How do I clear my cookies?
You may clear all your cookies by clicking here. .
In Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP:
1. Click the "Tools" menu.
2. Select "Internet Options" from the menu that appears.
3. Click "Delete Cookies" on the dialog box that appears.
It will be in the center area of the "General" tab.
In Mozilla Firefox:
1. Click the "Tools" menu.
2. Select "Options" from the menu that appears.
3. From the dialog box, select "Privacy" on the left.
4. Find "Cookies" on the main pane, and click the "Clear" button adjacent to it.
Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility The Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility helps you determine if an MPEG-2 video decoder (also called a DVD decoder) is installed on your Windows XP computer and whether or not the decoder is compatible with Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP Media Center Edition. see C:/CD_Project
System restore point for Vista and XP
The system restore point option is available if you are using Windows Vista or Windows XP. When this is selected a system restore point is created before the fix errors process begins. To access the system restore you can go to Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore
Internet: Technical support can be reached here: http://support.regcure.com/
Email: Please email us at support@regcure.com if you are still experiencing difficulties.
Q: We inherited a PC. We can reset the PC password, no problem. But how do we reset the password to access Safe Mode?—Ted Searle
A: If I understand correctly, you can log on as a user but you do not have the Administrator password. As long as you can log on with an account that has Administrator-level privilege you should be okay. In XP, click Start, click Run (in Vista, just use the Search field), enter control userpasswords2 (don't forget the 2 at the end).
In the dialog that appears is a panel titled Password for Administrator. Click the Reset Password button in this panel and assign a new password that you'll remember but that a malefactor or a virus won't guess.
If that button is disabled, check the box at the top that says, Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. That will enable the button. After changing the Administrator password, close the main User Accounts dialog by clicking Cancel rather than OK. That way, your change to the "Users must enter..." check box won't actually change anything.
Tuesday 19 May 2009 22:10 Q: What are all the commands for DOS in Windows XP?—Abhishek Kumar
A: The Command Prompt in Windows XP and Vista isn't any variety of DOS, though it very strongly resembles the DOS box from Windows 9x. And, just like that old DOS box, it offers you a list of available commands when you simply enter help. Of course, that list scrolls past quickly, so you'll want to save it to a file using the command help > commands.txt. Now you can refer to the Commands.txt file any time.
You can get further help for any of the listed commands by entering help followed by the command name. Or, enter the command followed by a slash and a question mark—for example for /?—to see the detailed syntax for the command. In some cases, such as FOR, IF, and SET, the help goes on for pages, pausing after each screenful. It's really hard to find what you want that way, so here again you can dump the help info to a file. A command like help set > sethelp.txt will create a document that you can refer to as needed.
Friday 01 May 2009 MS Windows 7 goes on public test A test version of Windows 7 will be available to developers from Thursday, while the public can try it out from 5 May.
After reading the articles and all the shared experiences by our members of how to eliminate these issues with svchost.exe, I realized that the svchost.exe process could be caused by multiple programs on your system--ranging from firewalls, printer programs, and burning software to software update services. So while high CPU cycles can all point to svchost.exe, it's not svchost that is the problem, but ultimately the underlying software, service, or even a possible virus/spyware that is causing that instance of SVCHOST to run so much. And the best way to eliminate some of these processes is to narrow it down to the worst offenders and eliminate them. One program that many members recommended to help discover these offending process is to use Process Explorer version 11.33, which will help break all the svchost.exe processes down in details, so that you can find those programs or updating services and stop them. Check out some of the featured member answers to get you going. Good luck on the discovery of those offenders and if you have any additional tips you'd like to share about svchost.exe, please join us in this week's discussion. Thanks everyone for your help on this!
Friday 24 April 2009 In Word 2003 the status bar displays a number of useful status items that have vanished in Word 2007. Maybe you don't need an indicator to let you know that macro recording is on, or that extended selection is enabled, but it can be awfully handy to see at a glance that Word is tracking changes or that your keystrokes will overtype existing text.
The Word Options dialog won't help. You can scan it 'til your eyes cross without finding any settings to bring back those handy indicators. What you need to do is right-click the status bar itself. That brings up a menu of 20 distinct items that can appear on the status bar. Now you can have it your own way.
Tuesday 14 April 2009 Spring-Cleaning for Your PC
If you're using Windows XP and need to ease navigation in the Start menu, open the menu in Windows Explorer (C:\Documents and Settings\david\Start Menu\Programs) and spend a couple of minutes filing. Since Vista users have the convenient Start menu search field, straightening up the Programs menu seems like a waste of time. see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301 get
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Wednesday 18 March 2009 Spring-Cleaning for Your PC
Every so often it's important to perform thorough PC cleaning and maintenance. Fortunately there are a few simple steps you can take and utilities you can use to make your computer run faster.
Friday 13 March 2009 Speeds compare
XP Sp1=146 Vista=126 Win 7=67 avg
Thursday 12 March 2009 How file fragmentation occurs on Windows XP / Server 2003
This intriguing white paper looks at how Windows XP/Server 2003 handle free space and how to address fragmentation problems through regular, automated file defragmentation. (Diskeeper)
Saturday 10 January 2009 Windows XP: What’s eating up my hard drive space? Here are some featured member answers to get you started, but please read through all the advice and suggestions that our members have contributed to this member's question.
22 December 2008 The Top Tech Tips of 2008, Part 1 Here's a selection of 50 of the tips you loved the best and used the most all year long.
Virtual Memory Low—What to Do? ...If low drive space isn't the problem, the virtual-memory settings may be wrong. Right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click the Advanced tab. Click the Settings button in the Performance panel. Click the Advanced tab in the Performance dialog. Click the Change button in the Virtual memory panel. Whew! This setting is buried quite thoroughly! Look for the System managed size option, select it if it isn't already selected, and then click OK, OK, OK. That should end the warnings.
Thursday 11 December 2008 Build an XP SP3 Recovery Disc Think you can use your original Windows XP disc to restore your PC? Think again.
First, right-click any open space in the Taskbar and deselect "Lock the Taskbar." Then right-click the drag bar on the Quick Launch menu's left-hand side; from this menu you can change the size of icons and insert or remove labels for each one. Be sure to lock the Taskbar when you're through. a class="m1" href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2330137,00.asp" onmouseover="return overlib('click to pcmag ', LEFT);" onmouseout="return nd();" target="_"> more
In Word 2003, for example, you can choose Tools | Options, then the Print tab, and add a check to the Reverse print order check box. In Word 2007, you can choose the Office button, then Word Options, and pick the Advanced options in the pane to the left of the dialog box. Then scroll down to the Print options, and check the box named Print pages in reverse order.
An alternative approach for Word is to tell the program to print the range in reverse order. To print a 24-page file, for example, you can leave Word's options alone and instead choose File | Print, and, in the Pages text box, tell Word to print pages 24–1.
Q. I would like to put the contacts from Outlook on a flash drive, so I can take them with me when I'm on the road. Can this be done, and if so how do you do it?—John Whitehouse
A. Select Import and Export from the File menu. Choose Export to a file and click Next. From the list of file types choose Personal Folder File (.pst), and click Next. Select Contacts from the folder tree and click Next. Save the exported file as a file on your flash drive. I don't think the "duplicates" options are relevant here, so just click Finish.
Now you will be able to open the PST file on another computer that has Outlook installed. If you need to have the ad-dresses in hand even when Outlook is not available, go through the export process again, but save as a Microsoft Excel file. Then do it once more and choose Comma Separated Values (Windows). This last format is a plain text file that you can (awkwardly) open in Notepad and search even on a bare-bones Windows computer.
From the list of file types, choose Personal Folder File (.pst) and click Next.
Select Contacts and click Next.
Save the exported file to your flash drive (or a CD).
Click Finish.
To use the file, you can simply import it into Outlook on another computer. But you should also be prepared to not have access to Outlook. Repeat the above process again, saving your .pst file as Microsoft Excel file and a comma-delimited text file (Comma Separated Values). If the worst happens, you can at least view the information.
Wednesday 03 September 2008 A repair/reinstall of Windows XP can be the last resort when you've got a really persistent problem. How awful, then, if this solution causes yet another problem—a breakdown in getting updates. But it happens, because the latest Windows Update relies on a file that's not found on the XP CD, and the reinstall wipes out that file's references in the Registry.
There are two ways to fix this problem. First, you can kick-start the file by re-registering it with the system. Launch a Command Prompt and enter these commands:
net stop wuauserv
regsvr32 %windir%\system32\wups2.dll
net start wuauserv
That stops the Windows update service, registers the file with Windows, and restarts the service. Second, you can download and install a small utility called the Windows Update Agent.
Depending on how long this problem has been going on, you may have quite a flood of new updates to install once you've fixed it. Go to www.windowsupdate.com, click Custom Install, and accept all of the critical and security updates.
