Welcome to the Windows XP pilot's academy. You're in for a short, sharp shock. Over these six pages we'll work you hard. It won't be easy, but when you leave you'll be able to make Windows XP sing. You'll be the best of the best. If you think that sounds too bamboozling and you'll never get off the ground, don't worry. We'll have you up and running in no time. And if you already know a thing or two, we'll teach you more and make you better.
Your time in the academy will be very structured. You'll be expected to attend a number of briefings where basic and central pieces of Windows XP theory will be explained. There'll be a great number of practical exercises too. These classes will teach you to fly individual stunts. When you've mastered a good number of these you'll be able duck and dive around Windows like never before.
And when you're through with our preliminary briefings, the hardened pilots among you will have some tough missions to fly. These will take you to places in Windows where only eagles dare. Master them, and there'll be no denying your place in the pantheon of true Windows Aces. Chocks away!
Windows Key Shortcuts
The Windows logo key, at the bottom left of the keyboard, between Ctrl and Alt, provides a valuable set of shortcut keys to run the most frequently used Windows commands. And don't overlook the Applications key, located on the right hand side of the keyboard, beside the Ctrl key. It acts like a mouse right-click.
For instance, press the Windows key and 'E' to open My Computer. For a full list, see www.microsoft.com/ windowsxp/home/using/tips/personalize/keyboardsc.asp
Display Hibernate on Shut Down
The extra power-saving 'Hibernate' option doesn't appear when you select Start, Turn Off Computer. It's still available, though - just hold down the Shift key and it jumps into view, replacing the Standby option.
To ensure hibernation has been enabled, select Start, Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance, Power Options and click the Hibernate tab. If the Hibernate tab is not available, this facility isn't supported on your PC.
When hibernate is selected, everything in memory is saved on your hard disk. When you turn the computer back on, all active programs, documents and folders are restored.
Password Reminder
If you're concerned about forgetting your password, provide a hint to yourself when you set up or change the password. XP stores these password hints in the Registry at Hkey_local_machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Hints.
Add Icons to your Desktop
To add more icons to your desktop, locate the program icon or shortcut, right click and select Copy. Then right click an empty part of the desktop and select Paste Shortcut. For example, you could add a shortcut for Computer Management. To find this program, select Start, Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance, Administrative Tools.
Defrag your Disk!
After you've been using your computer for a while, files can become scattered across your hard disk, slowing down access. You can rectify this using XP's Defragmentation Utility (Start menu, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools). Select a drive and click Analyse to see its current status.
Defrag will recommend what action you should take, or you can View Report to identify specific files that need attention.
Using Compressed Folders in Windows XP
Right-click the desktop, select New, Compressed (zipped) Folder, to generate a folder icon with a zipper. You can drag and drop files and folders into this new folder, and they'll be automatically compressed. When you copy or open files from the folder, they are automatically expanded. You can use compressed folders to keep backup copies, or to collect items you want to send to other users. If they don't have Windows XP, they'll be able to access the files using the utility WinZip, a trial version of which is available from www.winzip.com.
Display Quick Launch Toolbar
By default, there's no Quick Launch toolbar on the Windows XP taskbar. To display it, right-click an empty area on the taskbar, click Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch. To add items to your Quick Launch toolbar, drag the icon for the program onto the Quick Launch bar and drop it there.
Group Similar Taskbar Items
When you have several windows open at once within the same program - say, a number of Web pages open in Internet Explorer - XP automatically groups the taskbar entries together, replacing them with a single button. Click this, and you'll be given a pop-up list of the windows from which you can select the one you want to display. If you'd prefer XP to display individual entries, right-click Start, select Properties, Taskbar Properties, deselect Group Similar Taskbar Buttons, then click OK.
Have Files Read Aloud
Windows XP will talk back to you if you select Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility, Narrator. As the intro screen tells you, Narrator is a text-to-speech utility designed to work with Notepad, WordPad, Control Panel programs, Internet Explorer, the Windows desktop and Windows setup. Sounds just like the control tower, except you can click Exit to turn Narrator off.
Dial-Up Disconnection in ICS
When you quit Internet Explorer on an Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) client, the dial-up connection is retained. If you quit Internet Explorer on the ICS host computer, however, you will be prompted to disconnect. Don't accept this option, unless you are sure that no other users on your network are hoping to access the Internet.
Better still, you can switch off this prompt by clicking the tick box labelled 'Don't Use Autodisconnect'.
Drop files into Hidden Recycle Bin
By default, the Recycle Bin appears on the Windows XP desktop. If you have several windows open, however, it could be obscured. If this is the case, drag files you want to delete to the lower edge of the screen and hover the mouse over a blank area of the taskbar. After a moment, all the open windows will be minimised to reveal the Recycle Bin, enabling you to drop the files in.
