Windows XP Help, Tips and Tricks
Windows XP Help, Tips and Tricks
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Windows XP
Built on NT/2000 Technology
June 30 cutoff date for XP: get it while you can.
Not much time left
to get a new XP PC
Three major PC vendors (HP, Acer and Lenovo) will be selling computers pre-
installed with XP until the Microsoft-imposed deadline on June 30, 2008, but
if you want to buy a new Dell with XP, you'd better order in the next couple
of days; their cut-off date for pure XP PCs (without buying Vista) is June
18th. There is, however, a way to get around the deadline: you can still get
PCs with XP (Pro only) installed after the end of month deadline if you buy a
machine with Vista Business or Ultimate and opt for the "downgrade."
Read
more here
Note Mom & Pop shops still do not have these restrictions
 Back
to the Good Old Look
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The folks at Microsoft bathed Windows XP in color. Don't like XP's look? To switch back to
the Classic look that resembles Windows 2000, right-click the desktop, select Properties,
click the Themes tab, and choose Windows Classic from the drop-down list. You're back to
comfy shades of blue and gray, not to mention having all those familiar icons.
Unfortunately, there is no one setting that lets you switch completely to Classic
view. It's actually a variety of settings.
To change the look of the Desktop and windows in general, go to the Themes page on the
Display applet in Control Panel and change the theme from "Windows XP" to
"Windows Classic". While you're doing that you'll notice that the Control Panel
has changed dramatically to a new set of categories of tasks, but in the top-left of the
window you can click "Switch to Classic View" to bring back the old familiar
Control Panel.
It goes on: Right-click on the Start button and select Properties, and you can change back
to "Classic Start menu". The new Start menu lists all of your most recently run
programs, and you really do tend to run them again soon. On the Taskbar tab of the same
Properties sheet you can disable the two major new functions on the taskbar. Uncheck
"Group similar taskbar buttons" and you will once again get one taskbar button
for every task. Uncheck "Hide inactive icons" and all your tray icons will
always be visible, as opposed to the default behavior of hiding the ones that haven't been
active lately. Check "Favorites" to put your internet bookmarks
back on the Start Menu. There actually is more you can do. Explorer windows, for example, default
to a new "Tiles" view, but all of the standard views are still available on the
View menu.
So, you've moved your systems back to Classic view. Have you lost anything worth having,
no. There's nothing you can do in the new interface that you can't do in the old.
It's handy to have a list of most-recently loaded programs, and the grouping
of taskbar buttons can make the system much easier to manage when you have a lot of
programs open, but neither of them actually lets you do something you couldn't otherwise
do. Obviously, you have the option of choosing just some of these features. You might even
think about rolling new features out on a staggered basis to allow for training.
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Privacy and
Security
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People migrating from Windows 95, 98, or
ME will find an
array of new security and
privacy features in Windows XP. Consult these tips to make the most of these new tools.
Turn on your firewall
Microsoft included a firewall in Windows XP to keep you safe from hackers while you cruise
the Internet.
How do you know that the Internet Connection Firewall is on? Go to the
Control Panel and double-click the Network Connections icon. In the dial-up, DSL, or cable
connection dialog that appears, check the Status column. If your firewall is on, it should
say Firewalled. You can turn the firewall off with the check box, but unless you are going
to add a third-party firewall for heightened security or you have a hardware
firewall, it's best to leave it on.
Now that you know that your firewall is on, how do you know that it's doing its job? Test
it with
Shields UP, the free testing service sponsored by Gibson Research.
According to my test, XP's Internet Connection Firewall kept the computer in full
stealth mode. Hackers could not break in and couldn't even see the computer online.
Note: XP's
firewall is good if you don't have one at all. If you want a great firewall, get ZoneAlarm.
Firewall
Security by ZoneAlarm
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Cookies
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In XP, the Documents And Settings folder holds all user information, including
configuration settings, favorites, and cookies. The Documents And
Settings\Username\Cookies folder is where XP stashes cookies. How do you control the
number of cookies you allow on your system? Click Start > Control Panel > Network
And Internet Connections > Internet Options. Click the Privacy tab, then use the slider
bar to modify your cookie settings. For instance, you can block cookies from sites that
use personal identification without your consent. To increase your security, try out the
other privacy settings in this dialog. The lowest level is Accept All Cookies while the
highest is Block All Cookies, with low, medium, medium-high, and high settings in between.
(An explanation of each appears as you move between settings.) Keep in mind that rejecting
cookies may limit your actions on some Web sites.
While these security tools help keep your information safe from malicious users while
you're on the Internet, Windows XP comes with additional tools for folks who share a
computer.
