One of the most obvious steps to take in order to fix your equipment is to call the manufacturers technical support hot line in hopes the technician will know how to fix your broken equipment. Often times the support is little more than an obvious call center where the technicians read a script and you sit and wait on the phone for hours. Wouldn't it be great if you were able to get real support from real professionals here in the United States who act on knowledge and experience rather than a 900 page manual and script in front of them

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This Alienware laptop gives you an extraterrestrial feel at the first glance. The Area51 m5500 is a great machine for gamers, professionals and enthusiasts. Delivers superb multimedia functionality, it is a power hungry machine but provides flexibility and good storage too. Considering the features that it provides you it is an affordable notebook and a must for gamers.

Specifications

The Operating Systems provided with the Alienware Laptop m5500 include Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition and Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

This high end gaming laptop uses Intel Premium M Processor 730 1.6 GHz 770 2.13GHz, 533MHz FSB, 2 MB Cache, Intel Celeron M Processor 370 1.5GHz, 400MHz FSB, 1MB Cache, Intel 915GM ICH6M Chipset for the raw power it generates.

For Graphics and Video Intel Extreme Graphics 3 and NVIDIA GeForce 6600 is installed which goes up to 256MB DDR Memory starts at 256 MB and goes upto 2 GB of PC4200 DDR2 SDRAM at 533 MHz and 2 dedicated SODIMM slots for Dual Channel DDR2 Memory. Single Optical Drive with optional DVD/ R/W Support has been provided.

Input/Output Ports include

TV Out One SVideo Out Connector

IEEE 1394 IEEE 1394a 4pin port

USB 3 HiSpeed USB 2.0 Ports

Headphone 1 Headphone Jack

Audio Intel High Definition 7.1 Channel Out SPDIF / LineIn, Microphone In

Network Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ45

Modem Integrated 56K V.92 Modem RJ11

PCMCIA Card Slot and 4 in 1 Memory Card Reader SD/MS/MSPRO/MMC are the Slots that have been incorporated in the machine.

The Area51 m5500 comes with 1440768 15.4 Wide XGA, 16801050 15.4 Wide SXGA and 19201200 15.4 Wide UXGA LCD Display to give you high resolution crisp pictures. The Dimensions of this extra terrestrial Alienware Laptop are 1.36 H 14.25 W 10.75 D

 offer a variety of computer equipment

 for business, training seminars, trade shows and conferences such as computers, laptops, projectors, audio visual enhancements, and printers etc., Computer rentals provide their services not only for companies but also for individuals or home based businesses. Computer rental prices differ from company to company and vary by length of time, location, specification and product availability. Computer rental companies provide their services in a very fast, low cost and convenient manner and also they deliver the equipments to offices, conventions, training institutes and business locations throughout the world.

Most of the companies deliver their products within 24 hours during in times of emergency. Computer rental companys deals with popular brands such as Apple, Dell, HP Compaq, Gateway, IBM, NEC, Sony, Toshiba and others. Renting wireless computers for all types of business. Glitz Computers provides you a quality computer repair, rentals, data recovery, printer repair, laptop upgrades, spyware virus removal, system setups services in a convenient and a very cost effective manner. The computer rental company saves your time and money with their LCD Projectors rental delivery and set up services also provided by them.

Computer rental companies offering online computer parts and custom built computers for sale. Their sincere goal is to provide the best quality solutions of business and residential computer repair services at an affordable and practical cost effective computer solution. Data recovery services are also provided by many companies which describes that data recovery is the process of recovering data from storage or database systems from all types of devices and systems.

Glitz computers provide computer rentals, laptop rentals, LCD Projector rentals, Plasma, Audio visual equipment and copier rentals. Our Nationwide glitz computer services delivering same day and emergency onsite service throughout the USA.

This motherboard has four PCI slots.

You open up your computer's case and plug the sound card into an empty PCI slot on the motherboard.

1.      You close the computer's case and power up the computer.

2.      The system BIOS initiates the PnP BIOS.

3.      The PnP BIOS scans the PCI bus for hardware. It does this by sending out a signal to any device connected to the bus, asking the device who it is.

4.      The sound card responds by identifying itself. The device ID is sent back across the bus to the BIOS.

5.      The PnP BIOS checks the ESCD to see if the configuration data for the sound card is already present. Since the sound card was just installed, there is no existing ESCD record for it.

6.      The PnP BIOS assigns IRQ, DMA, memory address and I/O settings to the sound card and saves the data in the ESCD.

7.      Windows XP boots up. It checks the ESCD and the PCI bus. The operating system detects that the sound card is a new device and displays a small window telling you that Windows has found new hardware and is determining what it is.

8.      In many cases, Windows XP will identify the device, find and load the necessary drivers, and you'll be ready to go. If not, the Found New Hardware Wizard will open up. This will direct you to install drivers off of the disc that came with the sound card.

9.      Once the driver is installed, the device should be ready for use. Some devices may require that you restart the computer before you can use them. In our example, the sound card is immediately ready for use.

10.  You want to capture some audio from an external tape deck that you have plugged into the sound card. You set up the recording software that came with the sound card and begin to record.

11.  The audio comes into the sound card via an external audio connector. The sound card converts the analog signal to a digital signal.

12.  The digital audio data from the sound card is carried across the PCI bus to the bus controller. The controller determines which device on the PCI device has priority to send data to the CPU. It also checks to see if data is going directly to the CPU or to system memory.

13.  Since the sound card is in record mode, the bus controller assigns a high priority to the data coming from it and sends the sound card's data over the bus bridge to the system bus.

The system bus saves the data in system memory. Once the recording is complete, you can decide whether the data from the sound card is saved to a hard drive or retained in memory for additional processing.

Over time, your computer data and files keep adding on your hard disk thereby making a chaos there. Thanks to technical support resources which are capable enough to reverse these annoying issues and bring your system back to life Here, you can help your PC run with a really good speed. Computer technicians greatly increase your PC speed by performing steps like cleaning up and defragmenting disks, removing bloated software, and applying performance tweak.

However, results may differ on different computers and factors like your computer usage and maintenance. But you will definitely find computer optimization services worth your money When you optimize your compute, you save approximately 10 to 30 minutes a day which you used to spend combating with horrible computer problems. Also, your improved computer will avert you from having support technicians look at it every other day and save you load of money.

Buying computer optimization services from technical support companies is the best solution for every PC user who wants to improve his/her PC for peak performance without expensive hardware up gradations.

With the availability of several technical support centers on the Internet, you can call or book your PC optimization service 24x7, and have expert technicians at your service in no time. The support available at these resources is not limited to just one or two computer repair services but they have got the comprehensive collection to offer.

Those who have tried these online technical services must have found these centers useful for lost data recovery, computer troubleshooting, virus removal, spyware removal, antivirus installation or configuration, internet optimization etc. They are known to offer professional, friendly advice and services to get their customers the best computer help and resolve your computer problems.

Over time, your computer data and files keep adding on your hard disk thereby making a chaos there. Thanks to technical support resources which are capable enough to reverse these annoying issues and bring your system back to life Here, you can help your PC run with a really good speed. Computer technicians greatly increase your PC speed by performing steps like cleaning up and defragmenting disks, removing bloated software, and applying performance tweak.

However, results may differ on different computers and factors like your computer usage and maintenance. But you will definitely find computer optimization services worth your money When you optimize your compute, you save approximately 10 to 30 minutes a day which you used to spend combating with horrible computer problems. Also, your improved computer will avert you from having support technicians look at it every other day and save you load of money.

Buying computer optimization services from technical support companies is the best solution for every PC user who wants to improve his/her PC for peak performance without expensive hardware up gradations.

With the availability of several technical support centers on the Internet, you can call or book your PC optimization service 24x7, and have expert technicians at your service in no time. The support available at these resources is not limited to just one or two computer repair services but they have got the comprehensive collection to offer.

Those who have tried these online technical services must have found these centers useful for lost data recovery, computer troubleshooting, virus removal, spyware removal, antivirus installation or configuration, internet optimization etc. They are known to offer professional, friendly advice and services to get their customers the best computer help and resolve your computer problems.

A trustworthy computer support company will offer viable solutions to your IT questions. Some of the minimal services provided refer to either maintaining an efficiently working computer network or enhancing it to ease the daily workflow. You will immediately notice the efficiency of cooperating with some experienced IT support providers.

One of the basic, but also quite often required tasks for the computer support specialist is to create and maintain a working network between the business companys computers to enable easy file sharing. This basic enhancement will save the employees a lot of time and they will be able to manage their time more efficiently to the use of their companys profit.

Another frequent request for the computer support company is to design and setup a personalized website to represent the business company and to facilitate the communication with its clients. In addition rapid internet access via broadband connection will facilitate communication with partners and clients and an email server will add a touch of elegance by providing representative email addresses to all workers and departments.

Remote network access is a modern solution that will allow the employees to access the companys website and enter its network in order to carry out tasks when they are not able to come in. This will bring mainly two benefits providing faster services that will surely impress the clients and the partners, and will allow more flexibility to the workers.

Another very frequently discussed issue, which should not be missing from the agenda of computer services of any IT Support Company, is data security. It is worth mentioning that this domain is the most important reason why many companies collaborate with computer support providers. Data losses can trigger a huge crisis within the life of any business company.

To start with, you should see to the installation of efficient antivirus software and spam removing programs to protect the confidentiality of your data. Even more, Internet web content filtering will add to the effect of those above. In addition, efficient and rapid data recovery programs or backup solutions should come with the offer, to minimize the losses of the company in case of crisis.

Besides the more sophisticated computer services listed above, the basic maintenance and upgrade for the companys hardware should come as one of the elements in the offer. You will have the guarantee of constant workflow, and performance will increase if the physical basis meets the requirements of regular revision and update, to support the software required for the activity of the company.

While you are shopping around, it's important to keep in mind some of the benefits that go along with owning different types of computers. To that end, this article provides five important reasons to purchase desktop computers.

         Desktop computers are typically much more affordable than notebook computers. With notebooks, you are paying more for the convenience of portability. For as little as 299.00, desktop computers can be purchased from one of the leading manufacturers and a notebook computer for as little as 499.00.

         Unlike notebook computers, replacing a keyboard, mouse, speakers or even a monitor does not require having your computer serviced by a professional repair shop. Because notebook computers have everything built in, including the aforementioned features, it is more difficult to replace a keyboard or monitor as opposed to desktop computers, which operate on external connections.

         In the event of an unlawful entry into your home, desktop computers are not as likely to be stolen because of their weight and bulk. Notebook computers, on the other hand, are small and portable. This, alone, makes them more appealing to a thief than desktop computers.

         Desktop computers are stationary by nature. Unlike a notebook computer, which can easily be moved from room to room, they are less likely to be dropped or broken because they are not moved as often.

         The vents on desktop computers are located on the back of the tower, which allows for proper ventilation that will help to prevent the computer from overheating. Notebook computers, on the other hand, feature only one vent on the back with the remaining underneath the base. If placed on a table, the air vents can become blocked and the computer may overheat. If prolonged use leads to overheating, damage may result.

When choosing from the many desktop computers on the market, always make sure that you purchase from a manufacturer who has experience in creating computers. Even though they are more affordable than notebooks, desktop computers are not cheap. With an investment that involves several hundred dollars, you will want to consider the length of time the manufacturer has been in business, their reputation with customers and their warranty.

Additionally, when choosing any system, including desktop computers, always look at the potential for future upgrading. As you grow, you will want your computer to grow with you and a part of that will include a slight upgrade from time to time. This is the only way to get the best use of your desktop computers and make sure that your investment is one that lasts for years to come.

Here are a few tips to make computers safe for kids

1. Buy a computer that is of good quality and follow the instructions provided on where and how to set up the computer. Position the computer is a suitable place where the light sources falls correctly and place the chair at a suitable height and distance.

2. Adjust computer screen controls such that the eyes of the child are protected.

3. Teach the child how to sit at the computer and ensure that the hands are in line with the key board. Consult tips in the internet on how to prevent injuries to bones, muscles, and posture by incorrect computer use.

4. Read all about security measures and parental controls. Set controls that will protect your child from viewing unwarranted websites. Be sure to spend time reviewing the websites your child has viewed. There are agebased customizable content settings available check with MSN premium and your internet service provider.

5. Buy a table and chair for the computer that is proportionate to the childs size. Adjustable chairs are available and you need to keep an eye on posture.

6. Learn how to customize your browser settings. Minimize risks by setting pages the kids can view as favorites you can even set their school website as the home page on the computer.

7. Introduce the kids to learning multimedia modules and sites like BBC history for kids. Introduce them to websites that are child friendly and fun.

8. Spend time at the computer with the children. Play games with them, let them visit websites like that of the Discovery Channel.

9. Teach them how to send messages and email and how to use a computer to expand their learning.

10. Inculcate in the kids a discipline. Limit the time they spend on the computer and ensure that they understand and follow the rules you set.

A computer is useful for kids if used right. So, let children move with times and embrace technology positively. The internet is a knowledge highway and kids can benefit and sharpen their minds by playing games, solving quizzes and puzzles, interacting in groups and creating projects for school with the use of the computer, using online resources to learn about science, health, nutrition, history and more. Computers and the net make kids resourceful and tap potential so let kids use the computer with parental guidance.

Prepare your kids for a bright future.

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2. In Control Panel Home view, click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

3. Click the Phone and Modem Options link. Windows displays the Phone and Modem Options dialog box.

Creating a New Location

To create a new location, take the following steps

1. Click the New button on the Dialing Rules page of the Phone and Modem Options dialog box. Windows displays the New Location dialog box with the General page foremost .

2. Type the name for the location in the Location Name text box.

3. In the Country/Region dropdown list, specify the country or region in which youll use this location.

4. Type the area code for the location in the Area Code text box.

5. In the Dialing Rules group box, specify access numbers for outside lines and carrier codes for longdistance calls and international calls as appropriate.

6. If you need to disable call waiting, select the To Disable Call Waiting, Dial check box and enter the appropriate code in the text box, either by typing or by selecting one of the standard codes from the dropdown list.

7.If the location uses pulse dialing, select the Pulse option button. The Tone option button is selected by default.

8. If necessary, create area code rules for dialing from the new location

Click the Area Code Rules tab. Windows displays the Area Code Rules page.

Click the New button.

Type the area code in the Area Code text box.

In the Prefixes group box, select the Include All the Prefixes within This Area Code option button or the Include Only the Prefixes in the List Below option button as appropriate. If you choose the latter, click the Add button and use the resulting Add Prefix dialog box to specify the prefixes separated by spaces or commas.

In the Rules group box, select the Dial check box if these numbers require an extra number; if so, type it in the text box. Select the Include the Area Code check box if necessary.

Click the OK button. Windows closes the New Area Code Rule dialog box and enters the rule in the Area Code Rules group box on the Area Code Rules page.

9. If you need to use a credit card or other payment card to pay for the call from the location, specify it by following the steps below.

Click the Calling Card tab. Windows displays the Calling Card page of the New Location dialog box .

To use one of the card types listed in the Card Types list box, select its option button and enter the details in the Account Number text box and the Personal ID Number PIN text box.

To add a calling card, click the New button. Windows displays the New Calling Card dialog box. Enter the details of the calling card on the four tabs of this dialog box, then click the OK button. Windows adds the new calling card to the list in the Card Types list box on the Calling Card page of the New Location dialog box.

10. Click the OK button. Windows closes the New Location dialog box and adds the new location to the Phone and Modem Options dialog box.

Editing a Location

To edit a location, select it in the Locations list box on the Dialing Rules page of the Phone and Modem Options dialog box, and then click the Edit button. Windows displays the Edit Location dialog box, which is a renamed version of the New Location dialog box. Make the necessary changes, and then click the OK button. Windows closes the Edit Location dialog box and applies your changes to the location.

Using a Location

To use a location, select it in the Phone and Modem Options dialog box and click the OK button. Windows closes the Phone and Modem Options dialog box and uses the location you chose for calls you dial.

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2.In Control Panel Home view, click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

3. Click the Pen and Input Devices link. Windows displays the Pen and Input Devices dialog box.

Configuring Pen Options

The Pen Options page of the Pen and Input Devices dialog box lets you change how Windows interprets actions you take with the pen and what effect clicking the pen buttons has. Windows doesnt let you customize the effect of a single tap, which it always reads as a single click. But you can change the definition of a doubletap which represents a doubleclick and a pressandhold gesture which represents a rightclick, and you can set up a gesture for starting the Tablet PC Input Panel.

Customizing a DoubleTap

To customize a doubletap, follow these steps

1. Click the DoubleTap item in the list box, and then click the Settings button. Windows displays the DoubleTap Settings dialog box .

2. Drag the Speed slider left or right to decrease or increase the speed required to generate a doubletap.

3. Drag the Spatial Tolerance slider left or right to decrease or increase the distance Windows allows the pointer to move between taps in a doubletap. If the pointer moves too far, Windows doesnt register the doubletap.

4. In the Test Settings area, doubletap the graphic to make sure that youve chosen suitable settings. Windows changes the graphic when it registers a doubletap.

5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the DoubleTap Settings dialog box.

Customizing a PressandHold Gesture

To customize a pressandhold gesture, follow these steps

1. Click the Press and Hold item in the list box, and then click the Settings button. Windows displays the Press and Hold Settings dialog box .

2. Select the Enable Press and Hold for RightClicking check box if you want to be able to rightclick by pressing and holding down the stylus.

3. Drag the Speed slider left or right to decrease or increase the speed with which Windows registers a pressandhold gesture when you press the pen tip down and hold it there.

4. Drag the Duration slider left or right to decrease or increase the length of time that Windows allows you to perform a rightclick action.

5.In the Test Settings area, press and hold the graphic to make sure that youve chosen suitable settings. Windows changes the graphic when it registers the pressandhold gesture.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Press and Hold Settings dialog box.

Defining a Gesture for Starting the Input Panel

To define a gesture for starting the Tablet PC Input Panel, follow these steps

1. Click the Start Tablet PC Input Panel item in the list box, and then click the Settings button. Windows displays the Start Input Panel Gesture Settings dialog box, as shown here.

2. Select the Enable Start Input Panel Gesture check box if you want to be able to use a gesture to start the Input Panel.

3. Drag the Gesture Setting slider left or right to decrease the size of gesture you need to perform to start the Input Panel.

4. Hold your pen a short distance from the screen, and then move it quickly from side to side. If Windows doesnt recognize the gesture, adjust the Gesture Setting slider.

5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Start Input Panel Gesture Settings dialog box.

Choosing Settings for the Pen Buttons

In the Pen Buttons group box, choose settings for the buttons on the pen youre using with your Tablet PC

Use the Pen Button as a RightClick Equivalent Select this check box if you want to rightclick by clicking the pens button. Many people find clicking the pens button much easier than performing the pressandhold gesture.