Tuesday 15 July 2008 13:20
OFFICE: Eight Excel Tools You Probably Don't Know About Still making boring old spreadsheets consisting only of rows of numbers and labels? Jump into the twenty-first century! Here are eight simple features in Excel that will smarten up your spreadsheets in no time.
PROJECT: The Ultimate USB Key A USB key can be more than a high-capacity floppy; it can secure data, store your passwords, even carry a portable OS. Can you really fit your entire computing environment on a 2GB key? Well, no. But we created one that may make you think twice about toting your laptop.
Wednesday 02 July 2008 Save yourself from spyware with System Restore
No matter how vigilant you are, you may wake up one morning and find your PC overrun with pop-up ads or your browser hijacked by a piece of spyware.
...To access System Restore, click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. If you have System Restore turned on, you'll be presented with a calendar showing available restore points. If not, you can choose to create one before you install a new app.
Friday 20 June 2008 surge of interest in Firefox 3.0 has continued and Mozilla has reported that the software has now been downloaded more than 10 million times.
The flaw potentially lets an attacker take over a PC if a user clicks on a booby-trapped link.
Wednesday 04 June 2008 Microsoft grants XP new lifeline
Microsoft has extended the life of Windows XP again - this time on low cost desktop machines. Windows XP reaches its end of life on 30 June but Microsoft has now said it can continue being sold until June 2010 but only on cheap desktops.
Saturday 17 May 2008 There is no doubt this problem will be rectified but PC Pitstop cannot recommend installing Windows XP SP3 at this time. Information on the issues addressed with this important update can be found in our recent article "Windows SP3: The Long Journey | Windows XP SP3 has problems
Friday 16 May 2008 The $125 Upgrade
Attached to your trusty old PC? Here's a relatively non-invasive procedure that will give it new life.
Monday 28 April 2008 Loopholes keep Windows XP alive
PC makers are exploiting loopholes in Microsoft license terms to keep selling Windows XP beyond a cut-off date. ....Microsoft has extended the life of Windows XP Home until 2010 on low-powered PCs, such as the Asus Eee, that might struggle to cope with Vista's power demands.
Ballmer: Since You Don't Want XP, It's Done < HREF="http://ct2.enews.pcmag.com/rd/cts?d=42-1067-573-1028-269311-276672-0-0-0-1-9-269">
Microsoft could re-think plans to phase out its Windows XP operating system by June 30 if customers show they want to keep it but so far they have not, chief executive Steve Ballmer said.
Friday 25 April 2008 Myself & not many people I know are installing SP3, preferring to wait instead until it becomes part of windows automatic updates... many of the updates. We have already, but there is some cool security stuff too. Especially with your system (lots of stuff!) I would wait until they iron bugs for sure.
Larry Laurent & DTN
XP SP3 is largely a roll-up of earlier service packs and updates. There are a few improvements and even a new feature or two, but for most users who regularly apply fixes from Windows Update it adds nothing as such. It looks like only the US English, Japanese and German versions are available as I write this. The update is not yet available on Windows Update. SP3 can be installed on top of XP SP1 or SP2, but not, it seems, SP0 (Windows XP with no service packs).
Because not everyone wants to install it, Microsoft did not include Internet Explorer 7 in SP3. You are free to install it separately if you wish. Many other new features which have been released since XP SP2 are included, such as MMC (Microsoft Management Console) 3.0, MSXML 6. and WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access).
Several new features, some security-related, are included. There are improvements in the detection of "black hole routers," which are routers that silently discard packets. SP3 also includes support for Microsoft's NAP or Network Access Protection. NAP is roughly similar to Cisco's NAC, and both pre-qualify a client to access a network in terms of configuration, e.g. whether certain patches are applied or anti-virus updates are up-to-date. The Security Options Control Panel Applet has more explanatory text for its settings. There are also improvements to the Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module and Windows Product Activation.
NO task bar at the bottom of the screen and NO icon's on the desktop? \
start up the Windows XP Task Manager and select the Applications tab.
Now select the New Task button at the bottom of the window. A new smaller window will appear. In it simply type:
explorer.exe
explorer.exe is the Windows Program Manager (or Windows Explorer.) It manages the Windows Graphical Shell including the Start menu, taskbar, desktop, and File Manager. By restarting this process the graphical interface for Windows will reappear. http://forums.pcpitstop.com/index.php?showtopic=154071
Stuck with a boring browser? Wish that Word could handle more tasks? Feel hemmed in by Photoshop? You don't have to toss (or upgrade) your existing software to get new features and tools. Give your browser, office apps, and multimedia programs new life with these 50-plus add-ons, tips, and tweaks.
Meeting with clients. Visiting suppliers. Presenting at trade shows. You have a lot of work to do outside the office. Fortunately, staying productive when you're mobile is getting easier, thanks to Web-based services. Each of the following eight mobile tools can help you more efficiently manage some aspect of your business while on the go--without your having to fire up your laptop.
These efficient workhorses combine color laser printing, scanning, copying, and, frequently, faxing.
Friday 29 February 2008 Microsoft cuts Vista prices ...In the United States, Microsoft will reduce prices for Windows Vista Ultimate, the company's top-end operating system, to $319 (U.S.) from $399 for the full version and cut the price for an “upgrade” version to $219 from $259 for consumers who already run Windows XP or another edition of Vista. ...Nonetheless, some consumers have raised issues with Vista's performance, stringent hardware requirement and lack of support for other software and devices like printers. Microsoft said it would continue to sell Windows XP until June, 2008, delaying a scheduled transition to Vista.
Australia 2/7/08 Microsoft responds to Save XP petition Microsoft's decision to discontinue OEM and packaged sales of Windows XP at the end of June - leaving
businesses and consumers with the less-than-celebrated Vista as their only choice
of Windows operating system on new PCs - has drawn considerable criticism and
led to an outpouring of support for the continuation of XP sales. Over 75,000 people have signed Infoworld's
'Save XP' petition; a Web site complete with an XP countdown timer, video tributes,
and a series of articles detailing why a large number of businesses, organizations
and consumers are unhappy with Microsoft's decision to force them into adopting
the yet-to-be widely accepted Vista operating system.
Tuesday 04 December 2007 XP to overtake Vista with speed boost: report
....But XP SP3, scheduled for the first half of 2008, did improve on XP's earlier performance, running 10 per cent faster than SP2.
March 01, 2007
live.pirillo.com/ - Here's why I'm "upgrading" from Windows Vista to Windows XP in a few days. I just flipped on the webcam and started talking - it's all based on a post I made to my personal blog the other day. Are you on Vista? Are you still on XP? What are your plans?
August 7, 2006, zeNet Apple shows Leopard's spots SAN FRANCISCO--Apple Computer on Monday introduced the Mac Pro, the company's first Intel-based professional desktop, and also gave developers a preview of Leopard, the next version of Mac OS X. Leopard nipping at Vista's heels
| c|net
A simple way to speed up a defrag operation in Windows XP
is to restart the system before you launch Defrag. This allows the operating
system to clear out the swap/paging file and reset it to the default size. This
lets Defrag focus strictly on the necessary data on the hard disk, without
having to stop and manage a huge swap file loaded with unneeded data.
Another approach to speeding up a defrag operation in Windows
XP is to configure them to occur immediately upon startup. Fortunately, you can
do so easily with a simple registry edit. Follow these steps:
Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce.
Right-click the RunOncesubkey and select New | String Value.
Name the value Defrag and press [Enter] twice.
Type Defrag.exe c:
/f in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows.
The defrag operation will begin when you type in your
password and press [Enter]. (Keep in mind that values added to the RunOnce key are removed immediately after the command has
been run.)
The Microsoft Management Console houses the Windows XP Disk
Defragmenter, which makes it impossible to schedule a regular defragmenting session via Task Scheduler. However, there's
also a command line version of this utility, called Defrag.exe,
that you can schedule. To do so, create a batch file that runs
Defrag.exe along with the appropriate parameters, and then create a schedule to
run your batch file.
To run Defrag from the batch file, use the following command
line:
Defrag x:
[/parameter]
In this command, x
is the drive letter of the hard disk you want to defragment,
and parameter is one of three
optional settings that you can use to configure Defrag:
/a: Analyzes the volume and displays a summary of the
analysis report.
/v: Displays the complete analysis and defragmentation
reports. Can be used
in combination with /a to display only the analysis
report.
/f: Forces defragmentation of the volume regardless of whether it
needs to be defragmented.
Here's how to schedule the Disk Defragmenter:
Launch Notepad.
Type the appropriate Defrag command line.
Save the file as Defragger.bat.
Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools |
Scheduled Tasks.
Launch the Scheduled Task Wizard by double-clicking Add
Scheduled Task.
