Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PRANITH KUMAR V
Theoretically, you can get rid of it (as well as a few other things). Windows
2000 power users should already be familiar with this tweak.
When I first saw the default search pane in Windows XP, my instinct was to
return it to its classic look; that puppy had to go. Of course, I later
discovered that a doggie door is built into the applet. Click "Change
preferences" then "Without an animated screen character." If you'd rather
give it a bare-bones "Windows 2000" look and feel, fire up your Registry
editor and navigate to:
You may need to create a new string value labeled "Use Search Asst" and set
it to "no".
Upgrading to Windows XP
You can upgrade a computer that runs Windows 98, 98SE, or Me to Windows
XP Home Edition. Those same versions, along with Windows NT Workstation
4.0 and Windows 2000 Professional, can be upgraded to Windows XP
Professional.
(2)Install all network cards. XP will detect them and automatically install the
right drivers.
The following steps enable the Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition
(Me) profiles to be retained throughout the process.
Your best method to retain the profiles is to join the domain during the
upgrade installation process.
Otherwise, you must use a workaround method to transfer the profile
information over to the Windows XP profile.
All applicable users must log on and log off (which generates a profile).
Copy the appropriate Application Data folder from the Windows 95, Windows
98, and Windows Me profiles to the newly created user profiles.
Go to ontrol Panel > System, > Advanced > Performance area > Settings
button Visual Effects tab "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
Version/Explorer/RemoteComputer/NameSpace
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
This is key that instructs Windows to search for Scheduled Tasks. If you like
you may want to export the exact branch so that you can restore the key if
necessary.
This fix is so effective that it doesn't require a reboot and you can almost
immediately determine yourself how much it speeds up your browsing
processes
With Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows XP, you can connect one
computer to the Internet, then share the Internet service with several
computers on your home or small office network. The Network Setup Wizard
in Windows XP Professional will automatically provide all of the network
settings you need to share one Internet connection with all the computers in
your network. Each computer can use programs such as Internet Explorer
and Outlook Express as if they were directly connected to the Internet.
You should not use this feature in an existing network with Windows 2000
Server domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, DHCP servers, or systems
configured for static IP addresses.
Enabling ICS
The ICS host computer needs two network connections. The local area
network connection, automatically created by installing a network adapter,
connects to the computers on your home or small office network. The other
connection, using a 56k modem, ISDN, DSL, or cable modem, connects the
home or small office network to the Internet. You need to ensure that ICS is
enabled on the connection that has the Internet connection. By doing this,
the shared connection can connect your home or small office network to the
Internet, and users outside your network are not at risk of receiving
inappropriate addresses from your network.
When you enable ICS, the local area network connection to the home or
small office network is given a new static IP address and configuration.
Consequently, TCP/IP connections established between any home or small
office computer and the ICS host computer at the time of enabling ICS are
lost and need to be reestablished. For example, if Internet Explorer is
connecting to a Web site when Internet Connection Sharing is enabled,
refresh the browser to reestablish the connection. You must configure client
machines on your home or small office network so TCP/IP on the local area
connection obtains an IP address automatically. Home or small office network
users must also configure Internet options for Internet Connection Sharing.
To enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Discovery and Control on
Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition
computers, run the Network Setup Wizard from the CD or floppy disk on
these computers. For ICS Discovery and Control to work on Windows 98,
Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers,
Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later must be installed.
Click the dial–up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you want to
share, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this
connection.
On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect
through this computer's Internet connection check box.
If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer on
your home or small office network attempts to access external resources,
select the Establish a dial–up connection whenever a computer on my
network attempts to access the Internet check box.
If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared Internet
connection, select the Allow other network users to control or disable the
shared Internet connection check box.
Open Internet Explorer. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click
Internet Explorer.)
On the Connections tab, click Never dial a connection, and then click LAN
Settings.
Follow this tip to increase the priority of active processes, this will result in
prioritisation of processes using the CPU.
CTRL-SHIFT-ESC
1.Go to the second tab called Processes, right click on one of the active
processes, you will see the Set Priority option
2.For example, your Run your CDwriter program , set the priority higher, and
guess what, no crashed CD’s
Sharing of files and folders can be managed in two ways. If you chose
simplified file sharing, your folders can be shared with everyone on your
network or workgroup, or you can make your folders private. (This is how
folders are shared in Windows 2000.) However, in Windows XP Professional,
you can also set folder permissions for specific users or groups. To do this,
you must first change the default setting, which is simple file sharing. To
change this setting, follow these steps:
•Open Control Panel, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
•Click the View tab, and scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Settings list.
•Clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.
•To manage folder permissions, browse to the folder in Windows Explorer,
right–click the folder, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab, and
assign permissions, such as Full Control, Modify, Read, and/or Write, to
specific users.
You can set file and folder permissions only on drives formatted to use NTFS,
and you must be the owner or have been granted permission to do so by the
owner.
The Search companion in Windows XP searches for hidden and system files
differently than in earlier versions of Windows. This guide describes how to
search for hidden or system files in Windows XP.
Search for Hidden or System Files By default, the Search companion does not
search for hidden or system files. Because of this, you may be unable to find
files, even though they exist on the drive.
Click to select the Search system folders and Search hidden files and folders
check boxes.
NOTE: You do not need to configure your computer to show hidden files in
the Folder Options dialog box in Windows Explorer to find files with either the
hidden or system attributes, but you need to configure your computer not to
hide protected operating system files to find files with both the hidden and
system attributes. Search Companion shares the Hide protected operating
system files option (which hides files with both the system and hidden
attributes) with the Folder Options dialog box Windows Explorer.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Network/Logon
Create the "Logon" subkey if it is not present on your machine: highlight the
Network key -> right-click in the left hand Regedit pane -> select New ->
Key -> name it "Logon" (no quotes) -> press Enter. Then add/modify a
DWORD value and call it "MustBeValidated" (don't type the quotes). Double-
click it, check the Decimal box and type 1 for value.
Now click the Start button -> Shut Down (Log off UserName) -> Log on as a
different user, and you'll notice that the Logon Cancel button has been
disabled.
If you don't use the Recycle Bin to store deleted files , you can get rid of its
desktop icon all together.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/explo
rer/Desktop/NameSpace
Click on the "Recycle Bin" string in the right hand pane. Hit Del, click OK.
To change the name of the Recycle Bin desktop icon, open Regedit and go
to:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and change the name "Recycle Bin" to whatever you want (don't type any
quotes).
You can provide Remote Assistance to a friend who uses a Network Address
Translation (NAT) device by modifying the Remote Assistance invitation using
XML. Network Address Translation is used to allow multiple computers to
share the same outbound Internet connection. To open a Remote Assistance
session with a friend who uses a NAT device:
Now, you'll be able to connect and provide them with the help they need. So
that your inbound IP connection is routed to the correct computer, the NAT
must be configured to route that inbound traffic. To do so, make sure your
friend forwards port 3389 to the computer they want help from.
80 - HTTP
443 - HTTPS
FAT16
The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and
it's showing its age. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy
drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard
disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3
characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator. The biggest
advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating
systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of
UNIX. The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number
of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of
each cluster has to get larger. In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32
kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32
KB of space. FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or
advanced security using access control lists.
FAT32
The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is
really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a
much larger number of clusters per partition. As such, it greatly improves the
overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system. However,
FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important
additional limitation—many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will
not work with FAT32—most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as
well. Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP
computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network—
they don't need to know (and generally don't really care) what your
underlying file system is.
The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating
systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've
booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system
administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at
least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This
partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special
drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself
out of the hole you'd just dug into. But with the enhanced recovery abilities
built into Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I don't think it's
necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.
•Open My Computer
•Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:), unless
you have more than one drive on your computer).
•If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the
contents of this drive.
•Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.
•Double-click your user folder.
•Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.
•On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have
access to it check box.
Note
If you want to save your files to your hard drive, so after a format you dont
have to download them all again, here's How:
- Choose Find updates for Microsoft Windows operating systems (right hand
pane)
- Once chosen simply click on what you want to download and then back at
the top click Review Download Basket
- You are taken to the next page where at the top you can specify where the
downloads are to be saved.
- Click Download now. Each patch will make a directory under the root of the
folder you saved them to.
Once finished you need to go to where you saved the file (s) to and then
simply install all your patches.
If for some reason you need to install NetBEUI then follow these instructions.
- In Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections and then click
Network Connections.
- Right-click the connection you want to configure, and then click Properties.
- On the General tab, click the INSTALL button to add the NetBEUI protocol
In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd and then click OK.
NOTE: Although the chance of corruption or data loss during the conversion
from FAT to NTFS is minimal, it is best to perform a full backup of the data
on the drive that it is to be converted prior to executing the convert
command. It is also recommended to verify the integrity of the backup
before proceeding, as well as to run RDISK and update the emergency repair
disk (ERD).
AVI File Fix in Windows XP
If you have any AVI files that you saved in Windows 9x, which have
interference when opened in Windows XP, there is an easy fix to get rid of
the interference: Open Windows Movie Maker. Click View and then click
Options. Click in the box to remove the check mark beside Automatically
create clips. Now, import the movie file that has interference and drag it onto
the timeline. Then save the movie, and during the re-rendering, the
interference will be removed.
If you have a piece of software that refuses to install because it says that you
are not running Windows 2000 (such as the Win2K drivers for a Mustek
scanner!!) you can simply edit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows
NT/CurrentVersion/ProductName
to say Microsoft Windows 2000 instead of XP and it will install. You may also
have to edit the version number or build number, depending on how hard the
program tries to verify that you are installing on the correct OS. I had to do
this for my Mustek 600 CP scanner (compatibility mode didn't help!!!) and it
worked great, so I now have my scanner working with XP (and a tech at
Mustek can now eat his words). BTW, don't forget to restore any changes
you make after you get your software installed
Scroll to the bottom and deselect (uncheck) the option that reads 'use simple
file sharing'
This will allow you to see the security tab when viewing the properties of a
file/folder.
(XPPro only)
Go to start/run,
You can run "wmiprvse.exe" as a process for quick shared network access to
Win98/ME machines. Stick it in Startup or make it a service.
"On the PC running XP, log in as you normally would, go to users, manage
network passwords.
Here is where the problem lies. In this dialog box remove any win98
passwords or computer-assigned names for the win98 PCs. In my case , I
had two computer-assigned win98 pc names in this box (example G4k8e6). I
deleted these names (you may have passwords instead). Then go to My
Network Places and -- there you go! -- no more delay!
Now, after I did this and went to My Network Places to browse the first
Win98 PC, I was presented with a password/logon box that looked like this:
logon: G4k8e6/guest (lightly grayed out) and a place to enter a password. I
entered the password that I had previously used to share drives on the
Win98 PCs long before I installed XP. I have the guest account enabled in XP.
This solves the problem for Win98 & XP machines on a LAN; I can't
guarantee it will work for Win2K/ME machines as well, but the whole secret
lies in the passwords. If this doesn't solve your slow WinXP>Win98 access
problems, then you probably have other things wrong. Don't forget to
uncheck 'simple file sharing,' turn off your ICS firewall, enable NetBIOS over
TCP/IP and install proper protocols, services & permissions."
How to Convert a FAT Partition to NTFS
NOTE: Although the chance of corruption or data loss during the conversion
from FAT to NTFS is minimal, it is best to perform a full backup of the data
on the drive that it is to be converted prior to executing the convert
command. It is also recommended to verify the integrity of the backup
before proceeding, as well as to run RDISK and update the emergency repair
disk (ERD).
•Open My Computer.
•Click the files or folders you want to copy to the CD. To select more than
one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want. Then,
under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy this file, Copy this folder, or Copy the
selected items.
•If the files are located in My Pictures, under Picture Tasks, click Copy to CD
or Copy all items to CD, and then skip to step 5.
•In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive, and then click
Copy.
•In My Computer, double–click the CD recording drive. Windows displays a
temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD.
Verify that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD appear
under Files Ready to be Written to the CD.
•Under CD Writing Tasks, click Write these files to CD. Windows displays the
CD Writing Wizard. Follow the instructions in the wizard.
Notes:
•Do not copy more files to the CD than it will hold. Standard CDs hold up to
650 megabytes (MB). High–capacity CDs hold up to 850 MB.
•Be sure that you have enough disk space on your hard disk to store the
temporary files that are created during the CD writing process. For a
standard CD, Windows reserves up to 700 MB of the available free space. For
a high–capacity CD, Windows reserves up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of the available
free space.
•After you copy files or folders to the CD, it is useful to view the CD to
confirm that the files are copied. For more information, click Related Topics.
To stop the CD recorder from automatically ejecting the CD
•Open My Computer.
•On the Recording tab, clear the Automatically eject the CD after writing
check box.
1.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
2.Click your account name.
3.Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password.
4.Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard to create a
password reset disk.
5.Store the disk in a secure location, because anyone using it can access
your local user account.