Use the Top of the Pen to Erase Ink Where Available Select this check box if you want to use the top of the pen if it has a suitable top to erase ink.

Configuring Pointer Options

The Pointer Options page of the Pen and Input Devices dialog box lets you choose whether to have Windows provide feedback for pen taps and clicks and whether to display pen cursors

Dynamic Feedback In this group box, select the check box for each action on which you want Windows to give you visual feedback SingleTap, DoubleTap, Press the Pen Button, and Press the Pen Button and Tap. The circular symbols next to the check boxes show the feedback icons.

Pointer Options Select the Show Pen Cursors instead of Mouse Cursors When I Use My Pen check box if you want Windows to show pen cursors when youre using your pen. This option is usually helpful.

Configuring Flicks Options

The Flicks page of the Pen and Input Devices dialog box lets you specify whether to use flicks, pen gestures for navigation and editing, and configure the sensitivity for recognizing flicks

Use Flicks to Perform Common Actions Quickly and Easily Select this check box to use flicks. If you dont want to use flicks, clear this check box to stop Windows from attempting to identify flicks in your pen movements.

Navigational Flicks/Navigational Flicks and Editing Flicks Select the option button for the type of flicks you want to perform. If you select the Navigational Flicks option button, you can use flicks only for Back flick left, Forward flick right, Drag Up flick up, and Drag Down flick down actions. If you select the Navigational Flicks and Editing Flicks option button, you can click the Customize button and use the Customize Flicks dialog box to customize the action for each flick.

Sensitivity Drag the slider along the RelaxedPrecise spectrum to adjust how easily Windows recognizes your flicks. A setting toward the Precise end is usually best, as it prevents Windows from recognizing flicks that are in fact unintentional movements.

Display Flicks Icon in the Notification Area Select this check box if you want Windows to display a Flicks icon in the notification area that you can use to access the Flicks options.

Closing the Pen and Input Devices Dialog Box

Click the OK button. Windows closes the Pen and Input Devices dialog box and applies your choices.

Choosing Presentation Settings

If you use your computer to give presentations, you can benefit by configuring Windows Vistas presentation settings. To do so, follow these steps

1. Click the Power icon in the notification area, and then click the Windows Mobility Center link in the popup window. Windows displays the Windows Mobility Center window.

2. Click the icon in the Presentation Settings box. Windows displays the Presentation Settings dialog box .

3.Clear the I Am Currently Giving a Presentation check box unless youre just about to give a presentation.

4. Select the Turn Off the Screen Saver check box if you want Windows to prevent the screen saver from starting during a presentation. Suppressing the screen saver is usually a good idea.

5. If you want Windows to automatically use a predetermined volume, select the Set the Volume To check box, and then drag the slider to a suitable position along the LowHigh axis. This feature is designed to help you avoid starting a presentation with unsuitable volume settings left applied from your previous task.

6. If you want to use a particular background image, select the Show This Background check box, and then select the image. You can either choose one of Windows images from the list box or click the Browse button and use the Browse dialog box to locate an image anywhere on your computer. Once youve chosen the image, look at the preview, and choose a different setting in the Position dropdown list if necessary. The options are Center, Tile, and Fit to Screen, just as for a desktop background image.

7. If you use the same external monitor for presentations, connect it to your computer, and then click the Connected Displays button. Windows displays the Current Displays dialog box, as shown here. Select the I Always Give a Presentation When I Use This Display Configuration check box, and then click the OK button. Windows closes the Current Displays dialog box, returning you to the Presentation Settings dialog box.

8.Click the OK button. Windows closes the Presentation Settings dialog box, returning you to the Windows Mobility Center window.When youre ready to start presenting, click the Turn On button in the Presentation Settings area. Windows puts your presentation settings into effect and displays the Presentation Settings Are On icon in the notification area.

To turn off Presentation mode, click the Presentation Settings Are On icon, and then choose Stop Presentation from the menu, as shown here. Alternatively, click the Turn Off button in the Presentation Settings area in Windows Mobility Center.

Connecting an External Monitor

To give yourself more space for your work than your laptops screen can provide, you can connect an external monitor. Windows lets you display information on an external monitor in three ways

Extend your desktop Extending lets you use both your laptops screen and the external monitor, displaying a different part of your desktop on each.

Mirror your desktop Mirroring lets you display the same information on the external monitor as on your laptops screen. Mirroring is mostly useful for presentations.

Use only the external monitor Using only the external monitor lets you treat your laptop like a desktop. When you do this, youll probably want to attach an external keyboard and mouse to your laptop. To connect an external monitor to your laptop, follow these steps

1. Connect the monitor to a power source and to your laptops graphics port, and then switch the monitor on.

2. Windows normally detects the external monitor and displays the New Display Detected dialog box . If Windows doesnt detect the monitor, open Windows Mobility Center and click the Connect Display button to make Windows scan for the monitor.

3. In the Extend Your Desktop area, select the Right option button or the Left option button to tell Windows whether youve placed the external monitor to the right of your laptops screen or to the left. This setting applies only if youre extending the desktop.

4. Below the two screens, select the Duplicate My Desktop on All Displays option button if you want to mirror your desktop on the displays. Select the Show Different Parts of My Desktop on Each Display if you want to extend your desktop as is most likely. Select the Show My Desktop on the External Display Only option button if you want to use only the external display.

5. If youre extending your desktop and have placed the external monitor above or below your laptops screen, or if you need to change the resolution or refresh rate, click the Display Settings link. Windows opens the Display Settings dialog box, in which you can adjust the displays as discussed in the section Setting Up and Using Multiple Monitors in Article 13.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the New Display Detected dialog box, and you can start using the external display.

Accessing Mobile Settings with Windows Mobility Center

Windows Mobility Center gives you quick access to a range of settings

Display Brightness Click the icon to display the Edit Plan Settings window for your current power plan. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the brightness of the display.

Volume Click the icon to open the Sound dialog box. Select the Mute check box to mute the volume completely. Otherwise, drag the slider to set the volume.

Battery Status Click the icon to open the Power Options window. Use the status readout to see how much battery power remains. Use the dropdown list to switch from one of your current power plans to another.

Wireless Network Click the icon to launch the Connect to a Network Wizard, which you can use to connect to a network or to view your connection status. Use the status readout to see details of your current wireless network connection. Click the Turn Wireless Off button when you need to turn your wireless network adapter off. Click the resulting Turn Wireless On button to turn it back on.

External Display Click the icon to display the Display Settings dialog box. Use the status readout to check whether Windows has detected an external display. If youve connected an external display, and Windows hasnt recognized it, click the Connect Display button to make Windows scan for the display.

Sync Center Click the icon or the Sync Settings button to open a Sync Center window, in which you can create and manage synchronization partnerships.

Presentation Settings Click the icon to display the Presentation Settings dialog box see the section Choosing Presentation Settings, later in this article. Click the Turn On button to turn on presentation mode; click the resulting Turn Off button to turn it off again. The easiest way to open Windows Mobility Center is to click the Power icon in the notification area and then click the Windows Mobility Center link in the popup window. You can also choose Start Control Panel, and then click the Adjust Commonly Used Mobility Settings link in the Control Panel window. To close  button.Windows Mobility Center, click the Close button the

Using the PowerManagement Features for Portable Computers

To get the best balance of performance and battery life from your portable, youll probably need to configure its power settings carefully. In addition to the powermanagement features discussed in the previous article, Windows provides several powermanagement features for portable computers.

Using the Power Icon in the Notification Area

To work with powermanagement features on a portable computer, you use the Power icon in the notification area. Windows automatically displays this icon for a computer configured with a battery, so the icon should be there unless youve chosen to hide it. The icon shows a battery on its own when the computer is running on battery power. It shows a battery with a power lead when the computer is plugged in and receiving power.

Adding the Power Icon to the Notification Area

If the Power icon doesnt appear in the notification area, you can add it as follows

1. Rightclick the Start button, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

2. On the Noti&64257;cation Area page, select the Power check box.

3. Click the OK button. Windows closes the dialog box and adds the icon to the noti&64257;cation area. To see how much battery power you have left and whether the battery is charging, hover the mouse pointer over the Power icon to display a popup window, as shown here. To switch quickly from one power scheme to another, click the Power icon, and the select the appropriate option button in the popup window, as shown here. To open the Power Options window, click the Power icon in the notification area, and then choose More Power Options from the popup window. If you choose not to display the Power icon, choose Start Control Panel, click the Hardware and Sound link, and then click the Power Options link.

Choosing Power Settings for Running on Batteries

As you saw in the previous article, the Edit Plan Settings dialog box for a portable computer lets you choose different settings for when the computer is running on batteries and when it is plugged in. When you need to maximize battery life, set short delays for turning off the display and putting the computer to sleep. For example, if you work steadily at your computer, you might choose a delay of 2 minutes or 3 minutes for turning off the display and 5 minutes or 10 minutes for putting the computer to sleep. If you use your computer to work on documents that require pauses for thought, you may need to set a longer delay on turning off the display having the screen black out when youre constructing a formula or a sentence can be very distracting.

Setting Battery Alarms, Notifications, and Actions

Sooner or preferably later, your battery will run out. To choose what Windows does when this happens, follow these steps

1. In the Power Options window, click the Change Plan Settings link for the power plan you want to affect. Windows displays the Edit Plan Settings window for the plan.

2. Click the Change Advanced Power Settings link. Windows displays the Power Options dialog box.

3. Expand the Battery category so that you can see its settings

4. Expand the Critical Battery Action item, and then choose the action you want Windows to take when the battery reaches the critical level. Youll define this level in a minute. Your choices for when the computer is running on battery are Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. When the computer is plugged in, you can also choose Do Nothing. Hibernate is usually the best choice, as it protects your data better than Sleep does. Shutting down the computer also protects your data, but it means that youll need to perform a full startup when you plug in the computer rather than simply awaken it from hibernation.

5. Expand the Low Battery Level item, and then specify the percentage of battery power that Windows should treat as the low level. The default setting is 10 percent, which works well for many people.

6. Expand the Critical Battery Level item, and then specify the percentage of battery power that Windows should treat as the critical level the point after which its not safe to keep the computer running. The default setting is 5 percent, which should give enough battery life to ensure a successful hibernation or shutdown.

7. Expand the Low Battery Notification item, and then choose On or Off to control whether Windows warns you when the battery reaches its low level. Most people find the warning helpful, but you may prefer to work straight through to the critical level.

8.Expand the Low Battery Action item, and then choose the action you want Windows to take when the battery reaches the low level. Your choices are Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. Do Nothing is normally the most useful setting.

9. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Power Options dialog box and returns you to the Edit Plan Settings window.

10. Click the Save Changes button. Windows closes the Edit Plan Settings window and returns you to the Power Options window.

Troubleshooting Recovering a Hung Laptop

If your laptop gets so thoroughly hung that it no longer responds to the power button, even when you hold the power button down for four or five seconds, you may need to disconnect the laptop from the AC wall socket and remove the battery in order to reset it. But before you do, make sure that youre not missing a hardware reset button on the laptop. Many laptops have these, but to prevent you from pressing them accidentally, theyre usually located in a really awkward position. For example, on some computers, you need to poke the end of a paper clip or a similar thin, blunt instrument through a small hole in the bottom of the machine to press the reset button. If in doubt, consult the manual for your laptop before poking it in a sensitive area.

Configuring Tablet PC and Pen and Input Settings

If you have a Tablet PC one that accepts input via a stylus on its screen as well as via a keyboard and mouse, you can use the Tablet PC settings to control how the Tablet features work and the Pen and Input settings to configure how Windows reads pen input.

Configuring Tablet PC Settings

To configure Tablet PC settings, take the following steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2. In Control Panel Home view, click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

3. Click the Tablet PC Settings link. Windows displays the Tablet PC Settings dialog box.

4. Choose Settings on the General page .

Handedness In this group box, select the RightHanded option button if youre righthanded and the LeftHanded option button if youre lefthanded. This setting controls where Windows displays the menus, so that theyre not covered by the hand youre using.

Calibration Select the orientation in the Orientation dropdown list Primary Landscape, Primary Portrait, Secondary Landscape, or Secondary Portrait. You can then click the Calibrate button and use the resulting wizard to calibrate the digitizer.

5.Choose settings on the Handwriting Recognition page

Use the Personal Recognizer Select this check box to make Windows use personal handwriting recognition to improve its recognition of your handwriting. This feature is usually helpful.

Automatic Learning In this group box, select the Use Automatic Learning option button if you want the recognizer to store the words you use so that it can recognize them more easily in future. You get better results by using this feature at the expense of a minor security concern someone might be able to raid the recognizer and learn what youve been writing. Select the Dont Use Automatic Learning, and Delete Any Previously Collected Data option button if you want to guard against this concern.

6.Choose settings on the Display page

Orientation In this dropdown list, select the screen orientation you want to use Primary Landscape, Secondary Portrait, Secondary Landscape, or Primary Portrait. The Preview area shows an icon representing the orientation.

Sequence To change the sequence in which Windows cycles through the orientations when you press a tablet button, click the Change button. Windows displays the Orientation Sequence Settings dialog box, as shown next. Use the four numbered dropdown lists to specify the sequence, and then click the OK button.

7. On the Other page, click the Go to Pen and Input Devices link if you want to open the Pen and Input Devices dialog box. Otherwise, click the OK button. Windows closes the Tablet PC Settings dialog box and applies your changes.

This category contains the Turn Off Hard Disk After setting. The hard disk is one of the most powerhungry components of a computer, so turning off the hard disk saves a worthwhile amount of energy. After the hard disk has spun down, it will take a few seconds to spin back up when you start using the computer again.

Wireless Adapter Settings

This category contains the Power Saving Mode setting for your computers wireless adapter. You can choose Maximum Performance, Low Power Saving, Medium Power Saving, or Maximum Power Saving. Many laptop computers allow you to switch off the wireless adapter altogether via either a hardware switch or a custom keyboard combination.

Sleep

This category contains three settings

Sleep After Specify the number of minutes to wait before putting the computer to sleep. Normally, youd set this setting by using the Put the Computer to Sleep dropdown list in the Edit Plan Settings window.

Allow Hybrid Sleep Choose On or Off to control whether Windows uses hybrid sleep, a mode that saves power while enabling you to resume your work almost immediately.

Hibernate After Specify the number of minutes of inactivity that Windows should allow before it puts the computer into hibernation. Choose Never if you want to prevent hibernation.

Power Buttons and Lid

This category contains the following settings

Lid Close Action For a laptop, choose the action that Windows should take when you close the lid Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. Normally, youd set this setting in the System Settings window.

Power Button Action Choose the action that Windows should take when you press the power button Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down. Normally, youd set this setting in the System Settings window.

Sleep Button Action Choose the action that Windows should take when you press the Sleep button Do Nothing, Sleep, or Hibernate. Normally, youd set this setting in the System Settings window.

Start Menu Power Button Choose the action that Windows should take when you click the Power button on the Start menu Do Nothing, Sleep, or Hibernate.

PCI Express

This category contains the Link State Power Management setting, which lets you choose the Active State Power Management policy to use Off, Moderate Power Savings, or Maximum Power Savings.

Search and Indexing

This category contains the Power Savings Mode setting, which lets you choose which power plan to use for search and indexing Power Saver, Balanced, or High Performance.

Display

This category contains the following options

Turn Display Off After Specify how many minutes of inactivity Windows should allow before it turns off the display. Normally, youll choose this setting in the Edit Plan Settings window.

Adaptive Display Choose On or Off to specify whether Windows should increase the Turn Display Off After setting automatically if you keep turning it back on when it goes off. This setting is often helpful for getting the right displayoff delay on laptops.

Display Brightness For a laptop, choose the brightness to use when running on battery and when plugged in. Normally, youll choose this setting in the Edit Plan Settings window.

Multimedia Settings

This category contains the When Sharing Media setting, which lets you specify what Windows should do if your computer is sharing media for example, songs with other computers. If your computer goes to sleep, the other computers will no longer be able to access the media. Choose Allow the Computer to Sleep, Prevent Idling to Sleep, or Allow the Computer to Enter Away Mode, as needed. Away mode is a kind of somnolence in which the computer appears to be asleep but can still take actions such as recording TV shows or sharing media with other computers.

Battery

This category contains settings for managing low and critical battery levels, alarms, and actions. Article 14 discusses these settings in more detail as batteries are mostly used in portable computers.

The Bottom Line Find out what hardware you can use with Windows Windows works with a wide variety of hardware provided that you can find a suitable driver for each device. You can use the Windows Vista Upgrade Adviser page on the Microsoft website to find out whether a particular device is compatible with Windows Vista.

Install, connect, and disconnect hotpluggable devices Hotpluggable devices are ones that you can plug in or unplug while Windows is running. Hotpluggable devices use USB, FireWire, and PC Card connections. Windows automatically loads and unloads drivers for hotpluggable devices as needed. You must be an Administrator or provide an Administrator password to install a hotpluggable device. After that, any user can plug in or unplug a hotpluggable device.

Install devices that are not hot pluggable To install a device that isnt hot pluggable, turn off your computer and disconnect the power. Open the case, install and secure the device, and then close the case again. When you restart your computer after installing the device, Windows normally detects the device during startup. If Windows can find a driver for the device, it loads the driver automatically and configures the device. If Windows cant find a driver, it launches the Found New Hardware Wizard, which lets you tell Windows where to find the driver. If Windows doesnt detect the device, you can run the Add Hardware Wizard to install the device manually.

Update, roll back, disable, and uninstall drivers To work with drivers, press Windows KeyBreak,click the Device Manager link in the System window, and then authenticate your self to User Account Control. Rightclick the device whose driver you want to change, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Use the buttons on the Driver page of the devices Properties dialog box to update, roll back, disable, or uninstall a driver.

Configure power management to improve battery life or reduce consumption To improve battery life on a laptop computer or to reduce power consumption on a desktop, you can configure power options such as turning off the display or putting the computer to sleep after a specified period of inactivity. To work with these options, choose Start Control Panel, click the Hardware and Sound link, and then click the Power Options link. In the Power Options window, choose a power plan, and then click the Change Plan Settings link to customize its settings. Use the links in the left column of the Power Options window to access the main power configuration options. 

