1. Windows XP System Utilities 70-270: MCSE Guide to Microsoft Windows XP Professional

2. Control Panel Overview (Page 1)  Control Panel One of most important centralized locations for in Windows XP management utilities From Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel  There are new applets in XP: An applet is a small application designed for a limited range of functionality or capability

3. Control Panel Overview (Page 2)  There is a new "Category view" (default) as well as the original "Classic" view A hyperlink in the upper left corner of each window facilitates switching between the two views

4. Control Panel in Category View

5. Control Panel in Classic View

6. Control Panel Overview (Page 3)  In Category view, selecting any option displays dialog window with two sections: "Pick a task"  Displays links to launch wizards which guide user through a specific task "Pick a Control Panel icon"  Displays names of the commands for that group from the Control Panel "Classic" view

7. Control Panel Categories

8. Control Panel Categories in Category View and Related Applets in Classic View  Accessibility Options Accessibility Options  Add or Remove Programs Add or Remove Programs  Appearance and Themes Display, Folder Options, Taskbar and Start Menu  Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options Date and Time, Regional, Language Options  Network and Internet Connections Internet Options, Network Connections  Performance and Maintenance Administrative Tools, Power Options, Scheduled Tasks, System  Printers and Other Hardware Game Controllers, Keyboard, Mouse, Phone and Modem Options, Printers and Faxes, Scanners and Cameras  Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices Speech, Sounds, Audio Devices  User Accounts User Accounts

9. Accessibility Options (Page 1)  Special interface features for the visual-, audio-, or movement-impaired user 1. Select the "Keyboard" tab for: StickyKeys—enables pressing, and once without holding them down FilterKeys—enables ignoring quick or repeated keystrokes ToggleKeys—audible tone plays when, and are down

10. Accessibility Options (Page 2) 2. Select the "Sound" tab for:  SoundSentry—displays visual clues when system plays a sound  ShowSounds—displays captions showing the system has played a specific sound 3. Select the "Display" tab for:  High Contrast—creates contrast between text and background to improve reading  Cursor Option—modifies cursor blink speed and cursor width

11. Accessibility Options (Page 3) 4. Select the "Mouse" tab for:  MouseKeys—alters the numeric keypad function so that it controls the movement of the mouse

12. Accessibility Options (Page 4) 4. Select the "General" tab for:  Automatic reset—automatically turns off accessibility options if idle for specified time  Notification—sets whether or not to give a visual or audible warning before turning off accessibility options  SerialKey devices—for configuring and selecting serial port for alternative key or mouse input devices (including baud rate)  Administrative options—apply all the settings to logon desktop and/or new users

13. The Accessibility Folder (Page 1)  Additional accessibility tools found by selecting Start  Programs  Accessories  Accessibility 1. Accessibility Wizard  Self-prompting applet that asks for special needs including text size, color, display, configuration, sound, and pointer settings 2. Magnifier  Zooms in on specific items

14. The Accessibility Folder (Page 2) 3. Narrator  Limited text-to-voice application 4. On-Screen Keyboard  For keying text with a pointing device 5. Utility Manager  Applet which can activate "Magnifier", "Narrator" and "On-Screen Keyboard" automatically each time user logons on

15. Add Hardware (Page 1)  Every time the system starts up, it polls the entire computer for new devices  XP's attempt to identify a new device is called Plug and Play (PnP): Always install new device first; then turn on system and wait to see if it is detected Installs drivers automatically or prompts for alternative source path (a disk or CD/DVD)

16. Add Hardware (Page 2)  The "Add Hardware" Wizard Used for manual configuration Only use:  If PnP fails and …  After discovering there is no vendor- supplied installation utility Wizard is not difficult to follow

17. Device Manager (Page 1)  After devices are installed, this applet can manage, configure, trouble-shooting and removing them Discussed later in the chapter  To run Device Manager: 1. Click "System" icon in Control Panel 2. Select "Hardware" tab 3. Click button in the "Device Manager" group

18. Device Manager (Page 2)  Also found in "My Computer": Select "View system information" then continue with steps 2 and 3 above  Or right-click "My Computer" and select Properties from shortcut menu Then continue with steps 2 and 3