Disable CD Autorun
1) Click Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC
3) Locate the entry for Turn autoplay off and modify it as you desire
You've read the reviews and digested the key feature enhancements and
operational changes. Now it's time to delve a bit deeper and uncover some of
Windows XP's secrets.
1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows
were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of
its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All
Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will
produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these,
type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at
later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).
2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the
Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run... and type 'gpedit.msc';
then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows
Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the
Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many
interface and system options, but take care -- some may stop your computer
behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).
3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a
new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter
'rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation' in the location field. Give the
shortcut a name you like. That's it -- just double click on it and your
computer will be locked. And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will
do the same.
5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of
interesting new commands. These include 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers'
for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoring
performance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled
tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of
options -- they're all far too baroque to go into here.
6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this
is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your
LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing
network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If
you don't know what IPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother.
7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by
using 'taskkill /pid' and the task number, or just 'tskill' and the process
number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will also tell you a lot about
what's going on in your system.
8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast
machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files well alone by
typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind
later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'.
10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network
address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get
your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under
the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace
this with your chum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to
www.whatismyip.com -- and get them to make sure that they've got port
3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.
11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back
in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and
password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is
particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a
program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running
programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can
have unforeseen effects.
12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates,
registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while,
the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity
before that point, run Regedit, go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current
Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called
EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.
13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password.
Select Run... from the start menu and type 'control userpasswords2', which
will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for
Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and
click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user
name and password for the account you want to use.
14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if
you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options... and
Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty
Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see
the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on
the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your
LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in
notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on
the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.
16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can
speed things along by changing the registry entry
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the
default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.
17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a
set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other
files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to
distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised
groups by View, Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups.
18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the
tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks
from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can
put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just
call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.
19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box;
Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through
the taskbar buttons.
20. The next release of Windows XP, codenamed Longhorn, is due out late
next year or early 2003 and won't be much to write home about. The next
big release is codenamed Blackcomb and will be out in 2003/2004.
Adding Programs To Stay On The Start Menu
Right click on any .exe file in Explorer, My Computer, Desktop and select 'Pin
to Start Menu', the program is then displayed on the start menu, above the
separator line. To remove it, click the file on the start menu and select 'Unpin
from Start Menu'. Below you can check the before and after shots.
Boot Defragment
1. Start Regedit.
2. Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction
3. Select Enable from the list on the right.
4. Right on it and select Modify.
5. Change the value to Y to enable and N to disable.
6. Reboot your computer.
3.From the list, select an operating system that the program runs in
comfortably.
Introduction
Windows XP represents Microsoft's big push to get the largely Windows 9X-
based user community to an operating system family based on the Windows
NT-kernel. In Windows XP, new client services not only blend the ease of use
of familiar Windows 9X profiles with the robustness of Windows NT (and
Windows 2000) user management, but significantly improve on the
combination. While the majority of these advancements will be appreciated
most by home users, enterprise customers that share assets-for instance,
with shift workers and telecommuters or with users who access e-mail from
multiple machines while roaming-will also see improvements.
Many computers are shared between multiple users, particularly in the home
environment where studies have shown that 80% of computers are used
routinely by multiple people. In previous versions of Windows NT, user
account management-which could be strictly enforced across the enterprise
by administrators-was a somewhat tricky process that was beyond the
abilities of most non-computing professionals. Simple-to-use Windows 9X
profiles, however, were not enabled by default and were largely ignored: The
cost of actually using the profiles, which required that users log off before
allowing other users to access the system, meant that the vast majority of
machines made do with a single shared profile, with all of the corresponding
security, configuration, and data-loss risks.
In Windows XP, user profiles are always enabled and even non-enterprise
users are encouraged to create accounts during the Setup process. These
accounts are based on Windows NT profiles and allow Windows XP to provide
strong isolation and protection of users' data and settings. If multiple user
accounts are configured on a machine, then users are presented with a
Welcome screen that appears featuring separate-and customizable-graphics
for each user. Users of Windows XP machines that are members of an NT-
style domain do not see this screen, since presenting a list of machine users
could be considered a security violation. A new control panel applet replaces
the familiar Windows NT User Manager and Windows 2000 Computers and
Users snap-in, providing a simple interface that allows almost anyone to set
up a new user and give them appropriate rights and privileges.
In the home environment, for instance, fast user switching allows a parent
working on a personal finance program to yield the computer to a child to
work on homework by browsing the Internet, without requiring the parent to
shut down and restart the finance program and without exposing the child to
the parent's financial information. In the business environment, fast user
switching can allow multiple users in a common environment, such as a
research lab, to share a single machine.
Fast user switching is just one of two mechanisms that allow multiple users
to work with a single system. Remote desktop, another built-in Windows XP
feature, allows users to interact with machines remotely across a network
and to access data and applications on those remote machines. While fast
user switching is aimed principally at the home market, remote desktop
enables business users to access their corporate desktops from remote
computers-and vice versa, enabling them to operate home machines while at
work.
Programming Issues
Both fast user switching and remote desktop use Windows XP's updated
terminal services technology. Improvements have been made to both the
server and client components of terminal services. Windows XP now features
support for both local and remote sound, 24-bit video, performance
optimizations, and the mapping of the local drives and printers.
Fortunately, most applications don't have to be rewritten to work with
terminal services and, thus, fast user switching and remote desktop. Rather,
they need to respect basic user settings management guidelines. These
guidelines are not new: Most are covered in the Windows 2000 Certified for
Windows Application Specification, which has been available on Microsoft's
Web site for some time. The Data and Settings Management section of this
specification includes several topics that are particularly important when
supporting multiple users on a single machine:
A notable exception to the isolation rule is that you should support "All Users"
installations: It is extremely frustrating for users to install the same
application repeatedly for multiple user accounts.
By carefully locating user data, user settings, and computer settings,
applications can make it easier for users to backup individual documents and
settings, share a computer among multiple users, and even to work with the
same documents and settings on multiple computers. By handling data and
settings properly, you can enable your application to run in both the home
(fast user switching) and business enterprise (remote desktop) marketplaces.
What about sound? Well, the terminal services in Windows XP have been
designed to configure sound to both the interactive and disconnected
sessions. While it may be difficult to imagine at first, there may be valid
scenarios where it would desirable to output multiple audio streams. For
instance, what if you used a sound card in one user session to output audio
to the home stereo system and at the same time the active user wanted to
hold an interactive meeting with sound? In this case, you certainly would not
want to blend the two streams. And neither would you want to suspend the
audio stream in the disconnected session. Getting this right can be
particularly important when working with shared media devices like DVD
players.
One general guideline is to do "as little as possible, as much as necessary"
when you are the disconnected session. To do this, it can be helpful to know
when a session switch occurs. While most applications won't need to be
notified, if your application accesses a shared resource-such as a serial port
or other hardware device-you may want to know when the machine switches
between user sessions. To be notified when a session switch occurs, you
must register to receive the WM_WTSSESSION_CHANGE message by calling
the WTSRegisterConsoleNotification API. Using this function, you can choose
to be notified for a single session or for all sessions, and when either local or
remote sessions connect or disconnect. When you no longer require
notification, you should unregister using the
WTSUnRegisterConsoleNotification API.
Summary
If you isolate access to your application's data and settings and take care not
to tie up shared resources, your application should work well with Windows
XP's terminal services. By developing your application to assume it's not the
only thing running on the machine, your users are likely to have a much
better experience when they start using it with Windows XP's new fast user
switching and remote desktop features.
When you download photos from your digital camera, they often have
unrecognizable names. You can rename several similar files at once with the
following procedure. This also works for renaming other types of files.
1.Open the My Pictures folder. (Click Start, and then click My Pictures.) Or
open another folder containing files that you want to rename.
2.Select the files you want to rename. If the files you want are not adjacent
in the file list, press and hold CTRL, and then click each item to select it.
3.On the File menu, click Rename.
4.Type the new name, and then press ENTER.
All of the files in the series will be named in sequence using the new name
you type. For example, if you type Birthday, the first will be named Birthday
and subsequent files in the series will be named Birthday (1), Birthday (2),
and so on. To specify the starting number for the series, type the starting
number in parentheses after the new file name. The files in the series will be
numbered in sequence starting with the number you type. For example, if
you type Birthday (10), the other files will be named Birthday (11), Birthday
(12), and so on.
Licensing Issues
Here you can find a Description of the things which are done by the Program
or you can manually change the following settings to have the same effect:
If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to reactivate too.
Well not anymore. Just copy wpa.dbl after you activated the first time. It is
located in the WINDOWS\system32 folder. Now if you reinstall Windows XP
just copy the file back and you're up and running again
Click the File Types tab.In the list of file types, highlight "(NONE) Folders"
Click Advanced button, In the Actions box, highlight "Explore" Click "Set
Default"
Once set up using the "Open" command, however, the idisk can be accessed
by simply double-clicking its icon in the Network Places folder.
Here's how you can remove those shortcut arrows from your desktop icons in
Windows XP.
1. Start regedit.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTlnkfile
3. Delete the IsShortcut registry value.
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/cleartypeactivate.htm?fnam
e=%20&fsize=
or
- Right click on a blank area of the Desktop and choose Properties
- Click on the Appearance Tab; Click effects
- Check the box: Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts
- In the drop down box select: Clear Type
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftMediaPlayerSettingsMP3Encodin
g]
"LowRate"=dword:0000dac0
"MediumRate"=dword:0000fa00
"MediumHighRate"=dword:0001f400
"HighRate"=dword:0002ee00
You can change this to your liking using the following dword hex values :
Internet Broadband
This is easily my favorite tip! One of the coolest new features in Windows XP
is its album thumbnail generator, which automatically places the appropriate
album cover art on the folder to which you are copying music (generally in
WMA format). But what about those people that have already copied their
CDs to the hard drive using MP3 format? You can download album cover art
from sites such as cdnow.com or amguide.com, and then use the new
Windows XP folder customize feature to display the proper image for each
folder. But this takes time--you have to manually edit the folder properties
for every single folder--and you will lose customizations if you have to
reinstall the OS. There's an excellent fix, however.
When you download the album cover art from the Web, just save the images
as folder.jpg each time and place them in the appropriate folder. Then,
Windows XP will automatically use that image as the thumbnail for that folder
and, best of all, will use that image in Windows Media Player for Windows XP
(MPXP) if you choose to display album cover art instead of a visualization.
And the folder customization is automatic, so it survives an OS reinstallation
as well. Your music folders never looked so good!
XP file Sharing
NOTE: The first time you do this the Networking wizard will appear ..CLOSE
IT..:-
The disk or folder that you share, along with all of the folders that it
contains, will be accessible by other network users. If you're sharing an
entire disk, Windows XP gives a warning. The implication of the warning is
that it's better to share a specific folder, since only that folder (and its
subfolders) will be accessible by others, and the rest of the disk will be
inaccessible. Click where indicated if you want to go ahead and share the
entire disk. This screen doesn't appear if you're sharing a folder.
XP will display a warning. If you want ICF enabled, select Use the wizard to
enable file sharing. Otherwise, select Just enable file sharing.
Having successfully stopped the Wizard's , you now have to specify a Share
name, which users on other networked computers will use to access this
disk or folder. For maximum compatibility with all versions of Windows, use
1-12 characters.
By default, users on other computers have full access: they can read, write,
and delete shared files. If you only want them to be able to read files, un-
check Allow network users to change my files.
Warning: If a user has full access, deleting a file doesn't put it in the
Recycle Bin. Once it's deleted, it's gone for good.
The answer is to create a hidden share by adding a dollar sign ('$') to the
end of the share name. A hidden share doesn't appear in My Network
Places or Network Neighborhood on any of the networked computers. Only
people who know the share name can access it.
To create a hidden share, right click the disk or folder and select Sharing
and Security.
Specify a share name that ends with a dollar sign. Once again, use 1-12
characters (1-11 before the dollar sign). If the people on your network are
clever enough to guess a name like myfiles$, use a more secure name, like
a combination of letters and numbers. Just make sure that you can
remember it.
Mapping Hidden Drives
Accessing a Hidden Share:
A hidden share doesn't appear on any of the networked computers, so how
can someone on another computer access it? The answer is to map it as a
network drive, which assigns a drive letter to the hidden share. Once it has
a drive letter, you access it just like a disk on the same computer.
To map a network drive, open My Computer, click Tools, and select Map
Network Drive.
Specify an unused drive letter and enter the network path for the hidden
share, being sure to include the dollar sign. If you check Reconnect at
logon, the mapping will happen automatically every time you start your
computer. Otherwise, you'll have to map it manually every time.
With Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows XP, you can connect
one computer to the Internet, then share the Internet service with several
computers on your home or small office network. The Network Setup
Wizard in Windows XP Professional will automatically provide all of the
network settings you need to share one Internet connection with all the
computers in your network. Each computer can use programs such as
Internet Explorer and Outlook Express as if they were directly connected
to the Internet.
