OPERATING SYSTEM

DLL ERRORS

2009-08-29T02:24:00.001-07:00

Windows DLL errors mean that there is a conflict in the path of your operating system. Think of it as a block in the road. If you can't get through that obstruction, then you're not going to feel too great. You're not going to be able to get to where you are going. That is exactly what happens when there is some sort of conflict in the path. These problems are very common, but they are not easy to fix the right way. This is because they require updates to the system's registry, which many simply leave alone because of the high incidence of errors.

Why the errors occur:

As you go through the install and uninstall process on your computer, but each installation leaves a piece of the program behind. That information is most likely kept on the registry. This then bogs down the system and results in corruption within system file deletions.

The DLL files are very important because they are used by the Dynamic Link Library in order to allow for interaction between the files that computer programs share. If a DLL file is moved from its original location, the system is not able to access its files accurately and can cause operation issues. You may also see a DLL error when incompatible versions of a software application are installed.

And because DLL files have multiple file sets when installed, it is a good idea to try not to reinstall the file that is corrupted because this can cause other errors. This is a mistake that a lot of people make and this can result in a DLL error.

Repairing DLL errors:

Repairing DLL errors can be done when you have the right program or book guiding you through the process. You may also be able to find programs out there that will help you take care of some of the errors. It is important to realize that there are hundreds of DLL files on a single computer. When an error occurs, that error may be due to only one file.

But there is something to keep in mind. First of all, the computer just shows you the most critical DLL error. Once the critical DLL error is fixed, other DLL errors may arrive. This is because another error has suddenly become the most critical error and so on and so forth. If your operating system is Windows XP, you may find that this can be quite time consuming.

Fortunately, the average person has access to the same tools the experts use. These include guide books and software programs that can isolate the problem and make sure the corrupted DLL file is reinstalled correctly. Correct reinstall means not reinstalling the corrupted file so that more problems don't come about. It can be done and without spending hours doing it.

It is very important that you don't let DLL errors continue on your machine or you will find yourself having worse problems than you could possibly imagine which could be a fairly severe situation.

SPEED UP FIREFOX

2009-08-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered if there is a way to super boost the speed of Mozilla Firefox, well here is one trick that allows you to do so. Go to the address bar and type "about:config" without the quotes and follow the instructions below

Search for --> Value to be set
"network.http.pipelining"---->true
"network.http.proxy.pipelining"--->true
"network.http.pipelining.maxrequests"-->8
"network.http.max-connections"---->48
"network.http.max-connections-per-server"--->16
"network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy"--->16
"network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server"--->8
"content.notify.backoffcount"--->5
"content.max.tokenizing.time"---->2250000
"content.notify.interval"--->750000
"content.switch.threshold"--->750000
"content.notify.ontimer"--->true
"content.interrupt.parsing"--->true
"nglayout.initialpaint.delay"--->0
"browser.cache.memory.capacity"--->65536

How To Speed Up Firefox (Helpful Vanity)

Here's something for broadband people that will really speed Firefox up:

1.Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining network.http.proxy.pipelining network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:

Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.

If you're using a broadband connection you'll load pages MUCH faster now!

PEER GUARDIAN

2009-08-29T02:17:00.001-07:00

What is Peer Guardian?
Peer Guardian is perhaps the most popular IP blocking software tool on the web. Peer Guardian is primarily used by the Peer2Peer sharing community to block the RIAA, MPAA and other organizations from tracking a sharer's IP address and online activity. In addition to blocking IP addresses , Peer Guardian also can block adware, spyware, government IP's and educational IP's. Peer Guardian is open source and originally developed by Phoenix Labs. The latest version is Peer Guardian 3, however since Peer Guardian 3 is only supported on MS Windows Vista , Peer Guardian 2 continues to be the most popular version.

How Does Peer Guardian Work
Peer Guardian works by blocking IP addresses. Peer Guardian keeps updated lists and uses these lists to halt access to specific IP addresses while you share files and conduct other web activities.
Peer Guardian is extremely easy to use, you first download the software which is less than 2 MB and install it. Once installed, Peer Guardian will update all IP lists and request that you set up your personal preferences. Some of the preferences available for the user are:
• The ability to block spyware, adware and ads
• The ability to block educational and government IP ranges
• The ability to block IP's specifically used by the RIAA, MPAA and other organizations to track you during P2P file sharing or other web activities
Once all lists have been selected, downloaded and updated, you can set Peer Guardian to launch either at startup or at your request. Peer Guardian works mainly in the background and most users won't even notice it.
Considerations
Peer Guardian 2 is able to block all ports and protocols when used with Windows XP; however earlier operating systems such as Windows ME and 98 will only block TCP. Peer Guardian 2 is extremely safe to use and for the most part doesn't require lots of memory or processing power to run. Unfortunately, the original version was considered by many to be a memory and power hog, however since Peer Guardian has gone open source, the new code is written in C and is much more efficient.
It is also important to note that Peer Guardian updates its lists quite often. You can choose to update your list at each launch, every couple of days or once a week. While Peer Guardian is an excellent tool to block others from tracking your IP address, it is not a foolproof tool, due to the fact that a new IP that is not on the list is not blocked by Peer Guardian and thus can be tracking you. However, for most users, Peer Guardian does substantially reduce the risk of being tracked. It is also important to note that while Peer Guardian does include the ability to block spyware and other forms of malware, it is not a substitution for a firewall. Finally, the downside to using Peer Guardian is that in some cases the software is known to interfere with Stream connectivity and Battlefield 2, causing disruptions.
Peer Guardian downloads are open source and available for free at its official website
at the following link: Phoenix Labs

An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is a system for detecting misuse of network or computer resources.

An IDS will have a number of sensors it utilizes to detect intrusions. Example sensors may be:
• A sensor to monitor TCP connection requests.
• Log file monitors.
• File integrity checkers.
The IDS system is responsible for collecting data from it's sensors and analyzing this data to give the security administrator notice of malicious activity on the network.
IDS technologies are commonly divided into NIDS (Network Intrusion Detection Systems) and HIDS (Host Intrusion Detection Systems).
Newer NIDS also attempt to act as NIPS (Network Intrusion Prevention Systems).
Snort is an excellent open source Network Intrusion Detection System.
A port scanner is a program which attempts to connect to a list or range of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol) ports on a list or range of IP addresses .

Port scanners are used for network mapping and for network security assessments.
The first decisions to make when running a port scanner is to determine the network range you want to scan. This could be a single IP address, a list of IP addresses, or a range of IP addresses.
The second decision to make when running a port scanner is to determine how heavily you want to scan. A light port scan might test TCP ports 22 (SSH), 23 (Telnet), 25 (SMTP), and 110 (POP). A heavy port scan might test both TCP and UDP ports 1-1024. A light port scan will return results much more quickly, a heavy port scan will return more detail.
Because UDP is an unreliable protocol, UDP ports require significantly more time to scan than TCP ports.
Some port scanners will simply test to see if a port responds, while others will gather information about the services running on a port or even attempt to automatically exploit security vulnerabilities remotely.

History

Development on PeerGuardian started in late 2002, led by programmer Tim Leonard. The first public version was released in 2003, at a time when the music industry started to sue individual file sharing users (a change from its previous stance that it would not target consumers with copyright infringement lawsuits).

Version 1

The original PeerGuardian (1.0) was programmed in Visual Basic and quickly became popular among P2P users despite blocking only the common TCP protocol and being known for high RAM and CPU usage when connected to P2P networks. By December 2003, it had been downloaded 1 million times. The original version was released for free and the source code was made available under an open source license.

Version 2

After 7 months of development, in February 2005 Version 2 of PeerGuardian was released as a beta. The development of version 2.0 was lead by Cory Nelson, and aimed to resolve many of the shortcomings of Version 1. Version 2 enabled support for more protocols (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc.), multiple block lists, and automatic updates. The installation procedure was also simplified, no longer requiring a system restart and driver installation.

In order to resolve speed and resource issues, Version 2.0 was re-engineered and re-developed in C++. The new design caused the application to consume significantly less processing power and memory while running. As with most other desktop firewall software for Windows, Version 2.0 is installed as a kernel-level filter in Windows 2000 and later, giving the application greater access to the Windows networking stack and greatly improving overall performance.

Future releases

Support for both Windows Vista and IPv6 are in release candidate phase as of January 2009.

Blocklist

The blocklist is stored in a number of different formats:

Binary formats

The binary formats (known as P2B) were created at the release of the first beta version of PeerGuardian 2, in order to create the smallest possible blocklist.

P2B Version 1 – This format was used only in the earliest releases of PeerGuardian 2. It was compressed using the gzip format. Lists are no longer produced in this format.

P2B Version 2 – The most widely used format, this is supported among a number of applications, including eMule and the Linux version of PeerGuardian. It is equivalent to the first version of the P2B format, but instead uses UTF-8 to store names.

P2B Version 3 – The newest version of the P2B format, this is currently supported only on the latest version of the Windows version of PeerGuardian 2. This format uses 7z compression for additional size reduction. The recent adoption of this format made it the least compatible one.

P2P plaintext format

The original format for PeerGuardian version 1.x was a simple plaintext format. Unfortunately this meant that lists became very large and cost a lot of bandwidth to distribute, heralding the construction of the smaller binary formats.

The format is as follows:

 Range Name:FirstIP-LastIP

For example:

 Localhost:127.0.0.1-127.0.0.1

This format is used in eMule, in the SafePeer Vuze plugin, and Protowall.

Blocklist Management Issues

Since at least 2006, the P2P blocklist used by PeerGuardian has been provided by "Bluetack Internet Security Solutions". ("Bluetack" was the name of the member of the original PeerGuardian team who owned its previous domain peerguardian.net and created the "Block List Manager" used to maintain the list.) The PeerGuardian developers state they have no control over Bluetack's list, and do not promote or link to alternative lists. They have been criticized for overly broad blocking based on unsubstantiated evidence.

PeerGuardian acknowledges that Battlefield 2, Blizzard, Steam, and ArenaNet connectivity is blocked, which creates problems for many online gaming users who are not aware that PeerGuardian will break game connectivity, and are thus directed to read the manual.

In 2007, Bluetack/PeerGuardian 2 were criticized for blocking denis.stalker.h3q.com, the second largest Bittorrent tracker as of December 2007, as an "Anti-P2P" address, and claiming that its maintainers (whose tracking software "Opentracker" is also used by The Pirate Bay) were conspiring with the MPAA and MediaDefender.^[5] The maintainers are members of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), a long-standing association of hackers and freedom of information activists, and had also briefly run their tracker from the CCC's own network. Bluetack also blocked CCC itself, accusing it of doing "anti-P2P work" and being a "threat" to file sharers, while others pointed to the fact that the CCC had been publicly defending P2P for years, and even called for boycotting the music industry to protest its file sharing lawsuits.

Although IP addresses of government and business entities are easily added to a list of IP addresses to be blocked, there is no means for PeerGuardian to block access by a government or business using an undocumented IP address to identify people engaged in software piracy or other illegal activity.

PeerGuardian Lite

PeerGuardian Lite is a derivative of PeerGuardian 2 made to consume as little CPU and RAM as possible. It has no UI or options and consists of a single tray icon. It is no longer developed, with the latest version released on April 22, 2005. It is also open source, allowing for future derivatives by any party.

Other criticism

Besides the original criticism of Version 1 being slow and buggy, most other criticism of PeerGuardian is around the actual technique used to block peers. Critics have pointed out that the blocklists are open to the public, and thus parties who may wish to circumvent PeerGuardian can actively check the list to see if their IP addresses have been blocked.

The blocklists are also managed by the public, but there is no fool-proof method on checking or reporting why an IP address or range are bad, nor on checking if the blocked IP addresses still remain bad. The list relies on the public to make submissions, and thus is vulnerable to attack itself .

AUTOMATIC DEFRAGMENTATION

2009-08-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

If it seems like your computer has gotten slower since you bought it, it probably has. One of the biggest factors that slows down your computer’s performance is fragmentation, a situation that occurs over time, in which files on your hard drive become divided into small pieces. Your computer must read a file to open, save, or close it. So when it reads each piece of a fragmented file separately, the effect is that the file can seem “slow” when you’re working with it.
Defragmenting your hard drive is the process of putting all the scattered pieces of files back together. Microsoft Windows XP includes a tool that will defragment your hard drive for you. To keep your system performing well, it’s a good idea to have Windows XP automatically defragment your hard drive every week.
To schedule a weekly defragmentation
1.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2.
Click Performance and Maintenance.

3.
Under or pick a Control Panel icon, click Scheduled Tasks.

4.
In the Scheduled Tasks window, double-click Add Scheduled Task.

5.
In the Scheduled Task Wizard, click Next.

6.
Click Browse.

7.
In the File name box, type %systemroot%\system32\defrag.exe, and then click Open.

8.
Under Perform this task, click Weekly. Then, click Next.

9.
Set the time and day of the week you would like to defragment your hard drive. For best results, choose a time when your computer will be on but you will be away from it. Click Next.

10.
Type your password in both the Enter the password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click Next.

11.
Select the Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish check box, and then click Finish.

12.
In the Run box, add C: to the existing command. Make sure you include a space before the “C:”. Then, click OK.

13.
In the Set Account Information dialog box, type your password in both the Password and Confirm password boxes. Then, click OK.

Windows XP will defragment your hard drive at the time you have scheduled. During defragmentation, a black window will open. If you happen to be working at your computer when the window opens, you can ignore it. The window will automatically disappear when defragmentation is complete. You can use other programs during defragmentation, but you may prefer to schedule defragmentation at a time when you won’t be using your computer.
Defragmentation works best when you have plenty of free space on your hard drive. For instructions on how to clear free space, read Maintenance tasks that improve performance.

TASK MANAGER

2009-08-25T23:54:00.000-07:00

TASK MANAGER

The Windows XP Task Manager is a very handy system utility that lists the applications and processes that are running. It shows system resource usage, various performance statistics and network information. With it, you can close hung programs and manage CPU and memory hogs.

How to create a shortcut to Task manager

Note that Task manager is not normally available from the programs list in the Start menu although you can create a shortcut there if you wish. One way to create a shortcut is to use Windows Explorer to find the file
\Windows\system32\taskmgr.exe
Right-click on the file and choose "Send To- Desktop (Create Shortcut)". (Figure below)

If you like shortcuts on the Desktop, you can leave it there. Otherwise, move it to the folder of your choice in \Documents and Settings\{User Name}\Start Menu. If it is to be available to all users, move it to a folder in \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\ . Note that Administrator rights are required to use some functions of Program Manager.

Using Task Manager

When Task Manager is first opened the dialog box shown below appears. It has four tabs. (There is also a Users tab if you are using Fast User Switching but I prefer to turn this off.) The default tab "Applications" is a list of the applications that are running in the foreground. These are programs that you can see on the desktop or on the taskbar and that are not running hidden in the background.

All the tab windows have information at the bottom showing the number of processes that are running, how much the CPU is being used, and how much memory resources are committed. The Applications window also has a button "New Task" in the lower right corner that is discussed below

A common use for Task Manager is to end a program that has become frozen or hung. Select an application and click the button "End Task". Another way is to right-click on a program entry, which brings up the context menu shown below. It includes an entry "End Task". There is also an entry "Go to Process" that will take you to the actual process that is running a selected program. A new window will open listing all the processes.

The dialog box for processes will also open when the tab "Processes" is selected as is shown in the next figure. A much larger group appears that includes many background services. (More on services here) Here you can see how much memory and CPU time each process is taking. This information can be enlightening and can help you decide if something is causing your computer to slow down. Processes can be ended either by a right-click menu or the button "End Process" that is in the lower right corner of the dialog box.

CPU and memory usage can vary over a substantial range. The "Performance" tab allows graphs of usage to be seen. An example is shown in the next figure. This can be useful in tracking down resource hogs.

How to Unfreeze a Hung Computer

Task Manager has the very useful capability to open a new program. It is the equivalent of having Start-Run available and is obtained by clicking the button "New Task..." on the Applications tab window that is mentioned above. The resulting interface is shown in the figure below.This feature may seem redundant but it can come in very handy if a crash or badly written program freezes Windows Explorer, thus making the Desktop inoperable. Usually, Task Manager will still be functional and, even with no Desktop, programs can still be opened. In particular, the Desktop can be restored. First go to the "Processes" tab and find the entry for "Explorer.exe". Highlight the entry and click the "End Process" button. It may not respond immediately since there is usually a 20-second wait for hung processes to clean themselves up. Close any other hung processes. (They will show a status "Not responding".) Once Explorer.exe has been unloaded, the Desktop will disappear but, never fear, it is easily restored. Click the "Applications" tab and then the "New Task" button. As shown below, enter "explorer.exe" (no quotes) click "OK". The Desktop will reappear.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS FOR WINDOWS

2009-08-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

Keyboard shortcuts are key commands that allow you to accomplish various tasks.
Instead of using your mouse to go through menus and sub-menus, you can use
keyboard shortcuts to do common tasks like saving, copying, or pasting. Most people
find using key shortcuts to be a faster and easier way to type. Listed below are some of
the most common keyboard shortcuts in alphabetical order.

Close CTRL+W

Copy CTRL+C

Cut CTRL+X

Delete DEL

Exit ESC

Find CTRL+F3

Help F1

Minimize Window - Windows Key*+M

Move to Recycling CTRL+DEL

New Folder/Document CTRL+N

Open CTRL+O

Open Start Menu Windows Key*

Paste CTRL+V

Print CTRL+P

Print Screen ALT+Print Screen Key

Quit ALT+F4

Reboot/Restart CTRL+ALT+DEL

Save CTRL+S

Select All CTRL+A

Undo CTRL+Z

* Not all keyboards have the Windows key.
CTRL is the abbreviation for the Control key.
DEL is the abbreviation for the Delete key.

ESX SERVER

2009-08-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

ESX Server has more components than a simple server running
a single operating system. Management and monitoring must
be performed at different levels on different components. These
correspond closely to the levels in the ESX Server architecture
itself:
Level 1. The operating system and the applications running
inside the virtual machines.
Level 2. The configuration and manipulation of the virtual
machines themselves.
Level 3. The logical view of resources on the physical server,
such as CPU utilization, memory utilization, disk bandwidth, and
network usage.
Level 4. The actual hardware on the physical server.
The first and fourth levels can be found commonly on any
server system, but the second and third levels are unique to ESX
Server; it therefore specifically provides management interfaces
for these. The next section describes the interfaces.
ESX Server Management Interfaces
VMware ESX Server has three types of management and monitoring
interfaces that can be leveraged to integrate ESX Server
with an enterprise’s systems management software:
• The VMware Management Interface, a Web-based graphical
interface to monitor and manage ESX Server and its virtual
machines directly. This is also the general purpose user interface
for ESX Server.
• Management APIs in Perl and COM to support scripting of
routine ESX Server management functions and to support integration
with proprietary management applications and agents.
• A detailed SNMP MIB (management information base) which
provides configuration and performance information for
standards-based integration with enterprise management
frameworks such as HP OpenView or IBM Director.
The VMware Management Interface
The VMware Management Interface is a browser-based interface
that provides functionality specific to ESX Server such as:
• Basic system setup and configuration
• Creation and provisioning of virtual machines
• Monitoring and control over virtual machines
• Configuration of resource management settings for virtual
machines
• A remote console for interactive control of each virtual
machine
The management interface offers a set of systems management
functions for monitoring and resource control and for management
of ESX Server and its virtual machines. It also offers unique
functions related to setup, configuration, control and provisioning
of server resources to virtual machines. In addition, the
remote console allows users to connect to virtual machines and
manage their state.
The management interface is an essential systems management
tool for functions specific to ESX Server such as setup,
configuration and basic systems management of ESX Server.
It provides user-friendly visualization of the current state and
resource usage of all virtual machines at a glance. Once ESX
Server is deployed in production, customers also have the
choice of using their own systems management systems, integrating
ESX Server with those systems using ESX Server SNMP
interface and Perl/COM APIs.

REGEDIT

2009-08-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

RegEdit is a program on Windows PCs that is used to edit the registry. The registry is set of files on your PC that is used to store information about the hardware and software configuration of your PC. The software configuration information includes programs that are part of Windows and programs that you have loaded onto the PC. Programs and services that the system will run as you boot up are in the registry as well as settings that program maintain during normal use. But the registry is also the place many viruses, adware, spyware, and malware programs attach and place information that deleteriously affects your PC.

