8.3. The Control Panel, Applet by Applet: All VersionsClassic View is the perfect structure for a chapter that describes each Control Panel applet, since it's organized in alphabetical order. The rest of this chapter assumes that you're looking at the Control Panel in Classic View. Tip: If you're really a speed freak, even the Classic View method of accessing a particular Control Panel program is fairly inefficient. After all, you must first choose Start Control Panel and wait for the window to open , then you have to double-click the individual program you want.To save time, you can do one of two things. Either turn on the feature that lets you choose a certain programs name directly from the Start menu, as described on page 45, or, if you don't mind a cluttered desktop, make a shortcut for the programs you access most. Just right-click it and select Create Shortcut from the shortcut menu. It automatically places it on the desktop for you. Or, what the heckdrag an applet right out of the Control Panel into the Start menu to install it there! 8.3.1. Add HardwareThis icon isn't really a Control Panel program at all; it's a wizard, and it's described in Chapter 18. 8.3.2. Administrative ToolsThis icon is actually a folder containing a suite of very technical administrative utilities. These tools, intended for serious technowizards only, are explained in Chapter 20. 8.3.3. AutoPlayIn Windows XP, when you inserted a CD into the CD player, a dialog box popped up, asking what you wanted to do with it. It gave you a list of common things that Windows can do with a CD or DVD that you've inserted, like playing the music on a CD, opening the CD in an Explorer window to look at its contents, running whatever installer is on the disc, copying the photos on the CD to your Pictures folder, or doing nothing at all. Unfortunately, if you chose the wrong checkbox (and then turned on "Always do the selected action") you couldn't easily change your mind. And XP didn't take into consideration that not all DVDs and CDs are made equal. Some are audio CDs, some are video CDs, and so on; you might well want each type to have its own standard behavior. And that's what makes Autoplay so cool (Figure 8-3). Autoplay, new to Vista, finally gives you a single place to configure how you would like your CDs and DVDs (and memory cards, flash drives , and cameras ) to be run. And yes, you can specify how audio CDs are handled, versus enhanced audio CDs.
Autoplay differentiates between different kinds of audio CDs and DVDs, video CDs and DVDs, programs (like software and games ), pictures, video and audio files, blank CDs and DVDs, and even proprietary kinds of disks, like Blu-Ray, HD, and Super Video. It even lets you manage how externally attached devices (like a camera or USB drive) are handled. Tip: If you've never liked Autoplay and you don't want Windows to do anything when you insert a disc, just turn off "Use autoplay for all media and devices" at the top of the window. 8.3.4. Backup and Restore CenterBackup and Restore Center is a new applet that allows you more control over if and how you back up your computer (and restore it). Check out Chapter 22 for more detailed information. 8.3.5. BitLocker Drive EncryptionBitLocker is a new security feature. It encrypts the data on your drives to keep them from being accessed by the bad guys who might steal your laptop. For details, see Chapter 21. 8.3.6. Color ManagementMicrosoft created this applet in conjunction with Canon in an effort to make colors more consistent from screen to printer. Details are in Chapter 17. 8.3.7. Date and TimeYour PC's conception of what time it is can be very important. Every file you create or save is stamped with this time, and every email you send or receive is marked with it. When you drag a document into a folder that contains a different draft of the same thing, Windows warns that you're about to replace an older version with a newer one (or vice versa)but only if your clock is set correctly. This program offers three tabs:
8.3.8. Default ProgramsIn an age when Microsoft is often accused of leveraging Windows to take over other realms of software, like Web browsing and graphics, the company created this command center. It's where you choose your preferred Web browser, music-playing program, email program, and so onwhich may or may not be the ones provided by Microsoft. You're offered four links:
