tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90870034979363334812024-03-13T21:21:21.741+11:00COMPUTER MAINTENANCEcomputer maintenance|Hints|tips, keep your computer running at optimal performance and error freeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-4467326811903096632011-04-12T13:53:00.001+10:002011-04-12T14:02:16.377+10:00Installing Windows 7<p><strong>In This Chapter, You Will Learn To:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="2">Understand Windows 7’S New Features</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Understand Windows 7’S Architecture</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Prepare To Install Windows 7</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Install Windows 7</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="4">Understand Windows 7’s New Features</font></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.microsoftstore.com.au/shop/en-AU/Microsoft/Windows/Windows-7?WT.mc_id=pointitsem_ad_win7_generic&WT.srch=1&WT.term=windows+7&WT.campaign=6074&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&WT.content=623195904">Windows 7</a></strong> has resolved many of the problems that plagued Windows <br />Vista. Windows 7 has a much faster boot time and shutdown compared <br />to <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows-vista/products/home">Windows Vista</a>. It is also easier to install and configure. <br />The Windows 7 operating system functions are also faster than its <br />previous counterparts. Opening, moving, extracting, compressing, and <br />installing files and folders are more efficient than previous versions of <br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows">Microsoft’s client operating systems</a>. <br />Let’s take a look at some of the improvements and features of <br />Windows 7. This is just an overview of some of its benefits. <br />Windows 7 Taskbar In the previous versions of Windows, you <br />had a Quick Launch bar on the left side and on the right side you <br />could see which programs were loaded and running. The Quick <br />Launch bar has been replaced by the Windows 7 Taskbar and Jump <br />List. The Taskbar is shown in <strong>Figure 1.1.</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.1: Windows 7 Taskbar</strong>   </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMAo5fJDI/AAAAAAAAL3I/0LyQklrny6c/s1600-h/windows7taskbar14.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="windows-7-taskbar" border="0" alt="windows-7-taskbar" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMDC9Az1I/AAAAAAAAL3M/cjY1hP9zO10/windows7taskbar1_thumb2.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="105" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The Windows Taskbar:</strong> allows users to quickly access the programs <br />they use the most. One advantage to having the applications on the <br />Windows 7 Taskbar is that you have fewer icons on the Desktop, <br />thus allowing for a more manageable desktop environment.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Jump Lists:</strong> Jump Lists are a new feature to the Windows lineup. <br />They allow you to quickly access files that you have been working <br />on. For example, if you have the Microsoft Word icon in the <br />Taskbar, you can right-click it and it will show you all the recent <br />files that you have been working with. <br />Another advantage to using Jump Lists is that you can preset certain <br />applications, like Windows Media Player. For Internet Explorer, you <br />could view all the recent websites that you have visited. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>New Preview Pane:</strong> Windows XP and Windows Vista have a <br />Preview pane, but Windows 7 has improved on the Preview pane <br />by allowing you to view text files, music files, pictures files, HTML <br />files, and videos. Another new advantage is if you have installed <br /><a href="http://www.microsoftstore.com.au/shop/en-AU/Microsoft/Office?WT.mc_id=pointitsem_ad_office_generic_&WT.srch=1&WT.term=microsoft+office&WT.campaign=6062&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc&WT.content=623207339">Microsoft Office</a> and <a href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>, you also have the <br />ability to view Office and PDF files. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Windows Touch:</strong> <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows7/products/features/touch">Windows Touch</a> is one of the coolest features <br />included with Windows 7. It allows you to control the operating <br />system and its applications by using a touchscreen. <br />For example, you can open a picture and then move it around, <br />make it larger or smaller, or place it anywhere on the Desktop—all <br />with the touch of your fingertips on the screen. <br />Touchscreens are included on laptops, tabletops, GPS devices, <br />phones, and now on the Windows 7 operating system. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Windows XP Mode:</strong> Microsoft realizes that many organizations <br />are running Windows XP. Also, many of these same organizations <br />run older applications on these Windows XP systems. This is where <br />Windows XP Mode comes into play. Windows XP Mode gives an <br />organization that chooses to upgrade to Windows 7 the ability to <br />run older Windows XP applications on their new system. <br />To run Windows XP Mode, Windows 7 uses virtualized technology <br />to run a virtual XP operating system to allow the organization to <br />use the older applications. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>HomeGroup:</strong> Networking Windows 7 networking has been made <br />easier with the improvement of HomeGroups. HomeGroups are <br />an easy way to set up a network using Windows 7. Windows 7 <br />searches for your home network, and if one is found, it connects <br />after you enter the HomeGroup password. <br />If a home network is not found, a networking wizard automatically <br />creates a password for the HomeGroup. This password lets you</p> <p>connect all your other computers to the same network. The password <br />can be changed any time after you install Windows 7. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Device Stage:</strong> Device Stage is new to the Windows operating <br />systems family. Device Stage enables you to connect a compatible <br />device to your PC and a picture of the device appears. Device Stage <br />allows you to easily share files between devices and computers. <br />Before Windows 7 Device Stage, when you connected a device to <br />the PC, you might have seen multiple devices appear. For example, <br />when you added a multifunction printer (printer, scanner, and <br />copier), the device might have been added as three separate devices. <br />Device Stage helps resolve this issue. <br />Another feature of Device Stage is that the device vendors can customize <br />the icons for Device Stage, so that the same multifunction <br />printer can have the ability to order ink from Device Stage. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>View Available Networks (VAN):</strong> If you have used a laptop, you <br />have used this feature. When you use a wireless network adapter <br />and you right-click the icon in the system tray, you can choose the <br />wireless network that you want to connect to. You connect to a <br />wireless network through the wireless network adapter. Now that <br />same functionality is built into the Windows 7 operating system. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Windows Internet Explorer 8:</strong> Windows 7 includes the newest version <br />of <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/internet-explorer/products/ie/home?WT.srch=1">Internet Explorer</a> (IE8). IE8, as shown in <strong>Figure 1.2</strong>, allows <br />a user to work faster and more efficiently on the Internet due to new <br />search features, address bars, and favorites.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.2:</strong> <strong>Internet Explorer 8 lets you work <br />faster and more efficiently.</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMENCaQMI/AAAAAAAAL3Q/eGrv4mW6TGQ/s1600-h/internet_explorer_update3.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="internet_explorer_update" border="0" alt="internet_explorer_update" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMGzCRg8I/AAAAAAAAL3U/25wxlChNIRs/internet_explorer_update_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="427" /></a> </p> <p><font size="3"><strong>Some of the new features of IE8 include:</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Instant Search:</strong> This feature lets you quickly access search <br />requests without typing the entire search criteria. As you <br />start typing in the search request, you’ll see suggestions for <br />your search. <br />The advantage to Instant Search is that it will also use your <br />browsing history to narrow down the suggestions. After you <br />see what you’re looking for, you can make your selection <br />without having to finish the query. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Accelerators:</strong> This new feature allows you to accelerate <br />actions on Internet services and applications. For example, <br />if you are looking for a street address and you click the blue <br />Accelerator icon, a map will appear right there on the screen. <br />Microsoft Accelerators can be used for email, searching, and <br />so forth. Also, other websites like eBay and Facebook offer <br />Accelerators for their services. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Web Slices:</strong> Web Slices are instances on a website that you <br />want to access without accessing the site. For example, say <br />you want to get stock quotes, sports scores, or auction items <br />without visiting the sites; this is the advantage of using Web <br />Slices. As the information that you are watching changes, the <br />updates will show immediately.</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Understand Windows 7 Architecture</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Windows 7</strong> is built on the Windows Vista core, but Windows 7 has <br />limited the files that load at startup to help with the core performance <br />of the operating system. They have also removed many of the fluff items <br />that Windows Vista used, thus allowing for better performance. <br />When Microsoft first released Windows 7 as a beta, there was a <br />64-bit version but no 32-bit version. This did not go over well with the <br />Internet bloggers. I even saw a petition online to have a 32-bit version <br />released. <br />The funny thing is that I also saw a petition asking Microsoft not <br />to release a 32-bit version. The logic behind this was it would force <br />users and manufacturers to upgrade everything to 64-bit. In response, <br />Microsoft has released Windows 7 as both a 32-bit and a 64-bit version.</p> <p>Microsoft could not just release a 64-bit version of Windows 7. This <br />would alienate many users with 32-bit computer systems, and it would <br />cost Microsoft a large share of the client-side software market. Users <br />already have to deal with the PC versus Mac commercials! So Windows 7 <br />users have a choice of either 32-bit or 64-bit.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>32-bit vs. 64-bit</strong></font></p> <p><font color="#ff0000">When you hear the terms 32-bit and 64-bit, this is referring to <br />the CPU, or processor. The number represents how the data is <br />processed. It is processed either as 2^32 or as 2^64. The larger <br />the number, the larger the amount of data that can be processed <br />at any one time. <br />Think of a large highway that has 32 lanes. Vehicles can travel <br />on those 32 lanes only. When traffic gets backed up, they can <br />only use these lanes, and this can cause traffic delays. But now <br />think of a 64-lane highway and how many more vehicles can <br />travel on that highway. This is an easy way of thinking of how <br />32-bit and 64-bit processors operate. <br />The problem here is that if you have a 32-lane highway, you <br />can’t just set up 64 vehicles on this highway and let them go. <br />You need to have the infrastructure to allow for 64 vehicles <br />by having 64 lanes. This is the same with computers. Your <br />computer has to be configured to allow you to run a 64-bit <br />processor. <br />So what does all of this mean to the common user or administrator? <br />Well, it’s all about RAM. A 32-bit operating system can <br />handle up to 4 GB of RAM and a 64-bit processor can handle up <br />to 16 exabytes of RAM. The problem here is that Windows and <br />most motherboards can’t handle this much RAM. <br />None of this is new—64-bit is just starting to become accepted <br />with Windows, but other operating systems, like Apple, have <br />been using 64-bit processors for many years. <br />So should you switch all of your users to 64 bit? The answer is <br />no. Most users do not need to have large amounts of RAM, and <br />the real problem here is that many manufacturers do not have <br />64 bit–compliant components. <br />For example, I am writing this book on a 64-bit computer, but if <br />I open Internet Explorer and go to any website that uses Adobe <br />Flash Player, it will not work. Currently, Adobe does not have a <br />64-bit Flash Player.</font></p> <p><font color="#008000"><strong>NOTE:</strong> Computer processors are typically rated by speed. The <br />speed of the processor, or CPU, is rated by the number of clock <br />cycles that can be performed in one second. This measurement <br />is typically expressed in gigahertz (GHz). One GHz is one billion <br />cycles per second. Keep in mind that processor architecture must <br />also be taken into account when considering processor speed. A <br />processor with a more efficient pipeline will be faster than a processor <br />with a less efficient pipeline at the same CPU speed.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="4">Prepare to Install Windows 7</font></strong></p> <p><strong>Installing Windows 7</strong> is simple, thanks to the installation wizard. <br />The wizard walks you through the entire installation of the operating <br />system. <br />The hardest part of installing Windows 7 is preparing and planning <br />for the installation. One saying that I teach to IT professionals is “An <br />hour of planning will save you days of work.” Planning a Windows 7 <br />rollout is one of the most important tasks that you will perform when <br />you install Windows 7. <br />You must make many decisions before you insert the Windows 7 media <br />into your machine. The first decision is which edition of Windows 7 you <br />want to install. <br />The user’s job function or requirements may determine which edition <br />of Windows 7 you should use. Do they need their computer for home <br />use or just work? These are some of the factors that you’ll take into <br />account when deciding which edition of Windows 7 to install. Let’s take <br />a look at the various editions of Windows 7.</p> <p><font size="4"><strong></strong></font></p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Windows 7 Editions</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Microsoft</strong> <strong>offers six editions of the Windows 7 operating system. This <br />allows an administrator to custom-fit a user’s hardware and job function <br />to the appropriate edition: </strong> <br /><strong></strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Windows 7 Starter <br /> </strong> </li> <li><strong>Windows 7 Home Basic <br /> </strong> </li> <li><strong>Windows 7 Home Premium</strong> </li> </ul> <p><strong></strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Windows 7 Professional <br /> </strong> </li> <li><strong>Windows 7 Enterprise <br /> </strong> </li> <li><strong>Windows 7 Ultimate</strong> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Many</strong> times Microsoft releases multiple editions of the operating system <br />contained within the same Windows 7 media disk. You can choose to <br />unlock the one that you want based on the product key that you have. <br /><strong>Table 1.1</strong> compares all the Windows 7 editions and lists what they <br />include. We compiled this information from Microsoft’s website and <br />TechNet. This table is only a partial representation of all the features <br />and applications that are included.</p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><strong><font size="2">Table 1.1: Windows 7 Edition Comparison</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3"></font></strong></p> <div> <table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="550" align="center"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="214"> <p>                                    <strong>Starter <br />                                    Edition</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="85"> <p><strong>Home <br />Basic <br />Edition</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="84"> <p><strong>Home <br />Premium <br />Edition</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="84"> <p><strong>Professional <br />Edition</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="81"> <p><strong>Enterprise <br />and <br />Ultimate <br />Editions</strong></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div> <table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="527"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="98"> <p>Processor (32-bit <br />or 64-bit)</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="85">Both</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Both</td> <td valign="top" width="87">Both</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Both</td> <td valign="top" width="83">Both</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="104"> <p>Multiprocessor <br />support</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="92">No</td> <td valign="top" width="93">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="87">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="109"> <p>32-bit maximum <br />RAM</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="93">4 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="94">4 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="94">4 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="92">4 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="88">4 GB</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="113"> <p>64-bit maximum <br />RAM</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="93">8 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="94">8 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="94">16 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="92">192 GB</td> <td valign="top" width="88">192 GB</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="117"> <p>Windows <br />HomeGroup</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="93">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="93">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="88">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="121">Jump Lists</td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="87">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="124">Internet Explorer 8</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="87">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="126">Media Player 12</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="92">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="127">System Image</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="129">Device Stage</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">Sync Center</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">Windows Backup</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">Remote Desktop</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">ReadyDrive</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">ReadyBoost</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">Windows Firewall</td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131"> <p>Windows <br />Defender</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="90">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">Taskbar previews</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">Mobility Center</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131"> <p>Easy user <br />switching</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131"> <p>Windows Aero <br />Glass</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">Multi-touch</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">DVD playback</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131"> <p>Windows Media <br />Center</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">XP Mode</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131"> <p>Encrypting File <br />System (EFS)</p> </td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="89">Yes</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">BitLocker</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="89">No</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">AppLocker</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="89">No</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">BranchCache</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="89">No</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="131">DirectAccess</td> <td valign="top" width="90">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="91">No</td> <td valign="top" width="89">No</td> <td valign="top" width="86">Yes</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <div align="left"> </div> <div align="left"><strong>Now</strong> that you have seen what each edition of Windows 7 can accomplish, <br />let’s take a look at the hardware requirements needed to install <br />Windows 7.</div> <div align="left"> </div> <div align="left"><font size="4"><strong>Installing Windows 7</strong></font></div> <div align="left"> </div> <div align="left"><strong><font size="2">Hardware Requirements <br /></font></strong>Before you can insert the Windows 7 DVD and install the operating system, <br />you first must make sure that the machine’s hardware can handle <br />the Windows 7 operating system. <br />To install Windows 7 successfully, your system must meet or exceed <br />certain hardware requirements. <strong>Table 1.2</strong> lists the requirements for a <br />Windows 7–compatible PC.</div> <div align="left"> </div> <div align="center"><strong>Table 1.2:</strong> <strong>Hardware Requirements</strong></div> <div align="left"> </div> <table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="400"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Component</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Requirements</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">CPU (processor)</td> <td valign="top" width="200">1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Memory (RAM)</td> <td valign="top" width="200">1 GB of system memory</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Hard disk</td> <td valign="top" width="200">16 GB of available disk space</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Video adapter</td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB <br />of memory (to enable the Aero theme)</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Optional drive</td> <td valign="top" width="200">DVD-R/W drive</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200">Network device</td> <td valign="top" width="200"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font color="#008000"><strong>NOTE:</strong> The hardware requirements listed in Table 1.2 were <br />those specified as of this writing. Always check Microsoft’s <br />website at www.microsoft.com/windows7 for the most current <br />information.</font></p> <p><strong>The</strong> Windows 7–compatible PC must meet or exceed the basic <br />requirements to deliver the core functionality of the Windows 7 operating <br />system. These requirements assume that you’re installing only the <br />operating system without any premium functionality. For example, <br />you may be able to get by with the minimum requirements if you’re <br />installing the operating system just to learn the basics of the software. <br />Remember, the better the hardware, the better the performance. <br />Besides the basic hardware requirements that are needed to install <br />Windows 7, the requirements for the graphic card depend on the resolution </p> <p>at which you want to run. The required amount of memory is as <br />follows: <br /><strong>64 MB:</strong> is required for a single monitor at a resolution  of 1,310,720 <br />pixels or less, which is equivalent to a 1280×1024 resolution. <br /><strong>128 MB:</strong> is required for a single monitor at a resolution of <br />2,304,000 pixels or less, which is equivalent to a 1920×1200 <br />resolution.</p> <p><strong>256 MB:</strong> is required for a single monitor at a resolution larger than <br />2,304,000 pixels. <br />In addition, the graphics memory bandwidth must be at least 1,600 <br />MB per second, as assessed by the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. <br />Setting the hardware requirements for Windows 7 on your machine <br />can sometime be a difficult task. You may ask yourself, “Does the hardware <br />you currently have support Windows 7?” Microsoft understands <br />this concern and has a tool called the Hardware Compatibility List to <br />help you figure out whether your machines will work with Windows 7.</p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3"><strong>The Hardware Compatibility List</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Along</strong> with meeting the minimum requirements, your hardware should <br />appear on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). The HCL (also <br />referred to as the Windows Logo’d Products List) is an extensive list <br />of computers and peripheral hardware that have been tested with the <br />Windows 7 operating system. <br />The Windows 7 operating system requires control of the hardware <br />for stability, efficiency, and security. The hardware and supported drivers <br />on the HCL have been put through rigorous tests to ensure their <br />compatibility with Windows 7. Microsoft guarantees that the items <br />on the list meet the requirements for Windows 7 and do not have any <br />incompatibilities that could affect the stability of the operating system. <br />If you call Microsoft for support, the first thing a Microsoft support <br />engineer will ask about is your configuration. If you have any hardware <br />that is not on the HCL, you may not be able to get support from <br />Microsoft. <br />To determine if your computer and peripherals are on the HCL, <br />check the most up-to-date list at <a href="http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/">http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/</a> <br />Default.aspx.</p> <p><strong>The</strong> HCL will let you know if your hardware is compatible with <br />Windows 7. Besides the basic RAM, video, hard drive, and CPU <br />requirements, there are some other areas of the computer that you <br />should examine for compatibility.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>BIOS Compatibility</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Before</strong> you install Windows 7, verify that your computer has the <br />most current <a href="http://www.bioscentral.com/#">BIOS</a> (Basic Input/Output System). This is especially <br />important if your current BIOS doesn’t include support for Advanced <br />Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) functionality. ACPI functionality <br />is required for Windows 7 to function properly. Check the computer’s <br />vendor for the latest BIOS version information.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>Driver Requirements</strong></font></p> <p><strong>To</strong> successfully install Windows 7, you must have the critical device <br /><a href="http://www.driverguide.com/">drivers</a> for your computer, such as the hard drive device driver. The <br />Windows 7 media comes with an extensive list of drivers. If your computer’s <br />device drivers are not on the Windows 7 installation media, <br />check the device manufacturer’s website. If you can’t find the device <br />driver on the manufacturer’s website and no other compatible driver <br />exists, you are out of luck. Windows 7 won’t recognize devices that <br />don’t have Windows 7 drivers. <br />If your hardware does not have drivers for Windows 7, be sure to <br />check the hardware manufacturers’ websites often because new drivers <br />for Windows 7 are released frequently. <br />After you have made sure that the hardware for your machine is <br />compatible for Windows 7, the next decision to make is how you’re <br />going to install the operating system.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>New Install or Upgrade?</strong></font></p> <p><strong>When</strong> installing Windows 7, you have two choices: you can install a <br />fresh copy of Windows 7 or you can upgrade from Windows Vista. <br />An upgrade allows you to retain your existing operating system’s <br />applications, settings, and files. If you currently have a computer with <br />Windows Vista, you are eligible to use an upgrade copy of Windows 7. <br />However, the bad news is you must always perform a clean install <br />with Windows XP or earlier editions of Windows. You can, however, <br />use the Windows Easy Transfer utility to migrate files and settings from <br />Windows XP to Windows 7 on the same computer.</p> <p><strong>Another</strong> <strong>possibility is to upgrade your Windows XP machine to <br />Windows Vista and then upgrade the new Vista operating system to <br />Windows 7. <br />You can perform an upgrade to Windows 7 if the following conditions <br />are true:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>You are running Windows Vista. <br /></strong></li> <li><strong>You want to keep your existing applications and preferences. <br /></strong></li> <li><strong>You want to preserve any local users and groups you’ve created.</strong> </li> </ul> <p><strong>You must perform a clean install of Windows 7 if any of the following <br />conditions are true:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>There is no operating system currently installed. <br /></strong></li> <li><strong>You have an operating system installed that does not support <br />an in-place upgrade to Windows 7 (such as DOS, Windows 9x, <br />Windows NT, Windows Me, Windows 2000 Professional, or <br />Windows XP).</strong> <br /></li> <li><strong>You want to start from scratch, without keeping any existing <br />preferences. <br /></strong></li> <li><strong>You want to be able to dual-boot between Windows 7 and your <br />previous operating system.</strong> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Table 1.3:</strong> shows the Vista operating systems that can be upgraded <br />and to which edition of Windows 7 each should be updated to.</p> <p align="center"><font size="2"><strong>Table 1.3:</strong> <strong>Windows Vista Upgrade Options</strong></font></p> <table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="411"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="204"><strong>Windows Vista Edition</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="205"><strong>Windows 7 Edition</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="208">Home Basic Edition</td> <td valign="top" width="210">Home Basic Edition</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="212">Home Premium Edition</td> <td valign="top" width="215">Home Premium Edition</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="216">Business Edition</td> <td valign="top" width="220">Professional Edition</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="220">Ultimate Edition</td> <td valign="top" width="225">Ultimate Edition</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><strong>Before</strong> you decide if you should upgrade or install a clean Windows 7 <br />operating system, let’s take a look at some of the things you need to consider <br />about upgrades.</p> <p><strong><font size="3">Upgrade Considerations</font></strong></p> <p><strong>Almost</strong> <strong>all Windows Vista applications should run with the Windows 7 <br />operating system. However, there are a few possible exceptions to this <br />statement:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Applications that use file system filters, such as antivirus software, <br />may not be compatible. <br /></li> <li>Custom power-management tools may not be supported. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Before</strong> you upgrade to Windows 7, be sure to stop any antivirus scanners, <br />network services, or other client software. These software packages <br />may see the Windows 7 install as a virus and cause installation <br />issues. <br />If you’re performing a clean install to the same partition as an <br />existing edition of Windows, the contents of the existing Users (or <br />Documents and Settings), Program Files, and Windows directories will <br />be placed in a directory named Windows.old, and the old operating system <br />will no longer be available.