Section 4.2. Alphabetical Reference to Windows Components

4.2. Alphabetical Reference to Windows Components

The following reference lists all the useful, discrete components that come with Windows XP, sorted alphabetically by their common names (e.g., Minesweeper would be found under "M," not "W" for winmine.exe).

Note that some components are not installed by default. The set of components included with a basic Windows XP installation depends on the method by which Windows XP was installed, whether it was installed fresh, or over an older version of Windows. Any of the following components that appear to be missing can be added easily by using Add or Remove Programs (discussed later in this chapter) and clicking the Add/Remove Windows Components button.

Table 4-1 provides an easy cross reference between the common name and the executable filename of an application or other component. Unlike previous editions of this book, control panel options are included in this chapter. For these items, the corresponding command line varies (and is documented more completely in the Control Panel section in this chapter), but usually consists of the .cpl filename, as specified in Table 4-1.

Table 4-1. Executable filenames of the applications and tools in Windows XP

Common application name	Executable filename / command line	Professional edition only
Accessibility Options	access.cpl
Accessibility Wizard	accwiz.exe
Activate Windows	msoobe.exe
Active Connections Utility	netstat.exe
Add Hardware Wizard	hdwwiz.cpl
Add or Remove Programs	appwiz.cpl
Address Book	wab.exe
Administrative Tools	n/a	xxxCheckgifxxx
At	at.exe
Attrib	attrib.exe
Backup	ntbackup.exe
Bluetooth Devices	bthprops.cpl
Boot Configuration Manager	bootcfg.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Cabinet (CAB) maker	makecab.exe, diantz.exe
Calculator	calc.exe
Character Map	charmap.exe
Chkdsk	chkdsk.exe
Chkntfs	chkntfs.exe
Clipbook Viewer	clipbrd.exe
Command Prompt	cmd.exe
Component Services (console)	dcomcnfg.exe
Computer Management	compmgmt.msc
Connection Manager Profile Installer	cmstp.exe
Control Panel	control.exe
Create Shared Folder	shrpubw.exe
Date and Time	timedate.cpl
DDE Share	ddeshare.exe
Device Manager	devmgmt.msc
DirectX Diagnostic Tool	dxdiag.exe
Disk Cleanup	cleanmgr.exe
Disk Defragmenter	defrag.exe
DiskPart	diskpart.exe
Display Properties	desk.cpl
Dr. Watson	drwatson.exe, drwtsn32.exe
Driver Verifier Manager	verifier.exe
DriverQuery	driverquery.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Event Viewer (console)	eventvwr.exe
FAT to NTFS Conversion Utility	convert.exe
Fax Console	fxsclnt.exe
Fax Cover Page Editor	fxscover.exe
File Compare (comp)	comp.exe
File Compare (fc)	fc.exe
File Expansion Utility	expand.exe
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard	migwiz.exe
Finger	finger.exe
Folder Options	control.exe folders
Font Viewer	fontview.exe
Fonts	control.exe fonts
ForceDOS	forcedos.exe
Format	format.com
FreeCell	freecell.exe
FTP	ftp.exe, tftp.exe
Game Controllers	joy.cpl
Group Policy Editor	gpedit.msc	xxxCheckgifxxx
Group Policy Refresh Utility	gpupdate.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Hearts	mshearts.exe
Help and Support Center	helpctr.exe
HyperTerminal	hypertrm.exe
IExpress	iexpress.exe
Internet Backgammon	bckgzm.exe
Internet Checkers	chkrzm.exe
Internet Explorer	iexplore.exe
Internet Hearts	hrtzzm.exe
Internet Options	inetcpl.cpl
Internet Reversi	rvsezm.exe
Internet Spades	shvlzm.exe
Java Command Line Loader	jview.exe, wjview.exe
Keyboard	main.cpl keyboard
Label	label.exe
Local Security Policy	secpol.msc
Logoff	logoff.exe
Microsoft Chat	winchat.exe
Microsoft Magnifier	magnify.exe
Microsoft Management Console	mmc.exe
Microsoft Netmeeting	conf.exe
Minesweeper	winmine.exe
Mouse Properties	main.cpl
Msg	msg.exe
MSN Explorer	msn6.exe
MSN Gaming Zone	n/a
Narrator	narrator.exe
Net	net.exe
Network Connections	ncpa.cpl
Network Setup Wizard	n/a
New Connection Wizard	icwconn1.exe
Notepad	notepad.exe
NSLookup	nslookup.exe
NTFS Compression Utility	compact.exe
NTFS Encryption Utility	cipher.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Object Packager	packager.exe
ODBC Data Source Administrator	odbcad32.exe
On-Screen Keyboard	osk.exe
OpenFiles	openfiles.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Outlook Express	msimn.exe
Paint	mspaint.exe
Pentium Bug Checker	pentnt.exe
Performance Log Manager	logman.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Performance Logs and Alerts	perfmon.msc
Phone and Modem Options	telephon.cpl
Phone Dialer	dialer.exe
Pinball	pinball.exe
PING	ping.exe
Power Options	powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes	control.exe printers
Private Character Editor	eudcedit.exe
Program Manager	progman.exe, grpconv.exe
Query Process	qprocess.exe
Regional and Language Options	intl.cpl
Registry Console Utility	reg.exe
Registry Editor	regedit.exe
Remote Assistance	rcimlby.exe
Remote Copy	rcp.exe
Remote Desktop Connection	mstsc.exe
Route	route.exe
Rundll32	rundll32.exe
Run As	runas.exe
Scanners and Cameras	wiaacmgr.exe
Scheduled Tasks	n/a
Scheduled Tasks Console	schtasks.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Security Center	wscui.cpl
Security Template Utility	secedit.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Send a Fax	fxssend.exe
Services	services.msc
Shutdown	shutdown.exe
Signature Verification Tool	sigverif.exe
Solitaire	sol.exe
Sound Recorder	sndrec32.exe
Sounds and Audio Devices	mmsys.cpl
Speech	control.exe speech
Spider Solitaire	spider.exe
SQL Server Client Network Utility	cliconfg.exe
Subst	subst.exe
Synchronization Manager	mobsync.exe
System Properties	sysdm.cpl
System Configuration Editor	sysedit.exe
System Configuration Utility	msconfig.exe
System Information	winmsd.exe, msinfo32.exe
System Restore	rstrui.exe
Task Manager	taskmgr.exe
Taskbar and Start Menu	n/a
Taskkill	taskkill.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Tasklist	tasklist.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Telnet	telnet.exe
Telnet Administrator	tlntadmn.exe	xxxCheckgifxxx
Tracert	tracert.exe
User Accounts	nusrmgr.cpl
Utility Manager	utilman.exe /start
Volume Control	sndvol32.exe
Windows Explorer	explorer.exe
Windows File Checker	sfc.exe
Windows Firewall	firewall.cpl
Windows Help System	winhlp32.exe, hh.exe, winhelp.exe
Windows IP Configuration	ipconfig.exe
Windows Media Player	mplay32.exe, wmplayer.exe
Windows Messenger	msmsgs.exe
Windows Movie Maker	moviemk.exe
Windows Picture and Fax Viewer	n/a
Windows Script Host	cscript.exe, wscript.exe
Windows Update	wupdmgr.exe
WordPad	wordpad.exe

Accessibility Options

\windows\system\access.cpl

Provides options for the accessibility tools in Windows XP

To Open

Control Panel [Accessibility Options] Accessibility Options

Command Prompt access.cpl

Description

Accessibility is Microsoft's term for the collection of tools and settings designed to make a computer easier to use for those with poor eyesight, hearing, or some other physical challenge. The settings in this dialog are shown on the following five tabs:

Keyboard

StickyKeys allows you to use keyboard combinations, such as Shift-Y and Alt-F4, without having to hold down more than one key simultaneously.

FilterKeys lets you configure Windows' behavior when a key is held down, such as how long a key must be held down before it starts to repeat and how fast it repeats once it starts (settings are also available in Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Keyboard Speed). However, FilterKeys also lets you disable keyboard repeat completely.

ToggleKeys instructs the Windows to play sounds whenever you press Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock.

Sounds: SoundSentry lets you substitute visual warnings (e.g., flashing the titlebar or the entire screen) for sounds normally made for the system.

ShowSounds lets you substitute captions for speech and other sounds in programs that support this feature (unfortunately, not many do).

Display

High Contrast is a quick way to choose a color scheme with more contrasting colors, which may make text and other screen elements easier to see. These settings are also available through Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display Appearance tab, but this feature also lets you toggle between high contrast and standard colors with a hotkey.

The Cursor Options allow you to adjust the settings of the insertion point (text cursor) so that it is easier to see. To make the mouse pointer easier to see, use large pointers or enable Mouse Trails (which leaves a ghost track when you move the pointer) by going to Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Mouse and using the Pointers and Motion tabs, respectively.

Mouse

MouseKeys lets you use keys on the numeric keypad to move the pointer around the screen.

Move the pointer to an object and press Ins to start dragging. Press Del to end the drag. Press the - key to switch "clicking" to the right button. That is, - then 5 to right-click or - then + to right double-click. "Right-click" mode remains enabled until you press / to switch back to left-clicking. Hold down Shift while using the arrow keys to move the pointer pixel by pixel; hold down Ctrl to move in big jumps.

The Settings dialog box lets you control how fast the pointer moves and how quickly it speeds up when you hold down a key. Higher Top speed and a lower acceleration settings here will make your pointer easier to control. The "Use MouseKeys when Num Lock is [on/off ]" option allows you to use MouseKeys without giving up your numeric keypad for cursor movement or numeric entry, whichever you use more.

General

Automatic Reset (see Figure 4-2) instructs Windows to automatically turn off all accessibility features after a certain period of inactivity, a useful feature if several people use the same computer and you don't want to have to remember to turn off the features every time you're done using it.

Figure 4-2. The Accessibility Options dialog allows you to enable or disable specific Accessibility tools you want.

Notification lets you specify whether messages or sounds should be used to let you know when an accessibility option is turned on or off.

SerialKey devices enables the use of special alternative input devices attached to a serial port, allowing you to take the place of your keyboard or mouse with a more appropriate device.

Notes

All of the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.
As an alternative to the settings found here, the Accessibility Wizard can be used to help you choose which settings are right for you, one-by-one.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Accessibility Accessibility Wizard

Command Prompt accwiz

Description

The Accessibility Wizard is simply an alternate interface to the settings provided in the Accessibility Options dialog (see Figure 4-3). Accessibility is Microsoft's term for the collection of tools and settings designed to make a computer easier to use for those with poor eyesight, hearing, or some other physical challenge. The advantage of the Wizard interface here is that it will walk you through the available options, one-by-one, lending assistance where you may not know which options you need. For example, you can change the font size with predetermined settings based on your needs or disability, rather than by simply changing a numeric value.

Figure 4-3. The Accessibility Wizard asks questions and sets Accessibility options accordingly

Notes

In addition to the settings and utilities normally found in the Accessibility Options window, the Accessibility Wizard also makes it easy to turn off "personalized menus," a feature found in later versions of Windows that shows or hides menu items based on how frequently they're used. Since personalized menus can make Windows more difficult to use, you may want to disable this feature, whether or not you need the other accessibility options.

To Open

Start Settings Activate Windows

Command Prompt \windows\system32\oobe\msoobe /A

Description

Product activation is a new and somewhat controversial feature in Windows XP. Intending to curb software piracy, Microsoft now requires that each installed copy of Windows XP be activated. This involves contacting Microsoft, either over the Internet or with a telephone call, to obtain a special key to unlock Windows. If Windows is not activated within a certain period, it will expire and refuse to load.

Figure 4-4. Once you've activated Windows XP, you probably won't ever need to again

The sequence of steps to install and activate Windows is as follows:

During the installation of Windows, type the 25-character CD Key provided with the Windows XP installation CD. The CD Key distinguishes one end-user license of Windows from another.
Windows then generates a 20-digit product ID based on the CD Key and the Windows version.
You, the user, transmit the "Installation ID," comprised of the 20-digit product ID plus an 8-digit hardware ID, to Microsoft. The hardware ID, a unique number based on values obtained from hardware in your computer (see below), distinguishes one computer from another.
Microsoft responds with a 42-digit Confirmation ID, which is fed into Windows to activate it.
Since the confirmation ID is based upon the unique CD key and the unique hardware ID, it represents a single, unique system. If someone attempts to activate Windows with the same CD Key and a different hardware key (representing the same copy of Windows being installed on more than one computer), the copy protection will kick in and the product activation will fail.

Notes

The Hardware ID is based on a hardware hash, a long sequence of numbers based on information found in your computer's hardware. The specific devices used are as follows:
Display adapter (video card)
SCSI adapter (if available)
IDE adapter
Network adapter MAC address (if available)
RAM amount range
Processor type
Processor serial number
Hard drive
Hard drive volume serial number
CD-ROM, CD-RW, or DVD-ROM
In theory, you should be able to upgrade one or two of these components without causing a problem. However, if you replace the motherboard or upgrade several components at once, the hardware ID will change significantly. Since Windows XP compares the confirmation ID against the hardware ID every time Windows is started, a change in the hardware ID will probably void the activation, and you'll have to reactivate Windows.
It probably goes without saying that the automated activation will probably fail at this point, meaning that you'll have to speak with a Microsoft representative and explain that you're merely reinstalling and not pirating the software. It remains to be seen how much hassle reactivation will be; those who upgrade often will bear the brunt of that hassle.
If a virus attacks or your computer crashes and you're forced to format your hard disk and reinstall Windows, you'll have to activate Windows again. However, since the hardware will probably not have changed, there should be no problem.
Aside from the hassle involved, the primary focus of the controversy lies in the process by which Microsoft gathers information about users' hardware configurations and how they monitor subsequent alterations. Although Microsoft insists that the online activation is benign, you may want to stick with the tedious telephone activation procedure to be on the safe side.
Many users may not be confronted with product activation at all. Systems purchased with Windows XP preinstalled may be preactivated as well, in one of two possible ways. Either the manufacturer may choose to activate Windows using the method described above, or by a separate mechanism called System Locked Pre-installation (SLP). SLP ties the hardware ID to the system BIOS, rather than the discrete components listed above. The resulting system may be upgraded more freely, but if the motherboard is replaced or the BIOS is upgraded, the owner will have to reactivate windows as described above. The other exception is the version of Windows XP sold with a volume license, usually to large businesses, which doesn't include the product activation feature at all.

To Open

Command Prompt netstat

Usage

netstat [-a] [-e] [-n] [-o] [-p proto] [-r] [-s] [interval]

Description

Type netstat by itself to list the active incoming and outgoing network connections. This can be useful, for example, to determine exactly what is being transmitted or received across the network at any given time.

The Active Connections Utility accepts these options:

-a: Display all connections and open ports (see Notes).
-e: Display Ethernet statistics; it can be combined with -s.
-n: Display addresses and ports in a numerical format (e.g., 192.168.0.1:88).
-o: Display the process that owns each listed connection.
-p proto: Show the connections corresponding to the protocol; the protocol can be IP, IPv6, ICMP, ICMPv6, TCP, TCPv6, UDP, or UDPv6.
-r: Display the routing table (see "Route", later in this chapter).
-s: Display statistics for each protocol. By default, statistics are shown for all protocols, but this display can be filtered with the -p option.
interval: Repeatedly run netstat, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press Ctrl-C to stop the display at any time. If omitted, netstat will display the current statistics once and then quit.

Information is displayed in the following columns:

Proto: The protocolusually TCP for the TCP/IP protocol used on the Internet and most local networks
Local Address: The name of the local machine, followed by a colon, and then the process ID of the application that has initiated the connection
Foreign Address: The name or IP address of the remote machine, followed by a colon, and then the port number
State: Shows whether the connection is established or broken

Notes

You must have an open command prompt window to use netstat; otherwise, the window closes before you can read the program's output.
The the -a parameter is especially useful, as it lists all currently open ports. Open ports can sometimes compromise security, so it's best to know about any back doors. See Chapter 7 for more information.
Type netstat /? at the command prompt for a description of the command-line options.

To Open

Control Panel Add Hardware

Command Prompt hdwwiz.cpl

Description

When you turn on your computer, Windows automatically scans for any newly added plug-and-play (PnP) devices and installs drivers for any that are found. If you're trying to install a device that isn't detected automatically, you'll need to run the Add Hardware Wizard (see Figure 4-5).

Figure 4-5. If Windows doesn't detect your newly installed hardware automatically, you'll need to use the Add Hardware Wizard

When you start the Add Hardware Wizard and click Next, it goes through the following steps:

The wizard scans your system for any newly attached PnP devices. If one or more devices are found, the appropriate drivers are located and installed. This process happens every time Windows is started.
If no new devices are found in Step 1, you'll be asked if the device has been connected to the system yet. If you choose no, the wizard quits.
The next step, assuming you selected yes in Step 2, displays a list of all of your existing devices. If you select one of the devices and click Next, the wizard will quit. Instead, scroll to the bottom of the list and select "Add a new hardware device" and click Next.
Your next choice is between having Windows search for and install your new hardware, or having it present a list from which you can manually select a driver. Choose the first option, "Search for and install..." if you don't already have a driver. Otherwise, choose the second option, "Install the hardware...," and click Next.
Chose the category of the device, or just select Show All Devices if you're feeling lazy, and click Next.
If you have the drivers for the device, either on a floppy, a CD, or on your hard disk, click Have Disk at this point. Otherwise, choose the manufacturer of the device from the list on the left and then the specific model number from the list on the right. If your device doesn't show up here, then drivers for it aren't included with Windows XP.
The last steps involve copying and installing the drivers, and then prompting you to restart (if applicable).

Notes

When Windows discovers new hardware, either during startup or when using the Add Hardware Wizard, you'll usually be prompted to specify a driver. The "Install Software Automatically" option is usually the best choice, as it will attempt to use one of Window's built-in drivers. If no compatible driver can be found, you'll be prompted to insert a disk or point to a folder containing appropriate drivers, either shipped with the hardware product or downloaded from the manufacturer's web site, respectively.
When installing some drivers, Windows XP may complain that the driver is not digitally signed. This confusing and rather harsh message simply informs you that the manufacturer of the driver you're installing hasn't added a digital signature to the driver software, which, in most cases, will pose no problem. Just click Continue Anyway to proceed. See the "Signature Verification Tool", later in this chapter, for more information on driver signing.
See "Control Panel", later in this chapter, for information on finding Add Hardware when using the Control Panel in Category View.
Some new devices, especially printers and USB peripherals, have specific installation procedures that must be followed. For example, you may need to install the included software first, and then connect the device. When Windows detects the device, the drivers are already in place and installation proceeds without a hitch. Make sure you review the installation instructions before you resort to the Add Hardware Wizard.

To Open

Control Panel Add or Remove Programs

Command Prompt appwiz.cpl

Description

The Add or Remove Programs window has three optionsor it has four, if Service Pack 1 or 2 is installed.

Change or Remove Programs

A list of all your installed applications, or at least those applications that were registered for uninstallation, is displayed here. The Add or Remove Programs dialog doesn't actually perform any software removal; rather, it launches the uninstall utility that was registered when the application was originally installed. Some uninstallers have the capability to selectively add or remove components of the application, while others simply delete all the files that were copied during installation.

Select an application by clicking its name. Note that this listing can take a little getting used to, as the entries change size when they're selected. If the application has provided such information, you'll see the amount of disk space consumed by the installation, as well as how often the program is used. Click Change/Remove to launch the uninstaller for the selected program.

Uninstaller programs vary widely, but most will display a progress indicator and explain what they are removing, what they're not removing, and whether or not you need to restart your computer. Along the way, though, you may be prompted to remove shared files. Each shared file is registered with Windows, along with a numeric counter; applications that use the file increase the counter when they're installed and decrease the counter when they're removed. When the counter reaches zero, uninstallers assume the files are no longer needed and prompts for their removal; unless you specifically know that a file should not be deleted for some reason, just answer yes (see Figure 4-6).

Figure 4-6. A throwaway tool added by SP1 (the SP2 version is shown here), Set Program Access and Defaults does little but hide Microsoft's default applications from view

Add New Programs: There's not much point to this section. The first button simply looks for the file, setup.exe, in your floppy drive and CD drive, and if found, launches it. The second button launches Windows Update (discussed later in this chapter).
Add/Remove Windows Components: The Windows Components Wizard lets you add or remove any of the optional programs that come with Windows XP. Select a category and click Details to selectively install or remove any particular component. Note the Description below the list for a one-line explanation of the component, or refer to the corresponding section in this chapter for more information.
Set Program Access and Defaults: Added as part of Service Pack 1, this new button (which appears on the Start menu and on the Add or Remove Programs screen) ostensibly makes it easy to change the system defaults for web browser, email program, media player, IM app, and Virtual Machine for Java. But in reality, it doesn't change much at all. It doesn't configure the software you select, nor assign file extensions to them (for example, opening HTML files in Firefox instead of the default Internet Explorer), nor uninstall the default programs. Instead, it simply lets you specify which of these programs can be accessed from the Start menu and desktop. That's about it.

Click the button and you'll see two prefab software lists. Click the Microsoft Windows radio button and XP is set up to use Microsoft applicationsnamely Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Media Player, Windows Messenger, and the Microsoft Virtual Machine. Click the Non-Microsoft radio button and it hands the reigns over to what it thinks are the competing products. (For example, IE might be replaced with Firefox, Outlook Express by Eudora, and so on.) Click the Custom radio button and XP will list all the appropriate programs from each category in drop-down menus; check the boxes to the right to be able to access the program from the Start menu; uncheck the boxes to hide them. Note: older programs that don't know how to communicate with the Set Program Access tool may not show up in these lists.

Ultimately, this tool is about as useful as the Microsoft Catalog icon. You can easily ignore it, unless the sight of an Outlook Express icon repels you.

Notes

You can remove entries from the Change or Remove Programs list without actually uninstalling the corresponding applications using TweakUI (see Appendix D).
Applications are registered in Add or Remove Programs with keys in the Registry key, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Address Book

Start Search For People

Outlook Express Tools menu Address Book

Command Prompt wab

Description

The main window in the Address Book is set up somewhat like Explorer, with a hierarchical view of folders in the left pane and a list of addresses contained in the currently selected folder in the right pane, as shown in Figure 4-7.

Figure 4-7. The Address Book lets you organize your contacts and is used primarily with Outlook and Outlook Express

To add a new entry to your address book, select New Contact from the File menu, or right-click an empty area of the right pane, and select New, and then New Contact. In the window that appears, type all the relevant information about this contact in the spaces provided. If you're setting up an entry simply for emailing, it's only necessary to enter the name and an email address. (Be sure to click the Add button after you've typed the email address but before you click OK.)

Notes

Contacts can be divided into folders, either to differentiate one user's contact list from another's or to organize contacts into categories. It's important to understand the distinction between folders and groups. A group is a single address book entry intended to contain multiple email addresses. For example, if you frequently find yourself sending messages to the same collection of people, create a group entry that lists all of those people. Specifying that group name as the single recipient of a message will send the message to all members of the group.
The Address Book is linked to the applications that use it in two different ways. First, you can open the Address Book, select a name, and then choose the appropriate program from the action list (accessible either through the Action button on the Toolbar, or through the Tools menu). Second, when it comes time to enter a contact in your communications program (such as the recipient in an email message), there's often a button that allows you to easily select an entry for the Address Book. Note that not all applications that use addresses are designed to work with the Address Book application; naturally, you can simply copy and paste information as needed with any application.
You can also access entries in your Address Book without opening the Address Book application. Select Search and then "For People" from the Start menu to look up a name (see Figure 4-8). Furthermore, you can use any of several online directories to obtain a new contact information. To configure the list of online directory services, open Address Book and select Accounts from the Tools menu. These services are typically free, sponsored by advertising, and based on information already made publicly available in phonebooks and other sources. Privacy advocates may wish to investigate their own inclusion in these lists and take appropriate actions, such as contacting these services to have personal information removed.

Figure 4-8. The Find People dialog lets you search your Address Book from the Start menu

Note that some viruses use your Address Book to duplicate themselves by sending harmful attachments to everyone in your contact list via Outlook Express. Aside from not opening email attachments without first scanning them with anti-virus software, you can avoid this problem by using a different program for your email and contact list.

To Open

Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] Administrative Tools

Command Prompt control admintools

Description

The Administrative Tools entry in Control Panel is nothing more than a standard Start menu folder full of shortcuts to programs listed elsewhere in this chapter. The folder is stored in \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools, and the shortcuts included in this folder, by default, are:

Component Services
Computer Management
Data Sources (ODBC)
Event Viewer
Local Security Policy
Performance
Services

Since this is a standard folder, you can remove any of these items or add any of your own shortcuts as you see fit.

Notes

Like other Start menu folders, if the Administrative Tools folder is ever deleted or renamed (or if any of its contents are deleted or modified), Windows will not recreate it.
See "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties", later in this chapter, for an option to show or hide this item in the Start menu.

To Open

Command Prompt at

Usage

at [\computer] time [/interactive] [/every:date] "command"

at [\computer] [id] [/delete] [/yes]

Description

At is the command-line interface to the Scheduled Tasks feature, discussed later in this chapter. Given the somewhat tedious wizard interface used to create new tasks in the Scheduled Tasks window, At is a refreshing and user-friendly alternative.

To use At, you can simply type something like:

at 11:15 /interactive notepad

which would instruct Windows XP to launch Notepad at 11:15 AM today. When you enter the command and press Enter, At responds with something like:

Added a new job with job ID = 1

and a corresponding entry appears in the Scheduled Tasks window. The ID is used only to subsequently delete tasks with At (using the second Usage, shown above), like this:

at 1 /delete

The following options extend the usefulness of At:

\\ computer

Specify the name of a remote computer on the network to add the new task to that computer's scheduled tasks list, rather than that of the local computer.

time

The time of day to run the task, specified in 24-hour (military) time. Type 5:20 for 5:20 in the morning, 17:20 for 5:20 in the afternoon, 12:00 for noon, and 0:00 for midnight.

/interactive

If you omit the /interactive option, the task will be run invisibly in the background. For example, if you were to launch Notepad with the example above without specifying /interactive, there would be no visible evidence that Notepad is running, except for its listing in the processes tab of the Task Manager (discussed later in this chapter). You may want to run an application in the background if you do not want to interfere with any foreground applications. Use caution when starting background processes, however, since you won't be able to interact with them at all, other than closing them with Task Manager.

/every :date, /next :date

By default, At creates one-time tasks, executed only on the date when they were created; if you were to type the example above at 4:00 in the afternoon, for example, the task would never run. To specify the day or a range of days, use the /every or /next options.

For example, to run Disk Defragmenter at 11:15 PM every Thursday, type:

        at 23:15 /every:thursday dfrg.msc

To run Disk Defragmenter at 11:15 AM on the 21st day of every month, type:

        at 11:15 /every:21 dfrg.msc

To specify multiple days, separate them with commas. To run Solitaire at 3:45 in the afternoon (note the mandatory use of 24-hour time) on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, type:

        at 15:45 /interactive /every:tuesday,thursday sol

The /next option works similarly, although /every and /next should not be used together. To run Chkdsk at 6:33 PM next Saturday, type:

        at 18:33 /next:saturday chkdsk

/delete

Use /delete to remove one or all tasks. Specify the task ID (described earlier in this section) to end that task, or omit the ID to delete all tasks. If you try to delete all tasks, At will ask you to confirm; use the optional /yes option to bypass the prompt. Only tasks originally created with At can be deleted in this way; all other tasks will be left alone.

/yes

Include /yes to bypass the prompt that appears when you try to delete all tasks.

Notes

The Schedule service must be running to use At. To see if it is running, open the Scheduled Tasks window and select the Advanced menu. If the first menu item is "Stop using Task Scheduler," the service is active; click the item to turn the service off. Conversely, click "Start using Task Scheduler" to turn the service back on.
To choose the user account under which tasks created with the At command are run, open the Scheduled Tasks window and select At Service Account from the Advanced menu.
The Scheduled Tasks Console, discussed later in this chapter, is intended to replace At. Although the Scheduled Tasks Console is a little more full featured, At is much easier to use.

To Open

Command Prompt attrib

Usage

attrib [+r|-r] [+a|-a] [+s|-s] [+h|-h] [filename] [/s [/d]]

Description

Attrib allows you to change the file and folder attributes from the command linesettings otherwise only available in a file's or folder's Properties window. The attributes can be thought of as switches, independently turned on or off for any file or group of files. The individual attributes are as follows:

R (read-only): Turn on the read-only attribute of a file or folder to protect it from accidental deletion or modification. If you attempt to delete a read-only file, Windows will prompt you before allowing you to delete it. Different applications handle read-only files in different ways; usually you will not be allowed to save your changes to the same filename.
A (archive): The archive attribute has no effect on how file is used, but it is automatically turned on when a file is modified or created. It is used primarily by a backup software to determine which files have changed since a backup was last performed; most backup programs turn off the archive attribute on each file that is backup.
S (system): Files with the system attribute are typically used to boot the computer. There's little reason ever to modify a file with the system attribute, or to ever turn on or off the system attribute for any file. If you turn off the system attribute of an important file, it may stop the file from working. See Notes, below, to display or hide system files.
H (hidden): To hide any file or folder from plain view in Explorer or on the Desktop, turn on its hidden attribute. See Notes, below, to display or hide hidden files.

Examples

To hide a file in Explorer, right-click on it, select Properties, and turn on the hidden option. To hide the same file using the command line, type:

attrib +h filename

where filename is the full path and filename of the file to change. To specify multiple files, include a wildcard, such as *.* (for all files) or *.txt (for all files with the .txt filename extension). Note the use of the plus sign (+) to turn on an attribute; use the minus sign (-) to turn it off. For example, to turn off the hidden attribute and simultaneously turn on the archive attribute, type:

attrib -h +a filename

To display the attributes of a file or a group of files in Explorer, select Details from the View menu. Then, select Choose Details from the View menu and turn on the Attributes option. To display the attributes of a file or a group of files on the command line, type:

attrib filename

where filename is the full path and filename(s) of the files you wish to view. Omit filename to display the attributes of all the files in the current folder. If filename is not used, or if it contains wildcards (in other words, if the command is intended to act on more than one file), you can use the /s option to further include the contents of all subfolders of the current folder. The /d option instructs Attrib to act upon folders as well as files, but only has meaning if it is used in conjunction with the /s parameter.

Notes

By default, files with the system or hidden attributes are not shown in Explorer. To display system and hidden files, go to Explorer Folder Options View and select "Show hidden files and folders." If hidden and system files are shown, they will appear with faded icons.
Attrib allows you to change the system attribute, something you can't do by right-clicking and selecting Properties. Attrib does not, however, let you change the Advanced attributes, such as those concerned with indexing, compression, or encryption. Note that the "File is ready for archiving" option in the Advanced Attribute window (right-click Properties Advanced) is the same as the Archive attribute just discussed (see Figure 4-9).

Figure 4-9. These advanced attributes are only available from a file's Properties sheets in Windows Explorer

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Backup

Command Prompt ntbackup

Description

Microsoft Backup works by creating a backup seta collection of selected files to be backed up to a removable storage device. This backup set, along with all the selected options available in Backup (e.g., data compression, password protection, error report listing, etc.) are known collectively as a backup "job."

To begin creating a backup job, choose the Backup tab and use the familiar Explorer-like two-pane view to navigate through your folders. Click on the checkbox next to a file to select it for backup; click the checkbox next to a folder to select it and all of its contents for backup (see Figure 4-10). A blue checkmark appears next to each folder or file to be backed up; a gray checkmark appears next to each folder name with only some of its contents selected.

Figure 4-10. Choose the drives, folders, and files you wish to back up by placing checkmarks next to them in the Backup Utility

When you're done selecting files, choose Job Save Selections to save your selections into a .bks file.

Next, choose a Backup destination from the list below the folder tree. If you have more than one backup device, choose the desired drive here. If you have no dedicated backup hardware, the only option will be "File," which is used to back up to your hard disk. If you choose File, the "Backup media or filename" field is used to specify the name of the single file in which to store the backed up data (usually a .bkf file).

Finally, select Options from the Tools menu, and then choose the Backup Type tab to choose how files are backed up. The different backup types are as follows:

Normal: Backs up all the selected files. The archive attribute (see "Attrib", earlier in this chapter) is automatically turned off for each file that is backed up.
Copy: The same as normal, above, except that the archive attribute is left alone.
Differential: Backs up only the files with a Last Modified date that is more recent than the last backup performed with the Backup application. This backup type affords a quicker backup, but since it relies on previous backups, it may not be the best choice when backing up important data.
Incremental: Backs up only those files with the archive attribute turned on. This option really only makes sense when used after a "Normal" backup, described above, as it relies heavily on the archive attribute. Like the differential backup, it is quicker than the Normal backup, but since it relies on previous backups, it may not be the best choice when backing up important data.
Daily: Backs up only those files with a Last Modified date the same as today's date. This option is useful only if you run backup every single day, or are only concerned with backing up files modified in the last few hours.

Note that the .bks file only saves the file selections; the other options are saved as defaults in the Backup program and must be changed manually every time if you need different options for different backup jobs.

When you're ready, click the Start Backup button to begin the backup process. If you've turned on the "Compute selection information" option (Tools Options General tab), Backup will count up the sizes of all the selected files so that it can provide an accurate estimate of the time to completion. If you've chosen to "Verify data after the backup completes," Backup will compare the backed-up files against the originals on your hard disk; this will double the time taken for the backup job, but you'll be more certain that the backup contains a valid, complete copy of your data

Choose the Restore tab to restore some or all of the files you've previously backed up. Backup keeps a catalog of all backed-up files, so you don't have to wait for Backup to read your tape or other media before you see a list of files you can restore. The catalogs are displayed in the left pane of the Restore window, arranged first by backup media, then by backup job, then by original location (see Figure 4-11). For example, if you've backed up a folder called My Stuff to a tape last Monday, you would open the tape drive branch and then open the branch dated last Monday. You would see the familiar folder hierarchy with the backed up files and folders. Simply place a checkmark next to those files and folders you wish to restore (like when you backed up originally) and click Start Restore when you're ready (see Figure 4-12).

Figure 4-11. Once files have been backed up, they are listed in the Restore and Manage Media tab for easy retrieval

Figure 4-12. Place checkmarks next to the items you wish to restore using an interface very similar to Explorer

Notes

Files with the .bks extension are not associated with the Backup application by default. This means that you cannot double-click a .bks file to start the backup without first configuring your File Types. Go to Explorer Tools Folder Options File Types tab. Click New, type BKS, and click OK. Then click Advanced and type Backup Set for the name of the file type. Click New, type Backup in the Action field, and type something like:
```
ntbackup.exe backup "@%1" /f "c:\mybackup.bkf"
```
which will open Backup and begin backing up the files specified in the .bks file (represented here by %1). In this example, the target is a backup file (c:\mybackup.bkf). Type ntbackup /? at the command prompt to see a list of the available command-line parameters and some examples of how they're used so you can form a command line appropriate to your needs and hardware.
In addition to the drives shown in the folder tree, you'll see an additional item called "System State." Place a checkmark next to the System State entry to back up the Registry, Boot files, special System files that are under Windows File Protection, and several other databases. Although you could back up the Registry by backing up the hives (see Chapter 8), for example, backing up the System State is a more graceful solution, especially since it makes restoration much easier. If you're backing up the drive on which Windows is installed, you should also back up the System State.
Go to Tools Options Restore to choose whether the restored file will overwrite an existing file, overwrite an existing file only if it's older than the backed up file, or prompt you before overwriting.
Tools Options Exclude Files lets you exclude specific files or groups of files from the backup. By default, Backup is set to exclude nearly twenty different files or file types, such as the swap file (pagefile.sys) and the file responsible for the Internet Explorer cache (index.dat).
The Wizards available under the Welcome tab provide step-by-step walkthroughs of the backup and restore processes, but don't offer any special options or features.
The Automated System Recovery Wizard helps create a special boot disk, allowing you to more easily restore your system if there's a disk crash or some other serious problem that requires the drive to be reformatted.
Before you become complacent about your backups, make sure you've worked through the steps required to restore all the data you've gone to so much trouble to back up.
There are wizards for performing a backup and restore: Tools Backup Wizard and Tools Restore Wizard , respectively.

Bluetooth Devices

Adds support for wireless devices connecting via the Bluetooth standard, and provides a screen for managing them once they're hooked up. Available only if Service Pack 2 and a Bluetooth receiver are installed on your system.

To Open

Control Panel Bluetooth Devices

Double-click the Bluetooth icon in the Windows System Tray

Description

This new wizard, added in Service Pack 2, makes it easy to connect and configure your Bluetooth devices, from mice and keyboards to mobile phones. For security reasons, XP by default runs in "invisible" mode, preventing unauthorized Bluetooth devices from seeing or connecting to your PC until you manually check the "Turn discovery on" box on the Options tab of the wizard. Even then, the Bluetooth device won't be able to "shake hands" with your machine unless both have the same passkey. Consult your device's documentation to find out what needs to go in the passkey fieldsome devices (typically mice and keyboards) come with a preconfigured passkey, and this will be marked prominently on your unit or in the documentation.

Choose the device you want to configure from the list and enter its passkey if necessary. If you don't know the passkey, try "0000" (four zeros), an old standby used by many Bluetooth devices. Once done, Windows will take care of the rest, and will automatically connect to the device whenever it detects it in the future.

Some details on the tabs found in the wizard:

Devices: A list of all your current connections. Click the Add button to open the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard, which takes you through all the steps, from making the device discoverable to entering the passkey. If a passkey is listed in the documentation, enter it hereif not, you can either choose your own, have Windows create one for you, or go without (not recommended). Once added, a connection can later be removed by clicking the Remove button, or configured via the Properties button.
Options: Prepare your computer for a new device (see Figure 4-13). Checking the "Turn discovery on" box makes your PC visible to Bluetooth devices in the area. The checkboxes in the Connections section let you accept or deny incoming Bluetooth connections, or be alerted when a device tries to make a connection. The bottom checkbox lets you tuck the Bluetooth Device Wizard icon in the System Tray.

Figure 4-13. The Bluetooth Devices Wizard makes it easy to discover new devices, without giving everyone in the area access

COM Ports: Used for communicating with Bluetooth devices such as PDAs. The Add button lets you set this up by hand, either for incoming (the device makes the connection) or outgoing (the computer makes the connection) traffic.
Hardware: A simple list of the Bluetooth equipment installed on your machine.

Notes

The Bluetooth Wizard is only available after installing Service Pack 2, and will only appear if you've connected a Bluetooth receiver to your PC. The original Windows XP, and XP with SP1, feature rudimentary support for Bluetooth equipment, notably, only for Microsoft's own products. With SP2, installing and configuring your wireless mice, keyboards, mobile phones, PDAs, and other Bluetooth equipment should be as easy as bringing them into range.

Boot Configuration Manager

\windows\system32\bootcfg.exe

Configure and view entries in the boot.ini file, used by the Windows XP Boot Manager.(Boot Configuration Manager is included with Windows XP Professional only.)

To Open

Command Prompt bootcfg

Usage

bootcfg /command [parameters]

Description

The Windows XP Boot Manager, responsible for supporting multiple operating systems on the same system, is installed when Windows XP is installed. If there is more than one boot entry, a menu appears before Windows is loaded, allowing the user to choose an operating system to load. The entries in the menu are configured in a file called boot.ini, located in the root directory of your boot drive. boot.ini is a plain text file and can be edited with Notepad. However, the syntax can be complex, so the Boot Configuration Manager can be used to add, remove, or configure entries and options.

Unfortunately, the Boot Configuration Manager doesn't have an interface to speak of. Rather, commands are issued by typing them at the command prompt, like this:

bootcfg /query

There are 11 primary commands, each with its own set of parameters. To list all the available commands, type:

bootcfg /?

To see the usage of any particular command, type the command followed by /?, like this:

bootcfg /query /?

Notes

Among the commands available to the Boot Configuration Manager, the most interesting are the /copy, /delete, and /query commands, used to add, remove, and view the entries in boot.ini, respectively. The /query command is the default; if you simply type bootcfg with no command, it's the same as typing bootcfg /query.
boot.ini is a hidden file; see "Attrib", earlier in this chapter, for details on hidden files.
Some of the aspects of the boot menu (e.g., settings in the boot.ini file) can also be set by going to the Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Advanced tab, and clicking Settings in the Startup and Recovery section. The options in the System Startup section allow you to choose the default operating system and the timeout before the default is selected. (These settings duplicate the /default and /timeout commands, respectively.) Finally, click Edit to open the boot.ini file in Notepad.
The obvious advantage of this utility is the ability to modify the boot menu with a batch file or WSH script.
The BOOT.INI tab of the System Configuration Utility, discussed later in this chapter, also provides access to several boot preferences not otherwise available.

To Open

Command Prompt makecab

Usage

makecab [/v[n]] [/d var=value] [/l dir] source [destination]

makecab [/v[n]] [/d var=value] /f directive_file

Description

A cabinet file is a compressed archive commonly used to package application installation files. Cabinets are similar to .zip files, although there are added features such as a rudimentary script system intended to install and register application components.

There are two ways to use the Cabinet Maker. First, you can compress one or more files directly, like this:

makecab \windows\greenstone.bmp greenstone.cab

which compresses the file, greenstone.bmp, into the greenstone.cab archive. The new cabinet file, greenstone.cab, is created automatically in the current directory; if it already exists, it is replaced with the new archive. Unfortunately, wildcards (*.*) aren't allowed in the source, so you can only specify one file at a time. This is where the second usage of the Cabinet Maker comes in: instead of specifying options and files directly, a single plain text file, called a directive file (.ddf) is used. The simplest directive file lists all the files to include. A line beginning with a semicolon is treated as a comment.

Assuming the lines:

;Example directive file c:\windows\greenstone.bmp c:\windows\rhododendron.bmp

are saved into a file called test.ddf, the Makecab command would then look like this:

makecab /f test.ddf

Multiple directive files can be specified in the same command, listed one after another.

Notes

Diamond Cabinet Builder (diantz.exe) is identical to makecab.exe; it's included only for legacy support.
There are two ways to open Cabinet files and extract their contents. The easiest way is to double-click on any .cab file in Explorer to display a folder view of the contents. You can then drag files out of the .cab file (items cannot be added here, however). The other way is to use the File Expansion Utility (expand.exe).
WinZip (http://www.winzip.com) can also be used to open .cab files, but it's not compatible with all variants of the .cab format, and thus won't open every .cab file you encounter.
More complicated directive files, including the use of .inf installation routines, are possible with the Cabinet Maker. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/ for details, including the use of the /v and /d parameters.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Calculator

Command Prompt calc

Description

By default, the Calculator starts in Standard mode, containing only the numeric keypad and some basic functions (add, subtract, invert, square root, etc.). Select Scientific from the View menu to use the calculator in Scientific mode, useful for more advanced functions, such as logarithmic, logical, trigonomic, and base functions (see Figure 4-14). Each time you subsequently open the calculator, it will appear in the previously used mode.

Figure 4-14. The scientific view of the Calculator provides access to many more functions than the standard view

Entering data and performing calculations

Data can be entered by clicking the buttons or by pressing keys on the keyboard. All keys have keyboard equivalents; key mappings that are not quite obvious (such as log) are documented in Table 4-2. Note that many of the functions below are only available in Scientific mode.

Table 4-2. Calculations and keyboard equivalents

Calc button	Keyboard key	Action
`C`	`Esc`	Clear all calculations
`CE`	`Del`	Clear the last entry
`Back`	`Backspace`	Clear the last digit
`MR`	`Ctrl-R`	Display the number stored in memory
`MS`	`Ctrl-M`	Store the current value in memory
`M+`	`Ctrl-P`	Add the current value to the number stored in memory
`MC`	`Ctrl-L`	Clear the memory
+/-	F9	Change the sign (negative)

When in Hex mode, hexadecimal values A-F can be entered from the keyboard or by using the A-F buttons on the calculator. Number systems and keyboard equivalents can be seen in Table 4-3. Tables Table 4-4 and Table 4-5 show binary mode keyboard equivalents and bitwise (logic) functions and keyboard equivalents, respectively.

Table 4-3. Number systems and keyboard equivalents

Calc Button	Keyboard key	Action
`Hex`	`F5`	Hexadecimal (base 16)
`Dec`	`F6`	Decimal (base 10)
`Oct`	`F7`	Octal (base 8)
`Bin`	`F8`	Binary (base 2)

Table 4-4. Binary mode keyboard equivalents

Calc button	Keyboard key	Action
`Qword`	F12	64-bit value
`Dword`	`F2`	32-bit value
`Word`	`F3`	16-bit value (low order bit)
`Byte`	`F4`	8-bit value (low order bit)

Table 4-5. Bitwise (logic) functions and keyboard equivalents

Calc Button	Keyboard key	Action
`Mod`	`%`	Modulus
`And`	`&`	Bitwise AND
`Or`	`\|`	Bitwise OR
`Xor`	`^`	Bitwise exclusive OR
`Lsh`	`<`	Left shift (right shift via `Inv` + `Lsh` or `>`)
`Not`	`~`	Bitwise inverse
Int	;	Integer (remove the decimal portion)

When in Decimal mode, the Deg, Rad, and Grad radio buttons switch between degrees, radians, and gradients (see Table 4-6).

Table 4-6. Decimal mode keyboard equivalents

Calc button	Keyboard key	Action
Deg	`F2`	Calculate trigonomic functions in degrees
Rad	`F3`	Calculate trigonomic functions in radians
Grad	`F4`	Calculate trigonomic functions in grads

Statistical functions

To perform a statistical calculation, start by entering the first data, then click Sta to open the Statistics Box, click Dat to display the data in the Statistics Box, and then continue entering the data, clicking Dat after each entry. When you've finished entering all the numbers, click the statistical button you want to use (Ave, Sum, or S). The buttons available in the Statistics Box are listed in Table 4-7.

Table 4-7. Statistics Box buttons

Calc button	Action
`RET`	Returns the focus to the calculator
`LOAD`	Displays the selected number in the Statistics Box in the Calculator display area
`CD`	Clears the selected number (data)
`CAD`	Clears all numbers (data) in the Statistics Box

Scientific calculation

Scientific calculations buttons and keyboard equivalents are shown in Table 4-8.

