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March
2002 -
Volume 2, Issue 2
Windows
XP Tips
The change from
Windows 95/98 (Win9x) to Windows XP is similar to the changes users
faced five years ago when moving from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95.
WinXP is based on the Windows NT/2000 kernel, which should prove
much more stable than the old Win9x kernels. In addition, WinXP
will use the same file system used by WinNT/2000, making WinXP the
first true multiuser OS (operating system) for the home PC. From
interface changes to making a multiuser environment work for you,
we'll examine some ways to get the most from Microsoft's latest.
Tip 1: Use NTFS (NT file system) To Enhance Security
Windows' file
system lays the foundation for storing and accessing data on a drive.
WinXP supports NTFS in addition to the FAT (file allocation table)
file systems supported in earlier versions of Win9x. NTFS includes
file and directory access controls that can help make your system
more secure. Using NTFS, you can limit access to your system to
certain users.
To find out
if you're using NTFS or FAT, click Start and select My Computer.
Right-click your WinXP hard drive and select Properties. If you're
running FAT (either the older FAT16 or the newer, 32-bit FAT32)
and want to upgrade to NTFS, you can do so without losing any data.
You'll have to convert from FAT to NTFS using a command line. To
access the command line, click Start, All Programs, Accessories,
and Command Prompt. Type convert x: /fs:ntfs (where x is the proper
drive letter). Note that once you convert to NTFS, you cannot return
to FAT without reformatting your hard drive and losing your data.
Tip 2: Create
A Limited Account
There are two
types of user accounts in WinXP, administrator accounts and limited
accounts. After installing WinXP, you should immediately configure
a limited account for daily use if you're using NTFS (see above).
To create a
limited account, log on to your administrator account (the default
account WinXP creates when you install it), click Start, select
Control Panel, and then click User Accounts. Click Create A New
Account. Type a name for the new account and click Next. Select
Limited and then click Create Account to create the new user account.
If you have already created other accounts and want to change them
to limited accounts, click Change An Account in the User Accounts
window. Click the account you would like to change and click Change
Account Type. Select Limited and click the Change Account Type button.
Tip 3: Use
Passwords
Passwords are
an important way to protect your information and your system. You
should protect every account with a password, but if nothing else,
we recommend that you protect your administrator accounts.
To add a password,
open User Accounts from the Control Panel and click Change An Account.
Click the account you want to password protect and click Create
A Password. Enter the same password twice (passwords are case sensitive).
You can enter a password hint, but doing so makes your password
less secure, as other users may use it to guess your password. Click
the Create Password button. Windows may ask if you want to make
your files and folders private. This prevents users with limited
accounts from viewing your documents and files. Click the appropriate
button.
Tip 4: Run
Programs With Administrator Permissions
WinXP provides
a couple of ways to quickly gain administrator permissions without
closing applications and logging out of your current user account.
The Fast User Switching feature lets you log on as a different user
without logging out of limited accounts, and the Run As option lets
you run a program using the permissions for a different user.
To enable Fast
User Switching, open User Accounts from the Control Panel and click
Change The Way Users Log On Or Off. Be sure to select Use The Welcome
Screen along with Use Fast User Switching.
To perform a
fast switch, click Start and click Log Off. Click the green Switch
User button to return to the Welcome screen and choose the account
you want to use.
To run an application
with administrator permissions, right-click its icon and select
Run As. Select The Following User, choose the name of the administrator
account you wish to use, and enter the password (to use this option,
the administrator account must have a password). Some items, such
as Control Panel items, hide the Run As option unless you press
SHIFT as you right-click them.
Tip 5: Search
Your System
WinXP features
a revamped Search tool. Click Start and select Search to open the
search utility. You can search specifically for Pictures, Music,
Or Video in addition to Documents and other items.
The All Files
And Folders option is closer to the old Windows Find feature. You
can search based on file name or search according to a word or phrase
contained in a file. To search a specific directory, click the down
arrow in the Look In drop-down menu. If the directory you want to
search isn't an option, click Browse at the bottom of the list and
select the directory from the Browse For Folder dialog box.
Tip 6: Brand
New Start Menu
The new Start
Menu is highly configurable; you can add, remove, or customize just
about any of its components. Right-click Start and select Properties
to get started.
Click the Customize
button and the General tab in the Customize Start Menu dialog box.
Here you can choose between using large and small icons, decide
how many recently used applications to display, and choose whether
to include a link to your favorite Web browser and e-mail programs
on the Start Menu.
Using the dialog
box's Advanced tab, you can control which additional items (such
as My Documents, My Computer, and Control Panel) you want to appear
and how each item should behave.
Tip 7: Find
Desktop Shortcuts To Familiar Items
WinXP gives
users greater freedom to delete unwanted items than previous Windows
versions. To restore the My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places,
or Internet Explorer icons to your Desktop, right-click anywhere
on the Desktop and icons you want to restore.
Tip 8: Never
Set Your Clock Again
If you want
to keep your system clock current, you can configure WinXP to synchronize
its time with an Internet time server. To configure an Internet
time server, double-click the clock on the Taskbar (you'll need
to be logged into an administrator account for this) and click the
Internet Time tab. Make sure Automatically Synchronize With An Internet
Time Server is checked and select a time server from the drop-down
menu. You can update the time by clicking the Update Now button.
Tip 9: Program
Compatibility
Some older programs
may not run well under WinXP. If you experience problems with older
programs, you can try using the Program Compatibility Wizard. Click
Start, select All Pro grams, Accessories, and click Program Compatibility
Wizard.
Follow the directions
to configure compatibility settings for an application. You can
choose applications from a list of installed programs, from a CD-ROM,
or from any directory on your hard drive. When you are finished
setting OS and video compatibility options, test the settings. If
the program works, be sure you select Yes, Set This Program To Always
Use These Compatibility Settings. Otherwise, try a different setting
or exit without saving changes.
Tip 10: Use
Restore Points
Like Windows
Me, WinXP includes a feature that lets you set restore points you
can return to in the event you botch an installation or experience
major system conflicts. To create a restore point, open All Programs
in the Start menu. Select Accessories, System Tools, and click System
Restore.
In the System
Restore window, click Create A Restore Point and click Next. Enter
a descriptive name for the restore point and click Create. To revert
to a particular restore point, open the System Restore Wizard as
above and select Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time. Click a
date to see a list of restore points created on that date. Select
the one you want and click Next. Click Next again to restore your
system. You will also be able to undo any recent restorations from
the System Restore Wizard.
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