19. Add or Remove Programs (Page 1) 1. Change or Remove Programs Displays installed applications, disk space for the application, and usage frequency Only if application's setup routine includes a partial or optional setup method 2. Add New Programs From vendor supplied disk From Microsoft Update website Over Internet through "Intellimirror" and "Windows Installer"

20. Add or Remove Programs (Page 2) 3. Add/Remove Windows Components Wizard: Add XP components not included in the initial installation, i.e.  Faxing service, Indexing service, Internet Information Services (IIS), etc. Remove components no longer needed Activity—try removing and then reinstalling "MSN Explorer" (need XP install disk)

21. Administrative Tools  Shortcut to Administrative Tools option which is discussed briefly in this chapter, as well as in subsequent chapters

22. Date and Time (Page 1)  For setting date, time, and time zone  Clock setting is maintained directly in the system’s BIOS The reason the clock usually is close to the correct time whenever the computer boots  Time Zone tab World map and pull-down list of time zones Automatically updates for daylight savings time if checked

23. Date and Time (Page 2)  On non-domain computers, Internet Time tab defines a server on the Internet to which clock automatically synchronizes … Machines on domains synchronize time automatically to the domain server (the tab may not be visible)

24. Display (Page 1)  Used to make interface changes Also accessed by right-clicking desktop and selecting "Properties" from shortcut menu

25. Display (Page 2)  Themes tab: Overall visual styling including background, icons, sounds and other elements Starts with two basic themes: Windows XP and Windows Classic User creates new themes by modifying elements on the four other tabs  Then click button and name the new personalized theme Additional themes can be downloaded from the Internet Activity—feel free to make changes on other tabs to be saved as a new theme

26. Display (Page 3)  Desktop tab: Select wallpaper graphic, center, stretch or tile it

27. Display (Page 4)  Desktop tab (con.): Click button to:  On the "General" tab: To select if icons display on the Desktop for My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places and Internet Explorer Change desktop icons for the applications listed above as well as for Recycle Bin Enable/disable Desktop Cleanup Wizard to clean up unused icons every 60 days  On the "Web" tab to select a webpage to display on the Desktop

28. Display (Page 5)  Screen Saver tab: Define and set wait period before screen saver activates Sets energy-saving features including wait time to shut down monitor and hard drive, when to standby or hibernate  Additional battery monitoring features for notebooks and portables

29. Display (Page 6)  Appearance tab: Window and button scheme, color scheme, and font size Select the button to modify effects including transitions for menus and tool tips, large icons, etc Select the button to modify individual appearance elements  I.e. Desktop, menus, tool tips, etc.

30. Display (Page 6)  Settings tab: Screen resolution, the higher the resolution, the better the image but the smaller the images  I.e. 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 800, etc. Color quality (16-bit or 32-bit) Click button to launch the Microsoft "Help and Support Center"

31. Advanced Display Settings (Page 1)  Clicking button on "Settings" tab of Display applet accesses dialog for setting video card and monitor properties  Available tabs vary depending upon the installed hardware and drivers There are five (5) default tabs

32. Advanced Display Settings (Page 2)  The General tab: Sets DPI (dots per inch)—default is 96 Sets system restart options when modifying DPI: (1) restart required; (2) restart not required—some applications may not display correctly; or (3) ask before restart  The Adapter tab: Displays video card information Click button to access the Device Manager's dialog for the video card

33. Advanced Display Settings (Page 3)  Monitor tab: Displays and sets screen refresh rate Click button to access the Device Manager's dialog for the monitor  Troubleshoot tab: Displays and sets hardware acceleration of video card Adjust level downward to solve problems with corrupted images, shadowed cursors, etc.