Click Next and select Defragger.bat.
In the following three screens, select the Weekly or
Monthly option, the time that you want to defragment
your hard disk, and then type a username and password
with Administrative privileges.
Click Finish.
Now, your computer will regularly run
a defragmentation operation to keep your Windows XP
system in tip-top shape!
Note:
This tip applies to both Home and Professional editions.
Friday Feb 3, 2006 c|net 2/3/06 Are you ready for Windows Vista? ...Prices will fall on the current cream of the crop as newer, faster, more powerful components will arrive on the market. The machine you buy today will be considerably cheaper in 8-9 months when Vista becomes available. It's a sad, ugly truth behind computers - they don't hold their resale value for very long.
Wednesday Jan 18, 2006 it Windows XP Service Pack 3 Not Due Until 2007
Microsoft has gone public with a tentative date for its
third service pack for Windows XP. And that date is
considerably later than many company watchers were expecting.
Over the weekend, the company released patches for beta
testers running the Windows Vista December CTP (Community
Technology Preview) and Windows Vista Beta 1, and warned
that the new operating system was vulnerable to a remote
code execution flaw in the Graphics Rendering Engine.
Windows XP comes equipped with a utility called the "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard," designed to facilitate the movement of both documents and personal settings from your old computer to the new one. Thanks to this utility, transferring everything, from the entire contents of your My Documents folder to your network and/or dial-up connections data, screensaver, and display preferences to your Web browser and e-mail client customizations, is simplified. As long as your old computer is running a Microsoft operating system from Windows 95 or later, you should be able to run the wizard without trouble.
here are several ways of transferring over your old files,
2005
From: Windows XP tips and tricks
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, it's best to leave it on.
Is your firewall turned on? You can tell from the
Status column.
Now that you know that your firewall is on, how do you know that it's
doing its job? Test it with ShieldsUp, the free testing service
sponsored by Gibson Research (http://www.grc.com).
According to our tests, 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.
From: Interactive tutorial on Troubleshooting Windows 9x Configuration Problems
One of the first types of problems you can encounter when
troubleshooting Windows 9x is startup problems. For startup problems, a
good general troubleshooting method is to try to start Windows 9x in
Safe Mode and to proceed from there to identify the problem.
Problem: Computer Freezes Up When Starting Windows 9x
Follow the steps below to troubleshoot when a computer freezes up when starting Windows 9x.
Check the computer's CMOS settings for a virus protection feature. Some
computers have a BIOS setting that prevents applications from modifying
the boot sector of the startup drive. Windows 9x must modify the boot
sector during Setup or the first time it runs. Disable the virus
protection feature by using the computer's CMOS setup program.
Disable real-mode drivers in Autoexec.bat and Config.sys and restart.
If this solves the problem, be sure that devices with real-mode drivers
are not using the same system resources as other devices. Obtaining new
Windows 9x drivers for these devices might provide a solution.
If the problem occurs after you installed device drivers intended for
Windows 3.x, remove entries in System.ini that were added by the device
driver's installation software. If the device is displayed in the
Device Manager, delete it. Restart Windows 9x, and use the Add New
Hardware Wizard to reinstall the device using Windows 9x-compatible
drivers.
Problem: Bad or Missing File Message
Follow the steps below if the Bad or Missing message is displayed at startup.
Check the syntax of the entry in the startup file (e.g., Config.sys).
Verify that the file is stored in the correct location.
Verify that the file is the correct version.
Verify that the file has not been corrupted. (If you suspect this is
the problem, try replacing the file with a known good version from
another computer.)
open a copy of Windows Explorer. Click Tools > Folder Options. Then click the View tab. On the tab, you should see a list of options you can enable or disable. Look for the Hidden Files/Folders option. Set the option to "Show hidden files and folders" and click OK...
Behind the Scenes in Microsoft Windows XP
This lesson will provide you with some basic conceptual knowledge about Windows XP and how it interacts with your hardware and applications. You'll learn how to change login settings, how to install and remove applications, how to control background programs, and how to find out what hardware you have.
Lesson Assignment 1 Quiz 1 Discuss with Instructor
techrepublic. Hard drive failure troubleshooting checklist
Having a reliable set of troubleshooting guidelines can increase your odds of recovering from a hard drive failure. This checklist walks you through a proven hard drive troubleshooting process that covers physical connections, BIOS settings, viruses, partitions, formatting, physical and logical errors, and Windows 2000 and XP Disk Management.
techrepublic. Add Safe Mode to the standard Windows XP boot menu
Next time you have to go into Safe Mode on a Windows XP system, don't worry about having to repeatedly tap F8. Instead, use this tip to add Safe Mode to the standard Windows XP boot menu so that you can easily enter Safe Mode without cramping up your index finger.
techrepublic. Creating a quick Windows XP SP2 slipstream CD
After installing Service Pack 2 (SP2), you may wonder what you should do if you decide to rebuild the system from scratch using a reformat-reinstall operation. In order to avoid having to reinstall SP2, you can create a quick Windows XP SP2 slipstream CD using your original XP CD, the network installation version of SP2, and a special command. Here's how:
Save and Protect Your Hard Drive
Windows XP comes with a competent backup program (ntbackup.exe), but it's only installed by default with Windows XP Pro. For Windows XP Home, insert your Windows XP CD, navigate to D:\valueadd \msft\ntbackup using Windows Explorer, and double-click on the ntbackup.msi file to install it.
Go to Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs to uninstall any unnecessary programs. Next, run an antispyware utility like Spy Sweeper 3.5, PC Magazine's Editors' Choice ($29.95, www.webroot.com ), to eliminate malware.
Lastly, clean out your Temp folder. Windows and most applications almost never delete temp files when they're no longer needed. Temporary files are the most likely files to be fragmented and corrupted, contain viruses, and degrade performance.
In Windows Explorer, go to C:\Documents and Settings\{your user name}\Local Settings\Temp. Sort the listing by date, highlight all files with a Last Modified date older than when you last started Windows, and delete them. You could also use Creative Element Power Tools ( www.creativelement.com/powertools ) to clean this folder automatically.
It may not be possible to avoid every calamity that could threaten your hard drive and its data, but you needn't wring your hands waiting for disaster. We detail many backup solutions in our 2004 Utility Guide ( http://go.pcmag.com/backupsolutions ); both Windows and third parties offer encryption tools; and Windows has methods to help you recover from a crash, streamline your data, and free up disk space. If you master them now, you'll be ready if trouble strikes.
Disabling or enabling Windows XP System Restore While this is a desirable feature, in some cases it should be temporarily turned off. For example, if the computer is infected with a virus, then it is possible that the virus could be backed up by System Restore. By default, Windows prevents System Restore from being modified by outside programs. As a result, there is the possibility that you could restore a virus-infected file, or that the on-line scanners would detect the virus in that location.
Tuesday Jan 11, 2005 globe The new Mac mini lives up to its name, measuring 6.5 inches wide - slightly wider than a CD-ROM disc - and two inches tall. The tiny case houses up to 1GB of memory (depending on the model), either a 1.25 GHz or 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 processor and ATI Radeon 9200 graphics with 32MB of dedicated DDR memory, a slot-loading combo optical drive that can read DVDs and CDs and burn CD-R discs, an ethernet card and a fax/modem. Apple simply calls the hard drive "spacious," but insiders say the $499 (U.S.) model has a 40-gigabyte hard drive and a $599 model will have an 80-gigabyte hard disk. ..... the Mac mini lacks things like a keyboard, monitor and mouse that can be found in the average $500 (U.S.) PC.
Tuesday Jan 11, 2005 pc User Name Mismatch in Windows XP
Here's the story. When you create a user account, Windows XP creates and populates a subfolder of the C:\Documents and Settings folder whose name is the account name. But in your your case, you'll find a folder named C:\Documents and Settings\owner
Set Administrator's Password
You can customize your system's generic administrator account by adding a password (something the setup utility strongly recommends). This account comes in handy if for some reason your system is not letting you in with your regular account or if you fail to give your regular account administrative rights. By default, the admin account's user name is "administrator," and there is no password. If you add a password, make sure you write it down in the same safe place you did your serial number. To go to the admin log-on if you're using Windows XP Pro, reboot to get to the log-on screen. If you're using the Welcome screen, hit Ctrl+Alt+Del twice, then type administrator in the username field, and then hit Ent. If you're using the classic log-on prompt then simply enter administrator into the name field. If you're using Windows XP Home, reboot and press F8 after your computer's splash screen, choose Safe Mode, and you'll see an administrator log-on. Click it and hit Ent.
