DOCUMENT COMPUTER SETTINGSThe Annoyance:Every time one of the computers on my network has a problem, I have to check the settings. I keep a file of each computer's settings in a file cabinet because keeping it on the computer seems dangerous. I'll need the settings if the computer won't boot or if I can't get to the drive. However, keeping paper-based information is a pain because I have to leaf through all types of information to get to what I need. The Fix:The annoying thing about paper is that you can't change the way it's sorted, nor can you perform a search operation. The solution is to keep both computer-based and paper-based information. On my network, every computer has a document on the root directory named ComputerName settings. If I need to replace or reconfigure a network adapter, I just open the document and search for the data. I also print the document and file it. Every time I make changes to the document, I print it again and toss the old copy. The document is a table with the structure described in Table 8-1. The data represents everything I need to know to reconfigure a component, update a driver, or rebuild the computer in case of a hard-drive failure. Tracking manufacturers of components lets me grab the appropriate driver disks when I have to reinstall those components. On my own computer, I have an additional master document that holds all the settings of all the computers on all the networks. (I have two networksone is a domain and one is a workgroup.) I also print the master document and keep copies of it on a few other computers on the network in case my machine dies.
TRACK INSTALLED SOFTWAREThe Annoyance:I want to track the installed software for each computer, including operating system patches. The Add/Remove Programs window displays all the installed software, but it has no Print icon or menu item. In fact, there's no menu at all. It's annoying to have to sit in front of each computer and write down what you see on the screen. The Fix:Actually, you can print the list of installed software programs. When the window is open, press Ctrl-P to open the Print dialog box. Click Print to create a hard copy of the list of installed applications. Tip: Years ago, driven by frustration, I tried pressing Ctrl-P for any window that held data but lacked a Print command. It's amazing how often it works. Try it yourself. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDSThe Annoyance:I want to maintain information about the devices displayed in the Device Manager. I expand each device type to see the specific information about each device. However, printing a report from the Device Manager means using a lot of paper filled with detailed technical stuff that doesn't matter for the purpose of rebuilding a computer or tracking manufacturer model numbers. The Fix:Take a picture. I don't mean that literally, as in "stand in front of the monitor with a camera" (although that might work; I've never tried it). I mean take a digital snapshot of the window. The quick and easy way to do this is to use the built-in screen capture feature called PrintScreen. When you press the PrintScreen button on your keyboard, Windows copies an image of the screen to the clipboard. Open any software application capable of managing graphic images (such as the built-in Paint program located on the Accessories submenu) and choose Edit Paste to insert the contents of the clipboard into the software window. Save the graphic image so that you can access it easily from the computer if you need any of the information it contains. Also, print the image so that you have a hard copy to refer to in case of computer failure. Warning: You must open the software, paste the image, and save it before you can use the PrintScreen button again. The clipboard holds only one image at a time. You can also install screen capture software, which gives you more flexibility in cropping the screen image and offers a variety of file formats. Use your favorite search engine to locate screen capture software sites on the Internet. |