Windows XP started using balloon tips heavily, as an attempt to help the average user to understand what is happening on the computer. The balloon tip is shown like a tooltip bubble just above the taskbar to the right near the system tray (also known as the notification area). For the more experienced user the balloon tips can become a pain, but it is possible to configure their behavior.

To disable balloon tips in the notification area completely:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \Advanced]
EnableBalloonTips = 0

More Info MS KB279771
More Info MS KB307729

To disable "Show popup description for folder and desktop items" (Folder Options):

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \Advanced]
ShowInfoTip = 0

To disable tooltip for folders:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \Advanced]
FolderContentsInfoTip = 0

To disable tooltips for the start button:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \Advanced]
StartButtonBalloonTip = 0

To disable the balloon tip "To see the hidden icons, click this button":

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \TrayNotify]
BalloonTip = 1

To disable tooltips for the start menu:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Policies \Explorer]
NoSMBalloonTip = 1

To disable the welcome screen presented after login:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Policies \Explorer]
NoWelcomeScreen = 1

To disable the New Hardware Found balloon tooltips:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software \Policies \Microsoft \Windows \DeviceInstall \Settings]
DisableBalloonTips = 1

To disable the Highlighting of newly installed applications:

1. Press the Start-button and right-click at the top of the Start-Menu where your name is displayed and select Properties
2. This will open the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties-dialog
3. Select the Start-Menu-tab and press Customize
4. Select the Advanced-tab and clear the Highlight newly installed programs-checkbox
5. The above steps should be reflected in this registry key:

   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \Advanced]
   Start_NotifyNewApps = 0

To disable the tour balloon tips:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Applets \Tour]
RunCount = 0 (Default = 3)

More Info MS KB311489

To disable the printer spooler notification balloon tips:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Printers \Settings]
EnableBalloonNotificationsLocal = 0
EnableBalloonNotificationsRemote = 0

More Info MS KB831582

To disable the Security Center notification balloon tips:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE \Microsoft \Security Center]
FirewallDisableNotify = 1 (0 = Firewall notifications)
UpdatesDisableNotify = 1 (0 = Automatic updates notifications)
AntiVirusDisableNotify = 1 (0 = Antivirus notifications)
UACDisableNotify = 1 (0 = Vista UAP notifications)

To disable the "This device could perform faster if it was plugged in to a high speed port":

1. Open the Device Manager and expand "USB Controller"
2. Right-click the USB Controller(s) and select Properties
3. Select the Advanced-tab and tick "Don't show USB errors (or similar)"

To disable Plug and Play messages like "Found New Hardware":

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SYSTEM \CurrentControlSet \Services \PlugPlay \Parameters]
SuppressUI = 1 (Windows 2003/XP64 only)
SuppressNewHWUI = (Windows XP)

More Info MS KB311489 (Requires XP SP3 to recognize registry keys)

To disable the "There are unused icons on your desktop":

1. Open the Control Panel and go to Display Properties
2. Select the Desktop-tab and press the "Customize Desktop"-button
3. Untick "Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days"