</p> <p><strong><font size="3">Hardware Compatibility Issues</font></strong></p> <p><strong>Ensure </strong>that you have Windows 7 device drivers for your hardware. <br />If you have a video driver without a Windows 7–compatible driver, <br />the Windows 7 upgrade will install the Standard VGA driver, which <br />will display the video with an 800×600 resolution. After you get the <br />Windows 7 driver for your video, you can install it and adjust video <br />properties accordingly.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>Application Compatibility Issues</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Not</strong> <strong>all applications that were written for earlier editions of Windows <br />will work with Windows 7. After the upgrade, if you have application <br />problems, you can address the problems as follows:</strong></p> <ul> <li>If the application is compatible with Windows 7, reinstall the <br />application after the upgrade is complete. <br /></li> <li>If the application uses dynamic link libraries (DLLs) and there are <br />migration DLLs for the application, apply the migration DLLs. <br /></li> <li>Use the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to <br />determine the compatibility of your current applications with <br />Windows 7. ACT will determine which applications are installed, </li> <li>identify any applications that may be affected by Windows <br />updates, and identify any potential compatibility problems with <br />User Account Control (UAC) and Internet Explorer. Reports can <br />be exported for detailed analysis. <br /></li> <li>If applications were written for earlier editions NN of Windows but <br />are incompatible with Windows 7, use the Windows 7 Program <br />Compatibility Wizard. From Control Panel click the Programs <br />icon and then click the Run Programs From Previous Versions link <br />to start the Program Compatibility Wizard. <br /></li> <li>If the application is not compatible with Windows 7, upgrade your <br />application to a Windows 7–compliant version. </li> </ul> <p><font size="3"><strong>Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor</strong></font></p> <p><strong>To</strong> assist you in the upgrade process, the Windows 7 Setup program can <br />check the compatibility of your system, devices, and installed applications <br />and then provide the results to you. You can then analyze these <br />results to determine whether your hardware or software applications <br />will port properly from the Windows Vista edition to Windows 7. <br />You can download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from <br />Microsoft’s website at <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads">www.microsoft.com/downloads</a>. The Windows 7 <br />Upgrade Advisor is compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista, and <br />Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher. <br />When you’re running the Upgrade Advisor on a machine running <br />Windows XP, if you do not have .NET Framework 2.0, you are asked <br />to download and install it. After the .NET Framework is installed, you <br />can restart the Upgrade Advisor installation. <br />After your computer is scanned, the Upgrade Advisor determines <br />whether any incompatibilities exist between your computer and <br />Windows 7. It also tells you which edition of Windows 7 seems to <br />be best for your computer. However, you are by no means limited <br />to upgrading to the recommended edition. The Upgrade Advisor <br />Compatibility reports are broken up into the following three categories:</p> <p><strong>System Requirements</strong> The System Requirements report alerts you <br />to any shortcomings your system might have when running certain <br />editions of Windows Vista. For example, our lab computer should <br />have no problems accessing all the features of Windows Vista <br />Business, but it won’t be able to access all the features of Windows <br />Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate because it doesn’t <br />have a TV tuner card.</p> <p><strong>Devices:</strong> The Devices report alerts you to any potential Windows <br />Vista driver issues. Each device in your system will be listed in this <br />section either as a device to be reviewed or as a device that should <br />automatically work after Windows 7 is installed. You will need a <br />driver for the network card after Windows 7 is installed. <br /><strong>Programs:</strong> The Programs report alerts you to any potential application <br />compatibility issues.</p> <p><strong>You</strong> <strong>can also save or print a task list that tells you the most compatible <br />Windows 7 edition, your current system configuration, and the steps <br />you need to take before and after you install Windows 7. <br />Perform the following steps to download and run the Windows 7 <br />Upgrade Advisor:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Go to <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx">www.microsoft.com/downloads</a> and download the Windows 7 <br />    <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b544e90-7659-4bd9-9e51-2497c146af15">Upgrade Advisor</a>. <br /><strong>2.</strong> After the download is complete, run the .msi installation. <br /><strong>3.</strong> The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Setup Wizard starts, as shown <br />    in <strong>Figure 1.3.</strong> Click the Next button.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.3:</strong> <strong>Upgrade Advisor Setup Wizard</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMIgdTihI/AAAAAAAAL3Y/ZljBJ01VP0g/s1600-h/daf93_upgradewindowsxptovista0336.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="daf93_upgrade-windows-xp-to-vista-033" border="0" alt="daf93_upgrade-windows-xp-to-vista-033" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMKTyAJbI/AAAAAAAAL3c/vO9C7atmEQc/daf93_upgradewindowsxptovista033_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="408" /></a> </strong></p> <p><strong>4.</strong> Accept the licensing terms and click Next. <br /><strong>5.</strong> At the Select Installation Folder screen, accept the defaults <br />    or choose a directory location where you want this program <br />    installed, as shown in Figure 1.4. Click Install.</p> <p><strong>6.</strong> At the Installation Complete screen, click the Close button. <br /><strong>7.</strong> On the desktop, double-click the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor icon. <br /><strong>8.</strong> When the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor starts, click the Start <br />    Check button to start the scan of the machine. <br /><strong>9.</strong> After the system scan is complete, the Upgrade Advisor gives you <br />    the results. You can print or save these results. Close the Upgrade <br />    Advisor.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>An Upgrade Checklist</strong></font></p> <p><strong>After</strong> <strong>you make the decision to upgrade, you should develop a plan <br />of attack. The following upgrade checklist (valid for upgrading from <br />Windows Vista) will help you plan and implement a successful upgrade <br />strategy:</strong></p> <p>Verify that your computer meets the minimum NN hardware requirements <br />for Windows 7. <br /></p> <ul> <li>Be sure that your hardware is on the HCL. <br /></li> <li>Make sure you have the Windows 7 drivers for the hardware. You <br />can verify this with the hardware manufacturer. <br /></li> <li>Run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor tool from the Microsoft <br />website, which also includes documentation on using the utility,to audit the current configuration and status of your computer. It <br />will generate a report of any known hardware or software compatibility <br />issues based on your configuration. You should resolve <br />any reported issues before you upgrade to Windows 7. <br /></li> <li>Make sure that your BIOS is current. Windows 7 requires that <br />your computer has the most current BIOS. If it does not, the computer <br />may not be able to use advanced power-management features <br />or device-configuration features. In addition, your computer <br />may cease to function during or after the upgrade. Use caution <br />when performing BIOS updates, as installing the incorrect BIOS <br />can cause your computer to fail to boot. <br /></li> <li>Take an inventory of your current configuration. This inventory <br />should include documentation of your current network configuration, <br />the applications that are installed, the hardware items and <br />their configuration, the services that are running, and any profile <br />and policy settings. <br /></li> <li>Back up your data and configuration files. Before you make any <br />major changes to your computer’s configuration, you should back <br />up your data and configuration files and then verify that you can <br />successfully restore your backup. Chances are if you have a valid <br />backup, you won’t have any problems. <br /></li> <li>Delete any unnecessary files or applications, and clean up any program <br />groups or program items you don’t use. Theoretically, you <br />want to delete all the junk on your computer before you upgrade. <br />Think of this as the spring-cleaning step. <br /></li> <li>Verify that there are no existing problems with your drive prior to <br />the upgrade. Perform a disk scan, a current virus scan, and defragmentation. <br />These, too, are spring-cleaning chores. This step just <br />prepares your drive for the upgrade. <br /></li> <li>Perform the upgrade. <br /></li> <li>Verify your configuration. After Windows 7 has been installed, <br />use the inventory to compare and test each element that was previously <br />inventoried prior to the upgrade to verify that the upgrade <br />was successful. </li> </ul> <p><strong>When </strong>you install Windows 7, you must decide how you want to partition <br />the disk drive that the Windows 7 operating system will reside on.</p> <p><strong><font size="4">Prepare to Install Windows 7</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Disk Space Partitioning</font></strong></p> <p><strong>Disk</strong> partitioning is the act of taking the physical hard drive and creating <br />logical partitions. A logical drive is how space is allocated to the drive’s <br />primary and logical partitions. For example, if you have a 500 GB hard <br />drive, you might partition it into three logical drives: a C drive, which <br />might be 200 GB; a D drive, which might be 150 GB; and an E drive, <br />which might be 150 GB. <br /><strong>Some of the major considerations for disk partitioning are as follows:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The amount of space required <br /></li> <li>The location of the system and boot partition <br /></li> <li>Any special disk configurations you will use <br /></li> <li>The utility you will use to set up the partitions </li> </ul> <p><strong>Partition Size:</strong> One important consideration in your disk-partitioning <br />scheme is determining the partition size. You need to consider <br />the amount of space taken up by your operating system, the applications <br />that will be installed, and the amount of stored data. It is also <br />important to consider the amount of space required in the future. <br />Microsoft recommends that you allocate at least 16 GB of disk <br />space for Windows 7. This allows room for the operating system <br />files and for future growth in terms of upgrades and installation <br />files that are placed with the operating system files. <br /></p> <p><strong>System and Boot Partitions:</strong> When you install Windows 7, files will <br />be stored in two locations: the system partition and the boot partition. <br />The system partition and the boot partition can be the same <br />partition. <br />The system partition contains the files needed to boot the Windows 7 <br />operating system. The system partition contains the Master Boot <br />Record (MBR) and boot sector of the active drive partition. It is often <br />the first physical hard drive in the computer and normally contains <br />the necessary files to boot the computer. The files stored on the system <br />partition do not take any significant disk space. The active partition is <br />the system partition that is used to start your computer. The C drive is <br />usually the active partition. <br />The boot partition contains the Windows 7 operating system files. <br />By default, the Windows operating system files are located in a <br />folder named Windows.</p> <p><strong>Special Disk Configurations:</strong> Windows 7 supports several disk configurations. <br />Options include simple, spanned, and striped volumes. <br /><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Disk Partition Configuration Utilities:</strong> If you are partitioning your <br />disk prior to installation, you can use several utilities, such as the <br />DOS or Windows Fdisk program or a third-party utility such as <br />Norton’s Partition Magic. You can also configure the disks during <br />the installation of the Windows 7 operating system. <br />You might want to create only the first partition where Windows 7 <br />will be installed. You can then use the Disk Management utility in <br />Windows 7 to create any other partitions you need. <br /></p> <p>Another configuration option that you must set when you install <br />Windows 7 is where the computer system files will reside after the <br />install is complete.</p> <p><strong><font size="4">Install Windows 7</font></strong></p> <p>You can install Windows 7 either from the bootable DVD or through <br />a network installation using files that have been copied to a network <br />share point. You can also launch the setup.exe file from within the <br />Windows Vista operating system to upgrade your operating system. <br />The Windows 7 DVD is bootable. To start the installation, simply <br />restart your computer and boot to the DVD. The installation process <br />begins automatically. I will walk you through the steps of installing <br />Windows 7 later in this chapter. <br />If you are installing Windows 7 from the network, you need a distribution <br />server and a computer with a network connection. A distribution <br />server is a server that has the Windows 7 distribution files copied to a <br />shared folder. <br />Perform the following steps to install Windows 7 over the network: <br /><strong>1.</strong> Boot the target computer. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Attach to the distribution server and access the share that has the <br />    files copied to it. <br /><strong>3.</strong> Launch setup.exe. <br /><strong>4.</strong> Complete the Windows 7 installation using either the clean install <br />    method or the upgrade method.</p> <p><strong><font size="3">These methods are discussed in detail in the following sections.</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Performing a Clean Install of Windows 7</font></strong></p> <p><strong>On</strong> any installation of Windows 7, there are three phases to the installation. <br />First you have the Collecting Information phase, then the <br />Installing Windows phase, and finally the Setting Up Windows phase. <br />Collecting Information During the collection phase of the installation, <br />Windows 7 gathers the information necessary to complete <br />the installation. This is where Windows 7 gathers your local time, <br />location, keyboard, license agreement, installation type, and installation <br />disk partition information. <br />Installing Windows This section of the installation is where your <br />Windows 7 files are copied to the hard disk and the installation is <br />completed. This phase takes the longest as the files are installed. <br />Setting Up Windows This phase of the setup is where you set up <br />a username, computer name, and password; enter the product key <br />and security settings; and review your date and time settings. After <br />this is finished, your installation will be complete. <br />You can run the installation from the optical media or over a network. <br />The only difference in the installation procedure is your starting <br />point: from your optical drive or from a network share. The steps in the <br />following sections assume you are using the Windows 7 DVD to install <br />Windows 7. <br />When you boot to the Windows 7 installation media, the Setup program <br />automatically starts the Windows 7 installation. <br />Before you begin any of the procedures, verify that you have access <br />to Windows 7 Ultimate; other editions might vary slightly. You can also <br />download an evaluation edition of Windows 7 from Microsoft’s website <br />at www.microsoft.com/windows7. <br />Perform the following steps for a clean install of Windows 7:</p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Insert the Windows 7 DVD into the machine and start the <br />    computer. <br /><strong>2.</strong> If you are asked to Hit Any Key to start the DVD, press Enter. <br /><strong>3.</strong> The first screen asks you to select your language, local time, and <br />    keyboard. After filling in these fields, click Next, as shown in <br /><strong>    Figure 1.5.</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.5 : Windows 7 Installation screen</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMLmUsaQI/AAAAAAAAL3g/OmLPcKt2coA/s1600-h/win7install03big3.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Windows-7-Installation-screen" border="0" alt="Windows-7-Installation-screen" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMNRKMUpI/AAAAAAAAL3k/CjqsjR8-kY0/win7install03big_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="367" /></a> </p> <p><strong>4.</strong> At the next screen, click the Install Now button, as shown in <br /><strong>    Figure 1.6.</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.6 : Windows 7 Install Now screen</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMRFGdxWI/AAAAAAAAL3o/7FSnq_6g71I/s1600-h/Windows7InstallationScreen3.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Windows-7-Installation-Screen" border="0" alt="Windows-7-Installation-Screen" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMTzTgIeI/AAAAAAAAL3s/2Iti1baWk1Y/Windows7InstallationScreen_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="302" /></a> </p> <p><strong>5.</strong> A message shows you that Setup is starting. The licensing screen will <br />    be first. Read and accept the license agreement and then click Next. <br /><strong>6.</strong> A screen asking you “Which type of installation do you want?” is <br />    next, as shown in <strong>Figure 1.7</strong>. Click Custom (Advanced).</p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.7: Choosing the Windows 7 installation type</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMVWaOrlI/AAAAAAAAL3w/o_WxT6Ve99k/s1600-h/install-windows-7-3%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Choosing-the-Windows-7-installation-type" border="0" alt="Choosing-the-Windows-7-installation-type" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMWg7kGcI/AAAAAAAAL30/A-Ee5ynGDRU/install-windows-7-3_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="376" /></a> </p> <p><strong>7.</strong> The next screen asks you where you want to install Windows 7, as <br />    shown in <strong>Figure 1.8.</strong> Choose an unformatted free space or a partition <br />    (the partition will be erased) with at least 16 GB available. <br />    You can also click the Drive Options (Advanced) link to create <br />    your own partition. After you choose your partition, click Next. <br /><strong>8.</strong> After your partition is set, the installation starts. You see the progress <br />    of the installation during the entire process. After the installation <br />    is complete, the machine reboots. <br /><strong>9.</strong> After the installation is complete, the username and computer <br />    name screen appears, as shown in <strong>Figure 1.9</strong>. Type in your <br />    username and computer name and click Next.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.8 : Specify a location for installing Windows 7.</strong></p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMXw-E77I/AAAAAAAAL34/I-CnIr_K644/s1600-h/win7_rc_install_17103.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Specify-a-location-for-installing-Windows-7" border="0" alt="Specify-a-location-for-installing-Windows-7" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMZGveojI/AAAAAAAAL38/eUUzfjiTdOU/win7_rc_install_1710_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="372" /></a></p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.9 : Adding a username and computer name</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMaWARu7I/AAAAAAAAL4A/ZPR8p7_mceA/s1600-h/Windows7installation000243.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Adding-a-username-and-computer-name" border="0" alt="Adding-a-username-and-computer-name" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMb69GfJI/AAAAAAAAL4E/5s1TWiRoXBE/Windows7installation00024_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="392" /></a></p> <p><strong>10.</strong> Next, set your password and password hint, as shown in <br />       <strong>Figure 1.10.</strong> Enter your password twice and enter your hint. <br />       Click Next.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.10 : Password screen</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMdNdbLGI/AAAAAAAAL4I/7T4S6D2bfAk/s1600-h/win7install21big3.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Password-screen" border="0" alt="Password-screen" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMeXGablI/AAAAAAAAL4M/sV7GJdSFzWA/win7install21big_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="412" /></a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p> <strong>11.</strong> The next screen asks you to enter your 25-digit product key. Enter <br />       your product key and make sure the check box to automatically <br />       register your machine when you’re online is selected. Click Next. <br /><strong>12.</strong> Settings related to Windows Update and security appear, as <br />       shown in <strong>Figure 1.11.</strong> You can select Use Recommended Settings <br />       or Install Important Updates For Windows Only, or have the <br />       computer ask you later. If you select the option to use the recommended <br />       settings, the following settings are configured:</p> <ul> <li>Windows Update will be enabled and updates NN will automatically <br />install. <br /></li> <li>Windows Defender will be installed and any collected information <br />will be sent to Microsoft. <br /></li> <li>Errors will automatically be sent to Microsoft. <br /></li> <li>The latest drivers for your hardware will automatically be <br />downloaded from Windows Update. </li> </ul> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.11: Specify settings related to Windows Update and security.</strong></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMf3vWRNI/AAAAAAAAL4Q/i0nN8UsA8kA/s1600-h/thinpc_103.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="Windows-Update-and-security." border="0" alt="Windows-Update-and-security." align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMhpxDQnI/AAAAAAAAL4U/WAAvnsJFGnI/thinpc_10_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="408" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>13.</strong> You are now able to verify your time and date settings. Configure <br />      your time, time zone, and date. Click Next. <br /><strong>14.</strong> You then set your computer’s current location. You have the <br />      ability to choose from a home, work, or public location. Choose <br />      where your computer is located, as shown in <strong>Figure 1.12.</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.12 : Choosing a network location</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMjBSWcUI/AAAAAAAAL4Y/Yt3JZysVwvs/s1600-h/image_43.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Choosing-a-network-location" border="0" alt="Choosing-a-network-location" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMlKs3T4I/AAAAAAAAL4c/NDfxIE5N5wY/image_4_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="406" /></a></p> <p><strong>15.</strong> Windows will finalize your setup and the installation will be <br />      complete. <br />As you can see, installing Windows 7 is an easy process on a new <br />computer system. But what if the system already has Windows Vista? <br />Let’s take a look at how to perform an installation of Windows 7 onto a <br />machine with Windows Vista.</p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Performing an Upgrade to Windows 7</strong></font></p> <p><strong>If </strong>your machine has Windows Vista already installed, you have the ability <br />to upgrade the machine to Windows 7. <br />Similar to a clean install, you can run the installation from the installation <br />DVD or over a network. The only difference in the installation procedure <br />is your starting point: from your optical drive or from a network <br />share. The following steps assume that you are using the Windows 7 DVD <br />to install the Windows 7 operating system.</p> <p><font color="#008000"><strong>NOTE:</strong> You can’t upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7 directly. <br />I will discuss the tools used to install a Windows 7 operating <br />system on a Windows XP machine later in this chapter.</font></p> <p><strong>Perform the following steps to go through the process of installing <br />Windows 7 by upgrading Windows Vista:</strong> <br /><strong>1.</strong> Insert the Windows 7 DVD. <br /><strong>2.</strong> If Autorun does not start, go to the DVD drive and click setup. <br />    exe. After the setup starts (by the setup.exe or Autorun), click <br />    Install Windows 7. <br /><strong>3.</strong> You are prompted to update your current operating system. If <br />    you choose not to update, the installation might fail. You can also <br />    choose to send information to Microsoft during this process. <br /><strong>4.</strong> The Microsoft Windows 7 license terms will appear. The installation <br />    does not allow you to click Next until you have accepted the <br />    license terms. <br /><strong>5.</strong> You are prompted to select the type of installation you want to <br />    perform. Choose the Upgrade link. <br /><strong>6.</strong> You will see a compatibility report that alerts you of any applications <br />    or drivers that are not supported in Windows 7. Click Next.</p> <p><strong>During the Installing Windows Upgrade phase, all the files required <br />by the Setup program are copied to the hard drive. During the process, <br />the computer automatically reboots. This process takes several minutes <br />and proceeds automatically without user intervention. The following <br />process information messages appear on the screen along with a completion <br />percentage for each:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Copying Windows files <br /><strong>2.</strong> Gathering files, settings, and programs <br /><strong>3.</strong> Expanding Windows files <br /><strong>4.</strong> Installing features and updates <br /><strong>5.</strong> Transferring files, settings, and programs</p> <p><strong>After</strong> <strong>your computer finishes copying files and reboots, you will be in <br />the Setting Up Windows phase of the installation. Perform the following <br />steps to complete the upgrade:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> The first screen asks for your Windows product key. Type your <br />    25-digit product key and click Next. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Settings related to Windows Update and security appear next. You <br />    can use the recommended settings, install important updates only, <br />    or have the computer ask you later. <br /><strong>3.</strong> On the next screen, you review your time and date settings. Set up <br />    your local time and date and choose if you want daylight savings <br />    time. Click Next. <br /><strong>4.</strong> The installation completes.</p> <p><strong>When</strong> you install Windows 7, you might run into setup problems or <br />errors. Let’s take a look at the troubleshooting process involved with <br />Windows 7 installations.</p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Troubleshooting Installation Problems</strong></font></p> <p>The Windows 7 installation process is designed to be as simple as possible. <br />The chances for installation errors are greatly minimized through the use <br />of wizards and the step-by-step process. However, errors may occur.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>Identifying Common Installation Problems</strong></font></p> <p><strong>As </strong>most of you are aware, installations seldom go off without a hitch. <br />Some of the possible installation errors that you might encounter are <br />listed in <strong>Table 1.4.</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong>Table 1.4: Troubleshooting Common Installation Problems</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong></strong></p> <p align="center"><strong></strong></p> <table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="400"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p align="left"><strong>Error</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Explanation/Possible Solutions</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Media Errors</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Media errors are caused by defective or damaged DVDs. To <br />check the disc, put it into another computer and see if you <br />can read it. Also check your disc for scratches or dirt—it <br />might just need to be cleaned.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Insufficient Disk Space</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Windows 7 needs at least 16 GB of free space for the installation <br />program to run properly. If the Setup program cannot <br />verify that this space exists, the program will not let you <br />continue.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Not Enough Memory</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Make sure that your computer has the minimum amount of <br />memory required by Windows 7 (1 GB). Having insufficient <br />memory might cause the installation to fail or blue-screen <br />errors to occur after installation.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p><strong>Not Enough Processing <br />Power</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Make sure that your computer has the minimum processing <br />power required by Windows 7 (1 GHz). Having insufficient <br />processing power might cause the installation to fail or bluescreen <br />errors to occur after installation.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p><strong>Hardware That Is Not on <br />the HCL</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>If your hardware is not listed on the HCL, Windows 7 might <br />not recognize the hardware or the device might not work <br />properly.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p><strong>Hardware with No Driver <br />Support</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Windows 7 will not recognize hardware without driver <br />support.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p><strong>Hardware That Is Not <br />Configured Properly</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>If your hardware is Plug and Play–compatible, Windows 7 <br />should configure it automatically. If your hardware is not Plug <br />and Play–compatible, you need to manually configure the <br />hardware per the manufacturer’s instructions.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Incorrect Product Key</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Without a valid product key, the installation will not go past <br />the Product Key screen. Make sure that you have not typed <br />an incorrect key (check your Windows 7 installation folder or <br />your computer case for this key).</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p><strong>Failure to Access TCP/IP <br />Network Resources</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>If you install Windows 7 with typical settings, the computer <br />is configured as a DHCP client. If there is no DHCP server <br />to provide IP configuration information, the client will still <br />generate an autoconfigured IP address but will be unable to <br />access network resources through TCP/IP if the other network <br />clients are using DHCP addresses.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p><strong>Installing Nonsupported <br />Hard Drives</strong></p> </td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>If your computer is using a hard disk that does not have a <br />driver included on the Windows 7 media, you will receive an <br />error message stating that the hard drive cannot be found. <br />You should verify that the hard drive is properly connected <br />and functional. Obtain a driver for Windows 7 from the manufacturer <br />and then specify the driver location by selecting the <br />Load Driver option during partition selection.