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Windows XP &
Internet -
Tips & Techniques
Introducing Windows XP
Windows XP, the latest member of the Windows NT family, is actually an
upgrade to the Windows 9x, Windows 2000 and Windows NT. Windows XP is offered in
3 editions:
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Windows XP Home Edition, which is intended for home and
small business users.
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Windows XP Professional Edition, which is intended for
business and advanced home users.
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Windows XP 64-bit Edition, which supports the new Intel
Itanium 64-bit processor.
New and Improved Features in Windows XP
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Files and Settings transfer Wizard - Provides a
way to transfer designated files and system settings from one installation
of Windows to a new installation of Windows XP.
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Better multiuser capabilities - Fast user
switching now allows multiple users to remain logged onto Windows at the
same time and even keep individual applications running.
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New media capabilities - Includes a host of
features and tools for handling media files.
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CD burning - Comes with built-in CD-burning
capabilities that support most modern CD-R and CD-RW drives.
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Compressed folders - Includes built-in support
for compressed folder in both the ZIP and Microsoft Cabinet (CAB) format.
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System Restore - Creates restore points whenever
you make changes to your system.
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Remote Desktop - Lets you connect to and control
a computer running Windows XP from a remote computer running any version of
Windows.
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Preparing to Install Windows XP
Here are the basic steps you will take when installing Windows XP:
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Decide which edition you need.
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Decide whether you need the full or upgrade version of the edition you
have chosen.
o Upgrade - For an upgrade from previous version of Windows
o
New installation - On a different hard disk or partition than your
existing Windows. To do this, you will able to choose which Windows to boot
into when you start your computer - Called dual-booting.
o Clean
installation - For computer that has a blank, formatted hard disk.
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Make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements and
software you use is compatible.
|
Hardware |
Minimum |
Recommended |
|
Processor |
Intel Pentium III 233MHz or higher; AMD K6/Athlon/Duron
family |
Intel Pentium III 300MHz or higher; AMD K6/Athlon/Duron
family |
|
Memory |
128MB |
256MB |
|
Disk Space |
1.5GB |
2.0GB |
|
Video |
Super VGA, 800x600 or higher resolution |
Super VGA, 800x600 or higher resolution |
|
Other |
CD-ROM, DVD, or other access to Windows installation
files |
Modem or networking card for network/Internet access... |
Note: To find out if your computer will be
able to run Windows XP if you decide to install the Upgrade. Advisor using the
following steps:
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Insert the Windows XP Professional CD. If your computer does not run the
CD automatically, use Windows Explorer to navigate to the CD and run the
setup.exe program.
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On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP window that appears, click the
Check System Compatibility link.
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Click the Check My System Automatically link
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If an Internet connection is available, the Windows Upgrade Advisor runs a
utility named Dynamic Update to find and retrieve any new installation files
Microsoft has made available.
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If any compatibility issues are listed, click the Full Details button to
see a full report of incompatibility and recommended solutions.
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If you want to save the report as a text file, click
Save As... option.
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Click the Finish button to close the Windows Upgrade Advisor.
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Using Files and Settings Transfer Wizard
You will use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard twice: The first time to
save file and settings from the old operating system, and then to apply saved
changes to the new installation of Windows XP.
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Insert the Windows XP CD.
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Click the Perform Additional Task link.
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Click the Transfer Files and Settings link. This action starts the Files
and Settings Transfer Wizard.
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Click Next to process
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If your old computer is running Windows XP, the wizard will ask you
identify which computer is currently operating. Select the Old Computer
option and click Next. If your old computer is not running Windows XP, the
wizard assumes it is the old computer and skip this step.
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Next, the wizard displays the Select a Transfer Method page. Click the
option
that best suit your needs and click Next.
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Performing an Upgrade
a. You need to take a number of actions to prepare your computer before you're
performing an upgrade to Windows XP.
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Run a full scan (check for virus) of your computer.
