Wipe Out Windows Annoyances

Windows Wish List

Accelerate Shutdowns

I'm generally very patient. But quirks in XP that have complex workarounds or no satisfactory solutions make me a little testy. Such problems top my fix-it wish list for the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn. For example, it bugs me that shutdowns and restarts can take longer than backing up my PC. And finding the culprit is a tedious process. Why is there no Windows diagnostic tool--perhaps within Task Manager--that will analyze each program not only while it's running but also while you're shutting down or rebooting, so as to pinpoint ones that are malfunctioning?

In the meantime, use process of elimination to find out whether the issue involves an app or a driver, and then which program or driver. If the slowpoke turns out to be a program, close it before shutdown, or patch it if this is a known problem. If it's a driver, use Device Manager to update it. Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, Hardware, and click Device Manager. Right-click the device and choose Update Driver to search the Windows Update site for a newer version. To test if a particular driver is at fault, choose Disable instead of Update Driver and restart Windows. For more advice, check out Jim Eshelman's Windows XP Shutdown & Restart Troubleshooting tips.

'Repair' for Dead Connections

Here's another item that Microsoft needs to add to its Longhorn to-do list: fixing its current network repair button. I have tried using this button when my network connection suddenly goes kaput, but it has never worked for me. Why does Windows taunt its users this way?

In lieu of a functional Repair button, I've sometimes had success using the command prompt's ipconfig command--but it's easier simply to disable and reenable the network connection. To do this in Windows XP, open Control Panel's Network Connections, right-click the connection, select Disable, right-click the connection again, and select Enable. If that sequence does not do the trick, power-cycle or reset the cable or DSL modem and the router, if any, that you have between your computer and the broadband connection.

Smarter File Operation Fixes

My last feature request for Longhorn: Windows should identify and isolate bad files during batch operations. When I try to do the same thing to 500 files--like drag them from one folder to another--odds are that there will be some hangup with one of them. When that occurs, Explorer just quits, telling me there was a problem, but leaving some of my files moved and the rest unmoved. Even if I can find and fix the error, the task of hunting down the unprocessed files and completing the operation drives me nuts--and there's no guarantee that there won't be another bad file in the batch.

There go 10, 20, 30 minutes of my life that I'll never get back. Instead of quitting, Explorer should isolate the problem files, much as a spyware or antivirus scanner does, but continue to process the ones that have no problems. That way, I get the job done and can focus exclusively on the trouble-making files when that's over.

Unfortunately, the only solution currently available is to press <Ctrl>-Z to undo the move operation; close all programs that might have files open; and then try, try again.

PC World's Internet Tips columnist Scott Spanbauer spends hours meditating to get over annoying Windows problems.