Farewell to Information Balloons
Windows XP nags you repeatedly to take a tour of the software or sign up for .Net Passport. Cancelling the request doesn't help. To disable the prompts permanently, click Start, Run, RegEdit, OK. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft \Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. Select Edit, New, DWORD Value, name it EnableBalloonTips, and press Enter. The value is set to zero, signalling that no more balloons will appear.
Windows XP Startup Disk
Windows 2000 and Windows Me don't allow you to format a floppy as a bootable disk, so you'd expect Windows XP to be similarly constrained. However, select Start, My Computer, right click the '31/2 Floppy (A:)' icon and select Format. You'll be given the option to produce an MS-DOS startup disk. When you boot from this disk, you'll find that it can also be used to run Windows Millennium [Version 4.90.3000]. Strange, but it could be useful.
Error Reporting
When a system error occurs, Windows XP prompts you to send a report to Microsoft. This isn't mandatory, but it could help resolve your problems. It may also help Microsoft to resolve problems with future versions of Windows XP. You can send your error report anonymously, or provide an e-mail address in order to get feedback on your difficulties. If you'd prefer not to contact Microsoft, you can turn this prompt off by opening Control Panel, and selecting Performance and Maintenance, System, Advanced. Click the error-reporting button and select Disable error reporting.
Check your Firewall
Windows XP includes a firewall to protect you from hackers while you surf the Internet. To check that this is turned on, open Control Panel, Network Connections. Right-click the dial-up (modem, ADSL or cable) connection and select Advanced. Make sure that Internet Connection Firewall is enabled. Test it using ShieldsUp, the free service from Gibson Research at http://www.grc.com. XP's firewall should keep your PC in stealth mode, effectively invisible.
Enable Fax Support
Fax is not installed in the default Windows Setup, so open Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Add/Remove Windows Components and choose Fax Services. Setup installs the Fax support. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, and then click Fax Console. With the help of the Fax Configuration Wizard, provide Sender information, select your Fax modem device and specify your fax IDs. Your system will now be ready to send or receive faxes.
More Windows Components
When you open Add/Remove Programs from Control Panel and select Windows Components, you'll see only a subset of the components available. Others, such as Windows Messenger, are left out by default. To rectify this situation, search for Sysoc.inf on your hard disk (specifying that you want to include hidden files and folders), and open it in Notepad. Replace the parameter ,hide, with ,, (two commas), and save the file. There'll now be an entry in Add/Remove Programs for every component.
Quick Picture Change
You'll find a picture associated with each user account, but you don't have to accept the one Windows XP provides for you. Click Start, and when the Start menu appears, click on the image that appears at the top. Windows XP will display a list of alternatives. You can choose a picture from the list, or browse for more pictures, such as digital photos, on your hard disk. Using Paint (which you'll find under Start, All Programs, Accessories), you can even create your own images. When you've chosen an image, click the Change Picture button, and close User Accounts. Click Start and you'll see your new picture there (and on the Logon screen).
Requirements for Windows XP
To run Windows XP, Microsoft says you need a 233MHz processor or higher (300MHz recommended), at least 64Mb RAM (128Mb recommended), and 1.5Gb of hard disk space. To see what resources you are using, you can right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager, then click Performance to monitor your processor and memory usage. If you really want to fly, you'll need 500MHz and 256Mb RAM or more.
Administrator Power
When you create a new User Account in Windows XP Home Edition, it is automatically assigned network Administrator powers. To limit the possibility of errors, you should create a second account with only User permissions. You can then log in as a User for your day-to-day activities, and as an Administrator only when it's necessary o to add new users and change system settings, for example.
Running Older Programs under Windows XP
For an older program that creates problems under Windows XP, try setting compatibility properties to run it in a different mode. Right-click the program or its shortcut, and select Properties. Click on the Compatibility sheet and select 'Run this program in compatibility mode', choosing an operating system such as Windows 95 or 98. Change display settings if required and click OK. Then run the program again. Try different compatibility settings, until you find the best fit.
Preserve your Privacy
When you play a CD, Windows Media Player downloads the artist, song titles and album covers from the Internet. It also uploads the unique identifier for your copy of Media Player. This is ostensibly to monitor your connection and improve playback quality. If you'd rather stay anonymous, open Media Player and select Tools, Options and the Player tab. Clear the option to Allow Internet sites to uniquely identify your player.
Generate a System Report
To check how long your computer has been switched on, and what 'hot fixes' (online updates, see below) have been installed during that time, open the Command Prompt and type systeminfo. The utility will collect this and other information about your computer and display the results. To save the information to a file, you'd enter systeminfo>c:\sysinfo.txt. This command is for the Professional squadron only, since it isn't provided in the Home edition.
Automatic Windows Update
Windows XP automatically scans for and downloads software updates, and then prompts you to install them. To change this behaviour, open System in Control Panel and choose Automatic Updating. Select the option that suits you. If you decide to check for updates manually, open Internet Explorer and select Windows Update from the Tools menu to visit the Windows Update site.
Author: Mike Price and Benny Har-Even
Flying Start