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Back up your computer - Perform full backup to CD-R or save files to
floppy disks or use the transfer wizard option to transfer your current info
to another computer.
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Turn off any virus programs.
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Make sure your system is ready for the upgrade. (see the note above)
b. Here's how you perform an upgrade:
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Insert Windows XP CD, if a splash screen doesn't appear automatically, use
Windows Explorer to find and run the setup.exe program on the CD.
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Click the Install Windows XP link.
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On the Installation Type drop-down list, select Upgrade (Recommended) and
click Next.
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Select Accept this agreement option and click
Next.
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Enter product key and click Next when you're done.
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Setup displays the upgrade report screen, you can use
Save As button to
save to text file or Detail button to see a detail report. Click Next when
you're done.
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Setup offers to download any setup files that have been updated by
Microsoft if you are connected to the Internet.
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Click Next to go on.
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Performing a New Installation
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Insert the Windows XP CD, if a splash screen doesn't appear automatically, use
Windows Explorer to find and run the setup.exe program on the CD.
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Click the Install Windows XP link.
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On the Installation Type drop-down list, select New Installation
(Advanced) and
click Next.
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Select Accept this agreement option and click Next.
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Enter product key and click Next when you're done.
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Windows setup displays a Setup Options page. Click
Advanced Options... and
click Next.
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Setup offers to download any setup files that have been updated by
Microsoft if you are connected to the Internet.
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Click Next to go on.
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Performing a Clean Installation
A clean installation is one in which you boot your computer using the Windows
XP CD. If your partition is not already formatted, Setup gives you the change to
format it and also lets you create partition if none exit.
Note: If you don't have a CD-ROM or
computer that not supports booting from a CD, you can use a set of floppy boot
disks to boot your computer and start the installation. (see Performing a
set of floppy boot disks)
Here's how you perform a clean installation:
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Boot your computer using Windows XP CD or floppy boot disks. Windows setup
starts automatically.
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During its initial phase, Windows scan your system for any hard-disk
drives that match its list of supported software drivers. If you need to
install a third-party SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) or RAID
(Redundant Array of Independent Disks) drives for Windows to recognize your
drives, press F6 at this time. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer
of your drive on installing the drives.
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When setup has finished its initial scan, it displays a Welcome screen,
press Enter to continue.
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Next, setup displays the Windows licensing agreement. Read it and then
press F8 to go on.
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The partitioning screen is displayed next. You have 3 options on this
screen:
o Set up Windows in the partition that is currently select -
Proceeds with the Windows installation.
o Create a new partition in
unpartitioned space - Lets you specify the size of the new partition.
o
Delete a partition - Deletes the selected partition
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Setup presents several options for formatting the partition you have
selected. You can format a partition by selecting
Format the partition using the NTFS (NT File
System) file system (3rd row)
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Windows displays a process screen while it formats your partition. After
this, Windows copies files to your hard disk and restarts the computer.
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When the computer restarts, setup continues. Select and modify these
choices if you need to and click Next to go on.
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Enter product key and click Next.
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Enter a name for your computer and a password for the default
administrator account. Check the system date, time and enter your time zone.
Click Next to go on.
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Setup now displays the Network Settings dialog box with 2 options:
o Typical
Settings - Installs standard networking services (Client for Microsoft
Networks, The QoS(Quality of Service) Packet Scheduler, File and Print
Sharing for Microsoft Networks, TCP/IP...) - Prefer
this option
o Custom Settings - Lets you manually configure
your network.
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Now set up the computer to be a member of a workgroup or Windows domain.
If you are on a small peer-to-peer network with no dedicated Windows
servers, choose Workgroup. If your computer is a member of a large network,
it may be part of a Windows domain. (see Workgroups and Domains)
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Activating Windows XP
When the setup is finished, you must activate your copy of Windows within 30
days of installation or you will no longer be able to use it. You can activate
your copy of Windows XP in 2 ways:
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Over the Internet - This method is easy, fast and automatic (refer
to use this method)
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Over the Telephone - This method will take a little longer and too much of
a hassle.