Expert Knowledge DVD Encoding Regions

In case youve managed to avoid the question of DVD encoding regions As far as DVDs are concerned, the world is divided into eight regions or locales. Region 1 is the United States, Canada, and U.S. Territories. Region 2 is Europe, Japan, South Africa, and the Middle East. Region 3 is Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Hong Kong. Region 4 is Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Region 5 is Eastern Europe, Mongolia, North Korea, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, except South Africa. Region 6 is China. Region 7 is reserved for offworld use, perhaps. And Region 8 is for international vessels such as airplanes and cruise ships. DVD players are encoded to play only DVDs for their region. Almost all DVDs are encoded for the region in which theyre intended to be sold. There are also allregion DVDs thatll play in any region. So to play a DVD, you need a player with a matching region code. Most consumerelectronics DVD players are coded for one region only. Some players can play discs for two, more, or all regions. Other players can be chipped modified, either by adding hardware, modifying the builtin hardware physically, or by entering an engineers code to reprogram the device to play DVDs with different regional encoding or even to play any regional encoding. Chipping is legal in most countries though some manufacturers pretend to disagree but typically costs a proportion of the cost of a cheap DVD player.

PC DVD drives are a little more flexible than most consumerelectronics DVD players. With most drives, you can switch region a certain number of times on a DVD drive before it goes into a locked state in which you can no longer change the region. The DVD Region page of the Properties dialog box for the DVD drive displays the number of times you can change the region again. Use them sparingly.

Why do DVDs have regional encoding anyway In theory, its to let the movie studios control the release of the movie in different countries. For example, U.S.made movies are often released in the United States several months before theyre released in Europe, and DVDs and videos of the movie are often released in the United States while the movie is still running in Europe. Regional encoding prevents most of the Europeans from viewing the movie on DVD until its released with Region 2 encoding.

In practice, regional encoding also enables the distributors to charge different prices for DVDs in different countries without being undercut by imported DVDs from the least expensive regions. For example, at this writing, DVDs in Region 2 are substantially more expensive than those in Region 1, and the European Union has been investigating whether this constitutes pricefixing.

Adding a Removable Drive

The first time you plug in a removable drive or local drive, Windows displays an AutoPlay dialog box offering you choices for what to do with it. The choices Windows offers depends on the content on the drive for example

Import Pictures This item appears if the drive contains pictures for example, digital photos.

View Pictures This item also appears if the drive contains pictures. You may have a choice of using Windows in other words, Explorer or Windows Media Center.

Wireless Network Setup Wizard This item appears if youve put the setup files for a wireless network on a USB drive. See Article 27 for details.

Open Folder to View Files This item appears if the drive contains document files such as Word documents or Excel workbooks.

Speed Up My System This item appears if the drive is of a type that Windows can use for ReadyBoost see Article 15. Select the action you want to take. If you want Windows to take this action for every device you add that contains this type of file, select the Always Do This For check box this check box names the type of content involved for example, Always Do This for Software and Games, or Always Do This for Pictures. Then click the OK button. Windows closes the AutoPlay dialog box and takes the action you specified.

Adding a Modem

Windows automatically loads the driver for a USB modem, a PCI modem, or a PC Card modem if it can find the driver. With a serial modem, however, things are more hit and miss If you connect the modem before powering on the computer, Windows may notice the modem and load the driver for it assuming it can find the driver. But if you connect a serial modem while the computer is running, Windows tends not to notice the modem, even if you run the Add Hardware Wizard from the Device Manager window. To force Windows to detect a serial modem, follow these steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows opens a Control Panel window.

2.In Control Panel Home view, click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays a Hardware and Sound window.

3. Click the Phone and Modem Options link. Windows displays the Phone and Modem Options dialog box.

4. Click the Modems tab. Windows displays the Modems page .

5. Click the Add button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows launches the Add Hardware Wizard, which displays the Install New Modem screen, as shown here.

6. Make sure your modem is powered on and that no other program is using it. If Windows doesnt know the modem is there, no program should be able to use it.

7. Clear the Dont Detect My Modem; I Will Select It from a List check box.

8.Click the Next button. Windows attempts to detect the modem. Youll see a notificationarea popup message saying that Windows is installing the modem.

9. The wizard should display a screen saying that the modem installation is finished. If it does, click the Close button to close the wizard. Sometimes, however, the wizard fails to notice the modem even though Windows is installing the driver software and then displaying a notificationarea popup saying that the modem has been installed. If this happens, cancel the wizard, and then verify that the modem appears on the Modems page of the Phone and Modem Options dialog box.

Specifying Your Location

The first time you try to use a modem, Windows displays the Location Information dialog box demanding your location information unless youve given it already. Specify the details your country and region; your area code or city code; any carrier code you need to enter; any number you dial to access an outside line; and whether the phone system uses tone dialing the norm for most modern exchanges or pulse dialing. Then click the OK button. Windows closes the Location Information dialog box.

Specifying Phone and Modem Options

After you close the Location Information dialog box, Windows displays the Phone and Modem Options dialog box with the Dialing Rules page foremost. Windows provides you with a default location named My Location with the area code you specified in the Location Information dialog box. Rename this location to something descriptive for example, Home or the name of the city or town. Click the Edit button and enter the new name in the Location Name text box on the General page of the Edit Location dialog box that Windows displays. Then click the OK button. Windows closes the Edit Location dialog box. Click the OK button, and Windows closes the Phone and Modem Options dialog box. For a laptop or other computer you take traveling, youll probably want to create other locations as well. Article 14 discusses how to do this.

Adding a Video Card

When you install a new video card, Windows may detect it on bootup and display the Found New Hardware Wizard so that you can install the correct driver for it. Other times, you may have to change the video driver manually by using the Update Driver Software Wizard. After installing the driver for the new video card, you usually need to restart Windows. When you log back on, Windows displays the Display Properties dialog box so that you can test and apply the screen resolution and color quality you want. See Article 3 for a discussion of how to choose a suitable screen resolution and color depth.

Adding a Monitor

Adding a monitor tends to be simplicity itself, involving only a couple of cables. But Windows often identifies a monitor simply as Plug and Play Monitor and assigns it a generic driver. This driver works well enough for undemanding programs, but to get the best performance, use the Update Driver Software Wizard to install the latest driver for your specific type of monitor. If youre seeing corrupted images on your monitor, or if the mouse pointer doesnt respond properly to conventional stimuli, or if DirectX isnt working, you may need to change the graphics hardware acceleration on your computer. Only some graphics drivers allow you to change the hardware acceleration. To change the hardware acceleration, take the following steps

1. Rightclick open space on the Desktop and choose Personalize from the context menu. Windows displays the Personalization window.

2. Click the Display Settings link. Windows displays the Display Settings dialog box.

3. Click the Advanced Settings button. Windows displays the Monitor and Graphics Card Properties dialog box. This dialog boxs title bar shows the name of the monitor and the graphics card.

4.Click the Troubleshoot tab. Windows displays the Troubleshoot page.

5. If the Change Settings button is available in other words, if its not grayed out, click the Change Settings button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Display Adapter Troubleshooter dialog box, as shown here.

6. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider one notch at a time from Full or wherever you find it toward None until the problems disappear. At each setting, click the Apply button, and check your computer to see what effect the change has had.

7. When the screen seems to be behaving as it should, click the OK button. Windows closes the Monitor and Graphics Card Properties dialog box, returning you to the Display Settings dialog box.

8. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Display Settings dialog box.

Setting Up and Using Multiple Monitors

Windows Vista lets you attach multiple monitors up to 10 to your computer to increase the amount of Desktop space available to you. This feature can make both work and play much easier but it can also lead you to loading your desk with more monitors than it can comfortably provide a footing for. This discussion of using multiple monitors concerns only desktop computers to which you can add one or more extra graphics cards. But Windows also includes a feature called DualView that lets you use multiple monitors with portable computers and graphics cards with multiple outputs. Article 14 discusses this feature. If your graphics card supports two monitors, you should have no problem setting them up. Some graphics cards support two DVI monitors, while others can drive one DVI monitor and one VGA monitor. If in doubt about your graphics cards capabilities, consult its documentation or the manufacturers website. To use multiple monitors on separate graphics cards, make sure that your graphics cards work together some graphics cards dont and that your computers motherboard supports multiple monitors some motherboards dont. The monitors, by contrast, dont need to know about each other, as each gets its own input just as if it were the only monitor attached to the computer. So any monitor should work. You can mix CRTs and LCDs provided that each graphics card you use can handle the monitor to which its connected. To set up multiple monitors, first get everything working to your satisfaction with one graphics card and one monitor or two, if the graphics card supports two. Then power down your computer and insert the new graphics card. You can install multiple graphics cards and monitors at a time, but unless youre very lucky and everything works, youll be looking at some doubly confusing troubleshooting. Connect the second monitor, then power on everything. Dont be surprised if the bootup display appears on the second monitor rather than your primary one. After you log on to Windows, it should discover the new hardware, which will trigger a Found New Hardware notificationarea popup followed by the Found New Hardware Wizard. If Windows affects not to have noticed the new hardware, run the Add Hardware Wizard manually to add the graphics card and monitor. Next, open the Display Settings dialog box rightclick the desktop, choose Personalize, and then click the Display Settings link in the Personalization window. For each monitor you want to use, select the monitor and then select the Extend the Desktop onto This Monitor check box. Once youve done that, let Windows know where the monitors are positioned in relation to each other by dragging the monitor icons into their relative positions. If you get confused as to which monitor is which, click the Identify Monitors button to have Windows flash up the number of each monitor on the monitor. Your primary monitor is the monitor on which Windows displays the Welcome screen. You can change the primary monitor by clicking the icon for the monitor you want to make primary and selecting the This Is My Main Monitor check box. Because only the primary monitor can perform full DirectX acceleration and run DirectX programs full screen, its almost always best to make your primary monitor the one thats connected to your fastest graphics card. Set the screen resolution, color depth, and refresh rate for each monitor as usual see Article 3 for details. Once you close the Display Settings dialog box, you should have a substantially enlarged Desktop. By default, the Taskbar appears on your primary monitor, but you can drag it to any of the other monitors as you see fit. If the Taskbar is unlocked, rightclick it and choose Lock the Taskbar from the context menu to unlock the Taskbar so that you can move it. Maximizing a window maximizes it for the monitor its currently or mostly on. You can extend a normal window across two or more monitors by dragging its window border to the appropriate size. Doing so can occasionally be useful when you need to see a lot of information at the same time.

Check the Hardware Compatibility List before Trying to Install Multiple Monitors

Setting up multiple monitors can be a tricky and frustrating business. With some combinations of motherboards and graphics cards, you need to install the graphics cards in the right sequence in order to get them to work. Others work fine immediately. Others never work.

Before you try to implement multiple monitors, check the Hardware Compatibility List HCL at the Microsoft website, for details of the graphics cards that are known to work in multiplemonitor configurations with Windows.

Configuring Power Management

If you have a laptop computer and use it on the road, power management tends to be an important part of your computing life. Youve probably developed strategies to maximize your battery life while traveling, such as dimming the screen or slowing down the processor when you can accept poorer performance in the interests of longevity. Article 14 discusses the features that Windows offers for portable computers. If you have a desktop computer, power management tends to be less of a concern, because leaving your computer running usually isnt a problem. But to keep your computer healthy, to keep your or your employers electrical bill to a minimum, and perhaps to contribute to keeping the polar icecaps in place, its a good idea to configure power management on your computer. Windows offers a variety of powermanagement settings that let you closely manage your computers power consumption. The following sections discuss these options. To configure power management, open the Power Options Properties window as follows

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2. Click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

3. Click the Power Options link. Windows displays the Power Options window . The Power Options window contains different options depending on how your computer is configured. For example, the window for laptop computers includes options such as Choose What Closing the Lid Does and Adjust the Display Brightness, which dont appear for desktop computers. The following sections show samples of power options from different computers rather than from a single computer.

Choosing a Power Scheme

First, choose a power scheme and adjust it as necessary

1. Open the Power Options window as discussed in the previous section.

2. In the Select a Power Plan area, select the option button for the power scheme you want to use Balanced, Power Saver, or High Performance. Each of these schemes has preset settings for controlling whether and when the computer turns off the display, puts the computer to sleep, and adjusts the brightness of the display on a laptop computer.

3. To see what the settings for the plan are, or to change them, click the Change Plan Settings link under the option button for the power plan youve chosen. Windows displays the Edit Plan Settings window .

4.In the Turn Off the Display dropdown list, set the delay in minutes or hours, or Never before Windows should turn off the display or monitor. For a laptop computer, youll typically want to set a short delay while its running on battery because the display typically uses more power than any other laptop component and a longer delay while its plugged in.

5. In the Put the Computer to Sleep dropdown list, specify how long Windows should wait before putting the computer to sleep.

6. For a laptop, drag the Adjust Display Brightness sliders to specify how bright the

display should be while running on battery and while plugged in.

7. If you want to choose advanced power settings, click the Change Advanced Power Settings link, and then work as described in the section Choosing Advanced Power Options, later in this article. Otherwise, save the changes to the power scheme by clicking the Save Changes button. Windows closes the Edit Plan Settings window, returning you to the Power Options window.

Creating Your Own Power Plan

Windows three builtin power plans Balanced, Power Saver, and High Perrmance give plenty of flexibility for most people, especially if you customize these power plans to suit your needs. But you may want to create your own power plans to give yourself even more options.

To create a plan of your own, follow these steps

1. In the Power Options window, click the Create a Power Plan link. Windows displays the Create a Power Plan window, as shown here.

2. Select the option button for the power plan on which you want to base your custom plan.

3. In the Plan Name text box, type the name you want to give your plan.

4. Click the Next button. Windows displays the Change Settings for the Plan window, as shown here.

5. Choose settings for turning off the display, putting the computer to sleep, and if appropriate, adjusting display brightness. For a laptop computer as in this example, choose settings for both running on battery power and running when plugged in.

6. Click the Create button. Windows creates the power plan and adds it to the Select a Power Plan list in the Power Options window. You can then use the power plan by selecting its option button.

To delete a custom power plan, click its Change Plan Settings link in the Power Options window. In the Edit Plan Settings window, click the Delete This Plan link, and then click the OK button in the Power Options dialog box that Windows displays for confirmation as shown here.

Choosing PowerButton, Lid, and PasswordonWakeup Settings

Windows also lets you configure what happens when you press your computers power button or buttons, whether Windows requires the user to enter a password after waking the computer up from sleep, and what happens when you close the lid of a laptop. To choose these settings, follow these steps

1. In the left pane of the Power Options window, click either the Require a Password on Wakeup link or the Choose What the Power Button Does link. Windows displays the System Settings window .

If your computer has two or more power buttons, the second link is called Choose What the Power Buttons Do.

On a laptop, you can click the Choose What Closing the Lid Does link as well.

2.Use the When I Press the Power Button dropdown list or lists to specify what the computer should do when you press the power button Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down.

3. If the System Settings window contains a When I Press the Sleep Button dropdown list, use it to specify what the computer should do when you press the sleep button Do Nothing, Sleep, or Hibernate.

4. For a laptop, use the When I Close the Lid dropdown lists to specify what the computer should do when you close the lid Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down.

5. If you want to change the settings in the Password Protection on Wakeup area, click the Change Settings That Are Currently Unavailable link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows makes the option buttons available. Select the Require a Password option button or the Dont Require a Password option button as appropriate.

6. Click the Save Changes button. Windows returns you to the Power Options window.

Choosing Advanced Power Options

The settings youve seen so far let you configure the most important power options, but Windows also lets you set advanced options. To do so, follow these steps

1. In the Power Options window, click the Change Plan Settings link for the power plan you want to affect. Windows displays the Edit Plan Settings window.

2. Click the Change Advanced Power Settings link. Windows displays the Power Options dialog box .

3.Choose settings see the description in the following sections. If a setting you want to change is unavailable, click the Change Settings That Are Currently Unavailable link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control.

4. If you want to choose settings for another power plan, select it in the dropdown list near the top of the dialog box, and then repeat step 3.

5. When youve finished choosing settings, click the OK button. Windows closes the Power Options dialog box and returns you to the Edit Plan Settings window. If you need to reset the settings in the power plan to their defaults, click the Restore Plan Defaults button. The following sections discuss the advanced power options that you can set. Which of these options is available depends on your computers configuration and capabilities.

Additional Settings

This category contains the Require a Password on Wakeup setting. You need to click the Change Settings That Are Currently Unavailable link and authenticate yourself to User Account Control before you can change this setting. Normally, youd set this setting in the System Settings window.

1. Press Windows KeyBreak. Windows displays a System window.

2. In the Tasks panel on the left, click the Device Manager link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays a Device Manager window. For more detail on Device Manager, see the section Opening Device Manager, later in this article.

3. Click your computers name at the top of the tree, and then choose Action Add Legacy Hardware. You can also rightclick your computers name and choose Add Legacy Hardware from the context menu. Device Manager launches the Add Hardware Wizard, which displays its Welcome to the Add Hardware Wizard screen, as shown here.

4. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the The Wizard Can Help You Install Other Hardware screen, as shown here, offering to search for the hardware.

5.Select the Install the Hardware that I Manually Select from a List option button.

6. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the From the List Below, Select the Type of Hardware You Are Installing page, as shown here.

7. In the Common Hardware Types list box, select the type of hardware youre installing. If the device doesnt fit any of the descriptions, select the Show All Devices item.

8. Click the Next button

If you chose the Show All Devices item, the wizard displays the Select the Device Driver You Want to Install for this Hardware page, as shown here.

If you chose a specific type of hardware, the wizard displays a list of that type of device. The following illustration shows a list of infrared devices.

9. If Windows has a driver for the device, select it by clicking the manufacturer in the Manufacturer list box and the device in the Model list box. If you have a new driver, click the Have Disk button and use the resulting Install from Disk dialog box to specify the location of the driver.

10. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the The Wizard Is Ready to Install Your Hardware page, listing the hardware thats lined up for installation, as shown here.

11. Click the Next button. The wizard installs the hardware and displays the Completing the Add Hardware Wizard page.

12. Click the Finish button. The Add Hardware Wizard closes itself. The hardware should be ready for use.

Working with Hardware Drivers

Without a functional driver, Windows cant use any piece of hardware. And using the wrong driver or a badly written driver can make Windows unstable or even make it crash. Hardware manufacturers frequently release new versions of drivers for their hardware to improve performance, to banish bugs, or both. If you want to keep your hardware running to the best of its capacity, check the manufacturers sites and the Windows Update site for updated drivers. In theory, Windows Update should be able to supply you with the latest drivers for most of your hardware. In practice, you can probably get the latest drivers more quickly by haunting the hardware manufacturers websites and newsgroups. To view, change, or uninstall the driver for a device, display the Driver page of the Properties dialog box for the device. The easiest way to display the Properties dialog box for the device is to go through Device Manager, which you will have met earlier in this article if youve been following along.

Opening Device Manager

To display the Device Manager window, take the following steps

1. Press Windows KeyBreak. Windows displays a System window.

2. In the Tasks panel on the left, click the Device Manager link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays a Device Manager window .

