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What is
special about the start menu in Windows XP?
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What is
ClearType and how do I enable it?
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What is the
difference between Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger?
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What are Power
Toys and can I get them for Windows XP?
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How can I
change file associations in Windows XP?
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How can I
unlock the taskbars and toolbars in Windows XP?
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How can I add a shortcut to the Quick Launch
Tray?
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How do I locate Windows XP troubleshooting
tools?
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How do I send photos the easy way in XP?
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Can you upgrade to Windows XP with only an
upgrade disc?
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How do I turn on the firewall included in XP?
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What does Task Manager do in XP?
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How can I set
the Preferences for view in Windows Explorer?
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Why does defragment (defrag) go only so far and
then stop and start over again? I get the message
"Drive's Contents Have Changed: Restarting..."How can I
get it to finish?
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How can I locate a “lost” cursor?
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How can I find out
if my computer can run Windows XP?
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How can I simultaneously close all open windows?
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How can I password
protect ALL my personal files on Windows XP?
The Start menu has always been one of
Microsoft's trademarks. But since it debuted in Windows 95,
little has changed--until now. Windows XP completely revamps
the Start menu, offering useful new features and design.
The Start menu is now bigger, and it
sports two divided sections. The left part is the so-called
dynamic list, which the operating system automatically
populates. Windows XP monitors which applications you run
and manages the left part accordingly. You'll find the
applications you use more frequently higher on the list.
Applications that you don't use as often are at the bottom
of the list, and running new programs replaces them.
The right part of the new Start menu is
static. It includes shortcuts to system folders such as My
Documents, My Computer, Control Panel, Help And Support, and
others. While many users might not like the menu's new look
at first, give it some time to get used to--you shouldn't be
disappointed. But if you are, you can still use the old
Start menu. Just right-click the taskbar and select
Properties. On the Start Menu tab, select Classic Start Menu
and click OK.
The odds are good that you won't want to
revert to the classic version. But you might want to
customize it for your needs. You can make changes to the
look and feel of the new Start menu by right-clicking the
taskbar and selecting Properties. On the Start Menu tab,
click Customize. You can change the icons' sizes, specify
the number of programs on the dynamic list, and hide or show
items on the static side.
ClearType,
one of the new technologies included in Windows XP, uses the
design of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) found in notebooks
and other portable devices, including desktop computers.
LCDs consist of thousands of pixels too small to be
discernible by the human eye alone. In traditional font
rendering, each pixel is either "on" or "off"; when the
computer displays a character on the screen, it turns these
pixels on or off.
Every pixel
on an LCD screen is comprised of three smaller elements
called subpixels: one red, one green, and one blue (RGB).
ClearType manipulates these individual subpixels, which
allows for much smoother fonts.
To enable
ClearType:
1. Right-click on the desktop.
2. Go to the Appearance tab.
3. Click the Effects button.
4. Check this option in the Effects dialog box: Use The
Following Method To Smooth Edges Of Screen Fonts.
5. Select ClearType from the drop-down box.
6. Click OK.
After you
close the Display Properties dialog box, Windows XP will
turn on ClearType.
After
ClearType is enabled, the fonts will appear smoother and
without sharp edges. The final output on the screen varies
from LCD to LCD.
There is
often confusion that surrounds Microsoft products that have
similar names, such as Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger.
By default,
Windows Messenger is installed in Windows XP. Here's a quick
rundown of the key differences between the two programs:
* Windows Messenger is a Windows XP-only product.
* MSN Messenger is for Macintosh, Windows 95/98/98SE,
Windows Me, and Windows 2000--not Windows XP.
* They both support instant messaging, voice calls, and
files transfers, but Windows Messenger additionally supports
video calls, application sharing, shared whiteboard, and
Remote Assistance.
* Windows Messenger makes use of some technologies that are
built into Windows XP, such as acoustic echo cancellation,
reduced latency, and high bandwidth codecs.
* Both programs are interoperable so that users who have
Windows Messenger can communicate with users who have MSN
Messenger.
The next
time Microsoft releases a new version of MSN Messenger, know
that it's for older operating systems and shouldn't be
installed on Windows XP.
