e-mails that have not been read.


Shows the number of e-mails that have not been read and that are not older than the number of days indicated in the text box.


Prevents the button Turn off from being shown at the bottom of the Windows Welcome screen. This means that the computer can only be shut down through the Start menu after the user has logged on.


Can be used to specify which users are displayed on the Windows Welcome screen.


The Windows XP fast user switching allows you to switch to another user account quickly without closing applications. This function requires additional free memory.


Limits the use of the computer to one interactive user.


Adds the text in the text box to the text in the header of the Unlock dialog.


Music CDs are played automatically when inserted. The program that should be used to play music CDs can be indicated in the field Program.


Used to select a drive. Click on Configure AutoPlay to configure the advanced settings for the automatic playback of media on the selected drive.


Displays a dialog with advanced AutoPlay settings for the selected drive.


Allows the autostart properties of a drive to be changed.


Logs program errors in the file indicated below. Click on Change to specify where the file should be saved.


Sends an online error report to Microsoft when Microsoft Internet Explorer causes an error.


Sends an online error report to Microsoft when a program in the Microsoft Office XP package causes an error.


Shows a preview of an application crash in accordance with the selected options.


Displays the new XP error dialog and generates a detailed error report.


Sends an error report to Microsoft in the event of application crashes. If the error is already known, you receive a direct response with a link to an article in the Microsoft support database.


Sends an error report to Microsoft in the event of system kernel errors. If the error is already known, you receive a direct response with a link to an article in the Microsoft support database.


Enter additional support information here. This field is frequently used to submit contact data.


This field is for model information for your computer.


This field is for manufacturer information for your computer. This could be "Sample Inc. Computer", for example.


Shows a preview of the support information that you have entered.


Shows a list of locations displayed in the open and save dialogs. Select a location and click on one of the buttons on the right below the list to complete an action with the selected location.


Shows a dialog that can be used to change the selected location in the list.


Select a special folder from the dropdown list that should be added to the Places Bar.


You can enter the path of a folder on your computer that should be added to the Places Bar here.


Click here to select a different folder on your hard disks.


Opens a file dialog in which you can select an additional file type. This file type will then be added to the list Additional text file types to be searched.


Deselects all file types in the full text search list.


Selects all file types in the full text search list.


Allows you to specify which file types should be included in the full text search in addition to file types such as "Word Document".


The package size (MTU) is reduced successively as needed when this option is activated. This prevents data transfer problems caused by packets that are too large.


Sets the packet size to the defined value.


Select this setting when Windows should adapt the packet size to the selected connection automatically.

Tip: Use TuneUp System Optimizer to adapt the packet size to the properties of your connection.


Shows special elements that can be displayed under My Computer. You can specify whether an element is displayed under My Computer by adding or removing the check mark in front of the desired element.


Selects all drives for display under My Computer.


Deselects all drives for display under My Computer.


Explicitly selects only those drives that are currently connected/present for display under My Computer.


Activate or deactivate the check mark in front of the desired element to specify whether the element should be displayed under My Computer. This also affects the standard Open File and Save As dialogs that are used by many applications.


This list contains special elements that can be shown on the desktop. Activate or deactivate the check mark in front of the desired drive to specify whether the drive should be displayed on the desktop.


Calls up a dialog that can be used to change the elements that are shown on the desktop.


Calls up a dialog that can be used to change the elements that are shown under My Computer.


Shows a list of the visual effects in Windows. These settings affect the display and operation of the Windows interface. A visual effect is activated when there is a check mark in front of the effect. Click on the desired checkbox with the mouse to add or remove a check mark.

The visual effects have a direct effect on the speed of the system. The more effects are used, the slower your system becomes. Activating too many visual effects can especially have a dramatic effect on performance with older processors and graphics cards. For this reason, you should always make sure that the selected effects offer a good mix of appearance and performance.


Specifies whether the header of the window should move to its new position with animation when minimizing, maximizing and restoring windows. This effect requires time and system performance and should be deactivated if you don’t need it.


Specifies if and how tooltip notes should be animated. Tooltips are small, yellow text boxes that appear when you position the mouse cursor over certain elements on the screen. When you position the mouse cursor over the clock in the taskbar, for example, a tooltip containing the current date is displayed.

When you activate the checkbox in front of Use the following animation with tooltips, you can specify whether the tooltips should be animated with the Fade effect or with the Roll-up effect in the Effect dropdown list.


Animates list and tree views when scrolling and when opening elements in the tree view.

List views can be seen for example in the Explorer and in the Open File dialog. The file list on the right is a list view.

Tree views can also be found in the Explorer (as well as in TuneUp StartUp Manager and TuneUp Registry Editor). These are normally displayed on the left side of a window and are ideal for displaying hierarchical folder structures with openable subfolders, etc.

This effect slows down the system and is often seen as an irritation. For this reason, it should be deactivated if you don’t need it.


Animates combo boxes when opening and scrolling.

Combo boxes look like text boxes with an arrow pointing downwards on the right side. A list with options is displayed when you click on this arrow. The address lists in the Explorer and Internet Explorer are both combo boxes.


Animates list boxes when scrolling with the mouse.

Standard list boxes are no longer used very often and are increasingly being replaced with modern list views. These differ from list views in that only a simple list without columns, icons, etc. can be shown. Many programs (including TuneUp Utilities) build new lists with more functions on the basis of list boxes. The setting Smooth-scroll list boxes can also effect graphical lists that are based on a list box.


Specifies whether context menus and application menus should be animated.

When the checkbox Animate menu opening with scroll effect is activated, menus are opened with a roll effect.


Fades the selected menu entry out slowly after the menu is closed instead of removing it immediately together with the menu.


Specifies if and how context menus and application menus should be animated.

When the checkbox Use the following display effect is activated, you can specify whether menus should be opened with a Fade effect or with a Roll-up effect in the Effect combo box.


Shows a flat, grey frame around menus and context menus instead of a 3D frame. Together with the option Show shadows under menus, this makes the menus look much more modern.


Shows a shadow under menus and context menus so that these stand out more against the background and so that they can be seen more easily. Activating this option can slow the system down considerably when a slower graphics card is used. This is not the case for modern graphics cards, as Windows can use hardware acceleration to display the shadow effects.


This tab can be used to change the method used for smoothing the fonts of the text displayed on the screen. Select the desired smoothing method in the Smoothing combo box or click directly on an example in the Preview.

Please note that there is no visible difference between No smoothing and Standard for text of normal size. For large texts, the Standard setting applies smoothing to reduce the visible "stepping" of character edges.


Specifies whether Explorer from here should be displayed in the context menu for drives and folders. When you click on this entry, a new Explorer window is opened with the selected drive or folder as its starting point.


