Lesson 5: Configuring and Troubleshooting the Desktop Environment | MCSE Training Kit(c) Microsoft Windows 2000 Accelerated 2000

Windows 2000 provides great flexibility in configuring the desktop. You can configure your computer for multiple languages and multiple locations. This is especially important for employees of international companies that do business with customers in more than one country or who live in a country where more than one language is spoken. Windows 2000 also provides accessibility options that allow you to make Windows 2000 easier to use. All of the desktop settings available through Control Panel are as easy to configure as those discussed in detail in this lesson.

After this lesson, you will be able to

Configure and troubleshoot multiple language settings
Configure and troubleshoot multiple locale settings
Configure and troubleshoot accessibility options
Configure and troubleshoot desktop settings

Estimated lesson time: 25 minutes

Configuring Language and Location Settings

Through the Regional Options program in Control Panel, you can configure your computer for multiple languages and multiple locations. You can select multiple languages on the General tab of the Regional Options dialog box by clicking the check box in front of each language that you want your computer to support. Regional Options also allows you to configure your computer to use multiple locations or locales. The General tab shows you the current locale setting, and the Input Locale tab allows you to add locales.

There are additional tabs in the Regional Options dialog box that allow you to configure items that vary from language to language, such as currency, how dates and time are displayed, etc. The Numbers tab allows you to configure the appearance of numbers, including the following: the decimal symbol; the number of places after a decimal; the digital grouping symbol, such as the comma in 1,246; and the measurement symbol. The Currency tab, Time tab, and Date tab also allow you to configure the way money, the time, and the date are displayed.

If there are any problems with the way the support for your multiple languages or locales is working, you may want to double-check your settings. You can also try uninstalling the multiple language support or multiple locales support. Make sure that everything is working correctly with only one language or locale, and then reconfigure and reinstall the multiple language or multiple locale support.

Practice: Using Control Panel to Configure a Computer for Multiple Languages and Multiple Locations

In this practice, you use the Regional Options program in Control Panel to configure multiple languages and multiple locations.

Exercise 1: Configuring for Multiple Languages

In this exercise, you use Control Panel to configure your system to support an additional language.

Log on as Administrator.
In Control Panel, double-click the Regional Options icon.
The Regional Options dialog box appears.
On the General tab, scroll through the items in the box labeled Your System Is Configured To Read And Write Documents In Multiple Languages to determine the current default language and some of the available languages.
NOTE
If you want to have your system use multiple languages, click the check box in front of each language you want to support.
Click Advanced.
The Advanced Regional Options dialog box appears.
Click to select 1147 (IBM EBCDIC - France (20297 + Euro)), and then click OK.
When prompted, insert the Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
When the files have finished copying, your system is configured for multiple languages.

NOTE
If you were only configuring for multiple languages, you would click OK to close the Regional Options dialog box. You would leave the Regional Options dialog box open for the next procedure.

Exercise 2: Configuring for Multiple Locales

In this exercise, you walk through the process of using the Control Panel to configure your system to support additional locations. You should not make any actual changes. You should cancel the operation at the end of the exercise.

On the General tab, note the default locale in the Your Locale (Location) box, and scroll through some of the choices.
NOTE
Do not change your default locale.
Click the Input Locales tab.
NOTE
The Installed Input Locales box shows which locales are currently installed on your computer and the current keyboard layout. For example, if you are in the United States, you will probably see the following: EN English Language US
Click Properties.
The Input Locale Properties dialog box appears.
Click the down arrow for the Keyboard Layout/IME drop-down list to view the other keyboard layout options you could select.
NOTE
Be careful not to change your keyboard layout.
Click Cancel.
The Regional Options dialog box is again active.
Click Add.
The Add Input Locale dialog box appears.

NOTE
This is the dialog box that allows you to configure for multiple locales.
Click Cancel.

Configuring and Troubleshooting Accessibility Options

Windows 2000 allows you to configure accessibility options through the Accessibility Options program in Control Panel. The five options that you can configure in Accessibility Options are controlled by the Keyboard, Sound, Display, Mouse, and General tabs.