Table 4-8. Scientific calculations buttons and keyboard equivalents

Calc button	Keyboard key	Action
`Inv`	`i`	Sets the inverse function for `sin`, `cos`, `tan`, `Pl`, `xy`, `x`², `x`³, `Ln`, `log`, `sum`, and `s`.
`Hyp`	`h`	Sets the hyperbolic function for `sin`, `cos`, and `tan`.
`F-E`	`v`	Turns scientific notation on and off. Can only be used with decimal numbers. Numbers larger than 10¹⁵ are always displayed with exponents.
`( )`	`( )`	Starts and ends a new level of parentheses. The maximum number of nested parentheses is 25. The current number of levels appears in the box above the `)` button.
`dms`	`m`	If the displayed number is in degrees, convert to degree-minute-second format. Use `Inv + dms` to reverse the operation.
`Exp`	`x`	The next digit(s) entered constitute the exponent. The exponent cannot be larger than 289. Decimal only.
`Ln`	`n`	Natural (base e) logarithm. `Inv + Ln` calculates `e` raised to the `n` th power, where `n` is the current number.
`sin`	`s`	Sine of the displayed number. `Inv + sin` gives arc sine. `Hyp + sin` gives hyperbolic sine. `Inv + Hyp + sin` gives arc hyperbolic sine.
`x^y`	`y`	`x` to the `y`th power. `Inv + x^y` calculates the `y`th root of `x`.
`Log`	`l`	The common (base 10) logarithm. `Inv + log` yields 10 to the `x`th power, where `x` is the displayed number.
`Cos`	`o`	Cosine of the displayed number. `Inv + cosin` gives arc cosine. `Hyp + cosin` gives hyperbolic cosine. `Inv + Hyp + cosin` gives arc hyperbolic cosine.
`x^3`	`#`	Cubes the displayed number. `Inv + x^3` gives the cube root.
`n!`	`!`	Factorial of the displayed number.
`tan`	`t`	Tangent of the displayed number. `Inv + tan` gives arc tan. `Hyp + tan` gives hyperbolic tan. `Inv + Hyp + tan` gives arc hyperbolic tan.
`x^2`	`@`	Squares the displayed number. `Inv + x^2` gives the square root.
`l/x`	`r`	Reciprocal of displayed number.
`Pi`	`p`	The value of pi (3.1415...). `Inv + Pi` gives 2 pi.

Notes

If you convert a fractional decimal number to another number system, only the integer part will be used.
Those serious about calculators will probably notice that there is no Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) mode. Fortunately, there are literally dozens of freely available alternatives on the Web (try the Aepryus Calculator from http://www.aepryus.com/ or the Trig+ PC Calculator from http://www.web-ee.com/). Also see "Powertoy Calc," part of Microsoft's Power Toys package described in Appendix D.

Character Map

\windows\system32\charmap.exe

Display all the characters and symbols in a particular font. This provides access to symbols not easily accessible with the keyboard

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Character Map

Command Prompt charmap

Description

Character Map displays a visual map of all the characters in any font, making it easy to paste them into other documents (see Figure 4-15).

Figure 4-15. Use Character Map to access the symbols you can't normally type from the keyboard

To use Character Map:

Select a font from the Font drop-down list. If you're inserting a character into an existing document, you should select the same font that is used in the document.
Find the character you wish to use; click once on any cell to magnify its character. If you can't find the desired character, remember to scroll down. If the selected font doesn't have the character you want, try another font.
Double-click the character you want (or click once and then click the Select button) to place the character in the "Characters to copy" box. You can place as many successive characters as you want in this box.
Click Copy to copy the character(s) to the Windows clipboard.
Switch to your other application, click where you want the character(s) to appear, and paste (using either the Edit menu or Ctrl-V).
If the font in the target application isn't the same as the one you've selected in Character Map, you'll need to highlight the newly inserted character(s), and then change them to the same font you used in Character Map. If the character in your document doesn't look as it did in Character Map, it's because the wrong font is being used.

Notes

Effective use of Character Map relies on correct font selection, especially when you're pasting characters into applications that don't support multiple fonts. For example, the default font used in Notepad is Lucida Console (changed by going to Notepad Format Font), and the default font used in most text boxes is Tahoma (changed by going to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display).
Character Map is helpful not only for selecting extended characters in standard fonts, but also for accessing dingbats, such as those found in the Webdings, Wingdings, Symbol, and Marlett fonts.
Character Map is useful for finding out what key combination will produce a nonstandard character in any given font. This can eliminate the need to repeatedly go back to Character Map to retrieve the same character. Select a character in any cell and see the corresponding character code in the status bar. For example, the Yin-Yang symbol in Wingdings is character code 0x5B. Now, this is a hexidecimal code, so you'll need to use the Calculator to convert it to a decimal number. In the Calculator's Scientific mode, click Hex, type the code (not including the 0x prefix - 5B in this case), and then click Dec to view the decimal equivalent (91 in this case). To then insert the character into an application using the keyboard, hold the Alt key, and type the code using the numeric keypad (the numbers above the letters won't work). In the case of the Yin-Yang, type Alt-91. Appendix E lists some of the most useful character codes.

To Open

Command Prompt chkdsk

Usage

chkdsk [drive[filename]] [/f] [/r] [/x] [/i] [/c] [/v]

Description

Chkdsk scans the disk surface, checks the integrity of files and folders, and looks for lost clusters (among other things), correcting any problems that are found and sometimes even freeing disk space consumed by unusable fragments of data.

If you run Chkdsk with no command-line parameters, it will check the current drive for errors. Or, specify a drive letter to check a specific drive, like this:

chkdsk e:

However, Chkdsk run this way will only report problemsit won't correct them. The report you'll get looks something like this:

The type of the file system is NTFS. Volume label is Hard Disk. WARNING!  F parameter not specified. Running CHKDSK in read-only mode. CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 3)... File verification completed. CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)... Index verification completed. CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 3)... Security descriptor verification completed. Correcting errors in the Volume Bitmap. Windows found problems with the file system. Run CHKDSK with the /F (fix) option to correct these.   29302528 KB total disk space.    2997136 KB in 19467 files.       5132 KB in 1320 indexes.          0 KB in bad sectors.      94368 KB in use by the system.      65536 KB occupied by the log file.   26205892 KB available on disk.       4096 bytes in each allocation unit.    7325632 total allocation units on disk.    6551473 allocation units available on disk.

The report starts with a warning about the /f parameter (see below), followed by descriptions of the stages of the scan. Note that an error has been found, but according to the report, it wasn't fixed. Next comes the summary of the total disk space, used space, and other statistics, which are fairly self-explanatory.

To use Chkdsk effectively, you'll need to use the following optional parameters:

/f: Fix any errors found. If /f is omitted, errors are merely reported and no changes to the disk are made.
/r: Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information. Using the /r parameter implies /f (see above). Think of the /r parameter as a beefed-up version of /f. Keep in mind that bad sectors represent physical errors on the disk surface, and safe recovery of the data residing in those areas is not guaranteed. Only use the /r option if you have reason to believe you have one or more bad sectors, either because Chkdsk is reporting this problem or if you encounter another symptom, such as your computer crashing or freezing every time you attempt to access a certain file.
/x: Forces the volume to dismount before the scan is performed. Using the /x parameter implies /f (see above). This effectively disconnects the drive from Explorer and all other programs, closing any open files stored on the drive, before any changes are made. You may wish to use this option when checking or repairing a shared drive used frequently by the several users on a network; otherwise, access to the drive might interrupt Chkdsk, or even corrupt data further.
/i: Performs a less vigorous check of index entries. The /i option can be used only on NTFS disks, as index entries only exist on NTFS volumes. Typically, you'll probably never need this option, although you may choose to use it to reduce the amount of time required to check the disk.
/c: Skips checking of cycles within the folder structure. Like /i, the /c option can be used only on NTFS disks. Likewise, you'll probably never need this option either, although you may choose to use it to reduce the amount of time required to check the disk.
/v: Use of the /v parameter abandons Chkdsk's primary purpose, and instead simply displays a list of every file on the entire hard disk (in no particular order). Note that the /v parameter can be used only on a disk with a FAT or FAT32 file system; it has no meaning on an NTFS disk.

Notes

Chkdsk can also be used to check a single file or a specific group of files for fragmentation (see "Disk Defragmenter", later in this chapter), but only on FAT or FAT32 disks. To do this, specify the full path and filename (or use wildcards, such as *.*, to specify multiple files) instead of the drive letter on the command line.
In Windows 9x/Me, regular usage of Scandisk was recommended, but that's not necessarily the case with Chkdsk and Windows XP. Whenever Windows isn't properly shutdown, or when Windows detects a potential problem during startup, Chkdsk is run automatically during the boot process. Additionally, given the added stability of Windows XP, you may not ever need to run Chkdsk manually unless you suspect a problem.
When Chkdsk is launched during Windows startup, it is preceded by a message and a 10-second delay, giving you the option of skipping the scan. While Chkdsk is running, either during Windows startup or any other time, it can be corrupted by pressing Ctrl-C.
During normal use of Chkdsk, you'll see references to various terms describing problems on your hard disk. Among the more popular players are lost clusters (pieces of data no longer associated with any file), bad sectors (actual flaws in the disk surface), cross-linked files (two files claiming ownership of the same chunk of data), invalid file dates and filenames, and a few other more obscure errors.
The /v parameter is a funny option, especially considering it has very little to do, at least in terms of results, with the other functions of this program. However, when used in conjunction with pipe operators (see Appendix C), this feature can generate filtered reports of the contents of a drive.
If you wish to schedule Chkdsk at regular intervals to help ensure a healthy disk, you can configure the Task Scheduler (discussed later in this chapter) to run Chkdsk, say, every Friday at 3:30.

To Open

Command Prompt chkntfs

Usage

chkntfs [drive | /d | /t:time | /x drive | /c drive]

Description

Chkdsk, described earlier in this chapter, is run automatically during Windows startup, either if the previous session was not ended gracefully (the computer was turned off without shutting down) or if errors are detected. Chkntfs is used to modify this behavior for one or all of your drives.

If you run Chkntfs with only a drive letter (e.g., chkntfs c:), you get a somewhat cryptic report, like this:

The type of the file system is NTFS. C: is not dirty.

The identification of the filesystem type on the first line is fairly self-evident. The "not dirty" report implies that the drive was properly "cleaned up" the last time the system shut down. In other words, the system shut down properly. If the system isn't shut down properly, any drives in use (drives containing one or more files that were open when the computer lost power, for example) are marked "dirty," and those drives are scanned the next time Windows starts. To change this behavior, use one of the following options. Note that all options, including the specification of the drive letter above, are exclusive; only one can be used in any time.

/d: Type chkntfs /d to restore the default behavior of the entire machine; all drives automatically check to boot time, and any drives found to be "dirty" are checked with Chkdsk.
/t :time: Used to change the countdown before this scan is started, during which time the user can press the Spacebar to skip the scan. Time is simply any number, in seconds: chkntfs /t:5 configures Windows to wait five seconds before running Chkdsk.
/x drive: Excludes a particular drive from those checked at startup. For example, type chkntfs /x e: to exclude drive E: from the auto-check.
/c drive: Includes a particular drive in those checked at startup; /c is the opposite of /x. For example, type chkntfs /c e: to instruct Windows to check drive E: during startup, and if found "dirty," to run chkdsk e: /f.

To Open

Command Prompt clipbrd

Description

The Clipboard is merely a place in memory; it's where data is stored when it is cut or copied from most Windows applications. It's not a discrete application and has no interface of its own to speak of. However, the Clipbook Viewer is provided as a "window" into the clipboard, so to speak, as it allows you to view whatever has been placed in the Clipboard without disrupting or interfering with it any way.

Furthermore, you can save data into special .clp files, making retrieval at a later timewithout having to open the original applicationeasy. This effectively affords us multiple clipboards.

When you first start Clipbook Viewer, it contains a single document called "Clipboard," which displays the current contents of the clipboard at any time. In fact, you can leave open and watch the contents change as you copy and paste items from various programs. For example, if you cut or copy a file in Explorer, you'll see the full path and filename of the object listed in the Clipboard document window. The same goes for plain text, rich text, images, spreadsheet cells, or most other types of data.

Although Clipbook Viewer won't be able to display all types of data accurately, it does correctly preserve the format of the data, so you can safely save and retrieve your clipboards without altering the data. To save the data in the clipboard, select Save from the File menu, type a filename (with the .clp extension), and click OK. Then, at a later time, open the file using the Clipbook Viewer (or by double-clicking the .clp file in Explorer). You'll be asked whether or not you wish to clear the contents of the clipboard; if you answer yes, the contents of the clipboard will be replaced with the data stored in the file you've opened. Otherwise, the operation is canceled.

Sharing, a mechanism by which clipboard data can be transferred between computers on a network, is not an automatic process. Instead, you must manually paste data to be shared into the Local Clipbook window, a document that should appear alongside the Clipboard document window in the Clipbook Viewer. The security menu allows you to set permissions for your shared data so that only authorized users can get access to it. To access the data on another computer's Local Clipbook, select Connect from the File menu.

Notes

If the Local Clipbook window does not appear in the Clipbook Viewer, the Clickbook Viewer is unable to establish a connection with another computer on your network. Make sure sharing is enabled and properly configured on all computers involved.
Note that some applications use an "internal" clipboard, allowing information to be copied and pasted only within the application. Data originating from these applications will not show up in the ClickBook Viewer.

Command Prompt

\windows\system32\cmd.exe

The Windows XP command line interface, commonly known as a DOS box.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Command Prompt

Command Prompt cmd

Usage

cmd [/q][/d] [/a|/u] [/e:on|off][/f:on|off][/v:on|off] /t:fg      [[/s][/c|/k] string]

Description

The Command Prompt (see Figure 4-16) is a simple application in which you type commands rather than pointing and clicking. While the Command Prompt is sparse and may be somewhat intimidating to new users, it carries out several very important functions in Windows XP, including access to otherwise inaccessible programs and utilities and even some advanced file management functions. Appendix C fully documents the command prompt, its commands, and the related Address Bar.

Figure 4-16. Use the DIR command to view the contents of the current directory in the Command Prompt

Cmd accepts the following parameters:

string: When used with /c or /k, specifies a command to be carried out when the command prompt window is first opened. Multiple commands can be specified here if they're separated by &&, and string, as a whole, is surrounded by quotation marks. String must be the last parameter on the command line. See Chapter 6 for more information on the types of commands that can be typed at the command prompt.
/c: Carries out the command specified by string and then stops.
/k: Carries out the command specified by string and continues.
/s: Strips any quotation marks in string. Type cmd /? for details.
/q: Turns the echo off; see "echo" In Chapter 6.
/d: Disables execution of AutoRun commands. Without /d, any programs or commands listed in the Registry keys, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\AutoRun are executed every time a command prompt window is opened.
/a: Formats all command prompt output so that it is American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-compliant.
/u: Formats all command prompt output so that it is Unicode-compliant.
/e:on|off: Enables or disables command extensions (the default is on). Turn off command extensions to disable certain advanced features of the commands discussed in Chapter 6.
/f:on|off: Enables or disables file and directory name completion (the default is off). Type cmd /? for details.
/v:on|off: Enables or disables delayed environment variable expansion (the default is off). Type cmd /? for details.
/t :fg: Sets the foreground and background colors (f and g, respectively) of the command prompt window. The single-digit values for f and g are as follows: 0=Black, 1=Blue, 2=Green, 3=Aqua, 4=Red, 5=Purple, 6=Yellow, 7=White, 8=Gray, 9=Light blue, A=Light green, B=Light aqua, C=Light red, D=Light purple, E=Light yellow, and F=Bright white.

Notes

Also included with Windows XP is command.com, the command prompt used in Windows 9x/Me. It's used similarly to cmd.exe, but has limited support of long filenames and other XP features. Command.com is included for legacy purposes only and should be avoided; cmd.exe is the preferred Command Prompt in Windows XP.
Refer to the beginning of this chapter for more information on how the command prompt is used to access those programs that don't have Start menu entries.

To Open

Command Prompt cmstp

Description

The Connection Manager Profile Installer is used to automate the installation (or removal) of connection profiles. For example, an Internet service provider or network administrator may build an .inf file containing all the necessary information to connect to another computer or service, and then use the Connection Manager Profile Installer to integrate the information into a particular computer. Type cmstp at any prompt for information on its usage.

Control Panel

\windows\system32\control.exe

The central interface for most of the preferences, hardware configuration, and other settings in Windows XP.

To Open

Start Control Panel (when using the new Windows XP Start menu)

Start Settings Control Panel (when using the classic Start menu)

Windows Explorer navigate to the Desktop\My Computer\Control Panel folder

My Computer Control Panel^[1]

^[1] Control Panel only appears in the My Computer window if the "Show Control Panel in My Computer" setting is enabled in the Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options View tab. Regardless of this setting, however, Control Panel appears under the My Computer branch in Explorer.

Command Prompt Control

Usage

control [filename.cpl] [applet_name]

control [keyword]

Description

The Control Panel has no settings of its own; it's merely a container for any number of options windows (commonly called applets or Control Panel extensions), most of which can be accessed without even opening the Control Panel folder. Unfortunately, the Control Panel can look vastly different from one computer to another, based on preferences scattered throughout several dialog boxes. Furthermore, the default settings vary (depending on how Windows XP was installed) (see Figure 4-17). In order to simplify notation in this book, I'm making certain assumptions about your preferences. It's best to familiarize yourself with the various options described below so that you won't be confused when a setting in the Control Panel is referenced.

Figure 4-17. The category view of the Control Panel (top) is more inviting but also more cumbersome than the standard Control Panel (bottom)

There are several different ways to access the Control Panel and its contents:

Start menu

The way the Control Panel appears in the Start menu depends on several different settings, resulting in no fewer than five different possibilities.

If you're using the new Windows XP-style Start menu, right-click on the Start button and select Properties. Click Customize, and then choose the Advanced tab. In the Start menu items list, there are three possibilities for the display of the Control Panel: "Display as a link," which opens the Control Panel folder when clicked, "Display as a menu," which skips the folder and displays the contents as menu items, and "Don't display this item," which hides it from the Start menu altogether. If enabled, the Control Panel entry appears in the second column in the Start menu (see Figure 4-18).

Figure 4-18. The Control Panel can be accessed through the Start menu; you'll never see categories here

If you're using the Classic Start menu (a simpler, cleaner layout, resembling earlier versions of Windows), go to Start Settings Taskbar and Start Menu Start Menu tab, and click Customize. By default, the Control Panel entry, which also appears in the Settings menu, opens the Control Panel folder. If, instead, you want a menu to appear, turn on the "Expand Control Panel" option in the list of "Advanced Start menu options."

Explorer: The Control Panel appears as another folder under the My Computer branch. Whether or not the Control Panel icon is configured to be displayed in the My Computer window, it will appear here. Select the folder to display its contents.
My Computer: Double-click the My Computer icon on your Desktop; if it's not there, select My Computer from the Start menu. If the Control Panel icon does not appear in the My Computer window, it can be added: go to Tools Folder Options View tab and turn on the "Show Control Panel in My Computer" option.
Command prompt: At any command prompt, type control to open the Control Panel. See "Command-line usage", below, for information on opening specific Control Panel applets from the Command Prompt.
Shortcuts: In addition to accessing a particular entry by first opening Control Panel, it's possible to open a specific applet directly, either with a standard Windows shortcut, or with one of the many links built into the Windows interface. For example, "Folder Options" is also available in the Tools menu of Windows Explorer, and "Internet Options" is available in the Tools menu of Internet Explorer. To make a standard Windows Shortcut to a Control Panel applet, simply drag the desired icon from the Control Panel folder onto your Desktop or into any folder. Then double-click the icon to open the applet, skipping the Control Panel folder altogether.

Command-line usage

This section explains how to use control.exe from the command line, most notably for creating Windows shortcuts to specific Control Panel applets. Note that most, but not all, applets can be launched from the command line; see Notes for a workaround. Control.exe supports two command-line methods (see Usage, at the beginning of this section), but no method covers all applets. Control.exe accepts the following parameters:

filename.cpl

The filename of the .cpl file (found in \Windows\System32) containing the applet you wish to open. For example, type:

control main.cpl

to open the Mouse Properties dialog. If there's more than one Control Panel applet contained in the .cpl file, and the one you want is not the default, you'll need to specify the applet_name (see below) to open it.

applet_name ,tab

The formal name of the applet you want to launch, spelled and capitalized exactly as described in the table below. This parameter is necessary only if there's more than one applet contained in a given .cpl file. If you omit applet_name, the default applet in the specified .cpl file will be used. For example, type:

control main.cpl Keyboard

to open the Keyboard Properties dialog. Note that the main.cpl file is the same file as the one in the previous example, but the use of applet_name allows applets other than the default to be opened.

For some tabbed dialogs (but not all), you can also specify the specific tab to open by including a space and then a comma after the .cpl filename (the preceding space is required), and then a number. Specify 0 for the first tab (or omit the tab completely), 1 for the second, and so on. For example, type control sysdm.cpl ,3 to open the System Properties window to the Advanced tab.

keyword: Keyword is an alternate way of opening a specific Control Panel applet from the command line. Instead of using filename.cpl and applet_name, simply include one of the following names: admintools, color, date/time, desktop, folders, fonts, international, keyboard, mouse, netconnections, printers, schedtasks, telephony, or userpasswords.

See Table 4-9 for a list of all available Control Panel applets, the category in which they can be found, and how to open them directly from the command line.

Table 4-9. Control panel applets

Applet name	Category	Command line
Accessibility Options	Accessibility Options	`control access.cpl`
Add Hardware	n/a (see Notes)	`control hdwwiz.cpl`
Add or Remove Programs	Add or Remove Programs	`control appwiz.cpl`
Administrative Tools	Performance and Maintenance	`control admintools` or `explorer "\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools`"
Date and Time	Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options	`control timedate.cpl` or `control date/time`
Display	Appearance and Themes	`control desk.cpl` or `control desktop` or `control color` (opens the Appearance tab automatically)
Folder Options	Appearance and Themes	`control folders`
Fonts	n/a (See Notes)	`explorer "\windows\fonts`" or `control fonts`
Game Controllers	Printers and Other Hardware	`control joy.cpl`
Internet Options	Network and Internet Connections	`control inetcpl.cpl`
Keyboard	Printers and Other Hardware	`control main.cpl Keyboard` or `control keyboard`
Mouse	Printers and Other Hardware	`control main.cpl` or `control mouse`
Network Connections	Network and Internet Connections	`control ncpa.cpl` or `control netconnections`
Phone and Modem Options	Printers and Other Hardware	`control telephon.cpl` or `control telephony`
Power Options	Performance and Maintenance	`control powercfg.cpl`
Printers and Faxes	Printers and Other Hardware	`control printers`
Regional and Language Options	Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options	`control intl.cpl` or `control international`
Scanners and Cameras	Printers and Other Hardware	n/a
Scheduled Tasks	Performance and Maintenance	`control sticpl.cpl` or `control schedtasks`
Sounds and Audio Devices	Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices	`control mmsys.cpl`
Speech	Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices	`control speech`
System	Performance and Maintenance	`control sysdm.cpl`
Taskbar and Start Menu	Appearance and Themes	n/a
User Accounts	User Accounts	`control nusrmgr.cpl` or `control userpasswords`

All of the applets mentioned here are discussed elsewhere in this chapter. Additionally, all the settings in all Control Panel applets that come with Windows XP are documented in Chapter 5 (arranged alphabetically). Rather than being listed by their location in the interface, settings are arranged alphabetically. That way, you'll be able to find the setting you need without having to figure out where Microsoft decided to place it.

Notes

Those items with "n/a" in the Command line column of Table 4-9 can't be launched from the command line using control.exe. However, it's still possible to launch these (and any other) applets from the command line using a Windows shortcut. Simply drag the desired icon onto your Desktop or into a folder to create a shortcut. Then, to launch the shortcut from the command line, just type its full path and filename, including the .lnk filename extension. For example, to launch a shortcut named "Taskbar and Start Menu" (presumably linked to the applet of the same name), stored in your Stuff folder, type the following to open it:
```
\stuff\Taskbar and Start Menu.lnk
```

Three Control Panel applets are not in categories, but appear on the top level: Accessibility Options, Add or Remove Programs, and User Accounts.
Neither Fonts nor Add Hardware are listed in any category, and if you're viewing the Control Panel in Windows Explorer, there's no way to activate either applet without disabling the category view altogether. However, if you have the "Show common tasks in folders" option turned on (Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options General tab), and you're viewing Control Panel in a single folder window (no folder tree on the left), Fonts and Add Hardware appear as one of the tasks on the common tasks pane in the "Appearance and Themes" and "Printers and Other Hardware" categories, respectively.
In previous versions of Windows, control.exe had a property_tab parameter, which allowed you to jump to a specific tab in a tabbed dialog. This parameter appears to be ignored in Windows XP, although you may find some older third-party applets that still support it.
If you've configured Control Panel to open as a menu in the Start menu, you can open the Control Panel folder by right-clicking on Control Panel and selecting Open or Explore.
Some applications, software drivers, and hardware drivers come with their own applets, so you may have additional applets in your Control Panel not listed here. Also, depending on your version of Windows XP (Home or Professional), as well as any installed optional components (via Control Panel Add or Remove Programs), some of the items listed here might not be present in your Control Panel. See the specific entries, elsewhere in this chapter, for details on each of the applets mentioned here.
Selective Control Panel icons can be hidden with TweakUI (see Appendix D).
If you've upgraded from an earlier version of Windows and several Control Panel applets appear to be missing, open the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel and delete the don't load key entirely.

To Open

Command Prompt shrpubw

Usage

shrpubw [/s computer_name]

Description

The easiest way to begin sharing a folder or drive is to right-click on its icon in Explorer, select Sharing and Security, and turn on the "Share this folder on the network" option. However, this procedure only allows you to share local folders. If you need to access an unshared folder on a computer on the other side of the building, for example, you would have to walk over to that computer and enable sharing for the folder while sitting in front of it.

The Create Shared Folder utility not only provides an alternative interface for sharing folders, it also lets you enable sharing of a folder on the remote computer (see Figure 4-19). Create Shared Folder can almost be thought of as a "back door," enabling access to computer where no such access has been explicitly defined. Naturally, if you don't have administrative rights on the target computer, you won't be able to do anything (see "Notes," later in this section).

Figure 4-19. The Create Shared Folder dialog provides an alternate way to share any folder on your hard disk with other computers on your network

If you run Create Shared Folder with no arguments, it will only let you share resources on the local computer. To share resources on a remote computer, use the /s parameter, like this:

shrpubw /s lenny

When Create Shared Folder starts, the computer named Lenny will appear in the Computer field, and you'll be able to enable the sharing of any available resources on that computer.

Regardless of the computer being manipulated with Create Shared Folder, the interface is extremely simple. Below the Computer field (which can't be changed once the program has started), there are three other fields:

Folder to share: Enter the full path of the folder you wish to begin sharing (e.g., c:\my stuff\) or click Browse to navigate the folder tree.
Share name: Enter the name under which the folder will be known on the network (e.g., my stuff).
Share description: The description is optional, but a quick note, describing the purpose of the folder, can be very helpful, especially in large organizations. For example: Lenny's Stuff.

When you're done, click Next to view the second and final page. Here, you can specify the security options for the share, such as which users will be able to read and/or modify the data in the shared folder. Click Finish when you're done, and the new shared folder will appear in the My Network Places folder.

Notes

Based on the type of network you're using, administrative rights may be a little confusing. For example, on a peer-to-peer network, there is no central database of user accounts and passwords. In this case, you would need an identical username and password on each machine, and that user account must have administrative privileges to be recognized as an administrator.
Obviously, this utility redefines security on a network. Just because you haven't explicitly shared a folder doesn't mean someone else can't get access to it. A word to the wise: if your computer resides in a networking environment, which can include ordinary Internet access, you need to be very careful about how you configure user accounts on your system. A further security hazard is the fact that all user accounts in Windows XP Home Edition have administrative privileges.

To Open

Control Panel [Date, Time, Language and Regional Options] Date and Time

Double-click on the clock in the notification area (Tray)

Command Prompt timedate.cpl

Command Prompt control date/time

Description

The Date and Time dialog is pretty straightforward. Set your system's clock with the Date & Time tab and your time zone with the Time Zone tab.

Figure 4-20. A new feature in Windows XP, Internet Time, will automatically synchronize your PC's clock with Microsoft time

The Internet Time tab allows you to synchronize your PC's clock with one of several Internet time servers automatically. If you turn on the "Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server" option, Windows will synchronize your clock once a week. Naturally, you must be connected to the Internet for this option to work; if you're not connected when Windows attempts to connect to the time server, it will just try again next week. Also, your time zone and daylight savings settings must be set properly; otherwise, the time synchronization will set the wrong time.

Notes

All settings in this dialog are covered in Chapter 5.
The default Internet time server, time.windows.com, is Microsoft's own server for Internet time synchronization, but it is not your only choice. You can type the address of any time server here, which is useful if your connection to Microsoft's server is slow or if you get errors when you try to synchronize your PC's clock. There are literally hundreds of time servers on the Internet. To find one that is geographically close to you, find an Internet Time Server list, such as the one at http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~mills/ntp/clock1.htm.

To Open

Command Prompt ddeshare

Description

Dynamic Data Exchange is a mechanism that allows one application to send instructions to another. DDE Share extends this functionality by facilitating this communication across a local network, using the NetDDE protocol. NetDDE is a cross-platform tool, capable of communicating with applications on Windows, DOS, OS/2, Solaris, VMS, and HP/UX systems.

When you start DDE Share, you'll see a simple window with a menu and two unlabeled icons. The two icons correspond to the first two entries in the Shares menu: double-click the icon with the hand holding the blank window to display the DDE Shares window, or double-click the icon with the hand holding the "checked" window to display the DDE Trusted Shares window.

Notes

The NetDDE service must be running on both machines. (See the "Microsoft Management Console", later in this chapter, for more information on services.)
One of the two computers assumes the role of server, and the other assumes the role of client. On the server machine only, DDE shares must be created; these shares work similarly to shared folders and printers (see Chapter 7), where a particular resource is given a "share name." In the case of Microsoft Chat, this is already done (shared as Chat$).

If the required entries are not present, you'll need to create them. Unfortunately, DDE conversations are proprietary; that is, the commands involved are decided by the application developer, so you'll have to refer to the documentation that comes with a particular application you're using to determine what type to use in the DDE Share dialogs.
Once the shares have been established, the client machine must be set up to use the share from the server. For example, if you're using Chat and the server machine is named Karl, the service/topic pair would be \\Karl\NDDE$ and Chat$, respectively.

Device Manager

\windows\system32\devmgmt.msc

Configure all hardware installed in or attached to a computer.

To Open

Start Programs Administrative Tools Computer Management Device Manager

Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Hardware tab Device Manager

Command Prompt devmgmt.msc

Keyboard shortcut: Windows logo key + Pause/Break

Description

Device Manager is the central interface for gathering information about and making changes to all the hardware installed in a system. Device Manager has an Explorer-style tree listing all of the various hardware categories, as shown in Figure 4-21; expand any category branch to display all installed devices that fit in that category. For example, expand the Network adapters branch to list all installed network cards in the system. Right-click any device and choose one of the following actions:

Update Driver

If you have a newer driver than what is currently installed (find out by using Properties), select Update Driver to locate and install the new driver. This is the preferred way to update drivers in Windows XP, though some devices may have proprietary installation programs and don't support their drivers being updated in this way.

Note that if you've got a driver disk or have downloaded updated drivers for a device, choose the second option, "Install from a list or specific location" on the first page of the Hardware Update Wizard (see Figure 4-22). If you choose the first option, "Install the software automatically," you won't be able to specify the location of the newer driver files.

Figure 4-21. Device Manager lets you view and change the settings for nearly any hardware device attached to your system

Disable

Select Disable to effectively turn off this device, usually releasing hardware resources it normally consumes. This can be very handy when attempting to resolve hardware conflicts; if you removed the device using Uninstall, discussed below, Windows XP would simply reinstall the device the next time Windows starts.

Disable plays an important role in the use of Hardware Profiles (Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Hardware tab Hardware Profiles), with which you can set up multiple hardware configurations, each with its own set of enabled devices. For example, say you're using a laptop with a built-in touchpad; when you're on the go, the touchpad is your primary pointing device. However, in your office, your docking station has a mouse attached to it. You could set up two hardware profilesone that loads the driver for the touchpad and disables the one for the mouse and one that enables the mouse (and other devices attached to the docking station) and disables the touchpad. You may not need to go through all this trouble for situations like this, but in the case of the touchpad, you may prefer to have it turned off when you don't need it, as touchpads can sometimes interfere with frequent typing.

Figure 4-22. The Hardware Update Wizard walks you through the process of choosing a new driver for an already-attached device

Uninstall: Uninstall is more useful than it might seem on the surface. When you uninstall a device from Device Manager, it completely removes the driver from the system and erases all the corresponding configuration settings for that device. In addition to using Uninstall when you're physically removing a device from your system, it's also very handy when you're experiencing a problem with the device. When you remove a device from Device Manager and restart your computer, Windows will redetect the device and install it as though it were plugged in for the first time; this can be a very useful tool for repairing corrupt installations and fixing all sorts of problems with devices and their drivers.

Note that Uninstall is not the way to force Windows to stop recognizing the uninstalled device, since Windows will just reload the driver the next time it starts. Instead, use Disable for this purpose.

Scan for hardware changes

Highlight a device and select " Scan for hardware changes" to force Windows to rescan the device, checking to see it has been removed, turned on, turned off, or reconfigured in some way.

Highlight a category and select "Scan for hardware changes" to not only scan for changes in the installed hardware, but to force Windows to look for new devices in this category as well. Typically, you'd use Add Hardware Wizard to install new devices. However, this procedure is useful for reattaching devices that have already been installed, such as USB devices or removable hard disks that are attached and reattached repeatedly. Likewise, highlight the root (the entry at the top of the tree, named for your computer) and select "Scan for hardware changes" to scan all categories for newly attached, recently changed, or recently disconnected devices.

Properties

The Properties sheet for any device contains lots of information about the device's driver, the status of the device, and several troubleshooting features (including those mentioned previously). Information and settings are divided into the following tabbed pages, some of which may or may not be present, depending on the device (see Figure 4-23).

Figure 4-23. The Properties sheet for a device on your system also shows whether Windows thinks the device is working

The General tab shows the name, type, and physical location of the device (if applicable). Selecting "Do not use this device" from the Device usage list is the same as selecting Disable, as described previously. The Device status box shows relevant messages stating whether or not the driver is installed properly or whether the device is functioning. The Troubleshoot button only displays on interactive help documents (see "Help and Support Center", later in this chapter) relevant to the category in which the device appears, but does not have any specific troubleshooting information for your particular device. Instead, you should check the manufacturer's web site for an updated driver, updated firmware, or more specific troubleshooting information.

The Advanced tab contains settings specific to the device. For example, the Advanced tab for network adapters contains several settings that select which connector type to use (and some other options).

The Driver tab displays several pieces information about the currently installed driver, such as the provider (which corresponds to the distributor, not the manufacturer, of the software), the driver date and version, and whether or not the driver has a digital signature (used to verify the integrity of the driver, available only on drivers designed especially for Windows XP). Click Driver Details to see the individual files that make up the driver, or click Roll Back Driver to uninstall the current driver and replace it with the previously used driver (available only if the driver has been updated since Windows was installed). The Update Driver and Uninstall buttons have the same effect as the actions of the same name, described above.

Finally, the Resources tab lists all the hardware resources consumed by the selected device. Most devices use one or more of the following: a range of memory (expressed as a hexadecimal address), an I/O range (again, expressed as a hexadecimal address), a direct memory access line (DMA), or an interrupt request line (IRQ). Use information on this page to help diagnose hardware conflicts, where two or more devices try to use the same address or IRQ.

Notes

Open the View menu to rearrange the devices by type (the default) or connection. (Group all PCI devices together and all USB devices together, for example.) You can also arrange devices by the resources they consume. This is useful for resolving conflicts. See the discussion of the Resources tab, under "Properties," above, for more information.

The Show hidden devices entry in the View menu is used to display all currently installed drivers, including those for some of the more obscure "Non-Plug and Play Drivers."

When you remove a drive, card, or other piece of hardware from your computer, Windows does not automatically remove the corresponding drivers, but deactivates them. To remove the drivers for a device you don't plan on reinstalling later on, you should locate the device in Device Manager, right-click, and select Uninstall before you physically disconnect the device.

Device Manager is a Snap-in, used with the Microsoft Management Console, discussed later in this chapter.
While Device Manager can be used to configure and remove installed devices, and even add devices by using "Scan for hardware changes," the preferred way to add new hardware is to use the Add Hardware Wizard.
All branches in Device Manager are collapsed by default; to expand the branches, highlight the root entry and press the asterisk (*) key.

DirectX Management Tool

\windows\system32\dxdiag.exe

Test, diagnose, and tweak DirectX drivers.

To Open

Command Prompt dxdiag

Description

DirectX is the system that allows applications, usually games, to directly access graphic, audio, and input devices to maximize performance. Unless you're experiencing a problem with DirectX or a program that uses DirectX, you should never need to use the DirectX Management Tool. If you do indeed encounter a problem, such as poor performance, an apparent glitch in a game, an error message, or some other compatibility problem, use the following steps to diagnose and treat the condition:

DirectX relies on hardware drivers, so the first thing you should do whenever you encounter problems with DirectX is make sure you have the latest drivers for your display adapter, sound card, and game controller (if applicable).
Next, go to http://www.microsoft.com/directx/ and see if there's a more recent version of DirectX than the one installed on your system. To determine the currently installed version of DirectX, open the DirectX Management Tool and read the DirectX Version on the bottom of the System tab. The initial release of Windows XP ships with DirectX 8.1.
If you're experiencing problems only with a certain application or game, check with the manufacturer of that software to see if there's an update or compatibility issue with your specific hardware. Often, manufacturers will post workarounds, patches, or other fixes on their web sites.
If you wish to start exploring troubleshooting options, choose the appropriate tab (e.g., display, sound, etc.) in the DirectX management tool and try running the tests. Some of the pages have options that can be turned on or off. You may wish to try disabling certain DirectX features to see if it solves the particular problem you're having.
Choose the More Help tab to try one of the interactive troubleshooters, each a series of questions designed to help diagnose and solve DirectX-related problems.

Disk Cleanup

\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe

Reclaim disk space by removing unwanted files from your hard drive.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Cleanup

Command Prompt cleanmgr

Description

Disk Cleanup summarizes the disk space used by several predefined types of files, such as Temporary Internet Files and items in the Recycle Bin (see Figure 4-24). If you have more than one hard drive, Disk Cleanup prompts you to choose one.

Figure 4-24. The Disk Cleanup dialog shows several locations of files that can probably be safely deleted

The main window presents a list of file categories from which desired items can be checked to have the corresponding files deleted. The approximate space to be reclaimed by any categories, shown to the right. Here are descriptions of the various categories:

Downloaded Program Files

This folder contains mostly ActiveX and Java applets downloaded from the Internet. If you clean out this folder, these components will simply be downloaded again when you revisit the sites that use them.

Temporary Internet Files

Temporary Internet Files, commonly known as the browser cache, are web pages and images from recently visited web sites, stored in your hard disk for the sole purpose of improving performance when browsing the Web. Deleting the files will have no adverse effects other than requiring that they be downloaded again the next time the corresponding web sites are visited.

You can set the maximum size of this folder using Control Panel [Network and Internet Connections] Internet Options General Settings Amount of disk space to use. Note that copies of cookie files (regularly stored in \Windows\Cookies\) for IE4 are also stored in this folder, but are not deleted along with other Internet files.

Recycle Bin

By default, files that are deleted aren't really deleted; they are simply moved to the recycle bin for deletion at a later time. You can empty the Recycle Bin at any time by right-clicking the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop and selecting Empty Recycle Bin. Right-click the Recycle Bin and select properties to change the maximum amount of disk space allocated to the storage of deleted files (or to disable the Recycle Bin and have files permanently erased immediately).

Temporary Files

Many applications open files to store temporary data, but aren't especially meticulous about deleting those files when they're no longer needed. Application crashes and power outages are other reasons why temporary files might be left behind. The disk space consumed by temporary files, especially after several weeks without maintenance, can be several megabytes.

WebClient/Publisher Temporary Files

These files are essentially the same as the Temporary Internet Files, kept around only for performance reasons, and can be safely deleted as well.

Temporary Offline Files, Offline Files

Temporary offline files are local copies of recently used documents normally stored on remote computers, and marked "Offline." If you take advantage of the "Offline Files" feature in Windows XP, you may wish to examine the files in these folders before you indiscriminately delete them with this utility.

Compress old files

A feature of the NTFS filesystem is that files can be selectively compressed in place. This is a much more advanced version of DriveSpace (the disk compression utility included with Windows 9x/Me), and somewhat more transparent than .zip files. One of the features of NTFS compression is that "old" files can be compressed automatically to save disk space; the downside is a slight performance hit. Turn on this option to enable compression of all files; don't bother if you don't need the disk space. Click Options to specify the age past which a file is considered "old." See the "NTFS Compression Utility", later in this chapter, for more information.

Catalog files for the Content Indexer

The indexing service speeds up file searches by maintaining an index of some files on your hard disk. The index files can be safely deleted and rebuilt automatically.

In addition to the aforementioned categories, the More Options tab provides access to three other tools that can also reclaim disk space:

Windows components: Click Clean up to selectively add or remove optional Windows components; this is the same as Control Panel Add or Remove Programs Add/Remove Windows Components.
Installed programs: Click Clean up to selectively add or remove installed applications; this is the same as Control Panel Add or Remove Programs.
System Restore: This tool allows you to "roll back" your system to an earlier state (say, three weeks ago) before you installed those last seven applications. Although technically, use of this feature can result in reclaimed disk space, it is not an appropriate measure to take simply to increase the amount of free disk space, and should be used with extreme caution.

Disk Defragmenter

\windows\system32\dfrg.msc

Reorganize the files and pieces of files on a disk to optimize disk performance and reliability.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter

Command Prompt dfrg.msc

Description

As files on your hard disk are created, modified, and deleted, they become fragmented (so that a single file is physically stored on the disk surface in several noncontiguous pieces). As more files become fragmented, reliability and performance of the drive both diminish. Disk Defragmenter reorganizes the files and folders on any drive so that not only are the files stored contiguously, but free space is also contiguous (see Figure 4-25).

Figure 4-25. Disk Defragmenter rearranges the data on your hard disk for quicker, more reliable operations

Use of Disk Defragmenter is extremely simple. At the top of the window, you'll see a list of the hard drives installed on your system (on many systems, only one drive, c:, will be shown). Highlight a drive and click Defragment to begin the defragmentation process. Or, click Analyze to view a fragmentation report and a recommendation; note that Disk Defragmenter will claim that defragmentation is unnecessary if the percentage of fragmented files in the drive is lower than about 3 percent.

Note the map, signifying the files on your disk; refer to the legend of the bottom of the window for the meanings of the various colors. Defragmentation can take anywhere from 15 seconds to an hour, depending on the speed of your drive, the level of fragmentation, and the amount of data to move.

Notes

Disk Defragmenter is a "snap-in," a component used with the Microsoft Management Console (discussed later in this chapter). You can open it via its icon on the Start menu, by launching dfrg.msc, or by opening MMC and installing the Disk Defragmenter snap-in.
You can run other programs while Disk Defragmenter runs in the background, but this is not recommended for several reasons. Not only will writing to the disk interfere with Disk Defragmenter, causing it to restart repeatedly, but defragmenting a drive can slow system performance substantially.
With Scheduled Tasks, you can run Disk Defragmenter when you're away from your system (for example, every Sunday night).

To Open

Command Prompt diskpart

Description

DiskPart is a full-featured program used to prepare hard disks and, optionally, divide them into two or more partitions. It's a command-line program and has no interface to speak of. When you start DiskPart, you'll see a simple prompt: DISKPART>. Type help and press Enter to view a list of all the available commands:

add: Add a mirror to a simple volume (Windows XP Server / Advanced Server only).
active: Activate the current basic partition so that it can be used as a boot disk; using it is not necessary if there's only one partition in the volume.
assign: Assign a drive letter or mount point to the selected volume. Note that it may be easier to use the Disk Management tool; see the Microsoft Management Console for details.
break: Break a mirror set (undoes the add command).
clean: Clear the configuration information, or all information, off the disk; this effectively erases the disk.
convert: Convert between different disk formats; most users will never need this command.
create: Create a volume or partition; this is the first step in preparing a hard disk.
delete: Delete an object (undo the create command).
detail: Display details about an disk, partition, or volume. Note that you'll need to use select first.
exit: Exit DiskPart (Ctrl-C also works).
extend: Extend a volume.
import: Import a disk group.
list: Print out a list of object; similar to detail.
online: Change the status of the disk from offline to online.
remove: Remove a drive letter or mount point assignment (undo the assign command). Note that it may be easier to use the Disk Management tool; see "Microsoft Management Console" for details.
rescan: Rescan the computer looking for disks and volumes.
retain: Place a retainer partition under a simple volume.
select: Choose a disk, partition, or volume to view or modify. Even if you have only one disk or partition, you'll still need to select the object before carrying out any other commands. Use list to obtain object numbers for use with select, and then use detail to get more information.

Each of these commands (with the exception of exit) has one or more subcommands. For example, if you simply type detail at the prompt, you'll get a list of the subcommands for use with the list command: disk, partition, and volume. So, to display a list of all the disk volumes on the system, you would type:

list volume

and you'll get a report that looks look something like this:

Volume ##  Ltr Label       Fs     Type       Size     Status   Info ---------  --- ----------  -----  ---------  -------  -------  ---- Volume 0   D   XPPCORP_EN  CDFS   CD-ROM      492 MB Volume 1   C   Hard Disk   NTFS   Partition    28 GB  Healthy  System

From the report, is clear that drive C: is Volume 1; the next step is to select the volume, like this:

select volume 1

Subsequent commands will then apply to the currently selected volume.

Notes

Disk partitioning is tricky business and unless you're preparing a new drive, you'll probably never need to use DiskPart. If you need to repartition a drive that you're currently using, DiskPart is not the way to go, as it will erase any drive you attempt to repartition. A better choice is to use PartitionMagic by PowerQuest (http://www.powerquest.com/), which allows you to add, remove, and resize partitions without destroying the data they contain.
DiskPart replaces the Fdisk utility found in Windows 9x/Me.

To Open

Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display

Right-click on an empty portion of your Desktop Properties

Command Prompt desk.cpl

Command Prompt control desktop

Command Prompt control color^[2]

^[2] This opens the Display Properties window and automatically switches to the Appearance tab.

Description

The Display Properties window allows you to configure a wide variety of settings that affect the Desktop, display, and appearance of just about anything on the screen (see Figure 4-26).

Figure 4-26. Configure the appearance of most screen elements in Windows with Display Properties

Settings are divided into the following tabs:

Themes

A theme is a name under which a collection of display settings is saved. After you've selected the preferences in the other tabs in this dialog, click Save As to create a new theme. Then, if you ever make a subsequent change, you can easily revert back to your saved preferences by selecting the desired theme from the Theme list. Don't confuse themes with styles (available in the Appearance tab).

Saving your theme is a good idea, as it will allow you to restore your settings easily if they're ever changed. It also allows you to quickly switch between multiple groups of settings, which is useful, for example, if you use two different monitors. When you click Save As, you'll be prompted to enter a filename with the .theme filename extension. However, the default folder for these files is My Documents, which is not where Windows looks for themes when it populates the Theme drop-down listbox. To have your theme listed in the Theme list, save your .theme file in the \Windows\Resources\Themes folder.

Due to a strange quirk in the way Windows XP handles themes, several other Control Panel settings will be reset whenever you change the theme. Preferences like your mouse pointers (see "Mouse Properties"), sound scheme (see "Sounds and Audio Devices"), and your Media Player skin (see "Windows Media Player") will all revert to their defaults. What's even more confusing is that while these settings appear to be linked to the Themes setting in Display Properties, none of them are actually saved with your theme when you click Save As.

Desktop

The Desktop tab allows you to select a background image. If no background image is selected, a solid color is used (set by the Color option here or by Appearance Advanced). The background image (also called wallpaper) can be centered (displayed actual size in the middle, surrounded by the background color if it's not big enough), tiled (repeated so it fills the screen), or stretched (displayed once, but enlarged or shrunk so it fits the screen exactly).

