Add favorites to Start Menu 04/13/02
Restrict accounts in XP? 04/13/02
One man has Windows XP Home, and wants to know how to restrict user accounts. Specifically, he wants to stop accounts from downloading files from the Internet.
We're not aware of any options built into Windows XP Home that will prevent a user from downloading. You can do it with third-party software, such as Cyber Patrol (http://www.cyberpatrol.com). Search your favorite download site for "policy editors."
You can also assign accounts as user accounts. It's the lowest level account, and has many restrictions. It may not restrict downloads, but it will stop software installations.
Lost your XP activation code? 04/13/02
One Paisley man has a copy of Windows XP, but he lost the activation code. How can he get this code back?
I am not aware of any way to see the activation code in the operating system itself. You might have to give Microsoft a call. You'll probably have to provide some evidence that you paid for your copy of XP.
Windows XP now hides items that used to appear in your System Tray. To make those items appear:
Tired of losing your Toolbar settings in Windows XP? You can lock the Toolbar so your settings never change. Right-click on the Toolbar, select Lock the Toolbar, and your settings won't change
Windows comes with an incredibly useful feature called the Send To command. This feature is found by right-clicking on any document. It allows you to bypass file associations and open up documents in any program. You can also send documents to the printer without having to open them first. Doing either of these requires that the program or printers be listed in the Send To menu.
Follow these steps to add a printer to the Send To menu.
One lady is buying a new PC and she's a little leary of getting XP on it because she's heard talk of Microsoft eventually charging an annual fee to use it. Various software companies have kicked this idea around for awhile, both as a way to combat piracy and make more money. Basically, every year, quarter or month you would have to pay a subscription fee or the software would "expire" and be unusable. Microsoft has only seriously considered this for business applications like its Office suites. But it doesn't make much sense to do it at the consumer level, as, most assuredly, consumers would be very unhappy with it. So it's not likely we'll see this happen with Windows operating systems.
What are error reports? 02/22/02
I sometimes experience crashes in Win XP. Whenever this happens, I get a dialogue box asking if I would like to send an Error Report out. Error Reporting is a way of sending information about a program crash to the developer, in this case Microsoft, so they can analyze the problem and hopefully improve the program. I concede that it is unlikely Microsoft is wading through all of the Error Reports it receives, but I still think it's a good idea to send them, because it's painless and there's a chance a programmer can use the data to make an improvement.
How do you DeFrag XP? 02/22/02
A defragger is not available in the Disk Properties or in the Start Menu like in earlier versions of Windows. When data is written to your hard drive, it is often put in a willy-nilly order, especially if you download, install and uninstall many programs. What a defragger does is rearrange your data into a logical order, speeding up your computer since, once the hard drive is defragged, your computer will be able to access related chunks of data faster. In XP, you can get to a defragger by:
Just click Analyze and you're on your way to a defragmented disk
A Paisley resident has Win XP and is worried about a "phantom" user account she found. While exploring her System Control Panel she went to the Advanced tab and then User Profile and found an account named "Account unknown." She also found a doc named "owner."
Go to the My Computer icon, right-click and select Mananger. This will show all the user accounts on the system. Since it's an emachine bought at Best Buy, this phantom account might have been installed so that remote administration actions could be performed on the computer. Regardless of why it's there, the best thing to do is not delete it, but simply make it powerless.
Check the Groups the account belongs to, and if it's Admin or Power User, change it to User, so it can't delete any files, etc. This way it sticks around just in case it's necessary, but is rendered harmless.
Changing your default media player 02/16/02
One man has Win XP and wants to change his default media player. He installed Real Player which set itself as the default player and he wants to switch it back to Windows Media Player.
What he needs to change is the file association for the media file types he wants to play with Windows Media Player. The file association settings are a list of all possible document extentions (like .txt, .mp3., .avi, etc.) and which application to run when a particular document type is double-clicked. For changing them in Windows Media Player, he can start up the Windows Media Player, go to Tools --> Options --> Filetypes (or Formats) and press Select All. This will reset all the media file associations to be opened with Windows Media Player. You can also pick and choose (by selecting and deselecting the checkboxes) and have some media files be opened by one player, and other files opened by another player. Try them all and select the one that works best for you.
Several folks are installing XP for the first time and are wondering whether they should use NTFS or FAT32 formatting on the hard drive. NTFS (New Technology File System) is more stable and robust than FAT32. For instance, NTFS keeps track of everything that happens to your hard drive, so it's much less likely to lose data in a crash like FAT32. You really should go with NTFS unless you plan to do file sharing with your new computer on, say, a home network, because it can be difficult for another computer to directly read NTFS files. If that's not an issue, go with NTFS.
Easy way to make a new folder 02/10/02
Tip: A quick way to make a new folder in Windows XP is to press: Alt+F, Alt+W, Enter.
Turn off ballon pop-ups 02/10/02
One man wants to know how to stop the balloon pop-ups in Windows XP.
You need PowerToys. The catch is that PowerToys: http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWSXP/home/downloads/powertoys.asp
Once you have PowerToys, launch it and look for the Taskbar option. There should be a checkbox that allows you to turn off balloon tips.
Tip: In Windows XP, if you right-click on My Computer, you'll find a Manage option. This gives you access to tools to manage and maintain your computer.