Specifies whether Prompt here should be displayed in the context menu for drives and folders. If you click on this entry, a window is opened with the command prompt that is set to the selected drive or folder automatically.


Specifies whether Send To should be displayed in the context menu for files and folders. If you click on this entry with your mouse, this opens a submenu in which the selected file or folder can be sent per e-mail, saved to CD or a diskette or copied to frequently used folders.


Specifies whether Copy To Folder… should be displayed in the context menu for files and folders. Clicking on this entry calls up a dialog in which you can select a target folder. After confirming your selection with OK, the selected object is copied to this folder.

Note: You should not select this option when you want to be able to open special folders such as My Files by double clicking them in the Start menu. The copy dialog is displayed in this case as well.


Specifies whether Move To Folder… should be displayed in the context menu for files and folders. Clicking on this entry calls up a dialog in which you can select a target folder. After confirming your selection with OK, the selected object is moved to this folder.

Note: You should not select this option when you want to be able to open special folders such as My Files by double clicking them in the Start menu. The move dialog is displayed in this case as well.


Specifies whether Encrypt and Decrypt should be displayed in the context menu for files and folders. Clicking this entry encrypts or decrypts the selected object. Encoding prevents other persons from viewing the contents of you files and folders, even if they have physical access to your drives. Only those persons who know your password, and who can therefore log in under your account, can view the contents of encrypted files and folders.

Note: Encryption is not available under Windows XP Home.


Displays a list of document templates that should be shown in the menu New. You can remove document templates from the menu by removing the check mark in front of the respective file type.

You can use these document templates to create a new text file quickly without opening a corresponding editor first, for example.

If the desired file type is not included in the list, click on Add... and select a file of the desired type. If you are certain that you will never need a file of a specific type, you can delete it from the list completely. To do this, click on Remove.


Adds a new file type to the Templates list. Select a file of the desired type in the dialog and then click on Open.


Removes the selected file type from the Templates list.


Specifies whether the New menu should be displayed or not. This option must be selected in order to display the Templates selected above.


Specifies whether the Open with dialog should be displayed when opening an unknown file type so that the corresponding application can be selected to open the file.


Specifies that files of unknown types should be opened automatically with a specific application (such as Notepad).

Click on Change... to select an application, or enter the command line of the desired application directly in the text box. The wildcard "%1" stands for the file to be opened and should always be at the end of the command line.


Opens a dialog that can be used to select the program with which the unknown file types should be opened.


Specifies whether Shortcut to should be added to the name of all new links automatically.

New links to objects can be created by dragging and dropping the desired object while pressing the Alt key or by dragging and dropping the desired object with the right mouse button.


Specifies whether image files should always be opened with the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Deactivate this option if you wish to use a different program to view pictures.


Select this option if you want Windows to remember the position and size of Explorer and folder windows and to apply these settings the next time that these windows are opened.


Specifies whether tooltips should be displayed when you position the mouse cursor over a desktop element or folder. Tooltips contain a description of special elements such as My Computer and the Recycle Bin, for example.

The checkbox Show tooltip on folder contents in folder is also available when you activate this option. This function allows you to activate the display of a summary of the contents of folders.


Specifies whether a summary of the contents of a folder should be shown in a tooltip when the mouse cursor is positioned over the folder.


When this option is activated, file names can be written entirely in capital letters without being changed by Windows when they are shown. This option is deactivated by default, and "WINDOWS" is shown as "Windows" in the Explorer, for example.

Note: This option only affects drives formatted as FAT under Windows 2000 and XP and only files on such drives that do not have a "long file name".


Displays a tree view of the folder structure on the left side of the folder window instead of the taskbar. This tree view is normally only available in the Explorer.


Shows the contents of ZIP archives in a folder window when you double click the archive. This allows you to copy files directly from the archive into a folder.


Completes Internet addresses in the address bar automatically once you enter the beginning of the address (provided that you have visited the site before).


Shows all known, similar Internet addresses in a list when entering Internet addresses. When the option Open list upwards is activated, this list opens upwards instead of downwards.


Changes the direction of the list with suggestions and opens it upwards (instead of downwards). This list can only be opened upwards when the browser window is not at the top of the screen or when you use the Run dialog to call up an Internet site.


When you select the thumbnail view in folder windows, Windows shows files with graphical or video content in the form of small preview pictures. You can change the size of these pictures here. The size is indicated in pixels and applies to the width and height of the thumbnails.


You can adjust the quality of the thumbnails here. The higher the quality, the more RAM and hard disk space the system needs for the thumbnails.

Click on the slider to change the picture quality. You can now drag the slider to the desired position while holding the mouse button.


When the thumbnail view is activated, thumbnail images are created whenever you open a folder with picture or video files. This process requires some time and slows navigation.

In order to allow the generated thumbnails to be displayed more quickly the next time the folder is opened, Windows normally saves these in a hidden file called "thumbs.db" in the respective file. If you don’t want these files to be saved, deactivate this checkbox. No new "thumbs.db" files will be created anymore.


If you activate the folder option Single-click to open an item in the Explorer, files and folders are "selected" as soon as you move the mouse cursor over them. This selection is shown in the Hot tracking color. Click on Change... to select a different color for this effect.


You can change the Hot Tracking color here. The Windows color palette is displayed in the color window. Select the desired color and confirm your selection with OK.


If you wish, you can have compressed and encrypted files in an NTFS file system displayed in special colors. The NTFS file system is supported by Windows 2000 and XP.


You can change the color for the display of compressed files here. The Windows color palette is displayed in the color window. Select the desired color and confirm your selection with OK.


You can change the color for the display of encrypted files here. The Windows color palette is displayed in the color window. Select the desired color and confirm your selection with OK.


Specifies whether the right and left mouse buttons should be swapped. If the buttons are swapped, programs are then opened by double clicking them with the right mouse button, and context menus are called up by clicking the left mouse button. Swapping the mouse buttons can especially be practical for left-handed users.


Specifies how Windows reacts to mouse wheel movements. Turning the mouse wheel normally scrolls the active window, which means that the visible section of a long text or Internet site moves up or down.

You can select from the following options:

•	No scroll deactivates scrolling with the mouse wheel.

•	Scroll one screen page causes the contents of the screen to move up or down by one full screen each time that the mouse wheel is moved by one click.

•	Scroll … lines allows you to enter the exact number of lines by which the screen contents should be scrolled when the mouse wheel is turned.


Positions the mouse cursor over the default button automatically when a dialog window is displayed. For example, when a Yes/No dialog is displayed when you delete a file, the mouse cursor is positioned over the Yes button automatically.


You can test your settings at the left with this symbol. Position the mouse cursor over the icon and wait to test the Hover time and the Movement tolerance.