Set Up E-Mail and Instant Messaging
Many of you already have existing accounts for e-mail and instant messaging. If you want to bring over your settings and documents for these from another system, see the "Migrate" section on page 126. For those whOWN to set up instant messaging, you can download the free client for AOL Instant Messenger (www.aim.com), MSN Messenger ( http://messenger.msn.com ), or Yahoo! Messenger ( http://messenger.yahoo.com ).
Saturday Dec 4, 2004 pc All Is Not Lost
If the only tools available to you are those bundled with Windows, a deleted file that's been removed from the Recycle Bin appears to be gone forever. But it's not. With specialized hardware and software, you can recover virtually any file--even if the data is overwritten, the drive is reformatted, the boot sector is trashed, or the disk controller has stopped functioning. We tell you how to rescue your data in today's tip.
Small Pictures Become Huge Documents in Word This problem specifically affects Microsoft Word 2000, 2002, and 2003. It surfaces when a document containing an image in JPEG, GIF, PNG, or EMF format is saved in Rich Text Format or in Word 6.0/95 format. If the document is saved in Word's current format, the problem doesn't arise.
Print a eb page. The first Internet Explorer workaround to try is to change your margins to give you the widest possible printing area. To do this, go to the File menu and click on Page Setup. Under Margins, set Left and Right both to 0, then try printing to see if the page fits.
Since the browser prints in portrait mode (vertical) by default, you could also try setting the mode to landscape (horizontal), so that you are printing across the wide part of your page. To do this, go to the Page Setup screen again, and select Orientation. You will see settings for landscape and portrait.
As for software solutions, if you are using a Canon printer, the company offers a program for IE users called Easy-Web Print. You can read about it at www.canoneasywebprint.com/en/index.htm.
(see "Migration Utilities," in our June 8 issue; http://go.pcmag.com/utilityguide ). also http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1743637,00.asp
Open your Sent Items (or Outbox) folder, and make
sure you have the Size column displayed in the message index. In
Outlook Express, go to View | Columns, and click on Size. In Outlook,
select View | Current View | Customize Current View, and then click on
the Fields button (
Figure 1 . With Size displayed, click on the Size
column header to sort the index by message size; then select the larger
messages that you want to get rid of and delete them. Outlook 2003
contains a very useful Large Mail search folder that organizes all your
mail by size, making it easy to spot really big messages.
Outlook also allows you to delete sent messages automatically after a specified period of time. Choose Tools | Options. Click on the Other tab and then select the AutoArchive button. One option lets you permanently delete items older than a specified age. For other e-mail clients, you may be able to write a filter that automatically deletes messages after a period of time, but the easiest way may be to sort your messages regularly by date, highlight messages older than 30 or 60 days, and then delete them as a batch.
?
????
If your Web browser (particularly Internet Explorer) isn't configured
correctly, some Web sites can install spyware without asking
permission. IE6 has two options that you must disable. (On IE5 and
earlier, only the first will be present.) Bring up IE, and select Tools
| Internet Options. Click on the Advanced tab; under Browsing is a list
of minor topics. The two to uncheck are Enable Install on Demand
(Internet Explorer), and Enable Install on Demand (Other) (
Figure 3
). Then click on OK.p>
The best way to get rid of spyware and adware is to use a
utility that's specifically designed for this. Our current favorite is
Webroot's Spy Sweeper ($30 direct), followed closely by the free Spybot Search & Destroy ( www.safer-networking.org;
donations are encouraged). In addition to spyware, these programs
remove cookies from known spyware and adware companies. Both programs
are very easy to use; run them regularly to be sure that nothing sneaks
past you.
Tuesday Aug 31, 2004 pc Power strips and surge protectors provide a handy way to turn all the components in your computer system on and off, but leave your printer out of it. If your printer has a power switch, use it to turn the device off. This lets the printer complete its shutdown procedure; for ink jet printers, this includes parking the print cartridges so they don't dry out. In most cases, you probably don't need to turn the printer off at all; most now have sleep modes that draw negligible power, and many ink jets don't even have power switches.
Thursday Aug 12, 2004 pc To open the GPE, go to Start | Run and type in gpedit.msc. Those familiar with the Registry Editor or Windows Explorer will feel at home here. There's an expandable tree on the left from which categories are selected and a details list that shows the settings in the selected category on the right.
Thursday Aug 12, 2004 pc Smooth and simplify your online research ClipCache Plus lets you drag and drop pieces of information for quick transfer to your computer. You can even separate your clips into categories such as Graphics or Text so that you can quickly find what you need.
Clipboard Buddy opens up from the side of the screen and lets you retrieve your last 20 copied items. You can also set up a clipboard file so that the same items remain in there while you're doing repetitive tasks such as data entry. (Free/Windows)
Under Windows XP, Start's very first argument is an optional window title, in quotes. When you put the full pathname on the command line in quotes, Start treats it as a window title. For example, suppose you use this command line:
START "C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 7\PSP.EXE"
This will create a Command Prompt window whose title is the specified path. The solution is simple: Insert an empty pair of quotes ahead of the path, thus:
START "" "C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 7\PSP.EXE"
Your program should start without any problem now.
Tuesday Aug 17, 2004 I'm enjoying using your tip on how to extend the Windows desktop across two screens when running Windows on a notebook (for more information. But once I have the computer set up to use two screens, I'd rather have the taskbar on the desktop monitor instead of on the laptop LCD. Q) Is there any way to do this?
A)It's easier than you think. First, make sure the taskbar is not locked. Right-click on it and make sure the Lock the Taskbar option isn't checked. If it is, click on it to uncheck the option. Then click on the taskbar and drag it to the second screen. Windows will try to dock the taskbar to the edge of the first screen, but keep dragging until the taskbar reaches the second screen, after which you can position it however you like. When you tell Windows to stop using the second monitor, the taskbar will automatically return to the laptop monitor.
Thursday Aug 12, 2004 pc Disinfecting Your PC If you can't get online, you're stuck with the tools built into Windows XP. Your first step is to reboot into Safe Mode. This will prevent much of the software on the system from loading, including whatever might be causing your problem, but will still leave you in a position to correct it. To get into Safe Mode, press F8 as soon as your system beeps on boot-up and select the appropriate option from the menu that appears.
One way to get back to a working state is with System Restore, accessible from Help and Support on the Start menu. Unless you've told it not to, Windows periodically saves the system state so you can restore it relatively easily. System Restore undoes changes such as program installations, intentional or otherwise, but leaves your documents and most other changes untouched. It's a rather coarse tool, though, and you might want to avoid endangering other changes you've made—or perhaps you've already disabled it.
You can create a line across the page of your Word or Outlook document with just a few keystrokes. Type three consecutive hyphens and press Enter to get a normal line. Type three underscores and Enter, and you'll get a bold line. And if you type three equal signs and press Enter, you'll get a double line.
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Saturday Jun 26, 2004 pc Security Watch Letter: Adware, Phishing Plague IE Users ...highly critical flaw in RealPlayer. Several versions of RealOne and RealPlayer have been found to have a buffer overflow vulnerability that could allow remote execution of arbitrary code on a victim's system. RealNetworks has confirmed the problem and has issued a patch. See our Security Bulletins section for more information. microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-011.mspx
Monday Apr 5, 2004 pc To turn on Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) before you connect to the Internet for the first time. To do this, go to the Control Panel, select Network Connections, and highlight the name of the connection. Right-click and select Properties to bring up networking settings. Click on the Advanced tab, then select Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet, and click on OK. ICF is now on.
Next, connect to the Internet and browse to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Follow this page and download and install all critical security updates.
To stay safe, know that ICF can do the job as a basic firewall, but third-party solutions do more and offer greater control over security settings. Our Security Watch page (www.pcmag.com/security) contains reviews of personal firewalls and antivirus utilities. Once you've installed and updated these, you can turn ICF off.
Monday Apr 5, 2004 pc ABS Awesome 6300 $3,599 direct
2.4-GHz AMD Athlon 64 FX-53, 1GB DDR SDRAM, dual 120GB 7,200-rpm SATA hard drives in a RAID 0 array, Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro graphics card, DVD±RW drive, DVD-ROM drive, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card, Logitech Z-680 5.1 speakers, Samsung SyncMaster 191T 19-inch LCD, Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Monday Apr 5, 2004 pc Microsoft Windows XP won't allow you to uninstall Internet Explorer. How can you fix the browser or even reinstall the program if it becomes corrupt? If you don't yet have the very latest Internet Explorer, you can fix many problems by visiting http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and updating to the latest version. If you're already up to date, however, the site won't let you reinstall the program. You need to fool the system into thinking you don't have the latest version.
Tuesday 30 Mar 2004 pc SATA technology, Hard Drive Update for speed.
Monday 29 Mar 2004 pc Key XP Shortcuts try F1 & Tabmore
Switch among applications: Windows-Tab or Alt-Tab.
Open the Start menu: Ctrl-Esc or Windows.
