Windows XP Explorer tree expanded by default. You can stop windows explorer from expanding by using this method:

Right click on Windows XP Explorer and select “properties” then select the “shortcut” tab.

Change the target line to this:

%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,C:\,/select

Nice and easy. Now your hard-drive tree should be collapsed and easier to navigate

There are six main branches, each containing a specific portion of the information stored in the Registry. They are as follows:

* HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT – This branch contains all of your file association mappings to support the drag-and-drop feature, OLE information, Windows shortcuts, and core aspects of the Windows user interface.
* HKEY_CURRENT_USER – This branch links to the section of HKEY_USERS appropriate for the user currently logged onto the PC and contains information such as logon names, desktop settings, and Start menu settings.
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – This branch contains computer specific information about the type of hardware, software, and other preferences on a given PC, this information is used for all users who log onto this computer.
* HKEY_USERS – This branch contains individual preferences for each user of the computer, each user is represented by a SID sub-key located under the main branch.
* HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG – This branch links to the section of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE appropriate for the current hardware configuration.
* HKEY_DYN_DATA – This branch points to the part of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, for use with the Plug-&-Play features of Windows, this section is dymanic and will change as devices are added and removed from the system.
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Windows Explorer caches DLLs in memory for a period of time after the application an using them has been closed. Which in some cases can be an waste of memory. To stop Windows from always caching these DLL files, create the new registry key below.

Open up the Registry and navigate to :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer

Create a new sub-key named ‘AlwaysUnloadDLL’ and set the default value to equal ’1′ to disable Windows caching the DLL in memory.

Restart Windows for the change to take effect