8.3.9. Device ManagerThe Device Manager console shows you where all your hardware money was spent. Here, you or your tech-support person can troubleshoot a flaky device, disable and enable devices, and manage device drivers. If you're comfortable handling these more advanced tasks , then Chapter 18 is for you. 8.3.10. DisplayOK, just kiddingthe Control Panel doesn't contain an icon for Display anymore. But you're probably used to looking for it here, so consider this a friendly cross-reference to Chapter 4. 8.3.11. Ease of Access CenterThe Ease of Access Center is a completely revamped version of the Accessibility Options of Windows versions gone by. It's designed to make computing easier for people with disabilities , although some of the options here can benefit anyone . See page 266 for details. 8.3.12. Folder OptionsThis program offers three tabsGeneral, View, and Searchall of which are described in Chapter 2. 8.3.13. FontsThis icon is a shortcut to a folder; it's not an applet. It opens into a window that reveals all of the typefaces installed on your machine, as described in Chapter 17. 8.3.14. Game ControllersIf you're a serious gamer, the Game Controllers program may interest you. You use it to configure and control the joysticks, steering wheels, game pads, flight yokes, and other controllers you've attached to your PC. After all, if your joysticks and controllers aren't installed and configured properly, you can't pulverize aliens to full capacity. To get started, install the driver software that came with your gaming device. If it's a modern, USB, Vista-compatible gadget, you may not even need to do that much. Just plug in the device and watch the notification area for a message that Vista has detected it and installed the correct driver. (See Chapter 18 for more on installing gadgetry.) Next, open the Game Controllers program, where you should see the newly installed controller listed. Click it and then click OK. If your device isn't listed, click the Add button. In the Add Game Controller dialog box, specify the kind of controller you intend to install"Gravis GamePad Pro (GamePort)," "6-button joystick w/two POVs and throttle ," or what have youand then click OK. Once you've selected the device, highlight its name in the Controller list box, and then click the Properties button to test and set up its various buttons , wheels, and knobs . Note: Game controllers generally work only in games that recognize themnot within Windows itself. That USB steering wheel you've installed, for example, will almost certainly work in your racing-car simulator game, but don't expect it to help you drive around the icons on your desktop. 8.3.15. Indexing OptionsAs noted in Chapter 3, Vista's new Search box is so magnificently fast because it doesn't actually root through all your files. Instead, it roots only through an index of your files, an invisible, compact database file that Vista maintains in the background. This dialog box lets you manage indexing functions and change what gets indexed, and lets you know how many items have been indexed. To learn more about the particulars of indexing and how to use it, see Chapter 3. 8.3.16. Internet OptionsA better name for this program would have been "Web Browser Options," since all of its settings apply to Web browsingand, specifically, to Internet Explorer. As a matter of fact, this is the same dialog box that opens from the Tools Internet Options menu command within Internet Explorer. Its tabs break down like this:
8.3.17. iSCSI InitiatorThis applet is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it requires tech support or your network administrator to set up properly, and is completely useless for computers not on a network. Just opening it could wind up opening holes in your Windows Firewall. You've been warned . 8.3.18. JavaJava is a programming language that's responsible for a lot of the interactive goodies on the Web. This control panel is not, in fact, a Microsoft effortwhich may explain why it looks nothing like the other appletsbut was contributed by Sun, the company responsible for Java. The controls here are interesting to Web geeks only. 8.3.19. KeyboardYou're probably too young to remember the antique known as a typewriter . On some electric versions of this machine, you could hold down the letter X key to type a series of XXXXXXXsideal for crossing something out in a contract, for example. On a PC, every key behaves this way. Hold down any key long enough, and it starts spitting out repetitions, making it easy to type, "No WAAAAAY!" or "You go, grrrrrl!" for example. (The same rule applies when you hold down the arrow keys to scroll through the text document, hold down the = key to build a separator line between paragraphs, hold down Backspace to eliminate a word, and so on.) The Speed tab of this dialog box (Figure 8-6) governs the settings.
8.3.20. MouseAll of the icons, buttons, and menus in Windows make the mouse a very important tool. And the Mouse dialog box is its configuration headquarters (Figure 8-7).
8.3.20.1. Buttons tabThis tab offers three useful controls: button configuration, double-click speed, and ClickLock.
8.3.20.2. Pointers tabSee page 269 for details on changing the shape of your cursor. 8.3.20.3. Pointers Options tabThis tab offers a few more random cursor- related functions.