Either shortcut will open the Start menu. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move through the menu, and the Enter key to choose an item. The two shortcuts vary slightly depending on your version of Windows. Ctrl-Esc, Esc leaves the Start button selected but not pressed. In Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0 (but not Windows 2000 and Me), Windows, Esc will return you to the window or desktop selection you were working with previously.
Monday 29 Mar 2004 pc Insert a Signature In Microsoft Word Next, in Word 2000 or 2002, choose Insert | Picture | From Scanner or Camera. If the Cameras and Scanners add-in is installed ...Scan the signature in 1-bit mode—with every pixel assigned as black or white ....Save the scan in an uncompressed bitmap format, such as TIFF or BMP. You can also crop or tweak the signature if needed. Then use Word's Insert | Picture | From File
Monday 22 Mar 2004 The printer drivers that ship with Windows XP often suffer from shortcomings, and the best that can be said—for some of the drivers at least—is that they'll let your printer print. We've seen similar problems in PC Magazine Labs—most recently with a Lexmark color laser printer, which suffered from extremely slow printing and poor output quality using the driver that ships with Windows XP. Changing to Lexmark's own driver improved both speed and quality. The moral here is simple enough, and it applies to most hardware, not just to printers: Even if Windows XP comes with a driver for your hardware, check the vendor's Web site for a better version.
Monday 15 Mar 2004 pc If you're running Windows XP, you can use the Tweak UI PowerToy (downloadable at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp) to customize the Places Bar in the standard Open and Save As dialogs. When you run Tweak UI, go to Common Dialogs | Places Bar on the hierarchical list; this is where you can change the folders that appear in the Places Bar. Note that you can have only up to five places, and for each your choice is limited to certain system folders (such as History, My Pictures, and so on).
..Our article "Personalize Office's Places Bar" (www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1265371,00.asp) inspired many readers to ask whether the systemwide File | Open and File | Save As dialogs could be configured in a similar fashion. As this tip explains, they can, but only if you're running Windows XP. You can choose from among 11 system folders, or you can actually type in any folder name you like.
for more
Shutdown Problems?: Visit support.microsoft.com and click on Search to bring up the Advanced Search dialog. Select your operating system from the drop-down list and search for shutdown problem using the all of the words entered option. You can choose from a number of articles, from the general "Resources to Help Troubleshoot Shutdown Problems in Windows XP" to the more arcane "Computer Hangs if USB Selective Suspend Option of USB Mouse Is On." There's even a Webcast called "Microsoft Windows XP: Troubleshooting Startup and Shutdown," which is also a good introduction to troubleshooting in general. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1537602,00.asp
in Outlook 2003 To hide the buttons move the mouse cursor over the thin bar at the top of the list of buttons. When the bar changes to a vertical double-arrow, click and drag the bar down. As you drag the bar over each button, each one will, in turn, disappear as a space-hogging text button and reappear as a small icon on the bottom row.http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1537599,00.asp
Friday 27 Feb 2004 To log on to Windows XP without going through the Welcome screen, you must have exactly one user account defined and you must have the Guest account turned off. That's the arrangement you had originally. A recent Windows XP update screws up this plan by adding a virtual user called ASP.NET, which isn't useful unless you're a programmer. Assuming you're not, just delete it.
Of course, subsequent Windows updates are likely to bring back that unwanted account. For a more permanent solution, download TweakUI from /powertoys.asp. Install and launch TweakUI; unlike earlier versions, the utility launches from the Start menu rather than the Control Panel. Double-click on the Logon item to open it and then click on Autologon. Check the box titled Log on automatically at system startup, enter your user name and password, and click on OK. Now TweakUI will log you on using your user name and password even if more than one account exists.
FONTS
(The page at www.microsoft.com/typography/fonts/default.asp may help you figure out which systems have the fonts you want.) On that system, launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the Fonts folder (usually C:\Windows\Fonts).
You can launch the Character Map accessory by entering CHARMAP in the Start menu's Run dialog. The Character Map dialog lets you copy any character to the Clipboard and paste it into your e-mail. In addition, when you select a character, it will show you the keystrokes to create it (for example, Alt-0252 for ü).This means that you hold down the Alt key, then tap out 0-2-5-2 on the numeric keypad (not the top-row numbers) and then release Alt.
Thursday Dec 18, 2003 pc Dvorak Online: Microsoft's Strong-Arm Upgrade Tactics
Columnist John C. Dvorak thinks he knows why Microsoft decided to cease support of Windows 98 and Office 2000, and he doesn't think it's because the software is outdated. He believes the move is one way to force people to upgrade to new software, and that it could be a step toward what he holds is Microsoft's wish for a subscription model for OSs and Office applications. Dvorak does not paint a pretty picture. Read his column for all the alarming details.
Friday Sep 5, 2003 cbc Trouble with Fast User Switching
"I just installed Windows XP Home Edition and I wanted to enable Fast User Switching. When I go to User Accounts in the Control Panel and select Change the way users log on or off, I get an error message saying: A recently installed program has changed the Welcome Screen and Fast User Switching. To restore these features, you must uninstall the program. The following file name might help you identify the program that made the change: MSGINA. What program is this, and how do I uninstall it?"
Tuesday, 21 October, 2003 bbc Microsoft backs e-mail controls In Office 2003, people can limit who else can open, edit, copy or even print a document.
You can even set a time limit on it, so that a document will 'self-destruct' after a set period, though a copy will most likely remain on a central server. ...Office 2003 will be available in a set of packages at range of prices, starting at around £120 [$264cad] for students.
But the programs will only run on a PC with Windows XP or 2000.
There are times when you can't boot your system from the hard drive, thanks to either a system problem, a lost password, or the simple fact that the OS hasn't been installed. Windows XP offers a number of options for booting from floppy disks, but you must prepare them before they're needed.
A computer with no operating system installed will usually boot from the Windows XP CD. For that rare system that won't, Microsoft offers downloadable programs to create the necessary set of bootable floppy disks. Navigate to http://support.microsoft.com and search for article 310994. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1203124,00.asp Find the download link for your Win XP version and language. The downloaded program will create six setup disks, which can be used to start your system up and begin installing the OS from a CD in a nonbootable drive. You need 6 flopies better get you store to fix your computer!
...CNN The company's Office launch is a strategy change for its second most-profitable business division. Business software accounted for $9.2 billion in sales in its 2003 fiscal year, with operating profits of $7 billion -- a 76 percent profit margin. It is second only to Microsoft's core Windows operating system business in revenue and profits
...The Office suite ranges from $149 to $499, depending on edition: student/teacher, standard or professional. Server software, however, costs thousands of dollars, such as SharePoint Portal Server, which retails for $5,619. ....But some of the new features rely on new or updated server software released Tuesday that include Live Communications Server, SharePoint Portal Server and other products that promote group collaboration and joint work on documents.
Window Size: IE has a notoriously bad memory for certain things, window sizes among them. Here is a technique that often fixes the problem, though it's not guaranteed. First, close all open IE windows, then launch IE again. Right-click on any link and choose Open in New Window. Resize the resulting secondary window to the size you want for all secondary windows.
Now close the window by holding the Shift key and clicking the X icon in its top-right-hand corner. Set the remaining window to the size you want IE to have when initially launched, and close it in the same way. IE should now remember your preferred window sizes. If it forgets after a while, apply this simple fix again.
Run this tip by opening the Start | Run dialog and entering Eudcedit. Create and edit a custom character to use as text: You can make a character out of your name, for example, or a company logo. The process is a bit confusing: When you open the Editor, it asks you to assign your character to a spot on a grid. Accept the default and begin editing on the 50-pixel-square workspace. To use a saved character, open the Character Map (Run | Charmap). For Font, select the top choice, All Fonts (Private Characters), then select, copy, and paste your character into a document.
Get Hardware Details from the Device Manager Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties, or launch the System applet from the Control Panel ...Hardware tab
First, I can't stress enough the value of a personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm or Sygate. They're very easy to set up. Second, don't leave your P2P client on all the time. Many of these applications default to launching when you start up Windows. Find that setting and turn it off; and only turn on P2P software when you are looking for or downloading a file. Also, check which folders your P2P client shares with the rest of the world. Ideally, you should use a removable storage device such as a separate hard drive or a CD-RW drive, making it harder for someone to hack into a shared folder on your main system.
c|net Registry Mechanic 1.0 Safely clean and repair Windows Registry problems with a few simple mouse clicks. Problems with the Windows Registry are a common cause of Windows crashes and error messages. By regularly cleaning and fixing the Registry, your system should not only be more stable, but it will also help Windows and your software run faster. Registry Mechanic uses a high-performance detection algorithm to quickly identify missing and invalid references in your Windows Registry.