Click Customize Desktop to selectively show or hide the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons on the Desktop (see Figure 4-27). You can also change the icons for My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places, and the Recycle Bin. The Desktop cleanup section helps remove less frequently used Desktop icons.

Figure 4-27. Selectively show or hide certain Desktop icons with the Desktop Items dialog

Note that most items on the Desktop are merely shortcuts and other files, stored in the folders \Documents and Settings\{username}\Desktop and \Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop. See "Desktop" in Chapter 3 for details.

Screen Saver

Years ago, monochrome monitors, when left on for long periods of time, would be ruined when the images displayed would get "burned in." So, screensavers were invented, which blanked the screen after a certain period of inactivity. It wasn't long before screensavers started showing animations instead of just a blank screen.^[3] Today, the concept of monitor burn-in is obsolete, but screensavers are still fun and can even provide security from prying eyes by obscuring the screen when you walk away from your computer. Choose from one of the available screensavers here and click Settings to configure it or Preview to see it in action (see Figure 4-28).

^[3] At one time, the After Dark screensaver (made by Berkeley Systems, famous for their "Flying Toaster" animation) was the bestselling software program in the world. For some reason, the screensaver frenzy appears to have died down.

Figure 4-28. Select and configure a screensaver with the Screen Saver tab

Choose the length of inactivity before the selected screensaver is activated. A computer is considered inactive if no mouse or keyboard entry is received; updates to the screen, such as progress indicators or animations, don't count and won't stop a screensaver from being invoked. Use the "On resume, password protect" feature to lock up access to the computer once a screensaver has been invoked.

Third-party screensavers are plentiful; one of my favorites is Jim Sachs' fabulous SereneScreen Aquarium (http://www.serenescreen.com/), of which a scaled-down version is included in the Microsoft Plus! add-on for Windows XP, and even comes preinstalled with some copies of Windows XP.

Note that the screensaver can interfere with some programs, so you may want to temporarily disable it if you're experiencing a problem backing up to tape or burning a CD, for example.

Any particular screensaver can also be started from the command line or from Windows Explorer by launching the corresponding .scr file.

Appearance: The following settings are available in the Appearance tab:
Windows and buttons: See the discussion of Styles at the beginning of Chapter 3.
Color scheme: Save your color selections into a scheme, which is a subset of the theme selection (see the Themes tab, above).
Font size: If you're having trouble reading the text on your screen, try adjusting the font size here. Better yet, click Advanced and choose the typeface and size for each screen element independently.
Effects: Choose visual goodies, such as animation, fading, and shadows. These settings are really just eye candy and can significantly slow down your system (see Figure 4-29). See "System Properties", later in this chapter, as well as TweakUI in Appendix D, for additional related options.

Figure 4-29. You can make Windows seem faster and more responsive by turning off some of the visual effects

Advanced

This window allows you to choose the colors and fonts for all of the various screen elements. Choose the desired element from the Item list and change any available options to your liking. In addition to colors and fonts, you can also change the spacing of Desktop icons, the thickness of titlebars and menus, and even the colors of buttons (see Figure 4-30).

Figure 4-30. Even though the preview here always shows the classic style, this dialog can be used to configure some aspects of the new Windows XP style as well

Although the preview in the Advanced dialog is shown using the "Classic" style, most settings will apply regardless of the selected style. For example, you can shrink down the huge titlebars that are the default in the Windows XP style by choosing "Active Title Bar" from the Item menu and changing Size to something more reasonable, such as 20. Note, however, that you can't change any of the colors when using the Windows XP style (other than using the "Color scheme" listbox under the Appearance tab, discussed above), a limitation that will hopefully be lifted in subsequent versions of Windows.

Settings

Last, but not least, comes the Settings tab, which allows you to change your display hardware settings (see Figure 4-31). Here, you can choose the resolution and color depth of your screen. There are two limitations of your video card that may affect the settings here. First, the amount of memory on your video card dictates the maximum color depth and resolution you can use. The memory required by a particular setting is calculated by multiplying the horizontal size times the vertical size times the bytes per pixel. If you're in 32-bit color mode, then each pixel will require 32 bits, or 4 bytes (there are 8 bits/byte). At a resolution of 1024 768, that's 1024 768 4 bytes/pixel, or about 3.14MB. Therefore, a video card with 4MB of video memory will be able to handle the display setting, but a card with only 2MB will not.

Figure 4-31. Choose your screen resolution, color depth, and multiple monitor setup with the Settings tab

As you adjust your color depth, Windows may automatically adjust other settings depending on your card's capabilities. If you increase your color depth, your resolution might automatically decrease; likewise, if you raise the resolution, your color depth might go down.

The other limitation that may affect your available settings is the refresh rate that your card will be able to generate. Although the maximum refresh rate does not depend on the amount of your card's memory, you may have to lower your resolution to achieve the desired rate. Windows should automatically adjust your refresh rate to the highest setting your card supports, but this is not always the case. If you notice that your display appears to be flickering, especially under fluorescent lights, you'll need to raise your refresh rate, either by adjusting the refresh rate setting directly or by lowering your resolution or color depth. (Note that this does not apply to flat-panel or laptop displays, which never flicker.) Consequently, if you hear a slight whine from your monitor, it means your refresh rate is too high. The minimum refresh rate you should tolerate is 72 Hz. People with corrective lenses seem to be more sensitive and might require a higher setting to be comfortable. Most cards available today support refresh rates of 75 Hz and higher, so this is usually not a problem. Click Advanced and choose the Adapter tab. If your display driver supports it, you can adjust your refresh rate with the Refresh Rate setting. If the setting is not there, you'll either need to obtain a more recent video driver, reduce your resolution or color depth, or get yourself a better video card.

If you have more than one monitor, either using two separate video cards or a single video card that supports two monitors, all configured screens will be shown in the preview area. Click any screen icon to activate it; the settings below apply only to the selected monitor. You can even drag-drop monitor icons to rearrange them so that, for example, a different monitor assumes the role of the upper left. Click Identify, below, if you're not sure which monitor is #1 and which is #2.

The Advanced button allows you to view the hardware properties for your video adapter(s) and monitor(s). You'll really never need to adjust these settings unless you're updating a driver for your monitor or display adapter, adjusting your refresh rate (see above), or configuring color profiles (for matching the color output of your printer with your scanner and monitor).

Notes

All of the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.
A bug in Windows' handling of themes may cause your sound scheme and mouse pointer schemes to revert to their defaults whenever you change the display theme. However, neither the sound nor mouse schemes are saved with the display theme.
No piece of hardware inside or attached to your computer is more important, in my opinion, than your monitor (with the possible exception of the keyboard and pointing device). A bad monitor can give you headaches, not to mention neck and back pain. I strongly recommend one of the newer flat-panel displays, if you can afford them; in addition to consuming less desk space and power, the better ones actually provide superior image quality and color reproduction than any CRT.

To Open

Command Prompt drwatson (start daemon)

Command Prompt drwtsn32 (change settings)

Start Programs Accessories System Tools System Information Tools menu Dr Watson (change settings)

Description

Dr. Watson is a diagnostic tool that records information on the internal state of Windows when a system error occurs. It collects information such as system details, running applications, startup applications, kernel drivers, and user drivers. Although the reports that Dr. Watson produces are of little use to most users, they diagnostic information that may be helpful to developers and Microsoft support technicians for diagnosis of the problem.

If activated, Dr. Watson waits invisibly in the background until a system error occurs, at which time a dialog box appears, asking for comments on the activities prior to the error. The comments you type will be added to a file as long as you select File Save or File Save As from the dialog. The two available formats include Dr. Watson log files (.wlg) and plain text files (.txt). The default is a .wlg file, and is recommended if you want to subsequently use the Dr. Watson application to view a GUI version of the information.

If Dr. Watson detects a fault that might not be fatal, you'll have the opportunity to ignore the fault or close the application. If you choose to ignore the fault, Windows continues without performing the faulting instruction. You might be able to save your work in a new file at this point, but you should then restart Windows.

To Open

Command Prompt verifier

Description

Driver Verifier Manager is included with Windows XP (primarily for hardware manufacturers to test their drivers to ensure that drivers are not making illegal function calls or causing system corruption).

Notes

For more information on using the Driver Verifier Manager, see http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/Driver/Verifier.htm.

DriverQuery

\windows\system32\driverquery.exe

Display a list of the installed device drivers and their properties. (DriverQuery is included with Windows XP Professional only.)

To Open

Command Prompt driverquery

Usage

driverquery [/fo] [/nh] [/si] [/v] [/s [/u [/p]]]

Description

Although Device Manager (see "Microsoft Management Console") displays a hierarchal view of all of the devices attached to the system, only Driver Query provides a comprehensive list for every installed driver, either on a local machine or on any remote computer on the network.

Run DriverQuery without any options to print out the basic list, or use one of the following options:

/fo format: Specify the format of the display: type /fo table (the default) for a formatted table, /fo list for a plaint text list, or /fo csv for a comma-separated report, suitable for importing into a spreadsheet or database.
/nh: If using the /fo table or /fo csv format (above), the /nh option turns off the column headers.
/v: Display additional details about driver other than signed drivers.
/si: Display additional details about signed drivers.
/s system: Connect to a remote system, where system is the name of the computer.
/u user: Specify a user account (include an optional domain before the username) under which the command should execute.
/p password: Specify the password for the user account specified with the /u parameter; prompts for the password if omitted.

Notes

Refer to Appendix C for information on redirecting the output of this program to a text file, making it easy to save or import into a spreadsheet or database application.

Event Viewer

\windows\system32\eventvwr.exe

See "Microsoft Management Console".

Explorer

See "Windows Explorer".

FAT to NTFS Conversion Utility

\windows\system32\convert.exe

Convert a drive using the File Allocation Table (FAT) filesystem to the more robust NT File System (NTFS).

To Open

Command Prompt convert

Usage

convert volume /fs:ntfs [/v] [/cvtarea:fn] [/nosecurity] [/x]

Description

The filesystem is the invisible mechanism on any drive that is responsible for keeping track of all the data stored on the drive. Think of the filesystem as a massive table of contents, matching up each filename with its corresponding data stored somewhere on the disk surface. The File Allocation Table (FAT) file system first appeared in DOS, and has been the basis for each successive version of Windows, including Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me. A slightly improved version of FAT, called FAT32, was introduced in Windows 95 OSR2 and included support for larger drives and smaller cluster sizes.

Meanwhile, the Windows NT/2000 line of operating systems also supported the newer and more robust NTFS filesystem. Among other things, NTFS provides much more sophisticated security than FAT or FAT32 does, as well as encryption and compression. However, NTFS and FAT/FAT32 are not compatible with each other, and since Windows 9x/Me doesn't support NTFS, you'll need to stick with FAT or FAT32 if you intend to have a dual-boot system. Furthermore, if you've upgraded from Windows 9x/Me, your drive probably still uses the FAT or FAT32 filesystem. This tool is used to convert a FAT or FAT32 drive to an NTFS drive without damaging the data stored on it. To convert drive c:, for example, type the following:

convert c: /fs:ntfs

The following options are also available:

/v: Run the Conversion Utility in verbose mode (provide more information).
/cvtarea :filename: Specify a contiguous file in the root directory as the placeholder for NTFS system files.
/nosecurity: Include this parameter if you want the initial security privileges for all files and folders on the newly converted volume to be set so the files and folders are accessible by everyone.
/x: Force the volume to dismount firstif necessary, closing any opened files on the volume. Use this option if you're on a network and concerned that other users may disrupt the conversion by accessing your drive during the process.

Notes

To determine the filesystem currently used on any drive, right-click the drive icon in My Computer or Explorer, and select Properties.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Communications Fax Fax Console

Command Prompt fxsclnt

Description

The Fax Console is the central interface for sending, receiving, and managing faxes using the Microsoft Fax service (see Figure 4-32). The Fax Console is set up like Outlook Express, with folders shown in a hierarchal tree in the left pane and the contents of the currently selected folder shown in the right pane.

Figure 4-32. View and manage all incoming and outgoing faxes with the Fax Console

The first time you run Fax Console, the Fax Configuration Wizard will appear, which will ask for your personal contact information, primarily for use with cover pages. All of the fields are optional and can be left blank. This information can be entered later by going to Tools Sender Information.

There are two ways to send a fax using the Microsoft Fax service. The first, using File Send a Fax (which is the same as running fxssemd.exe or selecting Start Programs Accessories Communications Fax Send a Fax), walks you through selecting a document and then creating a corresponding fax job.

The preferred method of sending a fax, though, is to start the application used to create the original document (e.g., your word processor or spreadsheet) and print to your fax printer. Indeed, the fax is really only a remote printer connected with a phone line. After your application has sent the document to the fax printer driver, a new Wizard appears and asks you for the recipient name and phone number, as well as any queuing options (useful if you wish to postpone sending the fax until off-peak hours).

Start the Fax Monitor (Tools Fax Monitor) to automatically answer incoming calls and receive faxes. If you don't want the Microsoft Fax service to automatically answer incoming calls, you can selectively receive faxes by going to File Receive a fax now.

Notes

Not surprisingly, if you don't have a modem, you won't be able to send or receive faxes. However, Fax Console will let you view and export fax documents you may have already stored on your hard disk; use File Import to view faxes created in previous versions of Windows and File Save As to export them to a more usable format.
If you wish to receive faxes but don't have a modem, or if you just don't want to leave the Microsoft Fax service running all the time, there are Internet-based fax services (such as http://www.efax.com), some of which are completely free, that send incoming faxes to you as email attachments.
An alternative to using faxes is to email documents and scans. A program like Adobe Acrobat (http://www.adobe.com) is especially useful for preserving fonts and formatting in computer-generated documents, and can even accommodate scanned pages, making it easy for the recipient to view or even print them. Not only will this result in higher quality documents and lower phone bills, but it might save a few trees.
To send a fax on the fly, place a shortcut to the Fax icon in your Printers and Faxes folder in your Send To menu. Then right-click any file and select Send To Fax to quickly fax the document. Note that this won't work for all document types, so a little experimentation may be required.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Communications Fax Fax Cover Page Editor

Fax Console Tools Personal Cover Pages New (or) Open

Command Prompt fxscover

Description

The Fax Cover Page Editor works like an ordinary drawing/layout program, in that you can indiscriminately place text, shapes, and images on a blank page. Pages created with the Cover Page Editor are used automatically when sending faxes with the Microsoft Fax service.

What makes the Cover Page Editor different from other drawing/layout programs to which you might be accustomed is its support for fields. Naturally, it wouldn't do you much good to create a custom cover page for only a single recipient; rather, it is desirable to create a single cover page (or series of cover pages) that can be used with any number of recipients. Use the Insert menu to place text fields on the page; fields are divided into the following three categories (menus):

Recipient: Place the name or phone number fields on your cover page and Microsoft Fax will insert those details of the recipient on each fax that is sent out.
Sender: The information in the Sender menu does not change from fax to fax; rather, it is set in the Fax Console application (discussed earlier in this chapter) by going to Fax Console Tools Sender Information. Note that it's generally preferred to use fields rather than static text, even if the information contained therein is the same for all faxesit not only makes it easier to change later on, but means that your cover pages can be used easily by others.
Message: Like items in the Recipient menu, above, Message details the message change from fax to fax, such as the subject, time, date, and number of pages.

When you've created or modified the cover pages desired, you must save it into a Cover Page (.cov) file, stored, by default, in \Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents\Fax\Personal Coverpages. Then, when sending a fax, simply specify the desired Cover Page file, and it will be used as the first page in your outgoing fax.

You may wish to preview outgoing faxes immediately after creating or modifying a cover page to make sure information is inserted into the fields properly.

To Open

Command Prompt comp

Usage

comp [file1] [file2] [/n=number] [/c] [/offline] [/d] [/a] [/l]

Description

File Compare (comp.exe) compares two files (or more, using wildcards), and reports whether or not the files are identical. If the files are identical, comp.exe will report Files compare OK. If the files are the same size but have different contents, comp.exe displays the differences, character-by character, by reporting Compare Error at OFFSET n (where n is byte offsetthe location of the difference, in characters, from the beginning of the file). If the files are different sizes, comp.exe reports Files are different sizes, and the comparison stops there.

Here are the options for comp.exe:

file1, file2: Specify the filenames of the files to compare. For any files that aren't in the current directory, you'll need to include the full path. If file1 includes a wildcard, all matching files are compared to file2. Likewise, if file2 includes a wildcard, each matching file is compared to file1. If one or both of these parameters are omitted, comp.exe will prompt you for the files to be compared.
/n= number: Include the /n option to compare only the first specified number of lines in the files, or omit to compare the entire files. For example, specify /n=5 to check on the first five lines in each file.
/c: Disregard the case of ASCII characters; upper and lower case letters are treated as identical.
/offline: comp.exe normally skips files marked as "offline." Specify /offline (or just /off) to include offline files as well. (See "Synchronization Manager", later in this chapter for more information on offline files.)
/d: Displays differences in decimal format.
/a: Displays differences in ASCII characters. The /a option is the default, so specifying it has no effect.
/l: Include line numbers in any output.

Notes

Windows XP actually comes with two file comparison utilities, comp.exe (this one) and fc.exe (discussed in the next section). comp.exe performs a character-by-character comparison, but only displays differences if the files are exactly the same size. fc.exe performs a line-by-line comparison and works regardless of the file sizes. For most users, fc.exe will be the tool of choice, as it displays the differences between the files and doesn't have any prompts, so it can be used from a WSH script or batch file.
Regardless of the outcome of the comparison, comp.exe will ask if you want to perform another comparison. Although there's no way to disable this prompt, you can use the following workaround to bypass it:
```
echo n | comp file1 file2
```
See Chapter 6 for more information on the Echo command.

File Compare (fc)

\windows\system32\fc.exe

Compare the contents two files (or sets of files) line by line and display the differences between them.

To Open

Command Prompt fc

Usage

fc file1 file2 [/a] [/c] [/lbn] [/n] [/t] [/w] [/offline] [/nnn]     [/l] fc /b filename1 filename2

Description

File Compare (fc.exe) compares the contents of two files (or more, using wildcards) and displays the differences (if any). If the files are identical, fc.exe will report FC: no differences encountered. If the files are different, fc.exe lists the differing lines. Here's an example of how fc.exe is used:

Start with an ordinary text file, say, Bill.txt. Open it in Notepad, change one line, and save it into a new filename, say, Marty.txt. Then open a command prompt window, make sure you're in the same directory as the two files, and type the following:

fc bill.txt marty.txt

The output will look something like this:

Comparing files Bill.txt and Marty.txt ***** Bill.txt Way down Louisiana close to New Orleans Way back up in the woods among the evergreens There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood ***** Marty.txt Way down Louisiana close to New Orleans Way back up in the woods among the antihistamines There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood *****

For each line or sequence of lines that is found to differ in the two files, fc.exe prints out a pair of excerpts from each of the files. The first and last line in each excerpt are what the two files have in common and are included for context. The lines in between (only a single line in this example) show the differences. The report will include one pair of excerpts for each difference found; if there are three nonconsecutive differing lines, there will be six excerpts. Here are the options for fc.exe:

file1, file2: Specify the filenames of the files to compare. For any files that aren't in the current directory, you'll need to include the full path. If file1 includes a wildcard, all matching files are compared to file2. Likewise, if file2 includes a wildcard, each matching file is compared to file1. Both parameters are required.
/a: Display only first and last lines for each set of differences, as opposed to the default of every different line. This option is only applicable if a single sequence of differing lines (resulting in a single excerpt pair) is three lines or longer; otherwise, /a has no effect.
/c: Disregards the case of ASCII characters; upper- and lowercase letters are treated as identical.
/lb n: Specify the maximum consecutive mismatches; /lb17 will list only the first 17 differing lines. If omitted, the default is 100 maximum mismatches.
/n: Include line numbers in the report.
/t: Preserve any tabs in the files being compared. By default, tabs are treated as spaces with 1 tab = 8 spaces.
/w: Compress whitespace (tabs and spaces) to a single space for comparison. Possibly useful when comparing .html files, as web browsers will eliminate redundant tabs in spaces as well.
/offline: fc.exe normally skips files marked as "offline." Specify /offline (or simply /off) to include offline files as well. (See "Synchronization Manager", later in this chapter, for more information on offline files.)
/nnn: Specify the number of consecutive lines that must match after a mismatch. For example, if you specify /4, a mismatched line followed by three matching lines, followed by one or more mismatched lines, is treated as though it were a single sequence of mismatched lines in the report.
/l: Treat the files as ASCII (plain text). Since /l is the default, it has no effect.
/u: Treat the files as unicode text.
/b: Treat the files as binary and perform the comparison on a byte-by-byte basis (similar to comp.exe, the other file comparison utility). Instead of the pairs of excerpts explained above, differing bytes are displayed in parallel columns. A binary comparison is typically only appropriate for files of the same sizes, but unlike comp.exe, the comparison will still be performed if they are different sizes. The /b option can't be used in conjunction with any of the other options.

Notes

Windows XP actually comes with two file comparison utilities, comp.exe (discussed in the previous section) and fc.exe (this one). comp.exe performs a character-by-character comparison, but only displays differences if the files are exactly the same size. fc.exe performs a line-by-line comparison and works regardless of the file sizes. For most users, fc.exe will be the tool of choice, as it displays the differences between the files and doesn't have any prompts, so it can be used from a WSH script or batch file.
fc.exe is most useful when comparing two different, but similar, text files. For example, you can compare two Registry patches (since .reg files are plain text files) made at two different times to see what changes have been made. See Chapter 8 for more information on Registry Patches.
Although fc.exe can compare two binary files, if you try to compare two word processor documents (.doc and .wpd files are binary files), the results won't be terribly helpful. Try converting the documents to an ASCII-based format, such as .rtf or .html, and then perform an ASCII comparison. Naturally, most modern word processors have their own document comparison tools, but they can often be limited; while word processors may miss subtle formatting changes, fc.exe will catch every singl e difference.

File Expansion Utility

\windows\system32\expand.exe

Extract one or more compressed files from a cabinet (.cab) file.

To Open

Command Prompt expand

Usage

expand -d source.cab [-f:files] expand [-r] source.cab [destination] expand source.cab -f:files destination

Description

A cabinet file is a compressed archive commonly used to package application installation files. The File Expansion Utility is used to extract files embedded in these cabinet files and takes the following options:

source.cab

The name of the cabinet (.cab) file from which to extract the files.

destination

The name of the folder in which to place the extracted files, a new filename to use for the extracted files, or a combination of the two. If using the -f option, destination is mandatory and must include a filename (with or without wildcards).

-d

Display (list) the contents of the specified cabinet file.

-r

Specify -r (recursive) without destination to extract all the files contained in the specified cabinet file. For example:

expand -r package.cab

Specify -r along with destination to rename the files according to the file specification included in destination. For example, the following extracts all the files in package.cab and renames their file extensions to .txt:

expand -r package.cab *.txt

-f :files

Use the -f option to specify one or more files to extract; use this if you don't want to extract all the files from the cabinet file. For example, the following extracts the file uno.txt from package.cab:

expand package.cab -f:uno.txt uno.txt

Note that the destination parameter is mandatory when using the -f option and is used to specify the target filename. In this example, as well as most times this program will be used, files and destination will be the same.

Notes

The easiest method for extracting files from cabinets is to simply double-click the .cab file in Explorer and then drag the desired file(s) out. Since expand.exe is a command-line program, it is better suited for use with WSH scripts and batch files. It can also be used when installing or repairing Windows XP when Explorer isn't available.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System Tools File and Settings Transfer Wizard

Command Prompt \windows\system32\usmt\migwiz

Description

The File and Settings Transfer Wizard is a step-by-step guide that walks you through the process of transferring your personal documents, contents of your Favorites folder, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express settings, Desktop and display preferences, dial-up connections, and other settings from one computer to another (see Figure 4-33). The wizard is intended to assist the migration of these files and settings from an "old" computer to a "new" computer, but could be used to duplicate a configuration across several computers just as easily, or even to assist you in upgrading your hard disk.

Figure 4-33. The File and Settings Transfer Wizard helps you migrate your personal documents and preferences to a new computer

The first question the wizard asks is whether the computer being used is the "new computer" (the machine to receive the files and settings) or the "old computer" (the machine on which the files and settings are currently stored). Although you can begin the process from either computer, it makes more sense to start off from the old computer (unless the old computer is not running Windows XP).

If you choose "Old Computer," the next step is a choice between the following:

Direct cable: A direct cable connection uses a cable, commonly known as a null modem cable or LapLink cable, to connect two computers for the purpose of the transfer of data. Although it's much cheaper to set up than a network, the speed is glacial by comparison.
Home or small office network: This option uses a Microsoft Windows peer-to-peer network to transfer data between the two machines. Note that this choice may be disabled if another Windows XP system is not found on the network or if the network does not have all the required protocols installed. If this option is unavailable, you can still utilize your network using "Other," below.
removable mediaFloppy drive or other: If you have a zip drive, writable CD drive, writable DVD drive, removable hard disk, or some other removable cartridge drive, the wizard will place the necessary files on the media for later use on the new machine. Note that either the target (new) computer must also have the same drive or you'll need to transfer the drive to the new system.
Other: Use this option to simply specify a path in which to place the files. This can be a network path, a path to a removable drive, or a folder on your hard disk.

If you choose "New Computer," the next step is a choice between the following:

I want to create a Wizard Disk: Select this option to use your floppy drive to transfer the wizard program to the old computer, which is useful if the old computer is running earlier version of Windows. The wizard works on Windows 95/98/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.
I already have a Wizard disk: This option simply quits the wizard and instructs you to use the wizard disk you already have on the old computer.
I'll use the wizard from the Windows XP CD: This option also quits the wizard and instructs you how to use the wizard located on the Windows XP installation CD on the old computer.
I don't need the Wizard disk: This is the only option of the four on this page that is used if you've already run the wizard on the old computer, as it will simply prompt you to locate the files and settings that have been packaged by the wizard.

Once you've chosen an option, follow the prompts on the screen to complete the process.

Notes

Naturally, you can simply use Explorer and an active network connection or removable drive to transfer the files manually. Furthermore, using carefully selected registry patches, you can transfer many Windows settings and files from one machine to another. While this wizard will make the migration of documents, and especially settings, pretty easy, it may not end up being as flexible or complete as a manual migration.
Another option is to use Backup (discussed earlier in this chapter) to transfer some or all of your files from one system to another.

Finger

\windows\system32\finger.exe

Display information about a user account.

To Open

Command Prompt finger

Usage

finger [-l] [user][@host]

Description

The Finger client uses a standard protocol to retrieve publicly available information from any networked computer. Let's say you want to find out about a username "Woodrow" on your own system; you would simply type:

finger woodrow

Finger accepts the following options:

user: The username you wish to query. Omit to list all the users currently logged in on the specified host.
@host: The target machine containing the user account(s) you wish to query. Omit to query the local machine (localhost).
-l: Displays information in a long list format

The finger protocol has been around for long time and is supported by all versions of Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Unix, Solaris, and other platforms. The output from a Finger request varies widely (if you get a response at all); it depends on the operating system running on the specified host and the specific settings imposed by that machine's administrator.

Finger, when it works, commonly retrieves a report that looks something like this:

Login: woodrow                            Name: Gordie Howe Directory: /usr/local/home/woodrow        Shell: /bin/csh Never logged in. New mail received Mon Oct  1 23:35 2001 (PDT)      Unread since Wed Nov 20 11:54 1996 (PDT) No Plan.

Although most the information included in this simple report is self-evident, the last line makes mention of a plan. The plan is a text file to be shown when one's account is fingered. It might contain contact information, office hours, personal statistics, or anything else the user wants. My plan file, for example, has several of my favorite quotes, including my favorite poem by Robert Creeley, "I Know a Man."

Notes

The Finger daemon is the service responsible for responding to finger requests. This service is disabled by default, but can be enabled or otherwise configured using the services component of the Microsoft Management Console. Note that enabling the service on your computer may pose a security hazard, allowing outsiders to gain some information about one or more users on your system.
As more users and administrators become security savvy, you'll find fewer occasions when a finger request actually gets a response. Typically, you'll receive a "connection refused" message.

Folder Options

Control the way folders appear in Explorer and configure file type associations.

To Open

Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options

Windows Explorer Tools Folder Options

Command Prompt control folders

Description

The Folder Options window has four tabs:

General

Of the three settings on this page, the one that may not be entirely self-explanatory is the Tasks section (see Figure 4-34). Microsoft has removed the highly criticized Web View found in earlier versions of Windows and added an optional feature called Common Tasks. When enabled, a common tasks pane appears along the left side of folder listings in Explorer and single-folder windows, which contains information and links related to the currently selected folder. Those new to Windows might appreciate the extra information, although advanced users will probably prefer to turn off Common Tasks to reduce screen clutter.

Figure 4-34. Among other things, the General tab lets you turn off the common tasks pane shown in many single folder windows

Of note in the Common Tasks pane is the feature to turn on or off the category view in Control Panel (covered earlier in this chapter), an otherwise unavailable setting.

View

After you've selected all your preferences in the General and View tabs, as well as Explorer's View menu, click Apply to All Folders to make your settings the default. Otherwise, all your settings will be lost as soon as you switch to a different folder (see Figure 4-35).

Figure 4-35. Many settings that affect the display of folders and files are located in the Folder Options' View tab

The Advanced settings here are actually quite important, as many of their default values can actually end up making Windows more difficult to use. Many of these settings are self-explanatory; some of the more interesting ones are as follows:

Display the simple folder view in Explorer's Folders list: This rather oddly named option simply shows or hides the dotted lines shown in the collapsible folder tree (see "Trees" in Chapter 3) in Windows Explorer. The default is on, but if turned off, the tree appears more like it did in earlier versions of Windows. In my opinion, the lines make the tree a little clearer and easier to use, so I recommend turning this option off.
Display the contents of system folders: Turn this option on to eliminate the warning that appears when you attempt to view the contents of certain folders, such as C:\ and \Windows. The default is off.
Display the full path in the address bar/title bar: By default, both of these settings are disabled, which, to me, is utterly baffling. For example, when viewing the folder, c:\Documents and Settings\Bubba\Documents\Stuff in Windows Explorer, only "Stuff" will appear in the titlebar and Address Bar. This can be extremely confusing, especially when you also have a d:\Additional Files\Latest\Stuff folder. I strongly recommend enabling both "full path" options.
Hidden files and folders: Windows does not show hidden files by default in Explorer. Change this option if you need to access hidden files; see "Attrib", earlier in this chapter, for details on hidden files.
Hide extensions for known file types: In one of Microsoft's biggest blunders, this option has been turned on, by default, since Windows 95. See the discussion of the File Types tab, below, for why it should be turned off.
Launch folder windows in a separate process: Turn on this option to start a new instance of the Windows Explorer application every time you open a new folder window. Although this takes slightly more memory, it means that if one Explorer window crashes, they won't all crash.

Remember each folder's view settings

If this option is enabled and you use Explorer's View menu to alter the display of a particular folder, those settings will be saved with that folder for the next time it's opened. If you're looking for a way to save your View settings as the default for all folders, this option won't do itinstead, use the Apply to All Folders button (see Figure 4-35).

Use Simple File Sharing

Despite the "Recommended" note here, it is strongly recommended that this option be disabled for security purposes. See Chapter 7 for more information on sharing resources over a network.

File Types

The term file types describes the collection of associations between documents and the applications that use them (see Figure 4-36). For example, Windows knows to run Notepad when you double-click on a file with the .txt extension.

Launching the correct program for a particular file begins with file extensions, the letters (usually three) that follow the period in most filenames. For example, the extension of the file Readme.txt is .txt, signifying a plain text file; the extension of Resume.wpd is .wpd, signifying a document created in WordPerfect. By default, Windows hides the extensions of registered file types in Explorer and on the Desktop, but it's best to have them displayed (turn off the "Hide extensions for known file types" option under the View tab).

File extensions allow you to easily determine what kind of file you're dealing with (because icons are almost never descriptive enough). They also allow you to change Windows' perception of the type of a file by simply renaming the extension. Note that changing a file's extension doesn't actually change the contents or the format of the file, only how Windows interacts with it.

By hiding file extensions, Microsoft hoped to make Windows easier to usea plan that backfired for several reasons. Because only the extensions of registered files are hidden, the extensions of files that aren't yet in the File Types database are still shown. What's even more confusing is that, when an application finally claims a certain file type, it can appear to the inexperienced user as though all of the old files of that type have been renamed. It also creates a "knowledge gap" between those who understand file types and those who don't. (Try telling someone whose computer still has hidden extensions to find Readme.txt in a directory full of files.) Other problems have arisen, such as trying to differentiate Excel.exe and Excel.xls in Explorer when the extensions are hidden; one file is an application and the other is a document, but they may have the same icon.

Figure 4-36. The File Types tab lets you change the associations between documents and the programs that open them

In the File Types window, all registered file extensions and their descriptions are shown in the list.

Here's how to customize a file type:

Select the desired file type from the list and click Advanced. (The Change button only displays the limited Open With dialog box.) You can sort the entries by filename extension or file type description to make any given file type easier to find.
Keep in mind that some file types may be claiming more than one extension. For example, the .htm and .html extensions are most likely associated with the same file type. If you are editing such a file type, it won't matter which extension you select.
The Actions list box contains a list of the customizable context menu items. Each one has a name and a command line (the application filename followed by command-line parameters, if applicable).

A typical command line (the one for the .txt file type) might look like this: notepad /p "%1". This line tells Windows to launch Notepad with the /p parameter (see "Notepad", later in this chapter) when you double-click on a .txt file.

The %1 is where you want Windows to insert the name of the clicked file, and is actually optional. However, the quotation marks, which ensure compatibilty with any spaces in the filenames, are not used by default in Windows; if you want to be able to double-click on any file with a space in its filename, add "%1" to the end of the command line here. If you double-clicked on a file called stuff.txt, located in the folder, e:\things, this file type action would result in the following command being executed: notepad /p "e:\things\stuff.txt".
Some actions have dynamic data exchange (DDE) commands, which are used only by certain applicationsyou probably won't have to bother with this setting. You can also change the icon for all the files of a particular type by clicking Change icon. See "Icons" in Chapter 3 for more information.
The bold item is the default action, also shown in bold at the top of the context menu. If there's no bold item, and therefore no default, double-clicking a file of that type will do nothing. To make "no action" the default, you'll have to delete the current default (bold) action. If you don't want to remove any actions, just add a new, temporary action, make it the default, and then delete it.
Click OK when you're done. The changes should take effect immediately; your Desktop and any open Explorer or single-folder windows will automatically refresh within a few seconds.

Offline Files: See "Synchronization Manager", later in this chapter, for more information on Offline Files.

Notes

All of the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.

To Open

Control Panel Fonts Double-click any font file

Usage

fontview [/p] filename

Description

Font Viewer is most easily used by double-clicking on a font file (see Figure 4-37). You can view any font formats normally supported by Windows XP, including TrueType fonts (.ttf), bitmap fonts (.fon), and Type 1 fonts (.pfm).

In addition to the font name and summary information displayed at the top of the report, a preview of the font is shown with the full alphabet in upper- and lowercase, the full set of numbers, a few symbols, and the phrase "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 1234567890" in several different sizes.

Figure 4-37. Double-click any font file to view a preview like this

To run Font Viewer from the command line, you must specify the full path and filename of the font file, including its extension (such as .fon or .ttf ). To send the report to the printer, use the /p option (which is the same as clicking the print button in the Font Viewer window).

Notes

Windows XP typically keeps its installed font files in \Windows\Fonts, which is most easily accessible by going to Control Panel Fonts. File Viewer can also be used to view fonts before they're installed, simply by double-clicking them in Explorer.
Although Adobe Type 1 fonts are actually stored in the font binaries (.pfb), Font Viewer works only with the font metrics (.pfm).
Font Viewer does not display every character in the font, only the predefined subset described above. To display every character in the font, use Character Map. (However, Character Map only works on installed fonts.)

To Open

Control Panel Fonts^[4]

^[4] See "Control Panel", earlier in this chapter, for information on finding fonts using the Control Panel in Category View.

Command Prompt control fonts

Command Prompt explorer \windows\fonts

Description

The Fonts folder is merely a folder on your hard disk (specifically, \Windows\fonts). However, when viewed in Explorer, it's configured to display a list of installed fonts instead of a list of the contents of the folder. (The two aren't necessarily the same thing.) Select View Details for more the most useful listing, which, among other things, allows you to match up a font name with the file in which it's stored (see Figure 4-38).

Figure 4-38. The Details view of the Fonts folder shows the relationships between your font names and font filenames

Right-click a font file and select Properties to see bunch of additional information pertaining to the font, such as hinting and font-smoothing properties, copyright information, font vendor information, and whether such fonts can be embedded.

To view a preview of an installed font, just double-click its name; see "Font Viewer", earlier in this chapter, for more information. To delete a font, delete it as you'd delete any file (press the Del key or drag-drop it into the Recycle Bin).

To install a font (as long as it's one of the supported types), just drag-drop it into the Fonts folder. Supported typeface formats include TrueType (.ttf), Adobe Type 1 (.pfm and .pfb), OpenType (also known as TrueType v2), and ugly old raster fonts (.fon) used in early versions of Windows.

Notes

If a font file icon has a shortcut arrow (see "Shortcuts" in Chapter 3), it means the font is installed, but not actually stored in the \Windows\Fonts folder.
Unlike some earlier versions of Windows, Windows XP comes with built-in support for Adobe Type 1 fonts, so a product like Adobe Type Manager is no longer needed.
The View List Fonts by Similarity feature, while a good idea in principle, rarely provides any useful information.
If you're sharing documents with other users, you may need to send them copies of the font files you've used as well. If you drag-drop the desired files from the fonts folder onto, say, your Desktop, make sure to hold the Ctrl key (or drag with the right mouse button and select Copy Here) so the font file is copied and not moved (which would uninstall it). Keep in mind that some fonts are commercial products and copying them constitutes software piracy and copyright violation.
Use a program like Adobe Acrobat (not the free reader application, but the full version available at http://www.adobe.com/) to share documents without having to share the fonts used.
If the Fonts folder appears to be displaying an ordinary list of files rather than the specialized font listing, it can be fixed with TweakUI (see Appendix D).
Any non-font files, that, for whatever reason, have been stored in the Fonts folder, will not show up at all, nor will they appear in any search results. To display a normal listing of the files in the Fonts folder, use the dir command in the Command Prompt (See Chapter 6.)
Thousands of freeware fonts are available for download on the Internet, from such sites as http://www.pcfonts.com/ and http://www.microsoft.com/typography/. You can also create your own fonts with an application like Fontographer (http://www.macromedia.com/).
Fonts for icons, menus, and other screen elements are selected by going to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display Appearance tab.

To Open

Command Prompt forcedos

Usage

forcedos [/d directory] filename [parameters]

Description

Use the ForceDOS utility when Windows XP fails to recognize a DOS program and is unable to start or run it reliably. ForceDOS accepts the following options:

filename: The filename of the executable to launch; include the full path if necessary.
/d directory: Use the /d option to specify the working directory, necessary for many DOS programs that access files.
Parameters: Specify any parameters here to be passed on to the launched program.

Format

\windows\system32\format.com

Prepare floppy diskettes , hard disks, and some removable media for use.

To Open

Command Prompt format.com

Usage

format volume [/q] [/c] [/x] [/v:label] [/fs:file-system] [/a:size]

Description

Before data can be stored on a floppy disk, hard disk, or many removable media disks (like Zip disks), the disk must be formatted. This process creates various low-level data structures on the disk, such as the filesystem (FAT, FAT32, NTFS, etc.). It also tests the disk surface for errors and stores bad sectors in a table that will keep them from being used. If there's any data on the disk, it will be erased.

The options for Format are:

volume

The drive letter, followed by a colon, containing the media to be formatted. For example, to format the floppy in drive A:, type:

format a:

If the specified drive is a hard disk, you'll be prompted to verify that you actually want to erase the disk.

/q

Performs a "quick" format, a process that only wipes out the file table, resulting in an empty disk. This option does not check for bad sectors, nor does it rewrite the filesystem. Also, it does not write over data on the disk, meaning that files could potentially be recovered or "undeleted." The advantage of the /q option is that you can erase a disk in a few seconds.

/c

Files created on the new volume are compressed by default (NTFS volumes only).

/x

Forces the volume to dismount first, if necessary. All opened handles to the volume would no longer be valid. This effectively disconnects the drive from Explorer and all other programs, closing any open files stored on the drive, before any changes are made.

/v :label

Specifies the volume label, an arbitrary title you assign to any disk. It can be up to 11 characters and can include spaces. The volume label will show up next to the drive icons in Explorer (hard disks only) and at the top of dir listings (see Appendix C). See "Label", later in this chapter, for more information. If the /v option is omitted, or the label isn't specified, a prompt for a volume label is displayed after the formatting is completed. If a label is specified with /v and more than one disk is formatted in a session, all disks will be given the same volume label.

/f :size

Specifies the size of the floppy disk to format (such as 160, 180, 320, 360, 720, 1.2, 1.44, 2.88). format size (specified with the /f option) must be equal to or less than the capacity of the disk drive containing the disk to be formatted. For example, a 1.44 MB capacity drive will format a 720K disk, but a 720K drive will not format a 1.44 MB disk.

/fs :filesystem

Specifies the type of the filesystem; can be fat, fat32, or ntfs.

/a :size

Overrides the default allocation unit size, which, when multiplied by the number of clusters, equals the final capacity of the disk. Allowed values for size depend on the filesystem:

NTFS supports 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, and 64K.
FAT and FAT32 supports 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K, (and 128K and 256K for sector size > 512 bytes).
Note that the FAT and FAT32 filesystems impose the following restrictions on the number of clusters on a volume:
FAT: Number of clusters <= 65,526
FAT32: 65,526 < Number of clusters < 4,177,918
NTFS compression is not supported for allocation unit sizes above 4096.

Notes

The /f, /t, and /n parameters are also available for use with Format, but are essentially obsolete. Type format /? for more information.
If formatting an ordinary 3.5" floppy diskette, the disk will always be formatted to a capacity of 1.44 MB. The DMF diskette format, which squeezes about 1.7 MB on a standard floppy, is not directly supported by Format. If formatting a pre-formatted DMF diskette, use the /q parameter to preserve the format and only erase the files. To create new DMF diskettes, you'll need the WinImage utility (Version 2.2 or later), which can be downloaded from http://www.annoyances.org.
The easiest way to format a disk is to right-click on the drive icon in Explorer or My Computer and select Format. However, using Format from the command line is more flexible, and in some cases, faster.

To Open

Start Programs Games FreeCell

Command Prompt freecell

Description

FreeCell is a solitaire card game (see Figure 4-39), but is played differently from the traditional Klondike game (see "Solitaire", later in this chapter). The object of the game is to move all the cards to the home cells.

Figure 4-39. Some people buy their computers just to get the FreeCell game

Like Klondike, cards are rearranged by placing cards of descending value and alternating color (the 4 of clubs can be placed on the 5 of hearts or the 5 of diamonds). Click a card to highlight it and click another card to move the highlighted card. Multiple cards can be moved, but only those that are arranged accordingly. Cards can also be moved to one of the four "free cells," temporary storage slots that fill up fast.

FreeCell is somewhat like a cross between Klondike and the Towers of Hanoi puzzle.

Notes

In FreeCell, cards are not dealt randomly. Rather, there are 32,000 distinct numbered games, each representing a different predetermined deal of the cards. According to the help, "It is believed (although not proven) that every game is winnable." In fact, it has been proven that game #11,982 is indeed not winnable.

To Open

Command Prompt ftp

Usage

ftp url

ftp [-v] [-d] [-i] [-n] [-g] [-s:filename] [-a] [-A] [-w:size] [host]

Description

FTP is used to transfer files to and from a remote computer, typically on the Internet. Like many Internet applications, FTP is a client application that requires a corresponding FTP server to work. When you start FTP, you are connecting to a remote host and then issuing commands to instruct the host to send or receive files, display directory listings, and so on.

Although each FTP session requires a username and password, there's a very common workaround that allows anonymous connections. Typically, one enters anonymous as the username and an email address (or, frankly, any bogus text) as the password to log in (assuming anonymous access is allowed on the server at all).

Once you've logged in, commands are issued by typing in the prompt; the complete list of FTP commands is documented later in this section. The exception is when FTP is run in noninteractive mode using the url option.

Command-line parameters for FTP are as follows:

url

A web-style address ( URL) to a specific file located on an anonymous FTP server, which looks something like this:

ftp://server.com/path/file

If you specify a complete URL, FTP will download the file and then quit automatically, rather than going into interactive mode.

host

Specify the hostname or IP address of the remote host (server) to which to connect. If omitted, it can be entered once FTP has started by using the open command. Example:

ftp ftp.microsoft.com

Note the common ftp. prefix, while not mandatory with FTP, is merely a hostname that signifies a specific machine, often solely devoted to serving FTP requests.

-v

Suppress the display of remote server responses to commandsuseful if you're running FTP from a script.

-n

Suppress auto-login upon initial connection. To connect, you'll need to use the user command once FTP is running.

-i

Turn off interactive prompting during multiple file transfers when using the mget and mput FTP commands.

-d

Enable debugging, displaying all FTP commands passed between the client and server (for troubleshooting purposes).

-g

Disable filename globbing, which permits the use of wildcard characters in local file- and pathnames. (See the FTP glob command.)

-s :filename

Specify an FTP script, a plain text file containing sequential FTP commands, one per line. The commands are issued as though they were typed at the keyboard.

-a

Use any local interface when establishing a connection.

-A

Login as anonymous (note capital A). This is the same as logging in normally and manually typing in anonymous as the username and an email address as the password.

-w :size

Override the default transfer buffer size of 4096. Change only if you encounter performance problems.

Note that you can start FTP without any command-line parameters to enter interactive mode, but you won't be able to use most of the commands until you log in with the open command (see the following list).

FTP commands

The following list shows the commands available once FTP is running. Most require that a connection has been established and not all will work with every FTP server. The most important commands to know are put, get, mput, mget, cd, lcd, dir, and bye. If you are transferring binary files across platforms (from a Unix host to a Windows-based client, for example), be sure to use the binary command first, or the files may be corrupted in transit.