8.3.20.4. Wheel tabThe scroll wheel on the top of your mouse may be the greatest mouse enhancement since they got rid of the dust-collecting ball on the bottom. It lets you zoom through Web pages, email lists, and documents with a twitch of your index finger. Use these controls to specify just how much each wheel notch scrolls . (You may not see this tab at all if your mouse doesn't have a wheel.) 8.3.20.5. Hardware tabThe Mouse program provides this tab exclusively for its Properties buttons, which takes you to the Device Manager's device properties dialog box. Useful if you have to troubleshoot a bad driver. 8.3.21. Network and Sharing CenterThis network command center is an important step forward in Vista. It offers, among other things, a handy map that shows exactly how your PC is connected to the Internet. It also contains a tidy list of all networking-related features (file sharing, printer sharing, and so on), complete with on/off switches. See Chapter 26 for details. 8.3.22. Offline FilesThe Offline Files applet opens into a dialog box where you can manage your offline file folders and access the Sync Center. See Chapter 19. 8.3.23. Parental ControlsThis applet lets you, the wise parent, control what your inexperienced or out-of-control loved one (usually a child, but sometimes a spouse) can and cannot do on (or with) the computer. For more information, see Chapter 10. 8.3.24. Pen and Input DevicesThis applet opens up a dialog box where you can configure how your stylus (pen) interacts with the desktop and windows. (Yes, stylus. You need this control panel primarily if you have a Tablet PC or a graphics tablet.) For details, see Chapter 19. 8.3.25. People Near MeWhen you turn on People Near Me, you can collaborate with other Vista geeks across the network, using programs like Windows Meeting Space. For more information about People Near Me and ad hoc networking, see Chapter 26. 8.3.26. Performance Information and ToolsVista needs a fast computer. Just how fast is yours? This control panel breaks it down for you, even going so far as giving your PC a grade for speed (page 20). In addition, this window has convenient links to tabs of several other applets, (like Power Options, Indexing Service, and System Performance), as well as access to the old Disk Cleanup utility. For power users, there's even a kickin' Advanced Tools window stocked with speed-related goodies, logs, and reports . For details, see Chapters 6 and 20. 8.3.27. PersonalizationHave you ever admired the family photo or space shuttle picture plastered across a co-worker's PC desktop? Wish the cursor were bigger? Annoyed that you have to log in again every time your screen saver kicks in? All of these are aspects of the powerful new Personalization applet. It's such a big topic, it gets its own chapter: Chapter 4. 8.3.28. Phone and Modem OptionsYou'll probably need to access these settings only once: the first time you set up your PC or laptop to dial out. Details in Chapter 9. 8.3.29. Power OptionsThe Power Options program manages the power consumption of your computer. That's a big deal when you're running off a laptop's battery, of course, but it's also important if you'd like to save money (and the environment) by cutting down on the juice consumed by your desktop PC. The options you see depend on your PC's particular features. Figure 8-8 displays the Power Options for a typical computer.