Device Manager presents a categorized tree of the devices on the computer in its default view. Any device that isnt working or has a problem is marked with an exclamation mark icon, like the RAID Controller and the Unknown Device that appear in the Other Devices category. When all is well with a category of device, Device Manager presents the category collapsed. You can change the view by displaying the View menu and choosing Devices by Type the default view, Devices by Connection, Resources by Type, or Resources by Connection from the menu. You can display hidden devices by choosing View Show Hidden Devices. If you leave Device Manager open while you plug in a hotpluggable device, you may need to refresh the listing in Device Manager to make it list the device. To do so, click the computers entry at the top of the tree, and then choose Action Scan for Hardware Changes. To check or set properties for a device, doubleclick its entry in Device Manager or rightclick the entry and choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Properties dialog box for the device.

Checking the Details of a Driver

The Driver page of the Properties dialog box for a device shows some details of the driver the provider of the driver the company that supplied the driver to your computer, the date, the version, and the digital signer the owner of the digital certificate applied to the driver. To display further information, click the Driver Details button. Windows displays the Driver File Details dialog box, which displays further information the filenames and paths of the driver files, the provider the company that originally provided the driver, the file version, the copyright information, and the digital signer again.

Updating a Driver

To update a driver, click the Update Driver Software Wizard on the Driver page of the Properties dialog box for the device. If you have a specific driver to install, follow the process explained in the section Specifying a Driver Manually, earlier in this article. If youre just checking for a new driver on Windows Update, click the Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software button.

Rolling Back a Driver

If a new driver youve installed doesnt work, or doesnt improve things, revert to the previous driver by using the driver rollback feature. To use the rollback feature, click the Roll Back Driver button on the Driver page of the Properties dialog box for the device.

Disabling a Device

If you want to stop using a device temporarily, you can disable it. For example, you might want to disable a device that you think is making Windows unstable. To disable a device, rightclick it in Device Manager, and then choose Disable from the context menu. Windows displays a confirmation message box, such as that shown here. Click the Yes button. Windows closes the message box and disables the device.

Uninstalling a Device

If you want to stop using a device permanently and remove it from your computer, uninstall it first. To do so, follow these steps

1. In Device Manager, rightclick the device, and then choose Uninstall from the context menu. Alternatively, display the Properties dialog box for the device, and then click the Uninstall button on the Driver page. Windows displays the Confirm Device Uninstall dialog box, as shown here.

2. If you want to remove the devices driver as well as the device, select the Delete the Driver Software for This Device check box. Normally, its best to leave the driver on your computer in case you install the device again, but if youre sure you wont reinstall it, you may want to reclaim the small amount of disk space the driver occupies.

3. Click the OK button. Windows closes the dialog box and uninstalls the device.

Adding Specific Hardware Items

The following sections discuss considerations for adding particular hardware items that need configuration beyond the driver. Many hardware items do not. The easiest place to start configuring most hardware items is Device Manager.

Finding Out What Hardware You Can Use with Windows

To use computer hardware with Windows, you need the right driver a piece of software that enables a hardware device and Windows to communicate with each other. Windows supports a wide range of hardware right out of the box and includes compatibilitytested drivers for many products. Windows can automatically download drivers for other devices, such as drivers that have been released since Windows itself was released. By using the Windows Update feature to keep your copy of Windows up to date, and by downloading new drivers from hardware manufacturers websites as necessary, you can also add the latest hardware to Windows. The devices youre more likely to have problems with are legacy devices more than a few years old, particularly those from smaller companies or from companies that have gone out of business. To check whether a hardware item is compatible with Windows, follow these steps

1. Choose Start Help and Support. Windows opens a Help and Support window.

2. Click the Troubleshooting link. Help and Support displays the Troubleshooting in Windows screen.

3. In the Hardware and Drivers section, click the Windows Vista Upgrade Adviser link. Help and Support opens a browser window to the Windows Vista Upgrade Adviser page on the Microsoft website, where you can check whether your hardware is compatible with Windows Vista.

Using HotPluggable Devices

Hardware devices that use USB, FireWire, and PC Card PCMCIA connections are usually hot pluggable you can plug in and unplug the device while Windows is running without any adverse effects. Windows automatically loads and unloads drivers for hotpluggable devices as needed. To install a hotpluggable device for the first time, you must either be an Administrator or if youre a Standard user or a Guest user provide an Administrator password. Once Windows has successfully installed the driver for the device, any user can plug the device in and use it.

Installing a HotPluggable Device

When you plug in a hotpluggable device for the first time, Windows displays a popup from the notification area to let you know that it has noticed the device, as shown here.Windows then automatically looks for a driver to let Windows and the device communicate with each other. It first checks in its driver cache, which contains a wide variety of preinstalled drivers. If it doesnt find a driver there, and if your computer is connected to the Internet, it checks the Windows Update site for a driver for the device; if it finds a driver, it downloads it and installs it. If Windows is able to find a suitable driver in either the driver cache or Windows Update, it installs the driver, displaying a popup identifying the device as it does so, as in this example.

When the driver is installed and working, Windows displays a popup telling you that the hardware is ready to use, as shown here. If Windows cant find a driver for the device, it starts the Found New Hardware Wizard, so that you can supply the driver for the device manually. See the section Providing a Driver with the Found New Hardware Wizard, later in this article, for a walkthrough.

Removing a HotPluggable Device

How you remove a hotpluggable device depends on the type of device it is. Check to see whether Windows is displaying the Safely Remove Hardware icon a gray card with a green circle and white check mark with a green arrow above it in the notification area, as shown here in black and white, second from the left. If the Safely Remove Hardware icon appears, click it and see if the resulting context menu see the example displays an item for the device youre about to remove. If so, click that item.

PC Card devices always use the Safely Remove Hardware feature. Devices such as FireWire drives and USB memorycard readers typically have entries on the Safely Remove Hardware menu because Windows mounts them as drives, while items such as webcams and USB modems typically dont have entries. But check for an entry before removing a device. If there is an item for the device on the Safely Remove Hardware menu, itll read Safely remove device, where device is the name by which Windows knows the device for example, Safely remove USBMass Storage Device DriveE. Click this item and wait until Windows displays a popup telling you that its safe to remove the device. Looking at the previous illustration, you can see a problem that youll often encounter If you have two or more USB mass storage devices attached, the only way to tell them apart is by drive letter. To get around this problem, follow these steps

1. Either doubleclick the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area or rightclick it and then choose Safely Remove Hardware from the context menu. Windows displays the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box, as shown here.

2.Select the Display Device Components check box to make the dialog box display the details of each device, as shown here.

3. From the description, identify the device you want to remove, click it in the Hardware Devices list box, and then click the Stop button to stop it. Windows displays the Stop a Hardware Device dialog box, as shown here.

4. Verify that youve selected the right device, and then click the OK button. Windows displays the Safe to Remove Hardware dialog box, as shown here.

5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Safe to Remove Hardware dialog box. You can then remove the device.

6. Click the Close button. Windows closes the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box. If theres no entry for the device on the Safely Remove Hardware menu, or if the Safely Remove Hardware icon isnt displayed in the notification area make sure that its really not there and that its not just temporarily hidden, you dont need to use the Safely Remove Hardware feature to remove the device. Simply unplug it. Windows notices that youve removed the device and unloads its driver.

Plugging a HotPluggable Device in Again

When you plug a hotpluggable device in again, Windows notices it and loads the driver without displaying any popup. At least, thats how it should work. In practice, Windows appears to have forgotten some hotpluggable devices and decides to install them again.

Installing Devices that Are Not Hot Pluggable

Before installing a device that isnt hot pluggable, you must turn your computer off and in most cases, disconnect the power cable and remove the battery if the computer has one. For example,to install a PCI card, youll need to open the computers case, insert the card in a PCI slot and screw in the retaining screw, connect any cables needed, and then close the computers case again. When you restart your computer after installing the device, Windows normally detects the device during startup. If Windows can find a driver for the device, it loads the driver automatically and configures the device. If Windows cant find a driver, it launches the Found New Hardware Wizard.

Providing a Driver with the Found New Hardware Wizard

If Windows cant find a driver for a new device hot pluggable or not, the Found New Hardware Wizard displays its Windows Needs to Install Driver Software screen . This screen offers three choices

Locate and Install Driver Software

Normally, youll want to click this button to install the driver. Youll need to authenticate yourself to User Account Control to install the driver.

Ask Me Again Later Click this button to defer setting up the device until later. For example, if you realize you dont have the driver disc with you, you might click this button. Next time you log on, the Found New Hardware Wizard appears again. Dont Show This Message Again for This Device Click this button if you dont want to install the driver for the device and you dont want the Found New Hardware Wizard to prompt you again for example, because no Windows Vistacompatible driver is available yet. When youre ready to install the driver, you can do so as discussed in the next section. When you click the Locate and Install Driver Software button, the wizard disappears, leaving only a notificationarea popup telling you that it is installing software. When the wizard finds that it has no driver for the device, it displays the Windows Couldnt Find Driver Software for Your Device screen . This screen offers you two choices Check for a Solution Click this button if you want Windows to consult Microsofts online database for the latest information about the device in case theres extra information that will help you install the device. Normally, the wizard simply displays the Windows Was Unable to Install Your Unknown Device screen, which suggests that you visit the website of the devices manufacturer to see if a driver is available there. You can click the Close button to close the wizard, or click the Back button in the upperleft corner of the window to return to the Windows Couldnt Find Driver Software for Your Device screen, where you can click the Browse My Computer for Driver Software button. Browse My Computer for Driver Software Click this button if you want to supply the driver from a CD or DVD, a floppy disk, or your hard disk or another connected disk. The wizard displays the Browse for Driver Software on Your Computer screen Click the Browse button, use the resulting Browse for Folder dialog box to select the folder that contains the driver, and then click the OK button. The wizard enters the path in the Search for Driver Software in this Location text box. You can also type the path in this text box, but normally its easier to browse to the folder. Select the Include Subfolders check box if you want the wizard to search the folders subfolders as well for the driver. Searching the subfolders as well is usually a good idea. Then click the Next button. The wizard searches for a suitable driver and, if it finds one, installs the device. If not, the wizard displays the Windows Was Unable to Install Your Unknown Device screen Click the Close button to close the wizard. Follow the instructions in the next section to install the device. If the wizard doesnt find a suitable driver, or if a file is missing, it displays the Windows Encountered a Problem Installing the Driver Software for Your Device screen . Click the Back button if you want to return to the Browse for Driver Software on Your Computer screen and try a different folder, or click the Close button if you want to close the wizard.

Specifying a Driver Manually

If the Found New Hardware Wizard cant find a suitable driver for a device, you may need to install the device manually. To do so, take the following steps. To show you examples of what you may see, the figures and illustrations show screens from installing various hardware devices rather than a single hardware device.

1. Press Windows KeyBreak. Windows displays a System window.

2. In the Tasks panel on the left, click the Device Manager link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays a Device Manager window .

3.Find the device that needs the driver. Device Manager shows an exclamation point next to each device thats not working. For more detail on Device Manager, see the section Opening Device Manager, later in this article. If Windows doesnt know what the device is, look for an Unknown Device item in the Other Devices list. If its not there, look in the appropriate category. For example, for a network card, look in the Network Adapters category.

4. Doubleclick the devices item. Device Manager displays the Properties dialog box for the device. The General page tells you that no driver is installed for the device.

5. Click the Driver tab. Device Manager displays the Driver page .

6.Click the Update Driver button. Device Manager launches the Update Driver Software wizard, which displays its How Do You Want to Search for Driver Software

7. Click the Browse My Computer for Driver Software button. The wizard displays the Browse for Driver Software on Your Computer screen.

8.Click the Let Me Pick from a List of Device Drivers on My Computer button. Windows displays the Select Your Devices Type from the List Below screen .

9. In the Common Hardware Types list box, select the type of device youre installing for example, select Bluetooth Radios for a Bluetooth device, Display Adapters for a graphics card, or Monitors for an extra monitor.

Some of the categories are cryptic for example, Multifunction Adapters or Portable Devices.

If you cant find a suitable category, select the Show All Devices item.

10. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Select the Device Driver You Want to Install for This Hardware screen . If you selected the Show All Devices item on the previous screen, it may take Windows a minute or two to assemble the list of drivers.

Searching for Driver Software from the Browse for Driver Software on Your Computer Screen

If youve downloaded a driver that wasnt available when you first tried to install a device, use the Browse button on the Browse for Driver Software on Your Computer screen of the Update Driver Software Wizard to select the folder that contains the driver. Then click the Next button to make the wizard search that folder for the driver. You dont need to go through the process of picking the driver from a list.

11.If Windows has a driver for the device, you can select it by clicking the manufacturer in the Manufacturer list box and the device in the Model list box. But usually the Found New Hardware Wizard will have identified the driver if Windows has it already, so youll be visiting this page of the wizard only if you need to install a driver that Windows doesnt have. Click the Have Disk button. Windows displays the Install from Disk dialog box, shown here.

12. If you have the driver on a floppy disk or a CD or DVD, insert it in the appropriate drive and select the drive in the Copy Manufacturers Files From dropdown list. If you have the driver on a local drive or network drive, click the Browse button, use the resulting Locate File dialog box a common Open dialog box to locate the driver file, and then click the Open button to enter its name and path in the Copy Manufacturers Files From text box.

13 Click the OK button. The wizard displays the Select the Device Driver You Want to Install for This Hardware screen with the name of the hardware model or models identified by the driver.

14.Select the proper driver if there are two or more models, and then click the Next button.

15. If Windows doesnt think the driver is correct for the device, it displays the Update Driver Warning dialog box shown next, warning you that the hardware may not work and that your computer might become unstable or stop working. Click the Yes button if youre sure you want to install this driver. Otherwise, click the No button, and then select another driver.

16. If the driver doesnt have a valid digital signature, or if Windows can detect another obvious problem with it, the wizard displays a Windows Security dialog box such as the one shown next which has been expanded to show its details. Click the Install This Driver Software Anyway button only if youre sure that the source of the driver is trustworthy. Otherwise, click the Dont Install This Driver Software button, and then look for a signed driver for example, on the manufacturers website.

17.If the wizard finds no problem with the driver, it installs the driver and displays the Windows Has Successfully Updated Your Driver Software screen .

18. Click the Close button. The wizard closes, returning you to the Properties dialog box for the device.

You May Sometimes Need to Install Unsigned Drivers

Ideally, every driver you install will be signed by its publisher so that you can be sure of its provenance. In practice, however, you may need to install unsigned drivers to get older hardware working with Windows Vista, especially when the devices manufacturer has gone out of business or been taken over by another company.

If a driver installation makes your computer unstable, use System Restore see Article 16 to restore Windows to its state before you installed the driver.

What Happens if You Choose the Wrong File

If the wizard cant find hardware information in the location you specified, it displays the Select Device message box telling you that the location you specified doesnt contain information about your hardware. The wizard then displays the Install from Disk dialog box again so that you can specify a different location for the file.

If you chose the wrong file, you can now choose the right one. But if the file doesnt work, youre probably stuck. You can click the Cancel button to close the Install from Disk dialog box and return to the Select the Device Driver You Want to Install for This Hardware page so that you can select a builtin driver, but thats about it. Click the Cancel button to cancel the wizard.

19.Click the Close button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box, returning you to Device Manager.

20.  button. Windows closes Device Manager.Choose File Exit or click the Close button the 

If theres a problem with the driver file you supply, the wizard may display the Windows Encountered a Problem Installing the Driver Software for Your Device screen . From here, you can click the Back button to return to the Select Your Devices Type from the List Below screen of the wizard or click the Close button to close the wizard and give up on installing the device for now.

Windows comes with a number of fonts that you can use to enhance your Windows display and your documents. You can add extra fonts as you need them, either by installing software that includes fonts such as Corel WordPerfect Office or Microsoft Office or by installing fonts directly. A font is the name given to a typeface. A typeface is a set of characters. Normally, the characters in a typeface have similar characteristics, so that they look as though they belong together, but this isnt an absolute requirement.

Understanding Outline Fonts and Raster Fonts

Windows supports two categories of fonts

Outline fonts Outline fonts are the newest types of fonts. Windows renders outline fonts by using line and curve commands, which means that it can scale them to any size without distorting them and can rotate them. Windows supports three different types of outline fonts TrueType fonts which Windows has used for many years, OpenType fonts a more recent extension of TrueType, and Type 1 fonts which are created by Adobe Systems for use with PostScript printers and devices. TrueType fonts use the .ttf extension, OpenType fonts use the .otf extension, and Type 1 fonts use the .pfm extensions.

Raster fonts Raster fonts are another older technology that Windows includes for backward compatibility. In a raster font, each character consists of a bitmap image thats displayed on the screen or printed on paper. Windows includes seven raster fonts Courier, Modern, MS Sans Serif, MS Serif, Roman, Script, and Small Fonts. Like vector fonts, raster fonts use the .fonextension. Some of the TrueType fonts are organized into TrueType collections, which use the .ttc extension.

Displaying the Fonts Window

To work with fonts, display the Fonts window by taking the following steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2. Click the Appearance and Personalization link. Windows displays an Appearance and Personalization window.

3. Click the Fonts link. Windows displays the Fonts window.

Rather than having an alphabetical list of fonts, you may want to group the fonts into their different types by using the Font Type column header .

Viewing and Printing a Font

To see what a font looks like, doubleclick its entry in the Fonts window. Windows displays the font in Font Viewer, which shows information on the font type, its file size, and copyright information, together with various sizes of the canonical sentence involving the quick brown fox and the lazy dog and the full set of numbers. To print the information displayed, click the Print button. Windows displays the Print dialog box. Choose the printer and any options, then click the Print button. Windows closes the Print dialog box and prints the information. To  button.close Font Viewer, click the Close button the 

Installing a Font

To install a font, take the following steps from the Fonts window

1. Rightclick blank space in the document area in the Fonts window, and then choose Install New Font from the context menu. Windows displays the Add Fonts dialog box with a font selected for installation.

2.Use the Drives dropdown list and the Folders list box to navigate to the drive and folder that contain the font you want to install. If necessary, click the Network button and use the Map Network Drive dialog box to map a network drive.

3. In the List of Fonts list box, select the font or fonts you want to install. You can click the Select All button to select all the fonts in the List of Fonts list box.

4. Make sure that the Copy Fonts to Fonts Folder check box at the bottom of the Add Fonts dialog box is selected. This option causes Windows to copy the fonts youre installing to the Fontsfolder, where you can manage them centrally. This is usually the best way to install fonts, especially when youre installing them from a removable medium such as a CD. But if the fonts youre installing are already located on your hard drive, and you dont want to make copies of them in the Fonts folder, you can clear this check box. Windows then creates a pointer to the folder that contains the font.