34. Advanced Display Settings (Page 4)  Color Management tab: For installing color profiles which fine-tune video card and monitor for color clarity and trueness Predefined profiles may be included with the card driver set, or available from the video card and/or monitor vendor  Additional tabs are hardware dependent based upon installed display components

35. Advanced Display Settings (Page 5)  "Dualview" is XP's capability to use multiple display devices (monitors) Up to 10 monitors may be connected to a single computer

36. Activity 3-3: To Add Additional Monitors to Your Configuration  Objective: Add monitors to your configuration  Use Display applet to specify that the computer is for home use Use Settings to add monitors to display Select each monitor; select "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor"

37. Folder Options (Page 1)  Options for all folders on all drives  The General tab: Show common tasks in common folders or use Windows classic folders (Task Menu at the left of the window) Open each folder in the same window or a separate window Open folders by single- or double-clicking  Single-clicking option displays each file as though it were a hyperlink in a webpage

38. Folder Options (Page 2)  The View tab: A series of checkboxes which determine how file information is displayed in a folder (the functional and visual parameters) "Hide extensions for known file types" can make it more difficult to know which file belongs to a specific application

39. Folder Options (Page 3)  The View tab (con.): Folder views group near the top only from Folder Options… in the Tools menu when viewing a folder in "Windows Explorer" …  I.e. Tiles, Icons, List or Details  "Apply to All Folders" the setting for the current folder  "Reset All Folders" to their defaults

40. Folder Options (Page 4)  The File Types tab: Associate file extensions with applications When a specific file is selected, software application to which that particular file type is associated will launch File extensions can be added or deleted from the list The button allows alternate operations to be performed on the file rather than opening it

41. Folder Options (Page 5)  The Offline Files tab stores network files on the local machine so the user can work with them even when not online Covered in Chapter 4

42. Fonts  Lists all currently installed fonts  Add fonts from the Install New Font… command in the File menu on menu bar The file with the font must be available  Remove fonts like any other file Delete command from File (or shortcut menu) or key on keyboard  Select a font; then File  Open (or shortcut menu) to launch "Windows Font Viewer" Click button for font samples

43. Windows Font Viewer

44. Game Controllers  Install and configure Joysticks Other gaming controls  Connected to sound cards and serial ports  The dialog offers device-specific properties and troubleshooting aids

45. Internet Options  Define settings for Internet Explorer  Settings for general Internet access  Applet is discussed in Chapter 8

46. Keyboard  The Speed tab: Character repeat group  "Repeat delay"—how long before a key that is held down starts repeating  "Repeat rate"—how fast will that key repeat  There is a textbox for testing the settings Cursor blink rate group sets the insertion point from no blink ("None") to "Fast"  Visible insertion point is used to test settings  The Hardware tab for troubleshooting and updating the keyboard device and driver

47. Mouse (Page 1)  The Buttons tab: Button configuration—to make right button the primary for selecting and dragging Double-click speed—from "Slow" to "Fast" ClickLock—activates the ability to use the mouse to highlight or drag without holding down the button  button use used to modify how long mouse button must be down initially before the feature activates

48. Mouse (Page 2)  The Pointers tab enables changing the viewable pointer to different images: There is a drop-down list of different styles of groupings—the default is "Windows Default (system scheme)" Any grouping can be modified or new style groups created Click button to find new images Click checkbox to Enable pointer shadow

49. Mouse (Page 3)  The Pointer Options tab: "Motion" setting is how fast screen pointer moves when mouse is dragged When "Snap to" is on, mouse automatically moves to the default button for a dialog when that window opens The "Visibility" group can:  Enable a trail when mouse pointer moves  Hide pointer while typing  Highlight the mouse location when the key is clicked

50. Mouse (Page 4)  The Wheel tab is used to control how far documents scroll for each click of the mouse wheel: Either a specific number of lines up or down in the document … Or one page up or down  The Hardware tab for troubleshooting and updating the mouse device and driver

51. Network Connections  Manage all network connections  Includes: LAN (local area network) connections which is where the IP address information is entered for Internet connectivity RAS WAN  Applet is discussed in Chapters 7 and 8

52. View or Update IP Address Data  To access the IP address screen in XP: 1. Launch the Network Connections applet in the Control Panel 2. Double-click on "Local Area Connection" 3. Click the button 4. Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" from the list and click the button Or simply double-click the item in the list 5. View/enter IP and DNS server addresses (the group radio buttons must be on)

53. Activity 3-4: Configuring Windows XP for Standalone Use  Objective: Configure Windows XP to run as a standalone computer  Use System applet to specify that the computer is for home use Computer Name tab Network ID button Select "This computer is for home use and is not part of a business network"