Disable personalized menus in XP? 02/10/02
A lady, wants to know how to get rid of the abbreviated menus in XP and get back the full menus.
The instructions on how to do this in XP are all right here: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/training/windowsxp/disablepersmenu.htm
A man is using Windows XP and he forgot his password. What should he do? 02/10/02
One Paisley guy is using Windows XP Professional, and created a user account, but he has now forgotten the password. How can he get into the account?
Microsoft has a Knowledge Base article titled, "HOW TO: Create and Use a Password Reset Disk for a Computer That Is Not a Domain Member (Q305478)." This should help you out. I can't link to the article directly because the link is session-based, but here's how to find it:
A man is using Windows XP. He suddenly got a message telling him that his user password will expire in 14 days. What should he do? 02/07/02
This is normal in XP. It's good practice to change your user name frequently. It lowers your risk of security breeches. If you are using a computer a work, you should change your passwords. If you are a home user, it's not so important to change your password.
If you want to keep your password, you can turn off XP's password changing requirements. Here's how:
Windows XP has Internet connection sharing so you can use the computer as a gateway. 02/07/02
You'll have to leave the computer on, and you'll need networking hardware for the other computers, but you won't need other software (except a firewall).
To access XP's Internet connection sharing, press F1 in XP to activate the help service. Search for "Internet connection sharing" and look for two subjects:
Use these two help guides to set up your gateway.
A man has a problem with Windows XP, USB and his PS/2 mouse and keyboard. Whenever he connects a USB device, his keyboard and mouse lock up. 02/07/02
Sounds like there is some sort of conflict going on within your computer. It could possibly be a USB and PS/2 interrupt conflict. To resolve this, you need to adjust your resources in the BIOS so that the USB and PS/2 don't conflict.
It could also be a driver issue. If you're using a USB device that uses a Twain driver, it might be causing problems. Check the website of the manufacturer of the USB device for the latest driver.
Make XP display a custom screen saver using your very own pictures. 01/06/02
It used to be darn near impossible to create a personal screen saver using your own photo collection. To do this, you had to track down a third-party application and sloppily piece together your pictures to create a screen saver.
Well, the engineers at Microsoft must have realized they hated third-party applications and decided enough was enough. XP can take any pictures stored in your "My Pictures" folder and display them in random order as a screen saver.
To make a personal screen saver in XP, follow these directions:
Change Your XP User Account Picture 01/04/02
Windows XP assigns a picture with every user account. This helps identify who's account is logged in that that moment, and it gives XP a little bit of a personal touch.
Don't like the picture that's associated with your account? Then change it. Here's how:
Automatic Windows Update 01/04/02
One feature Microsoft didn't put out to pasture with its release of XP is Windows Update. And that's a good thing. Microsoft regularly releases security patches, programs, language packs, and bug fixes through its Windows Update site to keep your system in tip-top shape.
Why not let your computer keep your system automatically up-to-date without having to remember to do it yourself? It's very easy to configure in XP, and you'll be free to do the things you love to do with your computer instead of having to worry about system updates.
Here's how to configure Windows XP to automatically download updates:
Now, the next time you're online and there happens to be an available update, you'll be prompted to install it after it's finished downloading.
XP comes with a new set of sounds that will surely add pizzazz to the way you work in Windows. But there's one problem -- you need to actually turn on the Windows default sound scheme before you'll be able to hear them.
To turn on the Windows XP default sound scheme, follow these directions:
If you look under the text labeled "Program events," you'll be able to sample your new sounds or customize them with your own.
Screen resolutions in Windows XP 01/02/02
One man is using Windows XP. He wants to know how he can have different screen resolution settings for each user account.
Windows XP should let you do it automatically. All you have to do is log into the account, and then make the screen setting. When you log off, XP will save the screen setting.
If this isn't working, check to see if you have the latest drivers for your video card. Go to Belarc (http://www.belarc.com) to get a personal inventory of your PC. This will tell you what kind of video card you have. Once you find that out, visit the video card vendor's website and download the drivers.
One Paisley resident wants to know how she can bypass the login windows in Windows XP. 01/02/02
To make the Welcome screen available:
1. Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click User Accounts .
2. Click Change the way users log on or off .
3. Click to select the Use the Welcome screen for fast and easy logon check box.
4. Click OK .
To remove the password from a user account:
1. Click Start , click Control Panel , and then double-click User Accounts .
2. Click the user account.
3. Click Remove my password .
4. Type the password in the Type your current password box, and then click Remove Password .
But Microsoft issues a fix for problem that could leave users vulnerable to attacks.
If you use Windows XP on the Internet, you are at serious risk. Microsoft's "most reliable, secure, and dependable operating system" has holes big enough to drive a 2-ton compiler through them.
The Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) service on Windows XP has two gaping security holes. The holes were originally discovered by eEye Digital Security, the company that worked with Microsoft to develop a solution before going public with its findings.
Both problems are severe enough for Microsoft to release a critical service warning for Windows XP users. Windows 98, 98SE, and Me users who have installed the Internet Connection Sharing service are also at risk.
Anyone running these operating systems should download the patch available on the Microsoft website.
In XP, you can view icons by groups. To activate this: 01/01/02
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Click on the Views menu.
3. Select Arrange icons by groups.