A word of warning! If you use RegEdit to alter the registry you can corrupt the registry. This may render your system unusable. Your system may not even boot up. So if you're not comfortable reloading the operating system on your PC, or if you don't have the original installation media for your programs this is probably not for you. As always in these type of instructions, there is no warranty or guarantee express or implied and you edit the registry at your own risk!

But it's okay to look right! Yes, but RegEdit doesn't have an undo button or a restore option. There are ways to restore previous versions of the registry, but it is an advanced technique which is not covered here. In this example, we will just look and begin to understand how the registry works, and how to use RegEdit.

Proceed with caution Okay now that you are sufficiently warned, let's take a look at the registry with RegEdit.

Click "Start" on your Windows menu (the orb for Windows Vista users)
Then click "Run"
Don't have a "Run" option? If you know how to set the properties for your start bar you can enable the "Run" option there. If you don't know how to do that maybe you should reconsider whether you want to do this it all. But as an option, you can click "Programs", then "Accessories", then click "Command Prompt".
Type "RegEdit" (without the quotes) and click "OK" or press enter if you are using the "Command Prompt".

When RegEdit starts the window is divided into two panes. The left-hand pane shows a hierarchical display starting from the top with "My Computer" (you may have use the vertical scroll bar in the pane). The hierarchical view reflects the organization of the registry -- sort of like the directory on your PC's hard disk -- files and folders within folders. In the registry you have keys and data. And the keys are referenced by a hierarchical path like your file paths on the hard disk with backslashes separating them. The right-hand pane shows data items, types, and data.

There will be a plus ("+") or minus ("-") next to the folder icons. The plus ("+") opens the contents below the folder and the minus ("-") closes it. Close up all the folders by clicking the minus ("-") signs. Now you will see the standard five folders make up the registry that at are the top level and are call hives. If you are using a very old version of Windows there might not be five.

Click the plus ("+") next to the folder titled "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE"
Look for the folder underneath called "SOFTWARE".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
Look for the folder underneath called "Microsoft".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
Look for the folder underneath called "Windows".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
Look for the folder underneath called "CurrentVersion".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it.
Look for the folder underneath called "Run".If it is not already open, click the plus ("+") next to it to open it. But then click once right on the folder itself.

Notice on the bottom status line, the complete hierarchical path that we have navigated is displayed there. It should look like this: My Computer/HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run (forward slash should be replaced with backslash, EzineArticles doesn't seem to like backslashes) In the right-hand pane you will see a list with column headings of "Name", "Type", and "Data". This particular key is used when Windows starts up to run programs. The data often contains the path to the program referenced. It is also one place many viruses, adware, spyware malware programs, and just annoying programs place information so that they run every time your PC starts. But there may be items in here that your computer needs. Microsoft places items here. And your computer manufacture may also put items in here. So take care if you do decide to delete something (which you can do by right-clicking and selecting delete).

There are safer and more efficient ways to edit the registry -- especially if you are looking for intruders that have invaded your registry. Anti-virus, spyware/adware detection software, and registry cleaners offer alternatives to using RegEdit.

SOLARIS

2009-08-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

- Solaris is the computer operating system that Sun Microsystems provides for its family of Scalable Processor Architecture-based processors as well as for Intel-based processors. Sun has historically dominated the large Unix workstation market. As the Internet grew in the early 1990s, Sun's SPARC/Solaris systems became the most widely installed servers for Web sites. Sun emphasizes the system's availability (meaning it seldom crashes), its large number of features, and its Internet-oriented design. Sun advertises that its latest version, the Solaris 8 Operating Environment, is "the leading UNIX environment" today.

Sun emphasizes these features of Solaris:

Its availability. Special features make it easy to add new capability or to fix problems without having to restart the system. Because it has evolved through a number of versions, it is "stable" - that is, like IBM's well-known mainframe operating system, MVS, Solaris has exercised and fixed almost any code path that might break. It can be upgraded, monitored, and controlled from a remote console.
Its scalability. If you move to a larger processor, your applications should not only run, but run faster.
It is built for network computing. As part of the first and most successful Web server system in history, the latest Solaris systems are built on the company's experience with early Web sites and network demands.
It includes security features. These include support for IPsec, Kerberos, AMI, and smart cards.

Sun provides three extensions for its Solaris operating system:

The Easy Access Server, which is designed to run in a network that also has Windows NT systems
The Enterprise Server, which is aimed at the "business-critical" environment, and includes support for clustering
The Internet Service Provider (ISP) Server

Since Sun originated the platform-independent Java programming language and runtime environment, Solaris systems come with a Java virtual machineand the Java Development Kit (JDK).

Solaris replaced SunOS, a system still in use on many Sun machines today.

FILE EXTENSIONS

2009-08-16T03:58:00.000-07:00

Common file extensions that are good to know, organized by file format.

Text Files

.doc	Microsoft Word Document
.docx	Microsoft Word Open XML Document
.log	Log File
.msg	Mail Message
.pages	Pages Document
.rtf	Rich Text Format File
.txt	Plain Text File
.wpd	WordPerfect Document
.wps	Microsoft Works Word Processor Document

Data Files

.123	Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet
.accdb	Access 2007 Database File
.csv	Comma Separated Values File
.dat	Data File
.db	Database File
.dll	Dynamic Link Library
.mdb	Microsoft Access Database
.pps	PowerPoint Slide Show
.ppt	PowerPoint Presentation
.pptx	Microsoft PowerPoint Open XML Document
.sdb	OpenOffice.org Base Database File
.sql	Structured Query Language Data
.vcf	vCard File
.wks	Microsoft Works Spreadsheet
.xls	Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet
.xlsx	Microsoft Excel Open XML Document
.xml	XML File

Image Files

.pct	Picture File

Raster Image Files

.bmp	Bitmap Image File
.gif	Graphical Interchange Format File
.jpg	JPEG Image File
.png	Portable Network Graphic
.psd	Photoshop Document
.psp	Paint Shop Pro Image File
.thm	Thumbnail Image File
.tif	Tagged Image File

Vector Image Files

.ai	Adobe Illustrator File
.drw	Drawing File
.dxf	Drawing Exchange Format File
.eps	Encapsulated PostScript File
.ps	PostScript File
.svg	Scalable Vector Graphics File

3D Image Files

.3dm	Rhino 3D Model
.dwg	AutoCAD Drawing Database File
.pln	ArchiCAD Project File

Page Layout Files

.indd	Adobe InDesign File
.pdf	Portable Document Format File
.qxd	QuarkXPress Document
.qxp	QuarkXPress Project File

Audio Files

.aac	Advanced Audio Coding File
.aif	Audio Interchange File Format
.iff	Interchange File Format
.m3u	Media Playlist File
.mid	MIDI File
.midi	MIDI File
.mp3	MP3 Audio File
.mpa	MPEG-2 Audio File
.ra	Real Audio File
.wav	WAVE Audio File
.wma	Windows Media Audio File

Video Files

.3g2	3GPP2 Multimedia File
.3gp	3GPP Multimedia File
.asf	Advanced Systems Format File
.asx	Microsoft ASF Redirector File
.avi	Audio Video Interleave File
.flv	Flash Video File
.mkv	Matroska Video File
.mov	Apple QuickTime Movie
.mp4	MPEG-4 Video File
.mpg	MPEG Video File
.qt	Apple QuickTime Movie
.rm	Real Media File
.swf	Flash Movie
.vob	DVD Video Object File
.wmv	Windows Media Video File

Web Files

.asp	Active Server Page
.css	Cascading Style Sheet
.htm	Hypertext Markup Language File
.html	Hypertext Markup Language File
.js	JavaScript File
.jsp	Java Server Page
.php	Hypertext Preprocessor File
.rss	Rich Site Summary
.xhtml	Extensible Hypertext Markup Language File

Font Files

.fnt	Windows Font File
.fon	Generic Font File
.otf	OpenType Font
.ttf	TrueType Font

Plugin Files

.8bi	Photoshop Plug-in
.plugin	Mac OS X Plug-in
.xll	Excel Add-In File

System Files

.cab	Windows Cabinet File
.cpl	Windows Control Panel
.cur	Windows Cursor
.dmp	Windows Memory Dump
.drv	Device Driver
.key	Security Key
.lnk	File Shortcut
.sys	Windows System File

Settings Files

.cfg	Configuration File
.ini	Windows Initialization File
.prf	Outlook Profile File

Executable Files

.app	Mac OS X Application
.bat	DOS Batch File
.cgi	Common Gateway Interface Script
.com	DOS Command File
.exe	Windows Executable File
.pif	Program Information File
.vb	VBScript File
.ws	Windows Script

Compressed Files

.7z	7-Zip Compressed File
.deb	Debian Software Package
.gz	Gnu Zipped File
.pkg	Mac OS X Installer Package
.rar	WinRAR Compressed Archive
.sit	Stuffit Archive
.sitx	Stuffit X Archive
.zip	Zipped File
.zipx	Extended Zip File

Encoded Files

.bin	Macbinary II Encoded File
.hqx	BinHex 4.0 Encoded File
.mim	Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Message
.uue	Uuencoded File

Developer Files

.c	C/C++ Source Code File
.cpp	C++ Source Code File
.java	Java Source Code File
.pl	Perl Script

Backup Files

.bak	Backup File
.bup	Backup File
.gho	Norton Ghost Backup File
.ori	Original File
.tmp	Temporary File

Disk Files

.dmg	Mac OS X Disk Image
.iso	Disc Image File
.toast	Toast Disc Image
.vcd	Virtual CD

Game Files

.gam	Saved Game File
.nes	Nintendo (NES) ROM File
.rom	N64 Game ROM File
.sav	Saved Game

Misc Files

.msi	Windows Installer Package
.part	Partially Downloaded File
.torrent	BitTorrent File
.yps	Yahoo! Messenger Data File

XP PROCESSES

2009-08-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

ALG.EXE
Process name: Application Layer Gateway Service
Product: Windows
Company: Microsoft
File: alg.exe

Application Layer Gateway service is a component of Windows OS. It is required if you use a third-party firewall or Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to connect to the internet. If you end this program using the Task Manager, you will lose all Internet connectivity until your next system restart or login.
Note: The alg.exe file is located in the folder C:\Windows\System32. In other cases, alg.exe is a virus, spyware, trojan or worm! Check this with Security Task Manager.
CSRSS.EXE
The Microsoft Client Server Runtime Server subsystem utilizes the process csrss.exe for managing the majority of the graphical instruction sets under the Microsoft Windows operating system. As such Csrss.exe provides the critical functions of the operating system, and its termination can result in the Blue Screen of Death being displayed.

Csrss.exe controls threading and Win32 console window features. Threading is where the application splits itself into multiple simultaneous running tasks. Threads supported by csrss.exe are different from processes in that threads are commonly contained within the process, with various threads sharing resources within the same process. The Win32 console is the plain text window in the Windows API system (programs can use the console without the need for image display).

In mobile devices such as notebooks and laptops, the process csrss.exe is closely dependent on power management schemes implemented by the system as defined under the Control Panel option.
SMSS.EXE
There are many processes that run behind the scenes in Window's operating systems. One of these processes that may look suspicious is the SMSS.exe. This is an execution file with the full name Session Management Subsystem.

The Session Manager Subsystem is responsible for starting a user's session. When this process begins, the system thread is responsible for a number of specific tasks including launching the Winlogon, specific Win32 processes and among other items, setting the system variables.

Many computer users first notice the SMSS.exe process when a system shuts down abnormally. For instance, when a Winlogon ends normally, this process usually has no problem fulfilling its tasks, however, when a system shuts down abnormally or unexpectedly, the SMSS.exe causes a "hang" which is when the system stops responding.

SPOOLSV.EXE

A Microsoft Windows file stored in the c:\windows\system32 or c:\winnt\system32 directory that has the file description: Spooler SubSystem App. This file is responsible for how Microsoft Windows handles print and fax jobs on your computer.

The spoolsv.exe is taking up 99%, 100% or other abnormal high amount of CPU.

This is caused when there are still printer jobs in the Windows spool. To manually remove these print jobs follow the below steps.

Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.
In the Control Panel double-click the Administrative Tools and then Services.
Within services locate Print Spooler and right-click it and select Stop.
Once this process has been stopped leave the windows open and open My Computer and browse the the below folder.

c:\windows\system32\spool\PRINTERS

or

c:\winnt\system32\spool\PRINTERS
In this folder delete all the files in the PRINTERS folder. Once these have been deleted you can right-click the Print Spooler in the Services window and click Start to re-enable the service.

If this does not resolve your issue it's likely you have an issue with your printer drivers you have installed for your printers and/or you have a trojan, virus, or worm infected on the computer. Make sure you have the latest printer drivers for your printer. A listing of printer drivers can be found through our printer drivers page. Additionally make sure you have an antivirus protection program on the computer and that it's up-to-date. Additional information about updating your antivirus program can be found on document CH000533.

Spoolsv.exe generates errors and will be closed by Windows.

Errors caused by the spoolsv.exe file are often caused by other third-party software programs installed on the computer and/or the printer drivers installed on the computer. Make sure you have the latest printer drivers for your printer. A listing of printer drivers can be found through our printer drivers page. Additionally make sure you have an antivirus protection program on the computer and that it's up-to-date. Additional information about updating your antivirus program can be found on document CH000533.

SVCHOST.EXE

The file svchost.exe is the Generic Host Process for Win32 Services used for administering 16-bit-based dynamically linked library files (DLL files) including other supplementary support applications.

As operating systems became more complex Microsoft decided to run more software functionality from a dynamic link library (DLL) interface. However DLLs are unable to launch themselves and require at least one executable program, i.e. svchost.exe, is needed to bridge between the library process and the operating system.

Through the solitary file svchost.exe, the DLLs efficiently contain and dispense Win32 services as well as neatly facilitate the execution of svchost.exe’s own operations. Acting as a host, the file svchost.exe creates multiple instances of itself. The multiple executions of the file svchost.exe contribute to the stability and security of the operating system by reducing the possibility of a crashing process that causes a domino effect on its neighbor processes, thereby creating a system-wide crash in the machine. We strongly recommend that you run a FREE registry scan to identify svchost.exe related errors.

SERVICES.EXE

services.exe is a part of the Microsoft Windows Operating System and manages the operation of starting and stopping services. This process also deals with the automatic starting of services during the computers boot-up and the stopping of services during shut-down. This program is important for the stable and secure running of your computer and should not be terminated. We strongly recommend that you run a FREE registry scan to identify services.exe related errors.

LSASS.EXE

"lsass.exe" is the Local Security Authentication Server. It verifies the validity of user logons to your PC or server. Lsass generates the process responsible for authenticating users for the Winlogon service. This is performed by using authentication packages such as the default, Msgina.dll. If authentication is successful, Lsass generates the user's access token, which is used to launch the initial shell. Other processes that the user initiates then inherit this token. The lsass.exe file is located in the folder C:\Windows\System32.

WUAUCLT.EXE

Wuauclt.exe is the AutoUpdate Client of Windows Update and is used to check for available updates (for the various versions of the MS Windows platform) from Microsoft Update. The wuauclt.exe file is included in the Task Manager’s list of active processes when it is waiting for a response or an action to be performed by the user.

Aside from updating a user’s MS Windows-based system, the wuauclt.exe file also looks for MS Windows-based software and hardware updates. These updates can help a user avoid stability issues and even security risks or system vulnerabilities.

The Automatic update feature embedded on MS Windows can be manually turned on or off and can also be scheduled by the user. The user can proceed to Control Panel and open Automatic Updates in order to access the set of update options provided by this MS Windows utility.

SPEED BOOT TIME

2009-08-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

System BIOS Changes

One of the first places to help speed boot time in Windows is to make some simple changes to the system BIOS. The BIOS or Basic Input/Output System is a set of instructions and commands built into the motherboard that allows the computer to know what type of hardware is connected and how to communicate with that hardware. You'll first have to gain access to the BIOS setup screen to make any changes. Do not make changes to the system settings in the BIOS lightly, one mistake can render the computer unbootable and cause more problems than its worth. For this reason, do not attempt making changes to the system BIOS unless you are willing to accept the risk along with it. With that said, you'll want to follow the directions below and make some simple changes to speed up the boot process.

1) You must start with the computer completely off, not in sleep or hibernation mode. Then turn the computer on.

2) Enter the system BIOS screen by the manufacturers suggestion. Depending on the computer, this may involve pressing the DEL key, pressing F1, Pressing F10, holding down CTRL-ALT-S, or a variety of other keystrokes to get to the BIOS screen. For a more complete list of keystrokes to enter the BIOS screen, visit Michael Steven's page on the subject.

3) Once in the BIOS setup, look for a BOOT menu and select it with your keyboard arrow keys, Tab, and Enter.
4) In most modern BIOS screens, you'll find an option for Quick Boot. Enable this to skip memory tests and other minor Power On Self Tests (POST).

Quick Boot Mode

5) Find an option for Boot Device Priority next, and change the first boot device to be the hard drive. Changing this option will speed up the boot process, but it will also not allow the computer to boot from a floppy disk or CD-ROM. If booting from anything other than the hard drive is important to you, please skip this step. If later on, you need to boot from a CD-ROM, simply re-enter the BIOS setup and make the CD-ROM the first boot device.

Boot Device Priority

6) Choose the option to Exit and Save Changes and the computer will reboot.

There are other options in the BIOS to speed up boot time such as choosing the exact settings for your hard drive, and disabling AUTO DETECT of hard drives and other media. However I am skipping those changes and leaving them for a later discussion.

Changes to Windows Settings

The next group of changes to consider will be to the many Windows settings. We will use a handy tool called the System Configuration Utility to accomplish most of these changes. Follow the steps below to open and use this tool.

Startup Tab Changes

1) Click on Start, Run and type MSCONFIG and press Enter

2) Click on the STARTUP tab in the System Configuration Utility to view all the items that begin on Startup. An example is shown below.

MSCONFIG Startup Tab

Each item on the Startup tab that is checked loads immediately after Windows starts. If there are lots of items here, this will slow down the boot time for Windows considerably. Each of these items can be toggled on or off simply by using the checkmark box to the left of the item.

The column directly to right of the checkmark is the Name of the program, while the next column over is the location on the hard drive or other device of the file. Finally the last column shows where in the computer the file is started from. This location could be in the registry as is the case with all the locations that begin with HKLM or HKCU, or it could be in the Windows Startup folder found under ALL PROGRAMS in Windows XP.

You can examine each of these startup items and uncheck any that are not necessary. How do you know which ones are not necessary? Well, in most computer configurations, you'll want drivers running for your graphics or video controller and sound card, and most likely an antivirus and firewall running. Other startup items are usually extras that could be eliminated from boot up. To discover what a particular item is used for, jot down the name for the item and go over to a site called Process Library, type in the name of the process and click Find. This is a very handy tool for discovering which startup items are truly needed.

When you are done modifying the checkmarks to the Startup tab, click OK and you'll be asked to reboot the system.

Windows Services Changes

Once the computer is rebooted, click on Start, Run and type MSCONFIG and press Enter again. This will reopen the System Configuration Utility. Click on the Services tab, then click on the option at the bottom called "Hide All Microsoft Services" to see what unnecessary Windows services are running that can be removed. Generally speaking, you want services related to your video/sound cards and antivirus or firewall programs left running. Other services may not be essential and can be removed. Remember to only remove unessential services or you risk experiencing boot problems. Use Google to search for information on unfamiliar services. Another good resource is Black Viper's Strange Services page.

Windows Services in MSCONFIG

Hardware Changes to Increase Boot Time

Adding more Memory (RAM)

Other than upgrading the motherboard and CPU, you can generally increase the amount of RAM in your computer to make it load programs and applications faster and provide a more enjoyable computing experience. You'll want to check your motherboard to make sure you have available slots and the maximum amount of RAM you can add to your particular motherboard.

Replacing your Hard Drive with a Faster RPM Drive

If you have a slower hard drive such as a 5400 RPM or slower, you may want to consider upgrading to a faster 7200 RPM
hard drive. The difference in RPM speed will generally be quite noticeable.