! [ command]: Run the specified command (e.g., cd) on the local computer, as though you temporarily jumped out of FTP, ran a command, and then jumped back inall without disconnecting. Naturally, you could just open a second command prompt window, but some contextual commands, such as cd (see Appendix C) require the use of the ! command to be effective. Type ! by itself to start a mini-DOS session in which you can type multiple commands; type EXIT to return to the active FTP session.
? [ command]: Same as help.
append: Append a local file to a file on the remote computer.
ascii: Set the file transfer type to ASCII (plain text), the default (except in noninteractive mode). ASCII mode is the default and is useful if you're transferring plain text files between Unix and Windows systems, as minor translation must be performed on these types of files. Note that this translation can corrupt binary files, so you should use the binary command if you're not transferring ASCII files.
bell: Turn on or off the beep after each file transfer command is completed. By default, the bell is off.
binary: Set the file transfer type to binary, a crucial step for transferring nontext files (such as .zip, .gif, and .doc) between Unix and Windows-based machines. Although it's not necessary if the server is also a Windows system, it's a good idea to get into the habit of typing binary (or simply bin) every time you use FTP. Note that binary is the default in noninteractive mode, when used with the url command-line parameter. See also "ascii."
bye: End the FTP session and, if necessary, disconnect from the remote computer. The standard DOS exit and quit commands won't work here.
cd [ directory]: Change the working directory on the remote computer (to cd on the local machine, use ! cd or lcd).
close: Disconnect from the remote computer without exiting FTP. Use open to connect to a different FTP server or bye to exit FTP.
debug: Toggle debugging. When debugging is on, each internal command sent to the remote computer is displayed, preceded by the string --->. By default, debugging is off.
delete remote_file: Delete a file on the remote computer. Only a single file can be deleted at a time with delete (no wildcards are allowed); use mdelete to delete multiple files at once.
dir: Display a list of the contents of the working directory on the remote computer, with details. Use ls for a simple listing. Occasionally, directory listings for anonymous users may be disabled, in which case dir will not work; if you wish to download, you'll need to know the particular filename(s) beforehand.
disconnect: Same as close.
get remote_file [ local_file]: Transfer remote_file from the server to the local machine. If local_file is not specified, the local file will be given the same name as the original. The file will be placed in the local working directory; to choose a different destination, use lcd. Only a single file can be downloaded at a time with get (no wildcards are allowed); use mget to delete multiple files at once. If transferring binary (nontext) files, use the binary command first.
glob: Toggle filename "globbing." Globbing permits use of wildcard characters in local file or pathnames. By default, globbing is on. Globbing can also be disabled with the -g command-line parameter.
hash: Turn on or off FTP's crude progress bar for file transfers. A hashmark (#) character is displayed for each 2k of data transferred, so large files will have longer progress bars than small files. By default, hashmark printing is off.
help [ command]: Display all the available commands. Include command to get help with a single command (e.g., help get). Same as ?.
lcd [ directory]: Change the working directory on the local computer. Enter a full path as directory (e.g., c:\downloads) to effectively instruct FTP to place downloaded files there. Omit directory to simply display the current working directory. By default, the working directory is in use when FTP is started; if FTP is opened from Start Run, the working directory is c:\documents and settings\{username}.
literal command_line: Send so-called "arbitrary" commands to the remote FTP server (such as retr, stor, pasv, and port). A single FTP reply code is expected in return. Typical use of FTP does not involve using literal, but it can provide access to some advanced functions; among the more interesting is the ability to transfer files between two remote computers without having to first transfer them to the local machine.
ls: Display an abbreviated list of a remote directory's files and subdirectories. This is useful when a directory contains a lot of files. Type ls -1 (or use dir) to show the "long" listing, including file details. Occasionally, directory listings for anonymous users may be disabled, in which case ls will not work; if you wish to download, you'll need to know the particular filename(s) beforehand.
mdelete [ files]: Delete multiple files on remote computers. Unlike delete, wildcards can be used (e.g., *.txt for all .txt files).
mdir remote_files local_file: Store a listing of the remote working directory's contents (with details) into a file; both parameters are required. The remote_files parameter is used to modify the listing, either by specifying a wildcard (use * to list all files) or by specifying the name of another directory. local_file is the target filename in which the directory listing is stored.
mget remote_files: Transfer one or more remote files to the local computer. Unlike get, wildcards can be used (e.g., *.txt for all .txt files). You will be asked to confirm each transfer unless you turn off prompting with the prompt command. Local files will be given the same names as their remote counterparts. If transferring binary (nontext) files, use the binary command first.
mkdir directory: Create a remote directory. Note that anonymous users are usually not permitted to create directories on remote systems.
mls remote_dir local_file: Same as mdir, except that a short listing (no details) is stored.
mput local_files: Transfer one or more local files to the remote computer. Unlike put, wildcards can be used (e.g., *.txt for all .txt files). You will be asked to confirm each transfer unless you turn off prompting with the prompt command. Remote files will be given the same names as their local counterparts. If transferring binary (nontext) files, use the binary command first.
open hostname or IP address: Connect to the specified FTP server. This is the same as specifying a server in the FTP command line; use open if you omitted the host parameter. Open can be used whenever there's no current connection, either if you disconnected using disconnect or close or if the initial connection attempt was unsuccessful.
prompt: Turn on or off prompting for multiple file transfers. When you use the mput or mget commands, FTP will prompt you before transferring each file. By default, prompt is turned on; type prompt before using mput or mget to transfer multiple files without being prompted.
put local_file [ remote_file]: Transfers local_file from the local machine to the server. If remote_file is not specified, the remote file will be given the same name as the original. The file will be placed in the remote working directory; to choose a different destination, use cd. Only a single file can be uploaded at a time with put (no wildcards are allowed); use mput to delete multiple files at once. If transferring binary (nontext) files, use the binary command first.
pwd: Print Working Directory (PWD) displays the remote working directory; use cd to change to a different remote directory.
quit: End the ftp session with the remote computer and exit ftp.
quote [ command_line]: Same as literal.
recv remote_file [ local_file]: Same as get.
remotehelp [ command]: Display help for remote commands supported by the server. This is probably similar to the commands available on the client, but may not be identical. As with ? and help, supplying no arguments returns a list of command names. Use remotehelp command to get more info on each command.
rename from_name to_name: Rename a remote file. Note that anonymous users are usually not permitted to rename files on remote systems.
rmdir remote_directory: Delete a remote directory. Note that anonymous users are usually not permitted to delete directories on remote systems.
send local_file [ remote_file]: Same as put.
status: Display the current status of the connection and the current settings of options like prompt, verbose, and ascii|binary.
trace: Turn on or off packet tracing, which displays the route of each packet when executing an FTP command. By default, TRace is off.
type [ type]: Display whether transfers are performed in binary or ascii mode. Use type binary (or just binary) to transfer binary files.
user username [ password]: Specify the username on the remote computer; if no password is specified, you will be prompted for one. Typically, FTP prompts for the username and password when a connection is first established; however, if you type an incorrect username and password, you can try again with the user command without having to reconnect.
verbose: Turn on or off verbose mode. If verbose is on (the default), all FTP responses are displayed, such as when a file transfer completes and any statistics regarding the efficiency of the transfer.

Examples

To copy the file preface.doc from the directory /pub/nutshell on a remote computer to \temp\docs on your local computer, once you're logged on to a server, you would perform the following from the DOS prompt (note that cd within ftp is for the remote computer):

C:\>cd \temp\docs  C:\temp\docs>ftp  remote_computer  username password ftp>binary  ftp>cd /pub/nutshell  ftp>get preface.doc

Run a script containing ftp commands:

C:\>ftp -s:myfile.scr

This will load ftp and run myfile.scr, executing any ftp commands in the file.

Notes

Most web browsers support the ftp:// protocol, which provides limited FTP functionality without having to use an FTP client. For example, you can retrieve a single file from an anonymous FTP server by opening this address in any web browser: ftp://server.com/path/filename.ext.
Furthermore, you can specify a username and (optionally) a password, like this: ftp://username:password@server.com/path/filename.ext.
Some browsers will even let you upload files when connected to an FTP server (assuming the server permits you to do so). In Netscape 4.x, select "Upload File" from the File menu. In Internet Explorer, you can simply drag-drop files into an FTP window as though it were a folder on your hard disk.
All ftp command names can be abbreviated to the first four letters; sometimes fewer.
If any nonoptional arguments are omitted from most FTP commands, you'll be prompted for them.
When using the get or mget commands, transferred files will be placed in whatever directory was the working directory when you launched FTP. Once an FTP session has begun, you can change the working directory with the lcd command: to switch from the local C:\ to the A:\ drive, for example, you would type:
```
 ftp>lcd a:/
```

In FTP, to maintain consistency with its Unix heritage, you must use the forward slash (/) instead of the backslash (\) when specifying pathnames. Furthermore, directory and filenames are case sensitive when connecting to a Unix FTP server; readme.txt is a different file than Readme.TXT.
Many FTP servers impose an "idle timeout" on FTP connections; that is, if you open an FTP connection and let it sit for several minutes without typing any commands, the FTP server will disconnect you.

Game Controllers

Configure any joysticks, steering wheels, and game pads attached to your system.

To Open

Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Game Controllers

Command Prompt control joy.cpl

Description

Before a joystick or other game controller can be used with Windows-based games, its driver must be installed here. If your game controller doesn't appear in this list, click Add (see Figure 4-40). If your device doesn't show up on the list and the manufacturer doesn't provide native Windows XP drivers, try Custom to set up a rudimentary configuration for the device.

Figure 4-40. Windows supports many types of joysticks, gamepads, steering wheels, and flight yokes for your games

Notes

Not all game controllers have settings that can be changed, so the Properties button may be grayed out.

To Open

Start Run gpedit.msc

Description

One of the few features found only in Windows XP Professional, the Group Policy Editor goes far beyond the Control Panel, affecting settings that most users have never even heard of. While it does offer a number of quick fixes, such as removing the Recycle Bin from the desktop, it's not intended as a replacement for tools like TweakUI or third-party shareware applications. Instead, it gives a system administrator the ability to create security policies for both individual machines and users, quickly rolling them out across a network and relying on Windows XP for enforcement (see Figure 4-41).

Figure 4-41. The Group Policy Editor gives you complete administrator's access to Windows XP's deepest settings

Unlike the Registry, which presents its arcane settings in a mountain of folders and sub folders, the GPE's options are shown in a handful of folders in (mostly) plain English, such as "Do not automatically start Windows Messenger initially" and "Rename Guest Account." (And there are obscure ones as well, such as "Add Run in Separate Memory Space checkbox to Run dialog box.") Although the presentation is different, most settings here are indeed implemented as changes to values and keys in your Registry.

Before applying any option that you don't recognize, make sure you understand exactly what it will do to your system. Double-click the entry in the right window to summon its full Properties dialog box, which is often accompanied by an Explain tab with details. Another good source: select Help Help Topics from the GPE's menu bar. Failing that, go to Microsoft's Knowledgebase at http://support.microsoft.com/ and search for "Group Policy Editor" for a list of articles.

Be very careful when using this tool. It makes it possible to restrict or reconfigure almost every security setting on your computer, which means that it's very easy to break something. And there's no undo feature.

Examples

Here's a handful of the more entertaining settings you can play with in the Group Policy Editor:

Choose Places for your Places Bar: Go to User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer\Common Open File Dialog, and double-click the Items Displayed in Places Bar option. Click Enabled, and then type the full path names of up to five folders on your hard disk. Click OK, and these folders will appear in the gray "Places" bar on the left side of most File Open and File Save dialog boxes.

There aren't any Browse buttons in this dialog, but you can specify folder paths without typing by opening Windows Explorer, navigating to the folders you want, highlighting the text in the Address bar, copying it, and pasting the text into the Group Policy Editor's dialog box. Alternatively, you can use Creative Element Power Tools (http://www.creativelement.com/powertools/) to customize your Places Bar more easily, as well as the Places Bar in Microsoft Office file dialogs.

Startup and Shutdown Scripts: Go to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Scripts (Startup/Shutdown), and then double-click the Shutdown entry on the right. Click the Add button, choose a .VBS (VBScript) file on your hard disk, and that script will be run every time you shut down your computer.

You'll also find corresponding settings in User Configuration\Windows Settings\Scripts (Logon/Logoff). These work similarly, except they're activated every time you log on or off (as opposed to when you turn on your computer or shut it down).

Go to User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Scripts and Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Scripts for settings that affect how these scripts work.

Turn Off CD/DVD Autoplay: Go to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System and double-click the Turn off Autoplay option on the right. If you enable this option, Windows will no longer play CDs and DVDs automatically when you insert them.
Pretty-up Internet Explorer: Go to User Configuration\Windows Settings\Internet Explorer Maintenance\Browser User Interface to choose your own images for the pulsing logo and toolbar background, and customize or remove the additional text shown in Internet Explorer's title bar.
Improve Security Logging: Go to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Audit Policy and enable any of the settings here to log the corresponding events. For example, set both the Audit account login attempts and Audit login attempts settings to "Success," and any failed attempt to log on to your system will be logged. To view these logs, open the Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc), discussed in the Microsoft Management Console section later in this chapter.

Each of the settings in this branch have two options: "Success" and "Failure," and this can be somewhat confusing. Choose "Success" to log those instances in which the security policy has been successful, such as when your computer successfully keeps out an intruder. Conversely, select "Failure" to log only those instances when security has been compromised.

Disable User Tracking: Go to User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar, double-click the "Turn off user tracking" entry to the right, and click Enabled. This will stop Windows from recording every program you run, every document you open, and every folder path you view, thus hobbling such features as "personalized" menus and the Recent Documents menu.

Notes

If you aren't comfortable playing with these features, or if you have the Home edition of Windows XP, you can use the safer TweakUI "PowerToy." Note: it provides access to only a handful of the settings found in the Group Policy Editor. See Appendix D for details.

Group Policy Refresh Utility

\windows\system32\gpupdate.exe

Refresh group policies and settings. (Group Policy Refresh Utility is included with Windows XP Professional only.)

To Open

Command Prompt gpupdate

Usage

gpupdate [/target] [/force] [/wait] [/logoff] [/boot] [/sync]

Description

Type gpupdate at the command prompt to refresh group policy settings. The Group Policy Refresh Utility accepts the following options:

/target:computer or /target:user: Refresh only user or only computer policy settings; by default, both are refreshed.
/force: Reapply all policy settingsby default, only policy settings that have changed since the last refresh are applied.
/wait :value: Wait a specified number of seconds for policy processing to finish before being returned to the command prompt. The default is 600 seconds; specify 0 (zero) not to wait at all, or 1 (one) to wait indefinitely.
/logoff: Log off the current user after the Group Policy settings have been refreshed.
/boot: Restart Windows after the Group Policy settings have been refreshed.
/sync: Cause the next foreground policy application (occurring at computer startup and user logon) to be done synchronously. If /sync is specified, /force and /wait parameters will be ignored.

Hearts

\windows\system32\mshearts.exe

A card game played with three opponents.

To Open

Start Programs Games Hearts

Command Prompt mshearts

Description

Hearts is a trick-based game, like Spades or WizardTM, but the object is to have the lowest score at the end of each hand. The online help tells you how to play the game and provides strategy and tips (see Figure 4-42).

Figure 4-42. Hearts lets you play the classic card game against artificial opponents or other people on your network

Notes

Normally, the object of Hearts is to stick your opponents with as many points (hearts) as possible. However, if one player takes all the points in a hand, it's called "shooting the moon": that player gets 0 points and everyone else gets 26 points.
In previous versions of Windows, Hearts was a network game that allowed you to play against other players on a network. This functionality has been removed from the Windows XP-version of Hearts; however, a new version of the game, Internet Hearts, has been added.

Help and Support Center

\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\helpctr.exe

The primary online documentation for Windows XP.

To Open

Start Help and Support

Command Prompt helpctr

Description

Rather than a standard help file, Help and Support Center is more like a web site, providing documentation for some of the components included in Windows XP, a collection of tips and tricks, some troubleshooting information, and rudimentary walk-throughs for such tasks as keeping your computer up to date and adding hardware and software (see Figure 4-43).

Figure 4-43. The search tool in the Help and Support Center shows the most relevant information in the included documentation and in Microsoft's online knowledge base

While Help and Support Center does have some minimal troubleshooting content, it's mostly simple solutions to common problems (i.e., if you can't print, check to see if your printer is turned on and is loaded with paper). However, if you're connected to the Internet, the Search tool at the top of the window will also search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, an immense database of troubleshooting information, frequently asked questions, bug reports, compatibility lists, and other technical support issues. In fact, since I access the Microsoft KB frequently, I find this built-in interface to be faster and more convenient then using the search function on Microsoft's web site! To view the results from searches other than the standard help content, click the gray bar above or below the displayed results (in the case of the KB, you would simply click Microsoft Knowledge Base). This is a terrific feature and can even be customized by going to Options Set search options; you may want to increase the default of 15 results per provider (the Microsoft KB counts as a provider).

Notes

If your job description involves supporting other computers, including those running other versions of Windows, the Help and Support Center can be augmented with documentation from other editions of Windows XP by going to Options Install and share Windows Help. Furthermore, you can share your help content with others for precisely the same reason.
From time to time, you'll find an especially useful page in the Help and Support Center window, either part of Windows' built-in documentation or a page on Microsoft's support web site. When available, click the Add to Favorites button to bookmark the page you're viewing; then, open Favorites (not the same as your main Favorites folder) and click the bookmark at any time to return to that page.
If you need help with a specific Windows component, such as WordPad or Explorer, use that application's Help menu, rather than the more general Help and Support Center.

HyperTerminal

\Program Files\windows nt\hypertrm.exe

Terminal access to remote computers, typically via a modem; also a substitute for Telnet.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Communications HyperTerminal

Command Prompt hypertrm

Description

With HyperTerminal and a modem, you can connect to a remote computer that supports terminal access, sends and receives files, and so on. HyperTerminal is useful for connecting to computer bulletin boards (popular in the 1970s and `80s); however, this type of terminal access has largely been replaced by the Internet.

When HyperTerminal is first started (or when you use File New), it prompts you to name your connection and choose an icon, the first of two steps necessary to initiate a connection. The name is arbitrary and can be anything; it's really useful only if you intend to save your connection settings for use at a later time, but you have to enter something to proceed.

Next comes the Connect To dialog. The first option you should set is ironically the last one: in the Connect using list, choose either TCP/IP (Winsock) to initiate a session over your Internet connection, or choose a COM port (usually COM1) to use your modem (if installed). If you choose TCP/IP, HyperTerminal will be used as a Telnet client (see "Telnet", later in this chapter, for more information), and you'll be asked for a Host address (server name or IP address) and a Port number (use 23 for normal Telnet access). If you choose a COM port, you will be prompted for an area code and phone number used to place the subsequent phone call. If the Phone number field is disabled, the selected COM port either doesn't have a modem attached to it or your modem is not properly set up.

Once you've established a connection, HyperTerminal is merely a portal through which you can type commands and view information. The specific commands and information depend on the type of connection you're using and what the host computer supports.

All the options in HyperTerminal deal with managing connection profiles (saved as .ht files) and configuring the display (e.g., choosing fonts, colors, etc.). The transfer menu is used to help transfer files with the remote computer and is used only with terminal access. To transfer files with computers accessed with Telnet, use FTP.

Notes

For support and upgrades to HyperTerminal, go to http://www.hilgraeve.com/ .

IExpress

\windows\system32\iexpress.exe

Create a self-extracting/self-installing package, used to distribute files and install applications.

To Open

Command Prompt iexpress

Usage

iexpress.exe [/n [/q] [/m]] file [/o:overide file,section]

Description

A self-extracting/self-installing package is actually an application, commonly known as an installer or setup program, that is used to install one or more files onto a Windows system and, optionally, to execute a setup script. IExpress is an interactive program that helps you create these packages, making it easy to, among other things, distribute files to other computers (see Figure 4-44).

Figure 4-44. The IExpress Wizard lets you package up a collection of files for easy distribution

Say you wish to put together a collection of documents that can be sent to another user, either via email, or by using a floppy disk or CD. Rather than simply sending the files separately or compressing them into a .zip file, both of which would require additional instructions, not to mention a reasonably knowledgeable and patient recipient, you can make a full-featured, professional-looking installer with IExpress.

When you start IExpress, the IExpress Wizard guides you through the steps to creating a self-extracting package. The first step prompts for a Self Extraction Directive (.sed) file, a file that contains all the options and files to include. If you don't have one, select "Create new Self Extraction Directive file" and click Next.

The next page, "Package purpose," asks what you want the installer to do with the files on the target computer when the package is opened by its recipient. If you select the first option, "Extract files and run an installation command," the files will be copied to a temporary folder and a separate installer program that you provide will be launched. If you don't have a separate installation program, choose "Extract files only" and click Next. The last option, "Create compressed files only," is used by application developers to assist in the distribution of application components and is of little use to most users.

The subsequent steps allow you to specify a package title, type welcome and "finished" messages, and even include a license agreement. When you reach the "Packaged files" page, use the Add button to select one or more files to be included in the package; you can choose as many files as you like, and they can be any format. In fact, IExpress will compress the files so that they take up less space (like .zip files). Then, IExpress will ask you to specify a package name, which is the path and filename of the package (.exe) to be created. IExpress will also optionally save your choices into a Self Extraction Directive (.sed) file, making it easy to recreate this package without having to answer all the above prompts again.

When the process is complete, you'll end up with a new .exe file that can then be run on any Windows system. This package can now be emailed, FTP'd, distributed on a CD, a floppy, or even posted on a web site; the recipient won't need any special tools or elaborate instructions to extract the files from the package.

IExpress also has an automated, noninteractive mode for advanced users who wish to skip the somewhat cumbersome wizard interface and instead, create a package using the following command line parameters:

file: The full path and filename of a Self Extraction Directive (.sed) file. If you don't have a .sed file, you'll have to use the wizard interface to create one.
/n: Build package now (file must be specified). If you omit /n, IExpress will open in the interactive wizard interface.
/q: Quiet mode (no prompts); used only with /n.
/m: Use minimized windows; used only with /n.
/o: Override.

If you've already created a .sed file (say, c:\stuff\thing.sed), and you wish to generate the corresponding package without walking through the wizard or being bothered with any prompts, type the following at a command prompt:

iexpress /n /q c:\stuff\thing.sed

The filename of the resulting package will be as specified in the .sed file.

Notes

Self Extraction Directive (.sed) files are just plain text files, similar in format to Configuration Files (.ini), and can be edited with a plain text editor, such as Notepad. The easiest way to get started with .sed files is to use the IExpress Wizard to create one and then edit (if necessary) to suit your needs.

To Open

Start Programs Internet Explorer

Use the Internet Explorer icon on the Desktop or on the QuickLaunch Toolbar

Command Prompt iexplore

Usage

iexplore [-nohome] [url]

Description

Internet Explorer (IE) is a full-featured web browser that can be used to navigate the web, as well as view web content on your local network or hard drive. Web content is typically in the form of web pages (.html), but can also be images (.gif and .jpg), FTP sites, or even streaming video or audio (via the Windows Media Player) (see Figure 4-45).

Figure 4-45. Internet Explorer 6.0 is the default web browser in Windows XP

Navigation in IE is accomplished by clicking hyperlinks in web pages or by typing addresses in IE's Address Bar. Frequently visited sites can be "bookmarked" by creating Internet Shortcuts (similar to Windows Shortcuts), stored in your Favorites folder, your Desktop, or anywhere else on your hard disk.

Use the Back and Next buttons (Alt-left arrow and Alt-right arrow, respectively) to navigate through the history, which is empty in each new IE window that is opened. Use the Stop button (or press ESC) to stop the loading of a page, and use the Refresh button (or press F5) to reload the page, displaying any changes that might have been made or displaying an updated version of a dynamically generated page.

The Home button loads the currently configured home page into the browser window. The home page is merely a shortcut to a single web site and can be changed by going to Tools Internet Options. Finally, the Media button opens the Media Explorer bar, a pane on the left side of the window that displays advertising and entertainment from Microsoft's WindowsMedia.com site.

If you start IE from the command line, you can use either of the following options:

-nohome: Start IE without loading the home page (blank). You can also configure Internet Explorer to use a blank page (about:blank) as its homepage, effectively causing Internet Explorer to always start without loading a home page.
url: The Uniform Resource Locatorthe address of a page to load. If you omit url, IE will display the home page.

Here are descriptions of some of the features of Internet Explorer:

Windows Update

Updates to Internet Explorer are frequently made available on the Windows Update site. The initial release of Windows XP comes with Internet Explorer 6, but subsequent versions will add support for new standards, new features, bug fixes, and probably a few new bugs. If upgrading to a new version, always take advantage of the feature that saves the old system files, allowing the new version to be uninstalled in case you run into a problem or incompatibility.

AutoComplete

IE has an autocompletion feature, which encompasses several features to help reduce typing. While you're typing web addresses, IE checks your browser history for any matches and displays them below the Address Bar. The more characters you type in the Address Bar, the narrower the list of suggestions will be, until the list disappears. To choose a URL from the list, just use the arrow keys on your keyboard and press Enter, or use your mouse.

You can also type an address without the http:// prefix, the .com extension, and even www (if applicable) in your addresses, and the site will still be found and loaded, as long as the site is in the .com, .edu, or .org domain. To add new domains to be included in AutoComplete, use the Registry Editor to add them to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\UrlTemplate (see Chapter 7).

AutoComplete goes further to remember usernames, passwords, and even some form data. Be careful when having IE "remember" sensitive data, as others will be able to access it as well. For example, don't store your bank PIN or credit card number if others have access to your computer. The AutoComplete options can be configured by going to Tools Internet Options Content AutoComplete.

The AutoSearch feature extends AutoComplete by allowing you to initiate web searches from the Address Bar. To use AutoSearch, start by typing a keyword into the Address Bar (such as bozo), and when Search for "bozo" appears in the AutoComplete box, click it. To configure or disable AutoSearch, go to Tools Internet Options Advanced and choose Desired Option from the Search From the Address Bar section. You may wish to experiment with these settings until you find one you can live with. Unlike Netscape 6 or Mozilla, IE doesn't allow you to choose the search engine used to perform these searches; IE can only use MSN search (http://search.msn.com).

Offline Files

You can make any entry in your Favorites menu available offline (when you're not connected to the Internet) by right-clicking it and selecting the "Make available offline" option. This launches a wizard that walks you through the following options:

Make other linked pages available offline. If yes, choose between 1 and 3 links deep, but be careful because this can take up a lot of disk space.
Select synchronization options. The default option allows synchronization only when chosen from the Tools menu. You can create your own schedule, which will take you to a dialog where you can set the synchronization between 1 and 99 days, set the time, and be given the option to automatically connect if you aren't connected to the Internet.
Set a password for synchronization. You can require a password to be given before the site can be viewed offline by entering a username and password.

When you're ready to work offline (a formal step that must be taken regardless of the status of your Internet connection), select File Work Offline. You can then view any of your offline pages from the Favorites folder (they have the red dot on the corner of the icon). To work online again, just select File Work Offline again. See "Synchronization Manager", later in this chapter, for more information.

Cookies: Cookies, first introduced by Netscape, allow a web site to store specific information on your hard disk. For example, if you visit an online store that has a shopping cart, that web site will be able to keep track of who you are by storing one or more cookies on your computer. This allows thousands of people to simultaneously access a site, yet have a separate and distinct shopping cart for each user. Cookies are often the target of privacy advocates, since it's possible for web site administrators to use cookies to track which pages certain visitors view at their site. However, cookies are only available to the sites that assign them (a cookie defined at Amazon.com cannot be read by any other web site), so the actual risk is minimal. You can adjust how Internet Explorer handles cookies by going to Tools Internet Options Privacy tab.

Notes

If IE is the default browser, you can also go to Start Run and type any web address to open the page at that address. However, any browser can be set as the default. Typically, during installation of another browser, such as Netscape (http://www.netscape.com/), Mozilla (http://www.mozilla.org/), or Opera (http://www.opera.com/), there will be an option to make that browser the default. Once one of these other browsers is installed, the procedure to make them the default varies. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools Internet Options Programs tab, and turn on the "Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser" option. Then, after closing all open Internet Explorer Windows, open a new Internet Explorer window; when prompted, verify that you try to make Internet Explorer the default.
Go to Tools Internet Options (see "Internet Options", later in this chapter) to set the various options relating to the display of web pages, security on the Internet, related Internet applications, and other, more technical Internet-related settings. All settings are fully documented in Chapter 5.
The Forward and Back buttons have a drop-down list feature (see Figure 4-46) that lets you quickly jump several sites forward or backward, skipping over sites you don't want to load.

Figure 4-46. The last few pages viewed can be quickly accessed with the Back button's drop-down list

The files that make up web pages, .html files, are simply plain text files, and can be viewed or modified with a plain text editor, such as Notepad. In fact, if you select View Source, IE will display the code for the current page in a new Notepad window. However, if you're not familiar with HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code, you can use any modern word processor to create and modify web pages. Most Internet Service Providers will even host your pages for you, effectively giving you your own web site.
When you type the name of a folder on your hard disk into IE's Address Bar, the IE window will be replaced with a standard folder window and the contents of the folder will be displayed. Likewise, if you type an Internet address into the Address Bar of an Explorer window or a single folder window, the window will be replaced with IE and the page will load.
From any web page, you can select the Tools Show Related Links option, which will open the Search pane and fill it with a list links compiled by a centralized database at http://www.alexa.com/.
If you find the text size on any page to be too small, go to View Text Size and enlarge (or shrink) the text size to your liking.
From time to time, and depending on the Internet Explorer features you use and the web sites you visit, you may be prompted to sign up for a Microsoft .NET Passport account. Unfortunately, this has caused some confusion among many users. A Passport account is absolutely not required for any feature of Windows, with the exception of the MSN Explorer and Windows Messenger components. Passport is an optional service (and Microsoft has been widely criticized for making it appear otherwise). Unless you wish to use MSN, Messenger, or the Hotmail service, you'll most likely have no use for a Passport account.

What's New in Service Pack 2

Internet Explorer was by far the biggest beneficiary of Service Pack 2, its outdated interface and security features more or less dragged into the twenty-first century. (See Appendix H for more information on service packs.) Thanks to IE's dominanceand sieve-like designit's the most temping target for hackers, crackers, script kiddies, spammers, and marketers. Install SP2 and IE no longer trusts anyone trying to access your computer, making it harder for rogue programs to do any damage. IE is also blessed with new controls and early warning systems. But except for the firewall that came with earlier versions of XP, you don't get any proactive, intelligent protectionno anti-virus program, no spyware killer. Still these new SP2 features do make it easier to browse the Web and harder to slip up when trouble appears.

The Information Bar

Almost all of IE's new features center around this new toolbar. Whenever anything untoward happensan ActiveX control tries to download, a web site tries get around IE's security settingsthe yellow Information Bar appears just below IE's address bar with a Security Warning. Clicking the Information Bar provides more information and a context menu with possible actions, from giving your okay, to switching off any future alerts. This toolbar is usually hidden, only appearing when a security "event" occurs.

Pop-up blocker

Pop-up ads are among the Web's most annoying annoyances. But Internet Explorer has long been the only mainstream browser incapable of blocking pop-ups automatically, forcing users to rely on third-party tools (including the Google toolbar) to do the job. SP2 finally adds this key function, instantly making web surfing much more enjoyable and clutter free (see Figure 4-47). You'll find its full options in the Tools menu (Tools Pop-up Blocker), or by clicking the Information Bar when it blocks an offender.

Figure 4-47. Thanks to SP2, Internet Explorer now has a built-in pop-up blocker

The Pop-Up blocker is automatically activated when you install SP2, although you can switch it off. When it blocks a pop-up, a yellow bar appears at the top of the current page. Click the bar and you can 1) temporarily allow pop-ups during your visit to the site and see exactly what each pop-up is (for instance, an urgent news post or log-on screen); 2) give the web site permission to display pop-ups whenever you visit, or 3) open the Pop-up Blocker settings window. From here, you can choose to block every pop-up window you encounter except for those you OK on the spot, switch off the blocker entirely, or have the blocker determine which pop-ups to suppress and which to let through. If you want to view a pop-up that IE has smacked down, press the Ctrl key to override the blocker.

Download Blocker

In the pre-SP2 days, Internet Explorer totally ignored the content of downloads. But the new and improved IE by default stops all downloads. That may be overkill, but even careful users occasionally click the wrong box, or get tricked by a misleading message. In pre-SP2 days, it was also annoying to have to constantly swat down requests to install ActiveX components with names like "uber1337 Password Manager 1.843 by clicking this you agree to let us show you a million ads watch your movements and dial porn sites in Paraguay." These requests are now blocked by default. You'll find the full settings list by clicking Tools Internet Options, the Security tab, and the Custom Level button.

Download Blocker stops any program that tries to install anything without your permission, and flashes a warning via the Information Bar (see Figure 4-48). Ignore the warning and nothing will be downloaded. However, click the Information Bar to display download options and further information about exactly what the site's trying to send you.

Figure 4-48. Stop downloads in their tracks. With IE's Download Blocker, you can accept or block all downloads from a specific site, or have IE ask you every single time.

If you trust the web site (say, Macromedia) and you know you need to accept the download (say, the latest Shockwave player), you can give the site a permanent thumbs-up by selecting "Always install software from companyname" (IE fills in the company name for you). If the site is totally untrustworthy, you can click "Never install software from companyname" and blacklist it forever.

In most cases, however, you'll probably choose the middle ground and select "Ask me every time" so you can make the decision about any potential download on a case-by-case basis.

To access this control, select Tools Manage Add-ons. You'll see a list of any add-on components you blocked via the Security Warning dialog during the current session, as well as a list of components you allowed onto your system (see Figure 4-49). If you change your mind about a site you blocked during the current session, select it from the Blocked list and click the Allow radio button, then OK, and the site is taken off your blacklist. To enable or disable an add-on that's on your system, just select it in the list, then click the Enable or Disable radio button below and click OK. To update an ActiveX add-on, you can click the Update ActiveX button, but it's better to go to the source site and let it download a fresh version of the add-on.

Figure 4-49. Your browser may be "improved" with add-ons without your knowledge. To stop these little helpers, open the Manage Add-ons window and disable them with a few clicks.

Make sure you confirm what a component does before disabling it, or you could lose important Internet Explorer functionality. If the name doesn't supply enough details (for example, Shockwave ActiveX Control), search Google for the add-on's name, or search the add-on publisher's site for information.

The Add-on Manager: In the course of your web travels, all sorts of "enhancements" to IE may be added by the web sites you visitActiveX components and browser extensions that add features, browser helper objects that display Flash and PDF files, and so on. If an add-on has been installed by accident, or you simply want it out of your hair, the new Manage Add-ons screen lets you turn it off like a light bulb. To actually uninstall software, you still must use the Add or Remove Programs control panel.

Internet Hearts

\program files\msn gaming zone\windows\hrtzzm.exe

See "MSN Gaming Zone".

Internet Reversi

\program files\msn gaming zone\windows\rvsezm.exe

See "MSN Gaming Zone".

Internet Options

Change the settings that affect Internet Explorer and your dial-up Internet Connection.

To Open

Control Panel [Network and Internet Connections] Internet Options

Command Prompt control inetcpl.cpl

Internet Explorer Tools Internet Options

Description

The Internet Options dialog is a densely packed dialog with about every conceivable option for Internet Explorer. Settings are divided into the following tabs:

General

The Home page section allows you to choose the page that loads automatically whenever an Internet Explorer window is opened, as well as the page linked to the Home button on the toolbar.

Temporary Internet files, also known as your browser cache, is a folder on your hard disk that stores copies of recently visited web pages for quicker access the next time they're visited. The Temporary Internet Files folder is located at \Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files by default. Cookies, a feature unrelated to Temporary Internet files, are pieces of information stored on your computer to allow certain web sites to remember your identity or preferences; click Delete Cookies to clear all cookies stored on your computer. To selectively remove cookies, open the \Documents and Settings\{username}\Cookies folder in Windows Explorer. See the Privacy tab for more Cookie settings.

Internet Explorer keeps track of pages you've visited and displays links to those pages in a different color (purple, by default, as opposed to the standard blue for links to pages you haven't yet visited). Items in your History are also accessed with the AutoComplete feature discussed in "Internet Explorer", earlier in this chapter. The History section controls how long before pages are removed from Internet Explorer's history (see Figure 4-50).

Figure 4-50. Internet Options' General tab lets you choose a default home page, manage cookies, and clear out your browser history

The remaining buttons allow you to control the default colors, fonts, and languages with which pages are shown. The Accessibility button essentially limits the control web pages have over their appearance.

Security

Lets you specify the security settings for different predefined zones of Internet content. There are four basic zones: Internet, Intranet, Trusted, and Restricted. By default, all sites are placed into one of the first two zones. All sites found on your local network are placed into the Intranet zone. All other sites are placed into the Internet Zone. You can manually add sites to the Trusted and Restricted zones. Security settings for each zone are preset, but you can change these settings if you wish. For each zone, you can specify High, Medium, Low, or Custom security settings. Security settings govern such things as whether ActiveX controls, Java applets, and JavaScript programs are used, how files are downloaded, and how user authentication takes place.

Privacy

The Privacy tab essentially controls when and how Internet Explorer accepts cookies. Play around with the slider to choose between six different preconfigured privacy policies, or click Advanced to choose your own settings. The Medium or Low policies should be suitable for most users. You can also click Edit in the Web Sites section to selectively choose which web sites can store and retrieve cookies, and which can not. You can view the cookies currently stored on your hard disk by opening the \Documents and Settings\{username}\Cookies folder in Windows Explorer.

Content

The Content tab contains a number of functions that allow you to control what can and can't be viewed by IE. Many of the features here are not widely used and still have a few kinks to be worked out.

Content Advisor

By default, the only content advisor installed is the Recreational Software Advisor Council Internet advisor (RSACi)which ceased operation in 1999. This was no great loss. Unlike most services, RSACi depended on sites rating themselves for violence, nudity, sex and profanityand almost none did. Running it now is a complete waste of time. Other content-filtering software packages rely on independent blacklists or automatic rating systems to help filter out the millions of inappropriate sites. Two notable alternatives are www.netnanny.com and www.cyberpatrol.com. For information about upgrading the Content Advisor with RSACi's replacement, the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA), visit http://www.icra.org/faq/. You can download an updated filter here for free, but consider the alternatives mentioned above first.

Certificates

It's fairly easy for one site to masquerade as another. Digital certificates, which use cryptography to create unique identifiers that can't be forged, can be used by sites that want to prove their identity to you. Here, you can identify which certificate authorities (certificate issuers) you want to trust. If IE receives a certificate by an authority it doesn't know about, it will either display a warning or will not display the associated web page at all, depending on your settings here. Companies sometimes self-certify their pages, especially in an Intranet context.

Personal Information

Microsoft Profile Assistant is used to store personal information, such as your name and email address, that is often required by forms on web sites. Web sites that support the use of the Profile Assistant can automatically draw this information from the assistant.

Right now, very few sites make full use of the functionality provided by the Profile Assistant. This may change in the future, but for now, these tools can still be useful as just a convenient location to store these types of information. Due to privacy concerns, however, you may understandably not feel comfortable doing this.

See "Internet Explorer", earlier in this chapter, for more information on the AutoComplete feature.

Connections

The Connections tab allows you to choose to have your dial-up connection dialed automatically. If you're not using a dial-up connection, but rather using DSL, cable, or a direct LAN connection, most of this page will be of no use to you. The exception is the LAN Settings dialog, which lets you configure your proxy (if you have one).

If you have one or more dial-up connections, they will be listed here. If you have two or more connections and you want to use the Auto Dial feature, choose one and click Set Default. Then, click either "Dial whenever a network connection is not present" or "Always dial my default connection," whichever you prefer.

Select a connection and then click Settings Advanced to choose how many times Windows will dial before giving up and whether it should disconnect automatically if it detects that the connection is no longer needed.

It's a bit dangerous to use the automatic idle disconnect feature if you are using Internet applications other than IE, since IE doesn't recognize activity in other applications (such as Telnet). This can cause connections to close unexpectedly.

The Setup button starts the New Connection Wizard, discussed later in this chapter. See Chapter 7 for more information on setting up new Internet connections.

Programs

The settings in the Programs tab let you choose the default programs to use for sending mail, reading Internet news, placing Internet calls, viewing calendar scheduling, and viewing contact information (see Figure 4-51). For example, if you click a "mailto" link in a web page, Internet Explorer will activate the email program specified here. If your favorite applications don't appear in these lists, you may have to reinstall them or obtain updates from the respective manufacturers.

Figure 4-51. Choose the default email application and web page editor with the Programs tab

If the "Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser" box is checked, any time you start up IE (as long as it isn't already your default browser), it will ask you whether you want to make it your default browser. Thus, this setting is really just a shortcut to change file/program associations; see Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options File Types tab. Unless you're fond of what has come to be called "nagware," I recommend leaving this box unchecked.

Advanced: Advanced contains additional security settings in a hierarchical tree (see Figure 4-52). Many of these settings are rarely used and most are self-explanatory. Useful settings include:

Figure 4-52. The Advanced tab contains many settings that affect all aspects of web browsing with Internet Explorer

Notify when downloads complete: Normally, a message pops up when a download is complete, interrupting whatever you are doing. Disabling this feature is particularly helpful when you perform multiple downloads at once.
Use Smooth Scrolling: Specifies whether a page slides gradually when you click the scrollbar, a feature than can be especially distracting.
Underline Links: Specifies whether links on pages should be underlined always, never, or only when you hover your mouse pointer over them.
Multimedia: Multimedia can be a great part of the Web experience, but it can also slow down the delivery of web pages. The multimedia section lets you control whether certain multimedia elements, such as pictures, videos, and sounds, are downloaded for display. Thankfully, all those awful sounds in web pages can be silenced for good!
Printing: Enables or disables the printing of background colors and images when you print a web page. Print speed can be increased considerably with this option disabled. The settings that control Java, JavaScript (found under the Advanced tab in some earlier versions of Windows), can be found in Security Custom Level.

Notes

All of the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.
Only the settings in the Connections tab affect your dial-up Internet Connection (if you have one), which affects all your Internet applications. All the other tabs affect only the Internet Explorer application. Settings that control the security and privacy features of other browsers, such as Netscape or Mozilla, can be found in those applications' options windows.

To Open

Command Prompt jview

Command Prompt wjview

Usage

jview [options] filename [arguments]

wjview [options] filename [arguments]

Description

Java is a programming language that allows developers to create programs that can run on any platform, including Windows, Unix, and MacOS. Since Java applications (.class files) aren't formal Windows programs, they can't be opened by themselves; rather, you must use the Java Command-Line Loader to run them. The exceptions are so-called Java applets, which are Java programs included in web pages and run internally by your web browser.

Windows XP comes with two Java command-line loaders, jview.exe and wjview.exe. Both versions do the same thing and accept exactly the same parameters (see below). The difference is that jview.exe is a command-line-based program and wjview.exe is a Windows-based program. The Java Command-Line Loader takes the following options:

classname: The full path and filename of the .class file to be executed.
/a: Executes AppletViewer.
/d:< name>=< value>: Defines a system variable to be used by the Java program.
/n < namespace>: The namespace in which to run.
/p: Pauses before terminating if an error occurs.
/v: Verifies the Java program before executing it.
arguments: The command-line arguments to be passed onto the Java program.
/vst: Prints verbose stack traces (requires debug classes).
/cp classpath: Sets the class path.
/cp:a path: Appends path to the class path.
/cp:p path: Prepends path to the class path.

Notes

The Java Command-Line Loader uses Microsoft's version of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which is very fast, since it uses Just-In-Time compiler technology.
Unfortunately, there is not an option or Registry setting that enables Java logging. However, you can redirect the output (see Appendix C) when invoking an application, as in the following example:
```
C:\>jview main > javalog.txt
```

When you run a Java application using the Java Command-Line Loader from within the Microsoft Developer Studio IDE, the command prompt window closes immediately after the Java application terminates. To prevent the MS-DOS window from closing immediately, you can have an input statement as the last statement in your Java application.

For example:
```
system.in.read( );
```

A second option is to run your Java application externally (outside the Developer Studio environment).
For the Microsoft SDK containing the latest Java compiler and Virtual Machine for using Java with the WIN32 API only, go to http://www.microsoft.com/java/.

Keyboard Properties

Change the keyboard repeat rate and text cursor blink rate.

To Open

Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Keyboard

Command Prompt control main.cpl Keyboard

Command Prompt control keyboard

Description

The Keyboard Properties dialog controls the way characters are repeated when keys are held down, as well as how quickly the text cursor (insertion point) blinks. Tip: move the Repeat rate slider all the way to the right (towards Fast) and your computer will actually seem faster (see Figure 4-53).

Figure 4-53. Move both sliders all the way to the right in Keyboard Properties to make your computer seem faster

The Hardware tab simply provides access to the Properties sheet for your keyboard (the same one you'll get in Device Manager, discussed earlier in this chapter).

Notes

All settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.
Additional features that affect the keyboard repeat rate and text cursor can be found in Accessibility Options, discussed earlier in this chapter.
Some keyboards, especially those with additional function buttons (such as web links and CD player controls), come with their own software. Some of this software includes hardware drivers and is absolutely necessary for operation, while other software is purely optional, adding only trivial features. Given the potential compatibility problems with Windows XP, it's best only to install such software if it's necessary or if it provides features you can't live without.

To Open

Command Prompt label

Usage

label [drive:] [label]

Description

Every disk has a label, the name shown in Explorer next to the drive letter (except for floppies). To change the label for any disk, right-click on its icon in Explorer (or the My Computer window), select Properties, and type a new name in the unlabeled field at the top of the properties window. The Label tool duplicates this functionality from the command line. For example, to change the label of drive c: to "shoebox," type:

label c: shoebox

If you omit label, you will be prompted to enter a new label. If you omit drive, label will use the current drive.

Notes

A disk's label has no effect on the operation of the disk; for hard disks, it's purely decorative. For CDs and other removable media, it's used to quickly identify what's in the drive.

Local Security Policy

\windows\system32\secpol.msc

See "Microsoft Management Console".

Logoff

\windows\system32\logoff.exe

Log out the current user (or another user).

To Open

Command Prompt logoff

Usage

logoff [session | id] [/server:name] [/v]

Description

Among other things, Logoff is the quickest way to log off the current user, rather than selecting "Shut Down from the Start Menu," choosing "Log off" from the list, and clicking OK. In fact, you can create a shortcut to Logoff on your Desktop and simply double-click it to end the current session.

Logoff can also be used to end the session of a remotely connected user, either through terminal services or through the Telnet daemon. For example, if someone has connected to a Windows XP computer using Telnet, you can disconnect them, either from another Telnet session or from the command prompt, by using Logoff and the following options:

session: The name of the session to end; use either session or id to end a session, but not both.
id: The ID of the session to end; use either session or id to end a session, but not both.
/server :name: Specifies the terminal server containing the session to end; the default is current.
/v: Displays additional information about the actions being performed.

To Open

Command Prompt winchat

Description

Microsoft Chat is a simple chat program that allows two users to have a text-based conversation using two computers connected over a network (see Figure 4-54). It's similar to the Unix talk command, where the screen is split in two panes and each user types and watches as the other types. Both screens are updated in real time, so you can see letters as they are typed by your partner.

Figure 4-54. The Chat tool is used to facilitate text conversations between two users on a network

To initiate a chat session, click the Dial button on the toolbar or select Dial from the Conversation menu, select the target computer from the list (other computers in your workgroup will be shown here), and click OK. Then the user of the computer that has been dialed will see a Chat button in their Taskbar; that user must click the button to "answer" the call.

Notes

If you're looking for the comic-strip style graphical IRC chat client included with some earlier versions of Windows (cchat.exe), this application is not included with Windows XP. However, there are several third-party alternatives that can be obtained from the Internet, such as LeafChat (http://www.leafdigital.com/) and mIRC (http://www.mirc.org/).
To receive a Microsoft Chat call, you'll either need to have Chat running or have the Network DDE service started (see "Microsoft Management Console" for more information on services).

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Accessibility Magnifier

Command Prompt magnify

Description

The Microsoft Magnifier is used to assist those with the visual impairments by magnifying a portion of the screen. When you start Magnifier, the top 15 percent of the screen turns into an automatic magnifying glass, which follows the mouse cursor around screen. If you have trouble seeing something on the screen, just float the cursor over it to magnify it (see Figure 4-55).