You can test your settings at the left with this symbol. Double click on the symbol to test the Double clicking tolerance. Drag the symbol with the left mouse button to test the Dragging threshold.


You can open objects (such as files and folders) in Windows by double clicking them. Objects can also be copied or moved to a different location by means of Drag and Drop. If you do not move the mouse precisely enough, you may "slip", and Windows may not recognize the clicks as a double click. You may also move the mouse slightly while clicking, causing an undesired drag operation.

The option Double clicking tolerance specifies how far you may move the mouse between two clicks and still have the system recognize the double click. Increase this value if you have problems double clicking.

The option Dragging threshold specifies how many pixels you must move the mouse to initiate a drag action. The higher this value, the less the chances that you drag an object accidentally.


If you activate the folder option Single-click to open an item in the Explorer, files and folders are "selected" as soon as you position the mouse cursor over them. This function is called "hover effect". You can specify how far the mouse may be moved before it is no longer recognized as "hovering" (Movement tolerance) and how long the mouse cursor must be positioned over an object before the hover effect is triggered (Hover time).


Activates or deactivates the active window tracking. When the checkbox is activated, active window tracking is activated, which means that windows are activated automatically as soon as you move the mouse cursor over them.


Specifies how long the mouse cursor must be located over a window before it is automatically activated. The time is indicated in milliseconds.


Specifies whether windows that have been activated by means of automatic window tracking are also brought to the front. When this option is deactivated, windows are only activated, but not brought to the front.


When the option Activate flashing cursor is activated, the cursor flashes at its current position while text is being edited. If you find the flashing cursor irritating, deactivate this option. When flashing is activated, you can adjust the flashing speed with the slider.


Specifies how wide the cursor should be. A wider cursor is easier to see, and can be practical at high resolutions and small screens. You can enter a value between 1 and 10 pixels in the input field.


Specifies whether key combinations with the Windows key should be possible. You can deactivate this option if you do not use key combinations with the Windows key and even accidentally activate these combinations. The only key combination that is not deactivated is Windows+L. This key combination is used to lock the workstation or to switch to a different users, and is not deactivated.

The following key combinations are available with the Windows key:

Key combination	Function
Windows+D	Displays the desktop.
Windows+M	Minimizes all windows.
Windows+Shift+M	Restores all minimized windows.
Windows+E	Opens My Computer.
Windows+F	Opens the Windows search dialog for files and folders.
Windows+Ctrl+F	Opens the Windows search dialog for computers.
Windows+L	Locks the computer or switches to the Windows Welcome screen.
Windows+R	Opens the Run dialog.


The standard Start menu entries are shown in this list. When you select an entry in the list, additional information on the item is displayed on the right side of the tab. Activate or deactivate the check mark in front of the entry to specify whether the entry is shown in the Start menu or not.


If the submenu Programs in the Start menu contains more entries than can be shown on your screen at once, the menu will be divided into multiple columns.


If the submenu Programs in the Start menu contains more entries that can be shown on your screen at once, a scroll bar will be displayed on the right side.


A preview of the Start menu style selected with the option buttons below is shown here.


Shows a list of all special elements that can be shown in the Start menu. All elements with a check mark in front of them are activated. You can add or remove a checkmark by clicking the corresponding checkbox with the left mouse button.

The activated special elements are located at the top of the menu All Programs in the new Windows XP Start menu. These items are displayed directly at the top of the Start menu when the classic start menu is used (not under Programs).


Shows a list of elements that are displayed under the item Search in the classic Start menu. You can rename each of these menu items or delete undesired menu items (for example for programs that have been added here automatically) by clicking the buttons under this list.


Changes the name of the selected element in the Search submenu in the classic Start menu.


Deletes the currently selected element in the list from the Search submenu in the classic Start menu.


Prevents submenus from opening automatically. You must click on the corresponding menu item to open the submenu.


Opens submenus automatically when the mouse cursor is positioned over the corresponding menu item for a specific period of time. You can adjust the time that the mouse cursor must be positioned over the menu item before the submenu opens with the slider. The shorter the delay, the faster the submenus will open.


You can move entries in the Start menu when this option is activated. Do do this, click on an entry, hold the mouse button and pull the object to the desired position.


You can remove the check mark in front of this option to prevent new documents from being added to the documents menu. This makes it harder for other persons to find out what you did on the computer.

Note: The current contents of the documents menu are not deleted by deactivating this option! This only prevents new entries from being added to the list.


Specifies how many entries should be shown in the documents menu. The highest value is 99.


Arranges the entries in the Start menu alphabetically.

When you install new programs, the entries for these programs are normally placed at the end of the program list in the Start menu, and the menu can become disorganized with time. The alphabetic sorting of the program list lets you find your programs more quickly.


Opens an Explorer window in which you can edit the contents of your Start menu comfortably.

Click on an entry in the window with your right mouse button to edit it. You can for example change the name under which a program appears in the Start menu. You can also move, sort and delete entries. When you delete an entry, the program is only deleted from the program list in the Start menu, the program itself is not deinstalled.

You can also add new shortcuts to programs or files to the Start menu. To do this, click in an empty area of the window with the right mouse button and select New and then Shortcut.


Specifies whether Windows should prevent applications that are running in the background from activating a window and bringing it to the front, for example when you are writing a letter in Microsoft Word. If Windows prevents an application from activating a window, this is indicated by an orange (or blue in the classic Windows interface) flashing button on the taskbar.


Specifies that the flashing of a button on the taskbar should continue until you click on the button.


Specifies that the button on the taskbar should flash a specific number of times. Enter the desired number in the input field.


Specifies how much time must pass after your last key press before an application that is running in the background can bring a window to the front.

The shorter you set this time, the less likely it is that a button will flash on your taskbar. The longer you set this time, the less the chance that other applications can "steal" the focus while you are working.


All opened windows are shown as a button at the bottom of the screen. When you deactivate this option, no more buttons will be displayed when you open a new program or window. You can then switch windows by holding the Alt key and pressing the Tab key.


Change the width of the buttons for programs and windows here. If you often have a large number of programs or windows open, it may be sensible to decrease the width of the buttons.


When you open a new program or window, the corresponding button is shown with an animation. If you don't want this animation to be displayed, remove the check mark from the checkbox.


Specifies if an how similar buttons in the taskbar should be grouped under a single button. This can be practical when an application (such as an Internet browser) displays a large number of buttons on the taskbar, leaving insufficient space for other applications. When grouping is activated, the many individual buttons are combined into a single button. When you click on the button for such a group, you can switch between the individual windows by selecting the desired window from a list.

When the checkbox Group similar elements is deactivated, no buttons are grouped. When this checkbox is activated, buttons can be grouped according to the following criteria:

•	The option Group least used applications first, the system attempts to group those applications that you have used the least first when there is insufficient space on the taskbar.