Microsoft
programmers develop many internal applications for their own
use that are never released to the public. A few are
released, however, which Microsoft packages and publishes on
their Web site as part of the PowerToys. The PowerToys
include 11 utilities. Some of them are Windows XP-specific
versions of old utilities; others are completely new.
PowerToys for Windows XP includes:
* SUPER-FAST USER SWITCHER allows you to quickly switch to
another user by using the Windows and Q shortcut keys
instead of going through the Welcome Screen.
* OPEN COMMAND PROMPT WINDOW HERE adds an option to the
context menu in Windows Explorer that allows you to quickly
start the command prompt in the selected folder.
* IMPROVED ALT-TAB displays a preview of currently selected
applications.
* TWEAK UI allows you to change various hidden system
settings not exposed through the Windows XP user interface.
* POWER CALCULATOR can graph, evaluate functions, and
perform different conversions.
* IMAGE RESIZER allows you to resize images while retaining
the originals.
* CD SLIDE SHOW GENERATOR generates a slide show from
pictures on your burned CDs.
* VIRTUAL DESKTOP MANAGER implements technology that already
exists within the Windows NT operating system that is never
used. The application allows you to use up to four virtual
desktops.
* TASKBAR MAGNIFIER magnifies part of the screen from the
taskbar.
* HTML SLIDE SHOW WIZARD helps you create HTML pages from
your pictures and then prepare them for publishing on a Web
site.
* WEBCAM TIMERSHOT takes pictures at a specified time from
your camera and saves them in a folder or to a network
location.
Web sites for Power Toys are:
XP Professional -
http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWSXP/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp
XP Home -
http://www.swfpcug.org/Library/cd_library.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/downloads/powertoys.asp
1.
Right-click on a file of the type you want to change.
2. Click on PROPERTIES
3. You should see a section of the properties screen which
says: "Type of File" and a button that says "Open With".
Click on the “Open "Change" button.
4. Select the program you want to use from the list.
5. Click OK twice.
6. Now double-click any file of the same type and it should
open in the program that you selected.
7. Repeat for other file types you would like to
re-associate.
You may have
noticed that you can't move the taskbar and toolbars in
various Windows XP applications. For instance, if you open
Internet Explorer, you can't move either the Address bar or
the icon bar. The same is true in Windows Explorer. This is
because all toolbars are locked by default. In order to move
them, you must first unlock them. You can do this by
right-clicking on the toolbar and selecting the Lock the
Toolbars option. The check should disappear from the context
menu. You can now move the toolbars around. Once you have
positioned the toolbars, lock them once more. This will
prevent you from accidentally moving them. The same locking
feature is implemented on the Taskbar. Simply right-click on
a free area of the Taskbar and select Lock the Taskbar.
1. Unlock
the toolbar: Right click on blank area of the tool bar and
remove the check mark from "Lock the Toolbar".
2. Move the vertical bar to the right if you need more room.
3. Drag and drop the shortcut to the left side of the
taskbar and let it go. A small icon will appear there.
4. Re-lock the Toolbar.
To view
these troubleshooting tools, open the Help And Support
Center and then click Use Tools To View Your Computer
Information And Diagnose Problems under the Pick A Task
section. You'll receive a complete list of tools that ship
with Windows XP.
Find the
file you wish to send by going through Start > My Documents
or using Windows Explorer. Right click on the file. Choose
Send To > Mail Recipient. Windows XP will ask if you want to
resize for email. The default is yes and will resize to a
low resolution. Change to Keep the original size to keep the
original resolution. The file will be attached to an email
ready for you to address and send.
Yes, you can
use the upgrade disc to do a clean installation if you have
the appropriate original Windows CD available. When you use
the upgrade disc to do a clean installation, it requires
that you insert your original Windows 98 or Me CD to verify
that you originally owned the previous version.
We strongly
recommend the following:
(1) Verify that all of the software and/or hardware will
work with Windows XP.
(2) Verify that all of the peripherals (printers, scanners,
etc.) will work with XP.
(3) Expect to have to pay for other upgrades in software
such as anti-virus.
(4) Do a clean installation. (reformat the hard drive and
start from scratch)
It is far
better to be well-informed before just jumping into an
upgrade.