5. Click the Install button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows installs the font or fonts.

6. Click the Close button. Windows closes the Add Fonts dialog box, returning you to the Fonts window.

Getting More Fonts

Windows includes more than 300 fonts in a wide variety of styles, so you may not need to add any more fonts unless your documents have specific design needs.

If you do need more fonts, you can buy commercial font packages from most major software outlets and from many smaller vendors. But first, go to Microsofts website and see if Microsoft is offering any fonts for free download. Then check out the free fonts that are available from many sites online You may find a wide enough selection that you dont need to buy any fonts.

Deleting a Font

To delete a font, rightclick it in the Fonts window, choose Delete from the context menu, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Alternatively, select the font and press the Delete key. Windows displays the Delete File dialog box to confirm the deletion. Click the Yes button. Windows closes the dialog box and deletes the font.

Unloading Fonts instead of Deleting Them

If you load your Fonts folder with thousands of fonts, Windows runs more slowly. Loading a huge number of fonts increases the amount of memory Windows needs and generally slows down the speed with which it can handle other tasks.

So its a good idea not to load too many fonts at a time. But you dont have to delete fonts that you temporarily dont want to load. Instead, you can move them to another folder and store them there until you need them again. At that point, move the fonts back to the Fonts folder, and you can use them again in your programs. If you work with many fonts, consider grouping them into a number of different folders so that you can quickly load the set of fonts you need for a particular type of document. If you work with a huge number of fonts, consider getting a fontmanagement solution such as Extensis Suitcase.

The Bottom Line Understand printing terminology and how printing works in Windows A printer is the hardware device that prints documents. The printer driver is the software used to control the printer. A print job is an item sent to a printer for printing. To print, you typically issue a Print command from a program. The program tells Windows that it needs to print the document. The printer driver receives the information the program is sending and spools it to the printer, saving the information to disk and passing it along to the printer as fast as the printer can handle. Install a printer on your computer Installing a USB printer should be as simple as connecting it to AC power and to your computer. Windows detects the printer automatically and installs the driver for it. If no driver is available, you may need to visit Windows Update or provide a driver on disk. To install a parallel printer, run the Add Printer Wizard manually by clicking the Add a Printer button in the Printers window, and specify the printer make and model. Configure a printers behavior to suit your needs To make a printer your default printer, rightclick it in the Printers window, and then choose Set as Default Printer from the context menu. To configure other settings for a printer, rightclick its entry in the Printers window, choose Properties from the context menu, and then work in the Properties dialog box. The General page of the Properties dialog box has some of the most important options You can change the printers name, add a location so that users know where it is, and add a comment explaining which printer this is and which print jobs it is for. The Advanced page of the Properties dialog box lets you limit the printers availability for example, to prevent users from printing during the night or at other inconvenient times. Print documents and manage print jobs The normal way to print a document is to open the document in the program that created the document, and then issue a Print command. You can also print in Explorer by dragging a document to the printer or a shortcut to the printer. To man age your print jobs, doubleclick the printer in the Printers window, or doubleclick an icon for the printer in the notification area, and then work in the window for the print queue. Learn advanced printing techniques and print to a file If your computer isnt always connected to your printer, you can put the printer offline by rightclicking it in the Printers window and choosing Use Printer Offline. You can then send print jobs to the printer while offline and have them print when you reconnect to the printer. To print to a file, either select the Print to File check box in the Print dialog box, or set up a printer entry to always print to file. Another option is to print to an XML Paper Specification file, which you can distribute to other Windows Vista users.

View, install, and delete fonts To work with fonts, choose Start Control Panel, click the Appearance and Personalization link, and then click the Fonts link. The Fonts window displays the list of fonts installed on your computer. To install a font, rightclick blank space in the document area in the Fonts window, choose Install New Font, and then use the Add Fonts dialog box to add the font. To remove a font, click it, and then press Delete. Instead of deleting a font, you can simply move it to another folder, so that you can restore it if you need it again.

If youre working offline, or if you want to queue up a number of print jobs and let them all run at once, put the printer offline. To do so, rightclick the printer in the Printers window, and then choose Use Printer Offline from the context menu. You can then print to the printer as if your computer were connected to it, but instead of sending the data to the printer, Windows holds it in the print queue and saves it to disk. When youve reconnected to the printer or when you want to print, if you didnt disconnect, rightclick the printer in the Printers window, and then choose Use Printer Online. Windows starts sending the print jobs to the printer. The printer must be a local printer you cant print offline to a network printer.

Creating Multiple Entries for the Same Printer

If you want to use the same printer regularly in different ways, you can create two or more entries for it in the Printers window, and then set different properties for each entry. For example, you might set one printer entry to have a higher priority than the other, and then use that printer entry yourself while assigning the lowerpriority printer entry to other users. To create a new entry for the printer, install it again using the technique described earlier in this article. When you install the printer again like this, the Add Printer Wizard displays the Which Version of the Driver Do You Want to Use screen, which offers you a Use the Driver That Is Currently Installed option button and a Replace the Current Driver option button. Given that the driver is the same, leave the Use the Driver That Is Currently Installed option button selected, and then click the Next button. On the Type a Printer Name page, assign the printer a name that reflects the role you plan for it. For example, if you create a new entry for a printer so that you can use it to print to a file, include that information in the printers name and perhaps add it to the printers Location and Comment fields as well. After installing the printer, set properties for it to play the role you intend.

Printing to a File

Sometimes you may want to print a document to a file that you can send to someone else for printing or that you can use in another program. For example, if you need to have a document printed on a highresolution device in your local print shop, you can print the document to a file, put the file on a portable medium, and take it along to the print shop. That way, the print shop doesnt need to have a copy of the program that created the document, the way it needs one if you copy the document onto a removable disk or recordable CD and take that along to the print shop instead. You can print to a file in any of three ways

Select the Print to File check box in the Print dialog box When you print from a

program, you can select the Print to File check box in the Print dialog box to print a particular job to a file rather than to a printer.

Configure a printer to always print to a file By configuring a printer always to print to a file, you can turn every job you send to that printer into a print file.

Print to XML Paper Specification By printing to Windows XPS format, you can create a file that will look the same on any computer with an XPS viewer. All versions of Windows Vista include an XPS viewer.

Another Means of Printing to a File Portable Document Format PDF

If you often need to print to a file, or if you need to make readonly versions of documents and retain their layout, another option is to buy Adobe Acrobat. Acrobat produces documents in Portable Document Format PDF, which you can view on most computer operating systems using the free Acrobat Reader, which is available from the Adobe website. Acrobat is more expensive than printing to a file, but in many cases it produces better results with service bureaus than simply printing to a file.

If you have Microsoft Office 2007, you can download from Microsofts web site a component that allows the Office 2007 programs to create PDF files.

Printing to a File from the Print Dialog Box

To print to a file from the Print dialog box, follow these steps

1. Issue a regular Print command as usual. For example, choose File Print or press CtrlP. Windows displays the Print dialog box.

2. Select the Print to File check box.

3. Choose any other appropriate printing options as usual for the program.

4. Click the OK button or the Print button, depending on the program. Windows displays the Print to File dialog box, as shown here.

5.Type the filename for the print file. If you want to specify the folder in which the print file is saved, enter the path to the folder before the filename. Otherwise, Windows saves the print file in the programs current folder.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Print to File dialog box and the Print dialog box and prints the document to the file. Windows gives the file the .prn extension.

Setting a Printer to Always Print to a File

You can also set up a printer so that it prints to a file every time and doesnt let the user print to a physical printer. This capability is useful when you always need to create print files on a particular printer and dont want to risk actually printing a document by forgetting to select the Print to File check box in the Print dialog box, or if the printer in question is never available from your computer. To make a printer always print to a file, select the FILE port in the Print to the Following Ports list box on the Ports page of the Properties dialog box for the printer. Windows clears any other port selected for the printer unless youve selected the Enable Printer Pooling check box. When you click the OK button and Windows closes the Properties dialog box, Windows displays a disk on the printer icon to indicate that the printer is set up for printing to a file.

Setting Print to File as Your Default Printer

If you spend a lot of time on the road or in your local coffee shop, out of reach of any printer, you may want to set Print to File as your default printer. If you do, give the virtual printer an easytoremember name so that you dont have to guess whether youre printing to a real printer or not.

Printing to an XPS File

To print to an XPS file, follow these steps

1. Issue a regular Print command as usual. For example, choose File Print or press CtrlP. Windows displays the Print dialog box.

2. In the list box or dropdown list for selecting the printer, choose the Microsoft XPS Document Writer item.

3. Choose any other appropriate printing options as usual for the program.

4. Click the OK button or the Print button, depending on the program. Windows displays the Save As dialog box.

5. Choose the folder in which to save the XPS file, and assign it a filename.

6. Click the Save button. Windows creates the XPS file.

The conventional way of printing a document is as follows

1. Issue a Print command from the program that created the document or from a program designed to handle its file type.

2. Choose any relevant options which pages to print, or the resolution to use in the Print dialog box.

3. Click the Print button or the OK button.

Windows also lets you print directly to the printer from Explorer. You can print a document from Explorer by dragging it and dropping it on the printer in the Printers window or on a shortcut to the printer. Windows prints the document with default settings, so you dont get to choose any of the usual printing options. But usually you wont have the printer or a shortcut to it handy enough for this technique to be useful, although you can create shortcuts to a printer wherever you need them, such as on the Desktop. For this technique to work, the file must include the extension linked to the appropriate file type and program; otherwise, Windows doesnt know which program to use to print the file. Many programs support printing directly from Explorer and so include a Print command on the context menu for the document. To print a document, rightclick it, and then choose Print from the context menu.

Managing Your Print Jobs

Once youve sent a document to the printer, you can just wait for Windows to print it. If youre the only person using this printer, and if theres no problem with the printer such as being out of paper, ink, or toner, it should print more or less right away. But if youre printing many documents, or if youre sharing one or more printers with people who are printing many documents, you may find yourself needing to manage print jobs. This section discusses how to do so.

Dealing with a Print Job Gone Wrong

Its much easier, neater, and cleaner to cancel a job before it starts printing than after it starts printing but often youll only realize that you need to cancel a particular print job when the printer starts spewing out garbage sheets of paper with only a single column of letters, or with mangled graphics, or page after page of PostScript codes instead of the layout of ink theyre supposed to represent.

When you cancel a print job thats being printed, the printer may get confused. Give it a minute or two depending on the printers speed to clear its memory of the interrupted job. If that doesnt work, you may need to reset the printer, by pressing a hardware reset button, by issuing a software reset command supported by the printers custom software, or by turning the printer off and then back on again.

Pausing and Resuming Printing

To pause printing of all documents on the printer, rightclick the printer in the Printers window, and then choose Pause Printing from the context menu. Alternatively, click the printer, and then click the Pause Printing button on the toolbar. To resume printing, rightclick the printer and choose Resume Printing from the context menu. Alternatively, click the printer, and then click the Resume Printing button on the toolbar. On a network printer, you have only the privileges of a Guest user on that computer. This means that you can pause, restart, and delete only your own print jobs; you cant affect other peoples print jobs.

Managing Print Jobs by Using the Print Queue

To cancel print jobs, or rearrange the order in which they print, use the print queue. To open the print queue by using one of the following methods

If the notification area is displaying a printer icon for the printer, doubleclick the icon.

Doubleclick the printer in the Printers window, or click the printer, and then click the See Whats Printing button on the toolbar.

From the print queue, you can take the following actions

Cancel a print job Rightclick the job in the print queue and choose Cancel from the context menu. Alternatively, choose Document Cancel.

Pause a print job Rightclick the job in the print queue and choose Pause from the context menu. Alternatively, choose Document Pause.

Resume a paused print job Rightclick the paused job in the print queue and choose Resume from the context menu. Alternatively, choose Document Resume.

Restart a paused or failed print job Rightclick the paused or failed job in the print queue and choose Restart from the context menu. Alternatively, choose Document Restart.

Change priorities or time restrictions for a print job Rightclick the job and choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Document Properties dialog box for the print job. On the General page , drag the Priority slider to set the priority for the job, or use the controls in the Schedule text box to set or remove time scheduling. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Document Properties dialog box.

Troubleshooting Printing Problems

This section presents a general approach to troubleshooting printing problems. Given that there are about as many types of printers as there are types of cars, and that the drivers for those printers vary in quality even more widely than the drivers youll encounter in a trip the length of Interstate 40, the information in this section is just a start but if you persevere, you should find it can help you solve many problems.

Check Which Printer Youre Printing To

If your computer is configured to connect to more than one printer, make sure that youre printing to the printer you think youre printing to. Few things are more irritating than wasting time troubleshooting an innocent and fully functional printer only to find that youve printed out five copies of the same secret document on another printer and your colleagues have found them. Given that the Print dialog box shows you which printer youre using, this problem is most likely to occur when you issue a Print command that starts the print job without displaying the Print dialog box.

Make Sure the Printer Is Working

Next, make sure the printer is working. Check that its

Powered on. Not set to be offline or paused. Loaded with ink and paper, and not jammed. Connected to the computer, print server, or network. If another computer or a print server is involved, check that its powered on and functional.

Check the Program Youre Printing From

If all is well with the printer, make sure youre not doing something wrong in the program from which youre trying to print. In particular, check that youre trying to print the right part of the document. For example, in a spreadsheet, make sure you havent defined a print area that has the wrong contents. In a multipage document, check that youre trying to print the correct pages.

Running the Printing Troubleshooter

If the previous approach doesnt lead you to fix the problem, you can run Windowss Printing Troubleshooter and have it walk you through the steps of troubleshooting the problem

1. Choose Start Help And Support. Windows displays a Windows Help and Support window.

2. Type troubleshoot printer problems in the Search box, and then press Enter. Windows displays a list of results.

3. Click the Troubleshoot Printer Problems link, and then follow its suggestions.

Configuring Your Print Server

Apart from the printer, which you saw how to configure earlier in this article, you can also configure the Windows print server the software that controls the printers attached to your computer. In most cases, the default print server settings work fine, but you can improve your computers performance and the printing experience of your print servers clients by setting the appropriate options. In particular, you may want to move the print server spool folder to a different location than its default location.

Opening the Print Server Properties Dialog Box

To set print server properties, open the Printers window, rightclick in open space in the document area where the printers are listed, rightclick open space rather than one of the printers, choose Run as Administrator Server Properties from the context menu, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. You can also simply choose Server Properties if you want to view the properties without having permission to set all of them. Windows displays the Print Server Properties dialog box, which contains four pages Forms, Ports, Drivers, and Advanced.

Creating Custom Forms on the Forms Page

The Forms page of the Print Server Properties dialog box lets you create a new form. Take the following steps

1. In the Forms On list box, select the existing form on which you want to base the new form.

2. Select the Create a New Form check box.

3. Type the name for the form in the Form Name text box.

4. Use the fields in the Form Description group box to specify the dimensions of the form, its margins, and the measurement units to use Metric or English.

5. Click the Save Form button. Windows saves the form and adds it to the Forms On list box. To delete a form youve added, select it in the Forms On list box, and then click the Delete button. Windows doesnt allow you to delete the builtin forms.

Configuring Ports on the Ports Page

On the Ports page of the Print Server Properties dialog box , you can add new ports, configure existing ports, and delete ports you dont need anymore. The port configuration options available depend on the type of port involved printer port, serial port, COM port, print server port, and so on. See the section Setting Ports Page Options, earlier in this article, for a discussion of the different port types and the options you can set.

Working with Printer Drivers

The Drivers page of the Print Server Properties dialog box lets you add new drivers, check the properties of existing drivers, replace existing drivers, or delete existing drivers. Normally, if youve set up one or more printers for printing on your computer, and theyre printing correctly, you shouldnt need to make changes here. But you may need to make changes if

You share printers on the network with other computers that use different processor types or operating systems for example, Itanium processors or 64bit versions of Windows.

Youve removed a printer from your computer. Windows leaves the driver on your computer in case you need it again. If you dont, you can remove it using the Drivers page.

Adding a Driver for Another Processor Type or Operating System

To add a driver, follow these steps

1. On the Drivers page of the Print Server Properties dialog box, click the Add button. Windows launches the Add Printer Driver Wizard, which displays its Welcome screen.

2. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Printer and Operating System Selection screen .

3. Select the check box for each processor type or operating system used by a computer on your network that will print using a printer on this computer.

4. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Printer Driver Selection screen. This screen has the same controls and works in the same way as the Install the Printer Driver screen of the Add Printer Wizard, earlier in this article.

5. Select the printers manufacturer in the Manufacturer list, and then select the model in the Printers list. You can also click the Have Disk button to supply a driver that you have on a disk.

6.Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Completing the Add Printer Driver Wizard screen.

7. Click the Finish button. The wizard installs the driver and closes itself.

Removing a Driver

To remove a driver, take the following steps

1. Select the driver in the Installed Printer Drivers list box on the Drivers page of the Print Server Properties dialog box.

2. Click the Remove button. Windows displays the Remove Driver and Package dialog box, shown here.

3. Select the Remove Driver Only option button if you want to remove only the driver. If you want to remove the driver and its package, select the Remove Driver and Driver Package option button.

4. Click the OK button. Windows displays a confirmation dialog box, as shown here.

5.Click the Yes button. If youre removing the driver package as well as the driver, Windows displays the Remove Driver Package dialog box, shown here.

6. Click the Delete button. Windows removes the item or items.

7. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Remove Driver Package dialog box.

Choosing Advanced Print Server Options

The Advanced page of the Print Server Properties dialog box contains the following settings

Spool Folder text box The spool folder is a folder on your hard drive in which Windows stores the spool files for print jobs as theyre being printed. Windows spools the data so that it can return control more quickly to the program that sent the print job. Spool files can be large, particularly for graphical documents, so you may want to move the spool folder to a drive that has plenty of space. The default location for the spool folder is on the partition that contains the Windows system files, but Windows will perform better if you move the spool folder to a different partition.

Log Spooler Error Events Select this check box to make Windows write printer error events to the System log. This behavior is usually helpful.

Log Spooler Warning Events Select this check box to make Windows write printer warning events to the System log. This behavior too is usually helpful.

Log Spooler Information Events Select this check box to make Windows write printer information events to the System log. You probably dont need printer information such as details on each document that was printed successfully cluttering the System log.

Beep on Errors of Remote Documents Select this check box to make the print server beep when an error occurs when printing a document from another computer.

Show Informational Notifications for Local Printers Select this check box to make Windows display notificationarea information popups when the computer is printing to a local printer or a standalone network printer. If the printer is attached to the computer, these notifications usually dont help the user.

Show Informational Notifications for Network Printers Select this check box to make Windows display notificationarea information popups when the computer is printing to a printer attached to another computer. This behavior is usually useful.

