Section B.1. Before Upgrading to Windows XP

B.1. Before Upgrading to Windows XP

As with the move to any new operating system, there are some software and hardware components that either aren't compatible with the new version, or must be updated to work with the new version. In the case of Windows XP, any versions of the following products not specifically designed to work with Windows XP must be updated or removed:

• Antivirus software and disk utility software. Examples include Norton Utilities, Norton SystemWorks, and Norton Antivirus.

• Tape backup software. Examples include Veritas Backup (all versions) and Seagate Backup Exec. Note that if you back up your system before you upgrade to Windows XP, make sure you'll be able to read your backup media from within Windows XP as well.

• CD burner software not designed specifically for Windows XP may interfere with the built-in CD burner features in Windows XP, or may stop functioning because of said features. Examples include Roxio Easy CD Creator (Versions 5.0 and earlier) and Adaptec DirectCD.

• Any software that works with settings specific to any single version of Windows, such as Microsoft TweakUI (Versions 1.33 and earlier). See Appendix D for details.

• Games , especially the more graphic- intensive and 3D-accelerated ones, frequently have problems with newer versions of Windows, particularly those based on Windows NT (such as Windows 2000, and, yes, Windows XP). You'll need to contact the manufacturers of each game for any patches, updates, or special settings required for their games to run on Windows XP.

• Any software that requires you to boot directly into DOS will not function on a Windows XP system, as DOS is no longer part of the operating system. Furthermore, many older DOS programs (including games) may not function from within Windows XP. If you rely on such software, you may need to set up a dual-boot system (discussed in Appendix A).

• Drivers and accompanying software for any of the less-common peripherals, such as webcams, TV and radio cards, video capture devices, audio cards, flash memory readers, scanners , input devices, synchronization cradles for handheld computers, oddball printers, CD changers, DVD decoders, SCSI cards, and older network hardware and software.

While this list is far from complete, it should give you an idea of the types of products that may cause problems with Windows XP (or any new operating system, for that matter). If you haven't yet upgraded to Windows XP, it's best to check with the manufacturers of each and every card, drive, printer, input device, and other peripheral you use to make sure they support your devices under Windows XP.

Another option is to run the Microsoft Windows Upgrade Advisor, described in Appendix A. This scans your system and compares it with a list of devices and software known to cause problems with Windows XP. While it's far from complete as well, it will certainly warn you of any incompatibilities of which Microsoft is aware.

The Microsoft Windows Upgrade Advisor is available on the Windows XP CD (click "Check system compatibility" in the main Setup screen), or from Microsoft's web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/).

B.1.1. After Upgrading to Windows XP

Assuming you've taken care of the various incompatibilities mentioned in the first section of this appendix, two main migration issues remain : making Windows XP look and feel more like previous versions, and finding the features that have been moved (or removed) from previous versions.

Visual style of windows and dialog controls

Make Windows XP look more like previous versions of Windows by going to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display Appearance tab, and choose "Windows Classic style" from the "Windows and buttons " list.

Visual style of Start menu

To revert to the simpler single-column Start menu found in earlier versions of Windows, go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Taskbar and Start Menu Start Menu tab, and select the "Start menu" option.

Dial-up networking

Dial-up connections are now located alongside standard network connections in the Network Connections window.

Network Neighborhood

This is now called "My Network Places."

My Computer icon on the Desktop

By default, the My Computer icon isn't shown on the Windows XP Desktop, but it's there if you need it. Go to Control Panel Display Desktop tab Customize Desktop, and turn on the "My Computer" option.

Control Panel in My Computer

By default, Control Panel no longer appears in the My Computer window, but it's available in the Start menu. Confusingly, it still appears under the My Computer branch in Windows Explorer. Go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options View tab, and turn on the "Show Control Panel in My Computer" option.

Behavior of single-folder windows

When you click a folder icon, a new folder window may appear, or the contents of the current window may be replaced with the contents of the new folder (unless the folder icon was on the Desktop). All versions of Windows, from Windows 95 to Windows XP, allow you to configure this setting, but different releases of Windows have had different defaults. To change this setting to your liking, go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options General tab, and make a choice in the "Browse folders" section.

Animation and other eye candy

The animation and other eye candy used with windows, menus , lists, and even your mouse cursor is more prevalent in Windows XP than any previous version of Windows. Curbing this behavior not only simplifies the interface, but can improve the performance of your system as well. These settings are located in two places. Go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display Appearance tab Effects, or go to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Advanced tab, and click Settings in the Performance section.

Categories in Control Panel

The categories in Control Panel, which are somewhat superfluous, can be removed by opening the Control Panel window (not the Control Panel menu in the Start menu, nor the Control Panel folder in Windows Explorer, however) and clicking "Switch to Classic View" in the Common Tasks pane. If Control Panel appears as a menu, simply right-click the Control Panel item and select Open . If you don't have a Common Tasks pane, see the next topic.

Common Tasks pane in folder windows

The Common Tasks pane shows links to additional programs and features, but can be removed if you prefer the simpler, cleaner folders found in earlier versions of Windows. Go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options General tab, and click "Use Windows classic folders."

File type associations

Whenever you upgrade to a new version of Windows, the Windows setup program will claim a bunch of different file type associations without asking. For example, your default applications for .html files (web pages), .jpg images, and .zip files (archives) are all forgotten in favor of Microsoft's replacements . The fact that Windows doesn't preserve your associations, or at least ask before overwriting them, should be considered a total embarrassment and complete failure on the part of Microsoft's developers.

Fortunately, you can choose new associations by going to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options File Types tab. The two exceptions are .zip files and image files ( .jpg , .gif , etc.), for which the default applications don't follow your settings in the File Types dialog. ^[1] Fix them using one of two types of files:

^[1] This type of thing makes me furious (Microsoft does it all the time), and is one of the primary motivations for the Annoyances.org web site and the various Annoyances books.

Image files

Regardless of the application you choose as the default for all of your image files, Windows XP will always launch the " Windows Picture and Fax Viewer" when they're double-clicked. To fix this, launch the Registry Editor (see Chapter 8), and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{e84fda7c-1d6a-45f6-b725-cb260c236066}\shellex . Delete the MayChangeDefaultMenu key here, and close the Registry Editor when you're done. (The "Preview" action will still appear in your files' context menus, but it won't be activated when you double-click on the files.)

ZIP files

Even if you install your own program for handling ZIP files, Windows XP will still open .zip files like standard folders. To fix this, go to Start Run, type regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll at the prompt, and click OK. You'll have to restart Windows for this change to take effect.

Desktop icons

The icons used for the standard Desktop items, such as My Computer and the Recycle Bin, have a new look in Windows XP. To use the icons found in earlier versions of Windows, go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display Desktop tab Customize Desktop. Most of the older icons can be found in the file \Windows\System32\SHELL32.dll .

DOS is history

Unlike some earlier versions of Windows (such as Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me), Windows XP does not rely on DOS. This means that you can no longer boot directly into DOS on a Windows XP system, even with a floppy. If you attempt to boot your computer with a Windows 9x/Me startup diskette, possibly in the hopes of effecting repairs or copying files (a common practice on older computers), you probably won't even be able to see the hard disk. ^[2] If you're unable to start Windows XP, you'll need to "repair" the installation using the original CD, either with the Recovery Console or by using the Windows setup (both described in Appendix A).

^[2] This is due to the fact that Windows 9x/Me isn't compatible with the NTFS filesystem, used predominantly on Windows XP systems. See Chapter 4 for more information on NTFS.

Additional topics like these can be found at http://www.annoyances.org.