In Vista, Microsoft has tried to simplify the business of managing the electricity/speed tradeoff in two ways. First, it has abandoned the old name power scheme and adopted a new one: power plan . You can feel the clouds breaking up already. (A power plan dictates things like how soon the computer goes to sleep, how bright the screen is, what speed the processor cranks at, and so on.) Second, it presents you right up front with three premade power plans:
Tip: You don't have to open the Control Panel to change among these canned plans. On a laptop, for example, you can just click the battery icon on your notification area and choose from the pop-up menu. 8.3.29.1. Creating your own planBut adding to Microsoft's canned three plans can be useful, not only because you gain more control, but also because you get to see exactly what a plan is made of. Start by clicking "Create a power plan" (left side of the window). On the next screen, type a name for your plan (say, PowerPoint Mode), and click Next. The "Change settings" dialog box now appears. Yeah, yeah, you can use the pop-up menus to specify how soon your PC sleeps and turns off its monitor; if you're using a laptop, you can even specify different timings depending on whether you're running on battery power or plugged into the wall. Boring! But click Create anyway. You return to the "Select a power plan" screen, where your new plan name appears. Finally, you're ready for the real fun: Click "Change plan settings" under its name. Then click "Change advanced power settings" (see Figure 8-8, bottom). Lots of these subsettings are technical and tweaky, but a few are amazingly useful:
Some of these options also appear in the task pane at the left side of the Power Options control panel, for your convenience. They affect whatever plan is currently selected. 8.3.30. PrintersThis one isn't a program at all; it's a shortcut to your Printers folder, described in Chapter 17. 8.3.31. Problem Reports and SolutionsEver try to install a program that worked on your old computer onto a new computer? Ever have the installation fail mysteriously? Ever experience a hang, freeze, or crash? In Vista, Microsoft continues its efforts to conduct a troubleshooting session on a worldwide scale. This telling new Windows applet has been designed to reassure you that everything is OK, but to offer more information if you insist. As you can see in Figure 8-9, the first screen lists solutions that Vista might have found when reporting an error to Microsoft. (It could happen!) Beneath the Solutions to Install area is one called "Information about other problems." Don't let this section fool you; just because it's empty does not, in fact, mean you have no other problems. This section lists the problems for which Microsoft might have a solution requiring more legwork, such as "Call Microsoft."
In the Task Pane of this window are the real links that help you see what glitches, crashes, and freezes your computer's software might be having, and what might be done about it.
8.3.32. Programs and FeaturesPrograms and Features is about managing the software you have installed, managing updates, and buying software online. It replaces the old Add/Remove Programs program. ("Add" was dropped from the name because it was unnecessary; all programs these days come with their own installer. When was the last time you installed a program through Add/Remove Programs?) This window is useful for fixing (which might simply mean reinstalling), changing, and uninstalling existing programs, and is the only place you can go to turn on (or off) Windows features like Fax and Scan, Games, Meeting Space, and more. 8.3.33. Regional and Language OptionsWindows Vista can accommodate any conceivable arrangement of date, currency, and number formats; comes with fonts for dozens of Asian languages; lets you remap your keyboard to type non-English symbols of every ilk; and so on. The revamped Regional and Language Options allow you to install multiple input language kits on your computer and switch between them when the mood strikes. The key term here is default input language ; the language for the operating system doesn't change. If you installed Vista in English, you'll still see the menus and dialog boxes in English. But when you switch the input language, your keyboard can type the characters necessary for the selected language. 8.3.33.1. Formats tabIf you think that 7/4 means July 4 and that 1.000 is the number of heads you have, skip this section. But in some countries , 7/4 means April 7, and 1.000 means one thousand. If your PC isn't showing numbers , times, currency symbols, or dates in a familiar way, choose your country from the "Current format" pop-up menu. (Or, if you're a little weird, use the "Customize this format" button to rearrange the sequence of date elements; see Figure 8-11.)
Tip: The Customize Regional Options box (Figure 8-11) is where you can specify whether you prefer a 12-hour clock ("3:05 PM") or a military or European-style, 24-hour clock ("1505"). 8.3.33.2. Location tabThis tab, new to Vista, identifies your computer's location. The point is so that when you go online to check local news and weather, you'll get the right news and weathera handy feature if you're traveling with a laptop. 8.3.33.3. Keyboards and Languages tabThe symbols you use when you're typing in Swedish aren't the same as when you're typing in English. Microsoft solved this problem by creating different keyboard layouts , one for each language (or more, like Qwerty or Dvorak for English). Each keyboard layout rearranges the letters that appear when you press the keys. For example, in the Swedish layout, pressing the semicolon key produces an not a semicolon (;). There are two buttons on the Keyboards and Languages tab: Change Keyboards and Install/Uninstall Languages. The Install/Uninstall Languages button lets you install additional language packs to your computer (you can download them from Microsoft's Web site). The Change Keyboards button takes you to another dialog box with three tabs:
8.3.33.4. AdministrativeThe "Change system locale" button on this tab lets you specify which language handles error messages and the occasional dialog box. (Just changing your input language may not do the trick.) The "Copy to reserved account" button lets the newly configured language settings apply to new user accounts, so anyone who gets a new account on this computer will have your language, format, and keyboard settings conveniently available to them. 8.3.34. Scanners and CamerasThis icon isn't a program at all; it's a shortcut to the Scanners and Cameras window (see Figure 8-13), where there's an icon for each digital camera or scanner you've installed.