Setting a Printer as Your Default

Your default printer is the one that Windows assumes you want to print to unless you specify another printer. Windows displays a green circle with a white check mark on the default printer in the Printers window and in the Select Printer box in most Print dialog boxes so that you can identify your default printer at a glance. To set a printer as your default, rightclick it in the Printers window, and then choose Set as Default Printer from the context menu. To set properties for a printer, display its Properties dialog box by taking either of the following actions

Rightclick the printer in the Printers window, and then choose Properties from the context menu.

Select the printer in the Printers window, and then click the Set Printer Properties button on the toolbar. Normally, this button appears on the hidden section of the toolbar, so youll need to click the Display Additional Commands button the button with the two chevrons, >>,and then click Set Printer Properties on the dropdown menu.

The following sections discuss the standard options in the Properties dialog box for a printer. Depending on the type of printer youre using and the printer driver you installed for it, you may see other pages than these. For example, for a color printer youll see a Color Management page, on which you can associate color profiles with the printer so that you get approximately the colors you want. For an inkjet printer, you may see a Utilities page or a Maintenance page that offers options such as Nozzle Check and Head Cleaning.

Setting General Page Options

The General page of the Properties dialog box for a printer contains the following options

Printer Name text box This text box contains the name you entered for the printer during setup or a default name that Windows provided on the basis of the printer driver used. You can change the name by typing in the text box.

Location text box In this text box, you can enter any location information about the printer for example, the room in which it is located or the computer to which it is attached. This information is more useful when youre sharing a printer on the network than when the printer is used only by your computer.

Comment text box In this text box, you can enter further information about the printer for example, which kind of print jobs to use it for and which to avoid. This information too is primarily useful when youre sharing the printer on the network, but you might also use it to note that the printer is loaded with a special type of paper.

Features list box This list box provides information about the printers capabilities, such as whether it can print in color, print doublesided, staple, and so on.

Printing Preferences button Click this button to display the Printing Preferences dialog box, on whose pages you can choose options for layout, paper selection, and print quality. Different settings are available for different printers. The settings are implemented through the printer driver, so updating the driver may make more settings available to you.

Print Test Page button Click this button to print a test page to the printer to make sure its handling text and graphics correctly.

Setting Sharing Page Options

The Sharing page of the Properties dialog box for a printer contains options for sharing the printer on the network. Article 27 discusses how to use these options.

Setting Ports Page Options

The Ports page of the Properties dialog box for a printer contains options for creating, deleting, and configuring ports. Normally, you wont need to change the port the printer uses, but you may want to implement printer pooling if you have two printers.

Creating a Printer Port

Windows automatically provides you with three printer ports LPT1 through LPT3, four serial ports COM1 through COM4, and several other types of ports, so normally youd add a port only in these circumstances

When your printer or other output device requires a specialized port setup. In this case, you need an initialization file a file with an INF extension from the manufacturer of the printer or device.

When you need to use a TCP/IP port. In this case, you need to know the details of the port youre creating.

To create a new port, install the device and take the following steps

1. Click the Add Port button.

2. To create a new local port, select the Local Port item in the Available Port Types list box, and then click the New Port Type button. Windows displays the Installing Print Monitor dialog box, which you use to select the printer initialization file containing the port monitor installation information. Windows then installs the port.

3. To create a new standard TCP/IP port for a network printer, select the Standard TCP/IP Port item in the Available Port Types list box, and then click the New Port button. Windows starts the Add Standard TCP/IP Printer Port Wizard, which walks you through the process of adding a TCP/IP port and then returns you to the Printer Ports dialog box. You will need to know the IP address of the printer.

4. Click the Close button. Windows closes the Printer Ports dialog box, returning you to the Ports page of the Properties dialog box for the printer.

Deleting a Printer Port

Windows doesnt let you delete any of the system ports that come built in, but you can delete any custom ports that you create. To delete a port, take the following steps

1. Select the port in the Print to the Following Ports list box.

2. Click the Delete Port button. Windows displays the Delete Port dialog box.

3. Click the Yes button.

Configuring a Printer Port

Windows offers only one configuration setting for a parallel port the number of seconds allowed to elapse before Windows decides the printer has taken a hike. To set this timeout, follow these steps

1. Select the port in the Print to the Following Ports list.

2. Click the Configure Port button. Windows displays the Configure LPT Port dialog box, shown here.

3. In the Transmission Retry text box, enter the number of seconds you wish Vista to continue retrying to submit the print job before canceling the print operation.

4. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Configure LPT Port dialog box. For TCP/IP port monitors, Windows offers further configuration options.

Using Bidirectional Support

If the Enable Bidirectional Support check box is available, you can select it to allow the printer to send status information back to the computer. For example, the printer can notify you that its running out of ink or paper.

Using Printer Pooling

If you have two or more identical printers, you can pool them to create a single logical printer capable of twice the throughput. Set up the printers as usual, and then select the Enable Printer Pooling check box for each printer. In the Print to the Following Ports list box, select the appropriate ports. You can then print to the printer pool, and Windows will use the first printer thats available. Printer pooling is widely used in offices, but it tends to be overkill for most home printing.

Setting Advanced Page Options

The Advanced page of the Properties dialog box for a printer contains a slew of options for everything from setting availability times for printers to adding separator pages between print jobs.

Setting Availability Options

By default, Windows sets the printer to be always available, selecting the Always Available option button. This setting is useful for many home or office situations, but you may want to limit availability in some situations. For example, you might want to prevent people from printing at night if that might disturb the household. To limit availability, select the Available From option button, and then use the two time text boxes to specify the range of time the printer should be available.

Setting the Priority

You need set the priority for the printer only when youre using multiple printer entries software entities that represent the printer. Printer entries are a way of managing the printer. See Creating Multiple Entries for the Same Printer, later in this article. To set the priority for the printer, adjust the setting in the Priority text box. You can set priorities from 1 the lowest priority to 99 the highest priority. Each job printed by this printer entry gets the same priority, so by setting one printer entry to a higher priority than another, you can give priority to the computers or jobs that use that printer entry.

Changing the Driver

You can change the printer driver to another currently installed printer driver by using the Driver dropdown list. To install a new printer driver, click the New Driver button. Windows starts the Add Printer Driver Wizard, which walks you through the process of installing the driver.

Choosing Spooling Options

As youll remember from the section How Does a Print Job Get Printed earlier in this article, the print driver saves information to the hard disk and from there sends it along to the printer. This process, spooling, lets you continue your work without having to wait while the program youre working in sends every byte of the print job down the cable to the printer. By default, Windows selects the Spool Print Documents so Program Finishes Printing Faster option button and its suboption, the Start Printing Immediately option button. If starting printing

immediately seems to be causing problems, you can try selecting the Start Printing after Last Page Is Spooled option button to give the printer more time to process the information. If this doesnt help, you can cut out spooling by selecting the Print Directly to the Printer option button but be

warned that printing this way can be very slow. Even if the printer is connected to your computer via a highspeed USB connection, the printers memory buffer may not be able to hold an entire print job at once.

Choosing Other Options

The next four options defy easy grouping

Hold Mismatched Documents Select this check box if you want Windows to make sure the spooled document matches the printer setup before sending the document to the printer. If the document doesnt match the printer setup, Windows holds the document in the print queue.

Print Spooled Documents First Select this check box if you want spooled documents to print before partially spooled documents that carry a higher priority. This setting improves printer efficiency but is relevant only if you use printer priorities.

Keep Printed Documents Select this check box if you want to keep the spooled files on disk so that you can resend them to the printer from the print queue if necessary. Use this option only if youre having difficulty printing documents correctly for example, if youre reconfiguring your printer and dont want to waste time and effort by resending the print job from the program. The spooled files consume disk space, so you wont normally want to keep them.

Enable Advanced Printing Features Clear this check box if you want to disable advanced printing features such as booklet printing in order to troubleshoot printing problems.

Setting Printing Defaults

To set default properties for the printer, click the Printing Defaults button and choose options in the resulting Printing Defaults dialog box. For example, you might want to change the printer from printing in portrait orientation to printing in landscape orientation, or make it print in backtofront order instead of in fronttoback order.

Changing the Print Processor

To use a different print processor or a different data type, click the Print Processor button, and then choose settings in the resulting Print Processor dialog box. Dont mess with this setting unless youre sure you know what youre doing.

Using Separator Pages

To make Windows print a separator page between print jobs, click the Separator Page button. Windows displays the Separator Page dialog box, as shown here. Click the Browse button, use the resulting Separator Page dialog box a common Open dialog box to locate the separator page file, and then click the OK button. Windows closes the Separator Page dialog box. Windows includes several separator page files, which have the SEP extension. You can also create custom separator files of your own by using a text editor such as Notepad.

Device Settings Page Options

The Device Settings page of the Properties dialog box contains settings specific to your printer. For example, for many printers you can change the paper assigned to the paper trays or choose options for manual feed.

Color Management Page Options

If your printer supports color printing, its Properties dialog box should include a Color Management page. This page contains a Color Management button that you can click to open Windows Vistas Color Management application. Color management lets you adjust the way that colors look on different devices. For example, you may find that colors in photos look different on screen than they look when they print. If that bothers you and many people either dont notice or dont care, or simply curse the printer, you can use color management to try to make the colors match. The basic color management adjustment is to make a different color profile the default profile for a device for example, for a printer. To do so, take the following steps

1. On the Color Management page of the printers Properties dialog box, click the Color Management button. Windows displays the Color Management application.

2. On the Devices page , select the printer in the Device dropdown list.

3. Select the Use My Settings for this Device check box.

4.In the Profile Selection dropdown list, choose the Manual item.

5. In the Profiles Associated with This Device list box, click the profile you want to use, and then click the Set as Default Profile button.

6. Click the Close button. Windows closes the Color Management dialog box and returns you to the Properties dialog box for the printer.

Removing a Printer

To remove a printer, take the following steps

1. In the Printers window, rightclick the printer, and then choose Delete from the context menu. Alternatively, click the printer, and then click the Delete this Printer button on the toolbar or, if necessary, click the Display Additional Commands button, and then click Delete this Printer on the dropdown menu. Windows displays a Printers dialog box asking if youre sure, as shown here.

2. Click the Yes button. Windows closes the Printers dialog box and removes the printer, but it leaves the printer driver on your computer so that you can create the printer again easily if you need to.

Installing a USB Printer via Automated Installation

These days, most consumer printers connect to your computer via USB. Normally, Windows automated procedures take care of installing USB printers for you, although you may need to intervene at some points. Heres an example of the steps youll probably follow

1. Set the printer up and connect its power cord.

2. Connect the printer to your computers USB port.

3. If the printer has an on/off switch, turn it on. Windows notices the printer and launches the Add Printer Wizard.

4. What happens next depends on the printer and on Windows configuration

The wizard may simply install the printer, displaying a balloon in the notification area to let you know that it is doing so, as shown here. Go to the end of this list.

With other printers, you may see a screen which tells you that Windows needs to install driver software for your Generic IEEE 1284.4 printing support. This message appears for some USBconnected printers, because IEEE 1284.4 is a USB standard. Click the Locate and Install Driver Software button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control.

5. If Windows can find a driver for the printer, it installs the driver automatically. If not, it prompts you for the driver, .

6. If you have the disc, insert it, and then either click the Next button or wait while AutoPlay identifies the disc and restarts the installation process. The wizard displays the Please Select the Best Match for Your Hardware from the List Below screen . If you dont have the disc, click the I Dont Have the Disc. Show Me Other Options button, and follow through the procedure for searching for a suitable driver.

Make Sure the Driver Is Digitally Signed

After you select a driver on the Please Select the Best Match for Your Hardware from the List Below screen of the Add Printer Wizard, make sure that the This Driver Is Digitally Signed readout appears.

A digital signature is an encrypted identifier placed on a file using a digital certificate thats unique to the company, organization, or individual who holds it. A digital signature lets you be sure that the driver has come from the holder shown rather than from someone masquerading as them. A digital signature doesnt prevent the driver from containing poorly written or even malevolent code, but it does provide an audit trail about where the code came from.

7.In the list box, select the make and model. In some cases your choice may be among different languages for the same printer model; if so, make sure you choose the language you want.

8. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Installing Driver Software screen while it installs the software. It then displays the Driver Software Installation dialog box shown here, telling you that the software has been successfully installed.

9. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Driver Software Installation dialog box, and the printer appears in the Printers window.

Other Times You May Need to Run the Add Printer Wizard Manually

Even though Windows adds USB printers automatically when you connect them, you may need to run the Add Printer Wizard manually to add a printer.

You may want to add a new printer configuration for a printer that Windows already knows about. See the section Creating Multiple Entries for the Same Printer, later in this article.

You may want to add an entry for a printer to which your computer wont actually connect, so that you can print documents to files formatted for that type of printer and then print the files later, perhaps from another computer.

Installing a Parallel Printer Manually

When installing a printer that connects to your computer via the parallel port, youll normally need to install it manually. However, depending on your computers hardware, Windows may also notice when you connect a parallel printer and start the installation automatically; if so, follow the procedure described in the previous section. To install a printer by running the Add Printer Wizard manually, take the following steps

1. In the Printers window, click the Add a Printer button on the toolbar. Windows starts the Add Printer Wizard, which displays the Choose a Local or Network Printer screen.

2. Click the Add a Local Printer button. The wizard displays the Choose a Printer Port screen .

3.Make sure the Use an Existing Port option button is selected, and then select the port in the dropdown list.

The default setting is LPT1, which is typically the port for the parallel port on your computer. If your computer has multiple parallel ports, you may need to use LTP2 or LPT3 instead.

The COM ports COM1, COM2, and so on are serial ports. Very few printers connect to serial ports, because they are very slow.

The FILE port is for printing to a file. See the section Printing to a File, later in this article.

The XPSPort port is for printing to an XML Paper Specification file. See the section Printing to an XPS File, later in this article.

4.Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Install the Printer Driver screen.

5. To use a driver that Windows includes, select the printers manufacturer in the Manufacturer list box, select the printer model in the Printers list box, and then go to step 7. If your printer doesnt appear in the Printers list box and your computer is connected to the Internet, click the Windows Update button to check the Windows Update site for a driver.

6. To provide a driver that you have for example, on a CD or a floppy disc, follow these steps

Click the Have Disk button. The wizard displays the Install from Disk dialog box, as shown here.

In the Copy Manufacturers Files From text box, enter the path and filename of the driver file. You can type in this information, but usually its easier to click the Browse button and use the resulting Locate File dialog box a common Open dialog box to select the file, and then click the Open button. The wizard closes the Locate File dialog box and enters the path and filename in the text box in the Install from Disk dialog box.

Click the OK button. The wizard closes the Install from Disk dialog box and displays the Install the Printer Driver screen, which lists the printer for which the driver is designed.

7. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Type a Printer Name screen .

8.In the Printer Name text box, adjust the default name that the wizard suggests for the printer. Keep the name relatively short, because some programs have problems with printer names that are longer than 31 characters. If you share this printer with other computers, those 31 characters must include your computers name.

9. Select the Set As the Default Printer check box if you want to use this printer as your computers default printer.

10. Click the Next button. The wizard installs the printer driver, and then displays a

screen telling you that youve successfully added the printer.

11. If you want to print a test page on the printer to make sure the printer driver is working, click the Print a Test Page button. The wizard sends a test page to the printer and displays a dialog box such as the one shown here. Click the Close button if the page prints correctly; if it doesnt, click the Troubleshoot Printer Problems link, and then follow through the troubleshooter that the wizard displays.

12. After printing a test page, or if you decide not to, click the Finish button. The Add Printer Wizard closes, and the printer you added appears in the Printers window.

Local printer attached to the computer The simplest way of installing a printer is to install it locally in other words, attach it directly to the computer. The printer is usually attached directly to the computer with a cable to the parallel port or USB port. There are also more specialized arrangements, such as wireless printer connections or infrared printer connections.

Networked printer attached to a server The next way of installing a printer is to install it as a networked shared printer attached to a server. The server in this case doesnt have to be a server in the sense of a computer dedicated to providing services to other computers. It can be just a peer computer thats sharing a printer directly attached to it and so providing printing services to other computers. Alternatively, it can be a dedicated server running a server operating system. The client computer connects to the networked printer through a network cabled, wireless, or rarely infrared. The network can be the Internet, as Windows supports the Internet Printing Protocol IPP. Article 28 discusses how to print to a printer across the Internet.

Networked printer attached to a print server or containing a print server You can also share a printer attached to a print server. A print server is typically a specialized computer designed for sharing and managing printers. The advantage of using a print server over a networked computer is that you dont need to keep a computer running all the time in order to use the printer. Print servers can be either wired to the network or wireless. Some printers have their own print servers built in.

How Does a Print Job Get Printed

Provided your printer works as it should, you dont need to know how the printing process works. But if anything goes wrong with printing, understanding the basic process can be a great help in troubleshooting the problem. Heres what typically happens in the print process

1. You issue a Print command for a document youve got open in a program. For example, youre working on a workbook in Excel and you get a worksheet into shape to print. You press CtrlP, choose options in the Print dialog box, and click the OK button.

2. The program tells Windows that it needs to print the document.

3. The printer driver the print software, or what Microsoft sometimes calls the printer grabs the information that the program is sending about what needs to be printed. The printer driver spools the printing information; that is, it saves it to disk all at once and then feeds it to the printer the hardware print device at a speed the printer and its cable can handle. Older parallel printer cables transfer data very slowly compared to the wiring inside the computer, and if the printer didnt spool the data, the program would be stuck transferring the information to the printer bit by bit. Highspeed parallel cables and USB 2.0 cables are much faster.

Some programs are intelligent enough to print in the background while allowing you to continue working in the foreground. But generally speaking, spooling lets you continue your work much more quickly. Theres one other part to this Each print job is typically spooled into a print queue rather than just fed into the printer. Documents in the print queue are normally printed in the order in which they are submitted, but you can assign different priorities to different users print jobs if you want. If you have Administrator privileges, you can also manage the print queue, promoting, demoting, pausing, and deleting print jobs.

Keeping Down the Cost of Printing

Chances are youre familiar with the axiom about marketing razors and razor blades The manufacturers sell the razor itself at a low price to get you committed to buying the blades, on which they make plenty of profit.

The economics of printing works in a similar way. Printer manufacturers sell printers at temptingly low prices to get you hooked on buying ink cartridges for them, then they sting you on the cartridges. If you print a lot, the cost of the cartridges for your printer will probably run to between 5 times and 20 times the printers cost before the printer gives up the ghost so its well worth evaluating the cost per page of each printer youre considering rather than just the printers price and features.