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Troubleshooting with Installation Log Files</strong></font></p> <p><strong>When </strong>you install Windows 7, the Setup program creates several log <br />files. You can view these logs files to check for any problems during the <br />installation process. The following two log files are particularly useful <br />for troubleshooting: <br />setupact.log The action log includes all the actions that were performed <br />during the setup process and a description of each action. <br />These actions are listed in chronological order. The action log is <br />stored as \Windows\setupact.log. <br />setuperr.log The error log includes any errors that occurred <br />during the installation. For each error, there is a description and <br />an indication of the severity of the error. This error log is stored as <br />\Windows\setuperr.log. <br />In the following steps you will view the Windows 7 setup logs to <br />determine whether there were any problems with your Windows 7 <br />installation.</p> <p><strong>Follow these steps to troubleshoot failed installations with setup logs:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Select Start ➢ Computer. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Double-click Local Disk (C:). <br /><strong>3.</strong> Double-click Windows.</p> <p><strong>4.</strong> In the Windows folder, double-click the setupact.log file to view <br />    your action log in Notepad. When you finish viewing this file, <br />    close Notepad. <br /><strong>5.</strong> Double-click the setuperr.log file to view your error file in <br />    Notepad. If no errors occurred during installation, this file will be <br />    empty. When you finish viewing this file, close Notepad. <br /><strong>6.</strong> Close the directory window.</p> <p><strong>After </strong>you install Windows 7 and look at the setup logs, it might <br />be necessary to transfer user’s data from one system to another or <br />migrate data from the same computer. Let’s take a look at the migration <br />process.</p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Migrating Files and Settings</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Rather</strong> than perform an in-place upgrade, you can choose to migrate <br />your files and settings from an existing installation. In this case, you <br />can use the User State Migration Tool (USMT) or Windows Easy <br />Transfer.</p> <p><strong><font size="3">User State Migration Tool</font></strong></p> <p><strong>You can download a utility called the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?familyid=799ab28c-691b-4b36-b7ad-6c604be4c595&displaylang=en">User State Migration Tool</a> <br />(USMT) that administrators use to migrate large numbers of users over <br />automated deployments. The USMT for Windows 7 is now part of <br />Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK). The USMT is <br />similar to Windows Easy Transfer with the following differences:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The USMT is more configurable and can NN use XML files to specify <br />which files and settings are transferred. <br />T </li> <li>he USMT is scriptable and uses command-line utilities to save <br />and restore user files and settings. </li> </ul> <p>The USMT consists of two executable files, ScanState.exe and <br />LoadState.exe, and three migration rule information files, Migapp.xml, <br />Migsys.xml, and Miguser.xml. You can create a Config.xml file that specifies <br />what should and should not be migrated. The purposes of these files are <br />as follows: <br />ScanState.exe collects user data and settings information based on <br />the configuration of the Migapp.xml, Migsys.xml, and Miguser.xml files <br />and stores it as an image file.</p> <p>LoadState.exe deposits the information that is collected to a computer <br />running a fresh copy of Windows 7.</p> <p><strong><font size="2">The information that is migrated includes the following:</font></strong></p> <p><strong>From each user: <br /></strong></p> <ul> <li>Documents <br /></li> <li>Video <br /></li> <li>Music <br /></li> <li>Pictures <br /></li> <li>Desktop files <br /></li> <li>Start Menu <br /></li> <li>Quick Launch toolbar <br /></li> <li>Internet Explorer Favorites </li> </ul> <p><strong>From the All Users profile:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Shared Documents <br /></li> <li>Shared Video <br /></li> <li>Shared Music <br /></li> <li>Shared Desktop files <br /></li> <li>Shared Pictures <br /></li> <li>Shared Start Menu <br /></li> <li>Shared Internet Explorer Favorites <br /></li> <li>Files with certain file types, including .doc, .docx, .dot, .rtf, .txt, <br />.wps, .wri, .xls, .csv, .wks, .ppt, .pps, .pot, .pst, and more <br /></li> <li>Access control lists (ACLs) </li> </ul> <p><strong>The </strong>USMT will not migrate hardware settings, drivers, passwords, <br />application binaries, synchronization files, DLL files, or other <br />executables.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>Using the USMT</strong></font></p> <p><strong>The</strong> <strong>USMT is downloadable software from Microsoft’s website. In its <br />simplest form, you use the USMT in the following manner:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Run ScanState.exe on the source computer. ScanState.exe will <br />    copy the user state data to an intermediate store. The intermediate</p> <p>    store (for example, a CD-RW) must be large enough to accommodate <br />    the data that will be transferred. Scanstate.exe would <br />    commonly be executed as a shortcut sent to users that they would <br />    deploy in the evening or through a scheduled script. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Install a fresh copy of Windows 7 on the target computer. <br /><strong>3.</strong> Run LoadState.exe on the target computer. LoadState.exe will <br />    access the intermediate store to restore the user settings.</p> <p><strong>When</strong> you use the USMT, you can create a script that can be run <br />manually or can be used as an automated process at a scheduled time. <br /><strong>Table 1.5</strong> defines the options for the Scanstate.exe and Loadstate.exe <br />commands.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Table 1.5: Options for scanstate.exe and loadstate.exe</strong></p> <table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="400"><tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Option</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>Description</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/config</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Specifies the config.xml file that should be used</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/encrypt</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Encrypts the store (scanstate.exe only)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/decrypt</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Decrypts the store (loadstate.exe only)</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/nocompress</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Disables data compression</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/genconfig</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Generates a config.xml file but does not create a store</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/targetxp</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Optimizes ScanState for use with Windows XP</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/all</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Migrates all users</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/ue</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">User exclude: excludes the specified user</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/ui</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">User include: includes the specified user</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/uel</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200">Excludes user based on last login time</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><strong>/uel</strong></td> <td valign="top" width="200"> <p>Used to identify what verbosity level will be associated with the <br />log file on a scale of 0–13, with 0 the least verbose</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><font size="4"><strong>Windows Easy Transfer</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Windows</strong> 7 ships with a utility called Windows Easy Transfer that is <br />used to transfer files and settings from one computer to another. You</p> <p>can transfer some or all of the following files and settings from a computer <br />running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista:</p> <ul> <li>User accounts <br /></li> <li>Folders and files <br /></li> <li>Program settings <br /></li> <li>Internet settings <br /></li> <li>Favorites <br /></li> <li>Email messages, contacts, and settings </li> </ul> <p><strong>You</strong> <strong>can transfer the migrated files and settings using the following <br />methods</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Easy Transfer Cable, which is a USB cable that connects to the <br />source and destination computers <br /></li> <li>CD or DVD <br /></li> <li>Removable media, such as a USB flash drive or a removable hard <br />drive <br /></li> <li>Network share <br /></li> <li>Direct network connection </li> </ul> <p><strong>You </strong>can password-protect the migrated files and settings if you use <br />CDs, DVDs, removable media, or a network share. Now let’s take a <br />look at how to upgrade a Windows XP machine to Windows 7.</p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Because </strong>the upgrade option from Windows XP to Windows 7 is not <br />available, you can use Windows Easy Transfer to integrate settings from <br />Windows XP to Windows 7 on the same computer. <br />The first step in this migration process is to copy your files to a <br />removable media such as an external hard drive or thumb drive or to a <br />network share. After the installation of the Windows 7 operating system, <br />you can then migrate these files onto the Windows 7 system. <br />Perform the following steps to migrate from Windows XP to <br />Windows 7:</p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Insert the Windows 7 DVD while running Windows XP. If the <br />    Windows 7 installation window opens automatically, close it. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Open Windows Explorer by right-clicking the Start menu and  <br />    then clicking Explore.</p> <p><strong>3.</strong> Browse to the DVD drive on your computer and click migsetup. <br />    exe in the Support\Migwiz directory. <br /><strong>4.</strong> When the Windows Easy Transfer window opens, click Next. <br /><strong>5.</strong> Select an external hard disk or USB flash drive. <br /><strong>6.</strong> Click This Is My Old Computer. Windows Easy Transfer scans the <br />    computer. <br /><strong>7.</strong> Click Next. You can also determine which files should be <br />    migrated by selecting only the user profiles you want to transfer or <br />    by clicking Customize. <br /><strong>8.</strong> Enter a password to protect your Easy Transfer file, or leave the <br />    box blank, and then click Save. <br /><strong>9.</strong> Browse to the external location on the network or to the removable <br />    media where you want to save your Easy Transfer file and <br />    then click Save. <br /><strong>10.</strong> Click Next. Windows Easy Transfer displays the filename and <br />    location of the Easy Transfer file you just created.</p> <p><strong>Perform the following steps to use the Windows 7 DVD to install the <br />operating system:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Start Windows 7 Setup by browsing to the root folder of the DVD <br />    in Windows Explorer and then double-clicking setup.exe. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Click Go Online To Get The Latest Updates (Recommended) <br />    to retrieve any important updates for Windows 7. This step is <br />    optional. If you choose not to check for updates during Setup, <br />    click Do Not Get The Latest Updates. <br /><strong>3.</strong> Read and accept the Microsoft Software License Terms and then <br />    click Next. If you decline, Windows 7 Setup will exit. <br /><strong>4.</strong> Click Custom to perform an upgrade to your existing Windows <br />    installation. <br /><strong>5.</strong> Select the partition where you would like to install Windows. <br />    To move your existing Windows installation into a Windows.old <br />    folder and replace the operating system with Windows 7, select the <br />    partition where your current Windows installation is located. <br /><strong>6.</strong> Click Next and then click OK. <br /><strong>7.</strong> Windows 7 Setup will proceed without further interaction.</p> <p><strong>Now, perform the following steps to migrate files to the destination <br />computer:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> If you saved your files and settings in an Easy Transfer file on a <br />    removable media such as a universal flash device (UFD) rather <br />    than on a network share, insert the removable media into the <br />    computer. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Select Start ➢ All Programs ➢ Accessories ➢ System Tools ➢ <br />    Windows Easy Transfer. <br /><strong>3.</strong> When the Windows Easy Transfer window opens, click Next. <br /><strong>4.</strong> Click An External Hard Disk Or USB Flash Drive. <br /><strong>5.</strong> Click This Is My New Computer. <br /><strong>6.</strong> Click Yes, Open The File. <br /><strong>7.</strong> Browse to the location where the Easy Transfer file was saved. <br />    Click the filename, and then click Open. <br /><strong>8.</strong> Click Transfer to transfer all files and settings. You can also determine <br />    which files should be migrated by selecting only the user profiles <br />    you want to transfer, or by clicking Customize. <br /><strong>9.</strong> Click Close after Windows Easy Transfer has completed moving <br />    your files.</p> <p><strong>Once </strong>the migration process is complete, you should regain the disk <br />space used by the Windows XP system by using the Disk Cleanup tool <br />to delete the Windows.old directory.</p> <p><strong>Perform the following steps to use the Disk Cleanup tool:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Open Disk Cleanup by selecting Start ➢ All Programs ➢ <br />    Accessories ➢ System Tools ➢ Disk Cleanup. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Click Clean Up System Files. <br /><strong>3.</strong> Previous installations of Windows are scanned. After they are <br />    scanned, select Previous Windows Installation(s) and any other <br />    categories of files you want to delete. <br /><strong>4.</strong> Click OK and then click Delete Files.</p> <p><strong>An</strong> important decision that you should consider is whether to upgrade <br />your Windows XP clients to Windows Vista first and then upgrade the <br />machine to Windows 7.</p> <p><strong>As</strong> you have seen, you can migrate your users’ data, but let’s say <br />you have software installed and you can’t locate the CD/DVD for that <br />software package. It might be beneficial to a user or organization to <br />upgrade the Windows XP machine to Windows Vista. After that installation <br />is complete, upgrade the Vista machine to Windows 7. <br />This is just another option that is available to you when you migrate <br />your users to the Windows 7 operating system. <br />Another option you may choose is to run two different operating systems <br />on the same computer system. Called dual-booting, this approach <br />gives you the choice of which operating system you want to boot into <br />when the system starts. Installing multiple operating systems onto the <br />same computer is called dual-booting or multibooting.</p> <p><strong><font size="4">Supporting Multiboot Options</font></strong></p> <p><strong>You </strong>might want to install Windows 7 but still be able to run other operating <br />systems. Dual-booting or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi_boot">multibooting</a> allows your computer to <br />boot multiple operating systems. Your computer will be automatically <br />configured for dual- or multibooting if there was a supported operating <br />system on your computer prior to the Windows 7 installation, you <br />didn’t upgrade from that operating system, and you installed Windows <br />7 into a different partition. <br />One reason for multibooting is to test various systems. If you have a <br />limited number of computers in your test lab and you want to be able <br />to test multiple configurations, you should multiboot. For example, <br />you might configure one computer to multiboot with Windows XP <br />Professional, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.</p> <p><strong>Here are some keys to successful multiboot configurations:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Make sure you have NN plenty of disk space. <br /></li> <li>Windows 7 must be installed on a separate partition in order to <br />dual- or multiboot with other operating systems. <br /></li> <li>If you want to support dual- or multibooting with Windows XP <br />and Windows 7, Windows XP must be installed first. If you install <br />Windows 7 first, you cannot install Windows XP without ruining <br />your Windows 7 configuration. This requirement also applies to <br />Windows 9x, Windows 2000, and Windows Vista. <br /></li> <li>Never, ever upgrade to Windows 7 dynamic disks. Dynamic <br />disks are seen only by Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, <br />Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, and </li> <li>are not recognized by any other operating system, including <br />Windows NT and Windows XP Home Edition. <br /></li> <li>Only Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 4), Windows 2000, <br />Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, <br />and Windows Server 2008 can recognize NTFS file systems. <br />Other Windows operating systems use FAT16 or FAT32 and cannot <br />recognize NTFS. All Windows-based operating systems can <br />recognize FAT partitions. <br /></li> <li>If you will dual- or multiboot with Windows 9x, you must turn off <br />disk compression or Windows 7 will not be able to read the drive <br />properly. <br /></li> <li>Do not install Windows 7 on a compressed volume unless the volume <br />was compressed using NTFS compression. <br /></li> <li>Files that are encrypted with Windows 7 will not be available to <br />Windows NT 4. </li> </ul> <p><strong>After</strong> you install each operating system, you can choose the operating <br />system that you will boot to during the boot process. You will see <br />a boot selection screen that asks you to choose which operating system <br />you want to boot. <br />The Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store contains boot information <br />parameters that were previously found in boot.ini in older versions of <br />Windows. To edit the boot options in the BCD store, use the bcdedit <br />utility, which can be launched only from a command prompt.</p> <p><strong>Perform the following steps to open a command prompt window:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Launch \Windows\system32\cmd.exe. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Open the Run command by pressing Windows key+R. <br /><strong>3.</strong> Type cmd.exe in the Search Programs And Files box and press <br />    Enter.</p> <p><strong>After</strong> the command prompt window is open, type bcdedit to launch <br />the bcdedit utility. You can also type bcdedit/? to see all the various <br />bcdedit commands. <br />After the Windows 7 installation is complete, it’s time to do some <br />general housekeeping. The first thing you need to do is activate the <br />Windows 7 operating system.</p> <p><font size="4"><strong> Using Windows Activation</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Windows</strong> Activation is Microsoft’s way of reducing software piracy. <br />Unless you have a corporate license for Windows 7, you will need to <br />perform post installation activation. You can do this online or by phoning <br />Microsoft. Windows 7 will attempt automatic activation three days <br />after you log on to Windows 7 for the first time. There is a grace period <br />when you will be able to use the operating system without activation. <br />After the grace period expires, you will not be able to create new files <br />or save changes to existing files until Windows 7 is activated. When the <br />grace period runs out, the Windows Activation Wizard automatically <br />starts; it walks you through the activation process.</p> <p> <font size="4"><strong>Using Windows Update</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Windows </strong>Update, as shown in <strong>Figure 1.13</strong>, is a utility that connects to <br />Microsoft’s website and checks to ensure that you have the most up-to date <br />version of Microsoft products.</p> <p align="center"><strong> Figure 1.13 : Windows Update</strong></p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMmVAb01I/AAAAAAAAL4g/wUze2A01Xt8/s1600-h/sshot-2011-01-20-15-14-19%5B3%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="turn-on-automatic-updating" border="0" alt="turn-on-automatic-updating" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMoH2qBoI/AAAAAAAAL4k/jWoFYTYBfBI/sshot-2011-01-20-15-14-19_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="341" /></a> </p> <p><strong>Here are some of the common update categories associated with <br />Windows Update:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Critical updates <br /></li> <li>Service packs <br /></li> <li>Drivers</li> </ul> <p><font size="3"><strong> Perform the following steps to configure Windows Update:</strong></font></p> <p><strong> 1.</strong> Select Start ➢ Control Panel.</p> <ul> <li>From Windows Icons View, select Windows Update. <br /></li> <li>From Windows Category View, select System And Security, <br />Windows Update.</li> </ul> <p><strong>2.</strong> Configure the options you want to use for Windows Update, and <br />    click OK.</p> <p><strong>You </strong>can access the following options from Windows Update: <br />Check For Updates When you click Check For Updates, Windows <br />Update retrieves a list of available updates from the Internet. You <br />can then click View Available Updates to see what updates are <br />available. Updates are marked as Important, Recommended, or <br />Optional. <strong>Figure 1.14</strong> shows a sample list of updates.</p> <p align="center"> <strong>Figure 1.14 : Checking for updates</strong></p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMpDeg69I/AAAAAAAAL4o/eNUu6XL8Qj0/s1600-h/7%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Checking-for-updates" border="0" alt="Checking-for-updates" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMsG1AMnI/AAAAAAAAL4s/1yetqoXV058/7_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="349" /></a></p> <p><strong>Change Settings</strong> Clicking Change Settings allows you to customize <br />how Windows can install updates.</p> <p> <strong>You can configure the following options:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Install Updates Automatically  (Recommended) <br /></li> <li>Download Updates But Let Me Choose To Install Them <br /></li> <li>Download Updates But Let Me Choose Whether To <br />Download And Install Them <br /></li> <li>Never Check For Updates (Not Recommended)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Figure 1.15</strong> shows the settings that you can configure for Windows <br />Update.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMufhmEEI/AAAAAAAAL4w/bUFjVNw5QLU/s1600-h/211909.image0%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="configure-Windows-Updates" border="0" alt="configure-Windows-Updates" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMxc5RzZI/AAAAAAAAL40/94K0CN0bBbM/211909.image0_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="412" /></a> </p> <p><strong>View</strong> Update History View Update History, as shown in <br /><strong>Figure 1.16</strong>, is used to view a list of all the installations that have <br />been performed on the computer.</p> <p><strong>You can see the following information for each installation:</strong></p> <strong></strong> <ul> <li>Update Name <br /></li> <li>Status (Successful, Unsuccessful, Or Canceled) <br /></li> <li>Importance (Important, Recommended, Or Optional) <br /></li> <li>Date Installed</li> </ul> <p align="center"><strong>Figure 1.16 : Windows Update: View Update History</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPMyy6n9iI/AAAAAAAAL44/kJw-I5dKvhI/s1600-h/0%2C1425%2Ci%3D145385%26sz%3D1%2C00%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Windows Update-View Update History" border="0" alt="Windows Update-View Update History" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/TaPM0W5ZHNI/AAAAAAAAL48/8jYJOE2UkKE/0%2C1425%2Ci%3D145385%26sz%3D1%2C00_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331" /></a></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Restore Hidden Updates:</font></strong> With Restore Hidden Updates, you can list <br />any updates that you have hidden from the list of available updates. <br />You might hide updates that you don’t want users to install. <br />Sometimes it is important for you to test and verify the updates <br />before your users can install the updates. This area allows you to <br />see hidden updates so that they can be tested before deployment.</p> <p><strong><font size="2">Updates: Frequently Asked Questions</font></strong> The Updates: Frequently <br />Asked Questions link will bring up a help screen about updates. <br />Common questions and answers are listed in this window. <br />Installed Updates Installed Updates allows you to see the updates <br />that are installed and to uninstall or change them if necessary. The <br />Installed Updates feature is a part of the Programs and Features <br />applet in Control Panel, which allows you to uninstall, change, and <br />repair programs. <br />Updates are important to keep your Windows 7 operating system <br />current, but when Microsoft has many updates or security patches, <br />they release service packs.</p> <p><font size="4"><strong>Installing Windows Service Packs</strong></font></p> <p><strong>Service packs</strong> are updates to the Windows 7 operating system that <br />include bug fixes and product enhancements. Some of the options that <br />might be included in service packs are security fixes or updated versions <br />of software, such as Internet Explorer.</p> <p><strong>Perform the following steps prior to installing a service pack:</strong></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Back up your computer. <br /><strong>2.</strong> Check your computer to ensure that it is not running any malware <br />    or other unwanted software. <br /><strong>3.</strong> Check with your computer manufacturer to see whether there are <br />    any special instructions for your computer prior to installing the <br />    service pack.</p> <p><strong>You</strong> can download <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/sp">service packs</a> from Microsoft’s website, receive service <br />packs via Windows Update, or pay for a copy of the service pack to be <br />mailed to you on disk. Before you install a service pack, read the Release <br />Note that is provided for each service pack on Microsoft’s website.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><font color="#008000" size="2">In the next post,<strong> (Automating a Windows 7 Installation) </strong>you will learn to:</font></p> <ul> <li><font color="#008000" face="Verdana"><strong>USE THE <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/dd407791">MICROSOFT DEPLOYMENT TOOLKIT</a></strong></font></li> <li><font color="#008000" face="Verdana"><strong>PERFORM UNATENDED INSTALLATIONS</strong></font></li> <li><font color="#008000" face="Verdana"><strong>DEPLOY UNATENDED INSTALATIONS</strong></font></li> <li><font color="#008000" face="Verdana"><strong>USE THE <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb977556.aspx">MICROSOFT ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING TOOLKIT</a></strong></font></li> <li><font color="#008000" face="Verdana"><strong>WORK WITH <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766093%28WS.10%29.aspx">WINDOWS PE</a></strong></font></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="4"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="4"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="4"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="4"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="4"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="4"> </font></strong></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-72944245079608971942009-09-16T14:34:00.001+10:002009-09-16T14:40:38.878+10:00Solve Boot Issues<p><strong><font size="3" face="Tahoma"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBsQcOaY_I/AAAAAAAAHZU/7-Nqqt04Hns/s1600-h/images%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="images" border="0" alt="images" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBsRTjYIyI/AAAAAAAAHZY/3QQN2P2PPZM/images_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="102" height="73" /></a> Fix startup and shutdown problems.</font></strong></p> <p>Startup and shutdown problems aren't usually related – if your PC doesn't shutdown properly it tends to be annoying, but on the other hand a start up problem can lock you out of Windows XP completely, which could be cause for panic !</p> <p>Fear not, however because armed with the right troubleshooting techniques you can get back into windows without putting your data at risk, plus discover how to go about fixing shutdown problems.</p> <p><strong><font size="3">Cant boot, wont boot</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">Not all boot problems are catastrophic, but the most pressing concern is when windows is unable to start successfully. you may find it reaches a certain point in the process before inexplicably restarting, or it may throw up a blue screen with a STOP error on it.</font></p> <p><font size="2">Either way it’s bad news. When you first restart after encountering an error like this, Windows will throw up a boot menu that’s designed to help you get around the problem. It will apologize for not loading successfully and give you a number of options to choose from.</font></p> <p align="justify"><strong><font size="2">If Windows fails to start successfully, the boot menu gives you more startup options.</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqpb-ULLI/AAAAAAAAHYo/9ni8kjMaBKk/s1600-h/bootmenu4.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="boot-menu" border="0" alt="boot-menu" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqqSrIWMI/AAAAAAAAHYs/8agxMpRUgkg/bootmenu_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="305" /></a> </p> <p><font size="2">It may seem silly, but the first you do is choose “Start Windows Normally”. Sometimes a glitch that prevented you from loading Windows can resolve itself. so the next time you boot it’s gone. If this is the case, breathe a sigh of relief, but be wary: the problem may resurface or be indicative of something else.</font></p> <p><font size="2">The next option to try is “Last Known Good Configuration”. This restores the settings that enabled Windows to boot successfully last time, and in most cases will fix your problem. If you installed any hardware or software, or made changes to the way programs run or behave, you’ll find these have been lost. However, as the most recent changes to your system are likely to have caused the problem, this isn't necessarily  a bad thing. Try installing the program or piece of hardware again – if the problem persists, visit the manufacturers web site for more help and support.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="3">Safe mode fixes</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">If “Last Known Good Configuration” doesn’t work, then try booting into Safe Mode. You’ll see there are three choices: basic Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, and Safe Mode with Command Prompt. All three load only a basic set of drivers and services, plus no start-up programs are loaded, so in most cases you will at least be able to access your PC in this mode.</font></p> <p><font size="2">If you choose the Networking option and you’re physically connected to your network by an Ethernet cable, you’ll have access to the Internet if you connect through your network (as well as the network itself).