With a few easy steps, Registry Mechanic will scan your entire Registry for any invalid entries and provides a list of the errors found; you can then choose to selectively repair each item or automatically repair them all. For your convenience and protection, Registry Mechanic can also make a copy of any repairs made so you can easily recover any changes if required.
Control updates Acrobat's pop-under "Shall I update?" window stalls PDFs from loading in Acrobat Reader and can make it appear that your browser has locked up.
By the time you get fed up, close the browser, and see the update window, you may close it impatiently without noticing the check box that tells Adobe to stop bugging you and a drop-down list to control the frequency of update checks. You can access the same scheduling and notification options from within Acrobat Reader by choosing Preferences from the Edit menu and clicking Update in the list at left (Updates if your'e running Acrobat Reader 6).
Internet Explorer Categorizing your Favorites one at a time using Internet Explorer's Organize Favorites feature can be very tedious. It's much faster to manage the Favorites files directly within Windows Explorer. In Windows XP or 2000, go to C:\Documents and Settings\your-username\Favorites. Here, you can view thumbnails (at least for cached pages) by selecting View | Thumbnails. Now just cut and paste or drag and drop files to the places you want them. For more tips click here.
Monday Jun 9, 2003 Normally, the default action for any file type is Open, unless another action is specified. In some Windows XP and Windows 2000 installations, this is apparently not the case. If you add a new action and it unexpectedly becomes the default, you can usually repair the problem by explicitly setting the default on the File Types tab of Explorer's Folder Options dialog. This particular case is more difficult, because a folder on disk gets its context-menu commands from two file types, Folder and File Folder. The Open action resides under the Folder file type, and that's why you don't see it under File Folder. You can fix the problem with a Registry tweak. Launch REGEDIT and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell. Double-click on the (Default) value in the right-hand pane and set its data to open.
If you wish to change your file associations after installing Photoshop, please refer to the document, "How to Change File Associations in Windows" in the Adobe Systems Technical Solutions Database on the Adobe website, at this location: www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/.
The tip "Out of Office Replies" (www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,100287,00.asp) is not necessarily complete. You might need additional help from your Exchange administrator. By default, the Exchange settings that permit this type of response are disabled. For Exchange 5.5, the Exchange administrator needs to select the Internet Mail tab in the Internet Mail Service, click on the Advanced tab, and deselect both Disable Out Of Office responses to the Internet and Disable Automatic Replies to the Internet. In Exchange 2000's Exchange System Manager, the administrator must double-click on Global Settings, click on Internet Message Formats, right-click on the domain name, click on Properties, select the Advanced tab, and then check the Out of Office responses box.
Without prior knowledge, this could be quite difficult to figure out, because users will naturally think the problems they encounter are with Outlook on their PCs.
To change the default setting in Windows XP has modified the program associated with all your media files
First, find one of the files you would like to change. To change what program opens a particular file type, right click on the file’s icon while holding the shift key. Select “Open With” and pick the program you would prefer to use from the menu that pops up. This should change all files of this type to open with your preferred media player. You will have to repeat this step for each media file you would like to change.
Learn What's Running
Many programs install themselves so they launch automatically at Windows start-up. Whether you need them or not, they're using memory and CPU cycles. Windows 98, Me, and XP users can disable unnecessary background programs using the Startup tab of the MSCONFIG program, which you can launch from the Start menu's Run dialog. Windows 2000 users will need a third-party tool, such as PC Magazine's Startup Cop utility.
Disabling anything listed in either MSCONFIG or Startup Cop should be safe. But keep in mind that if you disable the system tray, you'll lose the clock and volume control in the system tray. Also, one or more instances of LoadPowerProfile or TweakUI do no harm, because they don't remain in memory.
Tips
The top-level documents folder in Win XP is now C:\Documents and Settings. Within that folder is a subfolder named for each user account that you've created for Win XP. And each user's subfolder has its own My Documents folder. So to get the application to access your files successfully under Win XP, look in the program's preferences for paths that start with C:\My Documents, and change them to C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents.
Press Alt-Tab repeatedly to cycle through larger icons representing open programs | Shift-Alt-Tab = backup
Alt-Spacebar invokes the window's System menu,
Start menu and select Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup.
you can set the amount as low as 1 percent for a large drive by right-clicking on Recycle Bin, choosing Properties, setting the new percentage
When configuration changes cause a window to stray outside the visible desktop area, haul it back using your keyboard. Alt-Spacebar invokes the window's System menu, which typically appears in the upper-left-hand corner, but with an off-screen window, appears as close as possible to the off-screen window. Press M for Move and use the Arrow keys to bring the errant window back into view
If you're stuck using a keyboard that lacks the Windows logo and Application (right-click) keys, you can substitute Ctrl-Esc and Shift-F10, respectively.
launch DXDIAG from the Start menu's Run dialog. Or select Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Information.
To get rid of never- or seldom-used programs, launch Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel and examine each item. Don't meddle with items that are completely unfamiliar; they may be required by the system. But if you find a standalone application that you no longer use, get rid of it! Depending on the program in question, Add/Remove Programs in Windows 2000 and XP reveals the size of the installation, as well as how recently and how often it was used.
Windows XP Home Edition only allows the Administrator account to logon in Safe mode.
XP Pro will definitely give you more options, as XP Home is very limited in setting user rights. This ties into the fact that XP Home does not support a domain logon, as does XP Pro (since many group policies and user settings are done on the domain level).
Many computer problems involve error messages, and it's essential to record the precise wording of these messages. In Windows 2000 and XP, pressing Ctrl-C will copy most error messages to the Clipboard. Launch Notepad, paste a copied message, and save it. Under Windows 98 and Me (or when Ctrl-C doesn't work), type the exact text of the message into Notepad for reference. (You can also take a screenshot of the error message by hitting Alt-, which copies the screen image to the Clipboard, and then opening Paint and pasting the image into a blank file. You now have a picture of the error message.) When copying or reporting an error message, you can omit the interminable lists of numbers found at the end of some message boxes.
The next place to go for help is the immense Microsoft Knowledge Base. Navigate to http://support.microsoft.com and type in a few search terms that describe the difficulty—for instance, shutdown problem—or search on an exact phrase from an error message. If necessary, refine the search by selecting your version of Windows from the drop-down list provided.
When you drag a file or folder from Explorer to a command prompt window, its full path name is appended to the command line. For example, you can type CD (CD for Change Directory followed by a space) and then drag a folder to the command prompt. When you press Enter, the command prompt changes directory to the specified folder. Conversely, you can enter "explorer /e,." (explorer, space, slash, e, comma, period) at the prompt to open Windows Explorer in the folder you're working with
The DIR command provides a directory listing of the current folder, but it omits files with Hidden and System attributes. DIR /A shows all files—regardless of their attributes. You can also use the ATTRIB command to display or change the attributes of matching files. For example, ATTRIB -H DESKTOP.INI will unhide a Desktop.ini file.
Windows Explorer can copy selected files or folders to other locations. For a finer level of control, use the XCOPY command at the command prompt. XCOPY's abilities include copying all files matching one or more file specifications, all files changed on or after a specific date, or all files that have the archive bit set. Other options let you find and copy matching files in subdirectories, copy over read-only files, retain file attributes when copying, and more. The command XCOPY /? lists the XCOPY command's syntax, but the data fills more than one screen. For a full listing, redirect that information into the file Xcopy.txt using the command XCOPY /? > XCOPY.TXT, then open Xcopy.txt in Notepad
To run a program from the Command Prompt, just type its name. To launch a data file, you need the START command. For example, START XCOPY.TXT will open the specified text file in Notepad
Whereas the DIR command lists files matching a file specification, the FOR command acts on matching files. The following command opens all files in the current directory whose filename is Project1, launching each in the application appropriate to its extension:
FOR %v IN (PROJECT1.*) DO START %v. The %v represents a variable; you can use any letter. For each file that matches the list of file specifications in parentheses, the command after DO repeats, substituting that file's name for the variable. With Window 2000 and XP, the FOR command is even more powerful. For a full list of its features, enter FOR/? > FORHELP.TXT and launch Forhelp.txt.
The commands we've discussed are hardly the only DOS-style functions that remain useful under Windows. To get a list of all the standard commands, enter HELP > HELP.TXT and view Help.txt in Notepad list dos cmds
Mouse Acceleration in Win XP
The Windows XP Mouse Properties dialog is different from its predecessor, but a Registry tweak will bring back the settings you remember.
Many good links on PC.mag Reflection on the OS's first birthday still begs the question: Is this the OS you've been waiting for?
Shutdown XP Faster
When a user shuts down Windows XP, first the system has to kill all services currently running. Every once in a while the service does not shut down instantly and windows gives it a change to shut down on its own before it kills it. This amount of time that windows waits is stored in the system registry. If you modify this setting, then windows will kill the service earlier. To modify the setting, follow the directions below:
Start Regedit.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control.
