Take Control of the Control Panel-----

Although the current Windows Control Panel isn't the all-in-one command center it used to be in the days of Windows 3.1, it's still a major hub of power. 

You can tweak just about anything in Windows--from how fast the cursor blinks to the resolution of your display--using the Control Panel. This week, we have some esoteric Control Panel tricks that'll stop those annoying screen animations, optimize a network server, and keep your bumbling friends, co-workers, or in-laws from wreaking havoc with your precious settings. 


Turn off display animations 
   
Windows likes to fire off lots of visual bells and whistles while it's opening and closing windows and unfurling menus. What do we have against pretty desktop effects, you ask? Nothing--unless they take up a large chunk of memory, which, of course, they do. If you're not a fan of these parlor tricks, you can tone down the settings. Open the Control Panel by selecting Start • Settings • Control Panel and then double-click the Display icon. Click the Effects tab and then uncheck the box in front of "Animate windows, menus and lists." Turning off these animations will free up some system resources. Click the Apply or OK button to make the change. (Note: This tip works only for Windows 98/Me/2000.) 
 


Select your network server settings 
   
Are you using your PC as a network server? If so, make sure you're using the right settings. 
Here's the deal. By default, Windows 98/Me will optimize your systems resources for the "role" of a stand-alone desktop computer. But if your system is actually a network server, you'll want your hard drive resources allocated in a way that boosts your multitasking performance. (After all, network servers essentially do nothing but multitask.) How you do make the change? You guessed it: in the Control Panel. 

Open the Control Panel by selecting Start • Settings • Control Panel and then double-click the System icon. Click the Performance tab and then the File System button under Advanced Settings. Under Settings on the Hard Disk tab, select Network Server from the pull-down menu for "Typical role of this computer." Click OK or Apply when you're done. 



Hide control panel icons 
   
If you're not the only one using your PC, you can hide certain icons in the Control Panel, making it more difficult for meddlesome newbies to muck up your system. When the Control Panel loads up, it looks in the Windows/System directory for the appropriate CPL files. For example, when it finds Modem.cpl, it loads up the Modems icon. You can move any of these files from your system folder to prevent the Control Panel from loading them. 
For example, to hide the Modems icon, open C:/Windows/System. Create a new folder and call it Backup. Drag the Modem.cpl file into the Backup folder. Now open the Control Panel window (Start • Settings • Control Panel) and--surprise, surprise--the Modem icon won't be visible. To get the Modem icon back, just place Modem.cpl back in the System folder. 

Here's a list of the most common Control Panel applications and their respective .CPL files: 


Add/Remove Programs--Appwiz.cpl 
Date/Time--Timedate.cpl 
Desktop Themes--Themes.cpl 
Display--Desk.cpl 
Gaming options--Joy.cpl 
Internet Options--Inetcpl.cpl 
Modems--Modem.cpl 
Multimedia--Mmsys.cpl 
System--Sysdm.cpl 
Telephony--Telphon.cpl 

To see all the CPL files in the System folder, select View • Arrange Icons • By Type from the menu. All the CPL files will be grouped together. 

Note: If you delete your CPL files, you can kiss your Control Panels goodbye. Make sure to put them in a safe place on your hard drive.