•	When Group applications with the most windows first is selected, the system attempts to group those applications with the most buttons on the taskbar first when there is insufficient space.

•	When Group any application with at least ... windows is activated, the buttons of all applications will be grouped when they have the indicated number of buttons on the taskbar or more.


Specifies where the title bars of windows are placed when they are minimized. This setting applies to all windows when you deactivate the option Show windows as taskbar buttons in the Button View tab. Otherwise, this only applies to windows that do not have a button in the taskbar.

If you wish to have all title bars placed in the upper right of the screen for example, select Right and Top. You can also specify the Alignment of the title bars by specifying whether the title bars should be arranged Side by Side or Cascading.


Specifies the space between the title bars on the desktop. You can enter the vertical and horizontal spacing between the title bars in pixels in the corresponding fields.


Specifies whether status notifications should be displayed in the notification area in the form of balloons. These notifications are suppressed when you deactivate this checkbox.


Here, you can require that passwords for user accounts must contain at least one number and one letter. This makes it harder for hackers to guess the password.


Applies a minimum length to new passwords. You should select this setting to increase the security of passwords. This makes it harder for hackers to guess the password.


Specify whether a warning should be displayed when an IP address could not be assigned to the computer when a connection was established to a network. This often happens when more than one computer tries to use the same IP address in the same network segment.


Specify whether a warning should be displayed when a connection to a network drive could not be restored.

Tip: Deactivating this option can shorten the time required to start the computer in networks with computers that are not permanently available, as no warning messages are shown.


Specifies whether password fields for access to network shares are masked with stars. This is primarily intended to prevent others from reading your password.


Specifies whether passwords should be encrypted when accessing network shares.

You should normally not deactivate the encryption of passwords, as transmitting passwords in plain text is a security risk. It is sometimes the case, however, that a server in the network does not support the transmission of encrypted passwords (such as Linux/Unix Samba). In this case, the encryption can be deactivated here.


Specifies whether so-called Administrative shares should be activated.

Administrative shares can be a security risk, because a person who knows your password can access all of your drives, even if they are not explicitly shared. When administrative shares are activated, they can access drive C: on a network computer with the command \\Computername\C$.


Specifies whether Windows should search the network for shared folders and printers at specific intervals automatically. This can slow the system down considerably during the search, especially in large networks.


Specifies whether Windows should search a network computer for scheduled tasks automatically when accessing the shares on this computer. This function is normally not needed and can especially slow down access to computers with older versions of Windows.


Specifies whether the QoS service (Quality of Service) should be activated and the maximum bandwidth that this service can reserve.

When the checkbox Reserve bandwidth is activated, the QoS service is activated and reserves bandwidth in your Internet connection for important packets as needed. You can specify the maximum percentage of your bandwidth that can be reserved for this in the input field Bandwidth limit. The more bandwidth this service reserves, the slower data transfer in the network and your connection with the Internet becomes.

If you want to make sure that you always have your full bandwidth for surfing in the Internet, you should deactivate the QoS service completely by removing the check mark in the checkbox Reserve bandwidth.


Indicates whether passwords for network services should be saved. These network services include Internet connections and file and printer shares.

When you save your passwords on your computer, malicious persons can access and misuse them with special programs. Deactivating the saving of passwords also means the loss of a certain level of convenience, as you must always enter your password each time you connect with the Internet, for example.


Indicates whether passwords for NT domains should be saved. These are passwords that you use to log into the network if your computer is in a domain.

When you save your passwords on your computer, malicious persons can access and misuse them with special programs. Deactivating the saving of passwords also means the loss of a certain level of convenience, as you must always enter your password each time you log into the network, for example.


The Universal Plug & Play (UPnP) service recognizes devices such as scanners, printers, etc. over the network automatically and allows them to be used on the local computer. Universal Plug & Play also allows the firewall that is integrated into Windows XP Professional to be configured over the network.

Serious security problems have been found in this service in the past. These problems have been corrected in the meantime, but this service is still a popular target for attacks. The countless possibilities to remotely change the configuration of a computer make this service a potential security risk. If you do not need Universal Plug & Play, you should deactivate this service.


Specifies whether Windows should periodically synchronize your system clock with the clock of an Internet time server.

If automatic contact with a time service bothers you (the default time server is time.windows.com from Microsoft), remove the checkbox in front of this option.


Shows a list of all time servers that are known the Windows. You can specify with which server your clock should be synchronized first. To do this, select the desired server and then click Default. The current default server is indicated by a small orange star in the icon.

Click Remove to delete the selected time server from the list. New time servers can also be added. To do this, click Add and enter the address of the new time server.


Adds a new time server to the list. Click in this button and enter the address of the new time server. You can call up a list of current time servers by clicking on the underlined blue text Current time server list.


Removes the selected timer server from the list. Windows will no longer attempt to contact this server.


Sets the selected server as the default server. The default server is the server that your computer will attempt to contact first to synchronize your clock. The current default server is indicated by a small orange star in the icon.

If the default server is not available, the other servers in the list will be used.


Calls up the TCP/IP Options dialog, in which you can configure settings such as packet size (MTU), receive window (RWIN) and multicast threshold (TTL) manually. These settings should only be changed by experienced users.


Enter the text that should be displayed in the title bar of Internet Explorer instead of the standard text Microsoft Internet Explorer.


You can set your own background image for the Internet Explorer toolbar here. To do this, place a check mark in front of Show own background image and click Browse… to select an image.


In Internet Explorer, you can display the source code of the currently loaded web page by selecting the menu item Source code in the menu View. The default application for this is Notepad. To use a different program to show the source code, you must enter the desired program in the text box Program. You can also click Select… to search for a suitable program on your drives.


Displays the menu item New Window at the top of the File menu in Internet Explorer. A new Internet Explorer window is opened when you click on this menu item.


Displays the submenu New at the top of the File menu in Internet Explorer, in which you can select from the entries Window, E-mail, News, Contact, etc.


The Internet Explorer favorites includes a subfolder titled Links, in which different Microsoft websites are listed. If you don’t need this list, you can remove it by deactivating this checkbox.


The favorites are normally shown in the order in which they were created. You can use this button to arrange the list of favorites alphabetically to make it easier to find the favorites you need.


Enter the name that Internet Explorer should use to identify itself at the websites that you visit. The standard text tells every website that you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE), and which version of Internet Explorer you have installed (such as 6.0).


Specifies that Internet Explorer should always ask before every download instead of downloading and playing video and audio files automatically. This can especially be useful for errors in the Windows Media Player, as you can always control from which sites videos and music are downloaded or not.