Changing to Static IP

If your computer is connected to a local area network that you control and you have a DHCP server enabled on your router, during the boot process the computer queries the network to valid IP address. You can shave seconds off your boot time by assigning a valid IP address to your computer instead of using DHCP to assign it. To setup a Static IP for your computer, follow these directions.

1) Click on Start, Run
2) Type NCPA.CPL and press Enter to open the Network Connection Control Panel
3) Right-click on the Local Area Connection and choose Properties
4) Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties
5) You should see a screen similar to the one below. Fill in your static IP, subnet, default gateway, and DNS server information and click OK. If you aren't sure of your IP ranges on your router, consult your router manual or a friend that is more knowledgeable in networking terminology. Again, this is an optional item and does not necessarily need to be accomplished. Using DHCP is fine, although you sacrifice a few seconds for an IP to be assigned to from the network.

Assigning a Static IP Address

Switching from Master/Slave to Cable Select

In a recent article, I talk about how changing the configuration on the hard drive from Master to Cable Select reduced the boot time on this particular machine by 2 minutes.

Other Windows Performance Tips

Reduce the Number of Fonts installed

Every font that is installed in Windows has to load when Windows starts. The more fonts you have installed, the slower Windows loads. Although you can safely have around 1000 fonts loaded in Windows, I like to keep my font list closer to 300-500 or fewer if possible. There are certain fonts that are definitely required by Windows, so be careful in removing any fonts from your computer unless you know they are not needed. Fonts such as Verdana,Arial,Trebuchet, Tahoma, Tahoma, Times New Roman, MS Sans Serif, and Courier New should be left on your system. Follow the directions below to remove extra fonts from Windows XP.

1) Open My Computer
2) Double-click on Drive C
3) Click on File, New Folder and title it Fonts Backup
4) Double-click on the Windows folder to open it
5) Double-click on the Fonts folder
6) Highlight the fonts you wish to remove, click on Edit and choose COPY
7) Navigate back to the C:\Fonts Backup folder and PASTE these fonts into your backup folder
8) Return to the Fonts Folder and right-click on any fonts you previously copied to the backup folder, then choose Delete.

If you accidentally removed a font, simply reverse the procedure by copying and pasting the font back into the Windows\Fonts folder.

Disk Cleanup, Scandisk, and Defrag

Performing regular hard drive maintenance on your computer every few months will not only catch problems before they cause serious damage but also make your hard drive run at its optimal level. Follow these instructions to clean up the drive and defrag it.

1) Open My Computer
2) Right-click on the hard drive usually Drive C
3) Click on the Tools tab
4) Under Error Checking, click on Check Now. Optionally, you may want to check the boxes to "Automatically Fix File Errors" and "Scan For and Attempt Recovery for Bad Sectors"
5) Next, click on the General tab and click on Disk Cleanup. After the computer calculates the amount of files to remove, place a checkmark next to the type of files you wish to remove and click Ok. Read the descriptions for each type of file to determine if you should delete it.
6) Finally, click on the Tools tab again and under Defragmentation click Defragment Now
7) Click on the hard drive you wish to defrag, click on Analyze and then click on Defragment. This process may take some time to complete.

Virus/Spyware Scans

Finally, you'll want to complete a thorough virus and spyware scan of your system. I recommend running an online virus scan first, then a check for spyware. You can click on the following links to check your system for viruses.

Online Virus Scanners

Trend Micro Housecall
BitDefender Scan Online
Ewido Online Scanner
Jotti's Online Malware Scan
Kaspersky Online Scanner
Panda Activescan
McAfee FreeScan
eTrust Antivirus Web Scanner
Symantec Security Check
Dr.Web Online Check

Trojan Scanner
TrojanScan by WindowsSecurity.com

Spyware Scanners

Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE 1.06
Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4
Microsoft Windows Defender
Using a Different Antivirus, Firewall, or AntiSpyware Program

If your computer is still running slow after changing and checking all of these options, it might be time to use a different program for antivirus, firewall, or antispyware security. A blog on the net called The PC Spy has a graph displaying the boot delay time from most of the popular products on the market including Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, ZoneAlarm, and more.

Not surprisingly, Symantec's Internet Security products top the list with a 40+ % boot delay, followed by Panda Antivirus, and Zone Alarm. So, while these products may help prevent infections and attacks, they also are contributing greatly to the slowdown your computer is experiencing. Avast, AVG, NOD32, and others perform much better according to this chart.

Tips or Myths

There are other miscellanous tips on the web that may help speed up the Windows boot time, but there are also some very controversial ones.

Emptying the Windows Prefetch Folder

The Prefetch folder found at C:\WINDOWS\PREFETCH is often a source of controversy concerning its effect on boot time. This folder preloads some applications to enable faster opening of the most used programs. There are tips on the web that point to changing a registry value or emptying the prefetch folder will improve boot time. From my experience, deleting the contents of the prefetch folder DOES NOT improve boot time and only slows the time required to open programs. There is a limit to how many items will be loaded into the folder so it doesn't get overloaded, so why would anyone empty this folder when its purpose is to speed up loading of applications. You can read more about the Prefetch Myth on XP Myths.

Disable the Windows Boot Logo

Many sites recommend disabling the animated Windows boot logo to help speed up the time it takes to boot. Although it may decrease the time by a couple seconds, the anxiety caused by facing a blank screen and wondering if Windows has stalled or froze during bootup outweighs the second or two you may save. Although if you wish to disable the Windows boot logo, follow these steps:

1) Click on Start, Run and type MSCONFIG and press Enter
2) Click on the BOOT.INI tab
3) Click the NOGUIBOOT checkbox and click OK
4) Reboot the computer

Using BootVis

When Windows XP first came out, Microsoft had a utility called BootVis, which was a performance tracing tool that Microsoft developed from software developers and system designers. It was used to identify performance issues while developing new PC products, but is no longer distributed. Microsoft states on their web page for BootVis

"Please note that Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resume performance for end users. Contrary to some published reports, Bootvis.exe cannot reduce or alter a system's boot or resume performance. The boot optimization routines invoked by Bootvis.exe are built into Windows XP. These routines run automatically at pre-determined times as part of the normal operation of the operating system."

I personally have tried Bootvis and saw a couple seconds improvement on overall boot time, but nothing extreme in lowering overall bootup speed.

Conclusion

Although I tried to include as much information as possible in this article, I have intentionally left some tips, hacks, and changes out. The basic steps in this article should improve your system boot up time considerably which in turn should give you a happier computing experience.

If you wish to offer other suggestions, please email them to expertsquestions@gmail.com

SPEED POPUP

2009-08-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

You can use this tip to speed up the Start Menu in Windows XP release candidate 1. You can customize the speed of the Start Menu by editing a Registry Key.
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type Regedit in the box, and then click OK.
3. Expand the menu in the left panel and select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop folder.
4. Scroll down in the right panel and double click on the MenuShowDelay file.
5. In the Value Data box, change to default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1.
6. Click OK.
Caution: Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, you should back up any valued data on your computer.

REMOVE MSN

2009-08-15T07:18:00.001-07:00

Want to remove MSN Messenger?

A lot of people want to know how to remove the MSN Messenger service from XP... here's how:
Locate SYSOC.INF in the \Windows\INF folder (hidden file and folder), Open it in Notepad and locate the line: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Remove the word "hide" from the line and save the file. You will now have an entry in add/remove programs. Do what you will :)
OR (XP Pro Only) leave it installed, but tell Windows to never let it run. If you're running XP Professional, you can use GPEDIT.MSC to prevent Messenger from loading. Otherwise, even disabling it in startup won't cause it to "always" not run. NOTE: Outlook, Outlook Express and some Microsoft web pages can still make it load.

· Start, Run and enter GPEDIT.MSC

· Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Messenger

· You can now modify whether it starts initially and/or whether it's to run at all.

UPDATE: I have recieved some email that say this fix slows down outlook when starting, that is because outlook wants to start messenger when it starts, the easiest and fastest way to disable messenger and still have a quickj starttime with outlook is to rename the exe file, located here c:\program files\messenger\msmsgs.exe, to something other than msmsgs.exe, such as msmsgsnew.exe.

DMA

2009-08-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Direct Memory Access
The advantage of using Direct Memory Access (DMA) with IDE CD-ROM and disk drives is that it lowers CPU usage during I/O transfers. This drastically improves performance when using these devices.

Ensure that your drive supports DMA before making these changes, otherwise it could lead to unpredictable results. To use DMA:

1. Open Control Panel > System > Device Manager.

2. Click the + sign next to the Disk drives entry.

3. Select the drive you want to enable DMA for and click Properties.

4. On the Settings tab, there should be a DMA check box. You can enable this to enable DMS for the drive.

Note: If there is no check box (or it is greyed out), your motherboard chipset does not support the feature. If the check box is not checked after you restart your system, your hard disk probably has been automatically disabled again because the hard disk may not support DMA. If you are unable to restart Windows after the change is applied, boot to Safe Mode and disable DMA from here.

Stands for "Direct Memory Access." DMA is a method of transferring data from the computer's RAM to another part of the computer without processing it using the CPU. While most data that is input or output from your computer is processed by the CPU, some data does not require processing, or can be processed by another device. In these situations, DMA can save processing time and is a more efficient way to move data from the computer's memory to other devices.

For example, a sound card may need to access data stored in the computer's RAM, but since it can process the data itself, it may use DMA to bypass the CPU. Video cards that support DMA can also access the system memory and process graphics without needing the CPU. Ultra DMA hard drives use DMA to transfer data faster than previous hard drives that required the data to first be run through the CPU.

In order for devices to use direct memory access, they must be assigned to a DMA channel. Each type of port on a computer has a set of DMA channels that can be assigned to each connected device. For example, a PCI controller and a hard drive controller each have their own set of DMA channels.

SPEED UP CONNECTION

2009-08-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

Speed-up your Connecting time
To Speed-up the time it takes for Dial Up Networking to establish a connection with your ISP:

1. Open Dial-Up Networking.

2. Right-click your connection and choose Properties.

3. On the Server Types Tab, under Advanced Options, make sure that the check-box for Log on to network is unchecked.

4. Under Allowed network protocols select only TCP/IP and uncheck NetBEUI & IPX/SPX

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Cable Modems
Modems
DSL Lines
ISDN Lines

Step 1

Configure your browser so it won't display graphics, animations, sound, video or other multimedia content (see "How to Turn Off Sounds, Pictures or Video on Web Pages").
Step 2

Surf when Internet traffic is low. Heaviest traffic is usually on weekends and evenings.
Step 3

Use your cache effectively. "Cache" refers to storage space where your recently visited Web sites are saved. You may need to resize your cache allotment, or you may need to purge your cache periodically. Look through your browser's menus for items named Cache, Temporary Internet files and so on.
Step 4

Upgrade your modem. 56.6 kb/s modems are the fastest telephone modems available.
Step 5

Consult with your Internet service provider to ensure that your modem is configured correctly.
Step 6

Replace your telephone modem with a fast-access connection such as wave, ISDN, DSL, satellite, a cable modem and so on.

Tips & Warnings

Cable, ISDN and DSL connections may not be available in every area. Expect to pay a higher price than you would for a modem and normal telephone line (even a dedicated one).
Configuring your browser not to display graphics and other multimedia content will speed up your surfing, but you'll miss out on content that's presented through sound, video or images.

Increase BROADBAND

This is for broad band connections. I didn’t try it on dial up but might work for dial up.

1. make sure your logged on as actually "Administrator". do not log on with any account that just has administrator privileges.

2. start - run - type gpedit.msc

3. expand the "local computer policy" branch

4. expand the "administrative templates" branch

5. expand the "network branch"

6. Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in left window

7. in right window double click the "limit reservable bandwidth" setting

8. on setting tab check the "enabled" item

9. where it says "Bandwidth limit %" change it to read 0

Effect is immediate on some systems, some need to re-boot. This is more of a "counter what XP does" thing. In other words, programs can request up to 20% of the bandwidth be reserved for them, even with QoS disabled, this is no big deal and most programs do not request it. So, although QOS has caused a big stink because people think it reserves 20% of their bandwidth, you can still disable it

OPERATING SYSTEM

2009-08-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

The most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

For large systems, the operating system has even greater responsibilities and powers. It is like a traffic cop -- it makes sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. The operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system.

Operating systems can be classified as follows:
# multi-user : Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users.
# multiprocessing : Supports running a program on more than one CPU.
# multitasking : Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
# multithreading : Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.
# real time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as DOS and UNIX, are not real-time.

Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS, OS/2, and Windows, but others are available, such as Linux.

As a user, you normally interact with the operating system through a set of commands. For example, the DOS operating system contains commands such as COPY and RENAME for copying files and changing the names of files, respectively. The commands are accepted and executed by a part of the operating system called the command processor or command line interpreter. Graphical user interfaces allow you to enter commands by pointing and clicking at objects that appear on the screen.

XP TRICKS 5

2009-08-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

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Don't Ignore the Windows Logo Key

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 + tab: Move through taskbar buttons.

Windows + L: Lock the workstation (or switch to the Logon screen w/Fast User Switching enabled).

Windows + U: Open Utility Manager.

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Fast User Switching

If you have multiple users logged on to your machine, you can bypass the Welcome screen to switch users:

Go to the User tab in Task Manager, right-click on a user and choose Connect.

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Place a "Run" Icon On Your Desktop

Open the Start Menu and drag the Run option on to your desktop.

You may want to rename it to get rid of the ampersand. Now you will be able to double-click the "Run" icon on your desktop to go directly to the Run dialog.

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Skip the Recycle Bin Confirmation Message

When you delete items by moving them to the Recycle Bin, Windows displays a message confirming the deletion: "Are you sure you want to send FILENAME to the Recycle Bin?" If you’re tired of clicking an answer to that question, you can configure Windows XP to skip the confirmation message whether or not you’re using the Recycle Bin.

Right-click the Recycle Bin, and then click Properties.

In the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box, clear the Display delete confirmation dialog check box, and then click OK.

If you don’t want to use the Recycle Bin at all, in the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box, select the Do not move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted check box.

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Manually Install Backup in Windows XP Home Edition

The Backup utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. The Backup icon is not present on the Start menu in Windows XP Home Edition, nor is Backup listed in Add/Remove Programs for Windows XP Home Edition. The backup program is found on the Windows XP Home Edition CD in the Valueadd folder.

Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file in the following location on the Windows XP Home Edition CD to start a wizard that installs Backup:

CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP

When the wizard is complete, click Finish.

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Create a Keyboard Shortcut to Open a Folder

Do you have a folder to which you want instant access from anywhere on your computer? For example, if you want the My Music folder to pop up while Internet Explorer or Word is maximized, follow these steps:

Select the folder in Windows Explorer.

Create a shortcut, and place it on the desktop. (You create a shortcut by opening the folder, pointing to New on the File menu, then clicking Shortcut. Drag the shortcut to your desktop.)

Right–click the new shortcut, and then click Properties.

In the Properties dialog box, click the Shortcut tab, and in the Shortcut key box, enter a Control key combination or a Control–Shift key combination, (that is, Ctrl+Alt+M or Ctrl+SHIFT+M when M is for music), and then click OK.

Anytime you hit the key combination you specified, your folder will open, even when other programs are maximized! This tip can be applied to folders, programs, and text file shortcuts that are placed on the desktop.

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Add an Item to the Send To Menu

You can create a new shortcut on the Send To menu, for example, one that goes to a frequently-used folder.

Open My Computer, and double-click the drive where Windows is installed, which is usually drive C.

Double-click the Documents and Settings folder, and then double-click the folder for the particular user.

Double-click the Send To folder. The Send To folder is hidden by default. To see the Send To folder, click Tools, click Folder Options, and then click Show hidden files and folders.

On the File menu, point to New, and then click Shortcut.

Follow the instructions to create a shortcut.

Now, when you right-click a file, and click Send To, the shortcut to the item you selected will be an option. You can create shortcuts to local or network programs, files, folders, computers, or Internet addresses.

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Change the Picture on the Welcome Screen

If your computer is a member of a workgroup or is a stand-alone computer, you can replace the picture on the Welcome screen with another picture. First, store a head shot that you’ve scanned or taken with a digital camera in the My Pictures folder. The picture will be automatically resized to fit the picture box, so don’t worry too much about getting an exact size, and then follow these steps:

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.

Click your account name, and then click Change My Picture.

Click the picture you like, and then click Change Picture.

To find the user’s picture, click Browse for more pictures, click the picture you want to use, and then click Open.

Now, when you open the Welcome screen, you will see the new picture.

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Change the Start Menu Style

Does the new Windows XP Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:

Right–click the Start button, and then click Properties.

Click Classic Start menu.

Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.

By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop.

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Add a Map Drive Button to the Toolbar

Do you want to quickly map a drive, but can’t find the toolbar button? If you map drives often, use one of these options to add a Map Drive button to the folder toolbar.

Option One (Long Term Fix):

Click Start, click My Computer, right-click the toolbar, then unlock the toolbars, if necessary.

Right-click the toolbar again, and then click Customize.

Under Available toolbar buttons, locate Map Drive, and drag it into the position you want on the right under Current toolbar buttons.

Click Close, click OK, and then click OK again.

You now have drive mapping buttons on your toolbar, so you can map drives from any folder window. To unmap drives, follow the above procedure, selecting Disconnect under Available toolbar buttons. To quickly map a drive, try this option.

Option Two (Quick Fix):

Click Start, and right-click My Computer.

Click Map Network Drive.

If you place your My Computer icon directly on the desktop, you can make this move in only two clicks!

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Add Familiar Icons Back to Your Desktop

It’s the case of the missing icons. Many of you may be wondering where all the icons from your desktop are in Windows XP? You can place at least My Computer, My Network Places, and My Documents on the desktop.

Right-click on the desktop, and then click Properties.

Click the Desktop tab and then click on Customize Desktop.

Put a check mark in the box next to My Document, My Computer, My Network Places, or Internet Explorer, to add those familiar icons to your desktop.

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Unlock Toolbars to Customize Them

Windows XP now features locking toolbars, and you can adjust them. You can customize a lot of the Windows XP features such as the Taskbar, Start Menu, and even toolbar icons in Internet Explorer and Outlook Express.

Right-click on a toolbar, and then click Lock the Toolbars to remove the check mark.

Right-click on the toolbar again, and then click Customize. You can add and remove toolbar buttons, change text options and icon options.

When you've got the toolbar customized, click Close.

Now right-click on the toolbar and then click Lock the Toolbars to lock them in place.

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Keep Your Favorite Programs Near the Top of the Start Menu

Do you have a favorite program that you frequently use? Elevate its priority on the Start menu by putting it at the top of the list. This ensures that the program will remain on the Start menu and cannot be bumped by other programs, even if you use the others more frequently.

Right-click the link to your favorite program on the Start menu and select Pin to Start Menu.

Your program will be moved permanently to the top part of the list, just below your browser and e-mail programs.

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Use the Address Bar to Launch Programs or Web Pages

Windows XP Professional enhanced the functionality of the Address bar to make it easier to launch your favorite programs. You can add the Address bar to the taskbar on the bottom of your desktop. Then you can launch programs simply by entering their names in the Address bar.

For example, to launch Calculator, simply enter calc in the Address bar. Anything you would normally enter in the Run box on the Start menu can be entered in the Address bar. The Address bar also lets you quickly go to any Web page you specify.

Right-click an empty area on the taskbar.

Point to Toolbars, and then click Address.

Open the Address bar by double-clicking it.

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Create a Personal Screen Saver

For a great way to put your digital photos to work, try creating a slide show presentation for use as a screen saver.

Right–click an empty spot on your desktop, and then click Properties.

Click the Screen Saver tab.

In the Screen saver list, click My Pictures Slideshow.

Click Settings to make any adjustments, such as how often the pictures should change, what size they should be, and whether you’ll use transition effects between pictures, and then click OK.

Now your screen saver is a random display of the pictures taken from your My Pictures folder.

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Turn on ClearType Font-Rendering Technology

Get that extra text clarity you've always wanted. The incredible Microsoft ClearType® technology can be enabled in Windows XP to smooth all fonts at all sizes, making the whole system so much easier to read. I don't know how I lived without it!

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Appearance and Themes.

Click the Display icon, click the Appearance tab, and then click Effects.