Figure 4-55. The Magnifier tool can follow your mouse cursor, enlarging any portion of the screen you point to

The Magnifier can be resized or moved with the mouse. Furthermore, when Magnifier is first opened, the Magnifier settings window appears, allowing you to change magnification level and choose whether or not Magnifier follows the mouse cursor, keyboard focus, or the text cursor. To hide the settings window, just minimize it; if you close it, Magnifier will close.

Notes

Magnifier can also be very handy for application developers and web site authors, who may need to see pixel detail in their work.

To Open

Start Programs Administrative Tools Computer Management

Command Prompt mmc

Usage

mmc filename [/a] [/64] [/32]

Description

The Microsoft Management Console ( MMC) is a host for most of the administrative tools that come with Windows XP (see Figure 4-56). Each of the tools that works with MMC is called a Snap-in; several Snap-ins can be shown in MMC at any given time and appear as entries in the Explorer-style tree in the left pane.

Figure 4-56. The Microsoft Management Console houses many important troubleshooting and system-maintenance tools

A collection of one or more Snap-ins can be saved into a Console (.msc) file, which is a small file that simply lists Snap-ins to display in the Console window. Double-click any .msc file to open it in MMC. Windows XP ships with more than a dozen predefined Console files, and you can modify them (or even create your own) by adding or removing snap-ins or creating custom Taskpad Viewspages with lists of shortcuts to programs or other snap-ins.

There are about two dozen Snap-ins included in Windows XP. To add a Snap-in to the current Console file (select File New to start a new Console), go to File Add/Remove Snap-in, and click Add (see Figure 4-57). Then, choose one of the available Snap-ins (note that not all Snap-ins described here are available in all versions of Windows XP), and click Add to add it to the list in the previous Window. A wizard or other dialog may appear when certain items are added, used to configure this instance of the Snap-in being added; any preferences set here are saved into the Console file. You can continue to add additional items as needed; when you're done, click Close. Note that it's possible to add the same Snap-in more than once, so you may want to position the Windows side-by-side so you can see what has been installed.

Figure 4-57. Add tools to the current view by installing Snap-ins

Here are the Snap-ins included with Windows XP; most of the following are documented further in the Microsoft Management Console online help. Note that all Console (.msc) files mentioned are in the \windows\system32 folder unless otherwise mentioned.

ActiveX Control: Use this Snap-in to add an ActiveX control to your console file. Although Windows XP ships with many ActiveX controls, most of them aren't appropriate for MMC. More advanced users may wish to use this feature to create custom Snap-ins. Most users are likely to find the System Monitor Control to be the only useful ActiveX Snap-in included with Windows XP.
Certificates: Installed by default in certmgr.msc.

Browse all the security certificates used by Internet Explorer and IIS, the web server included with Windows XP (Professional only).

Component Services: Installed by default in \windows\system32\com\comexp.msc.

Manage installed component object model (COM) components.

Computer Management

Installed by default in compmgmt.msc.

Computer Management doesn't have any functionality by itself; rather, it is a collection of the following thirteen Snap-ins: Event Viewer, Shared Folders, Local Users and Groups, Performance Logs and Alerts, Device Manager, Removable Storage, Disk Defragmenter, Disk Management, Services, WMI Control, Indexing Service, Message Queuing, and Internet Information Services.

Device Manager

Installed by default in devmgmt.msc and compmgmt.msc. See "Device Manager", earlier in this chapter.

Disk Defragmenter

Installed by default in drfg.msc and compmgmt.msc. See "Disk Defragmenter", earlier in this chapter.

Disk Management

Installed by default in diskmgmt.msc and compmgmt.msc.

The Disk Management Snap-in lists all the installed drives, including hard disks, CD drives, and other removable storage devices (floppies are not included). Right-click on any drive (except the one on which Windows is installed) to change its drive letter. Go to View Top and View Bottom to choose whether drives are viewed as disks (physical devices), volumes (local drives, including partitions), and disks using a graphical view. Disk Management also has the ability to create and delete partitions (see also "DiskPart", earlier in this chapter), but cannot make any modifications that affect the volume on which Windows is installed. PartitionMagic (http://www.powerquest.com/) allows more complete control over the creation and modification of partitions.

Among the features of the Disk Management console is the ability to change drive letters of your CD or DVD drive, removable cartridge drive, and even hard disk partitions. Just right-click a volume in the upper pane (for hard disk partitions) or one of the large buttons on the left side of the lower pane (for CD drives and the like) and select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Then, click Change to choose a new drive letter. If there's a drive letter conflict, you may have to click Remove first, resolve the conflict, and then return to the Change Drive Letter and Paths dialog and click Add to choose a drive letter.

Event Viewer

Installed by default in eventvwr.msc and compmgmt.msc.

Views the three system event logs: Application, Security, and System. The Application log lists every application crash, status reports and warnings generated by services (see 'Services," below), and other events logged by some applications. The Security log records events such as valid and invalid logon attempts, as well as events related to the use of shared resources. The system log contains events logged by Windows XP system components, such as driver failures and system startup errors.

A computer running Windows configured as a domain controller records events in two additional logs, Directory service and File Replication service. A computer running Windows configured as a Domain Name System (DNS) server records events in an additional log, DNS server.

Event Viewer logs contain five types of events: Errors (driver and service failures), Warnings (indications of possible future problems), Information entries (the successful operation of an application, driver, or service), and Success Audits and Failure Audits (audited security access attempts that succeed and fail, respectively).

Folder

A folder is used to organize Snap-ins in the tree display. To use a folder, first add it using the procedure explained above. Then, close the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog, select the new folder from the "Snap-ins added to" list, and click Add again; this time, added items will appear in the new folder. Unfortunately, you can't drag-drop items from one folder to another, so the only way to move an item is to remove it from one folder and then add it to another. Folders can be renamed only from the main MMC window.

FrontPage Server Extensions

This Snap-in is used to manage the various FrontPage Server extensions and their settings.

Group Policy (also known as Local Computer Policy)

Installed by default in gpedit.msc.

A collection of policy settings, controlling startup and shutdown scripts, security settings for Internet Explorer, and user account policies. Group Policy replaces the System Policy Editor found in earlier versions of Windows. See Chapter 3 for documentation on the settings in this Snap-in.

Indexing Service

Installed by default in ciadv.msc and compmgmt.msc.

The Indexing Service collects information from the documents on your hard disk and compiles a database used to enhance searches. The Indexing Service indexes .html files, .txt files, Microsoft Office documents, Internet mail and news, and any other document for which a document filter is available. The Indexing Service Snap-in allows you to manage the directories that are routinely scanned and query the database catalog.

Internet Information Services

Installed by default in compmgmt.msc and \windows\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc.

IIS is the Web/FTP/SMTP server built into Windows XP, and the Internet Information Services Snap-in allows you to administer the various functions associated with the server service. For example, you can configure how CGI scripts are running from web pages posted on the server.

IP Security Monitor

Monitor the IP Security status; see "IP Security Policy Management," below, for more information.

IP Security Policy Management

Manage Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) policies for secure communication with other computers. IPSec can be thought of as a minimalistic firewall, allowing and disallowing certain communication over an Internet connection.

Link to Web Address

The Link to Web Address Snap-in allows you to insert, not surprisingly, the web site as an entry in the tree. For example, you may wish to include a link to a software downloads site, an HTTP-based administration page for a web site, or another troubleshooting web site, such as http://www.annoyances.org/.

Local Computer Policy

See "Group Policy (also known as Local Computer Policy)," above.

Local Users and Groups

Installed by default in lusrmgr.msc and compmgmt.msc.

This plug-in provides more advanced settings, using a simpler and more direct interface, than Control Panel User Accounts. Here, you can set preferences relating to the expiration of passwords, the assignment of certain users to groups, logon scripts, location of a user's home folder, and other advanced options.

Performance Logs and Alerts

Installed by default in perfmon.msc and compmgmt.msc.

Performance Logs and Alerts allow you to collect performance data automatically from certain applications, and then create logs that can be exported then analyzed. The applications, designed to generate performance logs, are typically associated with web servers when an administrator would need to know exactly how the system resources are being utilized at any given time. See Help for more information on setting up performance data.

Removable Storage Management

Installed by default in ntmsmgr.msc and compmgmt.msc.

The Removable Storage Management Snap-in enables you to the view all the devices that support removable media, such as CD and DVD drives, CD and DVD writers, tape drives, Zip drives, flash memory readers, and other similar devices. Removable Storage labels, catalogs, and tracks media and stores this information into libraries. Media Pools, collections of removable media to have the same management policies, are used to organize these libraries. For example, the catalogs in the Backup component rely on Removable Storage Management.

Resultant Set of Policy

Installed by default in rsop.msc.

This Snap-in allows you to view and change the policy settings for a particular user. See "Group Policy (also known as Local Computer Policy)," above, for more information.

Security Configuration and Analysis

This Snap-in is used to view and manage security databases for computers using Security Templates (see below) and is especially helpful for tracking changes to security.

Security Templates

Installed by default in secpol.msc.

Security Templates are used to create a security policy for computers. They are used mostly by administrators for Windows XP-based servers. See Help for detailed information.

Services

Installed by default in services.msc and compmgmt.msc.

A service is a program that runs invisibly in the background, usually started when Windows starts. You can set up any program to run automatically when Windows starts by placing a shortcut in your Startup folder, but such a program would only be run when you log in. A service is run when Windows starts and is already running when the login prompt is shown. Windows XP comes with nearly 80 preinstalled services, some of which are active by default (called "Started" in the Services window), and some of which are not.

Double-click any service in the list to view its properties, such as its status (Started or Stopped), whether or not it's started automatically, under which user accounts it is enabled, what actions to take if the service encounters a problem, and which other components the service depends on (if any). Common services include the plug-and-play manager, the task scheduler, the print spooler, automatic updates, an FTP server, a web server, a mail server, and many other programs responsible for keeping Windows XP running. You can start or stop any service by right-clicking on it and selecting Start or Stop, respectively. Stopping unnecessary services will not only increase system performance, but will close potential security "backdoors" that could be used to break into a computer. Naturally, you should use caution when disabling any enabled service, but most home users won't need the "mail server" service to be running all the time.

See Appendix G for a list of the default services in Windows XP, their corresponding filenames, and their descriptions.

Shared Folders

Installed by default in fsmmgmt.msc and compmgmt.msc.

As described in Chapter 7, any folder or drive can be shared, allowing access to it from another computer on the network. The Shared Folders Snap-in lists all of the shared resources in one place, as well as any open connections to those resources from other computers. Rather than "sharing and forgetting," this tool allows you to keep a more active watch on how shared resources are being used.

One thing to note is the existence of administrative shares, those items listed in the Shares portion of the Shared Folders Snap-in, denoted by a dollar sign ($) at the end of the share name. Administrator shares cannot be disabled, and when used in conjunction with Create Shared Folder (discussed earlier in this chapter), can even be a security risk, in which someone else with your username and password can access to any file or folder on your computer without ever sitting in front of it. Suffice it to say, if you're on a network, or even an Internet connection, you should investigate the security settings in your computer and try to close as many back doors as you can without disabling functions that you still need. If you're concerned about security, you may wish to use Windows XP's built-in firewall (see Chapter 7) or invest in third-party firewall software (such as Norton Personal Firewall (http://www.symantec.com/), each of which actively helps prevent unauthorized access your computer.

WMI Control

Installed by default in wmimgmt.msc and compmgmt.msc.

WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) is set of standards for accessing and sharing management information over an enterprise network. WMI will be of little use to most users; for more information, see Help.

One of the most interesting features of the Microsoft Management Console is its ability to access most of these tools remotely. For example, you can use it to run Device Manager on a machine other than the one you're using. Naturally, this would be most useful to an administrator, who can now configure and maintain a whole group of computers from a single machine. However, as home networks become more common, ordinary users are being turned into administrators. For instance, if you were responsible for setting up a network between the two or three computers used by the members of your family, you'd be able to run Disk Defragmenter on all the machines without having to jump around between them. Nevertheless, it provides more power than is normally available via My Network Places.

Connecting to another computer with MMC depends on the particular Snap-in you're using. Most Snap-ins that support remote administration will prompt you when you first add them, asking whether the Snap-in should be used with the current computer or with another on the network. In the case of Computer Management (compmgmt.msc), just right-click on the Computer Management root entry of the tree, select "Connect to another computer," and type the name of the computer in the box that appears. When connected to another computer, the root entry will be named Computer Management (computername).

The Microsoft Management Console also has a few command-line options:

/a: Some Console (.msc) files have been configured so that the Snap-in tree normally shown is not only hidden, but inaccessible. Furthermore, you may not have access to the standard MMC menus, meaning that you will not be able to add or remove Snap-ins as desired. The /a option opens MMC in "author" mode, allowing you to treat any saved Console file as though you created it, giving you power to modify the Console by adding or removing Snap-ins.
/s: The /s parameter is included with some shortcuts to .msc files in the Start menu, but it does not appear to have any effect.
/32 or /64: Run MMC in 32-bit or 64-bit mode, respectively; it is only available on 64-bit systems.

Notes

Eventually, you'll probably want to create your own Console file with the Snap-ins you use most. While it can create a new Console file from scratch, it may be easier to modify one of the supplied .msc files and then save it with a new name. To modify a saved Console file, start MMC with the /a switch, as described above.
Programmers who wish to learn how to create custom Snap-ins can find more information at http://msdn.microsoft.com/.

Microsoft NetMeeting

\program files\netmeeting\conf.exe

Voice and video conference application.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Communications NetMeeting

Command Prompt conf

Description

NetMeeting allows videoconferencing (videophone) and voice conferencing (net phone) over a network or Internet connection (see Figure 4-58). The connection is made via either a central directory service (Microsoft provides several) or directly to another user's IP address.

All you need to initiate a voice conference (audio only) is an Internet connection and a sound card, speakers, and a microphone on each end. For video conferencing, all you need in addition are two videoconferencing cameras (USB cameras are surprisingly cheap). As you might expect, videoconferencing requires more bandwidth than voice conferencing alone. Make sure your Internet connection and all your sound and video hardware are properly installed before you try to use them with NetMeeting.

Figure 4-58. NetMeeting facilitates voice and video conferencing over an Internet or LAN connection

The first time you start NetMeeting, you'll be asked several questions about your identity. If privacy is a concern, you don't have to fill out all the fields, but the email address will help others find you if they don't have your IP address (using a directory server).

The next page in the setup wizard allows you to choose how you'll use directory services. For NetMeeting to establish a connection between two computers, one user must call another; and in order for that to happen, the caller must either know the recipient's IP address or must specify the recipient's email address. Since a user's IP address can change every time that user connects to the Internet (only with dynamic IP assignment), a directory server can be used to automatically look up a user's IP address by supplying only the user's email address.

If you choose to "Log onto a directory server when NetMeeting starts," NetMeeting will update the directory server with your current IP address every time you start a session; turn this option off if you have a static (unchanging) IP address or if you wish to manually inform prospective callers of your IP address every time you need to use NetMeeting. If you choose to use a directory server, you can use Microsoft's default (Microsoft's Internet Directory) or specify your own server (see Notes). Unless you wish to have strangers calling you, you'll probably want to place a checkmark next to the "Do not list my name in the directory" option. After that, you will be asked to specify the speed of your connection and whether or not you what to create a Desktop icon. Next, you'll be walked through the Audio Tuning Wizard, the tool that will help you adjust the levels of your microphone and speakers so that NetMeeting will work properly. If you make any changes to your sound hardware, you can run the Audio Tuning Wizard again by going to Tools Audio Tuning Wizard.

Using NetMeeting is not hard. To start a conference, one user must call another; if you're the caller, type the recipient's email address or IP address into the text field at the top of the window and press enter or click the little telephone button. The recipient must also be running NetMeeting; when a call is placed, the recipient's copy of NetMeeting will "ring" and the recipient will be given the chance to accept or ignore the incoming call. Hang up any call by clicking the Hang Up button or by selecting Hang Up from the Call menu.

The "Windows NetMeeting" box in the middle of the NetMeeting window is for the video of the other person in the conversation and can be turned off with View Data Only. The Play/Pause button underneath is used to start and stop the video portion of the conference. If you are videoconferencing, you'll probably want to select My Video from the View menu to see what your partner is seeing.

In addition to facilitating a person-to-person conference, NetMeeting allows you to set up a meeting in which any number of users can join and video or voice conference. Rather than placing calls, however, the meeting is initiated when one user decides to host a meeting (Call Host Meeting). Furthermore, several collaboration tools are made available with meetings:

Sharing: Also called " Remote Desktop Sharing," this feature is a basic remote control program, in which you can see another user's Desktop and control it as though you were sitting in front of it. Alternatives to Remote Desktop Sharing include pcAnywhere (commercial software, http://www.symantec.com/), VNC (freeware, http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/), and Remote Desktop Connection (included with Windows XP Professional and discussed later in this chapter).
Whiteboard: The NetMeeting Whiteboard is not unlike a real whiteboard: it allows users to collaborate by using drawing tools on blank white page. All members of the meeting see the same whiteboard and can watch as others draw.
Chat: Like Microsoft Chat, the Chat feature in NetMeeting allows users to communicate by typing. While it may seem archaic, it's really an easy way to share short pieces of text, such as web addresses, phone numbers, or excerpts from documents.
File Transfer: What communication tool would be complete without a way to share files? NetMeeting allows you to send and receive files with those who have joined your meeting by going to Tools File Transfer Send File. You can also send a file to all members by simply dragging the file into the call window; once a file is sent, recipients can individually accept or decline the transfer. Note that, unless you have an exceptionally fast connection, the transfer of files during a meeting will significantly slow down your connection and the quality of the video and sound will go down. Naturally, you can also send and receive files via email or FTP.

To join the meeting in progress, place a call to the user hosting the meeting as you would when initiating a one-on-one conference, as described above.

Notes

To use a video camera or other video source with NetMeeting, the driver must be compatible with either the H.261 or H.263 compression/decompression (codec) protocols.
If you don't wish to use the directory service, you can have others connect to you by providing your IP address. To find out what your IP address is, select About from NetMeeting's Help menu or use the Windows IP Configuration, described later in this chapter. If you have a dynamic IP address, you can use a service like DynIP (http://www.dynip.com) or HomeIP (http://www.homeip.org) to associate a domain with your IP address, a link that is updated every time you connect to the Internet.
There are circumstances when others will not be able to connect to you, usually because of a problem with your IP address or because of a firewall. For example, if you're using computer connected to the Internet through Internet Connection Sharing (see Chapter 7), you may not have a valid IP address. Likewise, a firewall, which is designed to prevent certain types of network communication, can easily interfere with NetMeeting. The solution, if you encounter one of these problems, is for you to place the call and for your partner to answer.
While NetMeeting is designed to facilitate conferencing over the Internet, it also supports local area networks. If you wish to call another NetMeeting user on your local network, simply type that user's computer name instead of the IP address or email address.
Microsoft Internet Directory is a dedicated directory server that allows users to host meetings and allows other users to view a directory of all users on the server, similar to the way a chat server works. You can browse the directory of users and join any meetings they are hosting. ILS 2.0 is part of Microsoft Site Server and is also available for free download from http://www.microsoft.com/, if you are interested in running your own server on the Internet or a local network. When you first run NetMeeting, you can choose from a list of popular ILSs to which to connect (most are run by Microsoft). Once connected, the NetMeeting directory view lists users that are hosting meetings on the server.
If you want NetMeeting to run automatically when you start Windows, select Tools Options General Run when Windows starts. This will also set NetMeeting to alert you of incoming calls. The other thing you may wish to do is set NetMeeting to automatically log onto a directory server by going to Tools Options and turning on the "Log onto directory server when NetMeeting starts" option. This turns NetMeeting into a "messenger" or "buddy list" application.
When using Netmeeting, you may be prompted to sign up for a Microsoft .NET Passport account. Unfortunately, this has caused some confusion among many users. A Passport account is absolutely not required for any features of Windows, with the exception of the MSN Explorer and Windows Messenger components. Passport is a totally optional service (and Microsoft has been widely criticized for making it appear otherwise), and unless you wish to use MSN, Messenger, or the Hotmail service, you'll most likely have no use for a Passport account.

To Open

Start Programs Games Minesweeper

Address winmine

Description

The object of Minesweeper is to uncover "safe" areas on a playing field without hitting on any landmines. Start by clicking a square with the left mouse button to uncover it; if it's a mine, the game is over. Otherwise you'll either see a number, corresponding to the number of mines immediately adjacent to the clicked square, or the square will be blank, meaning that there are no adjacent mines. If you click a square with no adjacent mines, all the connecting squares are automatically uncovered until a numbered square is reached. Use the numbers as hints to where the mines are located; use the process of elimination to uncover all the squares that aren't mines. Use the right mouse button to mark uncertain squares, which has the added benefit of preventing them from being clicked accidentally (see Figure 4-59).

Figure 4-59. Try to clear the mine field without upsetting the little smiley guy

Notes

The beginner game uses an 8 8 grid with 10 mines; intermediate uses a 16 16 grid with 40 mines; expert uses a 30 16 grid with 99 mines. You can also create custom games, such as an easy 30 30 grid with only 10 mines, or a difficult 8 8 grid with 60 mines.
If a number appears on a square, it specifies how many mines are in the eight squares that surround the numbered square.

Mouse Properties

Change settings that affect the behavior of your pointing device and the appearance of the mouse cursor.

To Open

Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Mouse

Command Prompt control main.cpl

Command Prompt control mouse

Description

The Mouse Properties dialog controls the buttons and motion of your pointing device and the appearance of the various mouse cursors, such as the arrow and hourglass. Settings are distributed into the following sections:

Buttons: The three settings on this page allow you to switch the left and right mouse buttons (useful for southpaws or those with unusual pointing devices), change the speed at which items respond to double-clicks, and control the ClickLock feature (which enables dragging without having to hold down any buttons).
Pointers: The Pointers tab lets you choose how your mouse pointer looks. This affects not only the standard arrow cursor, but the hourglass, the arrow/hourglass combination, all of the resize arrows, and even the hand cursor used in Internet Explorer. Cursors that ship with Windows are stored in the \Windows\Cursors folder and additional cursors are available on the Internet from such web sites as http://www.anicursor.com/. You can also get a cursor editor, allowing you to create your own static and animated mouse pointers (try AX-Cursors, at http://www.axialis.com/axcursors/, or Microangelo, at http://www.impactsoftware.com/) (see Figure 4-60).

Figure 4-60. Choosing custom mouse pointers can go a long way to improving your sanity when sitting in front of a computer

The pointer shadow is actually kind of cool, but it isn't compatible with all display drivers.

Pointer Options: These settings are used to adjust how the mouse pointer responds to the physical motion of your pointing device. A fast pointer speed makes the cursor more sensitive. The Enhance pointer precision option enables minor mouse acceleration and deceleration, which moves the pointer more slowly when you move only a short distance.
Wheel: The mouse wheel, present on some mice and trackballs, is intended to aid scrolling. Just roll the wheel to scroll up or down in a listbox, document, or web page instead of controlling the scrollbar directly with the mouse pointer. If your pointing device doesn't have a wheel, these settings are ignored.
Hardware: Finally, the Hardware tab simply lists the pointing devices attached to the system. Note that the Properties page is the same one you'll get in Device Manager (discussed earlier in this chapter). The Troubleshoot button simply opens up a Help and Support Center window with a step-by-step troubleshooting tutorial.

Notes

All settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.
Many pointing devices come with their own software. Some of this software includes hardware drivers and is absolutely necessary for operation, while other software is purely optional, adding only trivial features. Given the potential compatibility problems with Windows XP, it's best to install such software only if it's necessary or if it provides features you can't live without.

To Open

Command Prompt msg

Usage

msg recipient [/server:name] [/time:sec] [/v] [/w] [message]

Description

Msg is used to send a text message to a user currently logged onto the local computer; it can also be used to send a message simultaneously to all logged-in users.

Note that Msg is not intended to send messages to other computers, but to users remotely logged onto your computer. The exception is a user on another machine currently logged into your machine (or the machine specified by /server), assuming that machine is set up as a Terminal Server. To send a message to another computer, use Microsoft Chat (or just send an email).

Msg accepts the following options:

message: The text message to send. If omitted, Msg prompts for it. Also can read from stdin; see Appendix C.
recipient: Recipient can be a username, a session name, a session ID, or a filename (pointing to a file containing a list of usernames, session names, or session IDs). Or, specify an asterisk (*) to send a message to all sessions on the specified server.
/server :name: Specifies /server:name to send the message to users on another machine, where name is the name of a Terminal Server (see "Services" in "Microsoft Management Console", earlier in this chapter).
/time :sec: Indicates the amount of time, in seconds, to wait for the recipient to acknowledge the message being sent.
/v: Verbose mode; displays additional information about the actions being performed.
/w: Waits for a response from the recipient, useful with /v.

To Open

Little butterfly icon in the quicklaunch toolbar

Command Prompt msn6

Description

The MSN online service, in addition to providing basic Internet access, supplies online content, somewhat like American Online (AOL). The MSN Explorer is an integrated web browser, email program, and messenger ("buddy list") for use with the MSN service (see Figure 4-61).

Figure 4-61. The MSN online service works like Internet Explorer, but has more brightly colored icons and is linked up with Microsoft's Passport service

You don't have to be a subscriber to MSN to use MSN Explorer, but you to have to complete the initial signup wizard. Although it's free, it does require several pieces of personal information, such as your geographic location, birthdate, and occupation. Once you complete the sign-in process, the MSN Explorer window resembles the Internet Explorer web browser, except the menu is gone, the toolbar is simplified, and an additional task pane is shown on the left.

Notes

The MSN Explorer offers very little functionality above and beyond Internet Explorer. It is merely a friendlier, less intimidating interface designed to appeal to novices and children. One potential advantage is the total lack of knowledge required to get up and running with MSN Explorer; for example, most features on the toolbar are automatically configured for the currently logged-in user, so all one needs to do is click the buttons.
The toolbar buttons, images, and default pages are all rather large. The minimum recommended resolution to use MSN Explorer is 800 600, and that's only appropriate if the window is maximized.
The Email button is essentially a shortcut to Hotmail, Microsoft's free web-based email client. Likewise, the Online Buddies, the People & Chat, and the Money buttons all are shortcuts to corresponding web sites at http://www.msn.com/.
When you close MSN Explorer, it remains in memory. To sign out of MSN and shut down the MSN Explorer completely, right-click on the MSN icon in the Tray (next to the clock) and select Exit MSN Explorer.
In order to use MSN Explorer or Windows Messenger, you'll need to set up a Microsoft .NET Passport account. There has been some confusion regarding Passport among many users, however. A Passport account is absolutely not required for any other features of Windows; in fact, Microsoft has been widely criticized for making it appear otherwise.

To Open

Start Programs Games Internet Backgammon

Start Programs Games Internet Checkers

Start Programs Games Internet Hearts

Start Programs Games Internet Reversi

Start Programs Games Internet Spades

Description

Windows XP ships with eleven games, five of which are part of the MSN Gaming Zone and support play with other users over the Internet. All five games, while different in gameplay, work similarly. When you first start one of the games, you are automatically connected to a gaming server provided by Microsoft that is designed to post the communication between all of the different users. In addition to allowing collaborative play, a simple chat session is initiated in which the players can type text messages to communicate. Consult Help in any game window for playing tips.

Notes

The MSN Gaming Zone randomly assigns players to games, so you never know who you're up against. By default, the selected skill level is beginner, which unfortunately pits you against other users who're most likely just goofing around, probably trying these games for the first time. Your best bet to find more serious opponents is to select an Intermediate or Advanced skill level by going to Game Skill Level.
If the gaming server can't find a human opponent at any given time, one or more computer opponents will be used. However, there is no way to specify a computer opponent. Whether you've been assigned a computer or a person as an opponent, you can have a new one assigned to you by going to Game Find New Opponent.
None of the MSN Gaming Zone games can be played without an Internet connection, so if you don't wish to play against a human opponent, you'll need to obtain a non-network version of the particular game. (Hundreds of downloadable, single-player games are available on the Internet.)

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Accessibility Narrator

Command Prompt narrator

Description

The Narrator is used to assist those with the visual impairments by using a voice synthesizer and your computer's sound hardware to read aloud text and the titles of screen elements (see Figure 4-62). Narrator reads the following types of text:

Events on screen: Check the "Announce events on screen" option to have Narrator speak messages that appear, the titles of Windows when they are activated, and the captions of many types of screen elements.
Typed characters: Narrator can optionally speak each letter and number as its corresponding key is pressed on the keyboard.

Figure 4-62. The Narrator uses speech to read the captions of various screen elements over your speakers

In addition to these functions, the following keyboard shortcuts can be used to read additional items:

To read an entire window, click the window and then press Ctrl-Shift-Spacebar.
To read the caption of the control with the focus, or to read the contents of a text field, press Ctrl-Shift-Enter.
To get a more detailed description of an item, press Ctrl-Shift-Insert.
To read the titlebar of a window, press Alt-Home.
To read the status bar of a window, press Alt-End.
To silence the speech, press the Ctrl key by itself.

Notes

Narrator is supported only in the English version of Windows XP.
A far more impressive, related technology is that used in speech recognition software, in which the computer will take dictation, translating anything spoken into a microphone into text on the screen. Although initially developed for physically challenged users, speech recognition has become very popular among all types of users, partly because of the novelty, partly because of the speed (some can type up to 160 words per minute), and partly to help reduce repetitive stress injuries. In fact, some of this book was dictated with the assistance of Dragon NaturallySpeaking (http://www.dragonsys.com/). Microsoft Office XP also comes with a new voice recognition feature, although it's not nearly as sophisticated as NaturallySpeaking or IBM's ViaVoice (http://www.ibm.com/speech).

To Open

Command Prompt net

Usage

net command [parameters]

Description

Net is a general purpose diagnostic tool used to configure, control, and troubleshoot the networking settings on a Windows XP system. The Net tool is largely obsolete, although it may appeal to more advanced users or those who need to control network settings from the command line.

To use Net, you must specify one of the following 22 commands, followed by any of the applicable parameters. To get more information about any of these commands, use the help command, like this:

net help command

Here are the commands used with Net:

accounts: Use net accounts to update the user accounts database and modify password and logon requirements for all accounts. If used without parameters, the current settings for password, logon limitations, and domain information are displayed.
computer: Use net computer to add or delete computers from a domain database; only available on Windows XP Server and Advanced Server.
config: The net config command displays configuration information about the workstation or server service. See Examples, below.
continue: Type net continue to reactivate a Windows service that has been suspended by net pause.
file: Closes a shared file and removes any file locks. When used without options, net file lists the open files on a server (see "OpenFiles", later in this chapter). The listing includes the ID number, location, number of locks, and the user currently accessing the file.
group: Adds, displays, or modifies global groups on servers. When used without options, net group displays a list of the groups on the server.
help: Displays more information about any command. When used without options, net help displays all the available commands.
helpmsg: The net helpmsg command displays information about error, warning, and alert messages relating to a Windows network. For example, type net helpmsg 2181 to display an explanation of error #2181 and any possible remedies.
localgroup: Modifies local groups on computers. When used without options, net localgroup displays a list of the groups on the server.
name: The net name command adds or deletes a messaging name, an alias to which messages are sent (via net send). When used without options, a list of names accepting messages at the computer is displayed.
pause: Use net pause to temporarily suspend a Windows service or resource and use net continue to reactivate it when you're ready.
print: The net print command displays print jobs and shared printer queues.
send: Sends messages to other users, computers, or messaging names (see net name) on the network. You can use net send to send a message only to a name that is active on the network; if the message is sent to a username, that user must be logged on and running the Messenger service to receive the message.
session: Net session lists or disconnects sessions between the computer and other computers on the network.
share: The net share command makes a server's resources available to network users. When used without options, it lists information about all resources being shared. See also "Create Shared Folder", earlier in this chapter.
start: Use net start to start a service. When used without options, it lists services that have already been started.
statistics: Displays the statistics log for the local workstation or server service. Used without parameters, net statistics displays the services for which statistics are available.
stop: Use net stop to stop a service that has been started with net start. Note that stopping some services will cause others to be stopped, and some services cannot be stopped at all.
time: Probably the most interesting command in the bunch, net time is used to synchronize the computer's clock with that of another computer or domain. You can also use net time to set the NTP timeserver for the computer.
use: The net use command connects (or disconnects) a computer to a shared resource (shared with net share). When used without options, it lists the computer's active connections.
user: Creates and modifies user accounts. When used without options, net user lists the user accounts for the computer. The user account information is stored in the same user accounts database used by Control Panel User Accounts; see "User Accounts, later in this chapter.
view: Net view displays a list of resources being shared on a remote computer. When used without options, it displays a list of computers in the current domain or network.

Examples

To display your computer's current workgroup settings:

C:\>net config Computer name                        \WHISTLER Full Computer name                   whistler User name                            Administrator Workstation active on         NetbiosSmb (000000000000)         NetBT_Tcpip_{50127698-1089-4C0F-A969-96B844756D47} (00105A1E5108) Software version                     Windows 2002 Workstation domain                   WORKGROUP Workstation Domain DNS Name          (null) Logon domain                         WHISTLER COM Open Timeout (sec)               0 COM Send Count (byte)                16 COM Send Timeout (msec)              250

The command completed successfully.

To Launch

Control Panel [Network and Internet Connections] Network Connections

Start Settings Network Connections^[5]

^[5] This only appears when you're using the Classic Start menu, and then only sometimes.

Right-click the My Network Places icon Properties

Command Prompt ncpa.cpl

Command Prompt control netconnections

Description

The Network Connections folder is used to connect your computer to the Internet, to another computer on a local area network, and to many other types of network resources (see Figure 4-63). See Chapter 7 for a comprehensive discussion of the Network Connections window and the networking features built into Windows XP.

Figure 4-63. The Network Connections window allows you to connect your computer to a local network or to the Internet

Network Setup Wizard

Automatically configure your Internet connection and local network settings based on one of several predefined scenarios.

To Open

My Network Places Network Setup Wizard

Start Programs Accessories Communications Network Setup Wizard

Control Panel [Network and Internet Connections] Network Connections Network Setup Wizard^[6]

^[6] If you have the "Show common tasks in folders" option turned on (see "Folder Options"), click the "Set up a home or small office network" link to start the Network Setup Wizard.

Command Prompt rundll32 hnetwiz.dll,HomeNetWizardRunDll

Description

The Network Setup Wizard walks you through some basic networking settings and is intended to make it easy to set up Windows to work with your Internet connection or to gain access to other computers on your network (see Figure 4-64).

Figure 4-64. The Network Setup Wizard asks you a few networking questions and configures your network settings accordingly

The first page of the Network Setup Wizard implies that the wizard will set up a network for you, help you set up Internet connection sharing, install a firewall, and share files and printers. In fact, it will do none of these things; rather, it will simply ensure that some of the necessary protocols are installed and properly configured for the type of network to which you plan on attaching your computer. Before you use the Network Setup Wizard, you'll need to make sure all of your networking hardware is properly installed, as described in Chapter 7.

The "Select a connection method" page asks you to define a role for the computer, in so much as how the computer is to be connected to the Internet. Note that if you choose the second option, which specifies that the computer is to connect to the Internet through another computer or a gateway, you still have to set up that other computer or gateway to provide the Internet connection. If neither of the first two options presented applies to your system, choose Other to display three other scenarios.

One of the nice things about the Network Setup Wizard is that it controls settings that relate both to your Internet connection and to your connection to your local network (if applicable). While it can't recognize and set up every possible configuration, it is programmed to recognize when your selections are not compatible with the hardware it detects.

Continue to answer questions until the summary page is displayed, and if you have no objections, click Finish to apply the settings. Naturally, you can always run the wizard again or modify the settings manually to get it to work.

Notes

If the Network Setup Wizard prompts you to create a setup disk for use on other computers, answer "Just finish the wizard," as the disk is of little use.
The Network Setup Wizard won't help you set up an Internet connection, but the New Connection Wizard (discussed later in this chapter) will.
The Network Setup Wizard replaces the Home Networking Wizard found in Windows Me.

To Open

Control Panel [Network and Internet Connections] Network Connections New Connection Wizard^[7]

^[7] If you have the "Show common tasks in folders" option turned on (see "Folder Options"), click the "Create a new connection" link to start the New Connection Wizard.

Start Programs Accessories Communications Connection Wizard

Command Prompt icwconn1

Description

Windows XP handles network and Internet access with distinct "connections," listed in the Network Connections window (discussed earlier in this chapter). The New Connection Wizard will guide you through the process of setting up a new connection; the following four types, presented on the first page of the wizard, are available:

Connect to the Internet: Use this option to set up a new Internet connection (see Figure 4-65). The next page shows three options. Most users want to pick the second, "Set up my connection manually," as it will set up a basic connection, compatible with most Internet service providers. The first option, "Choose from a list...," is used only if you wish to sign up for MSN (Microsoft's online service) or if you want to cruise Microsoft's list of service providers (see Notes). The third option, "Use the CD I got from an ISP," merely starts the setup program on whatever CD is inserted in the drive.

Figure 4-65. Add an Internet connection with the New Connection Wizard

Connect to the network at my workplace: This option helps set up a remote connection to a business network, either through a dialup connection or through Virtual Private Networking (VPN). Note that your business network must be set up to accept such connections; contact your administrator for specific instructions.
Set up a home or small office network: Choose this option to close the New Connection Wizard and run the Network Setup Wizard (explained earlier in this chapter).
Set up an advanced connection: The last option on this page lets you set up other types of connections, such as those that use a single serial or parallel cable (called "Direct Cable Connection" in previous versions of Windows) or those that communicate wirelessly with an infrared port. While these types of connections aren't strictly network connections, Windows XP treats them as suchnot only in this wizard, but in Explorer (after they've been set up) as well. There is one tangible difference with this type of connection, at least concerning this wizard: one computer must be first set up to "accept incoming connections" before another computer can be connected to it.

You may notice that there's no way to add a standard Ethernet connection. This is because a new connection icon is automatically added for each network interface card installed in your computer; install two network cards, and you'll see two connection icons here.

The first thing you may wish to do after creating a new connection is to rename it so that it is easier to identify later on and easier to distinguish from the other connections. To make any other changes to the new connection, right-click on it and select Properties. See Chapter 7 for more information on the various protocols and settings in these properties sheets necessary for setting up a network.

Notes

All the choices made in this wizard result in the creation of a new connection icon in the Network Connections window; no changes to any other connections are made (except where new hardware has been added). This means that, even after completing this wizard, you can undo your changes simply by deleting the new connection.
The New Connection Wizard is designed to create a new connection, not to modify an existing one. See "Network Setup Wizard", discussed earlier in this chapter, if you're having trouble configuring your network or Internet connection, or if you can't get Internet Connection Sharing to work.
The New Connection Wizard replaces the Internet Connection Wizard found in earlier versions of Windows.

To Open

Start Program Accessories Notepad

Command Prompt notepad

Usage

notepad [/p] [filename]

Description

Notepad is one of the simplest, yet useful tools included with Windows XP. Those familiar with word processors may find Notepad to be laughably limited at first glance, as it has no support for even the simplest formatting. However, the fact that it supports only text in the documents that it creates is an absolute necessity for many of the tasks for which it is used on a daily basis (see Figure 4-66).

Figure 4-66. Use Notepad to edit text files without the bother of a word processor

Among the file types Notepad can edit are .txt files (plain text files), .reg files (see registry patch files in Chapter 8), .bat files (see batch files in Appendix C), .ini files (configuration files), .html files (web pages), and any other ASCII text-based file type.

Notepad is the default application for .txt and .log files and is set up as the Edit context menu action for .bat, .inf, and .reg files, among others. Furthermore, via the /p command-line parameter, Notepad is used to print most text-based file types via the Print context menu action.

Notes

In some previous versions of Windows, Notepad had a limit as to the size of documents it could open. The Windows XP version of Notepad has no such limit, and can be used to open a file of any size.
Notepad has no intrinsic formatting of its own, so any file that is opened in Notepad is displayed exactly as it is stored on the hard disk, with the proviso that only visible characters will be shown. This means that you can open any file, text-based or otherwise, in Notepad; if you try to open a binary file, however, you'll see mostly gibberish. There are times, though, when this can be useful; if you suspect that an image file or a movie file has the wrong extension, you can open it in Notepad to verify its contents. (Naturally, some experience is required to correctly identify different types of files.)
The Word Wrap feature (Edit Word Wrap) will break apart long lines of text so that they are visible in the Notepad window without horizontal scrolling. However, no permanent changes will be made to the file, so you can use the Word Wrap feature without fear of damaging the integrity of the document.
If you type the text, .LOG (in uppercase and including the period) as the first line in a text file, Notepad will automatically place the time and date at the end of the file (with the cursor right below it) every time you open it, forming a simple log file. Furthermore, you can use the F5 key to manually place a date/time stamp at the current cursor location while editing any file.
Notepad is a simple program, but by no means a full-featured text editor. UltraEdit (http://www.ultraedit.com/) is a much more sophisticated text editor, and can also be used as a hex (binary) editor.

To Open

Command Prompt nslookup

Usage

nslookup address

Description

When you type a web address into a browser's address bar and press Enter, Windows looks up the server name to determine the corresponding IP address. Then the IP address is used to initiate communication with the server. If the lookup fails, either because the name servers (the machines containing the DNS lookup tables) are down or because the specified domain does not exist, the connection attempt will fail as well.

NSLookup is a simple tool that allows you to look up the IP address of any domain name or server name, as well as find the server name associated with any particular IP address. To use NSLookup, just specify the domain name at the prompt, like this:

c:\> nslookup annoyances.org Name:    annoyances.org Address:  209.133.53.130

Likewise, you can specify an IP address and NSLookup will report the associated domain (called a reverse lookup):

c:\> nslookup 209.204.146.22 Name:    www.oreilly.com Address:  209.204.146.22

Notes

Every time you initiate communication with a server, there will be a delay while Windows performs an NSLookup. To eliminate the delay, use NSLookup to determine the IP address and then replace the reference with the IP address. This is especially useful with applications that frequently access the same server; for example, use an IP address as the mail server in your email program (or as the server name in your web browser homepage) for the best performance.
Most Internet service providers employ at least two name servers, which are used for lookups for all of their customers. If one goes down, the other takes up the slack. However, if both name servers are down for some reason, or even just performing poorly, it can disable most Internet communication. If, however, you use IP addresses as described in the previous note, you eliminate your susceptibility to this problem.
Since NSLookup, as well as the automatic lookups performed behind the scenes, all depend on your ISP's name servers, they are susceptible to receiving outdated information. If you're having trouble accessing a particular server, you can use an NSLookup gateway to double check your findings. An NSLookup gateway is simply a web-enabled version of NSLookup. It can also be used to perform lookups; however, if the gateway site is outside your Internet service provider, it will use its own name servers and therefore may provide more up-to-date information. To find such a site, perform a web search for "NSLookup gateway."
NSLookup also performs a lookup of the IP address of your local computer and displays it before performing the requested look up. In many cases, though, it will fail, which means that you may see an error message every time you run NSLookup (such as "Can't find server name..."). However, this won't interfere with NSLookup's primary function.
Windows caches some lookups, which means that you may see outdated information. To flush the cache, type ipconfig /flushdns at the command prompt. See "Windows IP Configuration", later in this chapter, for more information.

To Open

Command Prompt compact

Usage

compact [/c | /u] [/s[:dir]] [/a] [/i] [/f] [/q] [filename]

Description

One of the features of the NTFS filesystem (see "FAT to NTFS Conversion Utility", earlier in this chapter) is its support for automatic compression of individual files; older files can be optionally compressed to take up less disk space at the expense of speed to access them.

Right-click on any file or folder, select Properties, and then click the Advanced button. The "Compress contents to save disk space" option is used to instruct Windows to compress the selected item. If a folder is selected, all of its contents will be compressed (you'll be prompted about any subfolders); furthermore any files added to that folder will be automatically compressed as well.

The NTFS Compression Utility is the command-line equivalent of this setting, useful for automating the compression or decompression of several files with the help of a WSH script or batch file. The NTFS Compression Utility takes the following options:

filename: Specifies a file, folder, or group of files (using wildcards) to compress or uncompress.
/c: Compresses the specified file(s). If a folder is specified for filename, the folder will be marked so that subsequent files added to the folder will be compressed automatically. Include the /s parameter to compress files already in the folder.
/u: Uncompresses the specified file(s). If a folder is specified for filename, the folder will be marked so that subsequent files added to the folder will not be compressed automatically. Include the /s parameter to uncompress files already in the folder.
/s: If a folder is specified for filename, the /c and /u parameters will act only on new files added to the folder. Include the /s parameter as well to compress or uncompress files already in the folder. If filename is omitted, use the /s option to act on all files in the current folder.
/a: Includes files with hidden or system attributes set; otherwise, ignored by compact.exe.
/i: Ignores errors; otherwise, compact.exe will stop when the first errors are encountered.
/f: Forces compression on all specified files; otherwise, files that are already compressed will be skipped.
/q: Quiet mode; use this option to report only the most essential information.

If you run the NTFS Compression Utility without any options, it will display the compression settings for the current directory and all of its contents.

Notes

This type of file compression is supported on NTFS drives only. If you wish to compress files on a non-NTFS drive, you can either upgrade to NTFS or use a third-party compression utility (such as WinZip).
Go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options View tab and turn on the "Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color" option to visually differentiate such files from unencrypted, uncompressed files.
For tangible proof that a given folder or file is actually compressed, right-click on it in Explorer and select Properties. If the "Size on disk" value is less than the "Size" value, then the item is compressed.

To Open

Command Prompt cipher

Usage

cipher [/e|/d] [/s] [/a] [/i] [/f] [/q] [/h] [filename]

cipher /k

cipher /r:efs_file

cipher /w:dir

cipher /u [/n]

Description

Encryption is used to prevent unauthorized access to your data, and one of the features of the NTFS filesystem (see "FAT to NTFS Conversion Utility", earlier in this chapter) is its built-in support for automatic encryption of files and folders using "public key cryptography." NTFS encryption is invisible and encrypted files are opened as easily as decrypted files. The difference is that other users, either those who access your computer remotely (via My Network Places, Telnet, or FTP) or those who also log into your computer under a different user account, will not be able to open or read encrypted files on your system.

Right-click on any file or folder, select Properties, and then click the Advanced button. The "Encrypt contents to secure data" option is used to instruct Windows to encrypt the selected item. If a folder is selected, all of its contents will be encrypted (you'll be prompted about any subfolders); furthermore, any files added to that folder will be automatically encrypted as well.