You should not use this feature in an existing network with Windows 2000
Server domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, DHCP servers, or
systems configured for static IP addresses.
Enabling ICS
The ICS host computer needs two network connections. The local area
network connection, automatically created by installing a network
adapter, connects to the computers on your home or small office network.
The other connection, using a 56k modem, ISDN, DSL, or cable modem,
connects the home or small office network to the Internet. You need to
ensure that ICS is enabled on the connection that has the Internet
connection. By doing this, the shared connection can connect your home
or small office network to the Internet, and users outside your network
are not at risk of receiving inappropriate addresses from your network.
When you enable ICS, the local area network connection to the home or
small office network is given a new static IP address and configuration.
Consequently, TCP/IP connections established between any home or small
office computer and the ICS host computer at the time of enabling ICS
are lost and need to be reestablished. For example, if Internet Explorer is
connecting to a Web site when Internet Connection Sharing is enabled,
refresh the browser to reestablish the connection. You must configure
client machines on your home or small office network so TCP/IP on the
local area connection obtains an IP address automatically. Home or small
office network users must also configure Internet options for Internet
Connection Sharing. To enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
Discovery and Control on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and
Windows Millennium Edition computers, run the Network Setup Wizard
from the CD or floppy disk on these computers. For ICS Discovery and
Control to work on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and
Windows Millennium Edition computers, Internet Explorer version 5.0 or
later must be installed.
Open Network Connections. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then
double–click Network Connections.)
Click the dial–up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you want
to share, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this
connection.
On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect
through this computer's Internet connection check box.
If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer
on your home or small office network attempts to access external
resources, select the Establish a dial–up connection whenever a computer
on my network attempts to access the Internet check box.
If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared Internet
connection, select the Allow other network users to control or disable the
shared Internet connection check box.
On the Connections tab, click Never dial a connection, and then click LAN
Settings.
In Automatic configuration, clear the Automatically detect settings and
Use automatic configuration script check boxes.
XP Network Protocols
Im not going to explain everything about Protocols that is way out of scope
of this guide.
There are three main Protocols : TCP/IP, IPX/SPX and NETBEUI
TCP/IP :
If your network uses static IP addresses, click Use the following IP address
-- 192.168.0.3 and enter the configuration information. For example, here
are settings for a network that uses a proxy server at IP address
192.168.0.1 for Internet access.
IPX/SPX
If the existing network uses IPX/SPX for File and Printer Sharing, you can
add that protocol to the Windows XP computer. IPX/SPX is fully supported
in XP. In the connection's Properties, click the Install button to add a
network component. XP will ask what type of network component to install.
NetBEUI
NetBEUI was the default protocol in Windows 95, but Microsoft has been
moving away from NetBEUI ever since. Starting with Windows 98, TCP/IP
has been the default protocol, and NetBEUI has been available for
installation as a supported protocol.
• Starting with Windows XP, NetBEUI is unsupported. This doesn't mean
that NetBEUI won't work! It means that:
• Microsoft recommends against using it.
• It doesn't appear in the list of protocols that can be installed.
• Microsoft's technical support staff won't answer questions about NetBEUI
or help solve problems with it.
Because it's been around for so long, some people think that NetBEUI is
required, and they install it on all Windows networks. Actually, nothing in
Windows networking has ever required NetBEUI. You can even un-install
NetBEUI in Windows 95 and use a different protocol.
• If your existing network uses NetBEUI for File and Printer Sharing,
consider changing to a different protocol. Most networks can safely use
TCP/IP. The main exceptions to this rule are when:
• All of the networked computers are connected directly to a cable or DSL
modem and receive public IP addresses from an Internet service provider.
• You've separated your LAN from the Internet, but you've opened ports or
have placed a computer outside the firewall to use certain applications or
services.
• If, after considering all the options, you decide to install NetBEUI on
Windows XP, you can do it using files on the Windows XP CD-ROM. Follow
the instructions in the article HOW TO: Install NetBEUI on Windows XP in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base. These tips will help with the installation
process:
• If the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP screen appears when you insert
the CD-ROM, click Perform additional tasks followed by Browse this CD.
• Where the article refers to %SYSTEMROOT%, substitute the name of the
Windows XP installation folder, which is typically C:Windows.
• To see the hidden INF directory, go to My Computer | Tools | Folder
Options | View. Scroll down the list of Advanced settings, and un-check
Hide protected operating system files.
If you have a new computer that didn't come with a Windows XP CD-ROM,
see if the computer manufacturer will send you the CD-ROM or the
necessary NetBEUI files. If that isn't possible, you'll have to use a different
protocol on your network.
XP Hibernate Option
Whenever you want to logoff, shut down or reboot your Windows XP machine
you have only 3 choices
(1) Standby ONLY IF the ACPI/APM function is properly enabled BOTH in your
motherboard's BIOS AND in WinXP!
(2) Restart
(3) Shutdown.
Start button -> Control Panel -> Power Options -> Hibernate tab -> check
Enable hibernate support box -> Apply/OK -> reboot.
NOTE: If the Hibernate tab is unavailable your computer does NOT support
it!
For some reason Microsoft did NOT enable the 4th option:
(4) Hibernate, which should be available on power saving (ACPI) enabled PCs
and laptops.
But you CAN bring it back: just hold the Shift key while the Shut down menu
is displayed on your screen, and notice the Standby button being replaced by
a new, fully functional Hibernate button, which can be clicked with the left
button of your mouse.
If you release the Shift key, the Hibernate option will disappear once again,
to be replaced by Standby.
To quickly access the computer management console, where you can see
event logs (to see what's causing a problem, for example), right-click My
Computer and choose Manage.
Then, select the Event viewer and double-click highlighted events in the
Applications or System areas to view detailed explanations of what went
wrong.
Right-click on an empty spot in the right hand pane. Select New -> String
[REG_SZ] Value. Name it MinAnimate. Click OK. Double-click on
"MinAnimate" and type 0 to turn OFF window animation or 1 to turn it ON.
Click OK. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows. Done.
TweakUI, the famous Microsoft Power Toy [110 KB, free, unsupported] can
also turn off animated windows.
Just remove the check mark from the "Window Animation" box under the
General tab.
PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after the product
has been released to manufacturing, but before the next project has begun.
These toys add fun and functionality to the Windows experience.
We've taken great care to ensure that PowerToys operate as they should. But
please note that these programs are not part of Windows and are not
supported by Microsoft. For this reason, Microsoft Technical Support is unable
to answer questions about PowerToys
The PowerToys are installed into the directory you specify during setup.
Typically this is the system32 directory.
To uninstall the PowerToys, Open the control Panel. Launch the Add/Remove
Programs control panel applet. Find the PowerToys for Windows XP entry,
and choose Modify/Remove. From here you can remove specific toys or all of
them.
What it is: With Fast User Switching enabled on Windows XP, this PowerToy
allows you to switch users without having to use the logon screen.
Special requirements: This PowerToy requires a Windows key on your
keyboard.
How to use: Press the Windows key then the Q key to activate; release and
press Q to switch to a different user tile, then release both Q and Windows
key to switch to that user.
Shell Player
What it is: This PowerToy plays MP3 files and WMA files from the taskbar.
How to use: Right click on the taskbar, click toolbars, then click "Audio
Player." If the taskbar is locked and you want to resize the player, you will
have to unlock it. This will allow you to access the play list editor and view all
the buttons.
Task Switcher
What it is: Replaces the existing Alt + Tab application switching mechanism
of Windows XP. It provides a thumbnail preview of windows in the task list
and is compliant with the new Windows XP visual style.
How to use: (NOTE: You must log off and then log on again for the changes
to take effect). Use just as you do the existing Alt + Tab mechanism by
pressing the Alt key and the Tab key to activate. While holding down the Alt
key, press the Tab key to cycle through running applications. To move
backwards, press Shift + Alt + Tab. Release all keys when the desired
application is highlighted.
Tweak UI
What it is: Provides access to system settings that are not exposed in the
Windows XP default user interface.
How to use: Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, TweakUI for Windows XP.
PowerToy Calc
What it is: Graphing calculator
How to use: Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, PowerToy Calc
Taskbar Magnifier
What it is: Allows you to magnify part of the screen from the taskbar.
How to use:Right click on the taskbar, click toolbars, then click "Taskbar
Magnifier." If the taskbar is locked and you want to resize the magnifier, you
will have to unlock it.
Open Network Connections (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double–
click Network Connections.)
Click the Dial–up, LAN or High–Speed Internet connection that you want to
protect, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of this
connection.
On the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall, select one of the
following:
To enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), select the Protect my computer
and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the
Internet check box.
Windows 2000 & XP machines delay as long as 30 seconds when you try to
view shared files across a network because Windows is using the extra time
to search the remote computer for any Scheduled Tasks. Here's how to
prevent this remote search for Scheduled Tasks:
Open up the Registry and go to :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explore
r/RemoteComputer/NameSpace
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
If you like you may want to export the exact branch so that you can restore
the key if necessary. This fix is so effective that it doesn't require a reboot
and you can almost immediately determine yourself how much it speeds up
your browsing processes.
You use three switches. If D: is the target, and G: is the net drive.
1.Click Start, point to Connect to, and then click Show All Connections.
2.Right–click the connection you want information about, and then click
Status.
3.In the connection Properties dialog box, click the Support tab.
For even more information, click the Advanced tab. To automatically enable
the status monitor each time the connection is active, in the connection
Properties dialog box, select the Show icon in taskbar notification area when
connected check box.
Some users have gotten an error message similar to the following when
attempting either to shutdown or restart Win XP:
Microsoft reported similarly that these STOP code error message occur when
Windows XP is trying to shut down devices. He says that he has seen this
twice: once with Logitech Quickcam installed (with an unsupported driver),
and once with a USB DSL modem that would hang if it wasn’t disconnected
before shutdown.
POWERDOWN ISSUES.
This should resolve the powerdown issue in most cases. However, other
factors can sometimes interfere with correct powerdown functioning. In that
case, consider the following tips:
· If you are changing the default power settings in the BIOS, it can lead to a
powerdown problem. Restoring all BIOS power settings to default will likely
fix it.
· BIOS UPGRADE.
As with every new operating system that comes along - especially one that is
as much of a “step up” as Windows XP is from Windows 9x - the
recommendation is made to be sure your BIOS is updated. Many people have
reported that this has solved their shutdown problems (and had other
advantages) with Win XP, just as it has in earlier versions of Windows
Speed up your Windows 2000/XP system and save resources at the
same time
You can improve performance of your Windows 2000/XP and reclaim memory
by simply disabling the services that is also known as "System Services" you
don't need which Windows 2000 or XP automatically provide by default.
As you scan through the list of services on your system whose Startup Type
setting is set to Automatic, look for the services in listed in the Table below.
These are some of the services are good candidates to be set to a Manual
Startup Type.
DNS Client -- You're not connecting to a specific DNS server on your local
network
FTP Publishing Service -- You don't need your system to act as an FTP server
IIS Admin Service -- You don't need your system to act as an WWW server
Remote Registry Service -- You don't remotely access the Registry of other
systems on your local network
Run As Service -- You don't use any applications that run as an alias
Final thoughts
Keep in mind that you may not find all the services listed in the Table set to
Automatic on your system. In fact, you might not even see some of the
services listed present on your system. If that's the case, don't worry about
it. Each Windows 2000/XP installation is unique depending on the system and
installed software, and different sets of services may be installed and set to
start automatically.
On the other hand, you may find services other than those listed in Table set
to Automatic that you may think are unnecessary. If so, you can find out
what each service does by hovering your mouse pointer over the service's
description. When you do, a tool tip window will pop up and display the entire
description of the service. You can then better determine if the service is
unnecessary. Remember, by changing the Startup Type to Manual, Windows
2000 can still start the service if it's needed. If you decide to experiment with
changing the Startup Types of certain services, you can monitor the services
over time by launching the Services utility and checking the list of running
services. If you consistently find one of the services you set to Manual
running, you may decide to change the Startup Type back to Automatic.
Windows XP takes the chore out of keeping your software updated with the
newest and best code for device drivers, security, reliability, and
performance.
Windows Update is the online extension of Windows. It’s a Web site where
you find the most recent updates for your operating system, software
programs, and hardware. Windows Update scans your computer and lists the
code updates needed on your system. Then you can choose whether to
download and install them.
Notes:
• To open Windows Update, click Start, then click Help and Support.
Under “Pick a task,” click Keep your computer up–to–date with
Windows Update.
• The first time you go to the Windows Update Web site, click Yes when
prompted to install any required software or controls.
Data sent across the public Internet is generally not protected from prying
eyes, but you can make your Internet communications secure and extend
your private network with a virtual private network (VPN) connection. VPN
uses a technique known as tunneling to transfer data securely on the
Internet to a remote access server on your workplace network. Using a VPN
helps you save money by using the public Internet instead of making long–
distance phone calls to connect securely with your private network.