Uninstalling Windows XP
You cannot uninstall Windows XP if you upgraded from Windows NT or Windows
2000 Professional. This option is available only if you upgrade from Windows 98,
98SE or ME.
To uninstall Windows XP after an upgrade, use the following steps:
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Click Start and open Control Panel.
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Click the Add or Remove Program link.
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Select the Windows XP Uninstall entry and then click the
Change/Remove
button that appears. This opens the Uninstall Windows XP dialog box.
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Select the Uninstall Windows XP option and click
Continue.
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A dialog box appears asking you to confirm that you want to uninstall
Windows XP. Click Yes. Windows runs the uninstallation program and restart
using the previous operating system.
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Updating Windows
You can go to the Microsoft web site www.microsoft.com
for downloading and installing updated Windows components. The types of
components are:
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Patches - Fixes the problems that Microsoft has discovered.
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Component Updates - Releases a new version of a Windows component.
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Driver Updates - Releases updated versions of hardware drives
designed for Windows XP.
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Application Updates - Updates for many applications that fix compatibility
issues with Windows XP.
Bypass Windows XP log-in
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Click Start and
open the Control Panel.
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Select Performance and
Maintenance in Category view.
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Select Adminnistrative
Tool | Local Security Policy
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In the left pane,
double-click Account Policies and click Password Policy.
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In the right pane,
double-click Maximum Password Age.
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Change the number to zero,
click OK and then close the Local Security settings window.
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Speed Up the Windows Boot
You installed some new
applications on your computer, and now Windows blithely lets them
automaticcal everytime Windows boots, slowing my speedy startup to a
crawl. To fix this problem:
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Select Start | Run
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Enter msconfig in
the 'Open' text box and click OK
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Select the Startup
tab, and uncheck one or more of the items listed (for clarity,
try disabling just one item at a time).
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Click OK and click
Restart.
When Windows restart, the
System Configuration Utility will pop up in an annoying test mode.
If no serious problems
have cropped up, check Don't show this message or launch the
System Configuration Utility and click OK.
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Terminate Temp Files
When Windows says there aren't any temp files on
your hard disk, don't believe it. Find and delete them yourself.
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In Widows Explorer,
right-click the C: drive (or other drive, as appropriate)
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Select the General
tab and click the Disk Cleanup button. Even though the
Disk Cleanup tool deletes useless files and there by fees up
disk space, it does not touch the Temp files folder under Local
Settings.
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Select all files, and
press Delete
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Uncover Hidden File Name Extensions and Expose Cloaked Files
Windows XP thinks you don't
need to see file name extensisons and hidden files. So, if you want
to see them:
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Open Windows Explorer
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Select Tools | Folder
Options | View, uncheck Hide extensions for known file
types
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Select Show hidden
files and folders and click OK
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Halt CPU Hoggers
There is a program or service
that has malfunctioned and continues to run, even though it may not
show a window or taskbar icon that you can use to close it. To find
and close these CPU hogs:
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First close all running
applications.
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Press
<Ctrl>-<Alt>-<Delete> to launch Task Manager
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Select the Processes
tab. Scroll down the list of processes until you come to one
that's gobbling up the resources. Select it and click End
Process.
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Protect Your PC during
Installs
Before beginning the
installation, physically isolate the PC from the Internet by
disconnecting the network cable or phone line.
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Next, perform the Windows
installation.
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Then log on to Windows, go
to Control Panel, launch Network Connections,
right-click the network connection through which you access
the Web, and choose Properties | Advanced.
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Check Protect my
computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this
computer from the Internet, and click OK
Now the PC will be safe enough
from incoming attacks to visit the Windows or other Update sites.
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Sources:
- PC World
- PC Magazine
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