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Music and Photos
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If your devices are Plug and Play compatible, XP will recognize them once you plug them in. Having trouble with pictures and music? These tips may make it easier.
Try automatic camera recognition
If you have a digital camera, try this trick for downloading pictures to your machine.
Don't load any of the drivers or software that comes with your digital camera. Instead, if
your camera supports USB, connect your camera via a USB port. There's a good chance that
Windows XP will recognize the digicam. After a few moments, the Scanner And Camera Wizard
should start up and walk you through the steps involved in copying your pictures from the
camera to a folder of your choice on your computer, much faster than doing it manually.
You may still need to install your camera's software if it provides
configuration controls
you can't access in any other way, such as those for changing the picture resolution on
your camera or the software's special editing functions. (For tips on
printing pictures, go here Photo
Printing Wizard.
More:
Scanners and Cameras in Control Panel enables you to install scanners, digital still cameras, digital video cameras, and other image-capturing devices.
After a device is installed, you can use the Scanners and Cameras Wizard to download and save pictures on your computer in a folder you specify. You can also view device properties, delete pictures from your camera, or print photos. You can even test your device to make sure everything is working properly.
You can use Scanners and Cameras to link your device to a program on your computer. For example, you can set your computer to automatically open all of your scanned pictures in your program of choice.
Windows automatically saves pictures to the My Pictures folder or to a subfolder you specify. If you save your files to any My Pictures subfolder or any folder customized as a pictures folder, Windows provides specialized tools and features you can use such as Windows Picture and Fax Viewer and the ability to view your pictures as a slideshow.
Many cameras and scanners are Plug and Play. Windows detects Plug and Play devices after you plug them into your computer. Some devices automatically shut themselves off after a period of time, so check to see that it is turned on.
Know your music rights
Windows XP comes bundled with Windows Media Player 8.0. While Media Player plays just
about any digital media file format, it supports 35, including MP3, it records music only
in the Windows Media Audio, or WMA, format. The reason? Content protection.
When recording, or ripping, music from CDs, Media Player allows you to make protected
recordings so that no one will be able to copy the recording from one computer to another.
You can turn copy protection on or off on the Copy Music tab by checking or unchecking the
box that says Protect Content.
Some of us may not want to record using the WMA format. For example, you may need to
record in the MP3 format for compatibility with your MP3 player hardware. Instead of
spending a lot on a special third-party plug-in, why not bypass Windows Media Player
altogether? In our tests, the free, downloadable RealJukebox Basic or
MusicMatch Jukebox works
just fine with Windows XP.
Protect your identity
Like many other audio players, Windows Media Player rushes out to the Internet to find
information for you when you play a CD. Some of this information, such as song titles and
album art, is useful, but Media Player also identifies your copy of Media Player to the
site where it's getting data. Why? According to the help file, "The server uses this
unique identifier to monitor your connection. By monitoring your connection, the server
can make adjustments to increase the playback quality and to alert you about events that
occur when receiving streams over the Internet."
If you're disturbed by this exchange of information, here's how to stop it. In Windows
Media Player, click Tools > Options and go to the Player tab. Notice the option that
says "Allow Internet sites to uniquely identify your player?" Turn it off.
Choose the program that plays your audio CDs, such as Mediaplayer 9
1. In My Computer, right click your CD drive
2. Click on Properties
3. Choose the AutoPlay tab
4. Select the action to Perform
5. Click OK
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Batch Rename in XP |
View your files by list (not thumbnails, it's easier)
Highlight all the files in a folder you wish to rename, right-click the first file, click
rename. Call it, for example, if they are MP3s... Mix.mp3, Hit enter
on your keyboard. Don't forget the extension. (.mp3)
All the files will be renamed in sequence, Mix(1).mp3, mix(2).mp3, and so on!
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Rapid XP
Exit:
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Press the Windows key, and then press the U key twice.
Rapid restart:
The U key and then the R key to restart.
Using keystrokes instead of Mouse clicks makes exiting or restarting Windows XP faster.
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One of the most frequent complaints about your average PC is that the internal clock doesn't keep the right time. Your computer might be as little as a few minutes fast or slow, or hours off the mark. The cause for such time loss is very difficult to diagnose. With Windows XP, the problem is solved every time you log onto the Internet.
Windows XP has new feature called "Time Synchronization".Double-click on the time in the Taskbar to open the Date and Time Properties dialog box. You can also reach this dialog box from the Control Panel by double-clicking on the Date and Time icon.
The Date and Time dialog box has a new tab called Internet Time. Click to open the tab, and you'll see a box next to "Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server:".