</font></p> <p><font size="2">If you can get into Safe Mode, log on as either your own user account or the master Administrator account. You’ll then have a number of options to try. If you suspect a virus or similar piece of malicious software, you may be able to manually run your security tool and see if it can detect and remove the problem. </font></p> <p><font size="2">You can also launch System Restore from safe mode. Launch System Restore by clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">System Restore may offer a quick and easy solution to your start-up woes</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqrgNJs-I/AAAAAAAAHYw/q0JSymK76-Q/s1600-h/67428-system-restore-2%5B3%5D.gif"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="67428-system-restore-2" border="0" alt="67428-system-restore-2" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqtJGeV_I/AAAAAAAAHY0/ONAW0dYhZ8Y/67428-system-restore-2_thumb%5B1%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="490" height="353" /></a> </p> <p><font size="2">If you can’t even get into Safe Mode, try Safe Mode with Command Prompt. This bypasses the basic Safe Mode interface to give you access to just the command prompt itself. If this works, launch System Restore using the following command: <font color="#ff0000">%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe </font><font color="#000000">Once done make sure “Restore my computer to an earlier time” is selected before clicking Next. Choose the most recent Restore point and see if that eradicates the problem; if necessary reboot into Safe Mode and try earlier Restore points until you find one that works. Be warned: the further you go back , the more unrecognizable your system will be after the Restore has been performed: your data will be untouched, but programs, hardware, updates and settings installed since that Restore Point will either stop working or vanish completely from your system.</font></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Wont boot at all</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">In the worst case scenario you wont be able to boot into any flavor of Windows at all, even safe mode. When this happens there are two symptoms that point to a corrupt Registry: first your PC continually restarts when you try to start it regardless of the option you choose in the Boot menu. If your PC doesn't automatically reboot, you’ll get a STOP error referring to the Registry or a missing or corrupt file.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">In these circumstances your only course of action is to recover your system manually. You could attempt a repair installation of Windows following the step by step guide below – if your PC came with a recovery disc, try booting from that and looking for a repair or non-destructive option (if no option exists, do not proceed – a full destructive system recovery will wipe all of your personal files and settings).</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">The upside is that you should be able to boot into Windows again; the downside is that all of your updates – including any service packs you’ve applied – will have been removed. Not only will you need to visit Windows update to download them all again , but you may also need to reinstall some of your programs again in order for them to work properly.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="2" face="Tahoma">1.  Boot from Windows CD</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">If you have a genuine Windows installation CD, reboot with it inserted, and press any key when prompted to. Let setup load the initial files, then press enter at the welcome screen. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBquecxodI/AAAAAAAAHY8/ay0mz8gzO2s/s1600-h/recoveryconsole_Full%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="recoveryconsole_Full" border="0" alt="recoveryconsole_Full" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqwM2xttI/AAAAAAAAHZA/dV73QDjQa54/recoveryconsole_Full_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="490" height="333" /></a></p> <p><strong>2.</strong>  <strong>Choose to repair Windows</strong> </p> <p>Accept the license agreement by pressing F8, then wait. When asked if you would like to repair Windows, make sure your current installation is selected before clicking R. Windows will now delete a load of files.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqwx6bO4I/AAAAAAAAHZE/X3thiGVLPms/s1600-h/repair%5B4%5D.gif"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="repair" border="0" alt="repair" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqx2wOQcI/AAAAAAAAHZI/ka4qOKSGav8/repair_thumb%5B2%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="491" height="305" /></a> </p> <p><font size="2"></font></p> <p><font size="2"> <strong>3.  Let Windows repair itself</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">The rest of the process is identical to what happens when Windows installs from scratch.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBqy31yzDI/AAAAAAAAHZM/GcJxk0Plp2w/s1600-h/install%5B14%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="install" border="0" alt="install" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SrBq0GbGbEI/AAAAAAAAHZQ/pU5UM4N4tvA/install_thumb%5B10%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="486" height="389" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Hardware problems</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">If you can’t get your PC to even recognize your hard drive – you’ll get a boot failure message appear before Windows even begins to load – then you may have a dead drive to deal with. If the drive has been making funny noises recently, this is the likely scenario, and the downside is that your data is now inaccessible unless your willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to a data recovery specialists to get it back.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">Sometimes drive cables can become loose, so it’s worth opening up your case and making sure everything's securely plugged in before assuming the worst.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">memory is another problem that can manifest itself in start-up problems. If you suspect memory is  the cause of your problems download the free diagnostic tool on a working PC from <a href="http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp">http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp</a> – you can then transfer this to a floppy disk or CD, and boot from it on your malfunctioning PC. It’ll then test your memory and report any problems it finds.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">Faulty memory should be replaced as soon as it’s been spotted. If you have more than one memory stick in your PC, try different combinations of memory in conjunction with the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool to track down the faulty module.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">If all else fails – you’ve recovered your data, determined there's no hardware issues, but still can’t get Windows to boot again – then bite the bullet and reinstall Windows XP from scratch.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Tahoma">Fix shutdown problems</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">Most Shutdown problems have been fixed by updates available through Automatic Updates (click Start, right click My Computer and select properties, Control Panel, then switch to the Automatic Updates tab). If your PC is fully up to date, but you still encounter shutdown problems, read on.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">If your PC restarts instead of shutting down, then the likely culprit is a STOP error, By default Windows is set to restart when it encounters one of these, but if it’s preventing you from shutting down you need to take matters into your own hands.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">First, force Windows to display the STOP error instead of restarting: open the System Properties Control Panel, switch to the Advanced tab, click Settings under “Startup and Recovery” and untick Automatically restart before clicking OK twice. When you next shutdown Windows, the STOP error should pop up. Make a note of it, and then visit <a title="http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.htm" href="http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.htm">http://www.aumha.org/a/stop.htm</a>  for more advice.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">If your PC hangs during shutdown – in other words, it reaches a certain point in the process and then just stops for five minutes or more without powering down or displaying an “it’s safe to turn off your computer” message – then the problem could be caused by a program or process currently running on your PC. When your ready to shut down, try to end as many running programs as possible, including those that have icons in the notification area in the taskbar. If Windows can now shut down, you’ve traced the culprit to one of these programs. </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">If this doesn’t work, try running a diagnostic startup as described earlier and then immediately shut down. If Windows is able to do so, then something that starts with Windows and runs in the background is to blame. Once identified using the same techniques described for troublesome start-up entries, uninstall the program or look for an update or additional help at it’s website.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">If this doesn’t work but your able to access Task Manager (press Ctrl+Alt+Del), then try ending individual processes from the Processes tab. Make a note of any processes that refuse to disappear, and do a search on Google to find out more about that process when you next start Windows. If all else fails at this point, and you have access to the shutdown menu try turn off computer from this menu.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma">Shutdown problems are numerous, and while non critical in the sense that you’re able to run Windows again afterwards, may be indicative of deeper problems with your system. For additional shutdown advice visit </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><a href="http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm">http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm</a>. </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma"></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Tahoma"> </font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-81506905894844667212009-09-12T19:54:00.001+10:002009-09-12T19:54:11.363+10:00Windows 7 Tips And Tricks 3<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvcYk9bHI/AAAAAAAAHSA/X4YH0vg1dLc/s1600-h/image%5B2%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvdWz1kpI/AAAAAAAAHSE/xotQ3B6Mnmg/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="55" height="55" /></a>      <strong>1.  Change the Scenery.</strong> Windows 7 allows you to personalize your desktop <br />background to suit your many moods with a new shuffle feature for your desktop. <br />You can program your desktop background to shuffle through your favorite images <br />and get a change of scenery as often as you like. To enable the shuffle feature, right click <br />on your Desktop and select “Personalize,” then “Desktop Background.” Choose <br />the folder where your favorite images or photos are stored and select as many as <br />you like. Make sure you check the “Shuffle” box, and choose how often you’d like <br />your images to shuffle. It’s a simple way to keep your desktop looking fresh and fun.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtveBFuCcI/AAAAAAAAHSI/XztBc0IlkX0/s1600-h/image%5B12%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvfbAiTtI/AAAAAAAAHSM/fp59nB1Q-Cg/image_thumb%5B6%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="491" height="108" /></a> </p> <p><strong>2.  Crunch The Numbers.</strong> The new Windows 7 calculator is a number cruncher’s dream. <br />New functionality allows the user to not only calculate in the Standard and Scientific <br />modes, but also in Programmer and Statistics modes. And that’s not all! Ever need <br />conversion formulas for temperature, weight, area, or time? Finding the unit <br />conversion option makes it a snap and takes all the work out of the user’s hands. <br />There are even templates for gas mileage, lease estimations, and mortgage <br />estimations.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvhxJOVXI/AAAAAAAAHSQ/rc0Tt7ezNys/s1600-h/image%5B14%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/Sqtvkn8xLUI/AAAAAAAAHSU/mvlQIxdVrmA/image_thumb%5B8%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="494" height="294" /></a> </p> <p><strong>3.  Smart Printing.</strong> Windows 7 allows for several default printers in several locations. <br />Your computer will choose the correct printer for where you are. No need to reset your <br />default or remember what the printer name is; Windows 7 will figure out whether <br />you’re at home or at work with Location Aware Printing.</p> <p><strong>4.  Shake It Up.</strong> Remember the Etch-a-Sketch where you would shake it to make things <br />disappear? Windows 7 uses the same shake concept to help you manage your windows. Windows 7 Aero®Shake allows you to clear the inactive windows from your desktop by “shaking” over the window you’re working. Hover your mouse over the title bar of your active window, left-click and shake from side to side, and all your inactive windows will disappear. To bring them back, repeat the procedure and shake everything back into <br />view.</p> <p><strong>5.  Clean Your Desktop! And Order It Too.</strong> You’ve always been able to auto-arrange your <br />desktop icons by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing “Sort By.” Now Windows 7 <br />makes it even easier. To auto-arrange the desktop icons according to your default <br />settings, simply press and hold F5. Order is instantly accomplished.</p> <p><strong>6.  Right-Click Mania.</strong> In Windows 7, right-clicking may just be your secret friend. There are many ways the right-click can simplify your computing experience. Here are just a few: <br /><strong>a.</strong>  Right-click any empty spot in your desktop, and you have the control to change the screen resolution. <br />be.  Right-click any of the icons in the Taskbar to “Unpin this program from the <br />Taskbar.” <br /><strong>c.</strong>  Last but not least, right-click the Taskbar Explorer icon to access your most <br />frequently used folders.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvmoMWDjI/AAAAAAAAHSc/nbAEHRigrPY/s1600-h/image%5B20%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvpSgKiZI/AAAAAAAAHSg/kAnvdVwWB2g/image_thumb%5B12%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="490" height="478" /></a> </p> <p><strong>7.  Unveil Your Hidden Drives.</strong> Want to see the drives that aren’t currently in use when you <br />open My Computer? To display empty drives, click Computer → Alt to see the toolbar → <br />Tools → Folder Options → View (tab) → Uncheck “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder.” And they magically appear!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvsFUr7TI/AAAAAAAAHSk/eYNA9Pk-uJY/s1600-h/image%5B26%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SqtvwUmAwsI/AAAAAAAAHSo/cT0SkBHD7QU/image_thumb%5B16%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="489" height="592" /></a></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-70120279851244421552009-06-06T09:29:00.001+10:002009-06-06T09:29:41.679+10:00Windows 7 Tips And Tricks 2<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqCgyPYAI/AAAAAAAAGds/by0H2rmohWM/s1600-h/image%5B46%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqDeN-7PI/AAAAAAAAGdw/3b44Ht7yZpY/image_thumb%5B24%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="51" height="51" /></a> <font face="Verdana"><strong>1.  Put a “Pin Up” of the Folders You Use Most .</strong> Windows 7 allows you to “pin up” the folders you use most on your taskbar. Simply hold your mouse over the favourite folder, right click, and drag it onto the taskbar. Windows 7 automatically pins itself to the Explorer Jump List. To open the folder, right click on the Explorer icon and select the folder you want.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqETpdFjI/AAAAAAAAGd0/VaeJv9zX9P8/s1600-h/image%5B50%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqFl5WyII/AAAAAAAAGd4/T-F-gb4MwYs/image_thumb%5B28%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="474" height="40" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>2.  Double-Up Your Windows.</strong> When working within an application, sometimes you just want more of a good thing. To open another window of the same application (assuming the app can run more than one instance), simply hold <strong>Shift</strong> and click the taskbar icon. You can also middle-click your third mouse button for the same result.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>3.  Clear, Crisp Display—It’s In Your Control.</strong> Windows 7 makes it easy for you to adjust your display settings, making text and images easier to view in all the various locations where you work on your computer. Your laptop display may look fine at work but a little dark at home. Adjust the text and image settings easily with two snappy applets: Clear Type Text Tuning and Display Colour Calibration. Run <strong>cttune.exe</strong> and <strong>dccw.exe,</strong> or look them up in the Control Panel.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqIXu9inI/AAAAAAAAGd8/IzDRbHfQTgs/s1600-h/image%5B48%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqLAFeP3I/AAAAAAAAGeA/3YaCiEc0lkw/image_thumb%5B26%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="466" height="380" /></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqNB9vWqI/AAAAAAAAGeE/YbehLkkG8pA/s1600-h/image%5B49%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqPOfcJDI/AAAAAAAAGeI/wkPDL6xMwiE/image_thumb%5B27%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="468" height="351" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>4.  Order and Reason for Your Taskbar.</strong> You can decide the order that <br />your icons show up in your taskbar by simply dragging them to the <br />order you desire. And for the first five icons, you can launch them with <br />a simple keystroke: Any of the first five icons can be opened by pressing <br /><strong><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqP8HJO-I/AAAAAAAAGeM/dvx8RTRZSr8/s1600-h/image%5B36%5D.png"><font color="#000000"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqQtHlT5I/AAAAAAAAGeQ/YFH_MInQK0s/image_thumb%5B18%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></font></a>+ 1</strong>, </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqRfq4MhI/AAAAAAAAGeU/uDGU-Fee6yk/s1600-h/image%5B43%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqSQTajBI/AAAAAAAAGeY/5TcMwW8Jvlc/image_thumb%5B23%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="18" height="18" /></font></a><font face="Verdana"> <strong>+2,</strong> etc.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>5.  Taskbar Traversing.</strong> While we’re on the subject of taskbar shortcuts, use </font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqTFJP11I/AAAAAAAAGec/BTvi5iSWcAE/s1600-h/image%5B31%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqTyuUJyI/AAAAAAAAGeg/BtrxsX_PgS4/image_thumb%5B15%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></font></a><font face="Verdana"> <strong>+T</strong> to shift your attention to the taskbar. Your machine will make its active screen your taskbar menu, and you can use the arrow keys to select the application you’re interested in. Just hit<strong> Enter</strong> to launch it. Naturally, to exit this trick, press <strong>Esc</strong>.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>6.  BitLocker To Go Protection.</strong> BitLocker has become a saving grace when it comes to increased laptop security. Windows 7 has taken security even farther with its BitLocker To Go feature, which allows you to encrypt removable USB devices and external disks. To enable BitLocker or BitLocker <strong>To Go,</strong> right click the drive in Windows Explorer and select “Turn on BitLocker…” This can also be managed centrally via Group Policy, so IT administrators can require the USB drive be encrypted before files can be written to it.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>7.  Your Own Personal Help Desk:</strong> </font><font face="Verdana"><strong>Windows Troubleshooting Platform. <br /></strong>We’ve all experienced minor issues like Windows Aero not displaying or sound controls not functioning. Don’t get stuck in the mud just because your computer seems to be. Windows 7 can save you from having to bite the bullet and call the help desk for every problem that comes up, thanks to the new Windows Troubleshooting Platform. It’s easily accessed by typing <strong>“fix”</strong> or <strong>“Troubleshoot” </strong>in the Start Menu. A list of Windows Troubleshooting Packs allows you to choose from what might be giving you trouble, and the trouble-shooter will faithfully attempt to clear up the problem.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqWgmHK1I/AAAAAAAAGek/Q58fEPlb4ic/s1600-h/image%5B26%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SimqY554OsI/AAAAAAAAGeo/gG8nmTShteU/image_thumb%5B12%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="485" height="301" /></a></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-50490588305350263462009-05-20T06:08:00.001+10:002009-06-06T09:40:41.612+10:00Windows 7 Tips And Tricks<p><strong> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMScoUFOlI/AAAAAAAAGdk/JfUhylyUaCA/s1600-h/image%5B101%5D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMSd2m-VAI/AAAAAAAAGdo/3tCDPFtt1mk/image_thumb%5B67%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="51" height="51" /></a> <font face="Verdana">7 hints and tips for windows 7.</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>1.   Shuffling Through Program Windows.</strong> If you’re running a number of files from the same program, such as multiple documents in Microsoft Word, <br />Windows 7 allows you to switch through these windows with ease. <br />Simply press down on the Ctrl key while clicking the icon from the taskbar. <br />Each click will change the window to the next in the sequence, in the order that you opened them.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>2.  Managing Your Windows.</strong> Windows 7 simplifies document and program <br />management by allowing you to <strong>“dock”</strong> a window or manipulate its size with <br />one mouse manoeuvre or a simple keystroke. To dock your window on one half of the screen, drag it to the left or right and it will change its size to fit that half of the screen. To manipulate the vertical size of a window, drag the window to the top to maximize it, or double-click the window’s top or bottom border to maximize it vertically while keeping the same width. You can also perform all of these functions with keystrokes:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRZnet5oI/AAAAAAAAGb0/nWv1qUxqqsc/s1600-h/image%5B39%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRZnet5oI/AAAAAAAAGes/3mBeIMVaqZU/s1600-h/image%5B1%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRaWEkdXI/AAAAAAAAGew/SQqSn7Qbm0c/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Left Arrow and </font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRbISlF5I/AAAAAAAAGb8/ao4hImJf-Hs/s1600-h/image%5B35%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRbISlF5I/AAAAAAAAGe4/5HIIkmyr57Y/s1600-h/image23%5B2%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRb6YlCYI/AAAAAAAAGfA/YO9VMXNc6KM/image23_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="18" height="18" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Right Arrow dock to half the screen <br /></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRcuna3BI/AAAAAAAAGcE/FVFrQLLl_Wc/s1600-h/image%5B20%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRcuna3BI/AAAAAAAAGfM/XPsFXg0zuQk/s1600-h/image3%5B2%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRdvrcM0I/AAAAAAAAGfQ/nnTr8-eR52Y/image3_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Up Arrow and</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMReCEMniI/AAAAAAAAGcM/t5It1pgV2u0/s1600-h/image%5B36%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMReCEMniI/AAAAAAAAGfU/suSVpkG1hmM/s1600-h/image26%5B1%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRe6ewAoI/AAAAAAAAGfY/pWajsefTuyo/image26_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="18" height="18" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> + Down Arrow maximize and minimize <br /></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRfkTOmSI/AAAAAAAAGcU/UsFajIoyDBo/s1600-h/image%5B22%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRfkTOmSI/AAAAAAAAGfs/NxZvfNRajhQ/s1600-h/image6%5B3%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRgfN-g5I/AAAAAAAAGfw/Fd5PyMvO7hE/image6_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Shift+Up Arrow and </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRhLSMnQI/AAAAAAAAGcc/yaZPNvLgtoA/s1600-h/image%5B38%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRhLSMnQI/AAAAAAAAGf4/MRHhGAMXgtk/s1600-h/image29%5B1%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRiB512uI/AAAAAAAAGgE/jPjMOi_jEV4/image29_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Shift+Down Arrow maximize <br />and restore vertical size.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>3.   Project Your Display With Ease.</strong> Plugging in a projector and projecting your display is a snap with the Windows 7 driver display utility, displayswitch.exe. Simply hit <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRhLSMnQI/AAAAAAAAGgI/n-bziFiPG8s/s1600-h/image38.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRhLSMnQI/AAAAAAAAGgM/_uXEQwWAunU/s1600-h/image29%5B3%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRiB512uI/AAAAAAAAGgc/4OP1CHF8Msc/image29_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="18" height="18" /></a></a></a> +P to display the following easy-to-navigate pop-up window:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRjtAbOyI/AAAAAAAAGck/o0YvwEqAUO0/s1600-h/image%5B49%5D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRlJXGAuI/AAAAAAAAGco/DCnTfP0mhVI/image_thumb%5B35%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="476" height="121" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">By hitting your arrow keys (or </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRlgSZVEI/AAAAAAAAGcs/RB8XubMh9fg/s1600-h/image%5B54%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRlgSZVEI/AAAAAAAAGgg/VSGCwYbzWmw/s1600-h/image50%5B2%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRmgZ2B3I/AAAAAAAAGgk/-XOKDVSAowA/image50_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana">  +P) you can switch through multiple display settings, such as “clone”, “extend” or “external only.”</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>4.</strong>   <strong>Multi-Monitor Window Management.</strong> Windows 7 makes using <br />multiple monitors as convenient as it should be. When you’re working <br />in multi-monitors, use the keyboard shortcuts </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRnDFsuOI/AAAAAAAAGc0/vse3cI4YjYo/s1600-h/image%5B62%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRnDFsuOI/AAAAAAAAGgw/vrzcXyyFZ_c/s1600-h/image55%5B1%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRnyHn4hI/AAAAAAAAGg0/A1Innprf03Y/image55_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="20" height="20" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana">  +Shift+Left Arrow and <br /> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRojOdz3I/AAAAAAAAGc8/NHf75IZxocU/s1600-h/image%5B64%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRojOdz3I/AAAAAAAAGg8/-LqGBqZsn7I/s1600-h/image58%5B2%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRpZlFdyI/AAAAAAAAGhM/VwIURt0FZ_o/image58_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="19" height="19" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Shift+Right Arrow to toggle between monitors. The new window <br />will keep its relative position to the top-left origin of the original.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>5.  Aero Peek Your Desktop.</strong> A lesser-known versatile tool introduced with <br />Windows 7 is the Windows Aero feature, “Aero Peek”. Just click the <br />rectangle in the lower right hand corner of the task bar for quick access to <br />your desktop. The keyboard shortcut  </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRqCUnloI/AAAAAAAAGdE/o8VKIW_GUpc/s1600-h/image%5B69%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRqCUnloI/AAAAAAAAGhQ/kna4iLgZ8_8/s1600-h/image65%5B2%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRq2xDzZI/AAAAAAAAGhU/6kUYtQQahgE/image65_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="21" height="21" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Space performs the same function.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRr6CCg1I/AAAAAAAAGdM/yHfgebi069k/s1600-h/image%5B88%5D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRs8tabEI/AAAAAAAAGdQ/olWwb7RzJbk/image_thumb%5B60%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="504" height="80" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>6.   Live Clutter-Free.</strong> We live with enough clutter in our lives. Windows 7 gets rid of all the superfluous windows behind your active window. Just hit  </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRtn7EWaI/AAAAAAAAGdU/mWVEmYI3uZo/s1600-h/image%5B93%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRtn7EWaI/AAAAAAAAGhY/iSA7HUDo36g/s1600-h/image89%5B1%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRuY1ZwjI/AAAAAAAAGhs/9RDikWjq3j8/image89_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="22" height="22" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana"> +Home to minimize all inactive windows. To restore the windows when you’d like them, just press </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRvAAOx0I/AAAAAAAAGdc/s0Km5mPZwTU/s1600-h/image%5B98%5D.png"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRvAAOx0I/AAAAAAAAGh0/V4XrRhUdHS4/s1600-h/image94%5B1%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/ShMRvxMG6-I/AAAAAAAAGh4/G0mNF1Row0U/image94_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="22" height="22" /></a></font></a><font face="Verdana">  +Home again.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>7.   Help the Help Desk Help You.</strong> Solving problems unique to a machine can be an arduous task for both the end-user and the help desk. That’s why Windows 7 introduces the Problem Steps Recorder, a screen-capture tool that allows the end-user to record the problems they’re having step-by-step. It’s as simple as hitting “record” then adding in comments as needed. A HTML-based file is converted to a .ZIP folder, which is easily passed on to the help desk. The program is accessible from the Control Panel under “Record steps to reproduce a problem” or run <strong>psr.exe</strong> from Explorer.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-33149994751855096722009-03-18T01:11:00.001+11:002009-06-06T09:43:54.151+10:00Security In Windows<p><strong><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/Sb-voADhRYI/AAAAAAAAFNU/2gNLdBZ0MjE/s1600-h/security_center%5B9%5D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="security_center" border="0" alt="security_center" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/Sb-vo1OllpI/AAAAAAAAFNY/rfQMGSJ1jqI/security_center_thumb%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="70" height="70" /></a>     <font face="Verdana"> In today's connected world, Pc security is a major concern. Keep your data safe with these tips.</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">1.  What's Phishing?</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Phishing is a confidence trick. It involves sending a fraudulent email, supposedly from an organization that might have access to your financial details. the email asks for confirmation of account details, often forwarding you to a convincing looking web site to harvest your details.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">2.  Avoiding It</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Avoid emails with forms in the body of the message, as it’s difficult to verify where the data will be sent to. It helps to avoid HTML email completely or make use of the picture blocking feature in the latest versions of Outlook and Outlook Express.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">3.  What To Look For</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">When you receive an email, remember that the sender information may be fake, as could any URLs quoted in the email. Be particularly suspicious if there is a note of urgency in the email or a threat to close your account. Never follow links in commercial email that you suspect. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">4.  Latest Scams</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Head to </font><a href="http://www.millersmiles.co.uk"><font face="Verdana">www.millersmiles.co.uk</font></a><font face="Verdana">. This is a site that indexes recent phishing scams. You can look for your mail here or subscribe to the RSS feeds to stay up to date with the latest warnings. You can also report suspected phishing attempts here.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">5.  Commercial Help</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Some commercial sites provide information and help for people who have received phishing emails. eBay provides a tutorial at,</font></p> <p><a href="http://pages.ebay.com.au/education/spooftutorial/"><font face="Verdana">http://pages.ebay.com.au/education/spooftutorial/</font></a><font face="Verdana">   and it provides a service for reporting phishing attempts.