• If you dial–in to an ISP, your ISP then makes another call to the
private network’s remote access server to establish the PPTP or L2TP
tunnel. After authentication, you can access the private network.
• If you have an active Winsock Proxy client, you cannot create a VPN. A
Winsock Proxy client immediately redirects data to a configured proxy
server before the data can be processed in the fashion required by a
VPN. To establish a VPN, you should disable the Winsock Proxy client.
ExtraData=707A667567736F696F697911AE7E05
Pid=55034000
The Pid value is what we're interested in. What's there now looks like a
standard default. There are special numbers that determine if it's a retail,
oem, or volume license edition. First, we break down that number into two
parts. The first five digits determines how the CD will behave, ie is it a retail
cd that lets you clean install or upgrade, or an oem cd that only lets you
perform a clean install? The last three digits determines what CD key it will
accept. You are able to mix and match these values. For example you could
make a WinXP cd that acted like a retail cd, yet accepted OEM keys.
Now, for the actual values. Remember the first and last values are
interchangable, but usually you'd keep them as a pair:
Retail = 51882335
Volume License = 51883 270
OEM = 82503 OEM
So if you wanted a retail CD that took retail keys, the last line of your
setupp.ini file would read:
Pid=51882335
And if you wanted a retail CD that took OEM keys, you'd use:
Pid=51882OEM
Note that this does NOT get rid of WinXP's activation. Changing the Pid to a
Volume License will not bypass activation. You must have a volume license
(corporate) key to do so.
Ping
When you run System Restore, a calendar is displayed to help you find
restore points. If you don't use your computer every day, some days might
not have any restore points. If you use your computer frequently, you might
have restore points almost every day, and some days might have several
restore points.
1. Access the System Restore Wizard through Help and Support Center.
(Click Start, and then click Help and Support. Click Performance and
Maintenance, click Using System Restore to undo changes, and then
click Run the System Restore Wizard.
2. Click Create a restore point, and then click Next.
3. In the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this
restore point. System Restore automatically adds to this name the date and
time that this Restore Point is created.
• To cancel restore point creation and exit the System Restore Wizard,
click Cancel.
3. Click the Restore and Manage Media menu and select the files to
restore.
6. Set the advanced restore options you want, and then click OK. See the
Notes section for a description of each option.
Just drag the Type 1 font files to your fonts folder; XP automatically installs
and activates the font. This works for TrueType and OpenType fonts, too.
The files that you select are automatically downloaded from shared folders on
the network and stored on your computer. When you disconnect, the files are
available to use. When you reconnect to the network, your changes are
added to the files on the network in a process called synchronization. If
someone else on the network made changes to the same file, you can save
your version, keep the other version, or save both.
3. On the Offline Files tab, make sure that the Enable Offline Files check
box is selected as shown below.
4. Select Synchronize all offline files before logging off to get a full
synchronization. Leave it unselected for a quick synchronization. A full
synchronization ensures that you have the most current version of every
shared network file that you work with offline. A quick synchronization
ensures that you have complete versions of your offline files, although they
may not be the most current versions. You might select a quick
synchronization if you are the only person working on a file or if you do not
need the most current version of a file.
If you want to control which offline files are synchronized, when they are
synchronized, and whether Windows prompts you before synchronizing your
files, you can use Synchronization Manager.
To make a file or folder available to you offline
After you set up your computer to use offline files, you need to make shared
network files available to you offline.
1. Open My Computer. (Click Start, and then click My Computer.)
3. Click the shared network file or folder that you want to make available
offline.
4. On the File menu, click Make Available Offline. This option appears on
the File menu only after you set up your computer to use offline files as
described above.
You can connect your computer to other nearby computers and devices
without wires, using infrared light to transfer data, the same way your TV
remote control sends signals. Most new portable computers have built–in
infrared transceivers, and Windows XP supports the Infared Data Association
(IrDA) standards and protocols, allowing you to connect with such devices as
printers, modems, digital pagers, personal digital assistants, electronic
cameras, organizers, cellular phones, and hand–held computers.
1. Verify that the devices you want to connect with have infrared
functionality enabled and work correctly.
2. Align your devices so that the infrared transceivers are within one meter
of each other, and the transceivers are pointing at each other.
When the devices are correctly aligned, the icon appears on the taskbar.
• The infrared transceiver is the small, dark red window on your portable
computer, printer, digital camera, adapter, or other device.
• You can choose whether to hide or display the Wireless Link taskbar
icon when two infrared devices are aligned. By default, the Wireless
Link taskbar icon is displayed.
1. Verify that your computer has an infrared transceiver (the transceiver will
appear as a small, dark red window).
If you have an infrared transceiver, but Infrared Devices does not appear
in Device Manager, you do not have an infrared device installed.
If infrared devices are listed but they are not enabled, verify that the
infrared devices are installed correctly on your computer. Infrared
transceivers are now installed in nearly all new portable computers. If
your computer does not have an infrared transceiver, but it supports
IrDA, and IrDA is enabled in BIOS, you can install an external infrared
transceiver.
1. Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel,
and then double-click Power Options.)
2. Click the Hibernate tab, select the Enable hibernate support check
box, and then click Apply.
If the Hibernate tab is unavailable, your computer does not support this
feature.
3. Click the APM tab, click Enable Advanced Power Management
support, and then click Apply.
4. Click the Power Schemes tab, and then select a time period in System
hibernates. Your computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified
amount of time.
1. Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel,
and then double-click Power Options.)
2. Click the Hibernate tab, and then select the Enable hibernate support
check box.
If the Hibernate tab is not available, your computer does not support this
feature.
3. Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box.
4. Click Start, and then click Shut Down. In the What do you want the
computer to do drop-down list, click Hibernate.
To enable file and printer sharing on networks not using Internet Connection
Sharing, you must run the Network Setup Wizard and select the following
option:
For those who are getting this error when you try to install WinXP on a
motherboard that has UDMA 100 Promise Controllers you need to do the
following in order to get XP to install correctly if your hard drives are
connected to the UDMA 100 controller.
Now there are two ways to get XP installed, the first one I am going to
mention is the easiest way and the second is a bit more complicated but will
work never the less.
#1 - Easiest Way
I have an Asus A7V motherboard and I have run into this more than once.
What you need to do (this is the easiest way to do it that I have found) is to
move your hard drives cable off the UDMA 100 controller (normally color
coded blue) over to the UDMA 66 master controller on the motherboard.
Once you have done that make sure your PC still boots into your current OS
correctly. If it does then start your XP install or upgrade. Everything should
be fine. Now, once XP is up on My Computer and choose Manage. Look under
Device manager and you will see an error with a yellow exclamation point on
it. Right click on it and install the Promise Drivers. You can download them
directly from here -
ftp://ftp.promise.com/Controllers/IDE/Ultra66/UltraFamily/U100d160b32.zip
Once you have the drivers installed re-boot the system and make sure the
yellow exclamation points are gone and the promise drivers are listed under
SCSI devices, if they are then turn off your system, move the HD's back to
the UDMA 100 controller and boot it up. That should fix it.
#2 - Fresh Install
If you plan on installing XP to a freshly formatted hard drive the easiest way
I have found to do this is to use the above method but for those with only
one UDMA 66 controller on there motherboard you may need to do the
following:
- First use the URL above and download the Promise drivers from the
Promise website.
- Ultra.cat
- Ultra.inf
- Ultra.sys
Now that you have all the files in the copy them to a floppy, reboot (if
needed) and start your install of XP.
Now pay attention here - at the bottom of the very first blue setup screen
you will see a prompt to hit F6 to install third party SCSI or RAID drivers. HIT
F6 A FEW TIMES NOW!!! Now it might take a couple of seconds but you
should be prompted to insert your drivers into your floppy drive. Do so and
choose the Promise ATA100 controller. Keep this disk handy as you will be
prompted for it one more time during the install.
Once XP has the drivers and loads them successfully XP should install just
fine, well at least as far as the controller goes.
FDISK Tutorial
First you need to reboot your system with the Boot Disk inserted.
6.Go back to first screen after all partitions have been removed.
8.First create the Primary. If asked to use all space say No and enter the
amount you wish for the C: drive. It should be set automatically to be the
(only) Active partition. If not it may ask you or you have to select "2. Set
active partition" from the main menu.
It probably advances automatically to the next step, creating the Logical DOS
Drives.
10.Enter the amount you wish for the D: partition and than the rest for the
third partition.
OK now we're finished with FDISK so just exit it. Next you need to reboot
with the disc still inserted and Format all partitions (the C: partition might
need to be formatted with "format c: /s", check the Win95 tip). Another
reboot and you can go ahead and install Windows.
When your system supports booting from CD just insert the Windows CD and
reboot. The setup will start.
Win98: insert Boot Disk and CD, reboot, choose "2. boot with CDROM
support" and once you're at the prompt change to your CD-drive letter
(depends on your partition setup) and enter "setup".
Win95: You must format the C: partition with "Format C: /s"!. Next install
your CDROM driver, reboot, insert the Win95 CD, change to the CD-
driveletter, enter "setup".
I hope I made no mistakes.
Dual Boot XP
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows 2000 and Windows XP, review
the following guidelines:
Even the latest Service Pack does not provide access to files using the new
features in NTFS. Windows NT 4.0 cannot access files that have been stored
using NTFS features that did not exist when Windows NT 4.0 was released.
For example, a file that uses the new encryption feature won’t be readable
when the computer is started with Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, which was
released before the encryption feature existed.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP, review
the following guidelines:
Let’s take a typical installation. Our target computer must be able to boot
into Windows 98, Windows NT 4 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional,
and Windows XP Professional. We have a 2–GB partition to hold our
programs and the whole thing must fit on a single 10–GB hard drive. No
problem. First, we partition the hard drive into two partitions: a 2–GB
primary partition, and an 8-GB extended partition using FDisk. In the
extended partition, we’ll create four logical volumes—D, E, F and G—to hold
our remaining operating systems and our programs.
After the disk is partitioned, format the primary partition using the FAT16 file
system and install Windows 98 on it. So far so good. Now, format your D
drive with FAT16 as well. Eventually, you’ll install your programs on D drive.
Next, install Windows NT 4 Workstation. You will install this on any of the
logical volumes not already used (either E drive, F drive or G drive) and
choose NTFS as your file system. Leave D drive alone, because your
applications go there where they’re visible to all operating systems. When
you install Windows NT, it recognizes that you already have Windows 98 on
the computer. Then it automatically sets up for dual booting between
Windows 98 and Windows NT by creating a boot.ini file, which creates a
menu of available operating systems. After you have Windows NT 4 installed,
immediately apply Service Pack 6, before you install Windows 2000.
Finally, install Windows 2000 and Windows XP, each in its own logical
volume. Again, choose NTFS as the file system. As you install them, they are
automatically added to the boot.ini file on your C drive, which lets you
choose operating systems at start up.
The Windows logo key, located in the bottom row of most computer
keyboards is a little-used treasure. Don't ignore it. It is the shortcut anchor
for the following commands: Windows: Display the Start menu Windows +
D: Minimize or restore all windows Windows + E: Display Windows Explorer
Windows + F: Display Search for files Windows + Ctrl + F: Display Search for
computer Windows + F1: Display Help and Support Center Windows + R:
Display Run dialog box Windows + break: Display System Properties dialog
box Windows + shift + M: Undo minimize all windows Windows + L: Lock the
workstation Windows + U: Open Utility Manager
Disable CD Autorun
3) Locate the entry for Turn autoplay off and modify it as you desire
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Office > 10.0 >Outlook >
Security]
"Level1Remove" = "exe;bat;vbs
1.Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
2.Click your account name.
3.Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password.
4.Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard to create a
password reset disk.
5.Store the disk in a secure location, because anyone using it can access
your local user account.
For those who are getting this error when you try to install WinXP on a
motherboard that has UDMA 100 Promise Controllers you need to do the
following in order to get XP to install correctly if your hard drives are
connected to the UDMA 100 controller.
Now there are two ways to get XP installed, the first one I am going to
mention is the easiest way and the second is a bit more complicated but will
work never the less.
#1 - Easiest Way
I have an Asus A7V motherboard and I have run into this more than once.
What you need to do (this is the easiest way to do it that I have found) is to
move your hard drives cable off the UDMA 100 controller (normally color
coded blue) over to the UDMA 66 master controller on the motherboard.
Once you have done that make sure your PC still boots into your current OS
correctly. If it does then start your XP install or upgrade. Everything should
be fine.
Now, once XP is up right click My Computer and choose Manage. Look under
Device manager and you will see an error with a yellow exclamation point on
it. Right click on it and install the Promise Drivers.
Once you have the drivers installed re-boot the system and make sure the
yellow exclamation points are gone and the promise drivers are listed under
SCSI devices, if they are then turn off your system, move the HD's back to
the UDMA 100 controller and boot it up. That should fix it.