Click the Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts check box to select it, and select ClearType from the list.

Click OK, and then click OK again.

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Use a Shortcut to Local Area Network Connection Information

Something new in Windows XP—instead of using the command line program and typing ipconfig to find local area network information, you can use the following shortcut:

Click Start, point to Connect to, and then click Show All Connections.

Right–click the connection you want information about, and then click Status.

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.

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Synchronize Your Computer Clock with an Internet Time Server

Does your computer have the right time? If your computer is not part of a domain, you can synchronize your computer clock with an Internet time server.

Double–click the time on your task bar.

Click the Internet Time tab.

Select the time server you want to use and make sure to select the Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server check box.

Make sure that you have set the correct date before you attempt to synchronize your clock, because the Internet time server won’t update the time if the date is wrong.

If you have a personal or network firewall, you may have to tweak the settings to unblock time synchronization.

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Renew and Release IP Addresses

You can use the command-line tool IPCONFIG to get network information such as your IP address and to perform other tasks for troubleshooting network issues.

However, if you prefer a graphical user interface over command lines, you can download a GUI tool that will run on Windows XP and Windows 2000. The tool that’s installed is Wntipcfg.exe.

The tool identifies your IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway for each of your network interfaces, including the interface for your network adapter, your dial-up networking interface, and your PPTP interface. It allows you to click a button to Release, Renew, Release all, or Renew all when configuring an IP address.

To download and install the tool:

Open the Windows 2000 Resource Kit tool download page Wntipcfg.exe: Windows NT IPConfig Utility

Click the download link in the box at the top right corner of the page.

In the File Download dialog box, select Save this program to disk.

Select a location on your computer to save the file, and then click Save.

In Windows Explorer, go to the location where you saved the downloaded file, double-click the file to start the installation process, and then follow the instructions.

To provide quick access from the Run line, install the program to C:\Documents and Setting\yourusername or the equivalent. Or, create a shortcut to the program on your start menu or desktop.

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Customize the Internet Explorer 6 Toolbar

You can choose which features you want on the Internet Explorer 6 toolbar. If you want to simplify the toolbar, you can remove icons, change to smaller icons, or remove the text labels displayed next to the icons.

Right–click the Standard toolbar, and then click Customize.

In the Text options list, click No text labels to remove them.

In the Icon options list, click Small icons to change the default setting.

In the Current toolbars list, click any icon that you want to remove, and then click Remove.

To keep your changes safe, right–click the toolbar again, and make sure to select the Lock Toolbars check box.

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Change Web Page Font Size on the Fly

If your mouse contains a wheel for scrolling, you can change font size on the fly when viewing a Web page.

Press and hold Ctrl.

Scroll down (or towards yourself) to enlarge the font size.

Scroll up (or away from yourself) to reduce the font size.

You might find it useful to reduce font size when printing a Web page, so that you can fit more content on the page.

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Use AutoComplete to Enter Addresses Faster in Internet Explorer 6

The AutoComplete feature in Internet Explorer 6 can fill in the prefix and suffix of Web addresses so all you must enter is the name.

Just type the name in the address bar and hold down the Control key while you press Enter. Internet Explorer 6 automatically adds the http:// and the www. and the .com.

For example, click in Address bar and type MSN, and then hold down the Control key and press Enter. Internet Explorer 6 will go to the address http://www.msn.com

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Manually Put Your Computer Into Hibernation

If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional with Fast User Switching turned on, the Turn Off Computer menu will present the options to Stand By, Turn Off, or Restart your computer. You might want to put your computer into Hibernate mode, a cool feature in Windows XP that is hidden in the Turn Off Computer box.

To manually place your computer into hibernation (after enabling hibernation on your computer) follow this tip:

Click Start, and then click Turn off computer.

Press and hold the Shift key. The label under the first button on the left changes from Stand By to Hibernate.

Click the Hibernate button.

To enable hibernation support on your computer:

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators or Power Users group. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent this procedure.

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Power Options.

Click the Hibernate tab, and then select the Enable hibernate support check box. If the Hibernate tab is not available, your hardware does not support this feature.

Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box.

Note: When you put your computer into hibernation, everything in computer memory is saved on your hard disk. When you turn the computer back on, all programs and documents that were open when you turned the computer off are restored on the desktop.

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Add a Voice Message to an E-Mail Message

Personalize e-mail with a voice message? You can perform this task using the Windows XP Sound Recorder and a microphone. First, open the sound recorder:

Click Start, click Programs, click Accessories, click Entertainment, and then click Sound Recorder.

On the File menu, click New.

To begin recording, click Record, and to stop recording, click Stop.

Save the .wav file to a folder of your choice.

Attach the file to an e-mail message.

To record sounds, your computer must be equipped with a microphone. Recorded sounds are saved as waveform (.wav) files.

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Stop Windows Messenger From Signing In

If you’re running Windows Messenger and it signs you in, even when you don’t want it to, follow these steps to turn off signing in automatically:

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.

On the Advanced tab, click Manage Passwords.

In Store User Names and Passwords, select Passport.Net/*, and then click Remove. This removes your Passport’s connection to your computer, but doesn’t delete your Passport.

Click Close, and then click OK.

When you restart Windows Messenger, it won’t sign you in automatically.

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Activate NetMeeting

Using NetMeeting, you can participate in virtual meetings, work in shared applications, and share data over the Internet or your company intranet. NetMeeting is actually already installed after you perform a full install of Windows XP, but it won’t appear on the Start menu until it's activated.

Click Start, then Run, and enter Conf.

Click OK.

In the NetMeeting Wizard, supply the necessary information, and then select the Put a shortcut to NetMeeting on my desktop (or on my Quick Launch bar) check box.

NetMeeting should start and is now listed in the most frequently used programs list on the Start menu.

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Add Administrative Tools to Your Start Menu

If you are an administrator to your Windows XP Professional machine, you might want to be able to perform administrative functions. Yet, it is sort of a hassle to navigate to the Control Panel and select the Administrative Tools from there.

Right–click the Start menu, and then click Properties.

On the Start Menu tab, click Customize.

Click the Advanced tab, and under Start menu items, scroll to System Administrative Tools.

Click Display on the All Programs and the Start menu.

You can navigate through those tools right from the comforts of the Start menu.

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Access the Administrator Account from the Welcome Screen

If you are at the Welcome screen and want to log on with the Administrator account, but it’s not listed:

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice to bring up the Windows 2000 logon window, which then allows you to log on as Administrator.

Logging on at the Welcome screen is not available on computers that are members of a network domain.

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Three New Command-Line Tools

If you’re running Windows XP Professional, you can use a number of great new command-line tools:

Use schtasks.exe to script the scheduling of tasks from the command line.

Defragment your drives from the command line with defrag.exe.

Query all or any of the event logs from the command line with eventquery.vbs.

To execute some of these commands, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the computer that the command affects.

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Change Drive Letters in Windows XP

When you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive.

Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.

Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you’ll see your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.

Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you want to assign, and then click OK.

You will not be able to change the boot or system drive letter in this manner. Many MS-DOS-based and Windows-based programs make references to a specific drive letter (for example, environment variables). If you modify the drive letter, these programs may not function correctly.

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Temporarily Assign Yourself Administrative Permissions

Many programs require you to have Administrative permissions to be able to install them. Here is an easy way to temporarily assign yourself Administrative permissions while you remain logged in as a normal user.

Hold down the Shift key as you right-click on the program’s setup file.

Click Run as.

Type in a username and password that have Administrative permissions.

This will also work on applications in the Start menu.

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Enable Services to Work Through Internet Connection Firewall

When people are having trouble getting to specific programs or services on your Windows XP machine after you enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), you may need to enable the program or service to work through the firewall.

Click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.

Right-click your Internet connection, and then click Properties.

Click the Advanced tab in the Properties dialog box.

Click Settings, and the Advanced Settings dialog box opens.

From there you can enable most common services just by clicking them, or add your own by clicking the Add button.

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Disable the Shut Down Button on the Welcome Screen

Do you have little ones that like to click all over the screen when you’re not looking? Afraid of someone shutting down the computer without logging on?

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools.

Double-click Local Security Policy.

Expand Security Settings, then expand Local Policies, and then click Security Options.

In the right pane, double-click the Shutdown: Allow system to be shut down without having to log on policy, click the Disabled radio button, and then click OK.

No more shutting down without logging on!

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Create a Desktop Shortcut to Lock Your Computer

You secure your computer by locking it whenever you’re away from your desk. If you’re on a domain, by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del and then clicking Lock Computer, you can prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer. Only you and members of the Administrators group on your computer can unlock it. (You unlock it by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, typing your password, and then clicking OK.)

To create an even quicker means of securing your computer, place a shortcut on your desktop to lock your computer:

Right-click an open area of your desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.

In the Location box, type %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

Click Next, in the Name box type a name for the shortcut such as, Lock Computer, and then click Finish.

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Update Computer Clock Through a Firewall

If your computer is a member of a domain, your computer clock is probably synchronized automatically by a network time server. If your computer is not a member of a domain, you can synchronize your computer clock with an Internet time server.

However, the Internet Time service in its default state does not work with Internet Connection Firewall enabled on a dial-up connection in Windows XP.

Click Start, point to Connect to, and then click Show all connections.

Right-click your dial-up account, and then click Properties.

On the Advanced tab, click Settings.

Click the Add button, and type Internet Time Service for the description.

Enter 127.0.0.1 for the IP address, and enter 123 for both the External and Internal port numbers, and then make sure that TCP is selected.

Click OK three times until the Properties dialog box closes.

If you’re online, a message box tells you that you need to disconnect and reconnect for the settings to take effect. When you double-click the clock on the taskbar, and then click Update Now on the Internet Time tab, your clock will be synchronized with an Internet time server.

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Show Encrypted Files in Color

You can encrypt files and folders on NTFS volumes to hide their content from other users. To quickly identify encrypted files and folders in your system, follow this tip to display the name of the encrypted file or folder in color.

Double-click My Computer, and then click Folder Options on the Tools menu.

Click the View tab.

Select the Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color check box, and then click OK.

Now the name of the encrypted file or folder is listed in color within Windows Explorer. The EFS feature is not included in Windows XP Home Edition.

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Remove Record of Recently Used Documents

In Windows XP Professional, the Start menu contains a My Recent Documents folder that contains 15 of your recently used documents.

To remove the record of recently accessed documents:

Right-click Start, click Properties, and then click Customize.

Click the Advanced tab, and then click Clear List. If you're using the Classic Start menu, click Clear.

Clicking Clear List empties the My Recent Documents folder. It doesn’t delete the documents from your computer.

If you don’t want to include anything in the My Recent Documents folder:

On the Advanced tab, click Customize, and then clear the List my most recently opened documents check box.

In Windows XP Home Edition, My Recent Documents is not automatically listed on the Start menu. You can turn on this feature by right-clicking Start, clicking Properties, clicking Customize, and then selecting the List my most recently opened documents check box.

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Set Permissions for Shared Files and Folders

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.

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.

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Stop Getting Tricked into Running Viruses

Stop getting tricked into running viruses because you don’t see the file extension of an attachment.

Click Start, click My Computer, and on the Tools menu, click Folder Options.

Clear the Hide file extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK.

Now when you receive a file called something.jpg.vbs, you’ll see the .vbs extension and know that it is not an ordinary .jpg file.

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Install the Recovery Console on Your Computer

You can install the Recovery Console as an option on your startup menu and use it to recover your system in the event that safe mode and other startup options don’t work. This tool is for advanced users.

With Windows XP running, insert your Windows XP CD in the drive, and click Exit when the installation options are displayed.

Click Start, click Run, and then type D:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons Where D: is the CD-ROM drive letter, and then press Enter. (There is a space between .exe and the slash.)

Follow the instructions on screen to install the Recovery Console, and when the installation is complete, restart your computer. The Recovery Console will show up in the list of available operating systems in the Startup menu. You must be an administrator to use the Recovery Console.

If the i386 directory is already installed on your computer (as might be the case in computers purchased with Windows XP pre-installed), you can use the same syntax as in Step 2, using the [path]\i386 directory without having to use the CD.

An alternative method is to boot to the CD and start WINNT.EXE, then when prompted to Install or Repair, click Repair, which installs the Recovery Console for you.

If Windows XP will not start, you can run the Recovery Console from the Setup CD.

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Modify Boot.ini

Windows XP uses the Boot.ini file to determine the operating system options to display during the startup (boot) process. Boot.ini is set with the hidden and system file attributes and flagged as read-only by default.

Have you been changing Boot.ini lately? Are you tired of opening Folder Options, and clicking Show hidden files and folders on the View menu, so you can see Boot.ini in Windows Explorer? Or worse, did you forget to remove the read-only attribute before editing the file?

You can use the command-line tool, Bootcfg.exe, to quickly edit your Boot.ini file. You can modify the timeout (the amount of time Windows waits before choosing the default operating system), and add additional entries.

Click Start, click Run, and then type cmd.

Type bootcfg.exe

Check out bootcfg.exe /? for more options.

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Restore Declined Windows Update Reminders

Windows Update scans your computer and provides you with a selection of updates that apply only to the software and hardware on your computer. The updates include security fixes, drivers, critical updates, and the latest Help files to keep your computer up to date. If you choose not to install a specific update that has been downloaded, Windows deletes its files from your computer.

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.

On the Automatic Updates tab, click Restore Declined Updates.

If any of the updates you previously declined still apply to your computer, they will appear the next time Windows notifies you of available updates. You can always install specific updates from the Windows Update Web site, by opening Windows Update in Help and Support Center.

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Speed up Menu Display

You can use this tip to speed up the way menus display in Windows XP.

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and the click System.

Click the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click the Settings button.

Clear the Fade or slide menus into view check box, and then click OK.

Now when you bring up a collapsed menu, it will expand without delay.

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Compress Files and Folders in Windows XP

Running out of room on your hard disk? Need some extra space to install a new program? Don't worry, Windows XP comes to the rescue. Both Windows XP Professional and Home Edition now include a zip compression utility that you can use to compress files and folders on your hard disk.

To compress a file or folder:

Right–click the file or folder.

Point to Send To.

Then click Compressed (zipped) Folder.

This will make a compressed folder, identified by a zipper icon, which displays the same name as the file you compressed.

You can also make a compressed folder from scratch, by following these steps:

Right–click the desktop.

Point to New.

Click Compressed (zipped) Folder.

Open the new compressed folder and drag files inside that you would like compressed.

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Modify Settings to Improve Performance

Windows XP uses processor time to handle system performance according to default settings, which can be adjusted for your computing needs. Also, settings that govern visual effects enhance the appearance of the Windows XP interface, but can slow down performance.

Right–click My Computer, and then click Properties.

Click the Advanced tab, and in the Performance area, click Settings.

On the Visual Effects tab, click the Custom radio button, and then select which UI features to disable to improve performance.

Click the Advanced tab, and in the Processor scheduling area, click the Background services radio button. Selecting this option means that background tasks that you want to run while you work, such as backup utilities or print jobs, will share processor time equally with programs.

You may need to be logged on as an Administrator to make these changes. Note that applying these settings may change your current desktop theme.

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Perform a Repair Installation

How do you perform a reinstallation of Windows XP, sometimes called a repair installation?

Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. For more information about how to do this, refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer.

Then insert your Windows XP Setup CD, and restart your computer.

When the Press any key to boot from CD message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

Press ENTER when you see the message To setup Windows XP now, and then press ENTER displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen. Do not choose the option to press R to use the Recovery Console.

In the Windows XP Licensing Agreement, press F8 to agree to the license agreement. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press R to repair Windows XP.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

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Check for Disk Errors in Windows XP

The ScanDisk utility is not available in Windows XP. However, you can use the Error-Checking tool in Windows XP to check the integrity of your hard disk.

Double-click My Computer, and then right-click the local disk that you want to check.

Click Properties, and then click Tools.

Under Error-checking, click Check Now.

Under Check disk options, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box.

Click Start.

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Create Your Own Restore Points

Windows XP makes it easy for you to take a snapshot of critical system files before you make any major changes, such as installing new software, adding hardware devices, or changing the registry. (Windows XP automatically creates system restore points, called system checkpoints, but you can create your own to make it even easier to recover your system in case of a failure.) Note that using restore points doesn’t affect your personal files, such as the My Documents or Favorites folders.

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore.

In the System Restore dialog box, click Create a restore point, and then click Next.

Type a description for your restore point, such as "Before Office XP", then click Create.

If your system fails, press F8 in the boot menu, and then click Last known good configuration. Windows XP restores your system to the most recent restore point.

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Format Backup Drives with NTFS

Are you planning to backup your computer data using the Automated System Recovery Wizard or Backup utility in Windows XP Professional?

Be sure the destination drive, on which you store the backup, is formatted with the NTFS file system. The FAT32 file system can store no more than 4 gigabytes in a file. That may not be large enough for a backup file that contains everything on your computer. The NTFS file system does not have the 4-GB limitation on file size.

To convert the destination drive to NTFS:

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

Click Disk Management.

Right-click the volume (disk) you want to format (or reformat), and then click Format. Select the options you want, and then click OK.

To convert a volume to NTFS from the command prompt:

Click Start, click Run, and then type: cmd

Click OK.

In the command prompt window, type: convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs

For example, typing convert D: /fs:ntfs would format drive D: with the NTFS format.

For a safe backup, use a removable disk or tape as the destination for your backup files. In case of a total system disk failure, you can use this removable disk or tape and the floppy disk with system settings that you can create using the ASR Wizard to recover your system.

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Clear System Restore Points for Performance

You keep your system as clean as possible, clearing your Temp Folder, and Temporary Internet files. But what about other space hogs?

What about System Restore Points? By default, Windows XP creates a restore point after installing Windows XP, once every 10 hours that Windows XP is running, or every 24 hours. It also creates a restore point when you install a new program, or install an update to Windows XP. And you can manually create restore points at any time. You can end up with a number of restore point files, which can be large.

So how do you clean them out? First, make sure your system is stable. There will be a brief period when you won't have a restore point.

Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click System Restore.

Click to add a check mark beside Turn off System Restore on all Drives, and click Apply.

When you are warned that all existing Restore Points will be deleted, click Yes to continue.

All system restore points are deleted. Now you should manually create a restore point.

Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click System Restore.

Click Create a Restore Point, and then click Next.

Name your restore point. ( I use the date as well as a descriptive term such as "After Restore Point Deletion.")

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Disable Error Reporting

You can get rid of the Windows XP error report messages if you don't want to send another one in.

Click Start, and then click Run.

Type msconfig to open the System Configuration Utility.

Click the Services tab.

Clear the Error Reporting Service check box, and then click OK.

Hit Restart to reboot your system.

Your computer will now start without loading the error reporting service.

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Review Upgrade Report

Are one or more of your programs not working after an upgrade? Are you experiencing hardware issues? Did you forget to completely read the upgrade report during the upgrade to Windows XP? You can still review the upgrade report after Setup is complete.

Click Start, and then click Run.

Type upgrade.txt to review the upgrade report.

This document is stored in C:\WINDOWS.

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Roll Back to the Previous Version of a Driver

Have you ever installed a device driver that makes your system unstable? I know I have. Well, in Windows XP you can roll back such a change if it causes you problems!

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools.

Double–click Computer Management, and then click Device Manager in the left pane.

Right–click the device for which you'd like to roll back the drivers, and then click Properties.

On Driver tab of the Properties dialog box, click Roll Back Driver, and follow the wizard's instructions.

It's that simple, although you need to be an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to complete this procedure.

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Create an MS-DOS Startup Disk

You can easily create a bootable floppy disk by following these steps:

Place a blank disk in the floppy disk drive.

Click Start, and then click My Computer.

Right–click the floppy disk drive, and then click Format on the shortcut menu.

Click Create an MS–DOS startup disk, and then click Start. Now you’re on your way to a bootable startup disk.

Note: The MS-DOS startup disk only allows the system to boot into an MS-DOS prompt. The disk contains no additional tools.

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Create a Password Reset Disk

If you’re running Windows XP Professional as a local user in a workgroup environment, you can create a password reset disk to log onto your computer when you forget your password.

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.

Click your account name.

Under Related Tasks, click Prevent a forgotten password.