A checkmark in the box enables this feature so that Windows can update to the correct time while you're on the Net.
Clicking in the box enables (checkmark in the box) or disables (no checkmark in the box) this feature.
You will also have a choice of two Internet time servers. The default server is "time.windows.com". Click on the down arrow to the right of the server: selection box to reveal the other choice, "time.nist.gov", which is maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This time server is faster than the default "time.windows.com" time server.
Click on the Update Now button (while you are connected to the Net) to synchronize the Windows clock. Windows will then set the date for its next synchronization. Your computer will have to be connected to the Net on the date and at the time scheduled.
Note that your computer's date must be correct in order for the time to sync correctly. You can change the date from the Date and Time Properties.
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How to enable and configure the Fax service in Microsoft Windows XP. The Fax service provides complete faxing capability from within Windows XP including the sending, receiving, tracking, and monitoring of faxes.
Install the Fax Component
Fax is not installed by default during Windows Setup. To install Fax, follow these steps:
Configure the Fax Service
To configure faxing capability in Windows XP, follow these steps:
Note : The Enable Send check box is selected by default.
Note : When this check box is selected, you can click Manual answer if you do not want the computer to automatically receive faxes. Automatic answering is enabled by default.
Note : The TSID is mandatory in some areas. This identification information usually appears in the header area of a received fax and serves to identify the sending fax machine. This information usually consists of the sender's fax number and business name.
Note : The CSID that you enter is displayed on the sending fax machine. This helps to confirm that the fax is being sent to the correct recipient.
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Warning:
From Tom's Hardware - XP Service Pack 3 Kills AMD Machines
Got an AMD sticker on the front of your PC?
May 9, 2008
"Windows XP Service Pack 3 finally arrived this week… And is now killing AMD machines, according to Jesper Johansson, former program manager for security policy at Microsoft. The problem relates to machines with SP3 installed rebooting and then not allowing users to get so much as Safe Mode.
The problem is mainly affecting AMD users who bought their machines from HP. Johansson attributes the problem to the way that HP puts images of Windows onto its machines, using the same copy for both Intel and AMD boxes."Because the image for both Intel and AMD is the same all have the intelppm.sys driver installed and running. That driver provides power management on Intel-based computers. On an AMD-based computer, amdk8.sys provides the same functionality," says Johansson.Some other OEM’s beside HP have the same practice, and presumably their users will be seeing the same issue.
There is another problem with SP3 that has not yet been tracked down to anything so specific that is causing random hangs and system crashes, though at least one can get into Windows itself (unlike the unlucky AMD users.) Wait a few weeks for all of the kinks to get sorted out."
From: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Windows-XP-SP3,5334.html
“HP is working diligently with Microsoft on a software update and will be proactively distributing a patch this week through HP Update that will prevent this error from occurring….The patch will be posted to this page of HP’s support site when it’s available. XP SP3 Support Site
Microsoft is providing unlimited installation and compatibility support for XP SP3, valid until April 2009. You can get support via email, live chat or telephone. To find out more, see the support web site at http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&prid=11273&gpridService Packs:
As part of the effort to improve Microsoft software, they develop updates and fixes to recognized issues and release them for customers. On a regular basis, they combine many of these fixes into a single package and make the package available for customers to install on their computers. These packages are called Service Packs. Windows XP Service Packs provide the latest security, reliability, and performance updates to the Windows XP family of operating systems. Available through Windows Update.Service Pack 3
Remember, Before you install it: Backup, Turn off running programs, Turn off Antivirus (Right-click icon in system tray by clock - Disable), and if you've installed XP theme changing programs, like VistaMizer - Un-install it first. See note above about AMD!
Go to Windows Update to check for availability of SP3
Basically, every time you start your computer XP will automatically create restore points.
A restore point is nothing more than a snapshot of your entire system's settings. In the event that something goes wrong with your machine after a bad install or update, you have a way out.To get there, go to: Single-click Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools, and select System Restore
You have the option to create these Restore Points manually if you'd like. It's not a bad idea to get in the habit of doing this before loading software that's not officially specified by Microsoft to be compatible with XP.
System Restore doesn't affect personal files like Word documents, browser favorites, or pictures. So, you won't be losing anything of value should you find yourself having to choose a point in time to restore.
Create a restore point
To manually set system restore points, follow these directions:
Single-click Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools, and select System Restore.
In the System Restore wizard, select the box next the text labeled "Create a restore point" and click the Next button.
Type a description for your new restore point. Something like "In case I screwed up" would do fine. Click Create.
How do you restore a point if something bad happens? You can do this one of two ways.