The NTFS Encryption Utility is the command-line equivalent of this setting, but it adds several powerful features not normally available through Explorer. It's also useful for automating the encryption or decryption of several files with the help of a WSH script or batch file. The NTFS Encryption Utility takes the following options:

filename: Specifies a file, folder, or group of files (using wildcards) to compress or uncompress. Omit filename to act on the current directory.
/e: Encrypts the specified file(s). If a folder is specified for filename, the folder will be marked so that subsequent files added to the folder will be encrypted automatically. Include the /a parameter to encrypt files already in the folder and the /s parameter to act on subdirectories as well.
/d: Decrypts the specified file(s). If a folder is specified for filename, the folder will be marked so that subsequent files added to the folder will be decrypted automatically. Include the /a parameter to decrypt files already in the folder and the /s parameter to act on subdirectories as well.
/s: By default, if filename is a directory, the /e or /d options act on the specified directory, but not on any subdirectories. Include /s to include all subdirectories as well. Use the /a option to encrypt the files stored in these directories.
/a: Operates on files as well as folders. If folders and files are not both marked to be encrypted, it's possible for an encrypted file to become decrypted when it is modified if its parent folder is not encrypted.
/i: Ignores errors; otherwise, cipher.exe will stop when the first errors are encountered.
/f: Forces encryption on all specified files; otherwise, files that are already encrypted will be skipped.
/q: Quiet mode; use this option to report only the most essential information.
/h: Includes files with hidden or system attributes set; otherwise, ignored by cipher.exe.
/k: Generates and displays a new file encryption key (certificate thumbprint) for the current user. The /k option cannot be used with any other options.
/r :efs_file: Generates an Encrypting File System (EFS) recovery agent key and certificate, and then writes them to efs_file.pfx (containing the certificate and private key) and efs_file.cer file (containing only the certificate). Since the /r option will automatically add the appropriate file extensions, all you need to specify is the path and file prefix for efs_file. See Notes for more information.
/w :dir: "Wipes" the drive containing directory dir. When a file is deleted in Windows, only that file's entry in the filesystem table is deleted; the actual data contained in the file remains on the hard disk until it is overwritten with another file. Wiping a drive writes over all unused portions of the disk, possibly containing deleted files so that previously deleted data cannot be recovered. The /w option does not harm existing data, nor does it affect any files currently stored in the Recycle Bin. This is an extreme form of data security and should be used on a regular basis if security is a big concern.
/u: Updates all encrypted files on all local drives. /u is used to ensure that your file encryption key or recovery agent key are current. The /u option cannot be used with any other options, except for /n.
/n: Modifies /u so that encrypted files are only listed, not updated. Type cipher /u /n to list all the encrypted files on your system. The /n option can only be used in conjunction with /u.

If you run the NTFS Encryption Utility without any options, it will display the encryption settings for the current directory and all of its contents.

Notes

Windows supports placing encrypted files in nonencrypted folders, but you'll be warned, by default, if you try to do so. The reason for this is that, when modifying a file, some applications delete the file and then re-create it, and if the folder is not marked to encrypt new files, the once-encrypted file will become decrypted without warning.
If you encrypt some or all of the files on your drive and your hard disk crashes, or you encounter some other program that requires Windows to be reinstalled, you may not be able to access your previously encrypted files (assuming they're still intact). You can avoid this by using the /r parameter to generate a "recovery agent key," a cryptographic key that can be used to unlock files in the event of an emergency. You should be able to use this key to subsequently gain access to your encrypted files when necessary. For more information, go to Start Help and Support and search for "cryptography."
The /w option, used to wipe unused data on a drive, isn't strictly a form of encryption and can be used whether or not you employ Windows XP's built-in encryption.
NTFS drives support both encryption and compression, but a given file cannot be compressed and encrypted at the same time. If you attempt to encrypt a compressed file, Windows will first uncompress the file.
This type of file encryption is supported on NTFS drives only. If you wish to encrypt files on a non-NTFS drive, you can either upgrade to NTFS or use a third-party file encryption utility.
Go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Folder Options View tab and turn on the "Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color" option to visually differentiate such files from unencrypted, uncompressed files.

To Open

Command Prompt packager

Description

Many larger applications support the dragging and dropping of data from one program to another. For example, you can highlight a dozen cells in Microsoft Excel, drag them into a Microsoft Word document, and Word will insert the dropped data as a new table. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, there will be an active link between the two applications so that you could make a change to one of the spreadsheet cells and the change would be reflected in the Word document immediately.

As you might expect, there's more going on behind the scenes to make all this possible than might be immediately apparent. Indeed, Windows creates a "package" containing the selected data and then inserts that package into the target document. Microsoft has given many names to this technology, but their first, Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), is the one that has stuck in many users' minds

Object Packager is a tool used to create such a package manually, useful if you need more flexibility than is achieved with drag-and-drop.

The Object Packager window has two panes: the Appearance pane displays the icon that will represent the package and the Content pane displays the name of the file that contains the information you want to package. To choose an icon, click the Insert Icon button. To choose a file, go to File Import.

When you're done, go to Edit Copy Package to prepare the package. The last step is to switch to the target application and paste the newly prepared package into your document. Once the package icon appears in the target document, you can activate the package by double-clicking it, which will open the packaged file according to your Files Types settings. For example, if the packaged file is a bitmap, activating the package will open that bitmap in Paint (discussed later in this chapter).

This preservation of the original file's format, and its associated application, is the whole point of Object Packager. Otherwise, pasting a bitmap into a document would be a one-way procedure; if you needed to update the bitmap at a later time, you would most likely need to delete the bitmap from the target document and then repaste it.

Another advantage of Object Packager is its ability to override the default association for the inserted file. Go to Edit Command Line to enter any new application filename or other command to be executed when the package is activated.

ODBC Data Source Administrator

\windows\system32\odbcad32.exe

Add, remove, or configure sources of database management system data.

To Open

Start Programs Administrative Tools Data Sources (ODBC)

Command Prompt odbcad32

Description

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a system that connects ODBC-enabled applications to the database management systems that provide the data. The ODBC Data Source Administrator is used to configure your applications so that they can get data from a variety of database management systems. For example, if you're using an application that accesses data in an SQL database, the ODBC Data Sources Administrator lets you connect that application to a different data source, such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a Paradox database.

In the ODBC Data Source Administrator, the different sources of data are called "data providers." To add a new provider, click Add under the User DSN, the System DSN, or the File DSN tab. A list of the available drivers is listed under the Drivers tab; new drivers can be installed separately. The Tracing allows you to log the communication between applications and the ODBC data sources they use. The Connection Pooling tab is used to improve performance with ODBC servers. Finally, the About tab is used to check the versions of the installed ODBC components.

On-Screen Keyboard

\windows\system32\osk.exe

A full, onscreen keyboard controlled by the pointing device.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Accessibility On-Screen Keyboard

Command Prompt osk

Description

Among the tools provided with Windows XP to assist those with physical disabilities is the On-Screen Keyboard. Intended to be used by those who are unable to comfortably use a keyboard, the On-Screen Keyboard allows any key normally available on the keyboard to be pressed with click of the mouse, or whatever pointing device is currently being used (see Figure 4-67).

Figure 4-67. The On-Screen Keyboard lets you type by pointing and clicking

What makes the On-Screen Keyboard especially appropriate as a primary input device is that you can click keys when another application has the focus. For example, open the On-Screen Keyboard, and then open your word processor; the keyboard will float above the word processor, allowing you to click any key to "type" it into your document.

Configuring the On-Screen Keyboard is straightforward. Use the Keyboard menu to change the layout of the keys, or Settings Font to change the font of the key labels. Go to Settings Typing Mode to choose how keys are pressed; by default, each key must be clicked, but you can set it up so that you can hover over keys to select them, or even use a joystick to control the keyboard.

Notes

Also included with Windows XP is the Character Map (discussed earlier in this chapter), which allows access to symbols and other characters not normally available on a standard keyboard. However, only the On-Screen Keyboard is designed to be a primary input device.

To Open

Command Prompt openfiles

Usage

openfiles /local [ on | off ] openfiles /query [/s system [/u user [/p [pass]]]]    [/fo format] [/nh] [/v] openfiles /disconnect [/s system [/u user [/p [pass]]]]    {[/id id] [/a accessedby] [/o openmode]} [/op openfile]

Description

The OpenFiles tool lets you view a list of all the shared files that are currently open across the network and, optionally, files that are opened locally. This prevents, say, one user deleting a document that another user is working on.

Type openfiles without any options to display a report like this:

Files Opened Remotely via local share points: --------------------------------------------- ID    Accessed By   Type       Open File (Path\executable) ===== ============= ========== ====================================== 98    LOU           Windows    C:\Stuff to Eat\frittatas.txt 101   EDDIE         Windows    C:\Stuff to Drink\milkshakes.txt 107   CLANCY        Windows    C:\Stuff to Eat\pork chops.txt

OpenFiles accepts one of three primary commands, each of which has a range of parameters:

/local [ parameters]

Turn on or off the inclusion of local files in reports. Type:

openfiles /local on

to turn on the `maintain objects list' global flag; this setting is turned off by default and requires Windows to be restarted when changed. Note that turning on this setting may slightly reduce performance.

/query [ parameters]

Display a list of opened files and folders; specify /query for more flexibility than using openfiles without any options, such as the ability to connect to a different machine. Type openfiles /query /? for more information on the available parameters.

/disconnect [ parameters]

Selectively disconnect files and folders that have been opened remotely. When viewing the list of open files, each entry has an ID; that ID can be used to close open files. Type openfiles /disconnect /? for more information on the available parameters.

Notes

OpenFiles is available only to a user with administrator privileges.

To Open

Start Programs Outlook Express

Double-click the Outlook Express icon on the Desktop

Quick Launch Bar "Launch Outlook Express"

Command Prompt msimn

Description

Outlook Express is the email client included with Windows XP (see Figure 4-68). Outlook Express uses a familiar Explorer-like tree interface to manage the folders into which email messages are organized. Highlight any folder name to display its messages; the currently highlighted message is then shown in the preview pane. Double-click the message to open it in a new window for easier reading and other options.

Figure 4-68. Outlook Express is the rudimentary email application that comes with Windows

Newly received messages are stored in the Inbox folder. Files queued to be sent are stored in the Outbox folder, and are then moved to the Sent Items folder when they have been sent. The Deleted Items folder is like the Recycle Bin because it stores deleted messages until it is emptied manually. The Drafts folder stores messages as they're being composed. To add a new folder, select Local Folders in the tree and go to File New Folder. Messages can be moved from folder to folder by dragging and dropping.

The first time you open Outlook Express, a wizard walks you through setting up your first account. An account in Outlook Express is not actually an email account, but rather an entry in the Tools Accounts Mail tab that corresponds to an existing email account. Outlook Express uses either the Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) or the Internet Message Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) Internet mail protocols to receive mail and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to send mail. Nearly all Internet Service Providers and many online services (like AOL and MSN) use POP3 and SMTP for mail transfer.

In addition to mail accounts, you can set up Directory Service accounts, which allow you to look up contact information using any of several online global contact lists. Outlook Express also functions as a newsreader for participating in Internet newsgroups; you'll need to add a News Account to Outlook Express before you can read any newsgroups (contact your ISP for details).

Much of Outlook Express is fairly intuitive, and given that it would require more space than we have here to cover Outlook Express in its entirety, the following sections highlight only some of the most useful and interesting aspects of the program.

Accounts (Tools Accounts)

As stated above, the Accounts window stores information about all of your email, news, and Directory Service accounts. Choose the All tab to list them all together. You can modify any account entry by double-clicking it. To add a new account entry, click Add and choose the account type. Unfortunately, the only way to set up an account entry is to use the cumbersome wizard; there's no way to skip ahead and use the Properties window to enter information. When you're done with the wizard, you'll probably have to use the Properties window anyway to set some of the more advanced options, such as whether or not to automatically check mail from this account, whether to leave copies of your mail on the server, or whether to use a different email address when replying to messages sent to this account.

Most problems encountered when sending or receiving email are caused by improper settings in this window.

If you have more than one mail account, you can choose the default by highlighting it and clicking Set as Default. Thereafter, that account will be used as your return address when sending outgoing email (unless you change it on a per-message basis).

The Set Order button, which lets you choose the search order when looking up contacts in your Directory Services, may be a little confusing at first. Since only an entry is shown, there's nothing to rearrange; to include more entries in Set Order, double-click each entry and turn on the "Check names against this server when sending mail" option (see Figure 4-69).

Figure 4-69. Configure multiple email accounts with the Internet Accounts dialog

Address Book (Tools Address Book)

The Address Book is used to store names and contact information for people to whom you send email on a regular basis. See "Address Book", earlier in this chapter, for more information.

Options (Tools Options)

Specify options that govern the behavior of Outlook Express and apply to all mail and news accounts. This is where you control things like how often Outlook Express checks for mail when it's running and whether it is the default email program. The Dial Up tab lets you specify whether a connection is dialed automatically when you start Outlook Express, whether it should hang up after getting your messages, and whether it should dial automatically when you do a Send and Receive.

Identity Management (File Identities Manage Identities)

In addition to its support of multiple email accounts, Outlook Express supports multiple identities, a feature that lets more than one person use Outlook Express on the same machine. Each identity has its own set of accounts, settings, and mail. The preferred approach is to forget the Identities feature, and instead set up multiple users in Windows XP (Control Panel User Accounts), wherein each user would have his/her own Desktop, Start menu, and Explorer settings, as well as separate accounts and mail in Outlook Express. The Identity feature in Outlook Express is for people who don't want to go to the trouble of dealing with multiple Windows users, which would require a second user to log out and then log back in in order to check your mail (see Figure 4-70).

Figure 4-70. If more than one person needs to access their email on the same machine, use the Manage Identities dialog to switch between them

It's tempting to use Identities if you want to send out mail using more than one persona; but this really isn't what the feature is designed for. Instead, you should set up multiple accounts, one for each "persona" you wish to assume.

Say you have three different email addresses one for work, one for personal email, and one left over from a previous joball of which are still being used to receive email. You'd like to retrieve all your mail at once and store it all in the same place. In addition, you want to preserve both your work and personal email addresses, so when you respond to messages sent to either address, the return address and "real name" are set appropriately. In this case, you would set up three accounts in Outlook Express, but only one Identity.

To add a new identity, go to File Identities Add New Identity. You can then enter the name of the new user and select a password, if needed. To switch identities at any time, select File Switch Identity. Note that the first time you use a new identity, Outlook Express will act as though it's the first time you've started the program, prompting you for personal contact information and account settings. The identity in use at any given time will be shown in the titlebar of the main Outlook Express window.

To share contacts in your Address Book between identities, open the Address Book and select View Folders and groups. Contacts, by default, are only made available to the user that created them, but they can be shared by moving (or copying) them into the Shared Contacts folder.

Message Rules (Tools Message Rules)

Outlook Express can be set up to automatically handle incoming mail in a number of different ways. For example, you can set up rules instructing Outlook Express to store all email retrieved from your business account in a certain folder, all email retrieved from your personal account in a different folder, and all junk mail (spam) in the trash. Furthermore, you can have Outlook Express automatically respond to certain messages and mark some messages as urgent and others as potentially annoying.

Go to Tools Message Rules Mail to view the mail rules currently in effect. If you haven't yet set up any rules, you would be prompted to do so now; otherwise, click New to create a new rule. Each rule is set up as follows:

Select the conditions for your rule. Choose one or more conditions that, when met, will instruct Outlook Express to take the desired action. For example, to create a rule that applies to all email from Grandma, place a checkmark next to "Where the From line contains people."
Select the actions for your rule. After you've chosen one or more conditions (above), these options allow you to decide what to do with messages that meet those conditions. For example, you may wish to place all of Grandma's email in a certain folder, in which case you would place a checkmark next to "Move it to the specified folder." On the other hand, if Grandma drives you nuts, you may wish to place a checkmark next to "Delete it."
Rule description. The third box displays a summary of the conditions and actions you've chosen, and allows you to input the specifics. For example, if you've chosen to move all of Grandma's email into a certain folder, the phrase "contains people" will be underlined and hyperlinked, as will the word "specified." Before you can complete this rule, you must click each of these links; in the case of "contains people," you would type Grandma's email address. Likewise, in the case of "specified," you would select the image of the folder in which to store Grandma's email.
Name of the rule. Finally, choose a label for the rule; although the name makes no difference, it will allow you to easily identify and differentiate the rules.

Don't expect to get all your rules right the first time. For example, after setting up several rules to delete spam, you may find that some legitimate messages are being inadvertently deleted as well. After creating a new rule, scrutinize its performance as new mail is retrieved.

You can also create new rules on the fly, using some of the context-based tools in Outlook Express. Start by opening a message, and then go to Message Create Rule from Message. Here, the familiar rule dialog box is shown, but some fields have been filled in with information from the selected message. Likewise, you can go to Message Block Sender to place the sender on the Blocked Sender List (Tools Message Rules Blocked Sender List), which causes subsequent email from the sender to be deleted automatically. While not technically a new rule, the Blocked Sender List does have a similar effect and is easier to implement and manage.

Be sure to read the message that pops up right after you add a sender to the Blocked Senders List. Selecting the Yes button will automatically move every message in any folder from this sender into the Deleted Items folder. This is especially dangerous (if you select Yes by mistake) if you've checked the Tools Options Maintenance "Empty messages from the Deleted Items folder on exit" box.

Message Flag Message

This does exactly what it sounds like. Select one or several messages and click the Flag Message command to add a little flag in a column (as long as the column is activated at View Columns) near the message to remind yourself that the message needs a follow-up. You can also just click in the flag column to add a flag to a message. To remove the flag, select the message(s) and click the command again, or just click on the flag itself. You can sort the messages by this column to group all the flagged messages for later review.

Conversations (Message Watch Conversation, Message Ignore Conversation)

A conversation is a continuous series of email or newsgroup messages, often called a thread. For example if you were to write an email with the subject "Propane Elaine," it might spark a series of messages between you and the recipient, all of which would have the subject, "Re: Propane Elaine." This thread of messages is called a "conversation" in Outlook Express, and there are tools included for dealing with conversations.

You can "watch" a conversation that is of interest to you by highlighting a message and going to Message Watch Conversation. Likewise, you can "ignore" a conversation by going to Message Ignoring Conversation. Either of these will place an icon in the Watch/Ignore column: sunglasses or a red circle with a line through it, respectively. Click the icon to toggle between Watch, Ignore, and nothing.

For the most part, this is merely a decorative setting; it doesn't affect the way Outlook Express handles these messages. However, you can choose to highlight Watched conversations and hide Ignored conversations, as follows. You can customize the color of messages in watched conversations by going to Tools Options Read tab Highlight watched messages. To hide all messages in a conversation marked as Ignored, go to View Current View Hide Read or Ignored Messages. Then, go to View Current View Customize Current View, place a checkmark next to "Where the messages watched or ignored," and click the links (see above) so that description reads: "Where the message is ignored, Hide the message."

Finally, if you select View Current View Group Messages by Conversation, messages in conversations will be grouped in expandable branches, like the folders in Explorer.

Signatures and Stationery

A signature is a bit of text that is automatically placed at the end of every outgoing message you write. Go to Tools Options Signature tab (see Figure 4-71) to create and edit signatures. Make sure you turn on the "Add signatures to all outgoing messages" option. You can have as many signatures as you want and you can even have a different default signature for each account; just click Advanced and choose the account with which the current signature should be associated. To use a signature on a per-message basis, go to Insert Signature in the message composition window.

Figure 4-71. Use signatures to add a footer to every email you send

Stationery is just as you expect; it imposes a visual style on your message, including colors and even images. Stationary files are just .html files (web pages), stored by default in \Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationary. They can be edited with any web page editor or plain text editor. To create new stationery or to use one of the supplied templates, go to Tools Options Compose tab. Click Create New to start a wizard to build a new stationery file for you. Place to checkmark next to Mail or News, and then click Select to choose an .html file to set as the default stationery. Unfortunately, you can't set default stationery for each account (something Eudora lets you do), but you can choose stationary on a per-message basis by going to Format Apply Stationary in the message composition window.

Both signatures and stationery are shown in your message as you write, so you can modify them as needed without disrupting the permanent signature or stationary file. To make a template, useful when repeatedly sending messages that are similar, open a stationary file in a web page editor (or plain text editor, if you're familiar with HTML) and type whatever text content you need.

Notes

Alternatives to Outlook Express include the popular Eudora Email (http://www.eudora.com) by Qualcomm, the web-based Hotmail email service (http://www.hotmail.com) by Microsoft, and PINE for those die-hard Unix users. Another recent entry on the market is the excellent Mozilla Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird), which offers plenty of customizability in the form of third-party plugins. While Version 1.0 was just released at press time, it's poised to become one of the main players in the next couple of years.
Since it is an integrated component of Windows, Outlook Express is often the target of virus and Trojan horse attacks. A number of viruses have exploited the vulnerabilities in Outlook Express to replicate themselves, sending a virus-infested attachment to everyone in your address book. Sadly, this isn't going to stop any time soon. Given Outlook Express' dominance (and that of its big sister, Outlook) it's always going to be the virus writer's favorite target.
Install Service Pack 2 and you get a few new protections against the worst threats. For starters, OE will automatically block file types typically used to deliver virusesexecutable files, documents, VB scriptsunless you specifically ask to open them. (The missing link: SP2 doesn't include an anti-virus program.) Second, OE by default won't display messages containing images, such as porn or web "bugs." (A common spamming trick is to embed an imageeven a single pixelin a message. The image or bug is tied to a link; read the message and the spammer is notified that your address is valid.) Finally, by default, Outlook Express now displays messages in plain textnot HTMLfurther reducing the risk of getting a face full of flashing, beeping spam when you open your inbox in the morning. More important, this setting prevents spammers and scammers from hiding web addresses and other important information from view.
These new controls can be found by selecting Tools Options and clicking the Security tab. Just remember that these modest new features offer bare bones protection. The best defense is to use a different email program, and buy a top-notch anti-virus toolone that can scan incoming and outgoing messages and attachments for viruses.
If you have more than one account setup in Outlook Express, only one account can be the default at any time. Although you can choose a From account each time you compose outgoing mail, the default account is the one that is used if you don't make a choice. Unfortunately, there's no way to set up a Message Rule (see above) to change the default account used when responding to incoming messages; for that, you'll need a more full-featured email program like Eudora.
The filename msimn.exe gives a taste of the history of this program. Originally called Microsoft Internet Mail and News, it was renamed Outlook Express to position it as the "lite" version of Microsoft's Outlook application. In fact, the two programs share nothing but the name.
By default, Outlook Express automatically compacts your mail and news files when it detects that 20 percent of your storage space is being wasted. You can adjust this percentage using Tools Options Maintenance "Compact files when...". You can also click Clean Up Now here to perform the compression whenever you want.
If you want to use Outlook Express when you're not connected to the Internet, go to File Work Offline. If you are using a dial-up connection, you may even want to further reduce online time by configuring Outlook Express to hang up after sending and receiving messages. To do this, go to Tools Options Connection tab and turn on the "Hang up after sending and receiving" options. If autodial is enabled, Outlook Express will reconnect automatically when you go to Tools Send and Receive.
If you access the same account from two different computers, you may wish to set up one computer to download messages, but not delete them from the server. Set up your other system to delete messages after downloading them. This way, one system always has a complete set of messages. Do this by using Tools Accounts any account Properties Advanced tab Leave a copy of messages on server.
If you have multiple accounts set up and do not want one included when you click Send and Receive, go to Tools Accounts any account Properties General tab, and deselect "Include this account when receiving mail or synchronizing."
To send a file along with an email message, go to Insert File Attachment in the message composition window, or just drag the file from your Desktop or Explorer into the body of message. If Outlook Express is your default email program, you can also send a file as an email attachment by right-clicking it and selecting Send To Mail Recipient. This opens a new, blank message with the file attachment included.
Outlook Express supports rich text email, which adds fonts, color, images, and other formatting to otherwise plain text-based email. There is a drawback, however, in that users of older email programs may not be able to read rich text email, instead seeing only gibberish. You can configure or turn off the support for rich text email by going to Tools Options Send tab. Also note when you send an attachment with a rich-text email message, recipients who view messages in plain text will often not receive your attachments intact. If you are having that problem, you can either disable Outlook Express's support for rich text email or simply change the format for an individual message using that message window's Format menu.
It can be annoying to wade through the thousands of messages that can exist in a single newsgroup. Custom views work like Rules (above) and let you weed out some of the extraneous messages. For example, you can hide messages written by certain users (in Usenet parlance, this is referred to as a "bozo filter"), contain certain words in the subject, are over a certain length, or are over a certain age. Go to View Current View Customize Current View to set your preferences.

Paint

\windows\system32\mspaint.exe

A rudimentary image editor, used to create and modify .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .tif, and .png image files.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Paint

Command Prompt mspaint

Description

Paint is a basic image editor (often called a "paint program") capable of creating and modifying most Windows Bitmap (.bmp), Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg), Compuserve Graphics Interchange Format (.gif), Tagged Image File Format (.tif), and Portable Network Graphics (.png) image files. In essence, Paint is to image files as Notepad is to text files (see Figure 4-72).

Figure 4-72. The Paint utility provides a few rudimentary tools for working with image files

The first time you start Paint, you'll get a blank (white) image, 400 300 pixels in size. Depending on the size of the Paint window, you may see the entire canvas, surrounded by a gray border. To change the size of the image, go to Image Attributes, and type new values. The default units are pixels, but if you choose inches or centimeters, the size of the image will be calculated using the resolution displayed at the top of the window. For example, if you specify an image size of 8" 11" at 64 dots per inch (1 dot = 1 pixel), the resulting image dimensions will be 8*64 11*64, or 512 640 pixels. The pixels are the only thing that is important if the image is to be displayed on the screen or in a web page; the dimensions in inches or centimeters are only important if you're printing the image.

At the bottom of the window, you'll see a color palette; the leftmost box shows the currently selected foreground and background colors. Choose a new foreground color by left-clicking on any color in the palette; choose a new background color by right-clicking. The roles of the foreground and background colors depend on the currently selected tool (see below). For example, if you draw a filled-in ellipse (choose the ellipse tool and then select the second variation), the foreground color will appear as the border and the background color will be used to fill the ellipse. You can mix your own colors by going to Colors Edit Colors.

To the left of the document area is a simple toolbox. Each tool has a different function used to manipulate the image in some way. The first two tools are used to select portions of the image: the star selects an irregular shape and the rectangle selects a rectangle. The eraser tool works like a paintbrush, except that it paints with the background color. The paint bucket is used to fill a bounded area with a solid color. The eyedropper is used to set the foreground or background colors to an area in the image. The magnifying glass zooms in and out; left-click to zoom and right-click to zoom out. The pencil icon draws single-pixel-width lines, and the paintbrush draws with a variety of brush sizes, chosen in the brush palette beneath the toolbox; the left mouse button draws with the foreground color, and the right mouse button draws with the background color. The spray can draws by splattering random dots. The A tool is used to add text to an image, although once text has been applied, it becomes part of the image and can't be changed. The line tool is used to draw a straight line between two points; choose the squiggly line tool to first draw a straight line, and then distort the line with a third click. The last four tools are shapes; choose the shape, and then choose whether or not it will be filled or have a border by using the brush palette below.

In addition to these basic tools, there are some other goodies. Go to File Set as Background (Tiled or Centered) sets the current image as the Windows Desktop wallpaper (it only works if the file has been first saved as a .bmp file). Use View View Bitmap to temporarily fill the screen with the image; click or press any key to go back. Entries in the Image menu let you perform some extra functions, such as flipping, rotating, and stretching the image.

Notes

If you're creating an image file to be used on a web page, that file must be saved using the .jpg or .gif format, a selection that is made in the File Save As box. .bmp files, while visible in some versions of Internet Explorer, are not a suitable file format for web pages, mostly because most web browsers will not be able to read them. Note that it is not enough to simply rename a file to a different format; you must open it and save it as the new format.
If you paste an image into MSPaint that is larger than the bitmap you currently have open, you are prompted and can choose to have the bitmap enlarged.
If you'd like the Explorer to show miniature previews (icons) of .bmp files in Explorer and on your Desktop, make the following changes to your Registry:
1. Open the Registry Editor (see Chapter 7 for details).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Paint.Picture\DefaultIcon .
3. Double-click the Default value and change the value data to '%1' (with the quotes).
4. Close the Registry Editor when you're done.

To change the icon to its default, repeat the above steps, instead typing mspaint.exe,1 for the value data in Step 3.
For a more advanced image editing and image format conversion tool, download the s hareware version of Paint Shop Pro from http://www.jasc.com/.

To Open

Command Prompt pentnt

Description

Back in 1994, a bug was discovered in a certain number of Intel Pentium processors in which certain mathematical operations would yield an incorrect result. The bug was fixed in all Pentium processors produced after 1994. In the unlikely event that you're running Windows XP on a computer that old, open a command prompt and type pentnt to test your processor for the bug.

Notes

For more information on the FDIV bug, go to http://www.ukans.edu/cwis/units/IPPBR/pentium_fdiv/pentgrph.html.

Performance Log Manager

\windows\system32\logman.exe

Manage the "Performance Logs and Alerts" service for creating and managing Event Trace Session logs and Performance logs. (Performance Log Manager is included with Windows XP Professional only.)

To Open

Command Prompt logman

Usage

logman command collection_name [options]

Description

The Performance Log Manager is a command-line utility used to manage Performance Logs and Event Trace Session logs. Commands can be any of the following (type logman command /? for help with each one):

create: Creates a new collection.
start: Starts an existing collection and sets the begin time to manual.
stop: Stops an existing collection and sets the end time to manual.
delete: Deletes an existing collection.
query: Queries collection properties. If collection_name is omitted, all collections are listed.
update: Updates the properties of an existing collection.

Notes

The Performance Log Manager is largely replaced by the "Performance Logs and Alerts" Console (perfmon.msc); see "Microsoft Management Console", earlier in this chapter, for details.

Performance Logs and Alerts

\windows\system32\perfmon.msc

See "Microsoft Management Console".

Phone and Modem Options

\windows\system\telephon.cpl

Configure your modem and telephony devices and choose dialing preferences.

To Open

Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Phone and Modem Options

Command Prompt telephon.cpl

Command Prompt control telephony

Description

Although DSL and cable Internet access are rapidly making modems obsolete, they're still used by more users than any other type of device to connect to the Internet and send computer-based faxes. These settings affect how Windows uses your modem(s):

Dialing Rules

Assuming your modem is properly installed (see the Modems tab), Windows will use these settings to determine how to dial. Click Edit to change the dialing rules for the selected location (see Figure 4-73). Multiple locations can be configured if you have a portable computer and need to dial out from within different area codes or from varying phone numbers with different dialing requirements.

Figure 4-73. If you use a portable computer, you may want to configure multiple locations for dialing

As you undoubtedly know, if you dial a phone number in your own area code, you usually don't need to include the area code. For this reason, Windows needs to know which area code it's in, as well as any special numbers that are required to dial outside lines, place international calls, place calling-card calls, or disable call waiting (so you won't get interrupted by incoming calls).

Modems

Before a modem can be used with Network Connections (which replaces Dial-Up Networking, found in earlier versions of Windows) or with Microsoft's fax service, it must be configured here. The items listed here are the same as those listed in the Modems branch in Device Manager (discussed earlier in this chapter), so if Windows has detected your modem through plug-and-play, for example, there's probably nothing left to do here. If your modem doesn't show up in the list, it's probably not plug-and-play compliant; click Add to start the Add Hardware Wizard (discussed earlier in this chapter) to scan your system and install the appropriate drivers.

Select your modem from the list and click Properties to view the device's Properties sheet, which is the same as the one in Device Manager. Of special interest here is the Diagnostics tab, which will communicate with your modem and provide troubleshooting data, and the Advanced tab, which allows you to specify a modem initialization string (refer to your modem's documentation). Don't waste your time trying to get an old modem to work with Windows XP; brand new plug-and-play PCI modems are ridiculously cheap and extremely easy to install.

Advanced: The Advanced tab lists the telephony drivers currently installed on your system. Drivers can be added, removed, or configured here. Note that unless you use a telephony application, you'll never need to touch these settings.

Notes

All of the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Communications Phone Dialer

Command Prompt dialer

Description

Phone Dialer is a surprisingly complete program, given that most people don't even know it exists. The primary Phone Dialer window is essentially a contact list, which allows you to initiate a call or conference with one or more people (see Figure 4-74). To place a call, click the Dial button or select Phone Dial; if no contact is selected (from either the Speed Dial folder or from one of the Internet Directories folders), you'll be prompted to enter the other party's contact information. Another Phone Dialer user can be contacted in one of the following ways (specified either in the Dial window or when editing a Speed Dial entry):

Figure 4-74. The Phone Dialer is not used to dial your phone, but to initiate voice and video conferences over a network

Phone Call: Choose this option to use your modem to call another user's modem over standard telephone lines. Naturally, it's simpler to just pick up the phone and place an old-fashioned phone call; and while Phone Dialer supports video, few analog modems are fast enough to accommodate two-way video communication.
Internet Call: Whether you're connecting over the Internet or over a local network, choose Internet Call to initiate a call. If you're connecting over the Internet, enter the other user's IP address; if you're connecting over a local network, enter the other user's computer name (without the \\ prefix).

For the call to go through, the other user must also have Phone Dialer open. When a call is received, the recipient can accept or reject the incoming call.

A conference, as opposed to call, allows you to communicate with several users at once. To start a conference, click New in the toolbar or go to Phone New Conference. Then, other users call you to join the conference.

Notes

Like Microsoft NetMeeting, discussed earlier in this chapter, Phone Dialer lets you use your computer as a telephone, initiating and conducting voice and video conversations over an Internet connection (or even using standard phone lines, although I fail to see the point). Of the two, NetMeeting has more features and is easier to use, but Phone Dialer is the only one that works over phone lines.
The hardware requirements for voice and video calls with Phone Dialer are the same as those with Microsoft NetMeeting. However, NetMeeting and Phone Dialer are not compatible with one another; calls placed with NetMeeting can't be answered by Phone Dialer, and vice versa.
Phone Dialer is nothing like the utility of the same name included in Windows 9x/Me, which was only a telephone autodialer. It is, however, identical to the Phone Dialer included with Windows 2000.
Although the main Phone Dialer window looks suspiciously like the Address Book (discussed earlier in this chapter), it does not share contacts or any other information with the Address Book.

To Open

Start Programs Games Pinball

Command Prompt pinball

Description

The ball is launched by holding the Spacebar for a second or two to pull back the plunger and letting go. By default, the left and right flippers are controlled with the Z and / keys, respectively. You can change the keys use play the game by going to Options Player Controls (see Figure 4-75).

Figure 4-75. Although it hardly duplicates the thrill of a real metal ball bouncing in a box, the 3D Pinball game is fun to look at

Notes

If the game is paused, none of the above keys will work until you press F3 to resume the game.
Select Options Full Screen or press F4 to play Pinball in full-screen mode. Press F4 again to revert back to the normal display. Note that full-screen mode will temporarily change the resolution of your display and may not work on all display adapters.
The "boss" key is Esc; press it to quickly minimize the game in case your boss walks by.

Ping

\windows\system32\ping.exe

Test the "reachability" of another computer on the network or across the Internet.

To Open

Command Prompt ping

Usage

ping target [-t] [-a] [-n count] [-l size] [-f] [-w timeout]    [-r count] [-s count] [-j host_list | -k host_list]    [-i ttl] [-v tos]

Description

The primary function of Ping is to see if another computer is "alive" and reachable. Ping works on local networks and across Internet connections. For example, type the following at a command prompt:

ping oreilly.com

and you'll get a report that looks something like this:

Pinging oreilly.com [209.204.146.22] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 209.204.146.22: bytes=32 time=78ms TTL=238 Reply from 209.204.146.22: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=238 Reply from 209.204.146.22: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=238 Reply from 209.204.146.22: bytes=32 time=78ms TTL=238 Ping statistics for 209.204.146.22:     Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:     Minimum = 15ms, Maximum =  78ms, Average =  50ms

Here, Ping sent out four pings (the default), reported the time it took for them to return (in milliseconds), and then displayed various statistics about the session. Ping is especially useful if you're having trouble contacting a server and you want to see if the server is alive (running and accepting connections). If the server does not reply (meaning that it is down or the connection has been severed), you'll see Request timed out. Ping accepts the following options:

target: The machine to ping; it can be the name of a computer on your network, an IP address (e.g., 209.204.146.22), or an Internet address (e.g., oreilly.com).
-t: Normally, Ping sends out four pings and then quits. Include the -t option to ping continually until Ping is interrupted by pressing Ctrl-C. Press Ctrl-Break to display statistics without interrupting.
-a: Resolve addresses to hostnames.
-n count: The number of pings to send; the default is four.
-l size: The size of the packets to send, in bytes; the default is 32 bytes.
-f: Turn on the "Don't Fragment" flag in packet.
-w timeout: The amount of time to wait, in milliseconds, before Ping gives up and displays Request timed out; the default is 500 milliseconds (1/2 second).
-r count: Display the route taken to reach the server (see "Tracert", later in this chapter). The count is the maximum number of hops to record, and can range from 1 to 9.
-s count: Display a time stamp for count hops.
-j host_list: Impose a "loose" route (see the -r option) along which to ping.
-k host-list: Impose a "strict" route (see the -r option) along which to ping.
-i ttl: Specify the Time To Live (TTL); valid range is from 0 to 255.
-v tos: Specify the Type of Service (TOS); valid range is from 0 to 255.

Notes

The name "ping" comes from submarine lingo, when sonar was used to detect nearby objects, such as ships and other submarines. Pulses of sound were sent through the water; those that returned indicated the existence of an object off which the pulses were reflected. ping.exe works very similarly, except it sends packets instead of sonic pulses.

To Open

Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] Power Options

Command Prompt powercfg.cpl

Description

Advanced Power Management relies on cooperation between your computer's BIOS and operating system. APM covers everything from your computer's power switch to the power-saving features that reduce power consumption or extend the life of your computer's battery (see Figure 4-76).

Figure 4-76. The Power Options window lets you configure the various power-saving features of your computer

Before you mess with any settings here, make sure that APM support is enabled in your system BIOS. For best results, enable the main "APM support" option, but disable all APM options in your BIOS. Refer to the documentation that came with your computer or motherboard for details. Settings in this window are divided into the following tabs:

Power Schemes

The Power schemes listbox allows you to save your power management settings into one or more schemes, much like Themes (see "Display Properties") and Sound Schemes (see "Sounds and Audio Devices"). Click Save As to create a new scheme or Delete to remove the currently selected scheme.

The Settings below allow you set timed power-saving features for the currently selected scheme. Note that not all computers support the System standby and System hibernates features; even those that claim to may not do it very well. If your computer crashes coming out of standby or hibernation mode (see "Hibernate," below), or simply doesn't come out at all, check with your computer or motherboard manufacturer for a BIOS update.

Advanced

The settings on this page are pretty self-explanatory. See "Hibernate," below, for details on the hibernation feature.

Hibernate

Hibernation, also known as "Instant On," allows you to completely shut off your computer and then turn it back on later (and resume work in seconds as though it was never shut off). It does this by saving an image of your system's memory into a file called hiberfil.sys, located in the root directory of your windows drive (usually C:\); when the computer comes out of hibernation, the file is read back into memory and your previous session is restored, all without having to reload Windows or any of your applications.

UPS

Windows XP includes built-in support for Un-interruptible Power Supplies (UPSs), which keep your computer running in the event of a power outage or other disruption. Depending on the capacity of your UPS, you may have anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour to save your work and shut down your computer gracefully. A UPS is a good investment if you live in a stormy climate or other area where power interruptions are frequent.

Although a UPS doesn't really have to interact with Windows at all, support configured through this dialog enables some advanced features, such as monitoring tools that alert you when a power outage has occurred and inform you of how much power is left in the UPS battery.

Notes

All settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.

To Open

Start Settings Printers and Faxes (Classic Start menu only)

Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Printers and Faxes

Command Prompt control printers

Description

The Printers and Faxes folder contains icons representing your installed printers and fax devices. Once a printer is installed here, you can print to it from within your applications, drag documents to the its icon to print them, or double-click on the printer icon to see or change the status of current print jobs (see Figure 4-77).

Figure 4-77. Use the Printers and Faxes folder to add, configure, and troubleshoot your printers

The Add Printer wizard helps you select the appropriate printer driver for a local or network printer. The context menu for each printer, among other things, allows you to select that printer as the default printerthe one that appears, by default, in all your applications' print dialogs.

File Print is the standard way to print for most applications. Right-clicking on a file then selecting Print from its context menu allows you to send a file to the printer without opening it first, although this can have mixed results. You can also create a shortcut to a printer on the Desktop and then drag-and-drop a file on the printer icon.

If you drag more than one file to a printer icon, the system will open a separate copy of the application for each file. This may be OK for text files and a small application like Notepad, but drag a group of Word or Excel files to the printer, and it may bring your system to its knees.

Double-click on any printer icon for a view of the printer's job queue. You'll see the document name, status (printing, paused, and so on), the owner of the job, progress (in number of pages printed), and when the job was started. You can drag your own jobs up and down to change their priority. Use the Printer menu to pause the printer or purge all print jobs. Use the Document menu to pause or cancel (delete) any selected documents.

Notes

To have more than one computer print to the same printer, just connect the printer directly to one of the computers. After it has been installed, right-click its icon, select Sharing, and click the Share this printer option. Once a printer has been shared, it can be installed as a network printer on all the other computers on the network (see Figure 4-78). See Chapter 7 for more details.

Figure 4-78. Let others on your network print to your computer with the Sharing tab

You can choose whether print spooling ("offline printing") should be enabled for any printer. If offline printing is selected, you can print to a network printer even when you aren't connected, or to a local printer when it is turned off. When the printer then becomes available, you will be asked whether to print any files in the queue.

To Open

Command Prompt eudcedit

Description

The Private Character Editor is like a small-image editor (see "Paint", earlier in this chapter), except that the images created with it are used like symbol fonts, making it easy to insert any custom logo or symbol into your documents.

When you first start the Private Character Editor, you'll be presented with a rather confusing Select Code window. This is used to associate the new (or existing) character you'll be editing with a particular slot, and is somewhat akin to the main Character Map window. Select any slot and click OK to proceed.

The main window contains the character editor and a simple set of drawing tools (like those found in Paint, discussed earlier in this chapter). Each character is a 50 50 black and white bitmap. Draw in black with any of the available tools and the left mouse button; draw in white with the right mouse button. You can copy and paste bitmap selections between the Private Character Editor and other image editing programs, such as Paint.

When you're done, save your work into the slot you chose in the first screen by going to Edit Save Character (Ctrl-S). Or, save it into a different slot by going to Edit Save Character As. At any time, you can choose a different slot to edit with Edit Select Code, or with View Next Code (Ctrl-N) and View Prev Code (Ctrl-P). As you choose slots in which to place your new characters, you can use another font as a reference to decide the most convenient slots to use. Select Window Reference to view the orientation of an existing font on your computer.

To use your new character in another application, open Character Map (charmap.exe) and choose "All Fonts (Private Characters)" from the top of the list. If this entry is not present, you didn't save your work. See "Character Map", earlier in this chapter, for more information on pasting characters into other applications.

To Open

Command Prompt progman

The Program Manager is a simple icon-based menu system used in Microsoft Windows 3.x and Windows NT 3.x. All of the more modern releases of Windows have abandoned Program Manager (with good cause) in favor of the Start menu and other features of Windows Explorer. Program Manager is still included for legacy purposes. Of course, a simple folder filled with Windows Shortcuts serves the same purpose and does a much better job of it, too.

To Open

Command Prompt qprocess

Usage

qprocess [target] [/server:computer] [/system]

Description

Query Process is a simple, command-line utility used to display a list of the running processes. A process is essentially any program running in the foreground or running invisibly in the background. "Task Manager", discussed later in this chapter, does the same thing, but is much easier to use.

Query Process takes the following parameters:

target: Target can be any of the following: Specify a username to display the processes started by that user. Specify a session name or number (via /id:sessionid) to display all the processes started in that session. Specify a program name to display all the processes associated with that program. Specify an asterisk (*) to list all processes. Finally, omit target to display all the processes started by the current user.
/server :computer: Query a remote computer, where computer is the network name of the machine. Omit to display processes for the local computer.
/system: Include system processes. Type qprocess * /system to display all the currently running processes.

To Open

Control Panel [Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options] Regional and Language Options

Command Prompt intl.cpl

Command Prompt control international

Description

Numbers, times, dates, and currency are displayed differently in different parts of the world, and the Regional and Language Options dialog (see Figure 4-79) allows you to choose your display preferences in painful detail.

Figure 4-79. Choose the way dates, times, and currency are displayed with the Regional and Language Options dialog

This dialog has the following tabs:

Regional Settings

Select your language from the list and click Customize to start choosing your preferences. The settings in this dialog are fairly self-explanatory, although it's important to realize that the entries in the language list are not "themes." That is, if you customize your settings and then change the language in the list, those customized settings will be lost.

Languages

Click Details if you wish to change the desired language or to add support for additional languages. If more than one language is installed, the Language Bar and Key Settings features will be available, which can be used to easily switch between the installed languages with a Desktop bar or keyboard shortcut, respectively.

Advanced

Most programs should be able to detect the preferred language, and if supported, adjust their interfaces accordingly. The "Language for non-Unicode programs" option is used to add support for older programs that don't recognize the settings made in the Languages tab.

The Code page conversion tables, when installed, can be accessed in word processors and web browsers, enabling the display of foreign language content. Most users won't have a need to alter these settings, although you may need to if a particular document or web page isn't being displayed correctly.

Notes

All of the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.

To Open

Command Prompt reg

Usage

reg command [options]

Description

The Registry Console Utility performs all of the functions of the Registry Editor, discussed later in chapter and in Chapter 8, but can be used from the command line. It also does a few things Registry Editor can't do, such as making a duplicate of a registry key (via copy, below). To use the Registry Console Utility, type reg, followed by one of the following commands and any applicable parameters:

query keyname [/v valuename | /ve] [/s]: Displays the data stored in a Registry value, where keyname is the full path of a registry key and valuename is the name of the value to query. Omit /v valuename to display list of all the values in keyname or specify /ve to query the (Default) value. Include /s to query all subkeys and values as well. Keyname can also include the name of a remote computer like this: query computer\keyname.
add keyname [/v valuename | /ve] [/d data] [/t typ] [/s sep] [/f]: Adds a new value. The keyname, /v, and /ve options are the same as with query, above. The /d option assigns data to the new value; if omitted, the new value will be empty. Use /t to specify the data type for the value; if omitted, a string value (REG_SZ) will be added. Use the /s option to specify a separator, used if you're creating a REG_MULTI_SZ value. If the value being added already exists, you'll be prompted to overwrite, unless the /f parameter is specified.
delete keyname [/v valuename | /ve | /va] [/f]: Deletes an existing value. All options are the same as with add, above. The /va parameter instructs the Registry Console Utility to delete all values in the specified key.
copy keyname1 keyname2 [/s] [/f]: Duplicates a key and all its values, where keyname1 is the full path of the source key and keyname2 is the full path of the new key. Specify /s to include all subkeys and their values and use the /f option to force the copy without first being prompted.
save keyname filename: Saves a portion of the registry into a file, where keyname is the full path of the key to save, and filename is the name of the new hive file. Note that this command does not create a registry patch (.reg) file, but a binary hive file that can only be read with restore, below. Note also that the root key in keyname must be a four-letter abbreviation (e.g., HKLM, HKCU, HKCR, HKU, or HKCC).
restore keyname filename: Reads a hive file (created with save, above) into the Registry. Note that keyname doesn't have to be the same as the key from which the file was originally created. See the notes for save for details. Only works on the local machine.
load keyname filename: Installs a hive file (created with save, above) onto the Registry. Load is similar to restore, above, except that any changes to the loaded keys or values are stored back into the hive file specified by filename. With restore, on the other hand, the new keys are added to a pre-existing hive.
unload keyname: Uninstalls a key, keyname, that has been installed with load, above.
compare keyname1 keyname2 [/v valuename | /ve] [/s] [ output]: Compares two keys or values. The keyname1 and keyname2 options are the same as with copy, above. The /v, /ve, and /s options are the same as with add, above. The output option can be /oa (output all differences and matches), /od (output only differences), /os (output only matches), or /on (no output); when omitted, /od is assumed. See reg compare /? for more information.
export keyname filename: Creates a registry patch (.reg) file, filename, from the key at keyname. Registry patches can be imported with import, below, or by double-clicking in Explorer (via Registry Editor).
import filename: Imports a registry patch (.reg) file, filename, created either with export, above, or with Registry Editor.