Follow the directions in the Forgotten Password Wizard to create a password reset disk.

Store the disk in a secure location, because anyone using it can access your local user account.

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Remove Icons for USB Devices from Notification Area

If you have an USB device attached to your system, you will notice an icon in the notification area. When you click this icon, you’re given the option to stop your hardware before you unplug it. It’s possible that you never unplug this hardware.

Right-click within the notification area, and then click Properties.

In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Appearance tab, and then click Advanced.

On the Taskbar tab, click Customize.

Select Safely remove hardware, and in the Behavior column, click Always hide.

You may also hide the icon for a particular USB device by right-clicking its icon on the taskbar, and then clicking Hide Icon.

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. This is the name for a class of hardware that makes it easy to add peripheral devices (such as a mouse, keyboard, joystick, or digital camera) to your computer. If your mouse, keyboard, game controller, scanner, or other device has a USB connector, you can plug it into a USB port.

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Turn On the Sticky Keys Feature

When a shortcut requires a key combination, the StickyKeys feature lets you press a modifier key, such as Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or the Windows Logo key, and have it remain active until another key is pressed.

Press the Shift key five times. A dialog box opens with instructions on how to set up the StickyKeys feature.

If you click OK, an icon (a group of squares) appears in the notification area.

To turn off StickyKeys, press the Shift-key five times.

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Turn Off Autoplay for Program CDs

How can you stop Windows XP from launching program CDs?

Click Start, click Run, type GPEDIT.MSC to open Group Policy in the Microsoft Management Console.

Double-click Computer Configuration, double-click Administrative templates, double-click System, and then click Turn off autoplay. The instructions on your screen describe how to configure this setting.

Click Properties to display the setting dialog. Click Enabled, and choose CD-ROM drives, then click OK, to stop CD autoplay. This setting does not prevent Autoplay for music CDs.

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Turn on ToggleKeys

ToggleKeys is designed for people who have vision impairment or cognitive disabilities. When ToggleKeys is turned on, your computer provides sound cues when the locking keys (CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK) are pressed. A high sound plays when the keys are switched on and a low sound plays when they are switched off.

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Accessibility Options.

Click the Keyboard tab, and under ToggleKeys, select the Use ToggleKeys check box.

To use the keyboard shortcut which allows you to turn ToggleKeys on and off by pressing the NUM LOCK key for five seconds, on the Keyboard tab, under ToggleKeys, click Settings.

If the Use shortcut check box in the Settings for ToggleKeys dialog box is selected, you can turn ToggleKeys on or off by holding down the NUM LOCK key for five seconds.

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Turn on High Contrast

High Contrast is designed for people who have vision impairment. High contrast color schemes can make the screen easier to view for some users by heightening screen contrast with alternative color combinations. Some of the schemes also change font sizes for easier reading.

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Accessibility Options.

On the Display tab, under High Contrast, select the Use High Contrast check box.

To turn off High Contrast, clear the Use High Contrast check box.

If the Use shortcut check box in the Settings for High Contrast dialog box is selected, you can turn High Contrast on or off by pressing the left ALT+Left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN keys (depending on the other settings you have selected in the Accessibility Options dialog box).

To open the Settings for High Contrast dialog box, open Accessibility Options, click the Display tab, and then, under High Contrast, click Settings.

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Use Your Keyboard if Your Mouse Goes Dead

If your mouse is not functioning, don't panic. You can use your keyboard to move around the Windows XP desktop. The keys to get used to are the Windows key, the arrow keys, and the Enter key.

Press the Windows key.

Press the up arrow key one time to highlight Shut Down, and then press Enter.

Press the up and down arrow key to select Shut Down from the menu, and then press Enter.

Use your Esc key to cancel.

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Move Your Taskbar to a New Spot

Is your taskbar taking up too much room? You can move it to any convenient location—simply drag it to the sides, top or bottom of your screen! You might need to unlock the taskbar first.

Right-click any open area on the Taskbar, then click Lock the Taskbar to clear the check mark.

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Add Favorites with One Keystroke

You can quickly add a Web page to your Favorites folder with a single keystroke. The page is automatically added to your Favorites list without any further input from you.

Press Ctrl+D.

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Set Your Browser to Open to a Page of Your Choice

Is there a site you always visit first when you browse the Web? Would you like it to be the first site you see when you start Internet Explorer? Just follow the steps below to change your home or "start" page.

Navigate to the Web page you want to see when you start Internet Explorer.

Click Tools on the menu bar, and then click Internet Options.

In the Home page area, click Use Current.

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Make Sure Downloaded Files Are Easy to Find Later

With Windows XP, it's easier than ever to download software updates, games, sounds, pictures—just about anything. But sometimes it's hard to find them again on your hard disk. To make sure you can, specify where you want a downloaded file to go.

After you've indicated you want to download an item, a dialog box asks "What do you want to do with this file?" Select Save this program to disk.

A dialog box opens where you can specify a folder where you want the file to go.

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Use Single-Click Everywhere

With single–click in Windows XP, navigating the files and folders on your hard disk is as easy as navigating the Web. You simply click an icon to open a program or document.

In the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, click Folder Options.

In the Click items as follows section, click Single–click to open an item (point to select).

Note: To access Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

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Turning AutoComplete Addresses On or Off

The AutoComplete feature in Outlook Express in Windows XP saves you time by automatically completing addresses that you type when composing e–mail messages. However, if you don't want to use this feature, you can easily turn it off.

On the Tools menu in Outlook Express, click Options > Send tab, and then clear the Automatically complete e–mail addresses when composing check box.

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Set Your Windows So They All Have the Same View

If you like to see lists of your files in a certain way—as large icons, for example, or with detailed information—Windows XP lets you set your view options for all your folders at once the way you want them.

On the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, click Folder Options.

Click the View tab.

Set the view for this folder the way you want it to be for all folders.

Click Like Current Folder, then click Yes to confirm, and click OK.

Note: To access Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

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Customize the Taskbar

With Windows XP, you can customize your taskbar so you can do everything from one place, including start programs, view documents, and surf the Web. Simply right–click the background of the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click the toolbar you want to add: an Address bar, a Links bar, a toolbar containing all items on your desktop, or the Quick Launch bar.

You can also create your own toolbar from any folder. To create a toolbar from a folder:

Right–click the background of the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click New Toolbar. Navigate to the folder you want. A toolbar containing all items in that folder will be added to your taskbar.

You can drag the new toolbar to any location on your desktop. You can also easily remove a toolbar from the taskbar by right–clicking the taskbar and then clicking the item again to remove the check mark.

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Show Hidden Program or System Files

Showing hidden files can come in handy—for example, say you've tried to delete everything from a floppy disk and the disk properties still indicate 100K of disk space is being used by hidden files.

On the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, click Folder Options.

Click the View tab.

Under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders.

Note: To access Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

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Rename a Series of Files

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.

Open the My Pictures folder. (Click Start, and then click My Pictures.) Or open another folder containing files that you want to rename.

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.

On the File menu, click Rename.

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.

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Search for Information From the Address Bar in Internet Explorer

You can quickly search for information on the Web using the AutoSearch feature in Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP:

In the Address bar, simply type "go" or "find" or "?" followed by a keyword or phrase, and then press ENTER. Your search results will soon appear.

Note Internet Explorer searches for your word or topic using only one search service. If you don't find what you need, click the Search button on the toolbar and try using different search services.

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Save Time and Effort in Typing URL Addresses

With Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP, typing Web addresses can be a breeze.

Type the domain of an address, such as Microsoft, and then press Ctrl+ENTER. Internet Explorer automatically wraps "http://www....com" around what you typed.

Not sure if the site uses a .com extension? Just type the domain of the address, and then press ENTER. Internet Explorer tries to find the site by using the various extensions.

If you need to edit an address, you can use Ctrl+LEFT ARROW and Ctrl+RIGHT ARROW to easily move between different parts of the address separated by periods.

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Opening a Web Page in a New Window

When surfing the Web, sometimes you might want to check out a Web page and at the same time stay on the page that gave you the link in the first place.

With Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP, that’s exactly what you can do:

Simply press and hold down the SHIFT key while you click the link. The page will open in a new Internet Explorer window.

Need to look at two Web pages side by side? That’s easy too. To view any open windows side by side:

Right-click an empty part of the taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen), and click either Tile Windows Horizontally or Tile Windows Vertically.

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Stay Up to Date Automatically

Automatic updates in Windows XP ensure that your computer is always current. Windows XP checks Windows Update for the latest updates whenever you are on the Internet, determines which updates apply to your computer, and downloads them in the background while you keep working or playing. If you prefer, you can have the computer continue notifying you with automatic balloon message reminders about updates. It’s up to you! Here's how.

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System. On the Automatic Updates tab, click the setting of your choice.

Note: If you choose not to use automatic updating, you can install specific updates from the Windows Update Web site whenever you like.

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Learn How to Spot a 16-Bit Application

Because most Windows 3.x–based programs run properly under Windows XP, it’s sometimes difficult to tell 16-bit and 32-bit applications apart.

Right-click the program’s executable file and then choose Properties. If you see a Version tab, it’s a 32-bit program.

Or, if the program is running, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Windows Task Manager. On the Processes tab, look in the Image Name column for the name of the program’s executable file. If any 16-bit programs are running, you’ll find an entry for Ntvdm.exe, the virtual DOS machine. Just above it in the list, you’ll see indented entries for Wowexec.exe (the Windows on Windows subsystem) and the executable name of each 16-bit program running in that virtual machine.

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Get Fast Access to System Settings

You don’t have to pass through Control Panel to get to the System Properties dialog box.

Hold down the Windows key and press Break to open this handy dialog box immediately.

No Windows key?

Create a shortcut to Sysdm.cpl (you’ll find it in the %systemroot%\System32 folder) and place it anywhere in the Programs menu. Then open the shortcut’s Properties dialog box and assign it an easy-to-remember keyboard shortcut such as Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S.

Some laptop keyboards may have separate keys for Break and Pause, and you may find this dialog box opens if you hold the Windows key and press Pause.

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Finding Encrypted Files

Unless you use a command-line utility like Cipher.exe, it’s difficult to see at a glance which files are encrypted and which are not. Right-clicking each file and then choosing Properties, General, Advanced (followed by Cancel, Cancel) is tedious.

Open a folder containing the encrypted files.

On the View menu, choose Details, and then select Attributes. Encrypted files show a letter E in the Attributes column. You can also set an option so that the names of encrypted files appear in a different color from other file names.

On the Tools menu, choose Folder Options, click the View tab, and select Show Encrypted Or Compressed NTFS Files In Color.

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Protect Your Files During a Power Outage

If the power goes out while your computer is on standby, you lose whatever is in memory. If you have any unsaved documents, for example, they’re gone. With an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), however, you can prevent data loss during blackouts.

Although the blackout might last longer than the battery run time provided by the UPS, you can prevent loss, even if your computer happens to be on standby and you’re away when the power goes out.

Enable hibernation. (Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Power Options. On the Hibernate tab, select Enable Hibernate Support.

Specify a time for the computer to switch to hibernation. This should be less than the battery run time. (On the Power Schemes tab, set a time for System Hibernate under Running On Batteries.)

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Working with Files

To rename several files at once:

Select all of them in any folder view, or in the Windows Explorer, rename the FIRST one in the list, and the rest will follow.

To turn off filenames:

Hold down the Shift-key when you click to open a folder in Windows Explorer or when you switch into thumbnail view. This will turn of the file names, giving more space for the thumbnails. Doing it again turns them back on.

Try grouping your files. In the top menu bar select View – Arrange icons by… - Type, and then View – Arrange icons by… - Show in groups.

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XP TRICKS 4

2009-08-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

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Install or Remove a Font in Windows XP

This step-by-step article describes how to add and remove fonts in Windows XP. The following fonts are included with Windows XP and are installed on every computer:

Courier New (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

Arial (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

Times New Roman (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

Symbol (TrueType)

Wingdings (TrueType)

MS Serif

MS Sans Serif

If any of the standard fonts that are included with Windows XP are missing, you can run Windows XP Setup again. Setup replaces missing or changed files. If these standard fonts are missing, other Windows XP files may also be missing, and Setup corrects these problems.

Adding New Fonts

Windows supports TrueType fonts or fonts that are specially designed for Windows, and these fonts are available commercially. Some programs also include special fonts that are installed as part of the program installation. Additionally, printers frequently come with TrueType or special Windows fonts. Follow the directions that come with these products to install these fonts.

To manually install or re-install a font:

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

Double-click the Fonts folder.

On the File menu, click Install New Font.

In the Drives box, click the drive that has the floppy or CD-ROM that contains the fonts you want to add. If you are installing fonts from a floppy disk, this is typically drive A or drive B. If you are installing the fonts from a compact disc, your CD-ROM drive is typically drive D.

Double-click the folder that contains the fonts.

Click the font you want to add. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the Ctrl key while you click each font.

Click to select the Copy Fonts To Fonts Folder check box. The Windows\Fonts folder is where the fonts that are included with Windows XP are stored.

Click OK.

Removing Fonts

To completely remove fonts from the hard disk:

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

Double-click the Fonts folder.

Click the font you want to remove. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the Ctrl key while you click each font.

On the File menu, click Delete.

When you receive the "Are you sure you want to delete these fonts?" prompt, click Yes.

To prevent a font from loading without removing it from the hard disk, move the font from the Fonts folder into another folder. Use this method for troubleshooting purposes. This process does not completely remove the font, because font registry information is not deleted. However, it prevents the font from loading.

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Create a Desktop Shortcut that Locks a Windows XP-Based Workstation

This step-by-step article describes how to create a desktop shortcut that you can use to lock a Windows XP-Based Workstation. To take full advantage of user authentication as a means of network access control, you must be sure that only the logged-on user is able to use the workstation. Authentication-based access control loses viability when users other than the logged-on user are able to obtain access to local and network objects.

If a user steps away from his or her desk, another user can walk up to the unattended computer and carry out local and network activities by using the credentials of the logged-on user. The logged-on user is accountable for any activities that took place on that workstation while away from it. If the logged-on user can account for his or her whereabouts during the time away from the computer, the credentials of that user are no longer useful in tracking down access violations that have been completed under the context of that user's network account.

Users can lock their workstations by using the Ctrl+Alt+Del Security Attention Sequence (SAS). However, some users are reluctant or unable to press these three keys in sequence, and because of this, do not lock their workstations while they are away from the computer.

You can simplify locking the workstation for these users by creating a desktop shortcut. After you create the shortcut, users can double-click the shortcut to lock the workstation.

To create the shortcut:

Right-click an empty area of the desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.

In the Create Shortcut Wizard, type %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation in the Type the location of the item box, and then click Next. Note that LockWorkStation is case sensitive.

On the "Type a name for this shortcut" page, type Lock Workstation in the Type a name for this shortcut box, and then click Finish.

Right-click the shortcut you just made, and then click Properties.

Click the Shortcut tab, and then click Change Icon.

In the Change Icon dialog box, type %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll in the Look for icons in this file box, and then click OK.

Browse through the available icons, and then select an icon that makes it easy for the users to identify that the shortcut is to be used to lock the workstation.

Click the icon you want to use, and then click OK. Click OK again.

Double-click the shortcut, and note that the workstation automatically locks itself.

The user must press Ctrl+Alt+Del, and then type his or her credentials to unlock the workstation.

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How to Automate Advanced Restart Options for Dual-Boot Configurations

This article describes how to automate advanced restart options for dual-boot configurations. If your computer is configured to dual-boot to either Windows XP or Windows 2000, the process to boot to the other operating system can be slow.

For example, if you want to reboot into Safe mode under either operating system, you have to watch the computer reboot, monitor the power-on self tests and various BIOS messages, select which operating system you want to boot with from the Startup menu, and then press F8 at the exact moment to enable the Advanced Boot menu. You can select your Safe mode boot options from the Advanced Boot menu.

This article describes a method you can use to create a custom Advanced Restart menu on the Start menu. You can use the Advanced Restart menu to preselect advanced restart options before you restart your computer. After you select your restart options, you are prompted to restart, and your computer starts with your preselected options, and does not require that you press any keys during startup.

IMPORTANT: The following procedure assumes that you have a dual-boot configuration with Windows XP and Windows 2000. Also, although the following procedure works correctly, Microsoft does not support the following procedure:

Create a shortcut that is named Advanced Restart on the Windows XP Start menu.

For the target path, use the msconfig -4 command. For example, you might use the c:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\msconfig.exe -4 command.

Create the same shortcut with the same path for the Windows 2000 Start menu. This shortcut on the Windows 2000 Start menu should use the path to the Msconfig.exe tool in the Windows XP folder.

The "Advanced Restart" shortcut you created starts Msconfig.exe with a switch that loads the Boot.ini file properties dialog box. From this dialog box, you can select the default operating system, Safe mode options, and other advanced boot options. After you select the restart options and press OK, you are prompted to restart your computer. When your computer restarts, it starts with the options you previously selected, and does not require that you press any keys during startup.

Note: When you boot into Windows XP or Windows 2000 after you use Msconfig.exe, Msconfig.exe automatically starts in diagnostic mode.

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Use Windows Update to Keep Your Computer Current

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.

Open Windows Update.

Click Scan for updates to find out about recent releases for your system.

Click Yes when prompted to install any required software or device drivers.

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.

To use Windows Update, you need to establish a connection to the Internet.

You might need to be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to perform some tasks.

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Copy Files and Folders to CDs

Remember when you loved Rubik’s Cube, Dynasty, and the floppy disk? In the 1980s, before the World Wide Web and ubiquitous e–mail, you could store 1.5 megabytes (MB) of data on a 3.5–inch floppy and transfer it to another computer so easily. And it was beautiful.

Today? That 1.5 MB–floppy won’t hold your 5th grader’s science report.

Enter the compact disc. CDs have become the new standard for removable storage on the computer. Each disc holds 650 megabytes of data and costs little more than a floppy. New computers are more likely to have a CD drive than a floppy drive, although most still have both. With Windows XP and a CD-recordable (CD–R) or CD–rewriteable (CD-RW) drive, you can copy data to a CD as easily as you can to a floppy disk.

To copy files and folders to a CD:

Insert a blank, writable CD into the CD recorder.

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. 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.

To stop the CD recorder from automatically ejecting the CD:

Open My Computer.

Right–click the CD recording drive, and then click Properties.

On the Recording tab, clear the Automatically eject the CD after writing check box.

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Use Hibernate and Standby to Conserve Batteries

Fast User Switching can be turned-on with Windows XP Professional only when your computer is not part of a domain.

Power Options in Control Panel lets you adjust any power management option that your computer's unique hardware configuration supports. These options vary widely from computer to computer. Power Options automatically detects what is available on your computer and shows you only the options that you can control.

ACPI—If you are not sure whether your computer is ACPI–compliant, check your manufacturer's documentation. During Windows Setup, ACPI is installed only if all components present during Setup support power management.

The Hibernate function in Windows XP Professional can make the batteries in your laptop computer last longer.

Windows XP supports the industry standard power management technology known as the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), which enables the operating system to control power to your computer and peripheral devices. The power management features in Windows XP include Hibernate and Standby. Hibernate saves an image of your desktop with all open files and documents, and then it powers down your computer. When you turn on power, your files and documents are open on your desktop exactly as you left them. Standby reduces the power consumption of your computer by cutting power to hardware components you are not using. Standby can cut power to peripheral devices, your monitor, even your hard drive, but maintains power to your computer’s memory so you don’t lose your work.

Power Management Performance

Windows XP wakes from Hibernate faster than any earlier version of Windows. So you can preserve your batteries without taking time to close all your files and shut down, and then restart and open all your files when you’re ready to work again. If you need to leave your computer, you can just leave it. Windows XP can automatically put your computer into Hibernate mode after a specified period of inactivity. Or Windows XP can detect when your batteries are running low, and then automatically put your computer in Hibernate mode to save your work before the battery fails. To put your computer into hibernation, you must have a computer that is set up by the manufacturer to support this option.

To automatically put your computer into hibernation:

You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to complete this procedure.

Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.).

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.

Click the APM tab, click Enable Advanced Power Management support, and then click Apply.

The APM tab is unavailable on ACPI–compliant computers. ACPI automatically enables Advanced Power Management, which disables the APM tab.

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.