Select the profile that matches your Internet connection best. The following settings for simultaneous HTTP 1.0 and HTTP 1.1 connections are adapted to the selected profile automatically. Select the profile Manual settings if you would like to specify the maximum number of connections yourself.


Specifies the maximum number of simultaneous connections that Internet Explorer can establish with a website under HTTP 1.0 protocol.

If you are not familiar with these settings, simply select one of the first two profiles above under Profile. The settings will then be optimized for your connection automatically.


Specifies the maximum number of simultaneous connections that Internet Explorer can establish with a website under HTTP 1.1 protocol.

If you are not familiar with these settings, simply select one of the first two profiles above under Profile. The settings will then be optimized for your connection automatically.


Enter the text that should be displayed in the title bar of Outlook Express instead of the standard text Outlook Express.


Specifies whether a splash screen should be displayed when Outlook Express is started.


The Microsoft Messenger is loaded by default when Outlook Express is started and appears as a small symbol in the notification area. This slows the start of Outlook Express. If you don’t need the Messenger, you can disable the automatic start here.


Specifies whether the field Type a question for help should be displayed in the toolbar of the Outlook XP window. The help system is started with a corresponding help topic automatically when you enter a question here.


Specifies whether Outlook XP should be minimized to the notification area instead of to the taskbar.


Specifies whether the visible section of documents and e-mails in Microsoft Word should be updated immediately during scrolling while the mouse button is pressed, or whether the visible section should not be updated until you release the mouse button. The visible section of the document is updated "live" during scrolling when this option is activated.


Shows a list of file types that are blocked by Outlook XP by default. If e-mail attachments contain one of these blocked file types, these cannot be opened or saved from Outlook XP.

You can deactivate the blocking of specific file types by removing the check mark in front of the file type. You can also change the blocking of all file types at once. Click on Block none to deactivate the blocking of all file types, or Block All (Default) to restore the blocking of the file types.


Blocks all file types, restoring the default settings.


Deactivates blocking for all file types, allowing e-mail attachments with these file types to be opened.

Note: This setting allows you to open potentially dangerous e-mail attachments, making your computer vulnerable to e-mail viruses and worms. It is normally best to only deactivate the blocking of individual file types.


Specifies whether the list of the recently used documents and the list of programs executed through the Run dialog should be deleted at logoff.

The automatic deletion of history lists makes it harder for other persons to find out what you did on the computer.


Specifies that the Internet Explorer cache should be emptied automatically when the program is closed.

Emptying the cache automatically makes it harder for other persons to find out what websites you visited.


Prevents the program Alexa from sending information about your surfing habits to its manufacturer. This information is sent to the manufacturer of Alexa to make the service Show Related Links possible in Internet Explorer.


Prevents Internet Explorer from automatically trying to log into password protected Internet sites using Windows authentication.


Prevents Internet Explorer from contacting Microsoft at regular intervals to look for updates for your version of Internet Explorer.


Specifies whether Windows can contact Microsoft automatically when an Internet connection is established to check for important updates for your system. This function does not transmit any data about the software installed on your computer to Microsoft.


Specifies that Windows must inform you before downloading a Windows update automatically.


Sets the privacy settings in Windows Media Player to the highest security level. This can lead to reduced convenience.


Specifies that the Media Player cannot acquire licenses for protected media files automatically. The necessary licenses are normally acquired automatically.


Prevents that websites can clearly identify your Media Player and recognize it during subsequent connections.

Your player is identified by means of a GUID that is specified when your Media Player is installed and that is transmitted to all websites automatically when you watch videos or listen to music. When you activate this checkbox, the transmission of this GUID is prevented.


Specifies that the Media Player cannot contact Microsoft automatically to download a codec for an unknown media format.


Opens a window in which you can configure settings for error reports for Windows and Microsoft Office.


Opens a new dialog in which you can configure additional settings for the login prompt.


Opens a new dialog in which you can configure additional settings for the Windows Welcome screen.


Shows the Windows XP Welcome screen where you can click on your user name to log in. Click Customize... to configure additional settings for the Welcome Screen.


Shows secure Windows NT/2000 login prompt in which you must enter your user name and password manually. Click Customize... to configure additional settings for the login prompt.


Activate the checkbox Activate automatic login to bypass the login prompt or the Welcome Screen and to log in a specific user automatically.

You must enter the desired user name in the text box User. If a password is assigned to the user account, enter the password in the text box Password. If you computer is not assigned to a domain, leave the text box Domain empty.

Warning: The password entered here is not encrypted. You should not use the automatic login function when sensitive data is saved on this computer.


Specifies that the automatic login cannot be prevented by holding the Shift key while Windows starts up.


Ensures that the system logs the specified user in again automatically should he log off. When the classic Windows NT/2000 login procedure and the option Prevent skipping the login procedure by pressing the shift key are activated, it is not possible for another user to log into the system.


Specifies whether all users should receive a specific message (such as a security warning) before logging in. If you want to have a message displayed, activate the checkbox in front of Show message before login and enter the desired message in the fields Header and Text.


Specifies that messages indicating exactly what the system is doing should be displayed during log in and log off. This option is also ideal for error diagnosis.


Shows a list of available screensavers. Select which screensaver should be activated when no user is logged on here. If no screensaver should be displayed, select (None) at the top of the list.

Note: Please do not confuse the login screensaver selected here with the normal screensaver selected in the Windows Display Properties dialog!


Indicates how long the login screen must be idle before the screensaver is activated.


Click here to change the settings for the selected screensaver.


Click here to preview the selected screensaver. You can end the preview by moving the mouse or pressing any key.


Specifies whether the Windows tour should be shown after login.


Specifies whether Windows should use the tilde (~) to shorten long names to DOS format. This setting only applies to files that are newly created. This has no effect on the file names of any existing files.

This option works as follows:

Long file name:	Short with tilde:	Short without tilde:
Memos John Doe.doc	Memosj~1.doc	Memosjoh.doc
Memos Jane Doe.doc	Memosj~2.doc	Memosjan.doc

Note: If you are planning on upgrading to a newer version of Windows, you should not deactivate this option. The setup of the new Windows version will not start if this option has been deactivated.


Activates the UDMA66 mode for hard disks to increase the speed of data transfer. Please make sure to only activate this option when your hard disk is connected to the hard disk controller with a UDMA cable.


Specifies whether the last date of access should be saved for each file under NTFS. Saving the access data lowers the performance of the file system and can be deactivated.

Note: Please note than many ancillary programs in Windows need this date to function correctly. Without the last access date, the desktop cleaning wizard will not function properly, for example, because it cannot tell when you used the shortcuts on your desktop last.


Specifies whether the NTFS file system should continue to generate a short file name in 8.3 format in addition to the long file name to ensure backwards compatibility. If you deactivate this option, old applications may no longer function correctly, and older versions of Windows may no longer be able to access your shares over the network.