Fortunately, Vista largely automates the operation of these gadgets once you've hooked them up. Still, it's nice to have a central window that contains their icons, so that, if nothing else, you can select them to examine their properties. See Chapter 17 for details on scanning in Vista. 8.3.35. Security CenterChapter 10 covers this command center in detail. 8.3.36. SoundIn Vista, the Sound dialog box has been simplified. It now contains only three tabs that control every aspect of your microphone and speakers : Playback, Record, and Sounds. See Figure 8-14.
8.3.36.1. Playback and Recording tabsThese tabs simply contain the icons for each attached sound device. To change a device's settings, select it, and then click Configure. If you are configuring an output ("playback") device like a speaker or headset, then you get a quick wizard that lets you set the speaker configuration (stereo or quadraphonic, for example). If you're configuring a microphone ("recording"), then you're taken to the Speech Recognition page, where you can set up your microphone. 8.3.36.2. Sounds tabWindows Vista comes with a new, freshly composed suite of little sound effectsbeeps, musical ripples, and chordsthat play when you turn on the PC, trigger an error message, empty the Recycle Bin, and so on. And if you like, you can hear them on many other occasions, such as when you open or exit a program, open a menu, restore a window, and so on. This tab lets you specify which sound effect plays for which situation (Figure 8-15).
See the Program list of system events? A speaker icon represents the occasions when a sound will play. If you click the name of some computer event (say, Low Battery Alert), you can:
Tip: When you click the Browse button, Vista opens the Local Disk (C:) Windows Media folder, which contains the .wav files that provide sounds. If you drag .wav files into this Media folder, they become available for use as Windows sound effects. Many people download .wav files from the Internet and stash them in the Media folder to make their computing experience quirkier, more fun, and richer in Austin Powers sound snippets. When you select a sound, its filename appears in the Sounds drop-down list. Click the triangular Play button to the right of the box to hear the sound. Tip: Each set of sounds is called a sound scheme . Sometimes the sound effects in a scheme are even sonically related. (Perhaps the collection is totally hip-hop, classical, or performed on a kazoo.) To switch schemes, use the "Sound scheme" pop-up menu.You can also define a new scheme of your own. Start by assigning individual sounds to events, and then click the Save As button to save your collection under a name that you create. 8.3.37. Speech Recognition OptionsThis little program, enhanced for Windows Vista, lets you set up all the speech-related features of Windows. See Chapter 6 for complete details. 8.3.38. Sync CenterThe Sync Center is used to manage connected devices (like smartphones or palmtops), upload and download data to them, and synchronize their files with offline file folders on your computer. (Finally, an easy place to get those pictures off your Bluetooth phone!) For details, see Chapter 19. 8.3.39. SystemThis advanced control panel window is the same one that appears when you right-click your Computer icon and choose Properties from the shortcut menu (or press +Break key). It's been revamped for Windows Vista, but still contains the various settings that identify every shred of circuitry and equipment inside, or attached to, your PC. When you open the System icon in Control Panel, you're taken to the System window (Figure 8-16). Here you can find out:
Tip: In the Windows Activation section, you can do something unprecedented (and this is a really good thing): you can change your product key without having to reinstall your operating system. Now you can change your product ID simply by choosing to Change product key in the System window. That's progress. At the left side of the window, you'll find a few links:
8.3.40. Tablet PC SettingsThis applet is all about managing a Tablet PC, one of those touchscreen laptop thingies. Here, you'll find settings that focus on tablet display orientation and calibration, handwriting recognition, and configuring pen input. If you don't have a Tablet PC, this dialog box is not for you. Otherwise, flip to Chapter 19. 8.3.41. Taskbar and Start MenuThis program controls every conceivable behavior of the taskbar and Start menu. You can read all about these optionsthe same ones that appear when you right-click the taskbar or the Start button and choose Properties from the shortcut menuin Chapters 1 and 2. 