Click on the "Control" Folder.
Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"
Right click on it and select Modify.
Set it a value lower than 2000.
Virtual Paging File
This tweak can increase the amount of RAM significantly used on your computer. What this tweak actually does is it uses your hard-drive disk-space to emulate RAM. This is called caching, or in Microsoft terms - The Virtual Paging File Size.
1.) Go into Control Panel and into Performance and Maintenance
2.) Get into System
3.) Click the Advanced Tab
4.) In the Performance Frame, click on Settings
5.) Once in Settings click on the Advanced Tab
6.) Now under Virutal Memory click on Change
7.) Here you can set your RAM value. The recommended increase you should make should be achieved by multiplying your RAM by 1.5. This is already done if you have a System Managed file size. I like to increase it by 1/5 of my actual hard-drive space. This will drastically increase performance, because the system will now have a pool of cache to retrieve memory from.
Unload .dll's to Free Memory
Windows Explorer caches DLLs (Dynamic-Link Libraries) in memory for a period of time after the application using them has been closed. This can be an inefficient use of memory.
1. Find the key [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer].
2. Create a new DWORD sub-key named 'AlwaysUnloadDLL' and set the default value to equal '1' to disable Windows caching the DLL in memory.
3. Restart Windows for the change to take effect.
In the Run box, type "Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks". This frees up any idle tasks running in the background so that Windows XP can devote its full attention to what you want it to do. For example playing graphic intensive games.
Reg: Aug 2001 Decrease system loading time by changing network settings
When you start up your computer and you are connected to a LAN and your computer is set to DHCP and your computer has to search for the DHCP server and then request and IP address and all other configuration. This process takes up some time and slows down the time it takes to boot the computer up. Following the directions below will help your set a static IP address. Even if your ISP says to use DHCP this tweak may still work for you, but you are warnned!
My suggestion is: open C(system drive):/windows/prefetch, delete those junk and obsolete files,reboot. It is recommended that you do this every month.
2002
Environment Variables in 2000/XP When Command Extensions are enabled, Windows 2000 and XP have a whole set of enhanced variables you can add to batch files.
Copying Files to CDs
Windows XP's built-in CD-burning function requires a whole lot of free hard-drive space in order to work. Here's why.
Windows 2000 Shutdown
Shutdown.exe is a handy program, but the Win 2000 version has fewer switches than that of XP. We explore the options.
Removing Unwanted History Items
When Internet Explorer's AutoComplete is suggesting sites that you don't want to visit, here's how to remove them from your History list.
XP Makeover for Older Apps
Use this XML code to give your legacy programs a more streamlined, Windows XP-style look.
Word as Spyware
Hidden Word fields can carry instructions that will send private files to outsiders. Here's what you can do to close this security breach
OUTLOOK 2000+
Identity Crisis
Windows XP Service Pack 1 disables Outlook Express's multiple identity feature. We've found a workaround.
How Does Win XP Know About My Unread Mail?
The Windows XP log-on screen shows your Outlook Express and Windows Messenger message count, even if you don't use those programs ordinarily.
To create a Personal Address Book, select Services from the Tools menu, then click on the Add tab. In the dialog box, choose Personal Address Book, then click OK. In the next dialog box that appears, keep the current settings or enter your own. Click OK twice, then restart Outlook.
For many users, Outlook's Suggest Names feature helps speed up routine e-mail activities. But in two cases, the feature can be a problem: when you want no chance of other users discovering your contacts and when you have two or more e-mail addresses for one person and Outlook insists on choosing the wrong one.
To turn this feature off, open the Options dialog by selecting Options from Outlook's Tools menu, click on the Preferences tab, and click the E-mail Options button. From there, click the Advanced E-mail Options button and uncheck the box, near the bottom of the dialog, labeled Suggest names while completing To, Cc, and Bcc fields.
To get help remembering important birthdays or anniversaries, add the person who's birthday you want to remember to your Contacts list, click the Details tab, and add their birthday or anniversary in the place provided. These dates will now be automatically added to your calendar
To view the Journal entries that Outlook has recorded, choose Journal from the Outlook's My Shortcuts list and then, from the View menu, choose Current View. You can view the entries in a number of different ways, such as by Contact, by Category (which groups journal entries according to the category they've been assigned to); and by Type (which lets you see details of the entries linked to a timeline).
If you'd like to set Outlook to check for new mail at regular intervals, from the Tools menu, select Options. (Outlook 97 users click under the E-mail tab; Outlook 98 click the Mail Delivery tab; Outlook 2000 click the Internet E-mail tab.) You can also receive new mail by selecting Check For New Mail from the Tools menu (in Outlook 97) or clicking the Send/Receive icon (in Outlook 98/2000).
Move to Folder Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+V | Create a Task Ctrl+Shift+K
Thursday Dec 19, 2002 globe Microsoft flaws could hit music swappers
People using Windows XP or WinAmp could fall prey to a vulnerability enabling a modified music file to take control of a PC ...The flaw in Windows XP can force the operating system to run code when a music file is played by Windows Explorer, the operating system's file-browsing application. Even placing the mouse pointer over a file icon — opening a preview of the file — could trigger the file's payload, if it has one. The vulnerability does not affect the Windows Media Player, according to details posted by Microsoft in its advisory. ...WinAmp has a similar flaw that allows code to run when certain multimedia tags in MP3 and WMA files are loaded with too much data. ...Other multimedia formats are also becoming targets for Internet attacks. Web software maker Macromedia warned last week that a flaw in its Shockwave Flash Player, a popular browser plug-in for animating Web graphics, could leave Internet users open to attack.
The patch for Windows XP is available through Microsoft's Windows Update service. The newest version of NullSoft's WinAmp is available on the company's WinAmp site.
Wednesday Dec 18, 2002 globe Microsoft unveils XP entertainment software
Plus Digital Media Edition for Windows XP is designed to give users of standard PCs more features for editing and playing with media files ...download it starting Jan. 7 from a host of Web retail outlets. It will sell for $19.95 (U.S.) and includes a $5 rebate. ...Windows Movie Maker 2, advanced video-editing software, and Windows Media Player 9 Series, technology for the delivery and playback of digital media files. With a growing collection of entertainment technology, ....Among the new software's 10 features are special photo-editing tools and a tool for making CD labels. The Plus Photo Story, for example, uses Microsoft's Windows Media 9 Series technology to compress photos so people can send pictures with voice-overs and songs attached, according to the company. ...In addition, the software has an analog converter to transfer music from cassettes or albums into a digital file. MP3 and WAV files can also be converted to Windows Media Audio (WMA) files or vice versa with a compatible MP3 plug-in for Windows Media Player 9 Series.
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To install the Black's version of the Windows XP on-line Print Ordering Wizard, a customer goes to www.blackphotocentre.com, clicks on the Windows XP icon and with three clicks the user is ready to order prints
Friday Nov 15, 2002
This week I want to follow up on two points. First, I heard from Ed Bott, co-author of "Windows XP Inside Out" -- an excellent book for technical PC fans, by the way -- who says that he cracked the secret of FAST. "It took me three tries to get it right, but eventually it worked," he writes. (So why does Microsoft continue to use, "It just works" as its slogan for Windows? Maybe because there wasn't enough room on the bumper sticker for, "It might work on the third try.")
Here's how Ed got it to work:
"1. Run the Network Setup Wizard (uh-oh, another wizard!) on the new machine. If you skip this step, file sharing is not enabled and the firewall is left on.
"2. Run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on the old computer first, choosing the option to use the Windows XP CD on the new computer and then leaving the wizard stopped at the screen where it says, 'Go over to the other computer....' When you then run the wizard from the CD on the old computer, the network option is available."
Visit David Pogue on the Web at DavidPogue.com.
September 27, 2002 Windows XP grows Bluetooth an update that would add Bluetooth support to Windows XP. Bluetooth allows peripherals, handhelds and cell phones to connect to PCs without wires.
Wednesday Jul 17, 2002 MARK STACHIEW Windows XP runs best on faster CPUs
Q.Can you tell me what type of computer is required to run Windows XP? Do I need a Pentium II or higher?
A. To run the Home Edition of Windows XP, Microsoft says you require a computer running a CPU with a minimum clock speed of 233 megaherz, but it recommends at least 300 Mhz. The CPU should be of Intel's Pentium-Celeron or AMD's K6/Athlon/Duron line of processors or anything compatible. . You will need at least 1.5 gigabytes of free space on your hard drive. You will require more if you choose to install additional XP features, meaning 2 Gb is more realistic.