Another option is to check the MS web site once you have XP installed and
BEFORE you move your controller back to the UDMA 100 slot for XP
compatible Promise drivers.
See this FAQ on how to do a manual search for the drivers when you are on
the new XP Windows Update site.
#2 - Fresh Install
If you plan on installing XP to a freshly formatted hard drive the easiest way
I have found to do this is to use the above method but for those with only
one UDMA 66 controller on there motherboard you may need to do the
following:
- First use the URL above and download the Promise drivers I have here on
the site.
- Second you need to extract the drivers to a floppy making sure when you
extracted the above file that you left the directories/folders as they were.
This is VERY important!
If you used WinZip to extract the files I have made the directories for you.
Simply unzip them to a floppy and out it aside. The key to this whole process
is the Textsetup.oem file. Windows XP setup must see that in the root of the
floppy.
<<<< It should look like this once your done. Reboot and start your install..
Now pay attention here - at the bottom of the very first blue setup screen
you will see a prompt to hit F6 to install third party SCSI or RAID drivers. HIT
F6 A FEW TIMES NOW!!! Now it might take a couple of seconds but you
should be prompted to insert your drivers into your floppy drive. Do so and
choose the Promise ATA100 controller for Windows 2000. Keep this disk
handy as you will be prompted for it one more time during the install.
Once XP has the drivers and loads them successfully XP should install just
fine, well at least as far as the controller goes.
The Windows Help and Support Center works much like a Web site. To move
back one page, click the little green Back arrow in the upper left corner. That
arrow helps you out if you've backed into a corner. Just click it to move on to
a more helpful page.
Pick a Help Topic: Click these to see general information about a topic.
Clicking Customizing Your Computer, for example, displays a list of things
that you can change about your computer. Choose Your Start Menu from the
list, and the Help menu lists how to add items to the Start menu, change the
way they open when clicked, or tweak the menu's list of recently used files
and documents.
Ask for Assistance: Stumped? Here are two ways of bringing in outside help.
The Remote Assistance program lets you invite a savvier Windows XP user to
connect to your computer through the Internet. When the Geek connects to
your computer, he sees your desktop on his screen. He can walk you through
problems, offer tutorials, and behave as if he were standing over your
shoulder. If you're not into that kind of computer intimacy, try the other
option: Contact Microsoft for Help, or connect to help sites through the
Internet.
Pick a Task: Microsoft placed the most commonly used items here. One click
enables you to keep your computer up-to-date, find Windows XP-compatible
parts for your computer, restore your computer back to a time when it
worked well, and run diagnostic tools to view information and test your
computer.
Did You Know?: Windows XP tosses little updated tips here. You may just get
lucky and spot one that's useful.
For best results, start your quest for help by glancing at the Pick a Help Topic
area. If your troublesome spot is listed here, click it and begin narrowing
down the search for pertinent information.
If that doesn't help, use the Search command at the page's top. Type in a
key word or two describing your problem and click the green arrow next to
the Search box. Typing e-mail, for instance, brings up 30 bits of information.
Click any of the suggested topics to see if they solve your problem.
The Search command groups its results in three areas. Suggested Topics, the
first and most valuable, lists troubleshooters, step-by-step tutorials, and
general information. The Full-text Search Matches area lists any area
containing the words you searched for. The last, Microsoft Knowledge Base,
shows any results found in a Microsoft-created database listing information
about all its products. (Microsoft Knowledge Base requires an Internet
connection.)
The My Music folder is the place where Windows automatically saves all the
audio clips you download from the Internet or save on your hard drive with
Windows Media Player. The My Music folder, like My Pictures, is an automatic
part of the My Documents folder.
To open the My Music folder from the Windows XP desktop, click the Start
button and then click My Music (normally third from the top in the right-hand
column in the Start pop-up menu). To open this folder from another folder,
such as My Computer, click the Address bar drop-down button (on the right
side) and then click My Documents at the top of the pop-up list (right below
Desktop at the very top). You can then open My Music by double-clicking that
folder icon (the one with the music note in it) in the My Documents window.
To play all the audio files in a particular folder, click the folder icon before
clicking the Play All hyperlink in the Music Tasks section of the My Music
folder. To play all of the audio clips and tracks saved in the My Music folder,
make sure that no folder or file is selected before you click the Play All
hyperlink.
In fact, when you move from one Passport-enabled site to another, you don't
even need to log on again. With the Passport, your personal data travels with
you: name, address, and, if you purchased anything, your credit card
number. Microsoft says its .NET Passport enables software, Internet services,
and computer gadgetry to work together and share information, making the
Internet easier for everyone to use.
Think about it, though. No entity should govern your Internet use — except
you. The Microsoft Passport contains your Internet identity. With Passport,
Microsoft creates a consumer database that's just too powerful. Microsoft can
collect information from any Passport-enabled site you visit, so Microsoft
knows the stocks you track in Investor.com, the Web pages you view in
MSN.com, and where you travel through Expedia.com. When you move from
one Passport-enabled site to another, that information could be shared, too.
In concept, Passport sounds great. When computers are working well, they
do great things. But everybody knows how terrible computers can be if
something goes wrong. Passport offers too much opportunity for things to go
wrong. Sure, it's okay to occasionally use a Passport account when there's no
alternative. But avoid Passport-enabled sites whenever possible.
Everybody but the record industry agrees that the Microsoft licensing feature
is awful. Luckily, you have a way to turn it off:
3. Remove any check mark from the box marked Protect Content.
If no check mark is there, Media Player doesn't embed any license or copy
protection in your copied files. Disabling the licensing feature lets you copy
your files to any of your computers and portable music devices.
Windows Media Player for Windows XP features preset Web radio stations
that make listening a snap. It's an easy way to get started and a great
introduction to the music capabilities of Windows XP. Once you're on the
Internet, you can tune in Web radio.
Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Media Player.
Click Radio Tuner.
Double-click a preset Web radio station from the list of featured presets.
That’s all there is to it. Loading a station usually takes a few seconds, after
which playing begins automatically.
Streaming Audio
Packets might travel by separate routes to reach your computer and might
arrive out of order. To allow for delays, your computer initially stores packets
instead of playing them until enough have arrived to fill the time it takes to
receive any missing packets before it is their turn to play. The storing
process is called buffering. Without streaming audio Web radio would not be
possible, and full-length media files would take ages to download.
Take your favorite tunes with you transfer music to a portable player
Take your favorite tunes with you when you jog or work out at the gym.
Windows Media Player for Windows XP is set up to make the transfer of
music to portable players as simple as 1-2-3. And since the music is stored
on your computer hard drive, you can keep refilling your portable player as
often as you want.
Microsoft raves about how Media Player plays DVDs. But that's a lie. Windows
XP can't play DVDs right out of the box. See, even though you've bought a
Windows XP computer, a DVD drive, and a DVD, you need something else:
special software called a decoder. This bit of software, called a codec because
it converts one format to another, enables your computer to translate
numbers on a disc into videos of galloping horses on the screen.
Unfortunately, Windows XP doesn't come with a DVD codec, so you must pick
up one somewhere else. Where? Well, most computers with DVD drives come
with DVD-playing software — a little box with its own little controls. That
software installs its own DVD codec in Windows, and Media Player simply
borrows that. But if you don't have DVD-playing software, there's nothing to
borrow, and Media Player ignores your DVDs.
If you choose Windows Media Player instead of your third-party DVD player
to watch DVDs, the controls are pretty much the same as they are for
playing CDs.
You probably need to update your DVD software so that it will work under
Windows XP. Otherwise, your DVD software won't work under Media Player,
either. Head for the Web site of your DVD player's manufacturer and look for
a Windows XP patch or upgrade. If you're lucky, the manufacturer won't
charge you for the upgrade. Some companies, however, make you buy a new
version.
DVD stands for Digital Video Disc & Digital Versatile Disc.
If you already have a user account, log on to your computer with that
account name and password. If you don't have a user account, you must first
log on as the administrator to create one.
Click OK.
If a message appears informing you that the system could not log you on,
verify that CAPS LOCK is not turned on, and then retype your password.
IMPORTANT
Running Windows XP as an administrator makes the system vulnerable to
unnecessary security risks. Instead, use your user account to perform routine
tasks such as running programs, working on documents, and visiting Internet
sites.
Joining a Network
If you want to connect to a network during Setup, you must have the correct
hardware installed on your computer and be connected to your network.
If you're not sure, select Workgroup when you are prompted during Setup.
(You can always join a domain later, after Windows XP Professional is
installed.) Any computer user can join a workgroup—you don’t need special
administrative permissions. You must provide an existing or new workgroup
name, or you can use the workgroup name that Windows XP Professional
suggests during Setup.
You can install two or more operating systems on your computer, and then
choose the one that you want to use each time you restart. This is known as
multibooting. You can configure your computer to start Windows XP,
Windows 2000, Windows NT, and either Windows 95 or Windows 98.
Before using the multibooting feature, consider the tradeoffs: each operating
system uses valuable disk space, and file system compatibility can be
complex if you want to run Windows XP on one partition and an earlier OS on
another partition. In addition, dynamic disk format introduced in Windows
2000 does not work with earlier operating systems. However, multibooting
capabilities are a valuable feature providing the single-machine flexibility to
run multiple operating systems.
The following table shows the disk configurations on which you can install
more than one operating system.
Single If you have one hard disk and you have converted it to
dynamic disk dynamic disk, you can install only one operating system. You
cannot multiboot.
To determine if you have a dynamic hard disk, click Start,
click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance,
click Administrative Tools.
Double-click Computer Management, and then click Disk
Management. In the right pane, your disk will be labeled as
a basic or dynamic type.
When you install Windows on a new or reformatted hard disk, the Setup
program typically does not partition your hard disk automatically. To create
multiple partitions, choose Advanced Options during Setup and follow the
instructions to create and name multiple partitions. You can also create
partitions using Fdisk.
If you have already installed Windows, and you have only one partition, you
must reformat and partition your hard drive before you can multiboot.
You can divide your hard disk into multiple partitions, and each partition can
function as a separate logical drive. For example, logical drives C: and D: can
both exist on the same hard disk, but function as separate disks. You should
install each operating system on a different partition. Then install
applications on the same partition as the operating system with which you
run them. If an application is used with two different operating systems,
install copies on both partitions. Placing each operating system in a separate
partition ensures that it will not overwrite crucial files used by the other OS.
A basic disk can contain up to four partitions. Each partition can be formatted
for use by a file system, such as FAT32 or NTFS.
In general, you should always install the most recent OS last. In this case,
you should install Windows 2000 and then install Windows XP.
Checklist Summary
Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with
that system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating
systems, you need to install separate copies of the programs in each of the
operating system partitions.
2. Click the Drive drop-down list button and select the drive letter you want
to assign to the virtual drive containing this network folder (note that the list
starts with Z: and works backwards to B:) from the pop-up menu.
3. Type the path to the folder on the network drive in the Folder text box or
click the Browse button and select the folder directly from the outline of the
network drives and folders shown in the Browse For Folder dialog box. Now
click OK to close the Browse For Folder dialog box and return to the Map
Network Drive dialog box (where the path to the selected folder now
appears).
4. If you want Windows to recreate this virtual drive designation for the
selected network folder each time that you start and log on to your
computer, leave the check mark in the Reconnect at Logon check box.
If you only want to use this drive designation during the current work
session, click the Reconnect at Logon check box to remove the check mark.
5. If you're mapping the network drive for someone else who uses a logon
different from your own, click the Different User Name hyperlink and enter
the user name and password in the associated text boxes in the Connect As
dialog box before you click OK.
6. Click the Finish button in the Map Network Drive dialog box to close it and
return to the My Computer window.
The network folder that you mapped onto a virtual drive now appears at the
bottom of the contents area under a new section called "Network Drives" and
Windows automatically opens the folder in a separate window.
After mapping a network folder onto a virtual drive, you can redisplay the
contents in the My Computer window by double-clicking that drive icon.
To remove a virtual drive that you've mapped onto My Computer, click Tools-
->Disconnect Network Drive; next click the letter of the virtual drive in the
Disconnect Network Drives dialog box and then click OK. Windows then
displays an alert dialog box warning you that files and folders are currently
open on the virtual drive and that you run the risk of losing data if files are
open. If you're sure that you have no files open on that drive, click the Yes
button to break the connection and remove the virtual drive from the My
Computer window.
If you use Windows XP on a local area network (LAN), and you save and
open files in shared folders as part of a workgroup on a server, you can
create a virtual drive whose drive letter appears in the My Computer window
along with those of your local drives — a process referred to as mapping a
network drive. To map a network drive, follow these steps:
2. Click the Drive drop-down list button and select the drive letter you want
to assign to the virtual drive containing this network folder (note that the list
starts with Z: and works backwards to B:) from the pop-up menu.