To manually put your computer into hibernation:

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of either the Administrators or Power Users group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.

Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.).

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.

Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box.

Click Start, and then click Shut Down.

In the What do you want the computer to do drop-down list, click Hibernate.

If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional with Fast User Switching turned on, the Shut Down menu will present the options to Stand By, Turn Off, or Restart your computer. Hold down the Shift key, and the Stand By button will change to Hibernate.

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Delete Files when the Recycle Bin is Hidden

By default, the Windows XP Recycle Bin sits at the bottom right of the desktop, just above the tray notification area and system clock. If you've got a bunch of floating windows open, however, it's possible to obscure the Recycle Bin and make it impossible to drag files and folders there for deletion. However, Microsoft must have thought of this event, because you can automatically hide all of those open windows during a drag operation.

Make sure a bunch of windows are open on the screen, with at least one of them hiding the Recycle Bin.

Find a file or group of files you'd like to drag to the Recycle Bin.

Pick up the files with the mouse and move them to the lower right of the screen.

As you reach the bottom area of the screen, pass the mouse cursor over a blank area of the task bar, hover there for an instant, and--voila!--the open windows all minimize, leaving the Recycle Bin available to accept the dragged files.

This tip also works when windows are maximized, assuming the file(s) you want to delete are visible in one of the available windows.

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Use the ultimate configuration tool (Professional Edition only)

One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools available is hidden right there in your system, but most people don't even know it exists. It's called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit for short.

Select Start and then Run.

Then type the following: gpedit.msc

After you hit ENTER, you'll be greeted by gpedit, which lets you modify virtually every feature in Windows XP without having to resort to regedit. Dig around and enjoy!

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Display Hibernate Option on the Shut Down dialog

For some reason, Hibernate isn't available from the default Shut Down dialog. But you can enable it simply enough, by holding down the SHIFT key while the dialog is visible. Now you see it, now you don't!

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Microsoft .NET FAQ

When Microsoft formally introduced its .NET strategy in mid-2000, analysts were confused about how the company would pull off such a massive platform shift. Two years later, they're still wondering. But .NET isn't vaporware, and it's not a pipe dream. In fact, .NET is happening today.

Q: What is .NET?

A: It's a dessert topping, it's a floor cleaner--it's a dessert topping and a floor cleaner! Actually, .NET is many things, but primarily it's a marketing term for a set of products and technologies that Microsoft is creating to move personal and enterprise computing beyond the PC desktop and into a distributed Internet-based environment. So .NET--which was originally called Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS)--is also a platform, one that Microsoft sees as the successor to Windows. The .NET platform is based on Web services which are, in turn, defined by a language called XML.

Q: What is XML?

A: XML--the eXtensible Markup Language--is a self-descriptive, data definition language. It's similar to HTML, the language of the Web, but it's far more powerful because it's not limited to a static list of language constructs ("tags") that the language's authors supply. Instead, XML is extensible and dynamic: Programmers can define new types of data using XML and then describe that data so that others will know how to use it.

Q: What are Web services?

A: Web services are server-side applications that expose their services as programmable units that other applications (and Web services) can access over the Internet.

Q: Does .NET require Windows?

A: Technically, no, but realistically, yes. It's possible the .NET platform could be ported to other operating systems, such as Linux, FreeBSD, the Macintosh, or whatever, and indeed, some work is being done now in this area. However, .NET very much requires Windows today, on both the server and the client. One might say that .NET and Windows have a symbiotic relationship.

Q: .NET is being ported to Linux?

A: Yes. A company called Ximian is porting the standards-based parts of .NET to Linux as you read this, and the work is amazingly far along. Code-named Mono, this project seeks to bring the C# programming language, the Common Language Runtime (CLR, see below), and other .NET features to Linux.

On a related note, Microsoft has contracted Corel (makers of CorelDraw and Word Perfect) to port .NET to FreeBSD at some undetermined date in the future. This project has not yet started.

Q: Which Windows versions support .NET?

A: You can run .NET client applications and services on Windows 98, 98 SE, Millennium Edition (Me), NT 4.0, 2000, or XP. Beginning in late 2002, you will be able to run .NET applications and services on Windows CE .NET products, such as the Pocket PC and Microsoft Smart Phone, as well.

On the server, you can use Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or .NET Server.

Q: Are there any .NET features in Windows XP?

A: Yes, but not much. Because Windows XP was designed and built before the .NET Framework was complete, it only includes bare-bones .NET functionality. The primary conduit for .NET in XP is Windows Messenger, which is used to expose .NET alert and rendezvous services. XP also includes integration with the .NET Passport service, so that you can optionally auto-logon to Passport when you logon to Windows.

Q: Isn't .NET just another name for COM, COM+, Windows DNA, or some other previous Windows technology?

A: Actually, no. Microsoft spent considerable time and effort developing and promoting a set of Windows technologies that was at various times called OLE, COM, COM+, and Windows DNA (Distributed InterNet Architecture), but .NET is not the next iteration. Windows DNA, which was the final umbrella term for this set of technologies, was based around a concept where Windows-based software components could expose their services for other local and remote Windows software components. But though this sounds passingly similar to .NET, Windows DNA is very much based on proprietary Windows technologies. By comparison, .NET is based on open standards (XML and various related technologies), so it will be much easier for other vendors to adopt the platform and write compatible software. So we can eventually expect to see .NET clients and servers on platforms other than Windows.

Q: So are all older applications useless now? What about all those COM components I developed over the past several years?

A: Obviously, any existing applications, services, and components will continue to work with future Windows versions. However, Microsoft has also added interoperability features so that you can use this older code--now referred to as unmanaged code--with new .NET applications and services.

Q: So what technologies are part of .NET?

A: .NET is comprised of several related technologies, including:

.NET Framework - A runtime environment and set of standard services which .NET capable applications and services can utilize. Implemented as a code library, the .NET Framework includes the Common Language Runtime (CLR), the .NET run-time environment; ASP .NET, a Web applications platform; and ADO .NET, for data store access. Microsoft will ship a version of the .NET Framework--dubbed the .NET Compact Framework--for Pocket PCs, Microsoft Smart Phones, and other similar devices in late 2002.

.NET My Services - A set of free, consumer-oriented services that will expand on .NET Passport's authentication services (available today) to offer Web server-based storage of personal information such as name and address, calendar, address book, and credit card information. Microsoft expects to ship .NET My Services (previously code-named Hailstorm) for consumers by the end of 2002. A business oriented version of .NET My Services is also in the works.

.NET Enterprise Servers - A set of expensive Microsoft server software that runs on Windows servers, including Application Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, Host Integration Server, Internet Security and Acceleration Server, SQL Server, and many others. Microsoft is currently shipping many such server products, but they are all based on Windows DNA currently, not .NET. Future server products--beginning with Windows .NET Server, due in late 2002--will actually be based on .NET technologies for the first time.

Visual Studio .NET - Microsoft's .NET development environment, with support for languages such as Visual Basic .NET, Visual C++ .NET, and Visual C# .NET, which all target the .NET Framework. Other vendors can add other language capabilities to Visual Studio .NET, and the suite can be used to target a wide range of applications and services, including .NET Web services, Windows applications, and Web applications. Note that Visual Studio .NET is not required to create .NET applications and services: Developers can download the .NET Framework for free; this download includes compilers for Visual Basic .NET, Visual C++ .NET and Visual C# .NET.

Q: Will I need to upgrade my Windows NT4/2000 servers to Windows .NET Server to serve .NET applications and services?

A: No, you can install the .NET Framework on Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000. However, Microsoft hopes that it's new .NET Enterprise Servers add enough value that you will want to upgrade to one or more of them.

Q: What does Windows .NET Server bring to the picture compared to Windows 2000 Server?

A: Windows .NET Server is a minor upgrade to Windows 2000 Server.

Q: Visual Studio .NET sounds nice, but what about other programming languages?

A: One of the biggest advancements in Visual Studio .NET is that the environment, like the underlying .NET CLR, is not tied to any one language. Microsoft ships C#, C++, Visual Basic, and ECMAScript/JScript/JavaScript support in the box, and will ship its Visual J# .NET add-on later in 2002. But hundreds of companies are porting various programming languages to .NET and the Visual Studio .NET environment, including Delphi/Object Pascal, Perl, PHP, and many more.

Q: What if I want to create standalone Windows applications that don't rely on the .NET Framework? Is this still possible?

A: You can still write Visual C++ applications and services that rely on technology such as the Win32 API, MFC, ATL, or COM/COM+. However, Visual Basic programmers will have to learn the new Windows Form model exposed by the .NET Framework.

Q: What's the future of Web-based scripting under .NET? If one wanted to write Web scripts that work with the widest variety of browsers?

A: You want to look into something called ASP .NET, which is a server-side scripting environment. What this gives you is the ability to use any .NET compatible language, built-in browser detection features you won't need to hand-code, and compatibility with non-PC devices like Smart Phones and Pocket PCs. The future of Web scripting is server-side.

Q: When will the .NET Framework be shipped as part of Windows? Will it be included in Windows 2000 SP3 or Windows XP SP1?

A: Windows .NET Server will be the first Windows version to ship with the .NET Framework included as an integral component; this product is due in late 2002.

Q: Parts of .NET sound a lot like Java. Is it just a Java rip-off?

A: Not exactly. Like Java, .NET includes a run-time environment that provides a number of important developer services, such as garbage protection. And yes, C#--an object oriented, C-like programming language similar to Java--is the preferred language for .NET development. But Java isn't the first object-oriented C-like language, and it certainly isn't the first developer tool to offer a run-time environment (indeed, Microsoft has used a run-time environment for Visual Basic for almost a decade, beginning well before Java was invented).

Also, .NET offers three critical advantages over Java: First, it allows the programmer to use any compatible programming language, compared to the one (Java) that the Java environment allows. Secondly, .NET applications and services are fully compiled, unlike Java applications and services, so they offer much better performance. And finally, critical portions of .NET--including the CLR and the C# programming language--have been opened as international standards. Despite promises, Java's inventor--Sun Microsystems--has constantly reneged on its Java standardization efforts. This standards-based approach will eventually see .NET ported to operating systems other than Windows.

Q: What about Windows? If .NET is successful, does that mean Windows goes away?

A: No. Windows is a crucial component of .NET, on both the server and the client (desktop). Server-side, Windows servers will be used to execute .NET code and provide .NET services to users. On the client, a future Windows version called Windows .NET will provide pervasive .NET integration and be what Microsoft calls the most complete .NET client. And on handheld and connected devices, Windows CE .NET will offer a subset of the .NET Framework called the .NET Compact Framework, that enables .NET compatibility there as well. Even if .NET succeeds beyond Microsoft's wildest dreams, Windows doesn't go away. Instead, it becomes a key component of a far wider strategy that moves beyond the PC to include PC-like devices such as cell phones, PDAs, set-top boxes, and the like.

Q: What about 64-bit Windows versions? Will .NET applications and services have to be recoded or recompiled to run on this new platform?

A: Most .NET applications and services should run fine on 64-bit Windows platforms that are .NET Framework-enabled without having to be recoded or recompiled at all.

Q: .NET sounds like it requires a 24/7 Internet connection. What happens when that connection goes down, or if we have a dial-up Internet connection?

A: For .NET to be fully realized, bandwidth will have to be like electricity. That is, it will have to be always on, and very reliable. In the meantime, Microsoft realizes that many people will be accessing .NET services through an unreliable or slow connection, and for this reason, the technology is being built to deal gracefully with interruptions.

Q: How do we know .NET isn't just a passing fad?

A: I think the clearest way to understand this is to look at how they've architected .NET. Unlike many of Microsoft's previous technology initiatives, .NET is a brand new platform that's been done right. Just head into a Borders or Barnes and Nobles, and check out the wide variety of .NET related topics there are out there, everything from building mobile Web applications, to Windows Form applications, to pre-.NET application porting. Microsoft .NET is real, it's here to stay, and though the phrase betting the company is getting a bit tired, this time it's true: Microsoft's future is completely wrapped up in .NET.

Q: What companies and products does Microsoft's .NET product line compete with?

A: Honestly, there isn't a single company or product line out there that competes with the full .NET initiative. For Web services, the obvious target is Sun, with its J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition). And Java is right there as a non-OS platform of sorts as well, though it has glaring performance and compatibility deficiencies. IBM has a Web services strategy, of sorts, as well. And of course various companies make developer tools that compete with Visual Studio .NET.

However, the biggest .NET competitor might ultimately be Linux. If the Linux community can successful port key .NET technologies and provide key .NET services via free server products, it could give Microsoft a run for its money.

Q: OK, so what's the point? How does this make my life better?

A: With apologies to Microsoft for stealing the term, .NET enables a better PC ecosystem. That is, by making life easier for everyone involved with PCs, the benefits are cross-pollinated. Here's how .NET makes life easier on various groups:

Programmers - Because developers now have a consistent, language-neutral programming environment, they can create better applications and services more quickly. And because .NET encompasses such a wider range of functionality, those applications and services can be connected to back-end services via the Internet, offering better, and more exciting functionality.

IT administrators - Because .NET applications and services do away with the "DLL Hell" found in previous Windows applications, they are amazingly easy to distribute and install.

End users - For the reasons listed above, and many others, a new generation of .NET applications and services will provide new types of connected functionality. Access your email from anywhere. Pay for products online without typing in your credit card information. Access weather, traffic, music, and other personal information from a variety of devices, from anywhere in the world. The future is all connected, and .NET will get us there.

Now, there are problems, of course. Some people concerned about privacy and security are up in arms over .NET, fearing that Microsoft isn't doing enough in these areas. The proof, of course, will be in the implementation, and given the emphasis that Microsoft has placed on .NET and security, I suspect they're going to get it right. Stay tuned!

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Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) FAQ

Windows XP Service Pack 1 (XP SP1) is more than just a collection of security hot-fixes and bug fixes; instead, it's a full-on interim Windows release with tons of new functionality. So here's the first--and most comprehensive--FAQ dedicated to the next version of Windows XP Home Edition and Professional anywhere!

Q: What is Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1)?

A: XP SP1 will roll up critical updates and contain enabling technologies for Windows CE for Smart Displays ("Mira") and new types of PCs like the Tablet PC and the Media Center ("Freestyle") PC. It will also include DirectX 9 and the changes required by the consent decree with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and nine US states.

Q: What are "Mira" and "Freestyle"?

A: Windows CE for Smart Displays ("Mira") is a new remote display technology that uses Windows CE .NET, 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless capabilities, and XP's Remote Desktop feature to enable a new generation of smart displays which you can carry around the home.

Windows XP Media Center Edition ("Freestyle") is a new version of XP that includes a simple, graphical front-end to the XP-based digital media tasks you can perform with a remote control, rather than a keyboard and mouse. This includes listening to digital music, watching photo slideshows, and viewing digital movies and DVDs.

Q: When will XP SP1 ship?

A: SP1 will be finalized in mid-August 2002, with a September 2002 street date. This will give PC makers time to integrate the new XP into PCs for the 2002 holiday season.

Q: What's the XP SP1 code-name?

A: Currently, XP SP1 does not have a code-name.

Q: Wasn't this supposed to ship in early 2002?

A: Yes, the original plan was to ship XP SP1 in the first half of 2002. But with a slew of new features to add and its Trustworthy Computing code review to do, Microsoft decided to integrate it all into a single release aimed at satisfying the need for a yearly Windows release.

Q: When will the XP SP1 beta test start?

A: The XP SP1 beta is closed to Windows XP testers only; it began this spring. A separate Mira beta began in early April and will hit Beta 2 this summer. The Freestyle beta began in early Summer 2002, and is being tested separately from XP SP1.

Q: So what about Longhorn?

A: Longhorn has been delayed until late 2004 and is now a major Windows release.

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Windows .NET Server Family FAQ

If you think of Windows .NET Server ("Whistler Server") as what would have been Windows NT Server 5.1, then you've got the right idea. Here's the first--and most comprehensive--FAQ dedicated to the next version of Windows Server anywhere!

Q: What is Windows .NET Server ("Whistler" Server)?

A: Essentially, Windows .NET Server consists of the server editions of the next version of Windows 2000. This includes Web Server Edition Standard Server Edition, Enterprise Server Edition (32-bit and 64-bit versions), DataCenter Server Edition (32-bit and 64-bit versions), and Windows .NET Server Embedded.

Q: What editions will Windows .NET Server include?

A: Initially, Windows .NET Server will include Web Server, Standard Server, Enterprise Server, and DataCenter versions editions; Enterprise Server and DataCenter Server will ship in 64-bit versions as well. An Embedded version and Small Business Server 2003 will appear soon thereafter.

Q: So what's new in Windows .NET Server?

A: Windows .NET Server is designed as an evolutionary step beyond Windows 2000 Server, thus it is not a major new product revision, though it boasts thousands of mostly small improvements. Windows .NET Server has been updated to include .NET Framework 1.1 and XML Web Services; this additional functionality led Microsoft to change the name of the product (which was originally to be simply titled Windows 2002 Server).

Windows .NET Server also includes features to make Active Directory (AD) deployments faster and more flexible, such as a Domain Controller (DC) Upgrade Wizard that lets administrators restore DC information from removable media such as CD-ROM and DVD-RAM. AD now supports cross forest trust and authentication and authorization. There are new remote, headless and unattended management features for in-band and out of band administration, 160 new Group Policy settings, 28 new command line tools, a new Software Restriction Policies feature, and several Terminal Services enhancements. Windows .NET Server has also been tweaked for better performance and reliability: Microsoft says that the product performs up to 50 percent faster on the same hardware as equivalent Windows 2000 Server products.

Windows .NET Server includes Internet Information Server (IIS) 6, the latest version of Microsoft's Web server product. IIS 6 has been rewritten for better security, performance and reliability and now ships in lockdown mode by default.

Q: What's the difference between the 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows .NET Server?

A: The 64-bit versions of Windows .NET Server run only on Intel's 64-bit Itanium 2 hardware, while the other versions run on 32-bit Intel Pentium-based servers.

Q: Will I be able to upgrade Windows 2000 Server to Windows .NET Standard Server?

A: Yes. You will be able to upgrade each edition to the corresponding new version (i.e. you can upgrade Windows 2000 Advanced Server to Windows .NET Enterprise Server). You cannot "downgrade" releases, however; for example, you cannot upgrade Windows 2000 Server to Windows .NET Web Server.

Q: When will Windows .NET Server be released?

A: Windows .NET Server is on a radically different release schedule from the desktop version of Whistler (Windows XP). The final release will ship by the end of 2002, after being delayed twice, though customers won't be able to purchase it until early 2003.

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Windows "Longhorn" FAQ

Once envisioned as a minor upgrade to Windows XP, Windows "Longhorn" took on all-new importance in early 2002 when Microsoft decided to reach for the brass ring and make the new Windows release an all-encompassing major upgrade with a new security architecture called Palladium, a 3D-enabled user interface, and brand-new, database-based file system, and many more exciting new features. Here's the first--and most comprehensive--Longhorn FAQ ever created, constantly updated to include the latest information about this release.

Q: What is "Longhorn"?

A: Longhorn is the next major Windows release, which will follow Windows XP and XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). Originally expected to be a fairly minor upgrade, Longhorn will now include a number of new features including a revised task-based (or "inductive") user interface, an extensible, dock-like, Start panel, and a SQL Server 2003-based file system.

Q: So what will be new and different in Longhorn?

A: Though speculation on Longhorn continues, what we know about this Windows release is steeped in generalities and rumors. Given that, here's what we know about Longhorn:

Longhorn will feature a task-based (or "iterative") interface that goes far beyond the task-based interface found today in Windows XP. Microsoft has been working to move beyond the dated desktop metaphor still used by Mac OS X and Linux for many years.

The Longhorn Start Menu will likely take on the form of the Task Panes from Office XP and occupy a good percentage of the right- or left-most portion of the Longhorn desktop.

Longhorn will take full advantage of 3D video hardware to render special effects that will make the screen more photorealistic and deep. This doesn't mean that the basic windows and mouse interface is being replaced, just that it will look a lot better.

Longhorn will optionally include the Palladium technology Microsoft is developing with Intel and AMD (see the next question for details).