Because color cartridges tend to be much more expensive than black cartridges, consider getting a printer that uses separate color and black cartridges rather than one that essentially forces you to print using color all the time. If you print many

documents in grayscale, and your color printer uses highquality and highcost media, it may even be worth getting a separate printer for your grayscale work.

Because printer cartridges are expensive, enterprising companies provide less expensive alternatives. First, some companies provide refilled cartridges that cost less than new cartridges but supposedly deliver similar performance and reliability. Some printer manufacturers have made their printers respond negatively to printer cartridges that dont include the manufacturers identifying technology for example, by claiming that thirdparty cartridges are empty long before they actually are and by claiming that thirdparty cartridge manufacturers are infringing the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act DMCA.

Second, other companies sell kits that let you refill ink cartridges, usually with a syringe and needle and a trusty hand. Some people swear by these kits, which have the potential not only to save you money but also to distribute ink where you dont want it, but rather more people swear at them. Further adding to the problem is the fact that, because the manufacturers dont design the nozzles in most ink cartridges to be reused, the output quality is likely to degrade if you refill a cartridge.

Another possibility is to print most of your documents in draft mode, which uses lower resolution but is plenty readable enough for everyday use, and save highquality mode for documents that need the extra resolution for example, pictures, or text documents that youre going to give to clients rather than use yourself. An extra bonus of this approach is that draft mode may print more quickly than highquality mode.

If you print a lot, or if you can afford to take a longterm view, buy a laser printer. Laser printers have much lower perpage running costs than inkjet printers, particularly for standardquality monochrome printing. The disadvantage is that laser printers tend to be more expensive than inkjets, so you need to make more of an investment up front.

Unfortunately, theres no printer equivalent of an electric razor except for viewing documents on screen rather than printing them out on paper. In any case, you should use Print Preview to check that your documents look approximately okay before you print them.

Printers Window

Windows Vistas central location for working with printers is the Printers window in Control Panel. To display the Printers window, follow these steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2. In Control Panel Home view, click the Printer link under the Hardware and Sound heading. Windows displays a Printers window .

Putting a Printers Item on Your Start Menu

If you find yourself working often in the Printers window, put a link to it on your Start menu. Follow these steps

1. Rightclick the Start button, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Start Menu page of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

2. Click the Customize button. Windows displays the Customize Start Menu dialog box.

3. Select the Printers check box.

4. Click the OK button to close each dialog box.

Understanding the Basics of Windows Printing

Windows makes the process of installing a printer as straightforward as possible. But before you start, it helps to understand the basics of printing in Windows. First, some of the terminology is confusing. Second, Windows offers three ways of installing a printer; this article discusses the first of those ways, and Article 28 discusses the other two. Third, you should know the essentials of how an item you print makes its way from the program to the printer.

The Terminology of Windows Printing

Just as the windows in Windows are most likely substantially different from those in your home, Windows terminology for printing is a little different from regular terminology. Here are the terms that you need to know before you consult the Help files or call for tech support

A printer is the hardware device that actually prints the page in other words, what people normally mean when they say printer. This doesnt go without saying because Microsoft sometimes refers to a printer as a print device. If so, what does Microsoft mean by printer at those times Read on.

When the hardware device is called a print device, a printer is the software that controls the print device. Normally, its clearer to call this software a printer driver, even if this isnt technically 100 percent accurate.

A print job or just plain job is an item sent to a printer for printing. For example, if you print the first spreadsheet in an Excel workbook, thats a print job. If you then print three pages of a Word document, thats another print job.

A network printer, shared printer, or printer connection is a printer thats being shared by another computer or by a print server and that you can connect to across the network.

A print server is a device typically a hardware device that relays print jobs to a printer. Windows also has print server software built in for managing print jobs.

This article uses the terms printer for the hardware device and printer driver for the software that drives it.

Spyware is malicious software that installs itself automatically without your consent and monitors your actions, either to learn what you do for example, to find out which websites you visit and send lists of them back to base or to try to glean sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers. You can remove much spyware by using tools such as Spybot Search&Destroy, but you may have to remove determined pieces of spyware manually. Many pieces of spyware install themselves in the HKEYLOCALMACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoft WindowsCurrentVersionRun key, so this is a good place to look for spyware. After deleting the entries and using Windows Explorer to delete any matching executable files that are the actual spyware, youll need to restart Windows and then check that the spyware hasnt managed to reinstall the Registry entry by using another trick. If it has, search for instructions online on how to remove the spyware.

Changing Your Windows Name and Organization

If you misspelled your name or your organizations name during setup, or if youve bought a computer loaded with Windows from someone else, you may need to change the name or organization that appears on the General page of the System Properties dialog box. Theres no way to make this change through the Windows user interface, but by navigating to the HKEYLOCALMACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersion key and changing the RegisteredOwner and RegisteredOrganization value entries, you can fix the problem in a minute or two.

Changing Your Program Files Folder

If you want to prevent a Windows installation routine from installing a program to your Program Filesfolder for example, because youre running out of space on the drive that contains the folder, change the location of your Program Files folder by navigating to the HKEY LOCALMACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionsubkey and changing the ProgramFilesDir value entry to the appropriate drive and folder. Restart your computer to make the change take effect, and then run the installation routine to install the program there. Change the ProgramFilesDir value entry back again to its normal value if you want to install future programs in the Program Files folder.

Change the Name for a Removable Drive

When you insert a media item such as a CD, DVD, or CompactFlash card in a removable drive, Windows displays the items name. But when theres no media item in a removable drive, Windows displays the drives default name. If you have many removable drives attached to your computer, telling one from the other can be hard when theyre empty. To change the default name for a removable drive, navigate to the HKEYLOCALMACHINE SOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorer key and create a new key named DriveIcons within it. Within the DriveIcons key, create a new key with the drives name for example, E. Within this new key, create a new key named DefaultLabel. Doubleclick the Default value entry, type the name you want Explorer to display for the drive when its empty, and press Enter. You may need to restart Windows to make Explorer notice the change.

Clearing the Paging File at Shutdown

If youre concerned about your systems security well, you ought really to be using Windows Professional rather than Windows Home. But heres a technique that you can use with both OSes to clear the paging file when you shut down Windows. Article 15 discusses the paging file in detail; but briefly, its a huge file on your hard disk that Windows uses to store information temporarily so as to spare physical memory RAM. So the paging file can contain sensitive information that a malicious hacker or a federal agency could recover. To clear the paging file when you shut down Windows, navigate to the HKEYLOCALMACHINE SYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSessionManagerMemoryManagementkey and change the value of the value entry ClearPageFileAtShutdown to 1. Then restart your computer.

For Testing Only Crashing Your Computer on Cue

Most people want their computer to crash seldom or preferably never. But if you want to test what happens when it crashes for example, to see how memory dumping works, youll be relieved to know that you dont have to wait for Windows to crash Windows includes a builtin way of crashing itself. You just have to add the right Registry entry, set the appropriate value, and then press a couple of keys.

Heres what to do

1. Back up your Registry. Yes, really back it up this time.

2. Open Registry Editor for example, choose Start Run, enter regedit, and press the Enter key.

3. Navigate to the HKEYLOCALMACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesi8042prt Parameters key.

4. Rightclick in the right pane and choose New DWORD Value from the context menu. Registry Editor creates a new value called New Value 1 and displays an edit box around the new values name.

5. Enter the name CrashOnCtrlScroll and press the Enter key.

6. Doubleclick the CrashOnCtrlScroll value. Registry Editor displays the Edit DWORD Value dialog box.

7. Enter 1 in the Value Data text box. In the Base group box, leave the Hexadecimal option button selected.

8. Click the OK button. Registry Editor closes the Edit DWORD Value dialog box.

9. Close Registry Editor.

10. Restart your computer and log back on.

11. Hold down the Ctrl key on the right side of the keyboard and press the Scroll Lock key twice. Windows goes down as if sandbagged, and any memory dumping youve set occurs.

Using Registry Favorites to Quickly Access Keys

If you find yourself using the Registry a lot, theres another feature you should know about Registry favorites. To access the keys you need to work with frequently, you can create favorites in Registry Editor much as you can in Explorer and Internet

Explorer. To create a favorite, follow these steps

1. Select the key to which you want the favorite to refer.

2. Choose Favorites Add to Favorites. Registry Editor displays the Add to Favorites dialog box shown here.

3. In the Favorite Name text box, enter the name for the favorite. By default, Registry Editor suggests the key name, but you may well want to change this to more descriptive text.

4. Click the OK button. Registry Editor adds the favorite to your Favorites menu. To access a favorite, display the Favorites menu and choose the favorite from the list, as shown here.

To remove a favorite from the Favorites menu, choose Favorites Remove Favorite. Windows displays the Remove Favorites dialog box, shown here. Choose the favorite in the Select Favorite list box or select multiple favorites if you want to delete them, and then click the OK button.

Understand what the Registry is, what its for, and why you may need to work with it The Registry is a hierarchical database of all the settings for all the hardware, software, and users on your computer. Normally, you change the Registry only by working through the Windows user interface for example, by making a change in Control Panel, or by installing hardware or software. But sometimes you may need to edit the Registry directly to solve a problem or implement a tweak.

Back up your Registry and learn how to restore it Before you edit the Registry, you should back it up in case your changes cause trouble. Launch Registry Editor by pressing Windows KeyR, typing regedit, and pressing Enter. Back up the Registry by clicking the Computer item, choosing File Export, and specifying the filename and folder. Restore the Registry by choosing File Import, selecting the backup file, and clicking the Open button. To repair severe damage, you may need to restart or start your computer, press F8, and select Last Known Good Configuration from the Windows Advanced Options menu.

Navigate the Registry and create, edit, and delete keys and value entries To navigate the Registry, expand the subtree and the keys it contains just as you would the folder listing in an Explorer window. You can also choose Edit Find and use the Find dialog box to find a key or data. To create a key, rightclick the key that will contain the new key, choose New Key from the shortcut menu, type the name, and then press Enter. To create a new value entry, rightclick the key that will contain it, choose New from the shortcut menu, and then choose the data type from the submenu. Type the name for the value entry, and then press Enter to apply the name. Doubleclick the value entry to open a dialog box for setting its value. To delete a key or value entry, rightclick it and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.

Understand the Registry data types and what they contain Most of the Registry data consists of five data types String text data, Binary binary values, DWORD doubleword values, MultiStrings multiple pieces of text, and Expandable String text whose length can expand.

Make changes to the Registry Books, magazines, and above all websites will shower you with advice on changes you can make to the Registry. Evaluate any change carefully before you make it, because it might destabilize Windows, and always keep a recent backup of your Registry for recovery. You may need to restart Windows to make some changes take effect.

Use Registry favorites to store and access the keys you need most Registry favorites help you navigate quickly to keys you need to change. Choose Favorites Add to Favorites to add the current key to the list at the bottom of the Favorites menu. To go to a favorite, open the Favorites menu and select the favorite from the list. To delete a favorite, choose Favorites Remove Favorites, and then work in the Remove Favorites dialog box.

What Is the Registry and What Does It Do

In Windows, the Registry is a hierarchical database of all the settings required by your installation of Windows and the programs youve installed. These settings include information on the hardware installed on your computer and how its configured, all the programs and their file associations, profiles for each user and group, and property settings for folders and files. The Registry stores the information needed to keep your computer running. Windows itself stores a huge amount of information in the Registry, and each program you install stores information there too. You can store information in the Registry yourself if you want to, although unless youre creating programs, theres not much reason to do so. The number of entries in the Registry depends on the number of users of the computer and the software installed, but between 50,000 and 100,000 entries is normal. This multitude of entries makes browsing through the Registry practical only for those with serious amounts of time weighing on their hands. Even searching through the Registry can be a slow process, because many of the entries contain similar information. Windows 95 introduced the Registry, and all 32bit and 64bit desktop versions of Windows since then have used the Registry. In Windows 3.x, information was stored in initialization files INI files for short. For example, Windows configuration information was stored in files such asWIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI. Most programs typically created configuration files of their own. Centralizing all the information in the Registry has two main advantages. First, all the information is in a single location. Second, you can back up the Registry though most users forget or fail to do so and restore it. This centralization also has a disadvantage damage to the Registry can cripple Windows completely.

Why Work with the Registry

Normally, you dont work directly with the Registry most of the time. In theory, you should never need to mess with the Registry. Thats why Windows provides no direct way from the user interface to view the Registry and change its contents. If you want to explore and change the Registry, you need to deliberately run the Registry Editor program, which is tucked away in a safe place where no casual user should stumble across it. Most of the information thats stored in the Registry youll never need to change. Those relatively few pieces of information that Windows is happy for you to change are accessible through the Windows user interface, which provides you with an easier if more restrictive way of changing them than working in the Registry. For example, the settings in Control Panel applets store most of their information in the Registry, so you could edit the Registry and change the information there. But for all normal purposes, youll do better to work through those Control Panel applets and let them set the values in the Registry for you. Control Panel is designed to be easy to use, while the Registry isnt. Control Panel shows you your options in mostly intelligible ways; the information in the Registry is arcane when not incomprehensible. And Control Panel seldom makes mistakes in translating your choices into hexadecimal and binary, whereas the Registry will happily accept input that will instruct Windows to disable itself. That said, sometimes you may need to access the Registry to change a vital piece of information that you cannot change through the user interface. Sometimes youll need to access the Registry because something has gone wrong, and you need to change an entry manually. But more often, youll hear about a cool tweak that you can perform by entering a new value in the Registry or by changing an existing value. You can also use the Registry to store information of your own that you want to have available to Windows or to the programs you use. You might want to do this if you write your own programs, or if you use a macro language to create automated procedures in a program for example, if you use VBA to automate tasks in Word, Excel, or Outlook. You could also use the Registry to store odd information, such as names and addresses but there are far better ways of spending your time.

Preparing to Access the Registry

Before you do anything to the Registry, you need to understand this If you mess up the Registry, you may disable parts of Windows functionality. You may even disableWindows itself so that it cannot boot. So before you do anything to the Registry, back it up by exporting it as discussed in the section after next. In fact, even if you dont make any changes to the Registry, its a good idea to keep a backup of your Registry in case a program, Windows itself, or more likely a piece of malware makes a change for the worse.

System Restore May Be Able to Undo Registry Damage

System Restore discussed in detail in Article 16 rolls back Registry entries to their state when the restore point was created, so you can use System Restore to recover from damage to the Registry. Because System Restore also changes other settings, however, its a clumsy solution thats best avoided unless youve failed to back up your Registry before mangling it. However, you may want to create a new restore point as insurance before making changes to the Registry.

Running Registry Editor

To work with the Registry, you use the program called Registry Editor. Windows provides no Start menu item for Registry Editor, but you can create your own Start menu item or Desktop shortcut if you want. Unless you create a Start menu item or shortcut, the easiest way to run Registry Editor is as follows

1. Press Windows KeyR. Windows displays the Run dialog box.

2. Type regedit in the Open text box, press Enter or click the OK button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows starts Registry Editor .

Backing Up Your Registry

Before you do anything else with Registry Editor and that includes exploring the subtrees and keys of the Registry, let alone changing any values back up your Registry. Depending on whats installed on your computer, a full backup of the Registry may be 100200MB altogether, so youll normally want to back up the Registry to a file on your computer. You can then burn the file to a recordable CD or DVD, store it on a secure network drive, or put it on a USB keychain or USB drive. To back up the Registry, export it by taking the following steps from Registry Editor

1. Select the Computer item in Registry Editor if you want to back up your whole Registry as you should do at first. If you want to back up only a subtree of the Registry, select the subtree instead of the Computer item.

2. Choose File Export. Registry Editor displays the Export Registry File dialog box. As you can see, this dialog box is a common Save As dialog box with an extra section tacked on at the bottom to house the Export Range group box.

3. In the Export Range group box, make sure the All option button is selected. If you chose a subtree in step 1, the Export Registry File dialog box appears with the Selected Branch option button selected and the subtrees name entered in the Selected Branch text box.

4. Specify the filename and location for the file as usual.

5. Click the Save button. Registry Editor closes the Export Registry File dialog box and saves the Registry file.

Restoring Your Registry

To restore your Registry or part of it from a Registry file youve exported, follow these steps

1. From Registry Editor, choose File Import. Registry Editor displays the Import Registry File dialog box.

2. In the dropdown list above the Open button, select the Registration Files item if youre restoring your entire Registry. If youre restoring a hive file, select the Registry Hive Files item.

3.Select the Registry file to import.

4. Click the Open button. Registry Editor imports the Registry file and adds it to the Registry.

Restoring the Registry to Its Last Known Good Configuration

If you damage the Registry so badly that Windows wont boot anymore, you may need to restore the Registry to its Last Known Good Configuration in order to get Windows running again. The Last Known Good Configuration is the one with which Windows last booted successfully. Restoring the Last Known Good Configuration loses any changes youve made to your Windows configuration since the last boot including whichever change has disabled Windows. To restore the Registry to the Last Known Good Configuration, take the following steps

1. Restart or start your computer

If Windows is still running, restart it click the Start button, click the rightarrow button to the right of the Lock button, and then choose Restart.

If Windows isnt running, power up your computer as usual.

2. As Windows restarts or starts, or when in a multiboot configuration it displays the Windows Boot Manager, press the F8 key. Windows displays the Advanced Boot Options menu .

3. Select the Last Known Good Configuration item and press the Enter key. Windows starts and displays the Welcome screen.

Working in the Registry

Now that your Registry is safely backed up, its time to examine how the Registry works and how you can change it. The Registry is a hierarchical database, with its contents arranged into a hierarchy of folders that are organized into five main areas called subtrees or root keys. Youll also sometimes hear them called predefined keys, though the term tends to be confusing because the Registry contains thousands of keys that are predefined at least, from the users point of view.

The Five Subtrees of the Registry

These are the five subtrees and the types of information they contain

HKEYCLASSESROOT This subtree contains an exhaustive list of the file types that Windows recognizes, the programs associated with them, and more.

HKEYCURRENTUSER This subtree contains information on the current user and their setup. For example, when youre logged on, all your Desktop preferences are listed in this subtree.

HKEYLOCALMACHINE This subtree contains information on the hardware and software setup of the computer.

HKEYUSERS This subtree contains information on the users who are set up to use the computer, together with a DEFAULT profile thats used when no user is logged on to the computer.

HKEYCURRENTCONFIG This subtree contains information on the current configuration of the computer the hardware with which the computer booted.