Access restore points: How do you restore a point if something bad happens? You can do this one of two ways.
During the boot process you can boot into safe mode by pressing F8 during the post screen. Just select the option labeled "Last known good configuration (your most recent settings that worked)" and press Enter. The one drawback to using this method is you won't have the option to select which restore point you'd like to restore.
The other method is to boot into safe mode and access the System Restore wizard located in the system tools again. This will let you restore your computer based on a calendar of when actual restore points were created.
Notes:
You can access restore points in normal mode, but in safe mode the drivers and start-ups that may interfere with the restore process are not loaded.
After a restore point is done, if you don't like the effect, it can be undone.Details on System Restore Here
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Among the most critical pieces of software running on your computer are device drivers. Drivers are executed in the kernel mode and communicate directly with the operating system. Because they have access to parts of the hardware and operating system that other applications cannot access, drivers can create a great deal of damage, if written improperly.
A single driver can cause your computer to continuously crash. (Microsoft discovered that most crashes are caused by faulty drivers.) If you have ever experienced this for yourself, you'll appreciate a new feature in Windows XP, called Driver Rollback.
Whenever you install a new device driver on your computer, Windows XP will create a backup copy of the old driver. If the system crashes or if you are not satisfied with the new driver, you can use Driver Rollback to remove the new driver and reinstall the old driver. (The system keeps only one previous driver.)
To restore the previous driver:
1. Log on with an account that has administrator privileges.
2. Open Device Manager by right-clicking the My Computer icon and selecting Properties. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
3. Right-click a device and select Properties.
4. On the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver.
This feature works for all device drivers, except drivers for printers. Installing printers is done through the Printers and Faxes folder and thus doesn't support the Driver Rollback.
Back to the topWhere can I get Windows XP boot (Floppy) disks if I can't boot to the XP CD?
A. XP doesn't ship with boot disks, and you can't create these disks from the XP media. However, Microsoft provides downloads to create XP boot disks. As Microsoft continues to release service packs, the company will continue to update the downloadable boot disks, starting with new boot disks available for XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). You must download the correct set of boot disks for your version of XP (i.e., you can't use an XP Home Edition boot disk with an XP Professional Edition CD-ROM). XP Home SP1 boot disks are available here , and XP Professional SP1 boot disks are available here.
To check if any system files have changed or have been damaged and the only way to repair Internet Explorer is to have sfc check the system files by running the command sfc /scannow from the Command Window
Click Start | Run | Type sfc /scannow
In any folder that contains files. Click on the tools menu and select folder options.
Then click on the view tab.
Locate where it lists Hide extensions of known file types and uncheck it.
Click OK
In any folder that contains files. Click on the tools menu and select folder options.
Then click on the view tab.
Locate where it lists Hidden files and folders and select Show hidden files and folders.
Click OK.
Open your main menu
Select a program
Right Click and choose "Sort by Name"
(Also works in other Windows versions)
ClearType, one of the new technologies included in Windows XP, uses the design of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) found in notebooks and other portable devices, including desktop computers. LCDs consist of thousands of pixels too small to be discernible by the human eye alone. In traditional font rendering, each pixel is either "on" or "off"; when the computer displays a character on the screen, it turns these pixels on or off.
Every pixel on an LCD screen is comprised of three smaller elements called subpixels: one red, one green, and one blue (RGB). ClearType manipulates these individual subpixels, which allows for much smoother fonts.
To enable ClearType:
1. Right-click on the desktop.
2. Go to the Appearance tab.
3. Click the Effects button.
4. Check this option in the Effects dialog box:
Use The Following Method to Smooth Edges Of Screen Fonts.
5. Select ClearType from the drop-down box.
6. Click OK.
After you close the Display Properties dialog box, Windows XP will turn on ClearType.
After ClearType is enabled, the fonts will appear smoother and without sharp edges. The final output on the screen varies from LCD to LCD.In Windows XP, you can quickly access the Run dialog box by pressing the
[Windows]R keyboard combination. Once the Run dialog box is open, it's
possible to launch any number of applications by simply typing the name of
the executable file.
In addition, you can navigate to specific locations on your hard disk by
using special Run command shortcuts. For example, if you access the Run
dialog box and type a backward slash [\] in the Open text box, when you
press [Enter], Windows Explorer will launch and display the contents of
the root directory.
Here are a few more hard disk navigation shortcuts that you can access
through the Run command:
* Type three consecutive periods to display the My Computer folder.
* Type two consecutive periods to display the Documents And Settings
folder.
* Type one period to display the Documents And Settings folder for the
current user.