3. Type the path to the folder on the network drive in the Folder text box or
click the Browse button and select the folder directly from the outline of the
network drives and folders shown in the Browse For Folder dialog box. Now
click OK to close the Browse For Folder dialog box and return to the Map
Network Drive dialog box (where the path to the selected folder now
appears).
4. If you want Windows to recreate this virtual drive designation for the
selected network folder each time that you start and log on to your
computer, leave the check mark in the Reconnect at Logon check box.
If you only want to use this drive designation during the current work
session, click the Reconnect at Logon check box to remove the check mark.
5. If you're mapping the network drive for someone else who uses a logon
different from your own, click the Different User Name hyperlink and enter
the user name and password in the associated text boxes in the Connect As
dialog box before you click OK.
6. Click the Finish button in the Map Network Drive dialog box to close it and
return to the My Computer window.
The network folder that you mapped onto a virtual drive now appears at the
bottom of the contents area under a new section called "Network Drives" and
Windows automatically opens the folder in a separate window.
After mapping a network folder onto a virtual drive, you can redisplay the
contents in the My Computer window by double-clicking that drive icon.
To remove a virtual drive that you've mapped onto My Computer, click Tools-
->Disconnect Network Drive; next click the letter of the virtual drive in the
Disconnect Network Drives dialog box and then click OK. Windows then
displays an alert dialog box warning you that files and folders are currently
open on the virtual drive and that you run the risk of losing data if files are
open. If you're sure that you have no files open on that drive, click the Yes
button to break the connection and remove the virtual drive from the My
Computer window.
Do you have trouble reading the screen, hearing the sound themes, using the
keyboard, or moving the mouse? Windows XP Professional includes features
such as Accessibility Wizard, Accessibility Options, and Utility Manager that
make Windows XP accessible and usable by everyone.
Click Start, then click Help and Support, and then click Accessibility, in the
left-hand column.
–or–
Press the Windows Logo key + F1, use the TAB key to highlight Accessibility,
and then press ENTER.
To learn more about Microsoft products available for people with disabilities,
visit the Microsoft Accessibility Web site.
Note: The information in this section applies only to users who license
Microsoft products in the United States. If you obtained this product outside
the United States, your package contains a card that lists Microsoft
subsidiary support services, telephone numbers, and addresses. Contact your
subsidiary to find out whether the type of products and services described
here are available in your area.
Accessibility Wizard
The Accessibility Wizard asks you questions about your accessibility needs
and automatically configures text size, and settings for display, sound, and
pointer.
To start the Accessibility Wizard
Click Start and point to All Programs. Then point to Accessories, point to
Accessibility, and click Accessibility Wizard.
–or–
Press the Windows Logo key , press P to open All Programs, and then press
ENTER. Press A to open Accessories, press ENTER to open Accessibility, and
then press ENTER again to start Accessibility Wizard.
Note: Utility Manager lets you start, stop, and check the status of the
accessibility programs you select from the Accessibility Wizard.
Click Start and point to All Programs. Then point to Accessories, point to
Accessibility, and click Utility Manager.
–or–
Press the Windows Logo key , press P to open All Programs, and then press
ENTER. Press A to open Accessories, press ENTER to open Accessibility. Use
the arrow keys to highlight Utility Manager, and then press ENTER.
Accessibility Options
Accessibility Options allow you to directly customize keyboard, display, and
mouse functions.
Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Accessibility Options.
–or–
Press the Windows Logo key , use the arrow keys to highlight Control Panel,
and then press ENTER. Use the TAB key to highlight Accessibility Options,
and then press ENTER.
Windows NT 4.0 cannot access files that have been stored using NTFS
features that did not exist when Windows NT 4.0 was released. For example,
a file that uses the new NTFS encryption feature won’t be readable when the
computer is started with Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, which was released
before the encryption feature existed.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP, review
the following guidelines:
Make sure that Windows NT 4.0 has been updated with the latest released
Service Pack available for download before installing Windows XP.
Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with
that system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating
systems, you need to install separate copies of the programs in each of the
operating system partitions.
When installing a new printer with the Add Printer Wizard, you can choose
between adding a local printer (one that's directly cabled to your computer
through one of the ports) or a network printer (a printer that's connected to
your network with an Ethernet connection, just as your computer is
connected to the LAN).
To install a new local printer with the Add Printer Wizard, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar and then click Control Panel
on the right side of the Start menu.
2. Click the Printers and Other Hardware hyperlink if the Control Panel
window is in Category View.
Otherwise, double-click the Printers and Faxes icon if the Control Panel
window is in Classic View.
3. Click the Add a Printer hyperlink in the Printers and Other Hardware
window to start the Add Printer Wizard and then click the Next button, or
press Enter to advance to the Local Printer or Printer Connection dialog box.
4. Make sure that the Add Printer Wizard selects the Local Printer radio
button, and the Automatically Detect and Install my Plug and Play Printer
check box beneath this radio button before you click the Next button.
5. If the wizard is unable to detect your printer in the New Printer Detection
dialog box, click Next to install the printer manually.
6. Select the port for the printer to use in the Use the Following Port drop-
down list box in the Select a Printer Port dialog box and then click the Next
button.
7. Click the manufacturer and the model of the printer in the Manufacturers
and Printers list boxes, respectively, of the Install Printer Software dialog
box.
If you have a disk with the software for the printer, put it into your floppy or
CD-ROM drive and then click the Have Disk button: Select the drive that
contains this disk in the Copy Manufacturer's Files drop-down list box and
then click OK.
8. Click the Next button to advance to the Name Your Printer dialog box.
If you want, edit the name for the printer in the Printer Name text box. If
you want to make the printer that you're installing the default printer that is
automatically used whenever you print from Windows or from within a
Windows program, leave the Yes radio button selected beneath the heading,
Do you want your Windows-based programs to use this printer as the default
printer?
9. Click the Next button to advance to the Printer Sharing dialog box.
If you want to share this printer with other users on the network, click the
Share Name radio button and then, if you want, edit the share name (this is
the name that the other users on the network see when they go to select this
printer for printing their documents) that the wizard gives the printer in the
Share Name text box.
10. To print a test page from your newly installed printer, click the Yes radio
button selected beneath the heading, Would you like to print a test page? in
the Print Test Page dialog box.
11. Click the Next button to advance to the Completing the Add Printer
Wizard dialog box, where you can review the settings for your new printer
before you click the Finish button or press Enter to finish installing the new
printer.
To use the Add Printer Wizard to install a printer that's available through
your Local Area Network, you follow just slightly different steps:
1. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar and then click Control Panel
on the right side of the Start menu.
2. Click the Printers and Other Hardware hyperlink if the Control Panel
window is in Category View. Otherwise, double-click the Printers and Faxes
icon if the Control Panel window is in Classic View.
3. Click the Add a Printer hyperlink in the Printers and Other Hardware
window to start the Add Printer Wizard and then click the Next button or
press Enter to advance to the Local or Network Printer dialog box.
4. Click the A Network Printer or a Printer Attached to Another Computer
radio button in the Local or Network Printer dialog box and then click the
Next button or press Enter to the Specify a Printer dialog box.
5. If you know the name of the network printer, click the Connect to This
Printer (or to Browse for a Printer, Select this Option and click Next) radio
button and then enter the network path in the Name text box.
6. In the Browse for Printer dialog box, locate the printer in the Shared
Printers list box by clicking the network icons until you expand the outline
sufficiently to display the printer icon.
When you click the printer icon in this outline, the wizard adds the path to
the Printer text box above.
7. Click the Next button to advance the Default Printer dialog box.
If you want to make the printer that you're installing the default printer that
is automatically used whenever you print from Windows or from within a
Windows program, leave the Yes radio button selected beneath the heading,
Do you want your Windows-based programs to use this printer as the default
printer?
8. Click the Next button to advance to the Completing the Add Printer Wizard
dialog box, where you can review the settings for your new printer before
you click the Finish button or press Enter to finish installing the new printer.
After you add a printer to your computer, you can start using it when printing
with programs such as Word 2002 and Excel 2002, or when printing from
Windows itself.
To switch to a new printer that you haven't designated as the default printer
in programs such as Word and Excel, you need to open the Print dialog box
(choose File-->Print) and then select the printer name in the Name drop-
down list box.
The setup process is similar for new installations and upgrades with a few
notable exceptions. For example, during a new installation, you are able to
configure Special Options, convert your file system, and create a new
partition for the Windows XP installation.
IMPORTANT
A new installation deletes all programs or system files from a previous
installation.
Special Options
Under Special Options, you have the choice to change Language, Advanced,
and Accessibility settings during the setup process.
Note: If you are in a country that has recently adopted the euro as its
currency, you may have to modify the currency settings to display monetary
amounts correctly.
For more information, go to Help and Support Center and type “euro” in the
Search box.
IMPORTANT
Unless you're an advanced user, it's recommended that you use the default
settings.
During a new installation of Windows XP, you may have to choose which file
system your computer should use. Windows XP Professional supports:
IMPORTANT
You can convert your file system any time, even after you install Windows
XP, without losing any of your data.
The conversion to NTFS is one–way only; if you convert your FAT or FAT32
file system to NTFS you can’t convert your hard disk back to FAT later.
If you’re not sure which file system to use, keep the one your computer
defaults to during Setup. If you want to change your file system, here are a
few recommendations:
Disk Partitions
This article describes the Quick Fix utility (Qfixapp.exe) that is included with
the Application Compatibility Toolkit for Windows XP and Windows .NET.
Qfixapp.exe is a tool that includes pre-packaged fixes that provide an easy
way to fix a program.
You can use Qfixapp.exe to quickly apply various program fixes (AppFixes,
also known as "shims") to a program to determine their effectiveness.
Qfixapp.exe reads the %SystemRoot%\windows\apppatch\sysmain.sdb
database to produce a list of available fixes. When you select an AppFix, you
can start the program executable (.exe) file, and the AppFix will be applied.
If a suitable AppFix is found, the tool eventually helps you to generate and
test matching file information. When you run Qfixapp.exe, you see the
following items:
• The The application for which to apply the fix(es) check box. This
setting disables existing fixes in the database.
• The Layer tab with the Choose one of the existing layers to apply
to your app box that contains the following entries:
256 Color
640X480
Disable Themes
Internaltional
LUA(Limited User Account)
LUACleanUp
NT4SP5
ProfilesSetup
Win2000
Win95
Win98
• The Fixes tab. On this tab you can select the individual fixes that you
want to apply.
2. Start Qfixapp.exe, click Win95, click Browse, and then open the Windows
folder. Note that the Windows\System32 folder is protected by Windows File
Protection, so it is not able to use the layers.
4. Start Notepad, and then click About Notepad on the Help menu. Note
that the version is now 4.0.
If you click ViewLog, you could see what AppFix(es) are being used. If you
click Advanced, you could see information about the .exe file. You can click
Add Matching Info, and then select files that are related to the .exe file to
identify that particular program. After you finish that step, you could click
Create Fix Support to add the layers with the Matching Information
(GRABMI) and create an XML-based database that is named
YourAppName.sdb. Note that in the preceding example it is named
Notepad.sdb, and is in the AppPatch folder.
Windows XP's integrated CD burner is powered by the Roxio engine but lacks
the familiar Easy CD Creator interface. There is no CD Burner icon on the
desktop or in the start menu. So where is this promised CD burner? There
are two answers, depending on if you want to burn audio or data CD's.
Open a folder. Look at the folder options on the left of your screen. You
should see an option to Copy All Items to CD or Copy to CD, depending on
your folder view. You can also right-click a file or folder and choose Send To
and then CD drive. I appreciate that XP has made it as easy to drop files to a
CD as it is a Zip disk. It does not copy the files immediately. Instead, it
places them into a repository and waits for further instruction on when and
where to burn the CD. Now, place a blank CD into your CD drive or navigate
to your CD drive in My Computer, and choose to write the files to a CD.
The Windows Media Player was always a monstrosity, and now it now
includes a new function -- CD burning. Select a song in your My Documents
folder, and choose Copy to Audio CD from the folder options on the left.
Surprise! Up pops the Windows Media Player, waiting for you to choose Copy
to CD. Hit the record button, and have a good time.
You cannot create bootable CDs with the Windows XP CD burner, nor can you
create a CD from an image (like a .iso file). If you want this functionality, you
need to install your favorite CD burning software. Don't try to install Easy CD
Creator 5 just yet -- Windows XP won't let you.
Roxio will have XP patches available on their website soon, but only for their
latest edition of CD creator. Roxio will not support Easy CD Creator 3.X and
4.X for Windows XP, and the user will be required to purchase the upgrade to
Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum.
With Windows XP, installation and hardware configuration has never been
easier. The installation of new hardware and the recognition of hardware
devices during the installation process has never been so easy and reliable.
When you download the album cover art from the Web, just save the images
as folder.jpg each time and place them in the appropriate folder. Then,
Windows XP will automatically use that image as the thumbnail for that folder
and, best of all, will use that image in Windows Media Player for Windows XP
(MPXP) if you choose to display album cover art instead of a visualization.