Specifies whether Windows should display a warning in the form of a balloon tip in the notification area when one or more of your drives is low on space. If your drives are always relatively full, this message can become an irritation rather quickly.


Shows a list of drives on your computer. Windows displays a warning that recommends you free up space on the drive whenever space is low on the drives for which the checkbox is activated. If one of your drives is always relatively full, this message can become an irritation rather quickly. In this case, remove the check mark in front of the corresponding drive.


Displays the low drive space warning for all drives.


Displays the low drive space warning for no drives.


Specifies whether Windows should monitor your CD drives to detect when a new CD is inserted. You can deactivate this option if you want to prevent CDs from starting automatically altogether.

Note: When this option is deactivated, Windows cannot recognize when a new CD has been inserted. For this reason, the Explorer often shows old CD titles and also fails to update the display even when F5 (update) is pressed.


Calls up a dialog in which you can customize the play settings for music CDs, removable disks, etc.


Here, you can specify how much memory Windows reserves for the file cache by setting the minimum and maximum size of the cache. It is primarily sensible to set these values manually under Windows 95, as Windows often reserves too much memory, which is then not available for programs.


Loads the command line interpreter (command.com) and the drivers for the hard disk compression programs DoubleSpace and DriveSpace into the high memory. This provides more free RAM for DOS applications.


Provides more free memory for DOS applications by loading some internal drivers into high memory.

Warning: Using this setting may cause conflicts with some hardware components.


Unloads program libraries (DLLs, etc.) immediately after the program that loaded them is closed. This frees up the memory that was used by the DLLs immediately so that it can be used by other applications.

Warning: The immediate unloading of libraries can cause application errors and decrease system performance.


Swaps drivers and the Windows system kernel out of memory when these are not being used. This provides applications with more memory when needed, which often reduces the time needed to start an application.


Never swaps drivers and the Windows system kernel out of memory, even if there is little free memory available. This is especially sensible for systems with a large amount of memory that are used as servers, as the system kernel and drivers do not need to be swapped back into memory before they can be used.


Overwrites the contents of the page file with zeros when the computer is shut down. This prevents third persons from obtaining information about your activities during your last Windows session.


Increases the size of the system cache in order to optimize the computer for use as a file server.


Optimizes the size of the system cache so that the computer can be used as a workstation, web or database server.


Moves unnecessary files from RAM into the page file when the computer is idle. This is intended to ensure that as much free memory is available as possible at all times.


Activates Quick shutdown. This function exists since Windows 98 and accelerates the shutdown process by shortening the time that the system waits for all drivers to close. Older hardware and older drivers can prevent the computer from shutting down successfully when quick shutdown is activated. If your computer does not shut down properly after this option is activated, you should deactivate the option.


Shows the logo It is now safe to turn off the computer after the computer has been shut down successfully. When you deactivate this option, a text is displayed against a black background instead.


Shows the logo Shutting down your computer… while the computer is being shut down. If you deactivate this option, the screen will be black in place of this logo.


Opens a window with settings for error reporting for Windows and Office XP.


Writes the error message in the Windows system and event logs.


Specifies the actions to be taken in the event of a critical system error. A critical system error is normally accompanied by a blue screen (sometimes blue screen of death or BSOD for short). Especially when the computer is used as a server, it can be sensible to have the computer restart immediately in order to keep down time as short as possible.


Plays a sound in the event of an error.


Restarts the desktop and taskbar automatically when they crash as the result of an error.


The desktop and taskbar are executed in a separate process. This setting requires more memory than Execute desktop and taskbar within the Explorer process, but ensures more stability.


Explorer, the desktop and the taskbar are executed in the same process. This setting requires less memory than Execute Desktop and Taskbar in a separate process, but an error in one of the three components affects the other components.


After the specified delay has elapsed, a dialog is displayed in which you can close the application or continue to wait for a response.


Applications are closed automatically after the period of time specified above has elapsed.


Specify the period of time that the computer should wait for a response from an application when the computer is being shut down here. If this period is exceeded, Windows will close the program.


Specifies the time in seconds that you have to change the specified start settings in the boot menu. Once this time has elapsed without the user having made an entry, the boot process will be continued with the specified start settings.


Specifies when the boot menu should be displayed during the system start automatically.


Specifies that boot menu options for the network should be shown in the upper selection field. These are also shown in the Windows boot menu when a network card is installed in your computer.


Specifies the standard boot menu entry. Once the specified delay has elapsed without the user having made an entry, the boot process is continued automatically with the selected setting.


Here, you can specify how long the system should wait before beginning a disk check so that the user can cancel the check if desired.


Shows the boot logo while the computer is starting. If this option is deactivated, error messages will no longer be shown during the system start either, but will be recorded in the Windows event log.


Windows XP logs the system start in order to optimize it by means of the boot defragmentation. The log is analyzed and the files needed to start the computer are arranged on the hard disk in an optimized order. This defragmentation is completed automatically in the background approximately every three days when the computer is idle.


Specifies if and how the hard disks should be scanned for errors when the computer was not shut down completely.


Displays a graphical logo while the computer is starting.


Here, you can select whether special function keys should be available when the message Windows is starting up… is being displayed.

During this time, you can use the following keys:

   F4 – Load old operating system (if present)

   F5 – Start in safe mode

   F6 – Start in safe mode with network

   F8 – Show the boot menu

When you deactivate this option, the start can not be influenced with the function keys.


Enter the name of the person to whom Windows should be registered. The name entered here is shown in the Windows dialog System Properties, which can be called up with the key combination Windows+Pause or through the Control Panel.


Enter the name of the company of the person to whom Windows should be registered. The company entered here is shown in the Windows dialog System Properties, which can be called up with the key combination Windows+Pause or through the Control Panel.


Shows the serial number of your copy of Windows.

Warning: This number should not be changed. You could potentially lock yourself out of the system by entering an invalid serial number.


Enter the name that should be displayed by default when the current user installs new software.


Enter the company that should be displayed by default when the current user installs new software.


Calls up a dialog that can be used to change the support information that is displayed in the Windows dialog System Properties, which can be called up with the key combination Windows+Pause or through the Control Panel.


Specifies whether the graphical button Back should be displayed in the standard dialogs for opening and saving files.


Specifies whether a combo box that provides access to the most recently used file names should be used for File name in the standard dialogs for opening and saving files.


Specifies whether a Places Bar should be displayed on the left side of standard dialogs to provide quick access to frequently used folders and drives. Click Customize places... to specify the places yourself.


Calls up a dialog that you can use to customize the places that are displayed in the Places Bar.


You can specify the colors used by Windows to display hard page faults here. Click on the desired colors under Background color and Text color. The result is shown immediately in the Preview.