Longhorn will include a database-like file system based on technology from SQL Server 2003 (code-named Yukon). This file system will abstract physical file locations from the user and allow for the sorts of complex data searching that are impossible today. For example, today, your email messages, contacts, Word documents, and music files are all completely separate. That won't be the case in Longhorn.

Longhorn will include integrated DVD+R and DVD+RW DVD burning capabilities. Digital media enthusiasts will be able to copy video from a digital camcorder directly to DVD+R, bypassing the system's hard drive entirely, if desired.

Q: What's with this Palladium stuff I keep hearing about?

A: One of the most exciting aspects of Longhorn is its integration with Palladium, Microsoft's technology for realizing the Trustworthy Computing vision. Palladium is basically a secure run-time environment for Windows and other operating systems that allows a coming generation of software applications and services to protect the end user from privacy invasion, outside hacking, spam, and other electronic attacks. Palladium requires special hardware security chips and microprocessors (which will be made by Intel and AMD) and doesn't interfere with the normal operation of the PC. That is, Palladium-based PCs will still operate normally, working with legacy operating systems and applications. But specially-made Palladium applications and services will offer a range of features of functionality not found in the non-Palladium world, and if the initiative is successful, we'll one day be running only Palladium-based software.

If you're familiar with the .NET model, you might be aware of the notion of "managed" and "non-managed" (or legacy) code. Palladium will institute a similar model for PC software, where a trusted execution mode is used for Palladium applications and services and the old, "untrusted" mode is used for legacy code.

Microsoft designed Palladium around the following ideals:

Palladium will tell you who you're dealing with online, and what they're doing. It will uniquely identify you to your PC and can limit what arrives (and runs on) that computer. Information that comes in from the Internet will be verified before you can access it.

Palladium protects information using encryption to seal data so that "snoops and thieves are thwarted." The system can maintain document integrity so that documents can't be altered without your knowledge.

Palladium stops viruses and worms. The system won't run unauthorized programs, preventing viruses from trashing your system.

Palladium stops spam. Spam will be stopped before it even hits your email inbox. Unsolicited mail that you might actually want to receive will be allowed through if it has credentials that meet your user-defined standards.

Palladium safeguards privacy. In addition to the system's ability to seal data on your PC, Palladium can also seal data sent across the Internet using software agents that ensure the data reaches only the proper people. Newsweek reports that the agent has been nicknamed "My Man," a goof on ".NET My Services," "My Documents," and other similar names at Microsoft.

Palladium controls information after it's sent from your PC. Using Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, Palladium can be used to securely distribute music, movies, and other intellectual property securely over the Internet. Movie studios and the recording industry could use this technology to let their customers exercise their fair use rights to copy audio CDs and movies, for example. "It's a funny thing," says Bill Gates. "We came at this thinking about music, but then we realized that e-mail and documents were far more interesting domains." Gates says that Palladium could ensure that email designated as private could not be forwarded or copied to other people, for example. Or, the Newsweek reports reads, "you could create Word documents that could be read only in the next week. In all cases, it would be the user, not Microsoft, who sets these policies."

Q: I thought the next version of Windows was code-named "Blackcomb."

A: The existence of Longhorn was first revealed by Windows product manager Tom Laemmel, who I met July 17, 2001 during an XP press tour. Laemmel spilled the beans to eWeek a few days later, and Microsoft executive vice president Jim Allchin verified that a new interim release, Longhorn, would ship before Blackcomb. Since then, information about Longhorn has appeared in Microsoft and Department of Justice (DOJ) legal filings related to the Microsoft antitrust case. It's real, and now it's common knowledge.

Q: So when will Longhorn ship?

A: Microsoft originally said that we could expect Longhorn in late 2002 or early 2003, but the release was recently pushed back until late 2004. This suggests that an XP refresh, possibly called Windows XP Second Edition (XP2E) will ship first, in late 2003.

Q: When will the Longhorn beta start?

A: After Windows XP shipped, Microsoft said that the beta for the next version wouldn't start until the beta for Windows XP SP1 was completed. That will happen in mid-August, so I expect the Longhorn beta to begin sometime this fall.

Q: What's up with the name Longhorn?

A: The name wasn't chosen randomly. Remember that Windows XP was code-named Whistler and the next major version of Windows is code-named Blackcomb. Both of these names come from ski areas in British Columbia, close to Microsoft's headquarters. At the foot of Whistler Mountain, there is a saloon named Longhorn that serves the local skiing population. So if you're ever in the area and want to take in some local color, Longhorn is a nice stop… after you're done with Whistler.

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Speed Up Those Searches New!

Windows can create an index of the files on your computer to speed up searching.

Open Search, then choose Change preferences and then With Indexing Service (for faster local searches).

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"Go" Places Quicker on the Internet New!

Many common Internet searches can be performed quickly using the "go" shortcut. For example, if you open Search in Internet Explorer and type go yellow pages, the page will jump to a form where you can lookup a business phone number. Likewise, typing go email automatically brings up a form for searching for a person's email.

You can even type go yellow pages Acme Corp to automatically search for the phone number of a company called Acme Corp. And you can type go amzn to look up the value of a stock quote (in this case Amazon's).

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Quick Search Tips New!

Using capitalization can result in better performance when using Search Companion. For instance, Mary Smith may produce better results than mary smith.

If you didn't find what you wanted on the first search engine, choose Automatically send your search to other search engines to submit your search to other engines that are appropriate for your query.

If you like having an animated character, but want to use a different one, choose Change Preferences, then With a different character to choose the helper you like.

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Use the On-Screen Keyboard

An on-screen keyboard is built into Windows XP. It can be useful if you have mobility impairments, if you are using a tablet PC, or if your keyboard breaks down unexpectedly.

To access the on-screen keyboard:

Go to Start, then click Run, and then type osk.

Now the keyboard opens on your computer screen, featuring three typing modes you can use to type data:

Clicking mode, where you click the on-screen keys.

Scanning mode, where you press a hot key or use a switch-input device to type highlighted characters.

Hovering mode, where you use a mouse or joystick to point to a key, which is then typed.

To make a shortcut icon on your desktop to the on-screen keyboard:

Right-click the desktop and choose New, then Shortcut.

Type osk, click Next.

Type a name for the shortcut, and then click Finish.

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Use Ctrl+Alt+Del Without Pushing All the Buttons

For some people, pushing Ctrl, ALT and Delete (Ctrl+Alt+Del) at the same time can be an inconvenience, if not a complete impossibility. With Windows XP, there are two ways to get around this.

First option: Configure the system so that you do not need to press Ctrl+Alt+Del at all during logon (assuming you're not using the Welcome screen, in which case this key combo is not required).

Open Control Panel then User Accounts.

Navigate to the Advanced tab.

Uncheck the Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Del checkbox under Secure Logon.

Second option: Configure XP's accessibility options so that "sticky keys" will be activated at the secure desktop: That way, you may "press" ALT, Ctrl, and DEL sequentially rather than simultaneously. You can turn that on via the Accessibility control panel. (Control Panel then Accessibility Options):

Bring up the Accessibility Control panel and navigate to the Keyboard tab.

Check Use Sticky keys.

Navigate to the General Tab.

Check Apply all settings to logon desktop.

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Turn on ClearType Font-Rendering Technology

Get that extra text clarity you've always wanted. The incredible Microsoft ClearType technology can be enabled in Windows XP to smooth all fonts at all sizes, making the whole system so much easier to read.

Click Start, then Control Panel, and then click Appearance and Themes.

Click the Display icon, then the Appearance tab, and then Effects.

Click the Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts check box and select ClearType from the list.

Click OK, and then click OK again.

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Remove Interference in Movie Files

If you have any AVI files that you saved in Windows 9x, they might have interference when opened in Windows XP. Fortunately, there is an easy fix to get rid of the interference:

Open Windows Movie Maker.

Click View and then Options.

Uncheck Automatically create clips.

Now, import the movie file that has interference and drag it onto the timeline.

Then save the movie. During the re-rendering, the interference will be removed.

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Working with Album Art in Windows Media Player

Set your own Album Art for your media folders and Media Player for Windows XP (MPXP). If you don't like the album art or have a folder of downloaded music that you want to add art to:

Simply select any graphic from your browser.

Save it inside the folder you want, and call it Folder.jpg.

Now when you play any music that resides in that folder, the Media Player will automatically pick it up and display that as album art.

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Managing Multiple Photos or Other Files

If you have numerous files to rename, select a group of photos, then rename the FIRST one and the rest will follow.

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Turn Off File Names in Thumbnail View

Find that you need more space for thumbnails and would like to turn the file names off?

Hold down shift when you open a folder or when you switch into thumbnail view. This will turn of the file names, giving more space for the thumbnails. Doing it again turns them back on.

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Try Grouping Files for Effortless Manageability

In any My Computer window, select View > Arrange Icons by > Type.

Then, select View > Arrange Icons by > Show in Groups.

If you prefer Details view, you can right-click on the column header in and choose the columns you want displayed. And you can drag and drop the column headers to reorder them.

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Add a Map Drive Button to the Toolbar

Do you want to quickly map a network drive, but can't find the toolbar button? If you map drives often, use one of these options to add a Map Drive button to the folder toolbar in My Computer.

Option One (Long Term Fix):

Open My Computer, right-click the toolbar, then unlock the toolbars, if necessary.

Right-click the toolbar again and click Customize.

Under Available toolbar buttons, locate Map Drive, and drag it into the position you want on the right under Current toolbar buttons.

Click Close, click OK, and then click OK again.

You now have a drive mapping buttons on your My Computer toolbar, so you can map drives from any folder window. To unmap drives, follow the above procedure, selecting Disconnect under Available toolbar buttons.

Option Two (Quick Fix):

Right-click My Computer and choose Map Network Drive. If you place your My Computer icon directly on the desktop, you can make this move in only two clicks! Otherwise, you can right-click the My Computer icon in the Start Menu.

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Fax Tips

Here are some useful tips for working with Fax and Image Viewer:

Typing Ctrl-I in the picture viewer will bring up the property sheet for the image (doesn't work in slide show).

Typing DEL in the picture viewer will delete.

Holding down the Ctrl key in the picture viewer enables "panning" (hand cursor)

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Use the Windows Classic Look

Are you more comfortable performing a task with the familiar Windows Classic user interface than you are with Windows XP's new interface? You can quickly switch the user interface to the familiar Windows Classic appearance on your computer if it helps you remember a task in your operating system or program. Then, you can go back to the original Windows look with a couple of clicks.

Right-click on a blank area of the desktop, then click Properties.

Click the Appearance tab.

On the Windows and Buttons menu, select Windows Classic, then Click OK.

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Change the Start Menu Style

Does the new Windows XP Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:

Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties.

Click the Classic Start menu choice.

Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.

By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop. If you don't want this:

Right-click a blank area of the Desktop, choose Properties, and then navigate to the Desktop page. Click Customize Desktop to determine which icons are shown on the desktop.

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Add Fields to the Details View of Folders

You can add other columns to the Details view of the files contained in Windows XP folders, such as Comments, Description, Category, and many others. To add new columns:

Right-click the column header of the files list, and then click one of the fields listed, or click More.

In the Choose Details dialog box, you can reorganize the order of column headers, specify column widths, and add columns to display details for the files in that folder.

When you click the new column header, the width of the selected column is displayed in pixels in the Choose Details dialog box.

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Using a Folder Type as a Template

Every Windows XP folder provides a list of hyperlinked tasks appropriate to that type of folder next to the folder contents. For example, the Pictures folder type contains task links for ordering prints online and for printing pictures. If you want to use a folder type as a template for a selected folder, follow these steps:

Right-click a newly created folder, and then click Properties.

Click the Customize tab.

In the Use this folder type as a template list, click the template type you want to apply, and then click OK.

Now, when you open the new folder, it will contain a hyperlinked task list common to the type of folder you selected as the template.

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Create a Personal Screen Saver

For a great way to put your digital photos to work, try creating a slide show presentation for use as a screen saver.

Right-click an empty spot on your desktop and then click Properties.

Click the Screen Saver tab.

In the Screen saver list, click My Pictures Slideshow.

Click Settings to make any adjustments, such as how often the pictures should change, what size they should be, and whether you'll use transition effects between pictures, and then click OK.

Now your screen saver is a random display of the pictures taken from your My Pictures folder.

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Keep Your Favorite Programs Near the Top of the Start Menu

Do you have a favorite application that you frequently use? If so, you can elevate its priority on the Start menu by putting it at the top of the list. This ensures that the program will remain on the Start menu and cannot be bumped by other programs, even if you use the others more frequently.

Right-click the link to your favorite program on the Start menu and select Pin to Start Menu.

Your program will be moved permanently to the top part of the list, just below your browser and e-mail programs.

Use the Address Bar to Launch Programs or Web Page. Windows XP enhanced the functionality of the Address bar to make it easier to launch your favorite programs. You can add the Address bar to the taskbar on the bottom of your desktop. Then you can launch programs simply by entering their names in the Address bar.

To add the Address bar to the taskbar:

Right-click an empty area on the taskbar.

Point to Toolbars, and then click Address.

Open the Address bar by double-clicking it.

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Manually Put Your Computer into Hibernation

Hibernation is a cool feature in Windows XP that is 'hidden' in the Shut Down dialog box. If you have enabled hibernation on your computer, you can manually place it into hibernation. But first, it must be enabled. To enable hibernation support on your computer, you must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators or Power Users group. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent this procedure.

Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Power Options.

Click the Hibernate tab, and then select the Enable hibernate support check box. If the Hibernate tab is not available, your hardware does not support this feature.

Click OK to close the Power Options dialog box.

Here's a shortcut to hibernate:

Hold down shift key in the shutdown dialog, then hit ENTER.

or just hit H.

or make your power button do hibernate through the Power Options dialog

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Display the Quick Launch Toolbar

Is your Quick Launch toolbar missing from the taskbar?

To display the familiar Quick Launch toolbar:

Right-click an empty area on the taskbar.

Click Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch.

Easy as that your Quick Launch bar appears.

To add items to your Quick Launch toolbar:

Click the icon for the program you want to add, and drag it to the Quick Launch portion of the taskbar.

XP TRICKS 3

2009-08-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

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Disable Error Reporting

You can get rid of the Windows XP error report messages if you don't want to send another one in.

Click Start, and then click Run.

Type msconfig to open the System Configuration Utility.

Click the Services tab.

Clear the Error Reporting Service check box, and then click OK.

Hit Restart to reboot your system.

Your computer will now start without loading the error reporting service.

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Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer in Windows XP

This article describes how to use Backup Utility for Windows (included with Windows XP) to back up files and folders on your computer.

The Backup tool in Windows XP helps you protect your data in case your hard disk fails or files are accidentally erased. By using Backup, you can create a duplicate copy of all of the data on your hard disk and then archive it on another storage device, such as a hard disk or a tape.

If the original data on your hard disk is accidentally erased or overwritten, or becomes inaccessible because of a hard-disk malfunction, you can easily restore the data from the disk or archived copy by using the Restore Wizard or Automated System Recovery Wizard.

Note: You must have permissions as an administrator or a backup operator on your computer to back up files and folders. Also, backup operators and administrators can back up and restore encrypted files and folders without decrypting the files or folders.

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup. The Backup or Restore Wizard starts.

Click Advanced Mode.

Click the Backup tab.

On the Job menu, click New.

Select the check boxes for the drives that you want to back up. If you want to be more specific in your selections, expand the drive that you want, and then click the check boxes for the files or folders that you want.

Select the System State check box.

Note: If you want to back up your system settings as well as your data files, you should back up all the data on your computer plus the System State data, which includes such things as the registry, the COM+ class registration database, files under Windows File Protection, and boot files.

In the Backup destination list, click the backup destination that you want to use.

If you clicked File in the previous step, type the full path and file name that you want in the Backup media or file name box. Note that you can also specify a network share as a destination for the backup file.

Click Start Backup. The Backup Job Information dialog box appears.

Under If the media already contains backups, use one of the following steps:

If you want to append this backup to previous backups, click Append this backup to the media.

If you want to overwrite previous backups with this backup, click Replace the data on the media with this backup.

Click Advanced.

Select the Verify data after backup check box.

In the Backup Type box, click the type of backup that you want. When you click a backup type, a description of that backup type is displayed under "Description."

Click OK, and then click Start Backup. A Backup Progress dialog box appears, and the backup starts.

When the backup is complete, click Close.

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Use Backup to Restore Files and Folders on Your Computer in Windows XP

This article is a step-by-step guide to using the Backup program in Windows XP to restore files and folders on your computer.

The Backup utility in Windows XP helps you protect your data in case your hard disk fails or files are accidentally erased. By using Backup, you can create a duplicate copy of all of the data on your hard disk and then archive it on another storage device, such as a hard disk or a tape.

If the original data on your hard disk is accidentally erased or overwritten, or becomes inaccessible because of a hard-disk malfunction, you can easily restore it from the disk or archived copy by using the Restore Wizard or Automated System Recovery Wizard.

Note: You must have permissions as an administrator or a backup operator on your computer to restore files and folders. Also, backup operators and administrators can back up and restore encrypted files and folders without decrypting the files or folders.

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup. The Backup or Restore Wizard starts.

Click Advanced Mode.

Click the Restore and Manage Media tab.

If you want to restore from a backup file:

Expand File, and then expand the backup file that you want. For example, expand Backup.bkf created 01/01/2002 at 1:15 PM. Backup includes the date and time of the backup as part of the file name by default.

If you want to restore from a tape backup:

Expand the tape device that you want (for example, Travan), and then expand the media name that you want. For example, expand Media created 01/01/2002 1:15 PM.

Select the check boxes for the folders that you want to restore. If you want to be more specific in your selections, double-click the folder that you want, and then select the check boxes for the files or folders that you want to restore.

If you are restoring the entire operating system, select the System State check box.

Note: If you want to restore the operating system as well as your data files, you should restore the System State data, which includes such things as the registry, the COM+ class registration database, files under Windows File Protection, and boot files.

In the Restore files to box, use one of the following steps:

Click Original location if you want to restore the files to the location from which you backed them up. Use this selection when you restore the entire computer.

Click Alternate location if you want to restore a file or files to another location on the hard disk. Type the location that you want in the Alternate location box. Use this selection to prevent the restore operation from overwriting existing files on your computer.

Click Single folder if you want to restore a file or files to a single folder on the hard disk. Type the location that you want in the Alternate location box. Use this selection to separate the restored files or folders from the rest of the files on the hard disk.

On the Tools menu, click Options.

Click the method that you want Backup to use when it restores a file that is already on the computer, and then click OK. Backup uses this selection to determine whether to overwrite an existing file only when it restores a file in a folder that contains the existing file.

Note: If you are restoring the operating system, click Always replace the file on my computer.

Click Start Restore.

If the following message appears, click OK if you want to restore the System State information with the selected backup:

Warning!

Restoring System State will always overwrite current System State unless restoring to an alternate location.

In the Confirm Restore prompt that appears, click OK. A Restore Progress dialog box appears, and the restore operation starts.

When the restore process is complete, click Close.

If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

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Schedule Tasks in Windows XP

With Scheduled Tasks, you can schedule any script, program, or document to run at a time that is most convenient for you. Scheduled Tasks starts every time that you start Windows XP and runs in the background, and it starts each task that you schedule at the time that you specify when you create the task.

To open Scheduled Tasks:

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks.

To schedule a new task:

Double-click Add Scheduled Task to start the Scheduled Task Wizard, and then click Next in the first dialog box.

The next dialog box displays a list of programs that are installed on your computer, either as part of the Windows XP operating system, or as a result of software installation.

Use one of the following procedures:

If the program that you want to run is listed, click the program, and then click Next.

If you want to run a program, script, or document that is not listed, click Browse, click the folder and file that you want to schedule, and then click Open.

Type a name for the task, and then choose one of the following options:

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

One time only

When my computer starts (before a user logs on)

When I log on (only after the current user logs on)

Click Next, specify the information about the day and time to run the task, and then click Next.

Note that the information about the day and time to run the task vary depending on the selection that you made in the previous wizard dialog box. For example, if you chose Weekly, you must indicate the day of the week, the time, and if the task should run every week, every 2 weeks, every 3 weeks, and so on.

Type the name and password of the user who is associated with this task. Make sure that you choose a user with sufficient permissions to run the program. By default, the wizard selects the name of the user who is currently logged on.