And the folder customization is automatic, so it survives an OS reinstallation
as well. Your music folders never looked so good!
Album cover art makes music folder thumbnails look better than ever!
For some reason, Microsoft has removed the ability to specify which Windows
components you want to install during interactive Setup, and when you go
into Add/Remove Windows Components in the Control Panel, you still don't
have the full list of applications and applets you can add and remove.
Thankfully, this is easy to fix.
To dramatically expand the list of applications you can remove from Windows
XP after installation, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting the correct
drive letter for your version of Windows) and open the sysoc.inf file. Under
Windows XP Professional Edition RC1, this file will resemble the following by
default:
[Components]
NtComponents=ntoc.dll,NtOcSetupProc,,4
WBEM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wbemoc.inf,hide,7
Display=desk.cpl,DisplayOcSetupProc,,7
Fax=fxsocm.dll,FaxOcmSetupProc,fxsocm.inf,,7
NetOC=netoc.dll,NetOcSetupProc,netoc.inf,,7
iis=iis.dll,OcEntry,iis.inf,,7
com=comsetup.dll,OcEntry,comnt5.inf,hide,7
dtc=msdtcstp.dll,OcEntry,dtcnt5.inf,hide,7
IndexSrv_System = setupqry.dll,IndexSrv,setupqry.inf,,7
TerminalServer=TsOc.dll, HydraOc, TsOc.inf,hide,2
msmq=msmqocm.dll,MsmqOcm,msmqocm.inf,,6
ims=imsinsnt.dll,OcEntry,ims.inf,,7
fp_extensions=fp40ext.dll,FrontPage4Extensions,fp40ext.inf,,7
AutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,au.inf,hide,7
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
msnexplr=ocmsn.dll,OcEntry,msnmsn.inf,,7
smarttgs=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,msnsl.inf,,7
RootAutoUpdate=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,rootau.inf,,7
Games=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,games.inf,,7
AccessUtil=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,accessor.inf,,7
CommApps=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,communic.inf,HIDE,7
MultiM=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,multimed.inf,HIDE,7
AccessOpt=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,optional.inf,HIDE,7
Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,HIDE,7
MSWordPad=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,wordpad.inf,HIDE,7
ZoneGames=zoneoc.dll,ZoneSetupProc,igames.inf,,7
[Global]
WindowTitle=%WindowTitle%
WindowTitle.StandAlone="*"
The entries that include the text hide or HIDE will not show up in
Add/Remove Windows Components by default. To fix this, do a global search
and replace for ,hide and change each instance of this to , (a comma). Then,
save the file, relaunch Add/Remove Windows Components, and tweak the
installed applications to your heart's content.
I don't recommend this but In Windows XP, Windows Messenger will be the
hub of your connection to the .NET world, and now that this feature is part of
Windows, I think we're going to see a lot of .NET Passport-enabled Web sites
appearing as well. But if you can't stand the little app, there are a couple of
ways to get rid of it, and ensure that it doesn't pop up every time you boot
into XP. The best way simply utilizes the previous tip:
If you'd like Windows Messenger to show up in the list of programs you can
add and remove from Windows, navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf (substituting
the correct drive letter for your version of Windows) and open sysoc.inf (see
the previous tip for more information about this file). You'll see a line that
reads:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Change this to the following and Windows Messenger will appear in Add or
Remove Programs, then Add/Remove Windows Components, then , and you
can remove it for good:
msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,7
Like many other audio players, Windows Media Player rushes out to the
Internet to find information for you when you play a CD. Some of this
information, such as song titles and album art, is useful, but Media Player
also identifies your copy of Media Player to the site where it's getting data.
Why? According to the help file, "The server uses this unique identifier to
monitor your connection. By monitoring your connection, the server can
make adjustments to increase the playback quality and to alert you about
events that occur when receiving streams over the Internet."
Like Windows 2000, but unlike Windows 95, 98, and Me, the ability to log in
multiple users simultaneously plays a big role in Windows XP. There is a
default Administrator account set up when Windows XP is first installed, but
you can create as many accounts as you need later, depending on how many
people will be using the machine. Each user, once he or she has an account,
can customize XP to his or her liking. Individual users get their own
subfolders in the Documents And Settings folder; this folder serves as a
centralized location for most personalized information, such as the Start
Menu, Favorites, and Documents settings.
Once you have created regular user accounts, the default Administrator
account vanishes from the Welcome screen, which you see when the
computer starts up. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete twice at the Welcome screen to
retrieve the standard logon dialog. You can log on as Administrator from
here. To switch among accounts, just click the Log Off button on the Start
menu. You'll then see the Log Off Windows dialog box. Click the Switch User
button, and you'll be taken to the Welcome screen where you can select and
log on to other accounts.
Show yourself
Only the Administrator can set up new user accounts (go to Control Panel >
User Accounts > Create A New Account). You can select a picture to identify
the account. When you're logged on to the system under your username, this
picture, along with your username, peeks out at you from the top of the
Start menu. There are a slew of 48x48-pixel bitmap images to choose from
within XP. They're housed in D:\Documents And Settings\All
Users\Application Data\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\Default Pictures. But
why limit yourself? You can also copy any graphic you want into this folder or
browse for another from your hard drive. Usable file types are BMP, GIF,
JPEG, or PNG. However, always use a square picture, to limit the white space
on the side. Your image can be any size but will be displayed as 48x48-pixel
image, so a close-up works best.
Hide yourself
Create a hint to help you when you initially create it by following the prompts
during setup. XP stores the password hints in the Registry at
Hkey_local_machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Hints.
Any user or Administrator can create a password reset disk, which you can
use to log on and create a new password. Go to Control Panel > User
Accounts and select "Prevent a forgotten password" in the Related Tasks box
on the left. Follow the wizard's instructions. After creating the disk, find a
safe place for it. Don't forget the password or where you put the disk.
Someone else could use it to change your password without you knowing it.
If you have opened more than one program, you might like to display and
use the Quick Launch bar. The Quick Launch bar makes it easy to access
frequently used programs like Windows Media Player and your e-mail, and to
open an Internet Explorer window. Windows XP loads several programs in
the Quick Launch, including Show Desktop. One click on Show Desktop
minimizes all the programs on your desktop. Another click restores them just
as you'd left them.
1. If the Quick Launch bar is not displayed, right-click an empty area on the
taskbar and click Properties.
2. On the Taskbar tab, under Taskbar appearance, select the Show Quick
Launch check box and click OK.
After Quick Launch is displayed, click Show Desktop to minimize all open
programs.
When you do, you won't have to give Microsoft any personal information, just
your CD Key code. Microsoft will assign you an activation code, which you'll
then enter in the appropriate text box in the Microsoft Product Activation
wizard. If you don't activate the software within the 30-day period, you won't
be able to boot Windows XP past a dialog box that prompts you to enter
activation code.
When you enter the activation code, it supposedly analyzes your system's
specific hardware configuration, generates some hardware ID code based on
this information, and then associates the activation code with this hardware
ID code. If for some reason you have to reinstall Windows XP on the same
system, you'll be able to use the same activation code.
If you only have one PC and rarely reinstall the operating system, this really
won't be a problem. but, if you have multiple PCs in your home, you won't be
able to buy one copy of Windows XP and install it on all the PCs in your
home. Instead, you'll need to buy one copy for each system.
This may sound harsh, it's actually been a part of the Microsoft End-User
License Agreement for years. The only difference is that now Microsoft has
developed a physical way to enforce what the paper license has said all
along.
No Java in Windows XP
Microsoft has announced it will not include support for the Java programming
language in the upcoming Windows XP. After settling a lawsuit with Java
creator Sun Microsystems in January, the software giant decided the easiest
way to prevent further litigation was to simply remove the code entirely.
The settlement stipulated that Microsoft would no longer license Java from
Sun, and refrain from stating that Windows is "Java Compatible." Outdated
Java support will remain available as an added download from Windows
Update if required. Java's removal from the software giant's new operating
system comes on the heels of announcements surrounding .NET, Microsoft
Web services based on XML.
These services are accessed over the Internet from a variety of devices.
Coincidentally, Sun has been developing its own Java-based version of .NET,
dubbed Jini. However, Microsoft vehemently denies claims that it intends to
phase out support for Java as an attack on Sun.
Windows XP:
233MHz CPU (300MHz or higher recommended)
64MB of RAM
1.5GB of free disk space
Super-VGA (800x600 resolution) video adapter and
monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
recommendations will only improve your system's
performance. Your CPU's speed and the amount of RAM
you have is usually shown on the screen when you turn
on your PC. Based on our experience, your disk drive
should support Ultra-ATA66 or ATA100 IDE and have a
fast average seek time of 10 milliseconds or less with
256-512KB of on-drive cache buffering.
Older I/O cards that use the ISA I/O slots (usually the
longer black connectors on your system board) will
perform slower than cards that use PCI (typically white
connectors) or AGP (typically green connectors) I/O slots
on your system board, and could make it harder for Plug
and Play and Windows to configure your system. System
boards with built-in video and sound features already use
the PCI bus, so they're as fast as they are going to get.
Windows XP:
For using the Internet in
general and Microsoft's
.Net Internet-based
28.8Kbps modem for
services and features
dial-up or cable, DSL,
(including Passport
or wireless Internet
credentials, e-mail,
connection through an
Microsoft Messenger, voice
ISP; Microsoft Passport
and videoconferencing,
account
Remote Assistance,
Remote Desktop, and
application sharing):
For voice and Videoconferencing
videoconferencing over the camera; microphone
Internet, both parties also and sound card with
need: speakers or headset
Windows XP on the
helper's PC and a
For Remote Assistance: connection between
the two (local network
or Internet)
Sound card and
For sound: speakers or
headphones
DVD drive and DVD
decoder card or DVD
For DVD video playback:
decoder software; 8MB
of video RAM
Video-capture feature
For Windows Movie Maker:
requires appropriate
digital or analog video-
capture device and
400MHz or higher
processor for digital
video camera capture
Windows XP Authentication
At first I thought it was a little extreme, and I still think it is. Technically,
according to the EULA, you can only install Windows on one PC.
Nowadays, PCs are sold with either a DVD-ROM drive, or a CD-R drive. There
are drives that do both, there are even drives that burn both. Either way,
those of you with DVD-ROM drives will want to know if you can play DVD
movies on your XP machine. XP out of the box won't play DVD Video. DVD's
video is stored in a format called "MPEG 2", and you need an MPEG decoder
to get the video off the DVD into a format that the computer can show you.
I don't know the exact reason why Microsoft chose not to include DVD
decoding in their XP operating system, especially since Apple includes DVD
decoding in MacOS 9 and the soon to be released MacOS 10.1.
Update: Microsoft announced MP3 and DVD support via third-party add-on
packs, available on Oct. 25, 2001.
Although the operating system does not have built-in support for the 3D
graphics standard, according to Microsoft. However, XP does support the
graphics standard OpenGL by way of your video card drivers. If you're
getting graphics errors after you upgrade to Windows XP, check your video
settings (click Control Panel > Display > Properties > Settings > Advanced >
Adapter) for OpenGL controls. If you don't see any, check with your video
card's maker to get updated video drivers for Windows XP.
XP expires
To make this scheme work, you must activate your copy of Windows--over
the Internet or by calling for an activation code--within 30 days of
installation. Activation differs from a classic registration process in that no
personal information is requested by or sent to Microsoft, just a record that a
specific copy of Windows XP is installed on your specific PC. If you fail to
activate your copy of the OS within 30 days, your login will fail. (Since XP is
based on Windows NT-like privilege levels, you can't use your computer until
you log on.)
Microsoft says the scheme should not prevent you from reinstalling your copy
of XP on your PC as many times as you need to, as long as it's the same PC
or close to it, allowing for some hardware changes. It's the "some" that has
most folks worried. In theory, you might have to reactivate your OS if you
upgrade significantly or swap out a lot of components because XP might
think it's running on a new PC. So far, Microsoft isn't saying what system
information the OS uses to determine the "same PC or close to it" status.
That means we don't know to what degree you can upgrade your hardware
before you cross the invisible line. We also don't know how much, if any,
personally identifiable data Microsoft is gathering from your PC.
Microsoft says you can, of course, change at least one and possibly several
hardware components--RAM, video or sound cards, CPUs, motherboards, and
so on--without having to reactivate your OS. But if you try to reinstall your
copy of Windows XP on what Microsoft calls a "different or significantly
upgraded or changed PC" (again, the company declined to specify how
different), the activation will most likely be rejected, requiring you to call
Microsoft to explain and get a new (free) activation code.
Whether you know it or not, if you've ever signed up for a Hotmail account,
you have a Passport account, too. And that's a good thing, because if you
want to access Microsoft's Web support site these days, you must enter a
Passport ID and a password. So what gives? What is this thing called
Passport?
What is Passport?