54. Phone and Modem Options  Define dialing locations  Install and configure modems  Configure Remote Access Service (RAS) and Telephony API (TAPI)  Applet is discussed in Chapter 8

55. Power Options (Page 1)  Power Schemes tab—to select from a drop-down list of named power scheme options: The "Settings for …" group allows setting when to turn off the monitor and/or hard drives, as well as when to go into standby or hibernate mode Separate settings exist for when machine is powered either plugged in or running on battery power

56. Power Options

57. Power Options (Page 2)  Power Schemes tab—(con.): In standby mode, computer is running on lower power with all data saved in RAM; in case of a power loss, all data is lost, but restarts quickly In hibernate mode, system is saved to a temporary disk data file; when the system "awakes" previously running applications are restored completely, but takes longer  + Standby manually places system into hibernation ???

58. Power Options (Page 3)  Alarms tab—available only on portable machines with an internal battery: Settings alarm warning percentages for low battery (typically 10%) and critical battery (typically 3%)  Power Meter tab—displays the power status of the AC plug (Is it plugged in?) and a meter showing how much battery power remains

59. Power Options (Page 4)  Advanced tab—select to set any of the following options: A checkbox to select "Always show (power) icon on the taskbar" A checkbox to select "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby" Drop-down lists to determine what happens when power button is pressed, sleep button is pressed, lid on notebook is closed, i.e.  Turn off, hibernate, go into standby, etc.

60. Power Options (Page 5)  Hibernate tab—select to turn on/off the hibernation feature (checkbox): Disk space requirements and availability are displayed

61. Activity 3-5: Configuring Power Options  Objective: Learn how to configure power options  Follow instructions to create a power scheme named "Never Use"

62. Printers and Faxes  Install, share, and configure many types of output devices Printers, film printers, slide printers, faxes  Manage the print queue Folder where print jobs waiting for printer to become available are stored into a file on disk  Applet is discussed in Chapter 9

63. Regional and Language Options (Page 1)  Regional Options tab—select to define location-specific uses or requirements for:  Numbers, currency, time and dates  Click the button for GUI wizards to automate the process  Languages tab—used to configure default input language: An input locale—is a combination of language and keyboard layout which defines how data is entered into computer

64. Regional and Language Options (Page 2)  Advanced tab—enables the configuration support for non-Unicode programs and conversion tables: For programming language interpreters

65. Scanners and Cameras  Install drivers  Configure digital cameras and optical scanners Plug and Play devices like a digital camera plugged into a USB port may not require configuration using this applet

66. Scheduled Tasks  Automate starting and running of various tasks and applications  Add Scheduled Task Wizard Step-by-step scheduling Start by clicking the "Add Scheduled Task" icon in the "Scheduled Task" window  Can be moved from system to system Define administrative actions or batch files on single computer Place on client systems

67. Activity 3-6: Scheduling Tasks  Objective: Use Scheduled Tasks to automatically start an application at a specified time  Use Scheduled Tasks Wizard to launch application (Calc.exe) at scheduled time Necessary to enter Administrator password

68. Sounds and Audio Devices  Volume tab—set master volume for sound card and speakers  Sounds tab—assign specific sounds to different program events  Audio and Voice tabs—select and configure sound card and sound devices for recording and playback: Also (on the Audio tab) select which device will be used for MIDI playback  Hardware tab—set properties for and troubleshoot all system audio devices

69. Activity 3-7: Custom Sound (Page 1)  Objective: Customize the sounds for different events on the computer  Use Sounds and Audio Devices applet to create custom sounds scheme: Select Sounds tab Sound Scheme: "Windows Default"—if prompted to save previous—"No" Program Events: Programs  Asterisk  Sounds: "(None)"

70. Activity 3-7: Custom Sound (Page 2)  Use Sounds and Audio Devices applet (con.): Program Events: Programs  Asterisk  Sounds: Any sound you would like Click button  Name: "Windows Example 1" & Restart computer