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">6.  Direct Access</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you receive an email from a company that contains a link, avoid clicking it. Instead, type the URL for the site you want to check directly into the address bar. This will take you directly to the site instead of wherever the phishing email intended to redirect you.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">7.  Cookies</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">cookies are small files stored on your PC by web sites usually so that their site can identify you quickly. While this may be desirable at times, saving you log in procedures for example, cookies can report your browsing habits to their host sites for marketing or other unpleasant purposes.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">8.  IE Cookie Control</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">In Internet Explorer, select Tools > Internet Options > Privacy tab. Now move the slider to the level of protection you want. The highest blocks all cookies.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">9.  Exceptions</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you choose the highest level, you will need to create exceptions for the sites for which you want to enable cookies. Click Edit, type in the sites URL and click Allow > OK and Apply.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">10.  Privacy Policies</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The Platform for   Privacy Preferences (P3P) is a standard format of web sites to cite their privacy policy. If a site has a P3P privacy policy, Internet Explorer can display it. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">11.  View Policy</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">To view such a policy, click View > Privacy Report, select the site you want to see from the list and click Summary. IE downloads the report for you to read.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">12.  Privacy Clash</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If your privacy settings differ to those cited in a web site’s privacy policy, Internet Explorer displays an icon that looks like an eye next to a no entry sign. This shows that cookies have been blocked and therefore you may not have full access to the site’s functions. Double-click the icon to see the site’s privacy report.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">13.  Beware Trojans</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Even software that passes a virus scan can be dangerous. Some programs appear to have a useful function, but hide malicious content which is designed to trigger at a certain date or when you perform a certain action. Such programs are called Trojans, as they use a similar technique to the successful Greek battle plan of legends.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">14.  Spot A Trojan</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">It’s hard to spot a program that hides a Trojan. The best way is to scan for it using a program like the free SwatIt from </font><a href="http://www.swatit.org"><font face="Verdana">www.swatit.org</font></a><font face="Verdana">. It scans your PC in a similar way to a virus checker, looking for known Trojans. Just like an anti virus you must keep its database updated.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">15.  Spies Like Us</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Even if a downloaded program doesn’t contain a Trojan and has passed a virus scan, it could still be bad news. Many applications contain spyware, code that collects data on you and your browsing habits, occasionally passing the information back to its paymasters. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">16.  Certificates</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">These help you identify who created a web site or an element of a website. Content protected by a certificate should be safe, provided the certificate is valid. Choose Tools > Internet Options > Content tab > Certificates to see the current list on your PC.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">17.  Security Zones</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">In Internet Explorer click Tools  Internet Options > Security and choose one of the four zones. Click Default Level to see what security level is in force for this zone.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">18.  Adjust Security</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Flick through the other three zones, adjusting the security level for each as you wish. High gives least functionality, but is most secure, Low allows all active content to run, but is least safe.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">19.  Add Sites</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Now add sites to each zone by clicking the sites button, typing the relevant URL and clicking Add. Repeat for each zone, although the settings for Intranet are different as they include sites available on the local LAN.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">20.  Virus Warnings</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">You’ve probably received emails telling you about the latest virus, urging you to warn everyone about it by forwarding the mail. Such warnings are fake 99% of the time. Don’t forward them. Go to </font><a href="http://www.vmyths.com"><font face="Verdana">www.vmyths.com</font></a><font face="Verdana"> to learn about virus hoaxes or check the virus encyclopaedia at </font><a href="http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html"><font face="Verdana">http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html</font></a><font face="Verdana"> to verify them.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">21.  Windows Firewall</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Windows comes with a built in firewall, as part of its security center which is enabled by default. Check that it’s on by choosing Start > Control Panel > Security Center > Windows Firewall.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">22.  Automatic Updates</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">While your in the Security Center make sure that Automatic Updates are enabled to always to receive critical security updates. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">23.  Rely On Windows?</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The Windows Firewall is better than not having one installed at all, but it does have its limitations. There is not much room for user configuration and no protection against Trojans and other spyware dialling home from your PC.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">24.  Free Firewall</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The free edition of ZoneAlarm  (</font><a href="http://www.zonelabs.com"><font face="Verdana">www.zonelabs.com</font></a><font face="Verdana">) is well worth installing as it makes your PC invisible on the net.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">25.  ZoneAlarm Alerts</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">When you have ZoneAlarm running, you’ll be alerted every time someone attempts to access your PC. You may be surprised at the frequency of the attacks which goes to show how often certain IP addresses are singled out for port scans.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">26.  Stop Alerts</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click “Do not show this alert again” to stop ZoneAlarm’s messages appearing. Your PC will still be protected, however.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">27.  Monitoring</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Each time a program tries to access the Internet, ZoneAlarm will tell you. You can check the box to remember your answer for most common programs, so you aren’t bothered by repeated warnings.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">28.  Scan For Spyware</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">There are several spyware removal programs, but Spybot S&D is free and well regarded. Get it from </font><a href="http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html"><font face="Verdana">www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html</font></a><font face="Verdana"> </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">29.  Search & Destroy</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">After updating the program, click Search and Destroy. Click Check for problems. Once complete you’ll see a list of identified spyware. Uncheck any items that you don’t want to remove. Click Fix Selected Problems.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">30.  Immunise</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">In the left hand pane, click Immunise. This blocks known bad products including spyware sites and browser helper objects on the Spybot blacklist. Check Enable permanent blocking of bad addresses in Internet Explorer.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">31.  Real-Time</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">It’s safe to run more than one anti-spyware tool. so install Windows Defender alongside Spybot to give real-time protection.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">32.  Stay Safe</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Prevention is better than the cure, so avoid viruses and Trojans by deleting suspicious looking emails and steering clear of dodgy websites.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">33.  Password Protection Tips</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Make sure all passwords are a mixture of numbers and letters of upper and lower case and are over six characters long.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Don’t email passwords to anyone – even support staff as email is not secure.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Change your passwords every few months to lessen the chance of them being cracked.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">To help you create good passwords, use a random generator like the Winguides generator (</font><a href="http://www.winguides.com/security/password.php"><font face="Verdana">www.winguides.com/security/password.php</font></a><font face="Verdana">).</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Any active content on web pages, including ActiveX components, Java and JavaScript can potentially contain malicious code, Use security zones to restrict suspected sites.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Think twice before installing unsigned ActiveX components. They can be particularly harmful. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Visit </font><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/security/default.mspx"><font face="Verdana">http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/security/default.mspx</font></a><font face="Verdana"> for Internet Explorer news and updates.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Clear your temporary files in Internet Explorer by clicking Tools > Internet Options > General > Delete Cookies and Delete Files.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">34.  Don’t Get Ripped Off</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">When buying online, check that you’ve been routed to a secure server before entering  card details.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Secure pages show <strong>https:// </strong>at the start of the address rather than <strong>http://. </strong>You’ll also see a locked icon at the bottom of your browser.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Always check your credit card statements paying particular attention to Internet transactions.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Don’t use a debit card online. They don’t carry the same protection that credit cards do.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Anything that offers you the chance to get rich quickly or get something for nothing is a scam.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">35.  A Secure Desktop</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Take a quick trip around your desktop. Have you got any documents or data files saved to the desktop that contain sensitive data? Have you securely deleted any such files? Is your virus scanner up to date? Do you have programs to scan for Trojans, Spyware or adware? Are these up to date? Is your firewall up and running? When did you last update all your main applications? Run through this checklist every couple of weeks to make sure your PC is safe.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-65827326305627877002009-03-07T21:29:00.001+11:002009-06-06T09:47:52.969+10:00Maintaining Windows<p><font face="Verdana">A stitch in time saves nine, so why not prevent trouble before it occurs with these tips?</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">1.  Microsoft Update</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Select Start > All Programs and Windows Update. This opens Internet Explorer pointed at the Microsoft Update site. You may be prompted to download and install the latest version of update software. Click Scan for updates. The software examines your Windows installation to find out which updates you already have.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">2.  Selecting Updates</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">In the left hand pane, you’ll see a list of updates found under different categories. All critical updates and service packs are already selected for you. To select updates under other categories, click the relevant link and select add.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">3.  Review your Updates</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Choose Review and install updates. Here you can press remove to get rid of any unwanted items. Click Install Now and accept the Licence Agreement. Your updates will now download. Once downloaded, the updates install automatically. Restart your computer.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">4. Update CD</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Go to the Windows Update catalogue and download the most recent updates to your hard drive. Burn these to CD. If you need to reinstall Windows, you won’t need to download the updates again.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">5.  Get Advice</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Use Microsoft’s Support site to track down solutions to problems your PC has developed. Browse to </font><a href="http://support.microsoft.com"><font face="Verdana">http://support.microsoft.com</font></a><font face="Verdana"> for a range support and services. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">6.  Knowledge Base</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Microsoft’s site includes the Knowledge Base, which you can search if you can describe the symptoms of your computer problem. You’ll be in the company of many IT professionals.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">7.  Updating A Driver</font></strong></p> <p><u><font face="Verdana">1. Device Manager</font></u></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Right click My Computer on the Start  Menu and choose Properties. Open the Hardware tab and click Device Manager. Browse to the item of hardware you want to upgrade, right click it and choose Update Driver.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SbJMbmmaK8I/AAAAAAAAE3o/8WnQRjbCNMI/s1600-h/untitled%5B3%5D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="untitled" border="0" alt="untitled" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SbJMc_ypyXI/AAAAAAAAE3w/m83lkVIGcWw/untitled_thumb%5B3%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="493" height="345" /></a> </p> <p><u><font face="Verdana">2. Hardware Update Wizard</font></u></p> <p><font face="Verdana">This starts the Hardware Update Wizard. Change the default from Install the software automatically to install from a list or specific location. This is because you want to point Windows to a specific driver.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SbJMeIY1lgI/AAAAAAAAE30/Ssd7m0wuRY4/s1600-h/untitled1%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="untitled1" border="0" alt="untitled1" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SbJMfKyDHiI/AAAAAAAAE34/JNn-tQojm2E/untitled1_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="386" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana"> <u>3.  Install The Driver</u></font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click Next. Check Search removable media if you have the driver on floppy or CD. Otherwise check include this location and browse to the driver file. Once you’ve supplied the right location, click next to install the new driver.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">8.  Roll Back</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If a driver upgrade fails, open Device Manager from the Hardware tab of System Properties. Double-click the entry, switch to the Drivers tab and click Roll Back Driver.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">9.  Unknown Devices</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Don’t know what drivers you need? Check your PC or motherboard manual (or the manufacturer’s website for support information). Still no luck? Use the free Unknown Device Identifier tool to help you, get it from </font><a href="http://www.zhangduo.com/udi.html"><font face="Verdana">www.zhangduo.com/udi.html</font></a><font face="Verdana">  </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">10.  Unsigned Drivers</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you want to err on the side of caution, set Windows to block all unsigned drivers, although you may not be able to get some hardware working. To do this, click Driver Signing under the Hardware tab of the System properties, choose Block and click OK twice.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">11.  Deleted Devices</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">When you take out a hard drive or a graphics card, Windows keeps the settings in the registry in case you put it back. In Device Manager, choose View > Show hidden devices, right –click the offending entry and choose Uninstall. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">12.  Fix Boot Problems</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If Windows crashes when booting, you’ll be shown the boot menu: try Last Known Good configuration. This should work in most cases.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">13.  Disk Check On Boot </font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If Windows asks to check your disk drives as you boot, this may be because a check was scheduled or because your drives developed errors. Run the check to correct them.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">14.  Schedule It</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Use Task Scheduler (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks) to automate maintenance tasks like defragmenting your hard drive.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">15.  Restore Points</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Create a System Restore Point before installing any major software or hardware. This gives you the opportunity to roll back to this time if you run into any problems.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">16.  Rescue Disks</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Many system utilities and anti-virus programs give you the opportunity of creating rescue floppies or CDs, take the time to create these, as one day they could save your bacon.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">17.  Keep Up To Date</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Virus checkers and system tools are only as good as their most recent update. Check regularly for new files and install them as soon as possible. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">18.  Error Reporting</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you’d rather Windows didn’t report program errors and crashes to Microsoft, click Start > Run, type msconfig and press Enter. Switch to the Services tab, uncheck Error Reporting Service and click OK, restarting when prompted.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">19.  Remove Devices</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Never just unplug a USB device from your PC, especially a removable drive. Use the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area first.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">20.  Use A Back-UP Tool</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Windows XP Pro users get the Windows Backup tool by default, but Home users need to install it from their CD. Browse to the VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP directory to find ntbackup.msi</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">21.  Product Key</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Should you ever need to reinstall Windows you’ll be prompted for your product key. If you’ve lost it, use the free Belarc Advisor tool (</font><a href="http://www.belarc.com"><font face="Verdana">www.belarc.com</font></a><font face="Verdana">) to retrieve it.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">22.  Video Problems</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you can’t play a certain video file, chances are you’re missing a codec. Download the Windows codec pack from </font><a href="http://www.free-codecs.com"><font face="Verdana">www.free-codecs.com</font></a><font face="Verdana">, which covers most types.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">23.  System Admin Tools</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The System Administration Tools are shortcuts to essential maintenance utilities like the Computer Management Console and Event Viewer. Access them through the Control Panel.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">24.  Create A Shortcut</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Place a shortcut to the tools on the Start Menu: right-click the Start button and choose Properties. Click Customize > Advanced tab and scroll down  the list, selecting “Display on the All Programs menu and Start menu”. Click OK twice.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">25.  Check Your Drive</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Errors on your hard drive can also cause delays or loss of data. Regularly run Microsoft’s Error Checking, which is also part of windows. Open My Computer from the Start Menu and right-click the drive that you suspect has problems. Choose Properties > Tools tab. Under Error Checking click Check Now.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">26.  Automatic Errors</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">For the most thorough scan, tick Automatically fix file system errors and scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors before clicking Check Now. The first of these options corrects file system errors. these aren't physical problems.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">27.  Bad Sectors</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">These are areas of the drive that have damage that may or may not be possible to fix. If it isn't fixable, these areas will be marked and not used. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">28.  Reboot To Check</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you tick either option, you may need to reboot your computer for the test to take place. With these options left clear, the test can run and report back without rebooting, but it can’t fix errors.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">29.  Add Or Remove Components</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Many built in tools in Windows aren't found on the Currently Installed Programs list of Add or Remove Programs Control Panel; instead, click Add/Remove Windows Components button to access them.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">30.  View Hidden Files</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Windows hides certain files and folders to protect them from accidental deletion, to access these, open My Computer, choose Tools > Folder Options > View tab and select “show hidden files and folders”.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">31.  File Associations</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Review which programs open which files by default by switching to the File Types tab and scrolling down the list.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">32.  Free Up Space</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">One way to free up space without deleting files in Disk Cleanup is to select the Compress old files option, this automatically compresses files that have not been accessed for more than 50 days.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">33.  FAT32 Or NTFS?</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If your still using the FAT32 file system (open My Computer, select your hard drive and view file System under Details to find out), convert to NTFS for greater stability and reliability. Back up your data before you begin.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">34.  Convert To NTFS</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click Start > Run, type cmd and hit enter. Type convert c: /fs:ntfs, where c: is your drive letter (including the colon) and press Enter. When prompted, type in the drive label, you’ll find it by right-clicking your drive and selecting Properties (the box at the top): if it’s blank press Enter.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">35.  System File Checker</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">To ensure that all your system files are correct and haven’t been corrupted or replaced, choose Start > Run and enter cmd into the open bar. In the command line window, type sfc /scannow. You may need to insert your windows CD to restore system files so have it handy.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">36.  Reveal Hidden Components</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">By default, Windows is set to hide certain components from the Windows Components Wizard, but you can display any or all with a little hacking. Open the Windows\Inf directory and look for the hidden sysoc or sysoc.inf file. Drag a copy to your desktop (hold down [Ctrl]), then right-click the original, choose Open with…and select Notepad. Choose Edit > Replace. Enter hide under Find what:, leave Replace with: blank and click Replace All. Save the file and they’ll all be visible when you next click Add/Remove Windows Components.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-86860573833317492142009-03-02T18:34:00.001+11:002009-06-06T09:50:22.701+10:00Windows XP Interface<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/Sa36bLUSA1I/AAAAAAAAGiI/TrptZ4IjJEE/s1600-h/images4.jpg"><strong></strong></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/Sa36bLUSA1I/AAAAAAAAGiM/GO4xndPLiqI/s1600-h/images5.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="images" border="0" alt="images" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SauL7hhb_RI/AAAAAAAAEjo/NXGELLmGwD8/images_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="47" height="33" /></a></a></a><font face="Verdana"> <strong>Think you know all there is to know about navigating windows? Think</strong> <strong>again…</strong> </font> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">1.  Screensaver Slideshow  </font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Right-click<strong></strong> the desktop, select properties> screen saver tab and pick my pictures slideshow in the drop down box. Click the settings button for the controlling options.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">2.  Stop Grouping similar Windows</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Windows XP automatically groups similar entries on the task bar to aid readability. To turn this feature on or off, right-click the taskbar, select properties and then clear or tick Group  Similar Taskbar Buttons.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">3.  Stop Auto- Arrange</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">By default all icons that appear on the desktop are automatically arranged and aligned to an invisible grid. For more control over the placement of your shortcuts, right-click the desktop, select Arrange icons By and then clear the Auto Arrange and Align to Grid settings.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">4.  Universal Folder View</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you prefer to view all folders in the same way, set up one the way you like it, then select Tools> Folder Options. Switch to the View tab and click the Apply to All Folders button followed by OK to make the change universal.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">5.  Quick Launch</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Right-click the taskbar and select Toolbars> Quick Launch to use the Quick Launch toolbar for placing convenient shortcuts to all your favourite programs. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">6.  Make Your Taskbar Invisible</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Taskbar to intrusive? Right-click it and choose properties, then select the Auto-Hide option to make it disappear. It’ll pop up whenever you drag your mouse to the bottom of the screen.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">7.  Use The Address Bar</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Why click Start > Run, when you can use the Address Toolbar instead? Right-click the taskbar and select Toolbars > Address. Right-click the Taskbar again and untick Lock the Taskbar to move or resize.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">8.  Toolbar Shortcut To Folder</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Open My Computer and browse to the folder in question, then drag it to the left, right or top of the screen to convert it into a toolbar. Remove it by  right-clicking and choosing close toolbar followed by OK.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">9.  Change Colour Scheme</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The default theme for Windows XP contains three colour schemes. To try one of the others, right-click the desktop, select Properties > Appearance tab and pick another shade under colour scheme.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">10.  No To All</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Whenever your copying or moving files, you’ll sometimes be prompted for a “Yes” or a “Yes to All”. Choose the “Yes to All” option and similar files prompting the same question will be ignored in future. But what if you want “No to All” instead? There's no visible option, but hold the shift key as you click  No to pick it.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">11.  Individual Files</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you need to move or copy a large number of files from one folder to another, hold the Ctrl key down while you click on a number of files. They will all be selected.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">12.  Select All Files</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Select a block of consecutive files by clicking the first one, holding Shift and clicking the last.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">13.  Invert Selection</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you need to select the vast majority of files in a folder. try clicking the files you don't need then choosing Edit > Invert Selection.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">14.  Customize Explorer</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Create more space in an explorer window by right-clicking its main toolbar and choosing Customize… You can add or remove items from the toolbar or use the text options and icon options drop-down menus to fine-tune the look of your toolbar.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">15.  Resize Columns In Details Mode</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Hold Ctrl + Alt and press the + key on the numeric keypad.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">16.  Use Send to</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click Start > Run, type sendto and press Enter to open the Send To folder; create shortcuts to folders you use a lot, then move or copy files quickly by right-clicking and choosing Send To.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">17.  Force Copy Or Move</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">By default, Windows copies items from one drive to another, but moves them if the file is going from one folder to another on the same drive. Holding Shift will ensure it’s moved , and holding Ctrl will ensure it’s copied.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">18.  