Obtaining PowerToys
You can download PowerToys for Windows XP directly from Microsoft's PowerToys Web site . You must download each PowerToy separately, but none of them are bigger than 1 MB in size, so you can pick and choose at will while not spending lots of time downloading. Run the executable you download to install the appropriate PowerToy.The SendTo feature in Windows XP. Adding to it.
Click Start Run and type sendto in the textbox.
The sendto folder opens up and allows you to enter shortcuts to folders that you find desirable. For example, you could enter (or drag) a shortcut to your music, pictures, a network share, etc.
Once you have created your shortcuts, simply right-click on the documents of your choice and use the sendto feature to get them to the appropriate place.
You can change the picture that gets displayed for a particular user
1. Go to the Control Panel
2. Select User Accounts
3. Click on the Account to change
4. Click on Change my picture
You can then browse to the picture you want to use
Does it seem absurd that Windows makes you go into the Start menu in order to shut down?
One-click shutdown
If you have Clean Sweep Deluxe, disable it before proceeding. Follow these directions to create a one-click shutdown shortcut:
Navigate to your desktop.
On the desktop, right-click and go to New, then to Shortcut (in other words, create a new shortcut).
You should now see a pop-up window instructing you to enter a command line path.
Type:
SHUTDOWN -s -t 01
(Note the spaces)
Click the "Next" button.
Name the shortcut and click the "Finish" button.
Now whenever you want to shut down, just click on this shortcut and you're done.
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The latest versions of internet explorer include some great improvements. Such as, the feature that clears the temporary internet files each time you close internet explorer.
Try this:
Launch Internet Explorer.
Select the "Tools" from the menu bar.
Then select "Internet Options" from the drop down menu.
Once the internet options has loaded click on the "advanced" tab.
Under "security" find where it says "empty temporary internet files folder when browser is closed" and check it.
Click OK
(Also works in other Windows versions)
If your mouse contains a wheel for scrolling, you can change font size on the fly when viewing a Web page. To do so:
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.
(Also works in other Windows versions)In internet Explorer 6, When you go to a web page with pictures the image is automatically resized. This can be irritating.
To turn this off:
Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, Internet Options, Advanced Tab, Multimedia section.
Uncheck Enable Automatic Image Resizing
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One feature that I can do without is error reporting.
Every time a program has a problem, I don't want to send a report to Microsoft.
Read below to find out how to disable this feature.
Open Control Panel
Click on System.
Then click on the Advanced tab
Click on the error reporting button on the bottom of the windows.
Select Disable error reporting.
Click OK
Click on the Start menu.
Select Run.
Type "conf" in the Command box and hit OK.
NetMeeting will launch.
(Also works in Windows 2K)
All versions of Easy CD Creator will require an upgrade to a new, XP-compatible version 5.1. Roxio expects to have these upgrades available by the time Windows XP ships. Some will be free, some won’t be. See Roxio’s Web site for details on upgrade paths.
Start > Run> Type (or copy and paste) one of the lines below... Then click OK / Restart your computer.
rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection BLC.Remove 128 %SystemRoot%\INF\msmsgs.inf
or
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
Hibernate is a form of shut-down that's useful because it saves the status of your Windows XP session (all the programs and documents you have open) to the hard drive, so it can automatically restore it to this state the next time you power up. Here's how to access and use it:
Hold down the shift key in the shutdown dialog to change "Stand By" to "Hibernate". Or just press H to hibernate instantly.
Put the computer on standby when it is idle. While on standby, your entire computer switches to a low-power state where devices, such as the monitor and hard disks, turn off and your computer uses less power. When you want to use the computer again, it comes out of standby quickly, and your desktop is restored exactly as you left it. (Standby is particularly useful for conserving battery power in portable computers.)
Note: Because Standby does not save your desktop state to disk, a power failure while on Standby can cause you to lose unsaved information.
Also: Some computers without bios updates will have problems with this feature.
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Where is XP Home's Backup Utility? To install the Backup utility:
That's it.
Where did my desktop icons go? Where did my XP Desktop Icons go?
Right click on the Desktop, choose Properties, Desktop tab and click on "Customize Desktop". Internet Explorer, My Computer, My Documents and My Network Places can be added or removed here.
If all of your desktop icons are missing, right click on the Desktop, select Arrange Icons By, then select Show Desktop Icons.
Can't resize pictures for emailing! When you right-click a photo, "Send To", "Email Recipient"... It should ask you if you'd like to resize the picture.
Q: My windows picture viewer does not ask me if I wanted to resize my photos for emailing...
A: Go to Start, Run, type
regsvr32 shimgvw.dll
and click OK.
(Note: there is a space after the 32.)
or just
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