If you are upgrading from an existing copy of Windows, you must be already running Windows 98/ME/2000 or NT4. Some people have had problems upgrading to XP, especially with older systems because several older peripherals are not compatible with the OS. You can find out which ones are by consulting Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List at microsoft.com/hcl/.
WindowsReinstall.com.
Check out its XP page at indexwinxp.htm
Wednesday Jul 17, 2002 cnn Multimedia Windows XP coming Attempting to shift PCs into entertainment hubs Microsoft Corp. announced an addition to its flagship Windows XP series of operating systems on Tuesday, Windows XP Media Center, which aims to transform desktop computers into remote-controlled digital entertainment hubs.
The world's biggest software maker said the new entertainment-friendly edition of Windows XP will debut in stores in the United States, Canada and South Korea in time for this year's U.S. holiday season, which typically begins late November, and be packaged together with personal computers specially designed to deliver its key media features. ....will have extensive digital music, video, TV and DVD video playback capability .
Since Windows XP Media Center's features are closely tied to the hardware, it won't be available as a separate operating system. Instead, the new edition of Windows XP will ship with new mid-range PCs priced in the $1,000 to $2,000 category.
Tuesday Jul 16, 2002 New Windows XP focuses on play
Microsoft's latest edition of its Windows XP operating system aims to transform the desktop computer into a digital entertainment hub.
Before you load XP read MS howto/gettingstarted/guide Know: (see Start > Settings > Control Panel > Networl incon > Identidication TAB
Names of your computer. Binco
Name of the workgroup or domain. Wednesday
If your computer is a member of a domain, you will also need your domain user name and password.
TCP/IP address (if your network doesn’t have a DHCP server).
Saturday May 25, 2002 cnn Microsoft's monopoly XP fix
Software giant issues Windows XP patch to comply with anti-trust deal. The Windows XP Service Pack 1 will be released to more than 10,000 beta testers by the end of May and then made available to the public around the end of August, he said.
The software allows computer manufacturers and users a variety of options in making default settings for certain popular programs including Web browser, e-mail, instant messenger and media player for audio and video.
A new button on the Windows start menu, titled "set program access and defaults," allows users to choose between four default options: computer manufacturer choice; Microsoft only software; non-Microsoft software; and customized settings, which is the default choice.
Users can choose to set defaults to one program but also display alternative programs, or they can hide other programs so that the icons are not on the desktop or in other areas, eliminating easy access to the programs.
Previously, computer makers could set defaults to programs other than Microsoft's but could not hide Microsoft programs, except for the browser, like they can now.
Friday Mar 22, 2002 A Port Beckons: Moving to a New PC Several programs on the market are designed to help you migrate from one PC to another. Both PCsync from LapLink ($80) and IntelliMover ($50 to $60) from Detto Technologies will not only move all of your data files but also transfer your settings, saving you the trouble of having to configure your e-mail, browser and other programs manually, including Microsoft Office.
Saturday Feb 23, 2002 nyt Technology's Threats to Privacy MS newest Media Player, included free with Windows XP software, has a privacy-invading feature that came to light last week. Media Player quietly keeps a log, stored on the user's own computer, of the DVD's it plays. So users who thought they were watching movies privately were actually leaving behind records of what they have viewed. The software also sends information back to Microsoft in a way that allows the company to match individuals with their music and movie choices.
Friday Feb 22, 2002 cbc MICROSOFT MEDIA PLAYER LOGGING CONSUMER USE
Microsoft admits it has been tracking the songs and movies customers
play using its Media Player 8 software. The software comes free with the
Windows XP operating system.
Wednesday Feb 13, 2002 guardian Gates seeks to plug security holes Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, has redeployed 7,000 of his computer programmers from work on new software programmes to fixing security holes in the existing Windows operating systems. The most serious bug found so far
allowed a hacker to run a programme on any computer by
luring the user on to a website. Hackers used the
programme to access users' credit card numbers
or bank details and pass them on to fraudsters.
Thanks to Dr. David Mitchell [pdmitchell-sympatico.ca]
Scientists want the US Government to adopt new legislation to ensure software companies make their products secure.
An influential body of researchers is calling on the US Government to draft laws that would punish software firms that do not do enough to make their products secure. see W-N on
Friday, December 21, 2001 SECURE HOLES IN WINDOWS SOFTWARE: FBI cbc
The FBI is warning consumers to take extra steps beyond those
recommended by Microsoft Corp. to protect against potential hacking of
the newest Windows software, which was marketed as the most secure ever.
Re Windows XP 26/Oct/2001 13:59
I don't think I'll be jumping on the XP bandwagon anytime soon.
The WPA (product activation procedure) and the force-feeding of MS
Passport sort of keeps my excitement level at bay.
I'd be much more interested in trying 2000 now that it's stable and proven... Norbert Wienholz Advisor to W-N
Please see Prof Gerald Ratzer on XP. In general I would agree with Nobert - I would not rush to move to XP.
It requires at least a 350 MHz machine with lots of RAM and disk. So do not plan to use it on any machine more than a year old.
29/Oct/2001 ABC News — This week's Cybershake notes the increased traffic at an online wedding planning site, examines new features in Microsoft's new operating system, and wonders if the anthrax scares will result in more junk e-mail.
WPA requires you to activate Windows XP (via the Internet or telephone) within 30 days of installation. ...To activate Windows XP, WPA creates a nonunique value based on up to ten pieces of information from your video card, network card, SCSI controller, hard drive, CPU, and memory configuration. The tool then uses a combination of the 25-digit product ID code and the nonunique value to create a number, which Microsoft exchanges for a code that activates your copy of the OS.
What is true is that Windows XP does appear to be a significant step forward, particularly if you're running Windows 98 or Windows Me. If you're a Windows 2000 users, it's not as major a step, unless you want the additional features or better game compatibility. www.extremetech.com/
First, Windows XP Home is essentially a downgrade from Windows 2000, gussied up with pretty icons and trimmed out with multimedia features that were mostly present in Windows Me. It is not a viable choice for most professional or laptop users. Though Windows XP's networking capabilities are the best yet, Windows XP Home Edition is deliberately crippled. It can't log on to Windows 2000 domains, which means that you probably can't use it at work—and may not be allowed to, since it can compromise the security of corporate networks.
Second, the Home version doesn't give you much that's new. The difference is that it's bundled in from Microsoft instead of another company. So instead of using the familiar Easy CD Creator, you burn your CDs from Windows Explorer. Does it have all the features you need? Probably not. Will it hurt the companies that make more complete products? Definitely.
PC Magazine has placed a comprehensive of XP resources at
your fingertips with its "Windows XP Launch Guide".
PC Magazine Labs has put Windows XP through extensive testing, and what we found may surprise you. Here's a hint: The OS is remarkably stable, mostly compatible with standing programs, and jam-packed with interesting features.
Now! (Better yet, go get a brand-new computer with Windows XP preinstalled.) .. if it ain't broke....
Of course, many users will never experience WPA. Most PC vendors will preactivate Windows XP. In addition, vendors can key Windows XP activation to a single value in the BIOS. You then can change everything in the machine without reactivating if the BIOS doesn't change. And corporate customers can buy volume licenses, which don't require activation.
Gibson [www.grc.com] claims that Windows XP's implementation is going to be disastrous for the Internet community. Microsoft counters that it isn't the raw sockets but malicious code that is the problem. According to Microsoft, the benefits of raw sockets, which Windows XP uses for personal firewall and IPSec features, are worth the trade-off
Compared with most previous Microsoft operating systems,
Windows XP's stability is outstanding—on a par with Windows 2000. Unstable drivers are often the cause of system crashes, but Microsoft's driver compatibility programs let the company thoroughly test manufacturers' drivers before they are available on the market.
The utility is included in Office XP, Internet Explorer versions 5.0 and later and the upcoming release of Windows XP, Microsoft's next-generation desktop OS.
In order to disable Error Reporting in XP and IE 6 on Windows 2000, administrators have two options. They can right-click on My Computer, choose Properties, Advanced and then Error Reporting, and then click on the error reporting box. Another way is to edit the registry script; the operation must be done for each individual user on the system. It can be disabled in IE 5.x by using the ADD/Remove Programs feature in the Windows Control Panel.
Thursday, October 25, 2001 Windows XP sets sail into rough seasWindows XP will be subject to a more gradual rollout. It's an expensive product (almost $500 for the full version of XP Professional in Canada), which will put a damper on sales in a poor economy. Moreover, sales of new PCs, which come bundled with Windows XP, are down about 30 per cent in 2001.
And most corporations are just starting to roll out Windows 2000 operating systems, added Mr. Mabrucco, meaning they won't start upgrading to XP until 2003.
Andy Nulman 
BBC
Thursday Oct 10, 2002 nyt 
A Port Beckons: Moving to a New PC![[Version en français]](images/fr.gif){kind=small}