Improve Readability with clear type</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Clear Type can be switched on or off by clicking the Effects button on the Appearance tab of the Desktop Properties Control Panel.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">19.  Clear Type Settings</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Find out more about Clear Type or fine tune its settings at                              </font><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/"><font face="Verdana">www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/</font></a><font face="Verdana">   -to access the Web utility, click the ClearType Web interface link, and click yes when the security warning pops up.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">20.  View Shortcuts</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">When you open a menu or My Computer window, you can view what shortcut keys are available by pressing Alt once, underlined letters will appear, and and pressing that letter will trigger the appropriate shortcut.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">21. Shortcut View</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Make these underlined letters appear automatically from the Appearance tab under the Desktop Control Panel. Click the Effects button and untick “Hide underlined letters for keyboard navigation until i press the Alt key”</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">22.  No More Highlighting</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Switch off the “highlight new programs”  feature on the Start menu by right-clicking the Start button and selecting properties. Click Customize, switch to the advanced tab and untick “Highlight newly installed programs”.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">23.  Pin An Item On The Start Menu</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">When you open the Start menu you’ll find the most accessed programs are listed in the left hand side. If you would like any to be permanently  available just drag it above the thin dividing line so it sits with the Internet and Email shortcuts.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">24.  Remove Pinned Items</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Remove items from this list by right-clicking and choosing either unpin from Start menu or if you don’t  want it to appear in the permanent list or most or most accessed list below it, Remove from this list.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">25.  Tweak Notification Area Icons</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Right-click the taskbar and choose Properties, then click the Customize button. Click the appropriate icon’s entry under Behaviour and choose one of three options: Hide when inactive, Always hide, or Always show.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">26.  Folder View</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Right-click your folder, click Properties > Customize tab and choose a suitable template…</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">27.  Show Desktop</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click the show Desktop icon on the  taskbar to minimise all running programs and display the Desktop. Click it again to restore the windows to their original configuration. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">28.  Control Panel View</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you cant find the Control Panel icon your looking for, by choosing Start > Control Panel, click Switch to classic view to list them all.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">29.  Put Control Panels On The Start Menu</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Alternatively, convert the Control Panel shortcut on the start menu into a cascading list of all Control Panels for direct access: Right-click the Start button and choose properties.  click Customize > Advanced and select “"Display as a menu” under control panel. Click OK twice…</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">30.  Move My Documents</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you have a second hard drive or partition, move your My Documents folder to keep it separate from windows. To do this, right-click the My Documents folder on your Desktop or in the Start Menu and choose Properties. Click Move, select a new location and choose Yes when asked if you want to move the files from their original location.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">31.  Single Click Not Double Click</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Open My Computer, choose tools > Folder Options > Settings tab > Single click to open an item.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">32.  View File/Folder Properties</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The quickest way to get a file or folder’s properties is to hold the Alt key as you double-click it.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">33.  Delete Immediately</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Hold the Shift key as you drag a folder or file to the Recycle Bin to delete it instantly. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">34.  Folder Structure</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click the Folder button on a folder’s top tool bar to reveal where it sits in the folder structure of your hard drive.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">35.  Folder Options</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">change the display options for any folder by opening it, and then using its View pull-down menu.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">36.  Tweak Start Menu</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The Start menu contains shortcuts to the most recently accessed items. By default five are selected, but you can tweak this figure: right-click the Start button, then choose Properties and click customize, then alter the number on the General tab.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">37.  Putting The Start Menu In Order</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Force the Start menu to automatically sort alphabetically with this tweak.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">1.  Open Registry Editor</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click start > Programs, right click any entry and choose Sort by Name. Click Start > Run, type regedit and press enter. Select the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder.</font></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SauL8cyUCsI/AAAAAAAAEjs/QciLcE8n_iw/s1600-h/registry-editor%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="registry-editor" border="0" alt="registry-editor" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SauL9C1NZMI/AAAAAAAAEjw/TDG1g7hC8W4/registry-editor_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="487" height="335" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">2.  Tweak Permissions</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Choose Edit > Permissions, click Advanced and untick the”Inherit from parent the permission entries…” box. A pop-up box will appear, so click Copy followed by OK to return to the first screen.</font></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SauL-CqlVKI/AAAAAAAAEj0/EQHjq0_A2RI/s1600-h/untitled%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="untitled" border="0" alt="untitled" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SauL_CsfrhI/AAAAAAAAEj4/o9B7yO4Gwkw/untitled_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="487" height="278" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">3.  Make Read-Only</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Finally, select your username from the list and clear the Allow tick box next to Full Control (leave the Read tick box alone) and click Apply. Repeat for the Administrators group. Then click OK.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">38.  10 Windows Key Shortcuts</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">Shortcut                              Function</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win                                      Opens the Start menu</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + Pause/Break          Access the system Control Panel</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + D                               Minimise all windows to show the desktop. Press again to   </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">                                             restore the windows</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + E                               Opens Windows Explorer at My Computer</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + F                               Opens Windows Search</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + L                               Return to the log-on screen (locks your PC if your user account is </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">                                             password protected)</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + R                              Open Start menu’s Run dialogue box</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + U                              Utility Manager, a shortcut to controlling the Magnifier, Narrator, </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">                                            and on screen Keyboard</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + F1                            Open Help and Support Centre</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Win + Tab                          Cycle through open windows on the Taskbar</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">39.  Use Keyboard Instead Of Mouse</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If your mouse stops working, you can use the numeric keypad instead by switching on MouseKeys. Hold the left Alt and Shift keys together and press Numlock. If the movement is too slow, press the keys together again to disable MouseKeys, then press them again, But this time click settings twice to change them before switching the feature on.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">40.  Instant Access To The Entire PC</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Put the entire contents of your PC on to your Taskbar for easy access. Right-click the Taskbar and choose Toolbars > New Toolbar… Select My Computer and click OK. Use the new Toolbar’s handle ( you may need to unlock the Taskbar first) to shorten it  so that only My Computer and a double arrow are visible. Lock your Taskbar if possible and click the double-arrow to reveal your computers contents via a series of cascading menus.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-18710560472984479512008-11-29T15:59:00.001+11:002009-06-06T09:51:41.539+10:00Computer Acronyms Explained<p><font face="Verdana">ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line <br />AGP - Accelerated Graphics Port <br />ALI - Acer Labs, Incorporated <br />ALU - Arithmetic Logic Unit <br />AMD - Advanced Micro Devices <br />APC - American Power Conversion <br />ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange <br />ASIC - Application Specific Integrated Circuit <br />ASPI - Advanced SCSI Programming Interface <br />AT - Advanced Technology <br />ATI - ATI Technologies Inc. <br />ATX - Advanced Technology Extended </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>B </strong> <br />BFG - BFG Technologies <br />BIOS - Basic Input Output System <br />BNC - Barrel Nut Connector </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>C <br /></strong>CAS - Column Address Signal <br />CD - Compact Disk <br />CDR - Compact Disk Recorder <br />CDRW - Compact Disk Re-Writer <br />CD-ROM - Compact Disk - Read Only Memory <br />CFM - Cubic Feet per Minute (ft�/min) <br />CMOS - Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor <br />CPU - Central Processing Unit <br />CTX - CTX Technology Corporation (Committed to Excellence) </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">D </font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">DDR - Double Data Rate <br />DDR-SDRAM - Double Data Rate - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory <br />DFI - DFI Inc. (Design for Innovation) <br />DIMM - Dual Inline Memory Module <br />DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory <br />DPI - Dots Per Inch <br />DSL - See ASDL <br />DVD - Digital Versatile Disc <br />DVD-RAM - Digital Versatile Disk - Random Access Memory </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>E <br /></strong>ECC - Error Correction Code <br />ECS - Elitegroup Computer Systems <br />EDO - Extended Data Out <br />EEPROM - Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory <br />EPROM - Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory <br />EVGA - EVGA Corporation </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>F <br /></strong>FC-PGA - Flip Chip Pin Grid Array <br />FDC - Floppy Disk Controller <br />FDD - Floppy Disk Drive <br />FPS - Frame Per Second <br />FPU - Floating Point Unit <br />FSAA - Full Screen Anti-Aliasing <br />FS - For Sale <br />FSB - Front Side Bus </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>G</strong> <br />GB - Gigabytes <br />GBps - Gigabytes per second or Gigabits per second <br />GDI - Graphical Device Interface <br />GHz - GigaHertz </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>H</strong> <br />HDD - Hard Disk Drive <br />HIS - Hightech Information System Limited <br />HP - Hewlett-Packard Development Company <br />HSF - Heatsink-Fan </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>I </strong> <br />IBM - International Business Machines Corporation <br />IC - Integrated Circuit <br />IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics <br />IFS- Item for Sale <br />IRQ - Interrupt Request <br />ISA - Industry Standard Architecture <br />ISO - International Standards Organization </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>J </strong> <br />JBL - JBL (Jame B. Lansing) Speakers <br />JVC - JVC Company of America </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>K</strong> <br />Kbps - Kilobits Per Second <br />KBps - KiloBytes per second </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>L </strong> <br />LG - LG Electronics <br />LAN - Local Are Network <br />LCD - Liquid Crystal Display <br />LDT - Lightning Data Transport <br />LED - Light Emitting Diode </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>M <br /></strong>MAC - Media Access Control <br />MB - Motherboard or Megabyte <br />MBps - Megabytes Per Second <br />Mbps - Megabits Per Second or Megabits Per Second <br />MHz - MegaHertz <br />MIPS - Million Instructions Per Second <br />MMX - Multi-Media Extensions <br />MSI - Micro Star International </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>N </strong> <br />NAS - Network Attached Storage <br />NAT - Network Address Translation <br />NEC - NEC Corporation <br />NIC - Network Interface Card </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>O </strong> <br />OC - Overclock (Over Clock) <br />OCZ - OCZ Technology <br />OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>P</strong> <br />PC - Personal Computer <br />PCB - Printed Circuit Board <br />PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect <br />PDA - Personal Digital Assistant <br />PCMCIA - Peripheral Component Microchannel Interconnect Architecture <br />PGA - Professional Graphics Array <br />PLD - Programmable Logic Device <br />PM - Private Message / Private Messaging <br />PnP - Plug 'n Play <br />PNY - PNY Technology <br />POST - Power On Self Test <br />PPPoA - Point-to-Point Protocol over ATM <br />PPPoE - Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet <br />PQI - PQI Corporation <br />PSU - Power Supply Unit </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>R </strong> <br />RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks <br />RAM - Random Access Memory <br />RAMDAC - Random Access Memory Digital Analogue Convertor <br />RDRAM - Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory <br />ROM - Read Only Memory <br />RPM - Revolutions Per Minute </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>S</strong> <br />SASID - Self-scanned Amorphous Silicon Integrated Display <br />SCA - SCSI Configured Automatically <br />SCSI - Small Computer System Interface <br />SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory <br />SECC - Single Edge Contact Connector <br />SODIMM - Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module <br />SPARC - Scalable Processor Architecture <br />SOHO - Small Office Home Office <br />SRAM - Static Random Access Memory <br />SSE - Streaming SIMD Extensions <br />SVGA - Super Video Graphics Array <br />S/PDIF - Sony/Philips Digital Interface </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>T <br /></strong>TB - Terabytes <br />TBps - Terabytes per second <br />Tbps - Terabits per second <br />TDK - TDK Electronics <br />TEC - Thermoelectric Cooler <br />TPC - TipidPC <br />TWAIN - Technology Without An Important Name </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>U <br /></strong>UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter <br />USB - Universal Serial Bus <br />UTP - Unshieled Twisted Pair </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>V</strong> <br />VCD - Video CD <br />VPN - Virtual Private Network </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>W</strong> <br />WAN - Wide Area Network <br />WTB - Want to Buy <br />WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>X</strong> <br />XGA - Extended Graphics Array <br />XFX - XFX Graphics, a Division of Pine <br />XMS - Extended Memory Specification <br />XT - Extended Technology</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-5846686528695785262008-11-14T18:44:00.001+11:002009-06-06T09:53:39.243+10:00Restoring Windows XP to a Previous State<p><font face="Verdana">This post will describe how you can use the </font><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/systemrestore.mspx" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">system restore tool</font></a><font face="Verdana">, to restore your computer to a previous state. system restore takes a snapshot of critical system files, program files as well as the registry settings and stores this information as restore points for the operating system. Lets say you downloaded a piece of software from the Internet and you installed the software,  only to discover the software has </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">spy-ware</font></a><font face="Verdana"> or a </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_virus" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">virus</font></a><font face="Verdana">, now your computer is running slow and you have </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-up_ad" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">pop ups</font></a><font face="Verdana"> appearing constantly. You can use the system restore points to recover your computer to a state before you installed the offending software. System restore can also change </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripting_language" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">scripts</font></a><font face="Verdana">, </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batch_file" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">batch</font></a><font face="Verdana"> files and </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">executable</font></a><font face="Verdana"> (exe) files on your computer.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>Note: </strong>System restore will not delete any of your personal files, also system restore will not restore these files if they have been deleted. You must be logged on as an administrator to be able to use system restore. </font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">How to use System Restore</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Log onto Windows as  an Administrator. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click <strong>start/all programs/accessories/system tools</strong> then select <strong>system restore</strong>.</font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0sWvShXCI/AAAAAAAAEKY/zNP5flZf1rw/s1600-h/img00%5B17%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="img00" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0sXmzuRsI/AAAAAAAAEKc/Yo88VwJvoKc/img00_thumb%5B9%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="319" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">On the welcome to system restore page, select<strong> restore my computer to an earlier time</strong> and click next.</font></p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0sYexBWtI/AAAAAAAAEKg/AYOzw6Ib15Y/s1600-h/System%20Restore%201%5B9%5D.gif"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="System Restore 1" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0sZAPfaKI/AAAAAAAAEKk/_-OFtQJDDTk/System%20Restore%201_thumb%5B5%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="494" height="364" /></a></p> <p><font face="Verdana">On the select a restore point page, click the <strong>most recent system</strong> <strong>restore point</strong> from the, on this list, or select an earlier date from the, on this calendar, then click next.</font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0sZzqvOdI/AAAAAAAAEKo/nV_1d3yGc_o/s1600-h/sysres2%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="sysres2" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0sa0Y7uvI/AAAAAAAAEKs/DOrMexkqivo/sysres2_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="250" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">A <strong>system restore message</strong> may appear which lists any configuration changes that system restore will make, click OK. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">On the <strong>confirm restore point selection</strong> page, click next. System restore will then restore the previous windows configuration , and your computer will reboot. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Log onto the computer as administrator, the system restore, <strong>restoration complete</strong> page will be displayed.</font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0sbkozg5I/AAAAAAAAEKw/Wi1dQjeODi0/s1600-h/Restoration_Complete%5B3%5D.gif"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Restoration_Complete" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SR0scXq6bYI/AAAAAAAAEK0/uX0P2p684sQ/Restoration_Complete_thumb%5B1%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="516" height="382" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click OK. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">IF <strong>system restore could not restore your computer</strong> to an earlier time, you then should try using system restore in <strong>safe mode</strong>. Some <strong>viruses</strong> and<strong> Trojans</strong> will prevent system restore from restoring your computer, using safe mode will prevent these from starting with your computer.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">Undoing a System Restore</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If you want to undo a system restore, follow these steps.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Log onto windows as an administrator. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>Click start/all programs/accessories/system tools</strong>, then select <strong>system restore</strong>. On the <strong>welcome to system restore page</strong>, click<strong> undo my last restoration</strong>, then click next. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">A system restore message may appear with a list of configuration changes that system restore will make, click OK. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">On the <strong>confirm restoration undo</strong> page, click next. system restore will then restore your computer back to the original windows configuration and then reboot. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Log onto the computer as an administrator. the system restore <strong>undo complete</strong> page will appear. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Click OK.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-73922477701111173392008-11-11T19:38:00.002+11:002009-06-06T09:55:30.250+10:00How to Repair Windows<p></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If your computer can't boot into windows<strong> XP</strong> or 2000 or even into safe mode, if you only get a blue screen or your computer just hangs, then performing a system repair may fix the problem. This will allow you to repair your <strong><a href="http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/o/operating_system.html" target="_blank">operating system</a></strong> without you losing all your saved data or settings.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>Note: </strong>Performing a system repair will remove any updates you have previously installed which are not on your CD. All drivers will be reverted to their original versions and also some settings, like network and performance settings. It may also be necessary to reactivate windows as well.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">step 1: What caused the problem</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">You should first try to find out what caused the problem. Most of the time when windows becomes unable to boot, there is usually a good reason. Often this can be due to hardware failure (bad hard drive, memory or CPU). If this is the case, using system repair will not fix the problem. System repair will only repair your operating system <strong>software</strong>.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">Step 2: Starting the repair process</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">You must boot from XP/2000 CD. Make sure you have the same version of windows which is installed on your computer ( <strong><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/default.mspx" target="_blank">XP home edition</a> cannot repair </strong><strong><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/default.mspx" target="_blank">XP professional</a></strong>). Place the CD into your drive and then restart your computer.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Before the windows logo appears you will be prompted to press any key to boot from CD, press any key.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">Step 3: Repairing your system </font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">A blue screen will appear and start loading XP setup from from the CD.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">RAID/SCSI/Unsupported UDMA users:</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Verdana">You will be prompted to "press F6 to install any third party SCSI or RAID drivers". Most users will not need to press the F6 key unless you are using RAID, SCSI or any unsupported ATA controllers, then you will need your controller drivers on a floppy disk. If you are not sure if you have RAID/SCSI, just let the CD load without pressing F6.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Once completed, you will see the windows setup screen. You will then be asked to setup windows, or repair windows using the recovery console, at this point select the first option, do not choose the recovery console option.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRlI67YYwII/AAAAAAAAEBs/CLmoj1d0CiQ/s1600-h/2%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRlI77uTcrI/AAAAAAAAEBw/P1mP7css0j8/2_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="547" height="397" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">Select F8 to continue</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRlI8xsAttI/AAAAAAAAEB0/mdhiYRvJFEE/s1600-h/3%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="3" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRlI92LXoRI/AAAAAAAAEB4/c1O0TQIaRls/3_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="550" height="399" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">Next, windows setup will find existing windows installations. You will then be asked to repair an existing XP installation or install a fresh copy of windows.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">If no installations were found, you will not be given an option to repair. This will usually happen if the data or partition on your hard drive has become too corrupted.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRlI-o2hbyI/AAAAAAAAEB8/G-5La4GkrVk/s1600-h/4%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="4" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRlI_W3dF3I/AAAAAAAAECA/2jpQCZIzFnE/4_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="552" height="399" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">That's it, windows appears to be installing itself for the first time, but it will keep all of your data and settings. follow the prompts and when finished you should be able to boot into windows.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-77929487680680318702008-10-31T18:59:00.002+11:002009-06-06T09:57:28.077+10:00Protecting Yourself, Your Hardware, and Your Software<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRPf_E_x57I/AAAAAAAAD50/1-9zBSi9uHA/s1600-h/bxp259921%5B8%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px" border="0" alt="bxp259921" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6hLeCLII/AAAAAAAAD54/s6ZfpZH73bs/bxp259921_thumb%5B8%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="134" height="162" /></a> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><font face="Verdana">when you work on your computer it is possible to harm the computer and yourself. The most common accident which happens while attempting to fix a computer problem is erasing software and data. unless you know what you are doing, you can cause damage. To prevent these sorts of accidents, and also the physically dangerous ones, you only need to take a few safety precautions. The text below will describe the potential sources of damage to computers and how to protect your computer and yourself against them.</font></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">Power to the Computer</font></strong> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6jCdWS0I/AAAAAAAAD58/FiOhbTjavP4/s1600-h/Power%20copy%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Power copy" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6lF4PPxI/AAAAAAAAD6A/iT4sp0B0xX4/Power%20copy_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="142" height="191" /></a> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><font face="Verdana">To protect yourself and the computer components while working inside a computer, turn the power off, unplug the computer, and always ground yourself to discharge any static electricity built up in your body, either by wearing an anti static wrist band or by touching any unpainted part of the computer case.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Think of the monitor and the power supply unit (PSU) as "black boxes". Never remove the covers unless you know about the hazards of charged capacitors. The power supply unit and the monitor can hold dangerous levels of electricity even after they are turned off and disconnected from the power source.</font></p> <p><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discharge" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">Protecting Against ESD</font></a></strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6maZJNEI/AAAAAAAAD6E/zw1ePU5v0TM/s1600-h/imagesESD%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="imagesESD" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6n7P8iNI/AAAAAAAAD6I/RD6NkbdfGwY/imagesESD_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="108" height="107" /></a> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Protecting the computer against electrostatic discharge (ESD), more commonly known as static electricity, always ground yourself before touching any of the electronic components, including the hard drive, motherboard, expansion cards, processors and memory modules. there are a number of ways you can ground yourself and the computer components by using one of the methods below.</font></p> <p><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_bracelet" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">Ground bracelet</font></a><font face="Verdana"> or anti static wrist strap: </font></strong><font face="Verdana">A ground bracelet is a strap you wear around your wrist. the other end is attached to a grounded conductor such as the computer case or a ground mat or it can be plugged into a wall outlet (Note: only the ground prong makes a connection!). The bracelet also contains a current-limiting resistor which prevents electricity from harming you. </font></p> <p><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_mat" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">Ground Mats</font></a><font face="Verdana">:</font></strong><font face="Verdana"> Ground mats usually come equipped with a cord to plug into a wall outlet to provide a grounded surface to work on. Remember if you lift the component off the mat, it is no longer grounded and susceptible to ESD. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>Static Shielding Bags:</strong> All new components are supplied in static shielded bags. It is a good idea to save these bags to store spare computer components in to keep them protected from ESD.</font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6pXdCmRI/AAAAAAAAD6M/QnwZw2WDHJQ/s1600-h/imageswrist%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="imageswrist" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6qv7eaFI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/Rl0G7bDuQaw/imageswrist_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="121" height="105" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6rz0cUOI/AAAAAAAAD6U/KeFZA2bJ4pk/s1600-h/imagesESD%20mat%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="imagesESD mat" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6tYYm1SI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/7izORvdlRfc/imagesESD%20mat_thumb%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="123" height="107" /></a> </p> <p><font face="Verdana">The best solution for protecting against ESD is to use a ground bracelet together with a ground mat. You should consider a ground bracelet to be essential equipment while working on a computer. if you find yourself in a situation when your without one, touch the computer case before you touch any components. Leave components inside their protective bags until they are ready to be used. Work on hard floors, not carpet, because walking on and shuffling your feet on carpet generates static electricity. Generally, don't work on a computer if you or the computer have just come inside from the cold.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">When handling motherboards and expansion cards, don't touch the chips on the boards. don't stack the boards on top of each other, which could accidentally dislodge a chip. hold cards by the edges, but be careful not to touch the connections of the cards.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Don't touch the chips with a magnetized screwdriver. when using a </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimeter" target="_blank"><strong><font face="Verdana">multimeter</font></strong></a><font face="Verdana"> to measure electricity, be careful not to touch a chip with the probes. when changing DIP switches, don't use a graphite pencil, because graphite conducts electricity; a small screwdriver works the best. Do not store expansion cards within one foot of the monitor, because the monitor can discharge as much as 29,000 volts of ESD onto the screen.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6urWMrjI/AAAAAAAAD6c/xOACdF30JS0/s1600-h/imageschips%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="imageschips" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6v_TlKxI/AAAAAAAAD6g/7ahhXX6H31w/imageschips_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="103" height="145" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq6yDtPo6I/AAAAAAAAD6k/2PmmVasdwSE/s1600-h/motherboard-dimm%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="motherboard-dimm" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq60JVrQ3I/AAAAAAAAD6o/V1DUBuFcCEo/motherboard-dimm_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="256" height="178" /></a> </p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana">Protecting Hard Drives and Disks</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq62Eeqi0I/AAAAAAAAD6s/EdkNOdmas3k/s1600-h/hard-disk7%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" alt="hard-disk7" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQq63_xJUzI/AAAAAAAAD6w/SDmQYBIoKRs/hard-disk7_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="232" height="110" /></a> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Always turn the computer off before moving it, to protect the hard drive, which is always spinning while the computer is turned on (unless the drive has a sleep mode). Never jar a computer while the hard disk is running. Avoid placing a PC on the floor, where the user can accidentally kick it.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Follow the user precautions to protect disks. keep them away from magnetic fields, heat and extreme cold. Treat disks with care and they will last for years.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-56493802655524381192008-10-25T23:59:00.002+11:002009-06-06T09:58:38.517+10:00Google Search Secrets<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SRPhuy6JYUI/AAAAAAAAD60/bx1cU8VKzBE/s1600-h/images%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" border="0" alt="images" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SQMYJH-QF5I/AAAAAAAAD64/HJMxOAphGaI/images_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="142" height="52" /></a> </p> <p style="font-weight: bold"><font face="Verdana">Google is clearly the mot popular general-purpose search engine on the Internet today </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">But most people don't use it to its best advantage. Do you just type in a keyword or two and hope for the best? This may be the quickest and simplest way to search, but with more than 3 billion pages in Google's index, there's an easier way to get the results to a manageable number. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Google is a powerful tool which eases and enhances your Internet exploring. Google's search options go beyond simple keywords, the Web, and even its own programmers. Let's look at some of Google's lesser-known options. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>Syntax Search Tricks</strong> </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Using a special syntax is a way to tell Google that you want to restrict your searches to certain elements or characteristics of Web pages. Google has a fairly complete list of its syntax elements at </font></p> <p><a href="http://www.google.com/help/operators.html" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">www.google.com/help/operators.html</font></a><font face="Verdana"> </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Here are some advanced operators that can help narrow down your search results. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Intitle: placed at the beginning of a query word or phrase (intitle:"Google search") restricts your search results to just the titles of the Web pages. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Intext: does the opposite of intitle:, searching only the body text, ignoring titles, links, and so forth. Intext: is perfect when what you're searching for might commonly appear in URLs. If you're looking for the term HTML, for example, and you don't want to get results such as </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">www.mysite.com/index.html </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">you can enter intext:html. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Link: lets you see which pages are linking to your Web page or to another page you're interested in. For example, try typing in </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">link:</font><a href="http://www.pcmag.com/"><font face="Verdana">http://www.pcmag.com</font></a></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Try using site: (which restricts results to top-level domains) with intitle: to find certain types of pages. For example, get scholarly pages about your favourite author by searching for intitle:"favourite author"site:edu. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Experiment with mixing various elements; you'll develop several strategies for finding the stuff you want more effectively. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">The site: command is very helpful as an alternative to the mediocre search engines built into many sites. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Google has a number of services that can help you accomplish tasks you may never have thought to use Google for. For example, the new calculator feature </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">(</font><a href="http://www.google.com/help/features.html#calculator" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">www.google.com/help/features.html#calculator</font></a><font face="Verdana">) </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">lets you do both math and a variety of conversions from the search box. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Google can help you find out if you've got the right spelling—and the right word—for your search. Enter a misspelled word or phrase into the query box (try "gougle serch") and Google may suggest a proper spelling. This doesn't always work; it works best when the word you're searching for can be found in a dictionary. Once you search for a properly spelled word, look at the results page, which repeats your query. (If you're searching for "Google search," underneath the search window will appear a statement such as Searched the web for "Google search.") You'll discover that you can click on each word in your search phrase and get a definition from a dictionary. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Lets say you want to contact someone and don't have the phone number handy. Google can help you with that, too. Just enter a name, city, and state. (The city is optional, but you must enter a state.) If a phone number matches the listing, you'll see it at the top of the search results along with a map link to the address. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>Extended Googling</strong> </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Google offers several services that give you a head start in focusing your search. Google Groups </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">(</font><a href="http://groups.google.com/"><font face="Verdana">http://groups.google.com)</font></a></p> <p><font face="Verdana">indexes literally millions of messages from decades of discussion on Usenet. Google even helps you with your shopping via two tools: Froogle <br />(</font><a href="http://froogle.google.com/"><font face="Verdana">http://froogle.google.com)</font></a><font face="Verdana">, </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">which indexes products from online stores, and Google Catalogs <br />(</font><a href="http://catalogs.google.com/"><font face="Verdana">http://catalogs.google.com)</font></a><font face="Verdana">, </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">which features products from more 6,000 paper catalogs in a searchable index. And this only scratches the surface. You can get a complete list of Google's tools and services at </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">(</font><a href="http://www.google.com/options/index.html" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">www.google.com/options/index.html</font></a><font face="Verdana">) </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">You've probably already gotten used to using Google in your browser. But have you ever thought of using Google outside of your browser? </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana"><strong>Google Alert</strong> </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">(</font><a href="http://www.googlealert.com/" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">www.googlealert.com</font></a><font face="Verdana">) </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Google alert monitors your search terms and e-mails you information about new additions to Google's Web index. (Google Alert is not affiliated with Google; it uses Google's Web services API to perform its searches.) If you're more interested in news stories than general Web content, check out the beta version of Google News Alerts </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">(</font><a href="http://www.google.com/newsalerts" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">www.google.com/newsalerts</font></a><font face="Verdana">)</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">This service (which is affiliated with Google) will monitor up to 50 news queries per e-mail address and send you information about news stories that match your query. (Hint: Use the intitle: and source: syntax elements with Google News to limit the number of alerts you get.) </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Google on the telephone? This service is brought to you by Google Labs </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">(</font><a href="http://labs.google.com/" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">http://labs.google.com)</font></a><font face="Verdana">, </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">a place for experimental Google ideas and features (which may come and go, so what's there at this writing might not be there when you decide to check it out). With Google Voice Search you dial the Voice Search phone number, speak your keywords, and then click on the indicated link. Every time you say a new search term, the results page will refresh with your new query (you must have JavaScript enabled for this to work). Remember, this service is still in an experimental phase, so don't expect 100 percent success. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">In 2002, Google released the Google API (application programming interface), this is a way for programmers to access Google's search engine results without violating the Google Terms of Service. A lot of people have created useful applications not available from Google itself, such as Google Alert. For many applications, you'll need an API key, which is available free from <br /></font><a href="http://www.google.com/apis" target="_blank"><font face="Verdana">(www.google.com/apis</font></a><font face="Verdana">) </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana">Thanks to the many different search properties, Google goes far beyond a regular search engine. Give the tricks in this article a try and You'll be amazed at how many different ways Google can improve your Internet searching.</font></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-34717463167389777522008-10-22T19:35:00.000+11:002009-06-06T10:02:56.505+10:00How To Test Your Anti- Virus Scanner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP-wPeqhAPI/AAAAAAAADm4/miX16v2pFAw/s1600-h/574340581.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260116669767942386" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP-wPeqhAPI/AAAAAAAADm4/miX16v2pFAw/s400/574340581.jpg" /></a><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Description</span></span> <br /> <br />After installing Virus-Scan software, you may wonder, how do I know if it's working? The answer is a test virus. <strong><a href="http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm" target="_blank">The EICAR Standard Anti-Virus Test File</a></strong> is a combined effort by anti-virus vendors throughout the world to implement one standard by which customers can verify their anti-virus installations. <br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Solution</span></span> <br /> <br />To test your anti-virus installation, copy the following line without brackets and quotes " into its own file (notepad,text document), then save the file with the name EICAR.COM. More detailed instructions are found below. <br /> <br />("X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*") <br /> <br />The file size will be 68 or 70 bytes. <br /> <br />If the Virus Scan is running and configured correctly, when you try to save the file, Virus Scan will detect the virus. If the Virus Scan is not running, start it and scan the directory that contains EICAR.COM, or right click on the file and select scan with your anti-virus program, When your software scans this file, it will report finding the EICAR test file. <br /></font><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br /></span><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold">Note</span><span style="font-size: 130%"> </span><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold">that this file is</span><span style="font-size: 130%"> </span><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold">NOT A VIRUS.</span><span style="font-size: 130%"> </span>Delete the file when you have finished testing your installation to avoid alarming other users. <br /> <br />The eicar test virus is available for download from the following web site: <br />http://www.eicar.org/download/eicar.com <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">How to create an Eicar.com file</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">1.</span> Click on Start. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">2. </span>Select Run. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">3.</span> In the Open box type: notepad <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">4. </span>Maximize the window. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">5.</span> Highlight the following line of text without the quotes and brackets (" ") <br /> <br />("X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*") <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">6. </span>Right click on the highlighted text and choose 'copy'. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">7.</span> Switch back to Notepad. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">8.</span> Right click anywhere inside of Notepad and select 'paste'. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">9.</span> Click the File menu and select 'save as'. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">10.</span> Change the 'Save as Type' to 'all files'. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">11. </span>Name the file eicar.com.</font> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-63227190033378659202008-10-21T15:57:00.000+11:002008-11-12T23:12:55.656+11:00Installing a DVD/CD Optical Drive<div style="text-align: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2Wiz6QN6I/AAAAAAAADmo/5j2Cas1qPaE/s1600-h/warning+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259525464632866722" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: pointer; text-align: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2Wiz6QN6I/AAAAAAAADmo/5j2Cas1qPaE/s400/warning+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 130%">Functions and Controls</span> <br /></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center"> <div style="text-align: center"> <div style="text-align: left"> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 130%">Front Panel <br /></span></div> </div> <span style="font-size: 130%"> <br /></span> <div style="text-align: left"><span style="font-size: 130%"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP1kNNwC1wI/AAAAAAAADkg/n_2CqMujBYs/s1600-h/functions+and+controls.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259470118030857986" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: pointer; text-align: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP1kNNwC1wI/AAAAAAAADkg/n_2CqMujBYs/s320/functions+and+controls.jpg" border="0" /></a></span>1. Disc Tray <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left">2. Drive activity indicator (Read/Write) <br />3. Emergency Eject Hole <br />4. Stop/Eject Button <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left"><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br />Rear Panel</span> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP1mfycq7uI/AAAAAAAADko/bXfV9lyTph0/s1600-h/back+panel.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259472636142612194" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: pointer; text-align: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP1mfycq7uI/AAAAAAAADko/bXfV9lyTph0/s320/back+panel.jpg" border="0" /></a>1. Digital Audio Output Connector <br /><span style="font-weight: normal">This connector is not usually required or supported by the device.</span> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br />2. Analog Audio Output Connector</span> <br /><span style="font-weight: normal">Connect to a sound card. This connection is not normally required.</span> <br /> <br />3. Jumper Connector <br /><span style="font-weight: normal">This jumper determines whether the drive is configured as the master or slave drive. </span> <br /> <br />4. IDE Interface Connector <br /><span style="font-weight: normal">Connect to the IDE (Integrated Device Electronics) Interface using a 40-pin flat IDE cable</span>. <br /> <br />NOTE : Do not connect or disconnect the cable when the power is on, as this could cause a short circuit and damage the system. Always turn the power OFF when connecting or disconnecting this cable. <br /> <br />5. Power Connector <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br />Installing the Drive</span> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%">Before installing the drive, please note the following points.</span> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br />■ You will need the following:</span> <br /> <br />• A screw driver of a suitable size to fit the securing screws for the drive unit. <br /> <br />■ Turn off all peripheral appliances (printer, scanner, etc ) of the computer and the computer itself, and disconnect their power cords from the wall sockets. <br /> <br />■ Discharge any static electricity in your body by touching any unpainted part of the computer covers, etc. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%">Removing the Computer Cover</span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: normal">Make sure all peripheral devices (printer, scanner, etc ) of the computer and the computer itself are turned off, and then remove the cover. Refer to your computer manual for details about removing the cover.</span> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br />NOTE :</span> There may be sharp edges inside the computer so take care to avoid injury. <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br />Mounting the Drive <br /></span> <br />1. Remove the 51/4″ drive bay panel from the computer. Refer to the manual for the computer for details. <br /> <br />2. Insert the drive unit into the bay, you may have to remove the ram chips if there is not enough room. Do not apply excessive pressure to the cables inside the computer. <br /> <br />3. Secure the drive with the screws. If there is not enough space behind the drive, connect the IDE and other cables before securing the drive. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP10G5poWnI/AAAAAAAADkw/udqu_UtAv6c/s1600-h/jumper+setup.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259487601742076530" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP10G5poWnI/AAAAAAAADkw/udqu_UtAv6c/s320/jumper+setup.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br />NOTE : This is a general installation guide. If your PC hardware appears different, please consult your</span> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">hardware manual for installing peripheral devices.</span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic">Jumper Setup</span></span> <br /> <br />Before installation, set the jumper on the jumper connector on the rear panel. <br />The drive can be connected as the Master or Slave on an EIDE (ATAPI) interface. When several (up to four) EIDE devices are connected, each must be set in a unique way. Specific knowledge of hardware and software is necessary to install the drive. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2Aui716GI/AAAAAAAADlQ/lIkkEa4KeNQ/s1600-h/cable+select.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259501476978747490" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2Aui716GI/AAAAAAAADlQ/lIkkEa4KeNQ/s320/cable+select.jpg" border="0" /></a>NOTE : If two peripheral devices with the same settings are both connected to the Primary or to the Secondary EIDE bus, the computer may fail to run or may malfunction. Careful attention is necessary. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br /> <br />NOTE :</span> Only one jumper should be installed on the jumper connector. <br />If more than one jumper is installed, the drive may malfunction or be damaged. <br />Master/Slave setting is determined by jumper installation on the Jumper Connector.<span style="font-size: 130%"> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">The following table shows the possible jumper settings.</span></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP15dZwywZI/AAAAAAAADlA/pbnl49XyD-o/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259493485877313938" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 503px; cursor: pointer; height: 148px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP15dZwywZI/AAAAAAAADlA/pbnl49XyD-o/s320/1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br /></div> <br /> <br />If you use CSEL (cable select) setting, the MASTER/SLAVE setting will be made automatically, depending on the hardware configuration. For more details refer to the manual for your computer. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">PC Connection</span></span> <br /> <br />The drive connects to the motherboard of the computer using an IDE interface cable.You can connect the Drive as a Slave or Master device, depending on your motherboard. <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br />To Install as a Master Drive</span></span> <br /> <br />To install the drive as a Master, the jumper can be left as supplied from the factory, which is their default setting. <br /> <div style="text-align: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2CtvsLF6I/AAAAAAAADlY/bnvdANqizSA/s1600-h/master.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259503662246074274" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2CtvsLF6I/AAAAAAAADlY/bnvdANqizSA/s320/master.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br /></div> <br /> <br />NOTE : A hard disk is normally installed as the Primary Master on the EIDE (ATAPI) interface. Other EIDE peripheral devices such as second hard drives and DVD/CD-RW Drives are then set differently. <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br />To Install as a Slave Drive</span> <br /> <br />To install the drive as a Slave drive, change the jumper setting on the rear panel to SL. <br /> <div style="text-align: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2EomH1WYI/AAAAAAAADlg/Fp4hbgrHtrs/s1600-h/slave.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259505772801644930" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2EomH1WYI/AAAAAAAADlg/Fp4hbgrHtrs/s320/slave.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br /></div> <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Connecting the Power Connector</span></span> <br /> <br />Connect the power cable from the computer’s power supply to the socket on the drive unit, fitting the connector firmly into the power in connector. If there is no spare power cable available in the computer, you will have to purchase a splitter cable of the same type.</div> </div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2F7rc3ozI/AAAAAAAADlo/midENnrMznM/s1600-h/bevel+edge+up.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259507200161194802" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2F7rc3ozI/AAAAAAAADlo/midENnrMznM/s320/bevel+edge+up.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold">NOTE : </span>Not connecting the power cables correctly can damage the drive. Normally, the <br />power connector can only fit one way. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Connecting the Interface Connector</span></span> <br /> <br />Connect the 40-pin IDE cable to the back of the Drive, making sure the coloured (red) stripe on <br />the IDE cable is connected to pin 1 on the drive. Pin 1 is closest to the Power Connector. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2H_RuKaRI/AAAAAAAADlw/mXBuu39dz_g/s1600-h/ide+connecter.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259509460997138706" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2H_RuKaRI/AAAAAAAADlw/mXBuu39dz_g/s320/ide+connecter.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br />NOTE : </span>normally, the IDE connector is keyed <br />and will only fit one way. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br />Connecting the Sound Card</span></span> <br /> <br />If the computer is using a sound card, the drive is connected to the sound card with an audio <br />cable. The supplied analog audio cable fits most sound cards or one can be purchased at a local <br />computer store. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2JmdnsloI/AAAAAAAADmA/0f7P5AvIWFE/s1600-h/sound+card.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259511233717769858" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2JmdnsloI/AAAAAAAADmA/0f7P5AvIWFE/s320/sound+card.jpg" border="0" /></a>Refer to the manual for the sound card <br />for detailed information regarding this <br />connection. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Replacing the Computer Cover</span></span> <br /> <br />When the installation of the drive unit is <br />complete, replace the computer cover. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Device Drivers</span></span> <br /> <br />When using Windows 2000 Pro/XP or Window NT Workstation Ver. 4.0, no special device driver is required. Your system will find and install the drivers, upon Power On and bootup after installing and connecting the new drive, will recognize and load software drivers automatically. <br />The DOS and Windows 3.1 users can download the DOS Device drivers via the Internet. <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br />For Windows 2000 Pro/XP Users</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">.■ In order to ensure normal drive operation, please check the following:</span> <br /> <br />• The drive is displayed in <br /> <br />Windows 2000 Pro/XP : [Control Panel]-[System]-[Hardware]-[Device Manager]- <br />[DVD/CD-ROM-Drive] <br /> <br />• 32-bit is displayed in [Control Panel]-[System]-[Performance] <br /> <br />■ If the drive is not recognized by your computer, please check the following items. <br /> <br />• If an indicator is displayed on the IDE controller in [Control Panel]-[System]-[Device <br />Manager]-[Hard Disk Controller], you will need to contact your PC’s manufacturer or the <br />motherboard’s manufacturer and get the appropriate IDE controller driver. <br /> <br />■ Run Add New Hardware in Control Panel to let PC search again for new device. <br />For Windows NT Workstation Ver.4.0 Users <br /> <br />■ In order to ensure normal drive operation, please check to see if the drive is displayed on <br />the IDE controller in [Control Panel]-[SCSI Adapter]-[Device] <br /> <br />■ If the drive is not recognized by your computer, an indicator is displayed on the IDE <br />controller in [Control Panel]-[SCSI Adapter]-[Devices], you will need to contact your PC’s <br />manufacturer or the motherboard’s manufacturer and get the appropriate IDE controller driver. <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold"> <br />How to Use D</span><span style="font-weight: bold">isks</span></span> <br /> <br />When using CD-ROM discs or DVD discs, don’t put any stickers or labels to the discs. Using <br />discs with them attached will cause read and write errors and also damage the disc. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2NVQCtlYI/AAAAAAAADmI/6MMlbfe6oDY/s1600-h/disks.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259515336061719938" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2NVQCtlYI/AAAAAAAADmI/6MMlbfe6oDY/s320/disks.jpg" border="0" /></a>The Discs in DVD/CD drives rotate at a very high <br />speed! DO NOT use damaged, cracked or <br />warped discs. The drive’s optical unit may be <br />damaged if they break. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Emergency Eject</span></span> <br /> <br />Most DVD/CD drives have a feature that allows the CD to be ejected manually if necessary such as failure of the drive or a power outage. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">NOTE</span>: Don’t use this feature except in an emergency. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">1) </span>Turn the power to OFF. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">2) </span>Poke a fine-tipped object (such as a straightened heavy duty paper clip) into the small hole <br />above the eject button. The front door will pop open and the disk tray will come partway out. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">3)</span> Pull the front door to open it all the way, then grip the disc tray between thumb and forefinger and pull it straight out. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2O5xGbhoI/AAAAAAAADmQ/wHproCVefc0/s1600-h/emergency+eject.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259517062922602114" style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LuWNwQ8bVQ8/SP2O5xGbhoI/AAAAAAAADmQ/wHproCVefc0/s320/emergency+eject.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold">NOTE: </span>This feature is a last measure to <br />be used only in an emergency. <br />Using it excessively will cause the drive to malfunction. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Troubleshooting</span> </span><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">a DVD/CD Drive</span></span> <br /> <br />• The drive doesn’t have power. <br />• Is the power supply cable from the host computer plugged in? <br />• Is the Power Connector to the drive securely attached? <br />• The system doesn’t start. <br />• Are the Primary and Secondary connections and the Master and Slave settings correct? <br />• Is the total length of the IDE cable 18 inches or less? <br />• Is each connector completely attached? <br />Movement of the PC may loosen connections. <br />• Cannot Read or Write Discs. <br />• Is the condition of everything else in the system (CPU, hard disc, and others) <br />as it should be? <br />• Does the CD, DVD disc have dirt or scratches? <br />• Did a screen saver or other application operate while writing to the disc? <br />• Is there enough free space on the CD, DVD disc? <br />• Does writing fail even using the simulation test? <br />• Is the disc loaded in the drive with the read/write surface facing the right direction? <br />(label up) <br />• Is the drive installed in the correct orientation? <br />• Was the drive or disc moved from a low temperature environment to a high temperature <br />environment? (There is a possibility of condensation on the lens in the drive or on the <br />surface of the disc.) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-2048390526060854442008-10-19T16:48:00.000+11:002008-11-12T23:28:51.878+11:0010 Reasons Why Computers Crash<span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">10 reasons why PCs crash, you must Know</span></span> <br /> <br /><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_error" target="_blank">Fatal error:</a></strong> the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications." <br /> <br />You have just been hit by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Microsoft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it from happening? <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">1 Hardware conflict</span></span> <br /> <br />The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrupt_request" target="_blank">IRQ</a>). These are meant to be unique for each device. <br /> <br />For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to use a single IRQ for itself. <br /> <br />If you have a lot of devices connected to your computer, or if they are not installed properly, two of them can end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. To check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the device manager: <br /> <br />* Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager. <br /> <br />If a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer, if no numbers appear select the "view" tab then "resources by type" and then interrupt request (IRQ). If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it. <br /> <br />Often a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The easiest way to fix this problem is to uninstall the problem device and then reinstall it. <br /> <br />If the device is a sound card, or a modem, it can usually be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty). <br /> <br />When working inside a computer make sure its switched off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity in your body. <br /> <br />To be fair to Microsoft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not their fault. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. <br /> <br />Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">2 Bad Ram</span></span> <br /> <br />Ram (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAM" target="_blank">random-access memory</a>) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing. <br /> <br />But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked. <br /> <br />One way around this problem is to enter the <a href="http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-020304.htm" target="_blank">BIOS settings</a> and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. <br /> <br />When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged. <br /> <br />Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be the cause of trouble. <br /> <br />EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programs. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">3 BIOS settings</span></span> <br /> <br />Every <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherboard" target="_blank">motherboard</a> is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up. <br /> <br />Once inside the BIOS, care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to. <br /> <br />A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SD Ram has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display. <br /> <br />Microsoft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.). <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">4 Hard disk drives</span></span> <br /> <br />After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to <br /> <br />* Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter <br /> <br />This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler. <br /> <br />The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows desktop on the task bar. <br /> <br />Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space. <br /> <br />Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to <br /> <br />* Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Scan Disk <br /> <br />Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors</span></span> <br /> <br />Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems. <br /> <br />These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to <br /> <br />* Start/Settings/Control Panel/Display/Settings <br /> <br />Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate. <br /> <br />If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to <br /> <br />* Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager <br /> <br />Select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Highlight it and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts. <br /> <br />If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse. <br /> <br />The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message. <br /> <br />Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to <br /> <br />* Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Performance/Graphics <br /> <br />Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. The most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device). <br /> <br />Look up your video card's manufacturer on the Internet and search for the most recent drivers for it. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">6 Viruses</span></span> <br /> <br />Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why its a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to <br /> <br />* Start/Settings/Control Panel/Add/Remove Programs <br /> <br />Look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance. <br /> <br />A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the web site of your anti-virus software manufacturer. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">7 Printers</span></span> <br /> <br />The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file. <br /> <br />Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance. <br /> <br />If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you should be able to carry on. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">8 Software</span></span> <br /> <br />A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. <br /> <br />The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. There are plenty of free registry cleaners available <a href="http://www.sofotex.com/RegScrubXP-download_L7528.html">Regscrub XP</a> and <a href="http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm">easycleaner </a>are two good one's. <br /> <br />Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode. <br /> <br />Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly. <br /> <br />Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work. <br /> <br />Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation. <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">9 Overheating</span></span> <br /> <br />Central processing units (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit" target="_blank">CPUs</a>) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been over clocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to. <br /> <br />One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. <br /> <br />CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit" target="_blank">CPU</a> internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable. <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">10 Power supply problems</span></span> <br /> <br />A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_spike" target="_blank">power surge or spike</a> can crash a computer and damage the CPU and motherboard as easily as a power cut. <br /> <br />If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply" target="_blank">uninterrupted power supply</a> (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut. <br /> <br />It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-14184463614922262902008-09-27T23:42:00.001+10:002008-11-13T00:27:00.159+11:00Windows UpdatesEvery operating system (Windows) needs to be kept up to date. With no updates, your computer is vulnerable to new threats. <br />Weaknesses discovered in windows after its release make these threats possible. <br />Fortunately windows is easy to keep up to date by performing windows update automatically, when prompted or manually. <br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Windows ME, 2000 and <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">XP</span>:</span></span> <br />Setting windows update, to automatically download and install updates is recommended for most users. <br />Right click "My Computer" <br />Click "Properties" <br />Click "Automatic Updates" <br />Select "Automatic (Recommended)" <br />Under this setting is the day and time to download the updates, every day is recommended and set the time for when you normally have your computer switched on. <br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To manually update your computer:</span></span> <br />Click "Start/All Programs/<a href="http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us" target="_blank">Windows Update</a>" <br />Then follow the prompts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-85646691541319769532008-09-23T23:11:00.000+10:002008-10-24T00:03:32.288+11:00100 Keyboard Shortcuts For Windows<p><span style="font-weight: bold"> <span style="font-weight: bold"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQB2HYbLmXI/AAAAAAAADnE/HqR9ocS5e7I/s1600-h/images002%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="120" alt="images002" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/henis001/SQB2IYDt_fI/AAAAAAAADnI/AWNKYsLTeyA/images002_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="120" border="0" /></a></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+C</span> (Copy) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+X </span>(Cut) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+V (</span>Paste) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+Z</span> (Undo) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">DELETE</span> (Delete)</p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold">SHIFT+DELETE</span> (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL </span>while dragging an item (Copy the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+SHIFT </span>while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F2 key </span>(Rename the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+RIGHT ARROW</span> (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+LEFT ARROW</span> (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+DOWN ARROW</span> (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+UP ARROW</span> (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+SHIFT</span> with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SHIFT with any of the arrow keys</span> (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+A </span>(Select all) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F3 key </span>(Search for a file or a folder) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+ENTER </span>(View the properties for the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+F4</span> (Close the active item, or quit the active program) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+ENTER</span> (Display the properties of the selected object) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+SPACEBAR</span> (Open the shortcut menu for the active window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+F4 </span>(Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+TAB </span>(Switch between the open items) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+ESC </span>(Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F6 key </span>(Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F4 key</span> (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SHIFT+F10</span> (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+SPACEBAR </span>(Display the System menu for the active window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+ESC</span> (Display the Start menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+</span>Underlined letter in a menu name<span style="font-weight: bold"> </span>(Display the corresponding menu) <br />Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F10 key</span> (Activate the menu bar in the active program) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">RIGHT ARROW </span>(Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">LEFT ARROW</span> (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F5 key </span>(Update the active window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">BACKSPACE</span> (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ESC</span> (Cancel the current task) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SHIFT </span>when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Dialogue Box Keyboard Shortcuts</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+TAB</span> (Move forward through the tabs) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+SHIFT+TAB</span> (Move backward through the tabs) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">TAB</span> (Move forward through the options) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SHIFT+TAB</span> (Move backward through the options) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+</span>Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ENTER </span>(Perform the command for the active option or button) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SPACEBAR</span> (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Arrow keys</span> (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F1 key</span> (Display Help) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F4 key</span> (Display the items in the active list) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">BACKSPACE</span> (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialogue box) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo</span> (Display or hide the Start menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+BREAK</span> (Display the System Properties dialogue box) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+D </span>(Display the desktop) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+M</span> (Minimize all of the windows) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+SHIFT+M </span>(Restore the minimized windows) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+E</span> (Open My Computer) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+F </span>(Search for a file or a folder) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+Windows Logo+F </span>(Search for computers) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+F1 </span>(Display Windows Help) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+ L </span>(Lock the keyboard) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+R</span> (Open the Run dialogue box) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo+U</span> (Open Utility Manager) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Right SHIFT</span> for eight seconds (Switch Filter Keys either on or off) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN</span> (Switch High Contrast either on or off) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK</span> (Switch the Mouse Keys either on or off) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SHIFT </span>five times (Switch the Sticky Keys either on or off) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">NUM LOCK</span> for five seconds (Switch the Toggle Keys either on or off) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Logo +U </span>(Open Utility Manager) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">END</span> (Display the bottom of the active window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">HOME</span> (Display the top of the active window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign</span> (*) (Display all of the sub folders that are under the selected folder) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">NUM LOCK+Plus sign</span> (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">NUM LOCK+Minus sign</span> (-) (Collapse the selected folder) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">LEFT ARROW </span>(Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">RIGHT ARROW </span>(Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first sub folder) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Shortcut Keys for Character Map</span></span> <br /> <br />After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts: <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">RIGHT ARROW</span> (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">LEFT ARROW</span> (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">UP ARROW (</span>Move up one row) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">DOWN ARROW (</span>Move down one row) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">PAGE UP</span> (Move up one screen at a time) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">PAGE DOWN (</span>Move down one screen at a time) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">HOME (</span>Move to the beginning of the line) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">END </span>(Move to the end of the line) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+HOME (</span>Move to the first character) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+END </span>(Move to the last character) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SPACEBAR</span> (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected) <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+O</span> (Open a saved console) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+N</span> (Open a new console) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+S </span>(Save the open console) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+M </span>(Add or remove a console item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+W</span> (Open a new window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F5 key</span> (Update the content of all console windows) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+SPACEBAR </span>(Display the MMC window menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+F4</span> (Close the console) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+A </span>(Display the Action menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+V</span> (Display the View menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+F</span> (Display the File menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+O </span>(Display the Favourites menu) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+P</span> (Print the current page or active pane) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+Minus sign</span> (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">SHIFT+F10</span> (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F1 key</span> (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F5 key</span> (Update the content of all console windows) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+F10</span> (Maximize the active console window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+F5</span> (Restore the active console window) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+ENTER</span> (Display the Properties dialogue box, if any, for the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">F2 key </span>(Rename the selected item) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+F4</span> (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Remote Desktop Connection Navigation</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+ALT+END </span>(Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialogue box) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+PAGE UP</span> (Switch between programs from left to right) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+PAGE DOWN </span>(Switch between programs from right to left) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+INSERT</span> (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+HOME</span> (Display the Start menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+ALT+BREAK</span> (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+DELETE</span> (Display the Windows menu) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+ALT+Minus sign</span> (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing <br />PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.) <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+ALT+Plus sign</span> (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">ALT+PRINT SCREEN</span> on a local computer.) <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: 130%"><span style="font-weight: bold">Microsoft Internet Explorer Navigation</span></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+B</span> (Open the Organize Favourite dialogue box) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+E</span> (Open the Search bar) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+F</span> (Start the Find utility) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+H </span>(Open the History bar) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+I</span> (Open the Favourites bar) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+L</span> (Open the Open dialogue box) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+N</span> (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+O </span>(Open the Open dialogue box, the same as CTRL+L) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+P</span> (Open the Print dialogue box) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+R</span> (Update the current Web page) <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">CTRL+W</span> (Close the current window)</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087003497936333481.post-21613896935060385122008-07-30T10:50:00.000+10:002008-11-13T00:00:42.987+11:00computer maintenance<p><span style="font-weight: bold">  A computer needs some basic maintenance to improve its life span and performance. Following this simple guide you will save money on computer repair and computer support</span> <span style="font-weight: bold">as well as have a secured computer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold">Tip: Click On Images For Larger View</span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">1. Disk cleanup:</span> to access <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312" target="_blank">Disk Cleanup</a> click Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools, click on Disk Cleanup, check all of the boxes except compress files by clicking one at a time, then click on OK or yes. Disk Cleanup should be done at least once a week.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQoxNOZ8I/AAAAAAAADnM/YPjsnzoM47o/s1600-h/disk%20cleanup-1%20copy%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="213" alt="disk cleanup-1 copy" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQpiGYcgI/AAAAAAAADnQ/WKPNAKaUZ7s/disk%20cleanup-1%20copy_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQqF2pqRI/AAAAAAAADnU/0F2_pyAdE6Q/s1600-h/diskcleanupxp3%5B2%5D.gif"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="244" alt="diskcleanupxp3" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQq55trJI/AAAAAAAADnY/RAnVtf1Y4nY/diskcleanupxp3_thumb.gif?imgmax=800" width="206" border="0" /></a></a></span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">2. Disk Defragmenter:</span> Over time files become defragmented on your hard drive, this happens when you open a file then make changes to it, then when you save it, its to big to put back where windows retrieved it from, so windows saves one part there and another part somewhere else on the hard drive, so now the file has become fragmented and the more fragmented a file is the longer it takes windows to open it. To access <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848" target="_blank">Disk Defragmenter</a> click start/All Programs/System Tools, click on Disk Defragmenter , if you want to analyse the disk before defragmenting it select the (Analyse) button. A colour chart will show the amount of fragmentation. The more red you see in the chart the worse the defragmentation is. Disk Defragmenter can take several hours to complete so its best done when your away from your computer for a while, you should disable your screen saver and close all other applications before starting a Defragmentation of the hard disk, when your ready just click on the Defragment button to start the process. You can defragment other drives as well, just select which drive you want to defragment on the defragmenter.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQrecuqBI/AAAAAAAADnc/8cr77e46st4/s1600-h/defrag%5B3%5D.gif"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="198" alt="defrag" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQrxS7xKI/AAAAAAAADng/kfqMLI4Tx7Q/defrag_thumb%5B1%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="331" border="0" /></a> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">3. Computer virus protection:</span> With new viruses being introduced almost daily its very important to keep you anti virus program up to date with the latest virus definitions. Viruses aren't the only security problem, these days we have to worry about spy ware, ad ware, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware" target="_blank">malware</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystroke_logging" target="_blank">key loggers</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit" target="_blank">root kits</a>. There are plenty of free anti spy ware and ad ware programs available to download. <a href="http://www.spybot.com/en/download/index.html" target="_blank">Spybot -search and destroy</a> is a good free security software utility and should be run at least once a week. <a href="http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php" target="_blank">Ad aware form Lavasoft</a> is a good free ad ware program which should be run at least once a week. A good free virus software is <a href="http://free.avg.com/download-avg-anti-virus-free-edition" target="_blank">AVG free anti virus protection</a>. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">4. Run a full anti-virus scan:</span> you should run a full anti-virus scan of all your hard disks once a week as well as any other security program you might have. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">5. Keep Windows up to date:</span> Make sure automatic updates are turned on, these updates are are fixes for security vulnerabilities and patches from Microsoft.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQsVqij4I/AAAAAAAADnk/rr4NL09Ep_0/s1600-h/auto_update%5B3%5D.gif"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="233" alt="auto_update" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQtHTyqnI/AAAAAAAADno/nqgP8DgIF6Q/auto_update_thumb%5B1%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="228" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQttmQk5I/AAAAAAAADns/-GNs4vpAwFU/s1600-h/ProgramList%5B2%5D.gif"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="244" alt="ProgramList" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQuLF0GUI/AAAAAAAADnw/flgJwB0NEdo/ProgramList_thumb.gif?imgmax=800" width="168" border="0" /></a> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">6. Back up important files:</span> most of your important files will be in your my documents folder and should be backed up at least once a week. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">7. Install a firewall:</span> Lets face it, the Windows firewall isn't exactly up to scratch, so installing a third party firewall Will greatly increase your security and there are some good free one's available to download, i recommend <a href="http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/zonealarm_free_firewall_b.jsp" target="_blank">Zone Alarm</a> or <a href="http://www2.ashampoo.com/webcache/html/1/product_2_0050__.htm" target="_blank">Ashampoo's free firewall</a>. Only one firewall should be used. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">8. Clean up your start up items:</span> The more programs that start with your computer the slower it will boot up, everything you see in your system tray (down by the clock in the right hand corner) starts with your computer, to clean these up click Start/ Run, and then type msconfig in the open box then click OK. Click on the startup tab the uncheck any items that you don't need to start with windows, if your unsure what the item does, <span style="font-weight: bold">do not uncheck it.</span></p> <span style="font-weight: bold"></span> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQu0eBilI/AAAAAAAADn0/W3cYM7jf8S4/s1600-h/msconfig-devils-workshop%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="199" alt="msconfig-devils-workshop" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQvmEz6-I/AAAAAAAADn4/LWS3USVU2xo/msconfig-devils-workshop_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="318" border="0" /></a> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">9. Clean up programs that you no longer use or need:</span> Just deleting a short cut or icon doesn't uninstall the program, to uninstall a program click Start/Control Panel/Add Remove programs and go through the list and remove any computer video games and computer programs you no longer use, if your unsure what the program is for or what it is, <span style="font-weight: bold">do not remove it.</span></p> <span style="font-weight: bold"></span> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQwAOdL2I/AAAAAAAADn8/SNJzfznlSuE/s1600-h/02-AddRemovePrograms%5B4%5D.png"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="171" alt="02-AddRemovePrograms" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQxLAYuvI/AAAAAAAADoA/mrGHppWXIq0/02-AddRemovePrograms_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="217" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQx_FQvfI/AAAAAAAADoE/JnU8EaR1lcE/s1600-h/click-add-remove-windows-co%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="174" alt="click-add-remove-windows-co" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQy4JhCbI/AAAAAAAADoI/akmxrECdcO0/click-add-remove-windows-co_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="269" border="0" /></a> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">10. </span><span style="font-weight: bold">To check your drive space:</span> To see how much space is left on your hard computer system, open my computer and right click on C: then select properties, a pie chart will show you how much space is left on your hard drive. You can do the same with any other drives or partitions you may have.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQzv1e5LI/AAAAAAAADoM/EVhP3Samu40/s1600-h/RTEmagicC_02099ef02e.gif%5B3%5D.gif"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="225" alt="RTEmagicC_02099ef02e.gif" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQ0dBQBGI/AAAAAAAADoQ/Y2nnmyKJoJM/RTEmagicC_02099ef02e.gif_thumb%5B1%5D.gif?imgmax=800" width="203" border="0" /></a> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">11.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold">If your computer is freezing or hanging up: </span>press Control+Alt+Delete to bring up the task manager, select the offending program and select end task, if all else fails, press the power button (you usually need to hold it in for about 5 seconds) to shut down your computer, wait about 10 seconds then restart your computer.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQ1Dslb1I/AAAAAAAADoU/SKfjChyw0VA/s1600-h/task_manager%5B2%5D.gif"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="244" alt="task_manager" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/henis001/SQCQ19h9UuI/AAAAAAAADoY/lfN9zkoGalY/task_manager_thumb.gif?imgmax=800" width="221" border="0" /></a> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">12.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold">Tip: </span>If you keep getting the same error message, try to copy and paste it into a search bar like Google, this should give an explanation of the error code as well as links to try to resolve the matter.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0