Click Next, and then click Finish after you verify the choices that you have made.

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Using Advanced Options in Scheduled Tasks

If you want to change the configuration of the task:

Click Open in the Advanced properties for the task before you click Finish. After you click Finish, the Properties dialog box opens for the task.

On the Schedule tab, you can change any of the scheduling options that you chose in the wizard, and you can also change the task configuration so that the task does not run too long, does not run if the computer is running on batteries (for laptops), and to specify whether or not the computer should be idle for the task to run.

Note: You can open the Properties dialog box for the task at any time if you open Scheduled Tasks, right-click the task, and then click Properties.

You cannot schedule a task so that it repeats in an interval less than one day; however, you can do this in the Properties dialog box:

Click the Schedule tab, and then click Advanced.

Click to select the Repeat task check box, and then specify the number of minutes or hours in which you want the task to be repeated.

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Obtain Remote Assistance by Sending an E-mail Message in Windows XP

This article describes how to obtain help by using the Remote Assistance feature in Microsoft Windows XP.

Remote Assistance allows a remote connection to your computer that can be used to view your computer screen, participate in real-time chat and, with your permission, remotely control your computer.

Note: The following requirements must be met before you can use Remote Assistance:

Both the local and the remote computer must be using either Windows Messenger or a Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)-compliant e-mail program such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.

Both computers must be connected to the Internet while using Remote Assistance.

Note: If your computer is behind a firewall, you may need to reconfigure the firewall to allow Remote Assistance. Contact your network administrator before using Remote Assistance.

Click Start > Help and Support. The Help and Support Center dialog box appears.

Under Ask for assistance, click Invite a friend to connect to your computer with Remote Assistance. The Remote Assistance pane appears.

Under Remote Assistance, click Invite someone to help you.

Under or use e-mail, type your assistant's e-mail address in the Type an e-mail address box, and then click Invite this person.

Note: Click Address Book if you want to select a contact from the address book.

The Remote Assistance - E-mail an Invitation page appears.

In the From box, type the name or identification that you want.

In the Message box, type the message that you want, and then click Continue.

Under Set the invitation to expire, select the duration that you want to allow the invitation for assistance.

Click to clear the Require the recipient to use a password check box if you do not want to password-protect the remote connection.

Note: Using a password is recommended.

If you protect this connection with a password, type the password that you want your assistant to use in the Type password box. Retype that password in the Confirm password box, and then click Send Invitation. The invitation is sent using your e-mail program. You receive the following message:

Your invitation has been sent successfully. Note: You must communicate this password to the remote assistant in order for the Remote Assistance session to be created.

When your remote assistant accepts your invitation, you receive the following message

Assistant has accepted your Remote Assistance invitation and is ready to

connect to your computer.

Do you want to let this person view your screen and chat with you? where Assistant is the name of the remote assistant.

Click Yes.

The Remote Assistance dialog box appears. The remote assistant can view your computer screen and chat with you in real time.

If the remote assistant wants to remotely control the computer, you receive the following message:

Assistant would like to share control of your computer to help solve the problem.

Do you wish to let Assistant share control of your computer? (where Assistant is the name of the remote assistant).

To accept, click Yes.

The remote assistant can now control your computer remotely. This includes the ability to shut down the computer.

Note: Do not use the mouse while the remote assistant controls the computer.

Remote Assistance Features

Use the following features of the Remote Assistance dialog box to participate in the remote assistance session:

The Connection Status box displays the following information:

The name of the assistant.

Whether you are connected or disconnected.

The assistant's privileges during this session. For example, Screen View Only.

The Stop Control (ESC) button.

Press the ESCAPE key to stop the computer from being remotely controlled. When you press ESCAPE, you receive the following message:

User name or Assistant has stopped remote control by pressing the ESC key, or a key sequence or combination including the ESC key where User name is the name of the logged on user, and where Assistant is the name of the remote assistant.

The Send a File button.

Use this button to initiate file transfers between the local and remote computer.

The Start Talking button.

Use this button to initiate voice chat with the remote assistant.

The Settings button.

Use this button to adjust quality settings according to the connection speed that you have.

The Disconnect button.

Use this button to terminate the Remote Assistance session.

The Help button.

Provides Remote Assistance help.

The Message Entry box.

Use this box to type messages to the remote assistant in real time. Click the Send button, or press ENTER to send the message.

The Chat History window.

This window records the text messages typed by you and the remote assistant.

Troubleshooting

The ability to control your computer remotely is disabled by default.

When the remote assistant attempts to remotely control the computer, the following message appears:

Remote Control of this computer is not allowed. To configure the computer for remote control, follow these steps.

Note: You must be a member of the local Administrators group to perform these steps.

Click Start > Control Panel.

Under Pick a category, click Performance and Maintenance.

Under or pick a Control Panel icon, click System.

The System Properties dialog box appears.

On the Remote tab, click to select the Advanced button under Remote Assistance.

Under Remote control, click the Allow this computer to be controlled remotely check box, and then click OK.

In the System Properties dialog box, click OK.

Remote Control is now enabled. Note that you must still expressly permit the remote control of your computer in each Remote Assistance session.

The computer appears to stop responding

When you use Remote Assistance over a dial-up connection, the computer may appear to stop responding (hang) or may respond slowly. This behavior may be caused by the slow speed of the Internet connection. For best results, use Remote Assistance over a high-speed Internet connection.

Remote Assistance allows access to sensitive data

The remote assistant can see as well as, with your permission, gain access to the information on your computer. For this reason, invite only trusted sources to remotely assist you.

More Information

Use Remote Assistance to view and edit your Remote Assistance invitations. To do this, follow these steps:

Click Start > Help and Support.

The Help and Support Center dialog box appears.

Under Ask for assistance, click Invite a friend to connect to your computer with Remote Assistance.

The Remote Assistance pane appears.

Under Remote Assistance, click View invitation status. A table similar to the following appears:

Sent To

Expiration Time

Status

User_name@microsoft.com

Tuesday, August 28,

2001 10:37:47 AM

Open

User_name@hotmail.com

Monday, August 27,

2001 8:35:05 PM

Expired

Assistant@mycompany.com

Monday, August 27,

2001 1:51:02 PM

Expired

Select the invitation that you want, and use the following buttons to change or view the status of that invitation:

Details

Use this button to view the Invitation Details page for this invitation. When you are finished, click Close.

Expire

Use this button to rescind the invitation. The remote assistant can no longer use this invitation to connect to your computer.

Resend

Use this button to resend an e-mail-based invitation to the selected contact.

Delete

Use this button to remove the invitation from the View or change your invitation page.

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Obtain Remote Assistance Using Windows Messenger in Windows XP

This step-by-step article describes how to use Windows Messenger to obtain help using the Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP. Remote Assistance enables you to allow another user to make a remote connection to your computer, which they can use to view your computer screen, participate in real-time chat and, with your permission, remotely control your computer.

Requirements

Note: If your computer is behind a firewall, you may need to reconfigure the firewall to allow Remote Assistance. Contact your network administrator before using Remote Assistance.

To obtain help using Remote Assistance:

Connect to the Internet, and then sign in to Windows Messenger.

Click Start, and then click Help and Support.

Under Ask for assistance, click Invite a friend to connect to your computer with Remote Assistance.

Under Remote Assistance, click Invite someone to help you.

Under Use Windows Messenger, click the contact that you want to invite, and then click Invite this person.

Note: The contact that you want to invite must be online.

You receive the following message, where Assistant is the name of the assistant that you invited:

Inviting Assistant to connect to your computer. Please wait for a response...

Invitation is accepted...

After the remote assistant accepts your invitation, click Yes when you receive the following message:

Assistant has accepted your Remote Assistance invitation and is ready to

connect to your computer.

Do you want to let this person view your screen and chat with you?

If the remote assistant wants to remotely control the computer, click Yes to accept the request when you receive the following message, where Assistant is the name of the remote assistant:

Assistant would like to share control of your computer to help solve the problem.

Do you wish to let Assistant share control of your computer? The remote assistant can now control your computer remotely. This includes the ability to shut down the computer.

Note: Do not use the mouse while the remote assistant controls the computer.

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Cannot Use MSN EXPLORER or AOL To Send a Remote Assistance Invitation via Email Option

When you use Remote Assistance to invite someone to help you and try to choose the option to use e-mail, you might see the following message when you get to the available options page:

Outlook Express is not set up.

Remote Assistance is either incompatible with the default e-mail program on this computer, or could not detect a default e-mail account.

You will also see an option to set up Outlook Express.

Cause

You have MSN Explorer or America Online (AOL) installed and configured as you default e-mail client. Remote Assistance on Windows XP will not allow to send the activation mail message through the MSN Explorer or AOL messaging system, as they use their own e-mail clients and they are not MAPI-compliant. Remote Assistance Invitation e-mail escalation will only work with MAPI-compliant e-mail programs and e-mail accounts.

Resolution

As a workaround, you could use one of the following options based on how you access your e-mail.

MSN Explorer

Use Windows Messenger to invite someone to Start Remote Assistance. In order to do that, follow the instructions on the Help and Support Center, Remote Assistance page, under the Use Windows Messenger field.

-or-

Choose the option to Save invitation as a file, then use MSN Explorer to compose the e-mail to the person you are requesting assistance from, and attach the file to it.

America Online

Choose the option to Save invitation as a file, then use AOL to compose the email to the person you are requesting assistance from, and attach the file to it.

MAPI-compliant E-mail application

If you have a MAPI-compliant e-mail application installed on your computer, and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) uses POP3, IMAP, HTTP or SMTP mail servers, then configure the software based on the manufacturer's and/or your ISP's instructions.

Note: You can also click on the button Set Up Outlook Express on the Remote Assistance available options page and configure it to send and receive email with your mail servers settings, if available.

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Restore the Operating System to a Previous State in Windows XP

This article describes how to use the System Restore tool to return your computer to a previous working state. System Restore takes a "snapshot" of critical system files and some program files and stores this information as restore points. You can use these restore points to return Windows XP to a previous state.

If Windows XP Does Not Start

If Windows does not start, restart Windows by using the Last Known Good Configuration feature:

Start the computer and then press the F8 key when Windows begins to start. The Windows Advanced Options menu appears.

Use the ARROW keys to select Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked), and then press ENTER.

If a boot menu appears, use the ARROW keys to select Microsoft Windows XP, and then press ENTER. Windows XP restores the computer to the most recent restore point.

If Windows XP Does Start

Log on to Windows as Administrator.

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. System Restore starts.

On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.

On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system checkpoint in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next. A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make.

Click OK.

On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.

Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page appears.

Click OK.

Troubleshooting

You may inadvertently restore Windows XP to a previous configuration that you do not want.

To undo the restoration:

Log on to Windows as Administrator.

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. System Restore starts.

On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Undo my last restoration, and then click Next. A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make.

Click OK.

On the Confirm Restoration Undo page, click Next. System Restore restores the original Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.

Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Undo Complete page appears.

Click OK.

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Long Pause During Windows Startup Process

Symptoms

After you choose to start Windows from the Boot menu, you may experience a long delay (or pause) before your computer finishes starting. Note that this delay may range from 10 seconds to a minute. Also, this delay occurs before the Starting Windows progress bar appears, and your computer may appear to stop responding (hang) during this time.

Cause

This behavior can occur if Windows is installed on a drive or a partition to which Windows cannot gain access with normal Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) INT-13 or INT-13 extension calls. When Windows Setup determines it cannot use BIOS calls to start, it uses scsi() or signature() syntax in the Boot.ini file instead of multi() syntax.

When booting a system that requires scsi() or signature() syntax, Ntldr loads an additional device driver (Ntbootdd.sys) to initialize and interrogate the boot controllers in your computer. Ntldr then seeks the associated boot drive attached to the controller to finish loading the kernel. These additional operations take more time in Windows because of the Plug and Play nature of the operating system.

This behavior is expected, however, Windows Setup may use scsi() or signature() syntax, even if your computer can boot using the normal BIOS calls. This may occur on Integrated Drive Electronics-based computers when using a large capacity boot drive. In this case, you can try adding an additional entry in the Boot.ini file and use multi() syntax on the new entry to boot from. Note that if this works, your computer starts without pausing.

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How to Rename Multiple Files with Windows Explorer

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer.

Press and hold down the Ctrl-key while you are clicking files.

After you select the files, press F2.

Type the new name, and then press ENTER.

Note: When you complete the preceding steps, the highlighted state of all files except one disappears, so it may appear as if you are only renaming one file. However, after you press ENTER, all of the files are renamed. When you rename multiple files, all of the renamed files have the same name with a number in parentheses appended to the name to make the new file name unique. For example, if you type BUDGET as the new name, the first file is named BUDGET. All of the remaining selected files are named BUDGET(x), where x is a unique number, starting with (1).

Notes

If you make a mistake when you try to rename multiple files, you can press Ctrl+Z, or click Undo Rename on the Edit menu to undo file rename action you just completed, and you can repeat this process as needed.

The Rename function in Windows Explorer does not match the behavior of the REN command you may use at a command prompt. For example, if you had files that are named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and smithc.doc, you could use the ren smoth*.doc smythe*.doc command. All file names automatically show the new spelling, and are renamed smythea.doc, smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc.

If you use the Windows XP Rename function in Windows Explorer, after you select the three "smith" files, and rename smitha.doc to smythea.doc, all the other files you selected are named smythea(x).doc. To return to the original file name structure (the use of a, b, c, etc), you must rename each file individually.

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Restore Icons That Have Been Removed from the Desktop in Windows XP

This article describes how to restore the My Computer, My Documents, and My Network Places icons after they have been removed from the desktop.

In Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and Professional, the new Start menu is enabled by default. When the new Start menu is enabled, the My Computer, My Documents, and My Network Places icons are removed from the desktop.

Right-click the Desktop and click Properties.

Click the Desktop tab.

Click Customize Desktop.

Click the General tab, and then click the icons that you want to place on the desktop.

Click OK.

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Automatically Log On a User Account in Windows XP

This article describes how to automatically log on a user account during the Windows startup process.

Note: This process only works if the computer is not joined to a domain.

Requirements

The Welcome screen must be available.

Guest account access must be turned off.

There must be only one user account on the computer.

The user account must not have a password.

Make the Welcome Screen Available

To make the Welcome screen available:

Click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.

Click Change the way users log on or off.

Click to select the Use the Welcome screen for fast and easy logon check box.

Click OK.

Turn Off Guest Account Access

To turn off Guest account access:

Click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.

Click the Guest account.

Click Turn off Guest access.

Remove the Password from a User Account

To remove the password from a user account:

Click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.

Click the user account.

Click Remove my password.

Type the password in the Type your current password box, and then click Remove Password.

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View the Storage Devices That Are Displayed As "USB SCSI Storage Device" in Windows XP

USB devices that are using an SCSI-to-USB adapter are displayed as "USB SCSI Storage Device" in the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the taskbar. Finding which device you want to remove may be confusing if your computer has more than one of these devices.

Open the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box, and then click to select the Display Device Components box.

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How to Quickly Lock Your Computer and Use Other Windows Logo Shortcut Keys

This article describes how to quickly lock your computer as well as the other Windows logo shortcut keys that you can use.

Windows XP includes a new Microsoft Natural Keyboard shortcut to lock your computer. Any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key and the Application key can also perform this task.

To use this shortcut:

Press the Windows logo key + L.

The following list has different computer lock-up scenarios that are available to you, as well as other ways to lock the computer:

Fast User Switching Enabled

If the Fast User Switching feature is enabled and you lock the computer, you can observe the same behavior as if you switched users: The computer returns to the Welcome screen and other users can log on to the computer.

Fast User Switching Disabled

If the Fast User Switching feature is disabled and you lock the computer, the Unlock Computer dialog box is displayed that requires the current logged-on user to enter a password to unlock the computer.

Welcome Screen Enabled

If the Welcome screen is enabled, the computer can also be locked if you press Ctrl+Alt+Del (to open Task Manager), and then click Lock Computer or click Switch User on the Shut Down menu.

Note: The ability to observe "Lock Computer" or "Switch User" on the Shut Down menu is dependent upon whether or not the Fast User Switching feature is enabled.

Welcome Screen Disabled

If the Welcome screen is disabled, you can lock the computer if you press Ctrl+Alt+Del, and then click Lock Computer in the Windows Security dialog box.

In all of the preceding scenarios, the "Windows logo key + L" shortcut can lock the computer. If you do not have a password that is set for your user account, anyone can unlock your computer. To set a password for your user account: In Control Panel, double-click User accounts, select your user account, and then click Create a password.

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Prevent a User From Running or Stopping a Scheduled Process in Windows XP

This step-by-step article describes how to prevent a user from running or stopping a scheduled process in Windows XP.

There are occasions where is not advisable to run a scheduled process before the intended date and time, or when an administrator doesn't want a user to add new scheduled processes to the computer. You can use the following procedures to enable maximum control over what can be done with the Scheduler service.

Click Start > Run, type mmc, and then click OK.

On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in. On the Standalone tab, click Add.

In the Available Standalone Snap-ins list, click Group Policy, and then click Add.

In the Select Group Policy object box, click Local Computer to edit the local Group Policy object, or click Browse to find the Group Policy object that you want.

Click Finish, click Close, and then click OK. The Group Policy snap-in opens the Group Policy object for editing.

Expand either the User Configuration or Computer Configuration branch, and then expand Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Task Scheduler.

Double-click Prevent Task Run or End, click Enabled, and then click OK.

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Use ClearType to Enhance Screen Fonts in Windows XP

This step-by-step article describes how to enable ClearType to sharpen fonts on your Windows XP display. ClearType enhances your display by smoothing the edges of screen fonts. ClearType works especially well on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) devices, including flat screen monitors and laptop computers.

Click Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Display.

On the Appearance tab, click Effects.

Click to select the Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts check box, and then click ClearType in the list.

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How to Customize ClearType

You can adjust the contrast setting for ClearType for your personal preference. Although there are no tools or settings in Windows XP for doing this, the following Microsoft Web site includes tools to turn ClearType on or off, and to adjust the contrast:

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/cleartypeactivate.htmback to the top

Display Appears Blurry

ClearType is designed to enhance LCD displays. ClearType may appear slightly blurry on standard desktop monitors and on some LCD displays. You may be able to improve this by customizing ClearType as described in the "How to Customize ClearType" section of this article.

In rare cases, perceived blurriness is caused by a manufacturing anomaly on LCD displays in which the normal striping of red-green-blue is reversed with blue-green-red. Currently, there is no support in Windows XP ClearType to compensate for this anomaly. This could be the problem in cases in which none of the ClearType contrast settings look good on a particular LCD display. In those cases, it may be best to turn off ClearType.

Color Setting Must Support ClearType

To use ClearType, you must have a video adapter and monitor that support a color setting of at least 256 colors. Best results are achieved with High color (24-bit) or Highest color (32-bit) support.

To change the color quality:

Click Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Display.

On the Settings tab, in the Color quality list, click a different color setting.

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How to Change the Length of Time That Your Computer Is Inactive Before Your Status Becomes "Away"

This article describes the "Away" status in Windows Messenger. This article also describes how to change the length of time that elapses before your individual status appears as "Away" in Windows Messenger.

The "Away" status appears automatically after your computer has been inactive for a period of time that is equal to the Wait time for your screen saver.

To manually specify "Away" as a status:

Click File, click My Status, and then click Away.

To change the length of inactive time before your status becomes "Away,":

Either change the screen saver Wait setting in the Windows Display Properties dialog box.

or, if you want to specify a time other than the screen saver Wait time, change the inactivity time in the Windows Messenger Options dialog box.

To change the Windows screen saver Wait setting:

Right-click the Windows Desktop, and then click Properties.

Click the Screen Saver tab, and then type the appropriate number of minutes in the Wait box. (You must have a screen saver selected.)

Click Apply.

The screen saver Wait time automatically appears in the Windows Messenger Options dialog box as the default "Away" status wait time.

To select an "Away" status wait time that is different from your screen saver Wait time:

In Windows Messenger, on the Tools menu, click Options.

Click the Preferences tab.

In the Show me as "Away" when I'm inactive for box, type the number of minutes. This number overrides the screen saver setting and is the time that elapses before Away appears next to your name on the list.