71. Speech  Speech recognition tab—to convert the speaker's voice to text  Text-to-speech tab—capability reads and speaks document text: For Microsoft’s Speech API (SAPI) compatible applications Distinct from the "Narrator" Accessibility Accessory application

72. System (Page 1)  Most important of Control Panel applets Essential for Microsoft 70-270 exam  General tab—displays: O/S version and service pack level The registered user name and licensing Basic hardware information including the CPU type and speed, and the amount of physical RAM

73. System (Page 2)  Computer Name tab—used to change computer name or to join domain network or a workgroup: Click the button to launch the "Network Identification Wizard" to connect to a domain server Click the button to change the system name, or alter domain or workgroup membership

74. System (Page 3)  Computer Name tab—(con.): May also be accessed from the Network Connections applet on the "Advanced" menu by clicking Controls on this tab are discussed in Chapters 7 and 8

75. System (Page 4)  Hardware tab—select: button only if Plug and Play, and device install disk fails button to set system requirements for drivers that have not passed Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs evaluation and tests

76. System (Page 5)  Hardware tab—(con.): button to list and manage all installed and known devices and to check any device's status button to setup and store different hardware configurations Driver signing, Device Manager, and Hardware profiles covered later in chapter

77. System (Page 6)  Advanced tab—select: Performance group—settings for optimizing visual effects, processor scheduling, memory usage, and virtual memory User Profiles group—set roaming or not Startup and Recovery group—control machine behavior during startup as well as when it is recovering from a system error (covered later in chapter)

78. System (Page 7)  Advanced tab—(con.): Environment Variables button—view and manage (covered later in chapter) Error Reporting button—enable or disable (covered later in chapter)

79. System (Page 8)  System Restore tab—enable or disable, and select amount of disk space to use for this applet Discussed in Chapter 14  Automatic Updates tab—enable/disable the automatic downloading and installation of Windows XP updates Discussed in Chapter 14

80. System (Page 9)  Remote tab—enable, disable and configure: Remote Assistance—lets user at a remote machine connect to your computer to walk you through a solution to a problem Remote Desktop—gives you access to a Windows session on your computer from another machine Both discussed in Chapter 7

81. Driver Signing (Page 1)  Driver signing identifies whether drivers have passed Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs testing  Configuring the system's response to an unsigned driver is found on the Hardware tab of the System applet

82. Driver Signing (Page 2)  Options are: Ignore—install anyway Warn—prompt each time for an action Block—never install unsigned driver  The "Make this action the system default" checkbox allows administrator to make the option the default for all users

83. Device Manager (Page 1)  The button to launch "Device Manager" is found on the Hardware tab of the System applet  Lists all known devices and their status: A yellow exclamation point or stop sign over device icon indicates a problem Double-click device icon to open its Properties dialog window

84. Device Manager (Page 2)  General tab of the Properties dialog: Displays device type, manufacturer and its location Click the button to open a browser window and launch the "Windows XP Help and Support Center" The "Device usage:" drop down list is used to enable or disable the device

85. Device Manager (Page 3)  Drive tab of the Properties dialog: Shows the filename and other information about the device driver (software) Click button to view a listing of all files that make up the driver, as well as information about each Click button to launch the "Hardware Update Wizard"; it may be necessary to provide a disk with updated or replacement driver

86. Device Manager (Page 4)  Driver tab of the Properties dialog (con.): Click the button to uninstall updated or replacement driver if it presents problems Click the button to completely uninstall driver; still may be detected until system reboots

87. Device Manager (Page 5)  Resources tab of the Properties dialog: Shows device's resource settings (IRQ, memory range, etc.) and indicates if any settings are in conflict with another device Non-Plug and Play devices often have settings that in conflict with existing device  May be necessary to preset jumpers or dip switches, or re-configure device after it is installed

88. Activity 3-8: Managing Devices  Objective: Verify that there are no problems with the CD-ROM drive using Device Manager  Follow instructions to export Device Manager  During this activity, the missing video driver should be installed

89. Activity 3-9: Hardware Resource Configuration  Objective: Use Device Manager to verify and configure the resources for hardware  Follow instructions to set manual configuration for a device