Notes

All of the concepts in terms discussed here are explained in Chapter 8.
Many of the functions discussed here can only be accomplished with the Registry Console Utility and are not possible with Registry Editor. Among them are the copy, save, restore, load, unload, and compare commands.

To Open

Command Prompt regedit

Description

Registry Editor provides a means to view and modify the contents of the Windows Registry, the master database that stores configuration settings for Windows XP and many of the applications on your computer. However, don't confuse Registry Editor with the Registry; Registry Editor is merely an application, like any other. See Chapter 8 for more information on the Registry and the use of Registry Editor. See Chapter 5 for many of the settings that can also be changed in the Registry.

To Open

Start Programs Remote Assistance

Command Prompt rcimlby -LaunchRA

Description

Remote Assistance is a page in the Help and Support Center (discussed earlier in this chapter) that works with several other Windows components to allow another user to connect to your computer. The idea is that you would invite a technical support representative, a friend, or co-worker, to help you with a computer problem by allowing them to connect to your computer as though they were sitting in front of it (see Figure 4-80).

Figure 4-80. Use Remote Assistance to invite another person to connect to your computer with Remote Desktop Sharing

The first step involves inviting another user to connect. While it may seem like an unnecessary formality, it takes care of the very important step of transmitting your IP address to the other user. You can either use Windows Messenger (discussed later in this chapter) to send an instant message or Outlook Express (discussed earlier in this chapter) to send an email. Once the invitation has been received, that user will have enough information to connect to your computer via Remote Desktop Connection (discussed later in this chapter).

Notes

Both users must be running Windows XP to use Remote Assistance.
Remote Assistance is a very interesting use of integration, where several seemingly disparate components can work together to accomplish a single task.
Either Outlook Express or Windows Messenger are required to send an invitation, which means that at least one of these programs must be set up with your account information prior to using Remote Assistance. Note that you can skip this step if you wish to 1) transmit your IP address to the other user, and 2) set up your computer to accept connections via Remote Desktop Connection.
Remote Assistance opens several back doors to your computer, potentially allowing unwanted access to your computer and data. Be sure to take advantage of the features in Remote Assistance to help protect your computer, such as requiring a password and allowing only remote connection within the next hour.
When you send an invitation via email, the recipient receives a link to http://windows.microsoft.com/RemoteAssistance/RA.asp, as well as a file attachment (rcBuddy.MsRcIncident) with your connection information. The information stored in the file attachment is not easily readable; the recipient simply opens the attachment to initiate a connection.
If you get the error "Your current system settings prevent you from sending an invitation," it means that the Remote Assistance feature has been disabled for security reasons. You can re-enable it by going to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Remote tab and turning on both options on this page.

To Open

Command Prompt rcp

Usage

rcp [-b] [-h] [-r] source destination

Description

Remote Copy is a little tool you can use to copy one or more files from one remote computer to another remote computer without first transferring the files to your own computer. Remote Copy takes the following parameters:

source, destination: The full network path of the source file and destination, respectively. See the examples below for syntax. Specify a folder name for source to transfer that folder and all of its contents. You can specify wildcards here (to transfer multiple files at once), but only with an escape character (e.g., apple.* becomes apple.\*).
-b: Transfers the files with binary mode; the default is ASCII mode. See the discussion of ASCII and binary modes in "FTP", discussed earlier in this chapter.
-h: Include the -h parameter to transfer hidden files.
-r: When copying a folder, include all the subfolders and their contents.

Examples

The following command transfers the file, c:\docs\rings.txt, from the computer called cooder to the c:\stuff folder in the computer called spud:

rcp -b \cooder\c\docs\rings.txt \spud\

The following command does the same thing, but using IP addresses (when accessing computers on the Internet) instead of on a local network.

Note how the usernames (mandatory with IP addresses) are specified:

rcp -b 192.168.0.1.cooder:c\docs\rings.txt 192.168.0.1.spud:c\stuff

Notes

Both the source and destination computer must be running the RCP service.
The username must be specified if the host (either in the source or destination) is an IP address.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Communications Remote Desktop Connection

Command Prompt mstsc

Description

Remote Desktop Connection allows you to connect to another computer (or allows someone else to connect your computer) and use it as though you were sitting in front of it. Much more than simply a Telnet connection, Remote Desktop Connection allows you to see a full Desktop, complete with icons and the Start menu, and even run programs on the remote computer (see Figure 4-81).

Figure 4-81. Use another Windows XP computer as though you were sitting in front of it with a Remote Desktop Connection

To configure a computer to accept incoming connections via Remote Desktop Connection, go to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Remote tab, and turn on the "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer" option. By default, the administrator always has access, but you can enable access for other users as well by clicking Select Remote Users.

Once a computer has been set up, you can connect to it by opening Remote Desktop Connection and typing that computer's name (if connected on a local network) or that computer's IP address (if connected to the Internet). Click Options to specify a username, password, domain (only for Windows NT domains), and even to save your connection settings to a file so you can connect more easily later. The Display tab lets you choose between full-screen mode and windowed mode. The Local Resources tab lets you choose whether sounds generated by the remote computer are played locally (which can slow the connection), whether certain keystroke combinations are interpreted locally or sent to the remote computer, and whether to automatically connect you to the remote computer's disks, printers, or serial ports. Choose the Programs tab to set up a program to start automatically when a connection has been established. Finally, the Experience tab allows you to turn on or off features that will affect performance; depending on your connection, for example, you may wish to enable or disable the remote computer's background wallpaper.

You can save the connection profile for a particular connection by clicking Save As. This will create an Remote Desktop Profile (.rdp) file, which can then be double-clicked to start the connection without having to retype the connection information. Right-click any .rdp file and select Edit to return to the Properties dialog for the profile.

Notes

Currently, both computers involved in a Remote Desktop Connection must be running Windows XP, although Microsoft may release Remote Desktop Connection clients for other versions of Windows in the future.
Alternatives to Remote Desktop Connection include pcAnywhere (commercial software, http://www.symantec.com/), VNC (freeware, http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/), and the Remote Desktop Sharing feature of Microsoft NetMeeting (discussed earlier in this chapter). Unlike Remote Desktop Connection, these alternatives work on all modern versions of Windows. Furthermore, VNC works on Unix and Macintosh systems as well.
Remote Desktop Connection replaces the Terminal Services client found in Windows NT and Windows 2000.

To Open

Command Prompt route

Usage

route [-f] [-p] [command] [destination] [gateway]     [mask netmask] [metric metric] [if interface]

Description

Routing tables provide information necessary to connect to other computers on a network or the Internet. Route accepts the following options:

command

Specifies one of four commands:

print

Prints a route (similar to netstat -r). The route print command is useful if you are having a problem (e.g., "Host Unreachable" or "Request timed out") with the routes on your computer, since it will display all the different fields in the active route (see the example).

add

Adds a route to the routing table; used until the computer is shut down (unless the -p option is specified).

delete

Deletes a route from the routing table.

change

Modifies an existing route in the routing table.

destination

The remote computer that is reachable via gateway.

-f

Frees (clears) the routing tables of all gateway entries. If this is used in conjunction with one of the commands listed above, the tables are cleared prior to running the command.

-p

When used with the add command, -p makes a route persistent across boots of the system. If you don't specify -p, any route you add will be valid only until the computer is restarted. The -p option has no effect on other commands, as they're all persistent.

gateway

The gateway computer to be used for traffic going to destination. It is possible to use a hostname for the gateway, but it is safer to use an IP address, as a hostname may resolve to multiple IP addresses. For example, you might type the following:

route add 0.0.0.0 10.0.0.200

mask netmask

Specifies the subnet mask for a destination. If not specified, a mask of 255.255.255.255 is used (i.e., a "host route" to a single host, not a network).

metric metric

Specifies the meTRic or "hop count" for this route. The metric indicates which route is preferred when multiple routes to a destination exist and signifies the number of hops or gateways between the local computer and the gateway. The route with the lowest metric is used unless it is unavailable, in which case the route with the next lowest metric takes over.

if interface

Specifies the interface number for the specified route.

If you type route print at the command prompt, you'll get something that looks like this:

Active Routes:  Network Address Netmask Gateway Address Interface Metric  0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 172.16.80.5 172.16.80.150 1  127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1  172.16.80.10 255.255.255.0 172.16.80.150 172.16.80.150 1  172.16.80.150 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1  172.16.80.200 255.255.255.255 172.16.80.150 172.16.80.150 1  224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 172.16.80.150 172.16.80.150 1  255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 172.16.80.150 0.0.0.0 1

The fields in this printout are as follows:

Gateway Address: The IP address of the gateway for the route. The gateway will know what to do with traffic for the specified network address.
Interface: The IP address of the network interface that the route will use when leaving the local computer.
Metric: The hop count or number of gateways between the local computer and the gateway.
Netmask: The mask to be applied to the network address. If all ones (255.255.255.255), the route is a host route and refers to a single machine, not a network.
Network Address: Any network matched by this address should use this route. The default route is all zeros and is used if no other route is found.

Notes

If the command is print or delete, wildcards may be used for the destination and gateway or the gateway argument may be omitted.

To Open

Command Prompt rundll32

Usage

rundll32 filename,function_name [function_arguments . . . ]

Description

Rundll32 provides "string invocation," which lets you execute a command buried in a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file.

Rundll32 accepts the following options:

filename: The filename of a DLL (.dll) file.
function_name: The case-sensitive name of a function in the DLL file.
function_arguments: Any parameters used by function_name; refer to the function's documentation for details. Note that any string parameters are case sensitive.

Examples

The following example starts the "Network Setup Wizard" (note that no parameters are required for this one):

rundll32.exe hnetwiz.dll,HomeNetWizardRunDll

This batch file allows you to display an "Open As" dialog box for unknown file type .xyz without actually having a file of type .xyz handy (see Appendix C for more information on batch files):

echo blah blah blah > foobar.%1 rundll32 shell32.dll,OpenAs_RunDLL foobar.%1

Then type the following at a command line:

C:\>openas xyz

Notes

Rundll32 provides dynamic linking to functions exported from 32-bit Dynamic Link Libraries. Rundll, the 16-bit equivalent found in earlier versions of Windows, is not included in Windows XP.

Run As

\windows\system32\runas.exe

Run a program under a different user's account.

To Open

Command Prompt runas

Usage

runas [/noprofile] [/env] [/netonly] /user:username program runas [/noprofile] [/env] [/netonly] /smartcard     [/user:username] program

Description

Windows XP is a multiuser environment. When you open an application, Windows runs that program in a "user context," which means that the settings and capabilities imposed upon an application are those associated with your user account. Use Run As to instruct Windows to open an application in another user's context. This is especially useful when running services or other background applications, where you can't always assume which user will be logged on at any time, but you want to make sure the settings and permissions are correct.

Run As takes the following parameters:

program: The full path, filename, and optional command-line parameters for the .exe file to run.
/user :username: The username under which to run program; username should be of the form user@domain or domain\user.
/noprofile: Specifies that the user's profile should not be loaded. This causes the application to load more quickly, but can cause those applications that rely on settings stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key to malfunction.
/env: Uses the current environment instead of username's.
/netonly: Specifies that the credentials specified are for remote access only.
/savecred: Uses credentials previously saved by the user. This option is not available on Windows XP Home Edition and will be ignored.
/smartcard: Specifies that the credentials are to be supplied from a smartcard.

Notes

Scheduled Tasks, discussed later in this chapter, also lets you run programs under different user accounts.

Scanners and Cameras

Instal l drivers to access the pictures on a digital camera through Explorer.

To Open

Control Panel [Printers and Other Hardware] Scanners and Cameras

Command Prompt wia acmgr (to open installation wizard)

Description

The Scanners and Cameras window (see Figure 4-82) lists any digital cameras or scanners attached to the system.

Figure 4-82. The Scanners and Cameras folder lets you retrieve images from your digital camera or scanner

This window is designed to work with the following device types:

Digital still cameras

Any devices, typically digital still cameras, whose pictures need to be manually transferred to the computer, can be configured as drives so that they're accessible through Windows Explorer. Although most cameras come with their own software for transferring pictures, accessing them through Explorer is especially slick and painless.

Note that you can also get USB-based card readers that will turn CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and MultiMediaCard media into virtual drives, with the added benefit of not having to repeatedly hook up special cables to your camera.

Right-click on the icon for any configured camera and select either Get pictures (to transfer images to your hard disk) or Properties (to change how pictures are accessed).

Scanners

Most scanners come with their own dedicated scanning software, so it's not strictly necessary to configure scanners in this window. However, it may add more flexibility than the scanner's proprietary software. For example, it's possible to program any buttons on the scanner itself to launch whichever program you choose to do the actual scanning (see Figure 4-83).

Figure 4-83. Use the Properties sheet to control how (or if) Windows responds to the buttons on your scanner

Right-click on the icon for any configured scanner, select Properties, and choose the Events tab to choose what happens when your scanner's buttons are pressed. Note that depending on your scanner, certain options may be unavailable.

The Scanner and Camera Installation Wizard is used to add new cameras to the Scanners and Cameras folder. If the common tasks pane is visible, click "Add an imaging device"; otherwise, double-click the Add Device icon. (You can also run wiaacmgr.exe.) Follow the steps to complete the installation. Note that only cameras can be added with the Scanner and Camera Installation Wizard; to add a scanner to the Scanners and Cameras folder, you'll need to install the scanner software according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Many manufacturers, especially those of older scanners, don't support the Scanners and Cameras folder at all.)

Notes

Many newer digital cameras and scanners won't be supported by this tool. Refer to the documentation that comes with your device for information on connecting it to your computer and installing the appropriate software and drivers, or contact the camera's manufacturer for updated drivers that support this feature of Windows XP.

To Open

Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] Scheduled Tasks

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Scheduled Tasks

Description

The Scheduled Tasks feature is fairly simple, allowing you to schedule any program or WSH script (see Chapter 8) to run at a specified time or interval (see Figure 4-84).

Figure 4-84. Scheduled Tasks lets you run programs at predetermined times or intervals

To create a new scheduled task, open the Scheduled Tasks folder and double-click Add Scheduled Task to start the Scheduled Task Wizard. You'll then be prompted to choose a program and specify when and how often to run it.

Unfortunately, there's no way to skip the cumbersome wizard, but you can repeatedly click Next until you reach the last page, where you'll see an option to open "advanced properties for this task." The Properties window, also accessible by right-clicking on any existing task and selecting Properties, is a simpler and more straightforward way to configure a task (see Figure 4-85).

The Task tab allows you to specify the command line, the full path and filename of the application, or the script to run. You can also choose the default folder and the user under which to run the program (see "Run As", earlier in this chapter).

The Schedule tab lets you choose when and how often to execute the task. Choose the Show multiple schedules option to allow more flexibility, such as running a task at 3:01 PM next Thursday only and every Saturday morning at 10:43.

Figure 4-85. The Properties dialog for this task lets you choose when a task is run

Finally, the Settings tab allows you to set various preferences, many of which can be important and none of which are set by the wizard. For example, you can have Scheduled Tasks delete the task after it has run, stop the task if it appears to have crashed, or run the task only if the computer isn't currently being used. Note that, by default, tasks won't be run if your computer is running on batteries, a setting you may want to change if you need the task performed regardless of your computer's power source.

In the main Scheduled Tasks window, use Advanced Stop Using Task Scheduler to disable the Schedule Tasks service; use Advanced Start Using Task Scheduler to enable it again. The service remains stopped (or started) even when the computer is restarted. To temporarily disable the service or have it restart when the computer is restarted, use Advanced Pause Task Scheduler/Continue Task Scheduler.

Notes

The logging option is limited and only tells you if a given task was started. It can be hard to tell whether a scheduled task has actually been performed successfully unless you specifically implement logging in a script.
Also, any scheduled tasks will not be performed if you've selected the Stop Using Task Scheduler option, if your computer is turned off, if Windows isn't running, or if your portable computer is running off its battery. These mistakes may be obvious but they can be easy to forget and Windows won't tell you if you missed any tasks.
Unlike previous versions of Windows, there's no icon in the tray to tell you that Task Scheduler is working.
The At utility, discussed earlier in this chapter, and the Scheduled Tasks Console, discussed later in this chapter, both allow you to create new tasks from the command line.

To Open

Command Prompt schtasks

Usage

schtasks /command_name [arguments]

Description

The Scheduled Tasks Console is the command-line equivalent of Scheduled Tasks, discussed earlier in this chapter. Although it doesn't do anything not already possible with the Scheduled Tasks window, it can be convenient for automating the creation and management of tasks. The Scheduled Tasks Console accepts one of six options. To find out more about any of the commands, type schtasks /command_name /?:

/create [/s system [/u user [/p password]]] /ru user [/rp password]] /sc schedule [/mo modifier] [/d day] [/i idletime] /tn taskname /tr taskrun [/st starttime] [/m months] [/sd startdate] [/ed enddate]: Creates a new scheduled task on the local computer or a remote system.
/delete [/s system [/u user [/p password]]] /tn taskname [/f]: Deletes one or more scheduled task(s).
/query [/s system [/u user [/p password]]] [/fo format] [/nh] [/v]: Displays all scheduled tasks on the local computer or a remote system.
/change [/s system [/u username [/p password]]] [/ru runasuser] [/rp runaspassword] [/tr taskrun] /tn taskname: Changes some of the properties of an existing task, such as the program to run or the username and password.
/run [/s system [/u user [/p password]]] /tn taskname: Runs a scheduled task immediately.
/end [/s system [/u user [/p password]]] /tn taskname: Stops a currently running scheduled task.

Notes

The Scheduled Task Console is intended to replace At, discussed earlier in this chapter. Although the Scheduled Tasks Console is a little more full featured, At is much easier to use.

To Open

Control Panel Security Center

Command Prompt control wscui.cpl

Description

Added in Service Pack 2, the Security Center doesn't actually provide any additional security, but acts as a control center for your existing softwarekeeping tabs on what's on or off, what needs updating or replacing, and providing impossible-to-miss warnings that erupt from the Windows System Tray.

Security Center keeps an eye on your firewall (XP's own or any SP2-complaint third party program), your anti-virus software, and Windows' Automatic Updates feature. (The Internet Options button takes you to Internet Explorer's Security tab.) The Center will pop up an alert if it thinks there's a problem in any of these areas. You can turn off monitoring by clicking the "Change the way Security Center alerts me" link in the main Security Center window. Note that the Security Center only monitors your software for activation and updatesit doesn't actually provide any security itself.

Windows Firewall: By default, this button leads to a tabbed dialog box that lets you configure XP's own firewall. But as you can see in Figure 4-86, it will happily monitor most third party programs. Never go online without a firewall between you and the Internet!

Figure 4-86. See instantly if something's gone wrong, and update or replace as necessary

Automatic Updates

By default, Windows XP with SP2 automatically downloads and installs all high priority (aka, critical) updates to the OS at a set time each day. This happens in the background, without any intervention by (or notification to) you. (The exception: when an update requires a reboot.) This is the easiest way of keeping your system up to date, but it's not compulsory.

Click the Automatic Updates button at the bottom of the Security Center window to choose the desired update option (see Figure 4-87). You can have XP automatically download and install updates without consulting you; download updates but ask your permission to install them; ask permission to download updates in the first place; or let you turn off auto updating, which means you must run Windows Update manually. Our recommendation: have XP ask you before it downloads anything.

Figure 4-87. Keeping XP up to date is effortless with Service Pack 2, thanks to Automatic Updates being switched on by default

Virus Protection

Windows XP lacks built-in anti-virus technology, so this "feature" is designed to nag you to get some real anti-virus protectionor to make sure the anti-virus program you have is turned on and kept up to date.

Windows XP will try to detect any anti-virus utility you have running, but it won't find all of them. Most major anti-virus vendors have retooled their programs to communicate their status directly to the Security Center so that the Center can display the appropriate warnings. In Figure 4-86, you'll notice that our copy of Grisoft's AVG only "might" be out of date.

If Windows cannot detect your anti-virus program, or you simply want to deal with it directly, you can turn off the Center's warnings. Click the Recommendations button and check the "I have an anti-virus program that I'll monitor myself" box.

In addition to monitoring your security, Security Center offers direct links to the latest Windows XP security news on Microsoft's web site and links to companies that would love to sell you some anti-virus software.

One very important security component is completely absent from XP SP2's Security Center : a spyware catcher.While not as dangerous as viruses, spyware can drag down the performance of your machine, barrage you with ads, and otherwise soak up system resources. Unfortunately, most commercial anti-virus packages aren't designed to catch, disable, and remove spyware. For that, you'll need to turn to dedicated programs such as Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com) and Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org). Both are excellent choices, and both are free for personal use.

Security Template Utility

\windows\system32\secedit.exe

Create and apply security templates and analyze system security. (Security Template Utility is included with Windows XP Professional only.)

To Open

Command Prompt secedit

Usage

secedit /command [arguments]

Description

Security Templates are used by administrators for Windows XP-based servers to create a security policy for a computer. The Security Template Utility is a command-line tool used to create and apply these templates. Although there isn't room here to go into all the details of Security Templates, you can type secedit without any options to display a help window with more information on this tool (and Security Templates in general).

To Open

Command Prompt shutdown

Usage

shutdown [-command] [-f] [-m \computername] [-t xx]     [-c "comment"] [-d [u][p]:xx:yy]

Description

Shutdown is used to perform a graceful shut down of the computer from the command line; it is useful if you wish to automate the shutdown of computer or if you need to shutdown and you don't have access to the Start menu. This tool can be used to shut down the computer with a Windows shortcut, from a script or batch file, via Scheduled Tasks, or remotely using a Telnet client.

Shutdown uses the following command-line parameters:

-command: Command can be one of the following:
-i: Displays the same Shut Down window used by going to Shart Shut Down. If the -i option is specified with other options, it must be the first option.
-l: Logs off (cannot be used with -m option). Whether a logon window is shown depends on system preferences.
-s: Shuts down the computer.
-r: Restarts the computer.
-a: Aborts a system shutdown in progress; only applicable if using a timed shutdown and there's enough time to type shutdown -a.
-m \\ computername: Shuts down a remote computer; works with all commands except for -l. Note that you must have administrator privileges on the remote computer.
-t xx: Sets a timed countdown before the shutdown is performed. This command gives other users who are currently logged in time to save their work and log out. The default is 30 seconds; specify 0 (zero) to skip the countdown.
-c "comment": Specifies a text message to be shown to other currently logged-on users while the countdown commences; comment must be enclosed in quotes and can be a maximum of 127 characters long.
-f: Forces running applications to close without warning. Normally, all running applications are notified of a shutdown and are allowed to close gracefully (prompting users to save their work, for example). The -f option will result in a quicker shutdown, but some data loss may occur.
-d [ u][ p]:xx :yy: Specifies the reason code for the shutdown, where u is the user code, p is a planned shutdown code, xx is the major reason code (a positive integer less than 256), and yy is the minor reason code (a positive integer less than 65536). Some applications use these codes to perform certain cleanup operations and even to reject shutdowns under certain circumstances.

If you type shutdown without any arguments, you'll see a brief help page. To perform a simple shutdown after a 30-second warning, type shutdown -s. To restart the computer without any countdown, type shutdown -r -t 0.

Notes

Using the -l command with Shutdown (to log off) may produce undesired effects, such as some services stopping unexpectedly. Make sure you test this feature before using it in the field.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System Tools System Information Tools menu File Signature Verification Utility

Command Prompt sigverif

Description

Microsoft digitally signs device drivers shipped with Windows so you can verify that they have not been modified since testing. Drivers developed by third-party manufacturers are submitted to Microsoft for testing and, once those drivers pass the hardware standards testing, they are signed as well. The Signature Verification Tool (sigverif.exe) lets you manually verify that your installed drivers have not been modified in any way since testing.

Click Start to scan your system for unsigned drivers; if any are found, you'll be notified. Click Advanced to search files other than drivers and to enable logging.

Notes

Windows automatically checks every driver installed through traditional channels (such as the Add Hardware Wizard) for a digital signature. If one is found, it is displayed; if no such signature is found, a warning message is shown instead.

Solitaire

\windows\system32\sol.exe

The traditional Klondike solitaire card game.

To Open

Start Programs Games Solitaire

Command Prompt sol

Description

Solitaire, the simple card game included with every version of Windows since Windows 3.0, is a single-player game that follows the traditional Klondike rules (see Figure 4-88). The object of the game is to organize all the cards by suit and place them in order (starting with the ace) in the four stacks at the top of the window. Cards are moved by placing them on the seven piles in sequential descending order, alternating color. For example, place a black four on a red five, or a red Jack on a black Queen. The game is over when all the cards have been moved to the top stacks.

Figure 4-88. The original Solitaire (Klondike) game is a great way to waste time at work

You can choose a new look for the deck by going to Game Deck (note that some are animated). Go to Game Options to choose whether one or three cards are drawn from the deck at a time, which type of scoring to use, and whether the game is timed.

If you start a game drawing three cards at a time, trying to switch to Game Options Draw One will start a new game. Press

Ctrl-Alt-Shift

while you draw to draw a single card in a Draw Three game.

Notes

I often use Solitaire as a teaching tool for those just learning to use a mouse. It's a great way to learn clicking, double-clicking, and dragging, and best of all, the student often becomes addicted to the lesson!
Additional decks (chosen in Game Deck) can be downloaded from a variety of sources, including http://www.solitairecity.com/, http://www.solitairecentral.com/, and http://www.goodsol.com/.
When Windows 3.0 was first released in the late 1980s, the most flattering thing that some critics had to say about Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system was that it was a "great solitaire game."

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Entertainment Sound Recorder

Command Prompt sndrec32

Usage

sndrec32 [play] [/close] [filename.wav]

Description

Sound Recorder is used to record simple sound clips and play them back. It supports standard sound (.wav) files used in Control Panel [Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices] Sounds and Audio Devices and hundreds of other applications (see Figure 4-89).

Figure 4-89. Use Sound Recorder to create short audio clips (.wav files)

Its controls are just like those you'd find on a VCR or tape deck, including the standard rewind, fast forward, play, stop, and record. The slider lets you set the position the "playback head" anywhere within the sound file. Both the total length of the sound clip in seconds and your position in the file are shown above. A waveform display gives a visual readout of the sound as it plays.

When running Sound Recorder from the command line, you can use the following options:

filename: The name of the sound file to load.
/play: Plays the specified sound file immediately. Without this option, the file will be loaded but not played.
/close: Closes Sound Recorder when finished playing the sound clip; otherwise, the Sound Recorder window remains open.

Go to File New to create a new, blank sound file (.wav). If your computer has a microphone or auxiliary input, you can use these blank files to record your own audio. Here are some of the limited features available with Sound Recorder:

The Effects Increase Volume and Effects Decrease Volume options work by increasing or decreasing the amplitude of the recorded sound wave data. When you decrease the volume level of the recorded wave, you risk losing signal clarity, thus giving less audio detail and creating distortion. Increasing the volume of an ordinary speech file shouldn't affect the quality, but music files are less forgiving due to their wider dynamic range.
The Effects Increase Speed and Effects Decrease Speed options are similar to the volume options, except that you deal with the speed in which the sound is being played rather than the volume at which it's being played.
The Effects Reverse option reverses the order in which the .wav samples contained in the file are played.
The Effects Add Echo is fun to use, but the only way to remove the echo is to select Revert before you save the file.
To mix sound files, move the slider to the place you want to overlay the second sound file, use Edit Mix With File, and select the .wav file you want to mix.

Notes

Really big .wav files take a long time to open in Sound Recorder because it must read the whole file before playing it. The preferred sound player is the Windows Media Player, discussed later in this chapter.
You can only modify an uncompressed .wav file. If you don't see a green line in the waveform area of the window, the file is compressed and you can't change it.

To Open

Control Panel [Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices] Sounds and Audio Devices

Command Prompt mmsys.cpl

Description

Settings affecting the sounds Windows generates are divided into the following sections:

Volume

Your sound card's volume is typically controlled with the Volume Control (covered later in this chapter and accessible by clicking Advanced in the Device volume section); this volume control is redundant (see Figure 4-90).

Figure 4-90. Choose whether the volume control appears in the notification area (Tray) with the Volume tab

Options that affect your speakers are found under the second Advanced button in the Speaker settings section, although most users will find little use in changing these settings. In the Advanced Audio Properties dialog, choose between the available speaker setups (used only by some games that support environmental audio) on the Speakers tab, and if you experience any audio-related problems, play around with the settings on the Performance tab.

Sounds: Formerly its own Control Panel applet, the Sounds dialog allows you to associate short clips of sounds with various system events and messages. Select an event from the list and then choose a sound (.wav) file to associate with it. When you're done, save your choices into a Sound scheme for easy retrieval later on (see Figure 4-91).

Figure 4-91. Associate audio clips with certain events (such as starting Windows) or choose the No Sounds scheme to keep things quiet

Audio, Voice: The Audio and Voice tabs allow you to choose the primary devices for each of which devices handle each of the available channels, including sound playback, sound recording, MIDI music playback, voice playback, and voice recording. Although most computers have only a single sound card, many sound cards provide different types of services for each channel. For example, a particular sound device might offer both standard MIDI playback and wavetable synthesis. Note that some other devices, such as voice-capable modems and video capture cards, will also show up here; if you're not getting sound even though everything appears to be hooked up correctly, check these two tabs for any incorrect settings.
Hardware: Finally, the Hardware tab displays a summary of all the installed audio devices and CD/DVD drives. Select any item and click Properties to change the hardware settings or update the driver for a device. Note that the Properties page is the same you'll get in Device Manager (discussed earlier in this chapter). The Troubleshoot button simply opens up a Help and Support Center window with step-by-step troubleshooting tutorial.

Notes

All settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.

To Open

Control Panel [Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices] Accessibility Options

Command Prompt control speech

Description

Text-to-speech translation is used in conjunction with the Narrator utility. The Speech Properties dialog is used to adjust the tone and speed of the "voice" that is used. Try different voices and speeds, using Preview Voice to test them out, until you've found the best combination.

Notes

All of the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.

To Open

Command Prompt spider

Description

Spider Solitaire (see Figure 4-92) is a simple card game, similar to Solitaire, which was discussed earlier this chapter. The object is to arrange the cards sequentially and by suit. Cards are moved by placing them on the eight piles in descending order, following suit. For example, place the Jack of Spades on the Queen of Spades, or the Two of Hearts on the Three of Hearts. When you complete an entire suit, King to Ace, it is removed from the board. The game ends when all cards have been removed.

Figure 4-92. Spider Solitaire isn't nearly as addictive as Klondike or FreeCell, but if you like arachnids...

The game is always played with 52 cards, but easier skill levels (chosen at the beginning of the game) reduce the number of suits; for example, the easiest skill level uses all Spades. Go to Game Options to choose your preferences, such as whether or not your game is saved when you exit.

To Open

Command Prompt cliconfg

Description

SQL Server Client Network Utility is a graphical tool that allows you to manage networking connections to Structured Query Language (SQL), pronounced "sequel") servers, used with corporate database applications. It also lets you view information about the currently installed network libraries. Most users won't have any use for this utility; it's used mostly by network administrators and those setting up or troubleshooting applications that access an SQL Server. See Help for more information.

To Open

Command Prompt subst

Usage

subst [drive:] [path | /d ]

Description

Subst is a neat little utility that creates a new drive letter and actively links it to an existing folder on your hard disk. For example, type:

subst z: c:\my documents\downloaded music\led zeppelin

to create a new drive letter, z:, and link it to the folder c:\my documents\downloaded music\led zeppelin. When you open drive Z: in Explorer, you'll see the contents of the linked folder; this is very useful if you access a particular folder frequently but find Windows Shortcuts too limiting. For example, a drive created with Subst allows you to access a file in the folder, like this: z:\stairway.mp3. To disconnect a Subst'd drive, type:

subst z: /d

Notes

Any drive letters created with Subst are forgotten when the computer shuts down. To have drives re-Subst'd every time you turn on your computer, write a batch file or WSH script (see Appendix C and Chapter 8, respectively) and place it in your Startup folder.

Synchronization Manager

\windows\system32\mobsync.exe

Synchronize offline files and prepare remote files for offline use.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Synchronize

Internet Explorer Tools menu Synchronize

Command Prompt mobsync

Description

Using a network, you can open and edit files stored on remote computers. However, if your network connection is not always present, such as on a laptop that is connected to the network only when it's in its docking station, you may choose to work with "offline files." Offline files allow you to open files remotely, work on them when you're disconnected, and then update them at a later time when the connection has been re-established.

Naturally, you could just save remote files on your own hard disk manually, edit them, and then transfer them manually to their original locations, replacing older versions where necessary. However, Windows XP's support for offline files is much more convenient and is made possible with the Synchronization Manager (see Figure 4-93).

Figure 4-93. Help reduce document version conflicts with the Synchronization Manager

The main window, entitled Items to Synchronize, lists the files and folders currently set up for offline use. However, you can't add new files to this list here. Instead, use Explorer to navigate to a remote folder shared on another computer. Then, right-click on the file(s) or folder(s) you wish to use offline and select Make Available Offline. This will start the Offline Files Wizard, which will guide you through the rest of the process, including whether or not files will be automatically synchronized. The final result is that the files or folders you've selected will show up as a new entry in the Offline Files folder and will also appear in the Items to Synchronize window. Once the desired files and folders have been set up for offline use, you can use the Synchronization Manager to synchronize offline items manually, as well as choose the synchronization preferences. Here's how synchronization works:

A file is placed in a shared folder.
The user on another computer makes that file available offline (using procedure explained above).
The remote user then begins to edit the file and continues to edit the file after being disconnected from the network.
The next day, the user reconnects to the network and uses the Synchronization Manager to update the remote file with the one that has been edited.
If the Synchronization Manager finds that the file has been modified by another user since it was made available offline, a warning appears. This prevents two users from inadvertently editing the same file, which of course, would result in someone's work being lost.

Notes

The Synchronization Manager also allows you to schedule synchronizations, either whenever the computer is idle or at predetermined times.
The Offline Files Folder is also found on the Desktop; it can be turned on or off from the Offline Files Wizard and accessed when you make files available offline.
The Offline Web Pages folder can be found in c:\windows\Offline Web Pages.

System Properties

\windows\system32\sysdm.cpl

View and modify many general Windows settings.

To Open

Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System

right-click on the My Computer icon Properties

Command Prompt control sysdm.cpl

Description

The System Properties window contains settings that affect hardware, system performance, networking, and other Windows features. The tabs in this dialog are as follows:

General: This information-only tab displays the current Windows version, the edition (Home, Professional, Server, Advanced Server), the registered user, the speed of the processor, and the amount of installed memory (see Figure 4-94).

Figure 4-94. Get a quick overview of your Windows version, amount of installed memory, and registered user with the General tab

Computer Name

These settings affect how your computer is identified on your network, such as the computer's name and whether or not you're connected to a Windows NT domain system (referred to as a business network here). The Computer description field is for entering a comment only; it has no effect on any networking settings. See Chapter 7 for more information.

Hardware

The Add Hardware Wizard and Device Manager are discussed elsewhere in this chapter. The Driver Signing Options dialog allows you to instruct Windows to accept or deny unsigned device drivers; see the Signature Verification Tool, discussed earlier in this chapter, for details.

Finally, the Hardware Profiles dialog allows you to set up multiple configurations of hardware, each with its own set of enabled and disabled devices. Use this feature if you're unable to get two devices working at the same time or if you use a laptop with a docking station (and several devices may be unavailable at any given time).

Advanced

In this tab, you'll find a bunch of important Windows settings covering a wide variety of areas.

Performance Settings Visual Effects tab

Selectively disable several enhanced display features, such as shadows under menus and the animation of several screen elements. Depending on your system, especially the capabilities of your display adapter (video card), the disabling of some of these items may substantially improve system performance. It's certainly worth experimenting with these settings, not only to make Windows more responsive, but to enable some of the cooler features that are disabled by default.

Performance Settings Advanced tab

In most cases, you'll want both the Processor scheduling and Memory usage options set to "Programs." However, if your computer is used as a web server, for example, you may experience better performance if you change these settings (see Figure 4-95).

Figure 4-95. Click Settings in the Performance section of the Advanced Tab to turn off some of the annoying eye candy that can slow down your computer

Click Change in the Virtual Memory section to adjust how Windows uses virtual memory, commonly known as your swap file. When Windows has used up all of your physical memory ( RAM) with programs and data, it stores some of that data on your hard disk to make room for other running programs. Since your hard disk is much slower than your RAM, this process (known as paging or swapping) can significantly impair system performance, which is why adding more memory to your system (up to a point) will make it faster. In most cases, you'll want to leave these settings alone, but if you're running out of disk space, you may want to limit how much of it is used as virtual memory. If, on the other hand, you have plenty of disk space, you might realize better performance if you click Custom size and then set the Initial size and Maximum size to the same value, thereby eliminating a potential delay when Windows resizes the swap file.

User Profiles Settings: This dialog displays a summary of configured user accounts. See "User Accounts", later in this chapter, for more information.
Startup and Recovery Settings: The System startup section allows you to change settings in the boot.ini file, which contains the configuration for the Boot Manager. The Boot Manager is used when you have more than one operating system installed on the same system and wish to choose which one to use whenever you turn on your computer. Most users will have no use for this section.

The System failure section lets you control what happens when Windows encounters a serious error (known as the blue screen of death). Unless you're trying to diagnose such a problem, you'll probably never need to change these settings.

Environment Variables: See Chapter 6 for more information on the environment.
Error Reporting: Whenever a program crashes, whether it's a Microsoft application, a component of Windows, or a third-party application, a window appears, prompting you to send a "report" to Microsoft. Use this page to completely or selectively disable this feature.
System Restore: The settings in this tab allow you to selectively disable the System Restore feature for the drives in your computer. See "System Restore", later in this chapter, for details.
Automatic Updates: Windows can automatically and routinely activate the Windows Update feature (in the background) to see if any updates to Windows XP exist, and optionally, install them without prompting. See "Windows Update", later in this chapter, for details.
Remote: These settings control the Remote Desktop feature (discussed earlier in this chapter). Unless you specifically want others to be able to connect to your computer using Remote Desktop, it's strongly recommended that you disable both options on this page.

Notes

All settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.
If you're looking for the Device Manager tab found in some earlier versions of Windows, it's now a separate application; see "Device Manager", earlier in this chapter. There's also a shortcut in the Hardware tab.
The Advanced tab Environment Variables dialog allows you to set the default values for the system environment. This feature effectively replaces the autoexec.bat file used in Windows 95/98.

To Open

Command Prompt sysedit

Description

The Systems Configuration Editor is essentially a special version of Notepad used to provide convenient access to a few configuration files used in previous versions of Windows. When you start it, the four following files are opened: system.ini, win.ini, config.sys, and autoexec.bat. Since none of these files are actively used in Windows XP (except for legacy application support), this tool has very little use. It's included for legacy purposes only and should not be used.

To Open

Command Prompt msconfig

Description

The System Configuration Utility allows you to selectively enable or disable various settings that affect system startup (see Figure 4-96). For the most part, this tool was designed for an earlier version of Windows and therefore isn't too useful in Windows XP. However, it does provide a few options not available elsewhere:

Figure 4-96. The System Configuration Utility lets you stop certain programs from loading automatically when Windows starts

General tab Expand File

Provides a graphical interface to the File Expansion Utility (expand.exe), discussed earlier in this chapter.

WIN.INI tabs

These two tabs let you turn on or off any settings in either the system.ini or win.ini files, respectively. Note that these files aren't actually used by Windows XP and are only kept around to support old Windows applications.

BOOT.INI tab

Displays the contents of the boot.ini file, used to display the startup menu in a multiple-boot environment, as well as several options that affect the boot menu. For example, if there is more than one operating system installed on your computer, you can use the Set as Default button to choose the default OS and the Move Up button to rearrange the menu items. Some of these options here are also available by going to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Advanced tab, and clicking Settings in the Startup and Recovery section. However, the System Configuration Utility has several boot options not otherwise available without having to manually edit the boot.ini file.

Click Check All Boot Paths to scan all of the entries in boot.ini and remove any menu items that point to invalid partitions or operating systems. This is very useful if, for example, you've installed two operating systems, and then deleted one of them, yet still are bothered by the boot menu every time you turn on your computer.

For more information on boot.ini, see Help or take a look at the "Boot Configuration Manager", earlier in this chapter, for details.

Services tab

Displays system services. The preferred interface for viewing and controlling services is the Services Snap-in (services.msc) of the Microsoft Management Console, discussed earlier in this chapter.

Startup tab

This tab shows some of the programs that are configured to run automatically when Windows starts. Although most startup programs are configured by placing Windows Shortcuts in the Startup folder in the Start menu, the Start tab shows only those seemingly hidden entries specified in the Registry (see Chapter 8) at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.

System Information

\windows\system32\winmsd.exe\program files\common files\microsoft shared\msinfo\msinfo32.exe

Collect and display information about your computer.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System tools System Information

Command Prompt winmsd

Command Prompt msinfo32

Description

Microsoft System Information is a reporting tool used to view information about hardware, system resources used by that hardware, software drivers, and Internet Explorer settings (see Figure 4-97). Information is arranged in a familiar Explorer-like tree. Expand or collapse branches with the little plus (+) and minus (-) signs, and click any category to view the corresponding information in the right-hand pane.

Figure 4-97. The System Information window shows an exhaustive amount of information about your system

The "Components" view of your hardware is similar to Device Manager, except that Device Manager also allows modification and removal of the devices. Likewise, the "Hardware Resources" view can also be duplicated in Device Manager with View Resources by type. One advantage Microsoft System Information has over Device Manager is its ability to show history of changes, using View System History.

The information displayed in Software Environment category is also available in bits and pieces through other utilities (such as DriverQuery, discussed earlier in this chapter), but only here is it presented all in one place.

Notes

Rather than wading through all of the categories, jump right to the item you want by using the "Find what" field at the bottom of the window.
Like Device Manager, you can also connect to another computer and view information about that system. Go to View Remote Computer and enter the name of the remote machine.
The Tools menu provides access to several diagnostic utilities, all of which are documented elsewhere in this chapter.
System Information can also be used to view reports and logs generated by other utilities, such as Dr. Watson (.wlg files), Windows Report Tool (.cab files), and even .txt files.
You can print a report with System Information, but you can only print the entire system information collection, which usually comes out to more than 75 pages. If you want to print only sections of the system information, copy it to Notepad and print it from there.
If information appears to be incorrect, out-of-date, or missing altogether, try View Refresh or press F5.
winmsd.exe and msinfo32.exe have the same features, except that msinfo32.exe accepts command-line parameters, all of which are documented at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q255/7/13.ASP.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories System Tools System Restore

System Information Tools menu System Restore

System Configuration Utility Launch System Restore

Command Prompt \windows\system32\restore\rstrui

Description

System Restore is a feature that runs invisibly in the background, continuously backing up important system files and registry settings. The idea is that at some point, you may wish to roll back your computer's configuration to a time before things started going wrong (see Figure 4-98). By default, System Restore is turned on, using up to 12 percent of your computer's hard disk space.

Figure 4-98. Use System Restore to roll back your computer's configuration to a time before a specific problem occurred

Normally, you'll never need to use System Restore. In fact, if you back up your entire system often (see "Backup", earlier in this chapter), you could easily disable the System Restore feature altogether. However, if you install an application that turns out to wreak havoc, or if your system is attacked by a virus, you may be glad you had System Restore.

To configure System Restore, click "System Restore Settings" in the main System Restore window or go to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System System Restore tab.

Here you can turn off the feature, change the amount of disk space that is used, and view the status of the System Restore service. If you decrease the disk space made available to System Restore (which is understandable, as 12 percent is a lot), you'll be reducing the number of available "restore points," theoretically reducing the effectiveness of this tool.

System Restore indiscriminately replaces files installed in your computer with potentially earlier versions, resets registry preferences, and in some cases, uninstalls software. While the intention is to solve some problems, it can inadvertently cause others. If you suspect that a particular application is causing a problem, your best bet is to uninstall that single application rather than attempting a System Restore. Use System Restore as a last resort only.

Start the System Restore application if you wish to restore an earlier configuration or create a restore point. Restore Points are packages containing files and settings, created at regular intervals. To roll back your computer's configuration, simply choose a date when a restore point was created. You can also create a restore point at any time to "lock in" today's configuration.

To Open

Ctrl-Alt-Del Task Manager

Right-click on empty portion of Taskbar Task Manager

Command Prompt taskmgr

keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+ESC

Description

Task Manager is an extremely useful tool, but is strangely omitted from the Start menu. In its simplest form, it displays all running applications, allowing you to close any that have crashed or stopped responding. The main window is divided into the following four tabs:

Applications

Shows all foreground applications as well as the status of each one (see Figure 4-99). The Status can be "Running" or "Not responding." You can switch to any running application by double-clicking it, which makes it similar to the Taskbar in this respect. Click New Task or go to File New Task (Run) to start a new program (which has the same effect as going to Start Run).

Figure 4-99. The Applications tab shows the currently open windows, but not all running programs

Select any item and click End Task to close the program. Although it is preferred to use an application's own exit routine, this function is useful for those programs that have crashed or have stopped responding.

Processes

A process is any program running on your computer, including foreground applications shown in the Applications tab and any background applications that might be running (see Figure 4-100). Like the End Task button in the Applications tab, the End Process button is used to close unresponsive programs. Additionally, however, it allows you to close background applications that otherwise have no window or other means of exiting gracefully.

Figure 4-100. View all running programs (including background tasks) with the Processes tab

Right-click on any running task to display a list of options, including End Process (see above), End Process Tree (similar to End Process, but ends all "child" processes as well), and Set Priority. The Set Priority menu allows you to increase or decrease the priority of a program; higher-priority processes may run better and are less likely to be interrupted or slowed down by other processes, and lower-priority processes are more likely to yield CPU cycles to other processes. Note that changing a process's priority may have unpredictable results. It should be used only if that process or application explicitly supports running at higher or lower priorities.

Performance

The Performance tab shows several graphs, all updated in real time, used to monitor the performance of the system. The refresh rate of the graphs can be changed by going to View Update Speed.

The CPU Usage is expressed as a percentage, in which an average idling computer will take about 3 to 7 percent of a processor's clock cycles, and a computer running a graphics-intensive game (such as one of my favorites, Black & White) might take 80 to 90 percent. Don't be alarmed if your CPU Usage appears to be unusually high, although you may wish to investigate running processes for crashed programs or even tasks that may have been started by unauthorized intruders. (See "Active Connections Utility", discussed earlier in this chapter.) The CPU Usage History is a running history of the last few minutes of CPU Usage readings; it can be very interesting to see what happens to the CPU Usage History when you start a particular program or just move the mouse around the screen. To change how Windows handles multitasking, go to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Advanced tab, click Settings in the Performance section, and choose the Advanced tab. If you have a multiprocessor system, you'll see a separate graph for each processor, which can be very useful to see how your processors are being utilized (see Figure 4-101).