Configuring Keyboard Options

The Keyboard tab allows you to configure StickyKeys. Turning on StickyKeys allows you to press a multiple key combination, such as Ctrl+Alt+Delete, one key at a time. This is useful for people who have difficulty pushing more than one key at a time. This is a check box selection, so it is either on or off.

The Keyboard tab also allows you to configure FilterKeys. Turning on FilterKeys causes the keyboard to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes. This option also allows you to configure the keyboard repeat rate, or the rate at which a key continuously held down repeats the keystroke. This is a check box selection, so it too is either on or off.

The Keyboard tab allows you to configure ToggleKeys. Turning on ToggleKeys causes the computer to make a high-pitched sound each time the Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock keys are switched on. Turning on ToggleKeys also causes the computer to make a low-pitched sound each time these three keys are turned off.

Configuring Sound Options

The Sound tab allows you to configure Windows 2000 to use SoundSentry. SoundSentry generates visual warnings when your computer makes a sound. The Sound tab also allows you to configure ShowSounds, which displays captions for the speech and sounds programs make. These two features are toggled on or off by selecting the respective check boxes.

Configuring Display Options

The Display tab contains a check box that allows you to configure Windows 2000 to use color and fonts designed for easy reading.

Configuring Mouse Options

The Mouse tab contains a check box that allows you to configure Windows 2000 to allow you to control the pointer with the numeric keypad.

Configuring General Tab Options

The General tab allows you to configure Automatic Reset, which turns off all the accessibility features, except the SerialKeys devices, after the computer has been idle for a specified amount of time. The General tab also allows you to activate the SerialKeys devices feature, which configures Windows 2000 to support an alternative input device (also called an augmentative communication device) connected to your computer's serial port.

Other options on the General tab include the Notification feature and the Administrative Options feature. The Notification feature allows you to configure Windows 2000 to display a warning message when a feature is activated and to make a sound when turning a feature on or off. The Administrative Options feature contains two check boxes that allow you to configure Windows 2000 to apply all configured accessibility options to this user at logon and to apply all configured accessibility options to all new users.

Configuring and Troubleshooting Additional Desktop Settings

There are many configurable desktop settings in Windows 2000 that are configured through Control Panel programs. Some of these programs include Fax Services, Internet Options, and Phone And Modem Options. To configure any of the settings these programs control, double-click the appropriate icon, click the appropriate tab, and provide the requested information.

Configuration Management

The configuration management capabilities in Windows 2000 create a consistent environment for the end user and help ensure that users have the data, applications, and operating system settings that they need.

Windows 2000 includes the following configuration management enhancements:

Add/Remove Programs wizard. This wizard simplifies the process of installing and removing programs. Users can install applications by pointing directly to a location on the corporate network or Internet. The user interface provides additional feedback and sort options for viewing installed or available applications by size, frequency of use, and time of last use.
Windows Installer service. This service manages application installation, modification, repairs, and removal. It provides a standard format for managing the components of a software package and an API for managing applications and tools.

Troubleshooting Tools

Windows 2000 Professional includes diagnostic and troubleshooting tools that make it easier to support the operating system. Troubleshooting tools in Windows 2000 Professional include the following:

Compatibility tool. This tool detects and warns the user about whether certain installed applications or components will cause an upgrade to fail, or whether the components won't work after an upgrade is complete. The compatibility tool can be run by using the /checkupgradeonly switch with the command to start Setup. This generates the Report System Compatibility screen that lists any items that are incompatible with Windows 2000. For more information on the compatibility tool, see Chapter 1, "Installing Windows 2000 Professional."
Troubleshooters. These tools included in Windows 2000 online Help as troubleshooting wizards can be used to solve many common computer problems.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson you learned how to use the Regional Options program in Control Panel to configure Windows 2000 Professional for multiple languages and multiple locales. You also learned how to change your keyboard layout and how to configure currency, date, and time settings.

You also learned how to use the Accessibility Options program in Control Panel to make Windows 2000 Professional easier to use. All of the configurable settings for the desktop that are set through Control Panel are easy to configure and troubleshoot. To configure or troubleshoot them, simply double-click the appropriate icon and provide the appropriate information.