90. Hardware Profiles (Page 1)  A collection of enabled hardware device specific to a situation Often used on portables where hardware configurations may change from one location to another  Typically enables and disables network support, modems, external monitors, and docking stations

91. Hardware Profiles (Page 2)  A hardware profile may be selected each time the system boots System will attempt to discover current hardware each time it boots and match to an existing profile If a match is not found, user will be prompted to select one from a list  Any changes made within Device Manager are made to the current hardware profile

92. Hardware Profiles (Page 3)  The button is found on the Hardware tab of the System applet

93. Activity 3-10: Multiple Hardware Configurations  Objective: Use hardware profiles to set up different hardware configurations for a workstation  Follow instructions to create a new hardware profile

94. Activity 3-11: A Mobile Computer  Objective: Create a hardware profile that does not use a NIC  Create a new hardware profile that does not access a network via a NIC

95. Startup and Recovery (Page 1)  For defining startup parameters and how STOP errors are handled  Found on the Advanced tab of System applet

96. Startup and Recovery (Page 2)  For the System startup group: Select the “Default Operating System” from a drop-down menu The amount of time to display the operating system options at system boot time may be selected The amount of time to display recovery times also may be selected Click the button to work with the “BOOT.INI” file directly

97. Startup and Recovery (Page 3)  The System failure group provides options to deal with full Windows crash Contents of virtual memory can be saved to a dump file--can be enabled and be used to debug system or application problems Other options are to send an alert to the administrator and to automatically restart  Specific type of dump and folder to save it in is selected in the Write debugging information group

98. Environmental Variables  Found on the Advanced tab of System applet  System wide and local user environment variables control how Windows operates

99. Error Reporting  On machines with Internet connectivity, systems can report anonymously if an error occurs  The button is found on the Advanced tab of System applet Enables/disables system reporting for Windows XP and/or programs Click button to select all or specific programs Advantageous to Microsoft, not the user

100. Taskbar and Start Menu (Page 1)  Taskbar tab—checkbox settings for: Locking (increase/decrease "Quick Launch" area size) or auto-hiding the taskbar Keeping it on top of other windows Grouping similar applications together Showing "Quick Launch" (the one-click application icons to the right of Start button) Display clock, or not Controls "Notification Area" (at right end of taskbar where clock usually displays)  Icons for background applications

101. Taskbar and Start Menu (Page 2)  Start Menu tab—for selecting between new Windows XP or Classic start menu  Applet also is launched by right-clicking "Start" button and selecting "Properties" from shortcut menu

102. User Accounts  Create and manage local user accounts, passwords, and.NET passports  Access the Local Users and Groups tool Part of Computer Management from "Administrative Tools"  Specify whether + + key sequence is required to log on  Applet is discussed in Chapter 5

103. Microsoft Management Console Overview  Provides structured environment for consoles, snap-ins, and extensions  Provides consistent interface for all management tools MMC utilities are found mainly in Administrative Tools Can also be used to create your own custom consoles  Settings and layout options can be stored as an.msc file

104. The MMC Console  Like a document window  Console tree in the left pane Loaded snap-ins and extensions are listed  Details pane in the right pane Details associated with the active item from the console tree

105. Snap-Ins  Adds control mechanisms to the MMC console for specific service or object  Standalone snap-ins: Provide main functions for system administration and control  Extension snap-ins Add functionality to standalone snap-ins

106. Activity 3-12: Microsoft Management Console  Objective: Create an MMC console for managing your computer's devices  Add the "Device Manager" snap-in  Name the file "My Devices.msc"

107. Administrative Tools  Must have administrative privileges to use these tools: Component Services (used by application developers) Data Sources (ODBC) Event Viewer (Chapter 10) Local Security Policy (Chapter 6) Performance (Chapter 10) Services (Chapter 15) Computer Management (an MMC utility)

108. PCMCIA Or PC Cards  PCMCIAs (Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Specification) cards are credit card-sized devices that can be: Memory expansions SCSI cards to connect portable hard drive Network interface cards (NICs) or modems  Automatically handled by Windows XP Best to use "Unplug" or "Eject hardware" icon in notification area to release control and stop device's driver

109. Case Project 3-1 (Nos. 1, 2, 3), p. 130)