Instructions
for turning on the built-in firewall* – Windows XP ONLY:
- You may
have an icon for “Network Connections” or "on your Start
menu. If so, roll your mouse over Network Connections,
then click “Show All Connections.” If you cannot find
Network Connections on your Start menu, click Start,
then open the Control Panel. In Control Panel, click to
open Network Connections.
- If you
are using a dial-up connection to the internet
(including AOL and all other internet service
providers), you will see an icon for that connection in
the Network Connections box. Roll mouse over the icon
for the internet service provider and right-click on it.
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Left-click on Properties. Properties box will open.
Click on the “Advanced” tab at the top of the box.
- If it
is not checked, click to put a checkmark in the box that
says “Protect my computer and network, etc.” Click OK to
apply the settings. The firewall is now active and the
icon in Network Connections will include the word
“Firewalled” to show it is turned on. Close out of the
Control Panel.
* There have
been reports that the XP firewall cannot be turned on with
AOL. The free
ZoneAlarm does work for folks we have heard from.
Windows XP's
Task Manager is a very useful tool when it comes to
troubleshooting problems. Not only does it help you
terminate hung applications, but it also provides you with
detailed information about all the processes currently
running on your computer.
When you
select the Processes tab, the default detail view displays
four columns of information about each process:
* IMAGE NAME: The name of the process.
* USER NAME: The user who started the process.
* CPU: The percentage of the CPU's capacity that a process
is currently using.
* MEM USAGE: The amount of memory the process requires to
perform its job.
While these
four columns provide you with a basic idea of the process
and how it affects the system, you can customize this
display with your choice of 21 other columns to get even
more detailed information. Here's how:
1. Pull down the View menu and choose Select Columns.
2. Select the check boxes adjacent to the columns you'd like
to add.
If you're
unsure of the type of information that a particular column
displays, access Task Manager Help Topics from the Help menu
and search for the term "Process counter column headings."
This will open a page with detailed descriptions of each
column.
(1) Open any
Explorer window.
(2) Set the view however you like.
(3) Click on the TOOLS menu and select FOLDER OPTIONS
(4) Click on the VIEW tab.
(5) Click on the button that says "Apply to All folders"
This will
set that as the default view for all folders.
One of the
most common reasons that defrag does not continue is that
there is something running in the background. A screen saver
is a very common one. Our techies recommend that you restart
your computer in "safe mode" and run defrag there. That way,
you can be sure all background processes are turned off. You
can find out how to get into safe mode from Microsoft at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310541
for Windows XP.
In XP, if
you're on a busy screen and can't find your cursor easily
you can hit Control key and a series of shrinking circles
will zero in on the Pointer. To enable this command, Go to
Control Panel > Mouse > Pointer Options > Put a checkmark in
Show Location of...
How can I
find out if my computer can run Windows XP?
The Windows XP Upgrade Advisor is a freeware utility that
inspects both the software and hardware on your workstation.
It checks to make sure that your workstation is Windows
XP-ready and tells you what issues you’ll face before you
start to install XP.
You can get the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor by downloading it
from Microsoft’s Windows XP Web site. Microsoft first tells
you that you should check its Eligibility List to make sure
the version of Windows you’re upgrading from is eligible to
upgrade to Windows XP Professional.
1. While
pressing the [Ctrl] key, successively click each of the task
icons on the taskbar.
2. Right-click the last task icon, and choose Close Group.
When you
select the Close Group command, Windows XP initiates a
standard exit procedure for each open application. If any
application has unsaved information in an open document, the
application will prompt you to save the document before it
closes.
How can I password protect ALL my
personal files on Windows XP?
Go to the
"User Accounts" control panel. Click on your account (it may
be something you recognize like your name, or may be
"administrator" depending on who set up Windows on your
computer). Choose the option to require a password or change
a password. If you never had a password, you can set a
password by leaving the field for the current password blank
and typing your new password in twice (in the new password
and confirmation fields).
Now, if you
have the only account on your Windows XP computer and you
password protect it, you'll need to set up a separate
account for anyone in your house. Otherwise, no one will be
able to get into your computer.
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