8.3.42. Text to SpeechText to Speech opens the Speech Properties dialog box. (You can also get here from the Speech Recognition applet.) Here's where you configure the voice of Windowsthe robotic voice, called Microsoft Annathat you hear any time Windows reads text aloud . The catch, of course, is that Windows never does read text aloud, except when you're using Narrator (page 269)and Narrator has its own set of voice-selection controls. Microsoft Word can read text to you, however, and for that reason, you may be happy to know that you can specify Anna's rate of speaking (or that of the other Vista voice options) using this dialog box. 8.3.43. User AccountsThis control panel is the master switch and control center for the user-accounts feature described in Chapter 23. If you're the only one who uses your PC, you can (and should) ignore it. 8.3.44. Welcome CenterThe Welcome Center, a new Vista feature, is the window that welcomes you every single time you log in (until you turn off the "Run at startup" checkbox). This window conveniently displays how to get started with Vista and pay Microsoft for more products and services. For a more detailed look at this window and its offerings, see Chapter 1. (Why is this even in the Control Panel? Well, let's not be nit-picky.) 8.3.45. Windows CardSpaceEver have to fill out a form on the Internetname, address, email addressonly to go to a different site that requests exactly the same information? Of course you have. Everyone has, and it's annoying as heck. CardSpace is Microsoft's attempt to solve that duplication-of-effort problem. You're supposed to create a profile containing this kind of information, like a digital ID card. You show your card at a site, and the site gets your information off of the card, saving you all that retyping. Before you get too excited, though, there is a catch. CardSpace works only with Web sites that are, ahem, CardSpace-compatibleand there aren't many of them yet. When you double-click the Windows CardSpace icon the first time, an introductory window appears to let you know what CardSpace is for. The second window actually manages your information (Figure 8-17).
CardSpace handles two kinds of information cards: Personal and Managed. Personal cards store your name, email, address, phone, birthday, and so on. You can even add a photo if you wish. Managed cards are cards given to you by a business or institution, like a bank or credit card company. They contain some information about you, but mostly they point at a company that is managing the card (and is allowed to have a private bit of information, like a credit card number). When you use a Managed card in a transaction with a Web site, the site retrieves private information (such as a credit card number) from the company that issued the CardSpace card. It confirms that you are who you say you are, have the right to use the card, and the right to use the private information the managing company has for you. 8.3.46. Windows DefenderWindows Defender is Microsoft's anti-spyware product, built into Windows Vista (and available for free for Windows XP). For an extensive look at what it can do for you, see Chapter 9. 8.3.47. Windows FirewallIn this age of digital technology, when most people's computers are connected at all times to the Internet (and therefore always exposed and vulnerable to the Internet), it is a good and reasonable idea to have a firewall protecting your computer from possible attacks and exploitation. To learn more about Windows Firewall, see Chapter 10. 8.3.48. Windows Mobility CenterThe Windows Mobility Center icon appears only if you have a laptop. It (the Mobility Center, not the laptop) is described on page 572. 8.3.49. Windows Sidebar PropertiesWindows Sidebar is the strip of Internet-savvy little gadget programs that's lovingly described on page 211.
8.3.50. Windows SideShowAs described in Chapter 19, Windows SideShow is a secondary screen, like a tiny text-only display on specially made SideShow-compatible laptops or desktop keyboards. It's designed to offer quick lookups of your email, calendar, Internet news feeds, and so onwithout even having to power up the laptop itself. Microsoft fervently hopes that a cornucopia of SideShow-compatible laptops and keyboards (and cellphones and palmtops, for that matter) will hit the market eventually. This applet lets you configure which gadgets (mini-programs) are available for displaying on that little screen. 8.3.51. Windows UpdateBecause Windows is a constant work in progress, Microsoft frequently releases updates, fixes, patches, and drivers, in hopes of constantly improving your computer's speed and security all the time (or at least one Tuesday a month). Windows Update is the tool used to acquire, install, and track those useful fixes. For a more in-depth look at Windows Update, see Chapter 20. |