Deactivates the Windows Indexing Service. The Indexing Service generates a catalog of the documents on your hard disks when the computer is idle, which leads to increased hard disk activity.


Replaces the new, graphical search dialog from Windows XP with the classic Windows 2000 search dialog.


Calls up a dialog in which you can adapt the new Windows XP full text search to your needs. Only a few document types are searched by default, such as Word documents.


Shows a list of special Windows folders and the associated directory paths. Click Change... to change the path of each special folder.


Click on this button to change the directory path of the special folder that is selected in the list above.


Shows a list of potential problems that can occur under Windows.


Click on this button to correct the problem selected on the left.


Shows a list of all files that are currently open. Programs often leave files open so that they can be accessed quickly.


All running processes are shown in this list. You can also change the priority of a process directly in this list. To do so, click on the entry with the right mouse button. You can then change the value under Set process priority.


Shows detailed information on the selected process. Select the desired process in the list and then click Show details.

Tip: You can also double click on a process to call up the detail view.


Terminates the selected process.

Tip: Only terminate processes when you are certain that they are not necessary for the operation of Windows. If are not sure whether a process is necessary for the operation of Windows, save all of your work to prevent the loss of data.


Specifies the degree of processor usage at which optimization is completed manually.


Uses a dynamically calculated threshold value determined on the base of the processor usage when the computer is idle.


Monitors the processor usage in order to complete the optimization at a point in time at which your system is not busy.


Specifies how much free space should be gained by optimization. The intensity of the optimization process can have a negative effect on the performance of the system when the recommended value is exceeded.


Specifies the minimum free physical memory limit that triggers automatic optimization.


Activates automatic memory optimization in the background. MemOptimizer makes sure that your work on the computer is not disturbed by the optimizations.


A physical memory usage graph is displayed in this window. The usage of physical memory and the free space in your page file are shown beneath the graph. The status of AutoOptimize is shown below this. This function optimizes your RAM automatically. The default settings for AutoOptimize are selected to provide you with the best possible results. If you should determine that these settings do not meet your special requirements, you can adapt them to your needs by clicking on Change settings.


This function automatically optimizes your memory while you work on your computer. The settings for Automatic optimization at and Memory to be freed are well balanced settings. You can also change these settings. If you want to have your memory optimized less frequently, for example, reduce the value under Automatic optimization at.


TuneUp monitors processor usage here. If the option Use SmartOptimize is also activated, TuneUp configures the settings to make sure that the computer is load is reduced automatically. You can also specify the values that trigger optimization by TuneUp yourself. Activate the checkbox Use manual settings to specify when optimization should be completed.


You can have memory freed up here. Adjust the slider to specify how much memory should be freed up. This process deleted files that are no longer needed from memory and swaps open programs to the page file.

Note: Do not set the slider too high! This will cause necessary files to be swapped out of memory, which must then be loaded into memory again before they can be used. This will slow down your system instead of speeding it up.


This shows you how much memory space your clipboard occupies. If you don’t need the data in the clipboard anymore, you can delete it by clicking on Empty clipboard.


This services to specify the key combination that is used to start a manual optimization immediately. Click on this field and then press the desired keys simultaneously.


You can activate the option Show icon in taskbar to allow faster access to TuneUp MemOptimizer. This allows you to access the functions of the MemOptimizer by right clicking on its symbol in the notification area. If you deactivate this option, TuneUp MemOptimizer continues to run in the background, but you must use TuneUp Utilities Start Center to call up the TuneUp MemOptimizer settings dialog.


Causes TuneUp MemOptimizer to be started automatically when Windows is started.


Enter topic text here.


Jumps to the key in the input field.


Enter the key to which you wish to jump here (such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe). Then click on OK to jump to the selected key. This function can be very useful for jumping to registry keys that are indicated in the Internet or that are printed in magazines.

Note: The input field also accepts common abbreviations such as HKCR, HKLM, etc.


Only searches the value types indicated in the list.


Searches all value types.


Uses wildcards included in the search string. Wildcards are characters such as an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?). These are often used to search for character strings for which one or more characters are not known.


Matches the case of the search string in the search.

In this case, Computer and COMPUTER are not identical strings.


Only searches for the entire search string.

When you search for Heather, the word Heather’s Computer will not be found.


Starts the search with the specified criteria. The search results are shown live in the Search results list in the main window.


Enter the search string that you wish to find.


Includes the content of values (the value data) in the search for the specified search string.


Includes value names in the search for the specified search string.


Includes key names in the search for the specified search string.


Specifies that only the key indicated in the field and its subkeys will be included in the search for the specified search string.


Specifies that the entire registry will be searched for the indicated search criteria.


Shows the current value name.

Tip: If you want to rename the value, click on Cancel. Select the value in the list and call up the context menu with the right mouse button. Select Rename.


Shows the current value data and allows this data to be changed.


Specifies whether the value should be interpreted in hexadecimal, decimal or binary.


Shows the available RescueCenter backups. Select a backup and click:

- Details to call up detailed information on this backup.

- Delete to delete the backup.

- Restore to restore the backup. All changes made in the selected session are undone.


Shows the current system recovery points. Select a backup and click:

- Create restore point to set a new recovery point for the current system configuration.

- Restore to return the system to the configuration of the respective recovery point.


Only undoes changes made during the selected session.


Undoes all changes that were made to your system with TuneUp Utilities since the selected backup was made. For example, when you select a backup from October 14 at 18:00, all settings that were changed from that point up to today will be undone.

Tip: Use this option when you want to undo changes, but cannot remember which TuneUp Utilities module you used to make the changes. All you have to do is select a backup from a day on which everything worked as desired.


Opens a dialog to select the program that should be started.


Opens a dialog in which you can specify in which section the entry should be created.


Serves to select the location to which the selected entry should be moved.


Shows detailed information on the device connected to the selected IDE port.


Serves to select an IDE port. Information on the device connected to the IDE port is shown in the list below.


Shows the directory paths of important system folders.


Shows the set environment variables.


Shows the currently installed version of DirectX.


Shows a list of installed Direct Play drivers.


Shows a list of installed Direct Music drivers.


Shows a list of installed Direct3D drivers.


Serves to select an active process. Detailed information on the selected process is shown in the list below.


Shows detailed information on the process selected in the combo box.


Shows the number of installed processors.


Shows which features are supported by your processor.


Shows the free space on the selected drive.


Shows the occupied space on the selected drive.


Shows the total size of the selected drive.


Shows detailed information on installed drives that are connected to the IDE interface.


Serves to select the drive for which detailed information should be displayed.


Shows detailed information on the selected drive.


Shows the sound devices and drivers that are installed on this computer.