Passport is Microsoft's online authentication service. Once you have a
Passport account, you can use your e-mail address and password to log in to
and shop a variety of Web sites and services. Many in-house Microsoft sites
(such as tech support) and services (such as Windows Messenger in Windows
XP) require a Passport account or will soon, along with a growing number of
non-Microsoft sites, including OfficeMax.com and Victoria's Secret.
Passport comes in two flavors: sign-in and wallet. You need a sign-in account
to use Microsoft's consumer services, including free e-mailer Hotmail, MSN
Internet Access, and Windows Messenger. If you have a Hotmail or MSN
account, you already have Passport: simply use your Hotmail or MSN address
and password at sites that require a Passport sign-in.
The Passport wallet service lets you buy services and products online without
having to reenter billing and payment information at every participating site;
it's similar to Amazon.com's one-click shopping. Currently, however, only a
limited number of non-Microsoft Web sites use the Passport sign-in and
wallet. To date, Microsoft hasn't announced any plans to increase the number
of sites.
If you want both a Passport and an e-mail account, sign up for Hotmail,
Microsoft's free e-mail service. You'll need to surrender a few extra personal
details, here, including a sign-in name, password, zip code, e-mail address,
country of residence, region or city, and a secret question and answer (in
case you forget your password and need to recover it). Once your Hotmail
account is active, your e-mail address and password will get you into
Passport-enabled sites.
But what about Passport partner sites? Unfortunately, things get a little
murky here. While Microsoft insists that its partners must have privacy
policies, it does not dictate the terms of these policies. Microsoft "strongly
encourages" Passport users to read its partners' privacy policies before they
log in to or share information with a partner site.
The Kids Passport lets parents control what information their children share
with Passport sites. When your child tries to sign on to or share information
with a Passport site, he or she is denied access until approval is received
from a parent. If you're in the same room as your child, you can walk over to
the PC and enter your Passport ID and password to allow her access to, say,
MSN.com. If you're at work, your child can e-mail you a request for
permission to enter the site. Kids Passport is free, but you will need to
provide a credit card number to set up an account. (Microsoft says it uses
this information to verify your identity.)
Passport options
That said, however, you will need Passport to shop at many participating
sites, such as Starbucks.com. Some vendors, however, including Costco
Online, accept Passport but also allow you to register directly with the site
without going through Passport.
When installing Windows XP from scratch, it prompts you to select from two
different file systems: FAT32 and NTFS. As expected, it gives no real reason
why you should select one or the other, and defaults to NTFS.
FAT32
If you're installing on a dual-boot system where you would have a FAT32
partition (default type for Windows 98 and SE for partitions over 2GB), you
may run into problems depending on your situation. The FAT32 file system
was created when the size of hard drives exceeded 2GB. The previous file
system for DOS and Windows 95 was FAT16, which offered at most 2GB of
allocation on your hard drive. This of course is useless for today's hard drives
when you can't find anything under 10GB anymore. Where FAT16 allowed a
2GB maximum, FAT32 only allows a 32GB maximum. If your hard drive is
over 32GB, you'll have to split it into separate partitions, or use NTFS.
NTFS
NTFS was introduced with Windows NT. Among the reasons why it was
introduced, it allowed partitions greater than what's even offered today, and
boasts better performance and security. Focusing on security, it's possible
that while an NTFS hard drive is secure when running Windows XP, there's no
easy way to get back into the hard drive if you boot from an emergency
floppy that only sees a FAT16 or FAT32 partition, such as what you'd get
from a 98 or ME emergency floppy. The security in NTFS actually prevents
you from circumventing its own file system from a boot floppy. This means
that if for some reason your hard drive becomes unusable and you need to
move data off of it, the task won't be as easy as it was when using Windows
95, 98, and ME. The solution that the user has in this situation is to boot
from the Windows XP CD and run a repair on the hard drive. This should fix
any problems the user had with the system and bring it back to a bootable
state. The other issue is in dual-boot situations. Running under NTFS, you
can see FAT16 and FAT32 partitions, but if you boot back into Windows ME,
you can't see the NTFS partition. This is a problem if you downloaded
something to your XP partition and you want to move it to your ME partition
while running under ME. Also, if you upgraded ME to XP and you convert your
file system from FAT32 to NTFS, you cannot go back to Windows ME since ME
can't run under NTFS. However, only NTFS allows you to set permissions on
individual folders so that you can control who sees what.
convert c: /fs:ntfs
Conclusion
With all this information, find what suits your needs and go with it. If you're
the kind of person that backs up regularly, go with NTFS. Same if you want
to use a partition over 32GB without partitioning. If you want to play it safe,
or if you want the ability to transfer files from one partition to another under
a dual-boot situation, stick with FAT32. If you want to read more about these
file systems, Microsoft has an excellent article on their web site.
XP comes with a new set of sounds that will surely add pizzazz to the way
you work in Windows. But there's one problem -- you need to actually turn
on the Windows default sound scheme before you'll be able to hear them.
If you look under the text labeled "Program events," you'll be able to sample
your new sounds or customize them with your own. Read Customize Events
Sounds if you'd like to learn how to do this yourself.
If you're like me, you probably have grown way too close to the familiar
Windows interface. That's OK. I don't adjust well to change either.
After installing XP you may notice the revamped interface looks nothing like
the old one. I was completely thrown back when I tried using it for the first
time, but I suspect that over time the new interface will begin to grow on you
as it has with me.
Therefore, to ease your transition to the new OS, make a simple adjustment
to XP to give it that classic look.
It's really handy to have access to the Volume Control panel in the event you
quickly need to move the volume slider up or down. In its default state, XP
ships with almost a clean slate for both the desktop and taskbar. So, if you'd
like to place the volume control icon in the taskbar, you're going to need to
make a little adjustment.
To place the volume control icon in the taskbar, follow these steps:
Single-click the Start menu.
Single-click Control Panel.
Single-click Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices.
Single-click Sounds and Audio Devices to launch the Sound and Audio
Devices properties.
On the Volume tab, locate the text labeled "Device Volume" and place a
check mark next to the text labeled "Place volume icon in the taskbar."
Single-click Apply.
You should now have the volume icon in the taskbar. Now all you need to do
is double-click this icon to bring up your Volume Control panel.
Make XP display a custom screen saver using your very own pictures
Well, the engineers at Microsoft must have realized they hated third-party
applications and decided enough was enough. XP can take any pictures
stored in your "My Pictures" folder and display them in random order as a
screen saver.
If you plan on getting a copy of XP, one of the first things you're going to do
is set up a user account. Why not give your user account its very own
picture? It's OK if you don't want to use a picture of your own because
Windows comes with at least 20 beautiful pictures to choose from.
I highly suggest you create a password recovery disk the minute you create
your user account. Why? In order to create a password recovery disk you're
going to need your password. Write it down the minute you create your user
account and then proceed to creating your very own password recovery disk.
Now that you've launched the wizard, let it walk you through creating the
recovery disk. Make sure the disk you use is formatted and in the drive. After
it's finished creating the disk, label it and stash it away for an emergency.
If you happen to forget your password, all you need to do is click your user
icon at the logon screen. Even though you don't have your password, go
ahead and click the green arrow just like you would to finish logging on to
your computer. This will launch a little yellow dialog box directing you to use
your password recovery disk.
SMP in Windows XP
Operating systems also need to be written for SMP in order to use multiple
processors. In the Windows XP family, only XP Professional supports SMP; XP
Home does not. If you're a consumer with a dual-processor PC at home, you
have to buy XP Professional. Windows XP Advanced Server also supports
SMP.
The difference between XP Professional and XP Home is more than just $100
and SMP support. XP Professional has plenty of other features not found in
XP Home; some you'll use, others you won't care about. Get more
information on the differences by reading this article.
XP Game Compatibility
You want to know if all your favorite games are still going to run under
Windows XP. Remember what happened when we tried to run games on our
Windows 2000 machines? Sometimes we were a little disappointed. Windows
2000 was made more for corporate applications than "Quake," but true
techno-geeks know they don't have to sacrifice death matches for a robust
business environment -- at least not anymore.
Windows XP has shown an impressive track record of game compatibility. We
ran a number of standard games, such as "Tiger Woods Golf," "NHL 2001,"
"Max Payne," and "Unreal" on our Windows XP Professional machine. Some
of these games were specifically slated for Windows 95 and 98, and were
shown not to work in Windows 2000. The installation in XP was as smooth as
silk. The games ran quickly and beautifully -- not a problem in sight (except
for my bad chip shot -- Tiger was hanging his head in shame).
One final tip about compatibility: Don't run the compatibility wizard if your
program appears to be running well in the normal environment, as the
wizard will give you an error message. In general, XP has great program
compatibility, so you can upgrade your operating system without giving up
all your old favorites.
These steps are for a clean install of XP. Read this article for steps on
upgrading your current system to XP.
First, you're going to need to change your BIOS boot order to boot from CD-
ROM. Once you do this you'll then be able to boot your computer from the
Installation CD.
After changing the boot order in BIOS, save the changes, and then reboot
your computer. Make sure your Installation CD is in your CD-ROM. If it is
you'll be prompted to press your space bar to directly boot from CD-ROM
emulation. Press your space bar as soon as you see this message.
Wait a few minutes while the installation begins to copy the preliminary setup
files to your computer. After this completes you'll be ready to start directing
the install process.
You will be asked if you want to perform a new installation, repair an existing
installation, or quit. In this case, you will be performing a new install. Press
the correct key to perform a new installation.
Read the terms of the end user license agreement, and press F8 to agree.
The next phase of the installation is real similar to that of Windows 2000. So,
if you're familiar with the Windows 2000 installation process this should be a
cinch.
Basically, you need to decide which partition of your hard drive you will
install Windows XP on. You will have the opportunity to create and/or delete
partitions or just allocate the available disk space to one partition. However,
try to keep your partitions within reasonable size.
This would be a good time to take a break and come back in a few minutes.
The setup program will automatically start copying files after the partition is
formatted.
From this point on, you're going to see each and every file name that's being
copied over to your hard drive appear in the lower left corner. As the file
names go from A to Z, the installation completion percentage will increase.
Name the computer, and enter an Admin password. Don't forget to write
down your Administrator password. After the installation is complete it would
be extremely wise to create a password restore disk in the event you forget
your Administrator password someday.
Register this copy of Windows XP if you've installed all the current hardware
on your machine. Otherwise, wait until you've finished installing any
additional hardware so you don't have to activate your copy of XP again.
Driver install
XP found drivers for all of the hardware in our test machines, with the
exception of a wireless network adapter that was added. Update all drivers
that had updates available for download.
It takes about 30 minutes to perform this installation. After that, you will be
a few personalized settings away from getting started on your XP-experience.
With a little use, the GUI even starts to grow on you.
Special Options
IMPORTANT
Unless you're an advanced user, it's recommended that
you use the default settings.
IMPORTANT
You can convert your file system any time, even after you
install Windows XP, without losing any of your data.
If you’re not sure which file system to use, keep the one
your computer defaults to during Setup. If you want to
change your file system, here are a few
recommendations:
Disk Partitions
Microsoft's 1-to-5 scale means nothing to the individual user and relates in
no way to the actual practice of setting your security protocols. Enter the
Screen Savers. We are here to explain it to you.
The security settings the user actually sets relate to read access, write
access, shared folders, and password protection. These features are available
in both Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional, however the
features only work if the operating system is installed with NTFS. FAT32 does
not support the file permissions described here.
You can choose to install Windows XP Home using NTFS, but you should use
a FAT32 file system if you are dual booting and want to see the contents of
your Windows 95, 98, or Me partition from your XP partition. Your file system
is not set in stone when you install Windows XP. You always can change your
file system from FAT32 to NTFS without losing any of your data; however,
the transition is one-way only.
There is no going back to FAT32 from NTFS unless you grab a copy of
Partition Magic. Microsoft recommends you install Windows XP Home with
FAT32 if you intend to install more than one OS on your computer or if your
hard drive is less than 32GB.
If you have Windows XP Home or Professional running NTFS, you can hide
files and entire folders from prying eyes. When you set up multiple user
accounts on one machine, any user with administrator access can view the
documents in another's My Documents folders. To protect a folder, right-click
it, choose Properties, the Share tab, and select "make this folder private." No
one, not even a fellow system administrator, can access these most secret
files.
Every file or folder contained within whichever folder you choose to make
private will take on the settings of the parent folder. If the administrator
does not have a password to the account, Windows XP will prompt the user
to make a password or risk subjecting his or her private work to public
scrutiny. No Windows password means no protected files.
It is a nice feeling to keep your personal tax documents secure from the
passing lookey-loo. It's about time Microsoft made snooping your computer
more difficult than snooping your medicine cabinet.
Try starting the program after making these changes. If it still gives you
trouble, try a different operating system. If the program was written for
Win95 and worked fine in Win98, there's nothing that says it still won't work
fine with Win98.
With Regards
Pranith Nambiar