Figure 4-101. The Performance tab shows a time-based graph of the load on your processor and virtual memory

The Page File Usage and Page File Usage History work the same as CPU Usage, described above, except that they report on the performance of the virtual memory. Virtual memory is the portion of your hard disk used to store data when Windows has used up all of your installed RAM. To change virtual memory settings, go to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Advanced tab, click Settings in the Performance section, choose the Advanced tab, and click Change.

Also shown in the Performance tab are several performance-related statistics, such as the amount of total and available memory, or even the number of active handles (unique identifiers to resources, such as menu items, Windows, Registry keys, or anything else Windows has to keep track of).

Networking: Similar to the Performance tab, above, the Networking tab shows real-time graphs depicting the performance of your network connections. You'll see a graph for each network connection currently in use. See Chapter 7 for more information.

The Options and View menus can be used to set several preferences; note that the options available in these menus change depending on the currently selected tab. For example, if you want to leave the Task Manager open all the time, you may wish to turn off the "Always On Top" option so that you can see other running applications.

Notes

Task Manager replaces the Close Program box found in Windows 9x/Me (via Ctrl-Alt-Del). However, instead of being a system-modal dialog (meaning that when it is visible, all other applications are frozen and inaccessible), it's just another application that can be left open all the time.

To Open

Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Taskbar and Start Menu

Right-click on an empty portion of the Taskbar Properties

Right-click on the Start button Properties

Start Settings Taskbar and Start Menu (Classic Start menu only)

Description

The Taskbar is the bar, typically appearing along the bottom edge of your screen, that holds the Start button, the notification area (commonly known as the Tray), and the task buttons (one for each open application window). The settings in this dialog are as follows:

Lock the Taskbar

Lock the Taskbar to prevent it from being accidentally (or intentionally) resized or moved or to prevent resizing or removal of any Taskbar toolbars. See "Taskbar" in Chapter 3 for details.

Auto-hide the Taskbar

Enable this feature to have the Taskbar drop out of sight when it's not being used. Move the mouse to the bottom of the screen (or the sides or top, if that's where you have your Taskbar) to make the Taskbar pop up. You can also press Ctrl-Esc (or the Windows logo key, if you have one) to pop up the Taskbar and open the Start menu.

Keep the Taskbar on top of other windows

Enable this feature to prevent other windows from covering the Taskbar. Although similarly named features appear in some other applications (such as the Task Manager), this one is somewhat different because in addition to having the Taskbar appear "always on top," this option actually shrinks the Desktop and space available for applications. For example, if you maximize an application, its outer edge will become flush with the Taskbar. See "Windows" in Chapter 3 for more information.

Group similar Taskbar buttons

See "Taskbar" in Chapter 3 for more information on task button grouping.

Show Quick Launch

See "Toolbars" in Chapter 3 for more information on the Quick Launch toolbar.

Show the clock

Displays or hides the clock in the notification area. Hold the mouse pointer over the clock for a second or two to temporarily display today's date. Double-click the clock to open Date and Time Properties (discussed earlier in this chapter).

Hide inactive icons

Windows keeps a history of the status icons various applications display in the notification area. Turn on the Hide inactive icons option and then click Customize to display the Customize Notifications dialog, which allows you to selectively show or hide icons that are currently displayedor have ever been displayedin the notification area (see Figure 4-103). Here the term "Inactive" means currently not displayed.

Figure 4-103. Selectively hide unwanted Tray icons with the Customize Notifications dialog

If you want to hide an icon, try the settings in the application that owns the icon first. Only if there is no such setting, or if the setting doesn't work, should you resort to the Customize Notifications dialog. If there are no icons shown in the notification area and if the clock is disabled (see above), the notification area disappears entirely. If one or more icons is hidden with the Customize Notifications dialog, however, a small arrow appears, allowing you to show or hide any such icons.

Start Menu tab: Start menu versus Classic Start menu

This setting changes the arrangement of the items in your Start menu. The Classic Start menu is a single-column menu, similar to the one found in Windows 2000 and Windows 9x/Me. All of your installed programs are listed in the Programs menu (see Figure 4-104).

Figure 4-104. Choose between the new Windows XP style Start menu and or the simpler "Classic" Start menu

The Start menu is a more complex, double-column menu with all the same options as the Classic Start menu, plus links to the most frequently used applications, as well as your favorite web browser and email program. All of your installed programs are listed in the All Programs menu.

Note that this setting has no effect on the "style" of the Start button or Taskbar. Use Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display Appearance tab to change the style. Unfortunately, there's no way to change the color or appearance of the big, green Start button when using the new Windows XP style with a third party add-on (see http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article02-001). See the beginning of this chapter and the beginning of Chapter 3 for more information on styles in Windows XP.

Don't be alarmed if some of your Desktop icons may disappear when you switch between the Start menu and the Classic Start menu; for some reason, whether these icons are shown or hidden is saved with the Start menu selection (go to Control Panel [Appearance and Themes] Display Desktop tab Customize Desktop for more options). The default for the Classic Start menu is to have the My Computer, My Network Places, and Recycle Bin icons shown; the default for the new Start menu is to have only the Recycle Bin icon shown.

Customize: The Customize button, available with either Start menu type, allows you to selectively show or hide certain items in the Start menu. See "Start Menu" in Chapter 3 for more information (see Figure 4-105).

Figure 4-105. Fine-tune the items shown in your Start menu by clicking Customize in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window

Notes

All settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.

To Open

Command Prompt taskkill

Usage

taskkill [/s system [/u username [/p [password]]]]     { [/fi filter] [/pid pid | /im image] } [/f] [/t]

Description

Taskkill is used to end one or more running processes from the command line. Taskkill works together with Tasklist, discussed later in this chapter, to provide command-line equivalents to the functionality provided by the Processes tab in Task Manager. For more information on processes, see "Task Manager", discussed earlier in this chapter.

Taskkill takes the following command-line parameters:

/s system: Specifies the remote system to which to connect.
/u [ domain\] user: Specifies the user context under which the command should execute.
/p [ password]: Specifies the password for the user specified by \u; prompts for input if omitted.
/f: Specifies to forcefully terminate process(es).
/fi filter: Displays a set of tasks that match a given criteria specified by the filter. Use Tasklist for more display options.
/pid process_id: Specifies the process ID of the process to be terminated. To obtain the process IDs, use Tasklist (later in this chapter).
/im image_name: Specifies the image name of the process to be terminated; specify * to terminate all image names.
/t: Terminates the specified process and process tree, which includes any child processes that were started by it.

To Open

Command Prompt packager

Usage

tasklist [/s system [/u username [/p [password]]]]     [/m [module] | /svc | /v] [/fi filter] [/fo format] [/nh]

Description

Tasklist is used to list running processes from the command line. Tasklist works together with Taskkill, discussed earlier in this chapter, to provide command-line equivalents to the functionality provided by the Processes tab in Task Manager. For more information on processes, see "Task Manager", discussed earlier in this chapter.

Tasklist takes the following command-line parameters:

/s system: Specifies the remote system to which to connect.
/u [ domain\] user: Specifies the user context under which the command should execute.
/p [ password]: Specifies the password for the user specified by \u; prompts for input if omitted.
/m [ module]: Lists all tasks that have DLL modules loaded that match the pattern, module. If module is not specified, /m displays all modules loaded by each task.
/v: Verbose mode; display all available information.
/fi filter: Displays a set of tasks that match a given criteria specified by the filter. Use Tasklist for more display options.
/fo format: Specifies the format of the display: type /fo table (the default) for a formatted table, /fo list, for a plain text list, or /fo csv for a comma-separated report, suitable for importing into a spreadsheet or database.
/nh: If using the /fo table or /fo csv format (above), the /nh option turns off the column headers.

To Open

Command Prompt telnet

Usage

telnet [-a] [-e esc] [-f file] [-l user] [-t term] [host]

Description

Telnet is used to connect to a remote computer. A Telnet session works very much like a command prompt window, except that commands entered are executed on the remote machine. What you do in Telnet depends on the platform of the remote machine; for example, if connecting to a Unix host, you'll get a standard terminal window. If you connect to a Windows host, you'll get a DOS command-prompt window.

The following options can be used with Telnet:

host: The name or IP address of the remote computer. If you omit host, Telnet will start with a standard Microsoft Telnet> prompt, at which point you can type any of the commands listed below (such as open).
port: Specifies a port number to use for the connection; if omitted, the default Telnet port (23) is used.
-l user: Specifies the username with which to log in on the remote system. If omitted, you'll be prompted to enter a username at the remote system's login. The -l option only works if the remote system provides support for the Telnet ENVIRON option.
-a: Attempts an automatic logon using the username and password of the currently logged-on user.
-e esc_character: Defines the escape character for the Telnet session; by default, escape is set to Ctrl-]. Type the escape character during a Telnet session to temporarily jump to the internal Telnet command prompt (see below).
-f filename: Specifies a file in which to store a log of the session.
-t term: Specifies the terminal type; can be vt100, vt52, vtnt, or ansi (the default).

If a connection has been established, commands typed at the prompt will be interpreted by the remote host. However, if a connection has not yet been established, or if you press the escape character (by default, Ctrl-]), you can use one of the following internal Telnet commands:

close: Closes the current connection.
display: Displays settings for the current session, such as the terminal type and escape character. Use set, below, to change an option for the current session; use a command-line parameter, above, to change an option for the next session.
open host: Connect to a remote computer, where host is the same as the command-line option of the same name, described above.
quit: Closes the current connection (if applicable) and exits Telnet.
set variable [ value]: Sets variable to value. In the case of ntlm, local_echo, and crlf, use set to turn them on or unset (below) to turn them off. In the case of term, type set value, where value can be vt100, vt52, vtnt, or ansi.
status: Displays the status of the current connection.
unset: Turns off an option previously turned on with set, above.

Notes

The local_echo variable causes everything you type to be displayed in the Telnet window; some remote hosts require this; others don't. If you can't see what you type, turn local_echo on; if you see two of each character, turn it off.
Setting the terminal type to vt-100 or ansi will serve your purposes in most cases, unless the remote host instructs you differently when you log in. If you need to emulate a terminal type that Telnet doesn't support, you'll need to get a different Telnet client.
Since Telnet is a command-line application, you can change settings such as the color and buffer size by clicking on the control box and selecting Properties. Note that a large buffer will allow you to scroll up and see several pages of past commands. For more information on the command prompt window, see Appendix C.
Another way to launch Telnet is through a URL, like this: telnet://server:port. If typed into the Address Bar of a web browser, or if a telnet:// link in a web page is clicked, it will start a common sessions using the default Telnet client.
To accept incoming Telnet sessions, open Services (services.msc), right-click Telnet in the list and select Start. To configure the Telnet service to start automatically with Windows, right-click on it and choose Automatic from the Startup type list.
Telnet, as a protocol, is slowly being phased out, primarily because there is no encryption. If you log onto a remote server, for example, your password as typed into the window is transmitted in plain text, which means that it could be observed by a third-party monitoring tool. For better security, use SSH instead of Telnet (on both the client and server sides). Good SSH clients for Windows XP include SSH Secure Shell (http://www.ssh.com/) and PuTTY (http://putty.bhni.net/).

To Open

Command Prompt tlntadmn

Usage

tlntadmn [host] [options] command

Description

The Telnet Administrator lets you manage current Telnet sessions. Most users will never need the Telnet Administrator; it's typically only used by network administrators to manage servers that receive a large quantity of incoming Telnet connections, and full documentation of this tool is beyond the scope of this book. For more information on the Telnet Administrator, type tlntadmn /? at a command prompt.

To Open

Command Prompt TRacert

Usage

tracert [-d] [-h max_hops] [-j list] [-w timeout] target

Description

The Internet is a decentralized interconnection of computers. This means that there is rarely, if ever, a direct connection between two computers on the Internet. Instead, information is transferred across several, if not dozens, of computers to make it from one place to another. The further the geographical distance between two machines, the greater the likelihood that there will be more hubs and other intermediate computers along the way. Tracert is used to list all the computers encountered on the journey from one computer to another.

Type the following at a command prompt (while connected to the Internet) to trace the route from your computer to microsoft.com:

tracert microsoft.com

Tracert accepts the following options:

target: The name or IP address of the computer to contact.
-d: If you specify an IP address, Tracert will attempt to resolve the host name (using NSLookup). Include the -d option to skip this step.
-h max_hops: Specifies the maximum number of "hops" (servers along the route) to display before giving up; the default is 30 hops.
-j list: Loosely imposes a route to follow, where list is a list of hosts.
-w timeout: Sets the amount of time to wait (in milliseconds) for each reply.

Notes

Tracert has many uses, but probably the most valuable on a day-to-day basis is for troubleshooting. For example, if you are trying to contact a web server, email server, or any other machine on the Internet, and it does not appear to be responding, you can perform a Tracert to see if it is the fault of the actual machine or one of the hosts along the way. If it turns out to be one of the hosts along the way, your network administrator or Internet service provider may be able to use your Tracert report to help solve the problem.

To Open

Control Panel User Accounts

Command Prompt control nusrmgr.cpl

Command Prompt control userpasswords

Description

Windows XP fully supports multiple users, each with his or her own Start menu, Desktop, My Documents folder, color and display theme preferences, application settings, and other odds and ends. Each user has a password and a home directory (located in \Documents and Settings\{username}), under which all of the user's personal files and folders are stored.

If you have the Home edition of Windows XP, support for multiple users basically ends there. However, Windows XP Professional edition has a more advanced and comprehensive system for managing user accounts.

In Windows XP Professional, some users can be more privileged than others. Administrators have complete control over the system and can run any program, install or remove hardware and software, change any setting, and create, remove, and modify other user accounts. You can also set up "Limited" user accounts, such as the Guest account, which allow others to use your computer without being able to read or modify any of your password-protected files (see Chapter 7) or make any changes to the system. In Windows XP Home edition, all users are considered Administrators.

The User Accounts window is extremely simple and all features are fairly self-explanatory. The main window displays all of the configured users (see Figure 4-106).

Figure 4-106. All configured users are shown in the User Accounts window

It also has three options:

Change an account

Use this to change your password or picture (the icon shown next to your user account on the Welcome screen). If a user account has no password defined, you'll see "Create Password" here instead of the standard "Change Password." Administrators can change any account, but nonadministrators can only make changes to their own accounts.

Create a new account

Adds a new account to the system. If you have several people in your home or office who share the same computer, create a separate account for each person. If you don't really care about security, make them all Administrators (which is the only option in Windows XP Home edition); otherwise, choose "Limited" and follow the prompts on the screen.

Usernames can be anything, as long as they're not the same as pre-existing usernames. If you're connecting two or more computers over a standard peer-to-peer network and would like to be able to share files and printers between them, you'll need to create accounts that match the currently logged on user on each machine. For example, if a user named Seymour, using a Windows 98 machine, wishes to connect to a Windows XP machine on the network, a user account named "Seymour" (with the same password) must exist on the Windows XP machine.

Windows XP Professional also has a preconfigured "Guest" account. This extremely limited account is perfect for one-time users because there's no setup and no password is required. The Guest account can be turned off or on with the "Change an account" link, shown above.

Change the way users log on or off

Turn off the "Use the Welcome screen" option (the default is on) if you want the classic logon screen, similar to the one found in Windows 2000 (see Figure 4-107). The Welcome screen allows users to log on by simply clicking their icon and, if applicable, typing a password. The classic logon screen, however, is considered more secure because users must type their username as well as the password to log on. Click "Logon options" in the "Learn About" section for a preview.

Figure 4-107. Turn off the Welcome screen to use the older Shut Down and Logon screens found in earlier versions of Windows

Note also that the Welcome screen/classic logon screen option also changes the style of the Shut Down screen. If the Welcome screen is used, the last entry on your Start menu will be " Turn off the Computer," with three choices: Stand By, Turn Off, and Restart. If the classic logon screen is used, the last entry in the Start menu will be "Shut Down," with five options: Log Off, Shut Down, Restart, Stand By, and Hibernate.

The "Use Fast User Switching" option, available only if the "Use the Welcome screen" option is enabled, speeds up the process of switching between users by not closing applications when a user logs out. Thus, unless the computer is shut down, any applications and documents that were open the last time you used the computer would still be open when you logged back in.

Notes

All the settings in this dialog are also covered in Chapter 5.
More user account options can be found in the Local Users and Groups console (lusrmgr.msc; see "Microsoft Management Console", earlier in this chapter).
If you want to configure Windows to start up without asking for a username and password each time, you'll need TweakUI (see Appendix D); choose Autologon from the Logon category and type your username and password into the fields provided.
If you have multiple users configured and switch between them frequently, you might appreciate the Fast User Switcher (see Appendix D).
Go to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Advanced tab and click Settings in the User Profiles section to view additional information about active user accounts. See "System Properties", earlier in this chapter, for details.
If you have only a single Administrator account, it's called something other than "Administrator," and you try to create another account, a bug in the User Accounts program causes it to think there is currently no Administrator and it will only allow you to create a new Administrator account.

To Open

Windows logo key + U

Start Programs Accessories Accessibility Utility Manager

Command Prompt utilman /start

Description

The Utility Manager application allows you to control the Magnifier, Narrator, and On-Screen Keyboardall of which are discussed earlier this chapterfrom one central location (see Figure 4-108). Use the Utility Manager to start or stop the accessibility tools, or configure Windows to start any or all of them automatically when you log in, when you lock your Desktop, or when the Utility Manager starts.

Figure 4-108. Use the Utility Manager to control Magnifier, Narrator, and On-Screen Keyboard from a single window

Notes

As the warning states the first time you try to open Utility Manager from the Start menu, some features will be disabled if it is not started using the keyboard hotkey (Windows logo key + U).
If you have an older keyboard that does not have a Windows logo key on it, and if you must start Utility Manager from the Start menu or command line, you won't be able to set the automatic starting of accessibility tools from within Utility Manager.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Entertainment Volume Control

Tray Double-click yellow speaker icon (if it's there)

Command Prompt sndvol32

Description

Volume Control displays volume and balance adjustments for all of the different sound devices, such as the audio CD volume, microphone volume, and line-in volume. To choose the controls that are shown, or to hide those you never use, go to Options Properties and select any of the following (note that different sound drivers may omit some of these, or add additional entries):

Volume Control: This is the master volume controlthe same control that pops up when you single-click the volume icon in the System Tray (see Figure 4-109).

Figure 4-109. Configure your Volume Control to show only the sliders your use

Wave: Sound generated by Windows, including MP3 players, Windows Media Player, most games, Sound Recorder, and many other applications.
MIDI: Synthesized music generated by your sound card's MIDI synthesizer or wavetable feature.
CD Audio: Control the volume of audio CDs played with CD player applications. Note that your CD drive must be connected directly to your sound card with a special three-conductor audio cable.
Line In: Control the volume of the Line-In or Aux input of your sound card, often used to record audio from an external device, such as a stereo.
Microphone: Control the volume of the microphone input of your sound card, usually used with a microphone or voice dictation headset.
PC Speaker: Control for the system's built-in speaker, which is the only control not directly affiliated with your sound card (in most cases).

Alternatively, choose Recording in the "Adjust volume for" section to show and adjust volume controls for the recording of audio. All available controls are the same as those described above, except "Recording Control," which is the recording counterpart to the master volume control.

Notes

Also in the Properties dialog, you'll be able to choose the mixer device if you have more than one sound card or other sound hardware (such as a voice modem or video capture card). If you wish to use more than one sound device simultaneously, your best bet is to connect the outputs of all your sound devices (except one) to the line-in (or auxilary) inputs of your primary sound card.
Click Advanced in the main Volume Control window to adjust the bass and treble settings. When recording, you can also enable the microphone gain control.
To turn on or off the volume control on the Taskbar, go to Control Panel [Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices] Sounds and Audio Devices Volume tab and turn on the "Place volume icon in the Taskbar" option.
If you want to be able to control both recording and playback volume at the same time, launch two instances of Volume Control and choose Options Properties Recording for one, and Options Properties Playback for the other.
The most common problem encountered while trying to play sound is that the particular device is either turned down or muted. Likewise, a common recording problem is that the recording volume is turned down or muted (or the requested device isn't enabled in the Volume Control).
If you find that any or all of the volume controls are too sensitive, try turning up the external volume knob on your speakers or amplifier (if available); this effectively gives Volume Control a broader range.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Windows Explorer

Command Prompt explorer

Double-click My Computer or any folder icon on the Desktop or in any folder window

Usage

explorer.exe [/n] [/e] [,/root,object] [[/select],subobject]

Description

The Explorer is the default Windows shell (see Figure 4-110). It creates the Desktop, Taskbar, and the Start menu the first time it is run. Running it thereafter (without any command-line parameters) opens a two-paned window (commonly referred to simply as "Explorer") in which you can navigate through all of the files, folders, and other resources on your computer.

Figure 4-110. Windows Explorer is the primary means of file and folder management in Windows XP

See Chapter 2 for basic navigation and file management principles and Chapter 3 for discussions of the visual elements.

Explorer accepts the following command-line options (note the mandatory commas):

/n: Forces Explorer to open a new window (even if the specified folder is already open somewhere).
/e: Instructs Explorer to display the Folders Explorer Bar (commonly known as the tree) rather than the default single-folder view. In most cases, you'll want to use /n and /e together.
[/select] ,subobject: Include subobject to specify the file or folder to be initially highlighted or expanded when the folder is opened. If subobject is a folder, it will be expanded in the tree. If you also include the /select parameter (not valid without subobject), the parent of the specified folder is highlighted on the tree, no branches are initially expanded, and subobject will be highlighted in the right pane.
,/root ,object: By default, Explorer opens with the Desktop as the root folder. Use ,/root,object to specify a different root. The object parameter can be a folder name or a class ID (see Chapter 7).

For example, if you want Explorer to open to the My Computer folder so that no drive branches are initially expanded (handy if you have several drives), type the following:

explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, c:\

To open an Explorer window rooted at the My Documents folder, type:

explorer.exe /e,/root,c:\Documents and Settings\ {user}\My Documentwhere {user} is the username  of the owner of the My Documents folder.

CD burning

Windows XP is the first version of Windows to include support for CD writers built into the operating system (or more specifically, into Windows Explorer and Windows Media Player) (see Figure 4-111). It's quite easy to use, but it doesn't offer the flexibility of most third-party CD burning applications.

Figure 4-111. Configure Windows XP's built-in support for CD writers with the Properties window for your CD recorder

If you have a CD recorder, follow these steps:

Open Explorer, right-click on the drive icon for your CD recorder, and select Properties.
Choose the Recording tab and make sure the "Enable CD recording on this drive" option is turned on. Set any other options here as desired and click OK.
Drag-drop files onto the drive as though it were just another hard disk. You can even create folders and rearrange files by dragging and dropping.
When you're done, right-click the drive icon (or the Files Ready to Be Written to the CD note above the file listing) and select Write these files to CD.
The CD Writing Wizard appears (see Figure 4-112), which allows you to specify a label for the disk (a task that is unavailable elsewhere). Follow the instructions here to complete the process.

Figure 4-112. When you're ready to burn files to a CD, open the CD Writing Wizard

This procedure will write data CDs that can be read by nearly all CD drives, regardless of the operating system. See "Windows Media Player", later in this chapter, for details on making audio CDs.

Notes

Press Ctrl-F or F3 in any open folder or Explorer window to begin a file search from that location. If the folder tree is shown, it will be replaced with the search pane.
Most options for Explorer are located in Folder Options, which is accessible through Explorer's Tools menu or through Control Panel. The options are documented in Chapter 5.
The built-in CD burning feature might interfere with some third-party CD recording applications. If you have trouble getting your CD recording software to work with Windows XP, check with the manufacturer of the software (and possibly the drive) for updates.

To Open

Command Prompt sfc

Usage

sfc [/scannow] [/scanonce] [/scanboot] [/revert]     [/purgecache] [/cachesize=x]

Description

Windows File Checker scans your system for corrupt, changed, or missing files, as long as those files are specified in a predetermined list of important system files. By default, Windows File Checker automatically scans your system every time Windows is started. Use the Windows File Checker utility to perform a manual scan or change the automatic settings. The Windows File Checker takes the following options:

/scannow: Performs an immediate scan of all protected system files.
/scanonce: Instructs Windows to scan all protected system files the next time Windows is started.
/scanboot: Instructs Windows to scan all protected system files every time Windows is started.
/revert: Returns Windows File Checker settings to their defaults.
/purgecache: Purges the file cache; essentially empties a folder on your hard disk devoted to storing backup copies of protected system files.
/cachesize= x: Sets the amount of hard disk space to allocate to the file cache folder.

Windows Help System

\windows\winhlp32.exe; winhelp.exe; hh.exe

Online Help system and viewer of WinHelp and HTML files.

To Open

Start Help and Support

Explorer Help Help and Support Center

Select Help or press F1 in nearly any application

Double-click any .hlp or .chm file.

Command Prompt helpctr (Help and Support Center)

Command Prompt winhlp32 (.hlp file viewer)

Command Prompt hh (.chm file viewer)

Command Prompt help (command prompt help)

Description

The Windows Help System is actually a collection of utilities and viewers that provide help in Windows XP. The first, Help and Support Center (accessible through the Start menu), is a distinct application and is documented earlier in this chapter. Most other applications, including many of the components discussed in this chapter, use one of the following two help formats:

.hlp

The traditional help file format, introduced in Windows 3.0. Old applications, and even some new ones, use this format for online documentation. Help pages look and feel somewhat like Web pages, with hyperlinks and embedded graphics. However, .hlp files are somewhat limited compared with HTML Help files, discussed below.

.chm

HTML Help is a newer format, introduced originally in Windows 98 and supported on any Windows system running Internet Explorer 3.0 or later. HTML Help-based files are actually collections of web pages (.html) that have been compiled into a single .chm package. HTML Help does everything that .hlp files do, add support for Web links (linked pages are even displayed right in the help window), and have shortcuts to individual pages (see Figure 4-113).

Figure 4-113. Most applications come with documentation in the form of a Windows Help or HTML Help document

To create a shortcut to an individual page in a HTML Help file, right-click on the link to the page, drag-drop the link onto your Desktop, or right-click on an empty area of the page and select Properties. The URL syntax for this is:

mk:@MSITStore: .chm file location ::/.htm page name

Notes

Help.exe, the command prompt help, is documented in Appendix C.
For more information about HTML Help, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/htmlhelp/.

To Open

Command Prompt ipconfig

Usage

ipconfig [/command] [adapter]

Description

The Windows IP Configuration tool, used without any options, displays your computer's current IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. Knowing your computer's IP address is important for many reasons, such as allowing other users to connect to you using Remote Desktop Connection or calling you with Microsoft NetMeeting.

Windows IP Configuration takes the following parameters:

adapter: Used with some of the commands listed below, adapter specifies the name of a network connection (see "Network Connections", earlier in this chapter) on which to act. Adapter can contain wildcards, such as *. Omit adapter (if allowed) to act on the default connection.
/all: Displays all available configuration information.
/release [ adapter]: Releases the IP address(es) for the specified connection, effectively disconnecting that connection from all network communication. Use /renew to re-establish communication.
/renew [ adapter]: Renews the IP address for the specified adapter, effectively reestablishing communication for the connection.
/flushdns: Purges the DNS Resolver cache. See "NSLookup", discussed earlier in this chapter, for details. See see /displaydns to show the contents of the DNS cache.
/registerdns: Refreshes all DHCP leases and reregisters DNS names
/displaydns: Displays the contents of the DNS Resolver Cache (see /flushdns).
/showclassid adapter: Displays all the DHCP class IDs allowed for adapter.
/setclassid adapter [ classid]: Modifies the DHCP class id for adapter.

Notes

The IP address of any given network connection is also shown in the connection's Status window, viewed by double-clicking the connection in the Network Connections window. See "Network Connections", earlier in this chapter, for details.
Figure 4-1, at the beginning of this chapter, shows an example of how the Windows IP Configuration utility is used in the Command Prompt window.

Windows Media Player

\program files\windows media player\wmplayer.exe;\windows\system32\mplay32.exe

Play back video and audio media files, such as .mpg movies, .mp3 songs, audio CD tracks, and .asf streaming media.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Entertainment Windows Media Player

Double-click on any associated media file

Command Prompt wmplayer (version 8)

Command Prompt mplay32 (version 5)

Description

Windows Media Player is the default application used to open and play most of the types of video and audio media supported by Windows XP (see Figure 4-114). Although you can open Windows Media Player from the Start menu, it makes the most sense to simply double-click on a supported media file or click on a link in a web page to open that video or audio clip and play it.

Figure 4-114. Windows Media Player is used to play video and audio clips

Windows XP actually comes with two different versions of the media player. The main application, Windows Media Player 8 (wmplayer.exe) is the default for all supported media file types, and is the one that is launched from the Start menu. Windows Media Player 5 (mplay32.exe) has a far more modest interface and even supports multiple instances (two or more videos playing at once), but uses the same media player subsystem, so its support for all the different media formats is identical to Windows Media Player 8. Try both to see which one you like better.

The rest of the Windows Media Player (either version) is fairly straightforward, with the standard VCR-like controls (e.g., Play, Stop, etc.).

Windows Media Player 8 supports several additional "gee whiz" features, such as visualizations, which are graphical displays that react to audio. In addition to the visualization plug-ins.com with Windows Media Player 8, you can download additional plug-ins for all sorts of visual effects. Also supported are "skins," which are used to make Windows Media Player look more exotic or interesting. Like visualizations, additional skins can be downloaded and installed (see Figure 4-115).

Figure 4-115. Lots of "skins" help you dress up the Windows Media Player window

The Radio Tuner in Windows Media Player 8 allows you to listen to radio broadcasts over the Web. Although no special radio hardware is required, a fast Internet connection certainly helps.

CD burning

Windows XP is the first version of Windows to include support for CD writers built-into the operating system (or more specifically, into Windows Media Player and Windows Explorer). The interface is a little awkward, and it doesn't offer the flexibility of most third-party CD burning applications, but it works.

If you have a CD recorder, follow these steps:

Open Explorer, right-click on the drive icon for your CD recorder, and select Properties.
Choose the Recording tab and make sure the "Enable CD recording on this drive" option is turned on. Set any other options here as desired and click OK.
Open the Windows Media Player and go to View Taskbar Media Library.
Audio All Audio (if you're not already there).
Drag-drop any .mp3 or .wav files into this window in the desired order. Songs can't be rearranged here, but they can be after the next step.
When you're done, click the "Copy to CD or Device" button on the left (or go to Media Library Audio Copy to CD or Device) (see Figure 4-116).

Figure 4-116. Use Windows Media Player's built-in support for CD writers to burn your own music CDs
The songs to be written to the CD are shown on the left, and the songs already on the CD (if any) are shown on the right. The songs in the playlist can be reorganized by right-clicking and selecting Move Up or Move Down.
When you're ready, click the Copy Music button in the upper right. Any .mp3 files are temporarily converted to .wav format, and then all tracks are written to the CD.

This procedure will write audio CDs that can be played by nearly all CD players (with the exception of some older DVD drives). See "Windows Explorer", earlier in this chapter, for details on making data CDs.

Notes

Although it doesn't come with many of the goodies found in the newer version, Windows Media Player 5 is much simpler to use, loads faster, and takes up less screen real estate.
If you encounter a video or audio file that Windows Media Player doesn't understand, you can usually add support for it by downloading the appropriate codec (compression/decompression driver). Right-click on the media file, select Properties, and choose the Summary tab to view the name of the required codec (if available). Then, use an Internet search engine (such as http://www.google.com) to locate the codec installer.
Use the Windows Update feature, discussed later in this chapter, to install the latest drivers, codecs, and updates to the Windows Media Player.
The CD Player application found in earlier versions of Windows has been removed in Windows XP, and the Windows Media Player has assumed its role in playing audio CDs. To play an audio CD or DVD, just put it in the drive. If a disk is already inserted, you can eject it and reinsert it, or start Windows Media Player and go to Play DVD or CD Audio.
To choose the program that plays audio CDs automatically when they're inserted (or to disable autoplay entirely), right-click on your CD drive icon in Explorer, select Properties, and choose the AutoPlay tab. Choose Music CD from the list and choose the desired action below.

Windows Messenger

\program files\messenger\msmsgs.exe

Ma intain an open connection with a directory server, allowing others to contact you.

To Open

Start Programs Windows Messenger

Command Prompt msmsgs

Description

Windows Messenger allows users to send each other quick text messages over the Internet by maintaining an open connection to a central directory server (see Figure 4-117). That server links a user's "screen name" with their IP address (which can change every time that user connects to the Internet). The IP address is necessary for establishing direct communication between two computers, such as when using Microsoft's NetMeeting or Remote Desktop Connection.

Figure 4-117. Windows Messenger lets you send text messages to other Windows Messenger users on the Internet

Windows Messenger is similar to AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. Although they're similar, they're all totally incompatible, so it would not be unusual to see two or three of them running simultaneously on the same machine.

The first time you start Windows Messenger, you are given the opportunity to sign in. If you already have an account at one of Microsoft's online services (such as Hotmail or MSN), you can use that same login here.

When you're signed in, other users only need to know your screen name to send you an instant message, invite you to connect to their computer, or play an online game (see "MSN Gaming Zone", earlier in this chapter).

Notes

Windows Messenger, by default, is started every time Windows is started, regardless of whether or not you use it or even have an account. To disable Windows Messenger, use the Registry Editor (see Chapter 7) and remove the corresponding entry from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. You can also use the Start tab of the System Configuration Utility, discussed earlier in this chapter.
In order to use Windows Messenger or MSN Explorer, you'll need to set up a Microsoft .NET Passport account. There has been some confusion regarding Passport among many users, however. A Passport account is absolutely not required for any other features of Windows; in fact, Microsoft has been widely criticized for making it appear otherwise.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories Windows Movie Maker

Command Prompt moviemk

Description

A new feature in Windows XP, the Windows Movie Maker allows you to edit and convert video clips, and if you have video capture hardware or a digital video camera, you can even create your own video clips (see Figure 4-118). Windows Movie Maker (and most video editing software) can be quite complex, so we will only include an introduction here.

Figure 4-118. The new Windows Movie Maker lets you edit video clips

Video editors don't work like most other applications. Instead of opening files, making changes to them, and then saving them, a typical video editing session works something like this:

Start a new project by going to File New Project.
Import. Windows Movie Maker supports many different video formats (see Notes). If necessary, Windows Movie Maker may need to prepare the clips for editing, which may take several minutes.
All imported videos are then shown in the Collections pane; click a video filename to display "clips," arbitrary divisions in the file intended to make it easier to work with (see Notes, below). Depending on the length of the video, it might be divided into one or dozens of clips .
Next comes the fun part: editing consists of cutting apart your video and splicing other portions or even other videos together to make a single movie.

The actual video project consists of clips inserted into the timeline (shown at the bottom of the window), not those simply listed in the Collections pane. The timeline is like a storyboard, showing what the final video output will look like in a long a linear display. To add a clip to the timeline, drag it from the Collections pane and drop it at the desired location.

Using the magnify controls to the left of the timeline, you can zoom in for more precise work or zoom out to see more of the timeline at once.

Above the magnify controls is the storyboard/timeline button: click it to switch between the default Storyboard view (where each clip is the same size) and the more sophisticated Timeline view (where clips are sized relative to their duration). I find the Timeline (the view with the numbers across the top) to be much more intuitive and easier to use, as it shows a more accurate view of the project and allows more precise control when splitting. You can also select the desired view with View Storyboard and Timeline.

The video preview, shown in the upper right, allows you to view the video project as it will appear when you're done. Click the Play button, or simply drag your mouse across the timeline to view any portion of the video project.

When you reach a point in your video when you'd like to cut out footage or insert additional footage, go to Clip Split (or press Ctrl+Shift+S) to break apart the current video clip into two discrete clips. Once you've split a clip, you can delete a segment by highlighting it and pressing Del, or drag-drop a segment of video from another part of the timeline (or even another video) from Collections into the timeline.

Once you're happy with the video constructed in the timeline, go to File Save Project. Note that this only saves the project, it doesn't actually create the final video.
Use File Save Movie to create a new video file based on your work in the timeline. No changes to any of the source videos are made. Saving a movie file can take a long time, so you probably will not want to take this step until you're happy with your editing. If you save your project (see the previous step), you can close Windows Movie Maker and then open it up again later and resume your work; it's not necessary to save the movie each time.

Notes

Windows Movie Maker supports a variety of video formats, allowing you to import videos from a number of different sources into your projects. Among the supported formats are .asf, .avi, .wmv, .mpg movies, .wav and.snd audio files, and .bmp, .jpg, and .gif still image files (see below). Windows Movie Maker is currently the only video editor in existence that can read .asf streaming video files. Previously, Microsoft would not allow any other application to read these files. Even if you prefer not to use Windows Movie Maker to edit your video, it is a great tool for converting .asf files into a more usable format.
You can also insert still image files into your videosnot only to have a portion of still videos, but to combine a series of video stills into a crude motion video. This is useful, for example, with some still digital cameras that can shoot short video clips, yet store the clips as a series of still images.
By default, Windows Movie Maker divides imported videos into discrete "clips." Theoretically, one clip ends and another clip begins when the scene changes dramatically. For instance, if the video is of two people talking and the camera alternates between the two participants, each head shot would be its own clip. However, in practice, the clip-making process ends up being completely arbitrary; sometimes you'll only get one clip, and other times, clips will begin and end in the middle of scenes. Go to View Options and turn off the "Automatically create clips" option to disable this feature. Not only will Windows Movie Maker import video files much more quickly when clips aren't used, but you'll be able to choose where cuts occur (which is really the whole point of the program).
Imported items added to My Collections are common to all Windows Movie Maker projects and act somewhat like an ordinary folder full of shortcuts. Note that when you delete items from My Collections, it does not affect the original source files.
Almost immediately after the initial release of Windows XP, an update to Windows Movie Maker was made available (see "Windows Update", later in this chapter) that upgraded it to Version 1.2 and fixed several bugs. It is recommended that everyone obtain this patch.

Windows Picture and Fax Viewer

Simple image viewer, capable of displaying .bmp,.emf, .gif,.jpeg, .png,.tif, and .wmf files.

To Open

Double-click any .emf, .gif, .jpeg, .bmp, .png, or .tif file

Usage

rundll32 C:\WINDOWS\System32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen filename

Description

The Windows Picture and Fax Viewer isn't a standalone application in the traditional sense, but rather a simple viewer window. When Windows XP is first installed, it is the default viewer for the following file types:

.emf: Enhanced Meta File
.gif: Compuserve Graphics Interchange Format
.jpeg: Joint Photographic Experts Group
.bmp: Windows Bitmap
.png: Portable Network Graphics
.tif: Tagged Image File Format
.wmf: Windows Meta File

An unfortunate design in the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer becomes evident when you use the File Types dialog (see "Folder Options", earlier in this chapter) to try to change the default application for any of the above image file formats. The Windows Picture and Fax Viewer will still be opened when you double-click on any image file. Furthermore, the only way to fix this is to edit your Registry. To do this, open the Registry Editor (described in Chapter 8), navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ SystemFileAssociations\ image\ ShellEx\ ContextMenuHandlers, and delete the ShellImagePreview key entirely. Close the Registry Editor when you're done; the change will take effect immediately.

Notes

The Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is really a poor image viewer; just about any substitute would be preferred. For a better image viewer, try ACDSee-32 (http://www.acdsee.com/) or Paint Shop Pro (http://www.jasc.com/). You could even associate image files with Internet Explorer (or another web browser), or even Paint.

To Open

Command Prompt wscript

Command Prompt cscript

Usage

wscript filename [options] [arguments]

cscript filename [options] [arguments]

Description

The Windows Script Host runs WSH script files you create and edit. Of the two executables, wscript.exe is used to run Windows-based scripts, and cscript.exe is for running command-prompt based scripts. For more information on the Windows Script Host, see Chapter 8.

Both executables take the following options (note the use of double slashes to distinguish them from ordinary arguments passed onto the script):

//b: Batch mode: suppresses script errors and prompts from displaying.
//d: Enables active debugging.
//e :engine: Uses engine for executing the script; the default depends on the filename extension of the script file.
//h :cscript: Changes the default script host to cscript.exe, the command-prompt-based host.
//h :wscript: Changes the default script host to wscript.exe, the Windows-based host (the default).
//job :xxxx: Executes a WSF job.
//nologo: Prevents the display of the banner logo at execution time.
//s: Saves current command line options as the default for this user.
//t :nn: Timeout in seconds: the maximum time a script is permitted to run.
//x: Executes script in debugger.
//u: Uses Unicode for redirected I/O from the console.

Windows Update

\windows\system32\wupdmgr.exe

Use Internet Explorer to download updates to Windows XP over the Internet.

To Open

Start Windows Update

Internet Explorer Tools menu Windows Update

Internet Explorer open http://www.windowsupdate.com

Command Prompt wupdmgr

Description

The Windows Update feature allows Microsoft to make updates to Windows XP available publicly. It also allows Windows XP users to download and install those updates quickly and easily.

When you open the Windows Update site in Internet Explorer, it looks like any other web site on the surface. In addition to links to other portions of the Microsoft web site, including a similar Office Update site, the main link of interest here is "Scan for updates." When you initiate the scan, Internet Explorer retrieves a list of all available updates from the Microsoft web site, and then compares it to a list of already-installed updates. Any new updates are shown in the window, from which you can select items to download and install (see Figure 4-119).

Figure 4-119. Use the Windows Update tool frequently to make sure you have the latest bug fixes and security patches

There are three categories of updates: Critical Updates, which are typically new versions of shared files that fix problems and patch security holes; Critical Updates typically don't contain newer versions of software, so it's generally safe to install them. The Windows XP category contains new versions of some of the components discussed in this chapter, such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, and are typically considered optional. The last category, Driver Updates, compares your installed drivers with the ones that Microsoft has on file (see Notes).

Windows XP also has an automatic update feature, where the Windows Update site is routinely checked for critical updates; if any are found, they are automatically downloaded and installed. To change your preferences regarding automatic updates, go to Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] System Automatic Updates tab.

Notes

Windows Update requires Internet Explorer, and unfortunately will not work with any other web browser.
By default, updates are installed only on the computer accessing the site. However, if you have a slow connection or have several computers to update, you may wish to "package" the updates so that they can be repeatedly installed without being repeatedly downloaded. Click About Windows Update for more information.
One of the features in Windows Update is its ability to update some of the hardware drivers in your system (the Driver Updates category). This category is unlike the others, as these updates may or may not be applicable. In fact, Windows Update often recommends that you update a driver when, in fact, the driver is totally wrong for your system. Your best bet here is to update drivers only for Microsoft products, such as their mice and game controllers. Drivers for all other products should be downloaded from the manufacturer's web site. Naturally, if you see an update available here, it's only prudent to check with the manufacturer see if a new driver is indeed available; but don't be alarmed if there's a new driver available at Windows Update, but not on your manufacturer's web site.
Updates to Windows can be numerous and time consuming to download, especially over a slow connection. If you have several computers, you may find it handy to download the updates once and then install them manually on all your systems. You can also put the updates on a CD so that Windows machines without Internet connections can be updated as well. On the Windows Update site, click the "Personalize Windows Update" link under "Other Options," turn on the "Display the link to the Windows Update Catalog under See Also" option, and then click Save Settings. Then click "Windows Update Catalog" to view the listing of downloadable updates and any applicable instructions. You can also go to http://corporate.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/.
If you've used Windows Update before, you can click View installation history to see a list of the previously installed updates.

To Open

Start Programs Accessories WordPad

Command Prompt wordpad

Description

Although WordPad lacks many of the features that come with full-blown word processors such as Wordperfect or Microsoft Word, it has enough features to create and edit rich-text documents. WordPad is the default editor for .rtf, .doc, and .wri files (unless Microsoft Word is installed). WordPad can also be used to edit plain text files (.txt), although Notepad (discussed earlier this chapter) is the default and is more appropriate for this task (see Figure 4-120).

Figure 4-120. Wordpad is the rudimentary word processor that comes with Windows XP

Depending on the type of file opened, WordPad may or may not display its formatting toolbar and ruler. When you use File New, WordPad prompts you to choose a document type, including "Rich Text Document" (formatted text, such as word processor documents), "Text Document" document (plain ASCII text), and "Unicode Text Document" (plain text using the Unicode character set). Once a file is open, however, you can turn on or off the formatting bar and ruler and even apply formatting to plain text documents. If you try to save a text document with formatting, though, WordPad will warn you that your formatting will be lost (since text files don't support formatting).

WordPad has several advantages over the simpler Notepad application. Among other things, WordPad lets you choose from a wide selection of fonts and font sizes, use colors in your documents, set tab stops, use rulers, and even insert objects (e.g., images, some clips, etc.). Although not a full-featured word processor, WordPad does enough to create simple formatted documents that can then be printed, emailed, or faxed.

Notes

You can open Microsoft Word documents with WordPad, but you might lose some formatting if you save the file (which will prompt WordPad to warn you).
Beware of the following when dragging a file onto WordPad: be sure to drop the file icon onto the WordPad titlebar if you want to view it or edit it, or drop it onto the middle of the document if you want to embed the icon as an object into the currently open document.
To prevent WordPad from overwriting your file extensions and adding its own when you save a file, place quotation marks around the name of the file you want to save (e.g., "read.me") and click Save. Otherwise, you'll get read.me.doc
Like Notepad, WordPad does not allow you to open more than one document at a time. If you want to view multiple WordPad documents simultaneously, you'll need to open multiple instances of the WordPad application.

Table 4-1. Executable filenames of the applications and tools in Windows XP

To Open

Description

Figure 4-2. The Accessibility Options dialog allows you to enable or disable specific Accessibility tools you want.

Notes

See Also

To Open

Description

Figure 4-3. The Accessibility Wizard asks questions and sets Accessibility options accordingly

Notes

See Also

To Open

Description

Figure 4-4. Once you've activated Windows XP, you probably won't ever need to again

Notes

See Also

To Open

Usage

Description

Notes

See Also

To Open

Description

Figure 4-5. If Windows doesn't detect your newly installed hardware automatically, you'll need to use the Add Hardware Wizard

Notes

See Also

To Open

Description

Figure 4-6. A throwaway tool added by SP1 (the SP2 version is shown here), Set Program Access and Defaults does little but hide Microsoft's default applications from view

Notes

See Also

To Open

Description

Figure 4-7. The Address Book lets you organize your contacts and is used primarily with Outlook and Outlook Express

Notes

Figure 4-8. The Find People dialog lets you search your Address Book from the Start menu

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Examples

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Figure 4-9. These advanced attributes are only available from a file's Properties sheets in Windows Explorer

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Description

Figure 4-10. Choose the drives, folders, and files you wish to back up by placing checkmarks next to them in the Backup Utility

Figure 4-11. Once files have been backed up, they are listed in the Restore and Manage Media tab for easy retrieval

Figure 4-12. Place checkmarks next to the items you wish to restore using an interface very similar to Explorer

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Description

Figure 4-13. The Bluetooth Devices Wizard makes it easy to discover new devices, without giving everyone in the area access

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Figure 4-14. The scientific view of the Calculator provides access to many more functions than the standard view

Entering data and performing calculations

Table 4-2. Calculations and keyboard equivalents

Table 4-3. Number systems and keyboard equivalents