Shows the printers that are installed on this computer.


Shows the ports that are installed on this computer. Some ports may be hidden here depending on your hardware configuration.


Shows the installed Winsock version number. Winsock provides software communication interfaces for network and Internet connections.


Shows a description of the installed Winsock version. Winsock provides software communication interfaces for network and Internet connections.


Shows how much data per second is being sent into the Internet through your dial-up connection.


Shows how much data per second is being received from the Internet through your dial-up connection.


Shows the size of the BIOS. The BIOS is the boot program of every PC and is started before Windows is started.


Shows the version number of the installed BIOS. The BIOS is the boot program of every PC and is started before Windows is started.


Shows the creation date of the BIOS. The BIOS is the boot program of every PC and is started before Windows is started.


Shows the BIOS manufacturer. The BIOS is the boot program of every PC and is started before Windows is started.


Opens a new window in which additional details on the installed processors are shown.


Shows the socket type on which the processor is installed. This information depends on the main board in the computer and may be incorrect.


Shows how large the Level 1 cache of the installed processor is. The size of the L1 cache influences the overall speed of the computer.


Shows the frequency of the processor in Megahertz.


Shows the codename of the installed processor. Many products are assigned a so-called "code name" during development to identify them exactly.


Shows the name and model of the installed processor.


Shows the manufacturer of the installed processor.


Shows the current usage of the page file.


Shows the current usage of the processor. The usage of the processor increases when a new application is started, for example.


Shows the current usage of the installed RAM.


Shows how much free memory is available for swapping files.


Shows how much data is currently stored in the page file.


Shows the maximum size of the page file.


Shows how much RAM is currently available.


Shows the amount of memory occupied by applications and services.


Shows the amount of RAM occupied by the file cache.


Shows the amount of RAM occupied by the operating system.


Shows the currently installed amount of RAM in KB.


Shows the current number of open files. Programs often leave files open so that they can be accessed quickly.


Shows the current number of running processes. Too many processes can have a negative effect on system performance.


Shows the current number of running threads (subprocesses). Too many threads can have a negative effect on system performance.


Shows how much memory the process selected in the list is occupying in your system.


Shows the occupied Windows memory.


Shows the available Windows memory.


Shows the amount of Windows memory occupied by this process. The amount of Windows memory can exceed the size of the installed physical memory, as it also describes the maximum size of the page file.


Shows the amount of physical memory occupied by this process.


Shows the currently active processes. Click on an entry in this list to call up a graphical display of memory usage in the left part of the window.


Updates the list of active processes.


Shows the name of the current user.


Shows the name of the computer. The computer can be found in the network under this name.


Shows detailed information on the features of the graphics card.


Shows the currently installed version of Microsoft DirectX.


Shows additional information on installed DirectX devices.


Shows a list of the system-wide environment variables.


Shows a list of the directory paths of system folders.


Shows the product ID (PID) of the installed Windows version. The product ID serves to clearly identify your Windows license.


Shows to which company this Windows version is registered.


Shows to which user name this Windows version is registered.


Shows the version of Microsoft Internet Explorer.


Shows the date on which the operating system was installed.


Shows when the operating system was started last.


Shows the name of the installed Windows version. The exact version number of the operating system is shown in parenthesis.


Shows the drives that are installed in the computer.


Shows which keyboard is currently installed on the computer.


Shows which mouse is currently installed on the computer.


Shows the current resolution and color depth.


Shows which graphics card is installed in the computer.


Shows which monitor driver is installed in the computer.


Shows the name of the installed motherboards.


Shows the size of the installed RAM and the percentage of this memory that is currently occupied by applications and the operating system.


Shows how large the Level 2 cache of the installed processor is. The size of the L2 cache influences the overall speed of the computer.


Shows the model and speed of your computer's processor (CPU).


Deletes a folder and all of its contents. Click on Next to select a folder for deletion.


Deletes one or more files and all of their contents. Click on Next to select a file for deletion.


Shows a dialog that can be used to select the folder to be deleted.


Enter the path of the folder to be deleted here. You can browse your computer for folders by clicking Select...


Removes the selected files from the list of files to be deleted.

Note: The files themselves are not deleted by this function.


Adds one or more files to the list of files to be deleted. You can also drag the files into the Shredder window directly from the Explorer.


Shows the files selected for deletion. Click on Add… to add one or more files to the list. You can also drag the files into the Shredder window directly from the Explorer.


Specifies how many times the selected deletion method should be repeated. Increasing the repetitions increases security further, but also increases the duration of the deletion operation.


Deletes files through the use of a method used by the US Department of Defense. The method described in guideline DoD 5520.22-M overwrites the contents several times with different bit patters, ensuring that your data is destroyed effectively.


Deletes the contents of files by overwriting them with zeros. This method is much less secure than the Full delete.


If the option Delete the allocated free disk space is activated, TuneUp Shredder also overwrites the reserved free space for the file.


Also deletes the contents of the subfolders of the selected folder.


Restores the selected files to where they were deleted. Click OK to restore the files.

Note: If you have selected multiple files for restoration, you should restore the files to a different drive if possible. Otherwise, some of the files to be restored could be overwritten with restored files.


Restores the selected files to the specified location. Click OK to call up a dialog in which you can select the place to which the files should be restored.

Note: You should select this option whenever possible if you have selected multiple files for restoration. Otherwise, some of the files to be restored could be overwritten with restored files.


Please note the following when restoring files: if a deleted file is restored to its original disk, it might not be possible to restore the entire file. Files should always be restored to a different disk whenever possible.


Restores the files selected in the list to the specified location.


Shows the files that were found to match the indicated search criteria. Select one or more files and click Restore to restore the file(s).


Shows the current status of the search.


Cancels the search for deleted files and returns to the previous step.


Enter a search string that is contained in the file name here.

Tip: Use wildcards in the search string to optimize the search.


All drives that can be searched for deleted files are shown here.


Does not include files without contents (file size 0 bytes) in the search.


Only shows files that have a good chance of being restored.


Enter the command line with which the deinstallation program of the selected application can be started. When the file to which the command line refers is no longer available, this is indicated by a red x in the list.


Any name that describes the selected software can be entered here.


Shows the command line that can be used to start the deinstallation program of the selected application. When the file to which the command line refers is no longer available, this is indicated by a red x in the list.


Allows you to enter your own proxy server settings in the fields below. This option is only for experienced users.


Uses the Internet Explorer proxy settings.


Specifies that no proxy server should be used. The connection to the TuneUp server will be made directly.


Shows information on the available updates.


Shows a list of available Internet connections. Select the connection that TuneUp UpdateWizard should use to download updates.


Opens a dialog for configuring the proxy settings. If you do not know what a proxy is, simply leave these settings as they are.