Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit 2003
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 338
Pages: 338
Microsoft is dedicated to making its products and services accessible and usable for everyone. Microsoft Windows XP Professional includes accessibility features that benefit all users. These features make it easier to customize the computer and give users with disabilities better access to the applications they need to do their work.
For more information about using accessibility features on the Internet, see Accessibility Features and Functionality in the Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 Resource Kit of the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit.
Several built in Windows XP Professional technologies and Windows Explorer options can help administrators and users configure computers with accessibility features. For more information about how users with specific disabilities can use these features, see Setting Accessibility Options by Type of Disability later in this appendix.
Windows XP Professional installs built in accessibility options automatically. Users cannot delete these accessibility options from the operating system after they are installed, including those options available in Accessibility Wizard or Control Panel.
| Note | Even if all of an individual user s data and applications are stored centrally, some user settings that might include accessibility options are stored on the local computer. When you perform a clean installation, these settings and data must be preserved and reapplied to the system after the installation. |
Windows Installer allows the operating system to install, maintain, and remove software on client computers. The service includes self-repairing applications. If an application is missing or damaged, Windows Installer reinstates the missing files the next time the user tries to open them. The self-repairing feature can alter selected options upon reinstallation. Administrators can configure these options for users.
For more detailed information about Windows Installer, see Automating and Customizing Installations in this book.
Group Policy is important to administrators who support users with disabilities because you can use it to ensure that accessibility features and settings are available. You can publish applications for defined groups of users who have assistive needs. And you can verify that the Group Policy settings that are applied to your users or computers allow a flexible user interface (UI) and include compatibility with external software tools.
A user profile is a user-environment setting. Users with disabilities can change their user profiles to suit their accessibility needs. For accessibility purposes, it is important to consider setup options that maintain individual user profiles.
For many users, pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL before logging on to a computer is difficult or impossible. Some users select the StickyKeys option to allow them to use CTRL+ALT+DEL. The automatic logon feature allows users to bypass this keyboard shortcut and go directly to the logon process, which requires the correct name and password. You can allow a user to log on without using CTRL+ALT+DEL by using the User Accounts Control Panel option, on the Advanced tab, under Secure logon.
You can set Administrative Options for several features by using Accessibility Wizard or Accessibility Options in Control Panel. Settings you can make in both include automatic time out, automatic reset, and default accessibility settings.
| Note | Automatic reset and automatic time-out do not turn off SerialKeys. |
You can use Accessibility Wizard to set multiple user profiles. Each user who logs on to the computer can change settings without deleting the previous settings. Each user s settings are restored at the next logon session. Windows XP Professional automatically presets features to default settings for other users. When accessibility features are turned off, users who do not need them do not notice that the features are installed. Multiple users of the same computer can use their logon and password information to set preferences and desktop settings, including any accessibility features that they need.
A user profile is a group of settings and files that defines the environment that the system loads when a user logs on. It includes all the user-specific configuration settings, such as program items, screen colors, network connections, printer connections, mouse settings, and window size and position. Roaming user profiles make it possible for users to use different computers within the corporate network and still retain a consistent desktop, including any accessibility options they need to use.
Fast User Switching, a new feature in Windows XP Professional, allows multiple users to log on to a computer without requiring that other users log off. Multiple users can switch back and forth without closing applications or losing settings and data. This feature allows users who need to use accessibility options to more easily share their computers with other users. This feature is only available when a computer is not joined to a domain.
| Note | If Fast User Switching is enabled, you cannot use SerialKeys. |
Control over desktop elements such as menus, toolbars, shortcuts, and status indicators is important for users who must customize these features for accessibility in daily operations. In Windows XP Professional, you can customize the desktop to create an arrangement of navigational elements needed for quick access to applications and folders. Users can also assign shortcut keys to allow users to start and use applications and features without using a mouse. You can customize desktop elements in the Display Control Panel option by using the Appearance tab.
Users can customize toolbars within applications to contain frequently used commands and buttons. The ability to customize toolbars is most useful for people who use the mouse rather than the keyboard. Users who prefer the keyboard usually also prefer to add commands to the Start menu. Users can use or create desktop toolbars in the following ways:
Putting a toolbar in a more convenient place on a desktop or taskbar.
Using the mouse to drag and drop or pressing SHIFT+F10 on the keyboard to move frequently used files and programs for quick access.
Adding an address bar to the taskbar or to the desktop to give the user the ability to type an Internet address without first opening the browser.
You can add program shortcuts to the Start menu to make the menu more efficient. You can change Start menu options by using the Taskbar and Start Menu Control Panel option.
From the Start menu, you can use the TAB key to move to the status indicators on the notification area of the taskbar. These indicators, or icons, show the user whether MouseKeys, StickyKeys, or FilterKeys are active and the status of certain other programs or hardware.
Windows Explorer provides a consistent interface for accessing all files, folders, and applications on the computer and, for some users, can be easier than using the mouse to navigate to objects on the desktop.
Utility Manager allows faster access to some accessibility tools and also displays the status of the tools or devices that it controls. Administrators can also use Utility Manager to designate features that must start automatically when a user logs on. Utility Manager includes three built in accessibility tools: Magnifier, Narrator, and On Screen Keyboard.
Although only administrators can customize Utility Manager, users can start or stop the individual utilities. Users with administrator rights can also set up additional applications or run programs that install third-party add on devices.
You can access Utility Manager by pressing the WINDOWS LOGO key+U shortcut key combination or by using the Start menu (point to All Programs, Accessories, and then Accessibility). Network policy settings might prevent opening Utility Manager from the Start menu if the computer is connected to a network.
To start accessibility features at login
Open Utility Manager by pressing WINDOWS LOGO key+U.
Select the accessibility feature that must start when a user logs on to the computer.
In the Options box, select Start automatically when I log in.
By setting these options the administrator can provide immediate access for users who must use Narrator, Magnifier, or On Screen Keyboard to operate the computer. This procedure can also be used to open third-party programs or start devices when Windows starts if the vendor has supplied the installer for them.