Keys, Subkeys, and Value Entries

In Registry Editor, expand the HKEYCURRENTUSER subtree by clicking the plus sign next to it or by doubleclicking its name. Registry Editor displays the items contained within the subtree an apparently endless list of folderlike objects, many of them containing further objects. Within each subtree are keys, subkeys, and value entries. A key is one of the folders within the subtree. Just as a subfolder is a folder within a folder, a subkey is a key within a key. Also as with folder and subfolder, many people say key rather than subkey except when they need to be specific; this article does the same. Each key or subkey can contain subkeys and value entries. The term value entry sounds like a managementconsultant way of saying value, but in fact its not A value entry is the current definition of a key and consists of a name, a data type, and the value assigned to the key. For example, consider the MinAnimate key and value entry in the HKEYCURRENTUSERControlPanelDesktopWindowMetrics subkey. As you can see in the Data column, the value of MinAnimate is 1. This value entry controls whether Windows animates windows when you minimize, maximize, or restore them. The animation zooms the window from its displayed size and position down to its button on the Taskbar, and vice versa, instead of popping it off or back on the screen instantly. A value of 0 indicates that the animation is off; a value of 1 that the animation is on. Try this example of changing a setting both via Windows user interface and via Registry Editor. Follow these steps

1. In Registry Editor, expand the HKEYCURRENTUSERControl PanelDesktop WindowMetrics key so that you can see the MinAnimate key. Its value should be 1, the default value for a computer thats fast enough to run Windows Vista without struggling.

2. Press Windows KeyBreak. Windows displays the System window of Control Panel.

3.In the left panel, click the Advanced System Settings link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the System Properties dialog box with its Advanced page at the front.

4. In the Performance group box, click the Settings button. Windows displays the Performance Options dialog box with the Visual Effects page at the front .

5. In the list box, clear the Animate Windows When Minimizing and Maximizing check box. Windows selects the Custom option button above the list box if another option button was selected.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Performance Options dialog box, returning you to the System Properties dialog box.

7. Click the OK button. Windows closes the System Properties dialog box.

8. Click the Registry Editor button on the Taskbar to activate Registry Editor.

9. Press F5 or choose View Refresh to refresh the Registry listing. Notice that the MinAnimate value has changed to 0 because you cleared the check box.

10. Click the Minimize button on Registry Editor to minimize the window. Notice that Windows doesnt animate the minimization.

11. Click the Registry Editor Taskbar button to restore the window. Again, Windows doesnt use an animation.

12.In Registry Editor, doubleclick the MinAnimate key. Registry Editor displays the Edit String dialog box, as shown here, which lists the value name and the current value data.

13. In the Value Data text box, type 1 replacing the 0, and then press Enter or click the OK button. Registry Editor closes the dialog box and applies the value.

14. Click the Minimize button on Registry Editor to minimize the window. Notice that Windows again doesnt animate the minimization. This is because many changes you make via Registry Editor require you to log out and then log in again before they take effect.

15. Log off, and then log on again.

16. Open a window, and then minimize it. Windows uses the animation again. If you open the Performance Options dialog box again, youll find that the Animate Windows When Minimizing and Maximizing check box is now selected.

The better you treat your hard disks, the better performance they give you and the longer they last with any luck. This section details the steps you can take to keep your disks in good order.

Defragmenting Your Disks

Data is stored on your hard disk in physical areas called sectors that are mapped into logical areas called clusters. Each cluster contains a relatively small amount of information so that Windows can use the clusters efficiently. As a result, most files occupy more than one cluster. These clusters can be located just about anywhere on the partition of the drive that contains the volume. Ideally, all the data in a file is stored in contiguous clusters, so that the hard disks heads can read the data without having to move too far. The further the hard disks actuator arm has to move to allow the heads to read the clusters that make up the file, the slower the file is to load. When files are stored in widely spreadout clusters, the volume is said to be fragmented. To improve disk performance, you defragment or defrag it using a disk defragmenter or defragger. A defragmenter rearranges the data on the disk so that each file occupies contiguous clusters wherever possible. Windows Vista includes a disk defragmenter called Disk Defragmenter thats adequate for most home and smallbusiness purposes. You can also buy thirdparty disk defragmenters that have extra capabilities.

Another Type of Performance Improvement

Related to defragmenters but more specialized are tools such as the Microsoft Office optimizer, which defragments a specific set of files and arranges them in a location on the hard drive that the disk heads can quickly access. Depending on how fragmented a volume is, and how big it is, defragmentation can take anything from a few minutes to a few hours. You can work on your computer while defragmentation is going on, but youll find the computer responding more slowly than usual, and any files that you create, move, or copy may slow down the defragmentation process. Because of this, the best time to defragment a volume is when youre not using your computer. For this reason, Windows comes set to defragment your hard disk automatically in the early hours of the morning one day a week. This works well if you leave your computer running, but if you switch it off at night, you may do better to defragment your disk manually when youre going to leave your computer for a few hours. You can start Disk Defragmenter in several ways. Here are the two easiest ways

Choose Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control.

Choose Start Computer, rightclick any hard disk icon it doesnt matter which, and then choose Properties from the context menu. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, click the Defragment Now button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control.

Defragmenting the Disk Immediately

To defragment the hard disk now, click the Defragment Now button. Disk Defragmenter starts defragmenting your hard disks. For best effect, leave your computer now so you dont slow down the defragmentation process. If Disk Defragmenter is still running when you return, you can click the Cancel Defragmentation button to end the defragmentation.

How Disk Defragmenter in Windows Vista Is Different than Disk Defragmenter in Windows XP

If youve used Disk Defragmenter in Windows XP, youll notice several major differences in Disk Defragmenter in Windows Vista

Disk Defragmenter comes set to run on a schedule.

When you run Disk Defragmenter, it defragments all your hard disks. You cant tell it to defragment one disk but not another.

Disk Defragmenter no longer lets you analyze a disk and get a report about how fragmented it is and which files are suffering particularly badly. Instead, you simply set it running and let it do its job.

Disk Defragmenter no longer gives you a readout of its progress. All you get is the laconic message Defragmenting hard disks This may take from a few minutes to a few hours.

Changing the Defragmentation Schedule

If you want to run Disk Defragmenter on a schedule, select the Run on a Schedule check box in the Disk Defragmenter dialog box. The readout shows the details of the schedule for example, Run at 100 AMevery Wednesday and details of the last run and the next run. To modify the schedule, click the Modify Schedule button, and then choose settings in the Disk Defragmenter Modify Schedule dialog box . Early in the morning is a good time for defragmentation if you leave your computer running; if you switch your computer off at night, choose, instead, a time when you normally will be busy away from your computer but the computer will be on.

Cleaning Up Your Disks with Disk Cleanup

Most Windows programs create temporary files that they use to store information temporarily when youre running them. Some programs remember to get rid of these files when you exit them. Others forget. And if your computer loses power or crashes, even the wellbehaved programs dont have a chance to get rid of temporary files. Windows Disk Cleanup feature provides an effective way to remove from local drives not only these temporary files but also temporary Internet files, downloaded program files, offline web pages, and the contents of the Recycle Bin. Disk Cleanup doesnt work on network drives. A standard user can clean up their own user account, and an administrator can clean up systemwide items as well.

Cleaning Up Your Own User Account

To clean up your own user account using Disk Cleanup, follow these steps

1. Close all programs youre running. This step is optional, but its usually a good idea.

2. Choose Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Cleanup. Windows displays the Disk Cleanup Options dialog box, as shown here, asking which files you want to clean up

3. Click the My Files Only button if you want to clean up your own files. Youll probably want to start by cleaning up your own files, so this section shows you this path first. If youre an administrator and want to clean up everyones files, click the Files from All Users on This Computer button, and follow the path in the next section.

Another Way to Launch Disk Cleanup

You can also launch Disk Cleanup by following these steps

1. Choose Start Computer. Windows displays a Computer window.

2. Rightclick the icon for the hard disk you want to clean up, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Local Disk Properties dialog box for that disk.

3. On the General page, click the Disk Cleanup button. Windows displays the Disk Cleanup Options dialog box. When you launch Disk Cleanup this way, Windows doesnt display the Select Drive dialog box, because youve already told it which drive you want to clean up.

4.If your computer has multiple hard disk drives, Disk Cleanup displays the Disk Cleanup Drive Selection dialog box, as shown here. If your computer has only one hard disk drive, Disk Cleanup doesnt need to ask you which disk to clean up.

5. Select the disk in the Drives dropdown list, and then click the OK button. Disk Cleanup examines the disk, and then displays the Disk Cleanup dialog box for that disk.

6.Select the check box for each item you want to delete. Here is an explanation of the items.

Downloaded Program Files ActiveX controls and Java applets downloaded by Internet Explorer so that it could display pages that needed them. If you delete these files, Internet Explorer may need to download the controls and applets again when you next access pages that need them, which may slow down your browsing a bit. You can click the View Files button to make Windows display an Explorer window containing the files.

Temporary Internet Files These files are the components of web pages that Internet Explorer has downloaded and has stored on your hard drive so that it can retrieve them quickly when you access the same sites again. Deleting these files means that Internet Explorer will need to download them again the next time you access one of the sites, which will slow down your browsing. Again, you can click the View Files button to have Windows display an Explorer window containing these files but be warned that there are usually thousands of them, and that the format in which they appear is less than informative.

Hibernation File Cleaner Select this check box if you want to delete the hibernation file on your computer and disable hibernation. Disabling hibernation on a desktop

computer is a fair enough idea, but you probably dont want to disable it on a notebook computer. Your computers hibernation file is the same size as the computers RAM when the computer hibernates, it writes the contents of RAM to disk to preserve it, so you can recover a fair amount of disk space by deleting the hibernation file.

Microsoft Office Temporary Files Select this check box to delete any temporary data files or log files left behind by the Microsoft Office applications.

Offline Web Pages This item appears only if you use offline favorites in Internet Explorer. These files hold the information for the cached copies of your offline favorites. If you use offline favorites extensively, these files may take up a lot of space. If you delete these files, you wont be able to view your offline favorites until you synchronize them again and synchronizing them will probably reclaim most of the disk space that deleting these files freed up.

Recycle Bin These files are the contents of the Recycle Bin. As usual, make sure that you want to get rid of these files before you tell Disk Cleanup to delete them. You can click the View Files button to have Windows display an Explorer window showing the contents of the Recycle Bin.

Temporary Remote Desktop Files These files are temporary picture files used to display information more quickly when youre using Remote Desktop Connection. You can safely get rid of them, but your subsequent Remote Desktop Connection sessions may run a bit more slowly.

Temporary Files These files are temporary storage files that should have been deleted by the program that created them. You can delete with impunity any temporary files that arent currently being used. Disk Cleanup leaves alone any temporary files still in use.

Thumbnails Select this check box to make Windows delete the thumbnail images it maintains of your picture files. Windows will then recreate the thumbnails as needed when you open each folder containing picture files, but displaying the thumbnails will take longer. Unless youre desperate for disk space, youll probably find it easier to keep the thumbnail files.

Per User Queued Windows Error Reporting Files Select this check box to make Windows delete the errorreport files that are in the queue for reporting. Normally, youll want to keep these files until theyve been reported.

Per User Archived Windows Error Reporting Files Select this check box to make Windows delete the errorreport files it keeps. Normally, these files take up only a minimal amount of space, but you might as well get rid of them unless you need to be able to track back through problems your computer is experiencing.

7. Click the OK button. Windows displays a Disk Cleanup dialog box confirming that you want to get rid of the files, as shown here.

8. Click the Delete Files button. Windows closes the Disk Cleanup dialog box and disposes of the items you chose.

Cleaning Up Systemwide Items

Depending on what you chose to delete, you may have been able to reclaim a useful amount of disk space by deleting items in your own user account. For a full cleanup, run Disk Cleanup again and use the Administratoronly options, which let you remove systemwide items, including surplus programs and unneeded System Restore points. To clean up files for all users of your computer, follow these steps

1. Choose Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Cleanup. Windows displays the Disk Cleanup Options dialog box.

2. Click the Files from All Users on this Computer button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Disk Cleanup Drive Selection dialog box.

3. Select the drive you want to clean up, and then click the OK button. Windows displays the Disk Cleanup dialog box, which offers the options listed in step 6 of the previous list, together with the following additional items

System Archived Windows Error Reporting Files Select this check box to delete these archived error reports, which are similar to the peruser archived reports but apply to errors experienced by the system rather than by applications run by a particular user.

System Queued Windows Error Reporting Files Select this check box if you want to delete these error reports that are queued but not yet archived. Unless youre desperate for disk space, its probably best to keep these reports in case you need to examine them.

4. If you need to reclaim more space, click the More Options tab to display the More

Options page of the Disk Cleanup dialog box .

5.To remove programs you no longer need, click the Clean Up button in the Programs and Features group box. Windows displays a Programs and Features window, which you can use to delete programs. See the section Removing a Program in Article 4 for instructions on how to remove programs using the Programs and Features window.

6. To remove all System Restore restore points, except the latest one, click the Clean Up button in the System Restore and Shadow Copies group box, and then click the Delete button in the next Disk Cleanup dialog box shown here. Article 16 shows you how to use System Restore.

7. Click the OK button. Windows displays a Disk Cleanup dialog box confirming that you want to get rid of the files, as shown here.

8. Click the Delete Files button. Windows closes the Disk Cleanup dialog box and disposes of the items you chose.

Checking a Disk for Errors

Once youve cleaned unnecessary files off your hard disk, its a good idea to check it for errors. Errors typically occur when sectors go bad, which can happen through natural selection some disks age more quickly in parts or unnatural intervention such as physical damage resulting from the disk being bumped or receiving an electrical spike. To check a disk for errors, follow these steps

1. Close all programs that are on the disk or that might be accessing the disk. In practice, its best to close all programs for the time being. Close any files open from the disk.

2. Choose Start Computer. Windows opens a Computer window.

3. Rightclick the drive you want to check, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Properties dialog box for the drive.

4. Click the Tools tab. Windows displays the Tools page of the Properties dialog box.

5. Click the Check Now button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Check Disk dialog box .

6. If you want Windows to repair filesystem errors, select the Automatically Fix File System Errors check box.

7. If you want Windows to scan for bad sectors and attempt to recover information from them, and repair filesystem errors, select the Scan for and Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors check box.

8. Click the Start button to run Check Disk. Windows displays the Checking Disk dialog box while it performs the checks.

If you see a dialog box like the one telling you that Windows cant check the disk while its in use and asking whether you want to schedule the disk check to take place the next time you restart the computer, click the Schedule Disk Check button. This dialog box typically appears when youre checking a system volume Because Windows is constantly using the volume, Check Disk cant get exclusive access to it.

9. When Check Disk has finished, it displays a message box telling you that the disk check is complete.

10. Click the OK button. Check Disk closes and returns you to the Properties dialog box.

11. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box.

The MinAnimate value entry is of type REGSZ. REG means Registry; SZmeans string, indicating that the value entry contains a string of text text characters, as opposed to, say, binary data. The WindowMetrics key also contains value entries of two other data types, REGBINARYbinary data and REGDWORD the doubleword data type. Strings and binary data are the most widely used of the data types in the Registry. Doubleword data comes third, followed by REGMULTISZ multistring entries, and REGEXPANDSZ expandable strings. Table 11.1 provides a roundup of the five most widely used data types.

Table 11.1 The Five Most Widely Used Registry Data Types

Other Registry Data Types Youll Seldom Need to Use

Beyond the five widely used data types listed in Table 11.1, the Registry can contain many different data types, such as REGDWORDBIGENDIAN a value stored in reverse order of doubleword value, REG DWORDLITTLEENDIAN another type of doubleword value, REGFULLRESOURCEDESCRIPTOR a hardwareresource list, REGQWORD a quadrupleword value, and REGFILENAME a filename. You shouldnt need to mess with any of these unless you get into programming Windows. You can create and edit value entries with any of these data types. Well get to that a bit later in the article, after discussing where the Registry is stored and how to find information in it.

Where the Registry Is Stored

Most of the Registry is stored in several different files on your hard drive. Part of the Registry is created automatically when Windows boots and discovers which devices are attached to your computer. These files are binary and are called hives think bees, not allergies or hive files. Perhaps surprisingly, some of the hives arent hidden files, so you dont even need to tell Windows to display hidden files before you can see them. But you do have to go through Windowss veil of secrecy over the files by clicking the Show the Contents of This Folder link. Hive files containing computerrelated information are stored in the Windowssystem32 config folder, where Windows is your Windows folder. Hive files containing userspecific information are stored in the UsersUsername folder for each user. These are the main hive files

SYSTEM This file contains information about the computers hardware and about Windows. This information goes into the HKEYLOCALMACHINESYSTEM key.

NTUSER.DAT This file contains information about the users preferences. Windows keeps an NTUSER.DAT file for each user in the UsersUsername folder. This information goes into the HKEYCURRENTUSER subtree.

SAM This file contains the user database. This information goes into the HKEYLOCALMACHINE SAM key.

SECURITY This file contains information on security settings. This information goes into the HKEYLOCALMACHINESECURITYkey.

SOFTWARE This file contains information on the software installed on the computer. This information goes into the HKEYLOCALMACHINESOFTWARE key.

DEFAULT This file contains information about the default user setup. This information goes into the HKEYUSERSDEFAULT key. Each of the hive files has a log file named after it DEFAULT.LOG, SOFTWARE.LOG, NTUSER.DAT.LOG, and so on. These log files note the changes to the hive files so that, if a change is applied that crashes the system, Windows can read the log, identify the problem change, and undo it. Windows doesnt let you open the hive files directly other than by using Registry Editor. But you can find keys and value entries or information in the Registry, change values, and create and delete keys and value entries of your own.

Finding Information in the Registry

There are two ways to find information in the Registry by digging through the Registry looking for it, or by using the Find function. Digging through the Registry takes minimal explanation, because its very similar to browsing in Explorer in Explore mode. You can expand and collapse keys as you would drives and folders in Explorer, and you can use typedown addressing to reach the next key or entry matching the letters you type. But because of the number of keys and value entries the Registry contains, youll usually do better by searching through it rather than browsing. If you know the name of a key, the name of a value entry, or the data contained in a value entry, you can search for it. For example, if you wanted to find where FTP sites were listed, you might search for FTP Sites. If you wanted to find out what the entry for the Microsoft Office AutoCorrect file was called, you might search for .ACL, the extension of the AutoCorrect file. To search the Registry, follow these steps

1. In Registry Editor, choose Edit Find or press CtrlF. Registry Editor displays the Find dialog box shown here.

2. In the Find What text box, type the term for which you want to search.

3. If you want to restrict the search, select only the check boxes for the items youre looking at Keys, Values, or Data in the Look At group box.

4. If you want to search for only the entire string, select the Match Whole String Only check box. Selecting this check box prevents Find from finding the string youre looking for inside other strings it makes Find locate only whole strings that match the string in the Find What text box.

5. Click the Find Next button to start the search.

Because of the volume of information that Windows stores in the Registry, the first match you find may not be the key or value entry, or value you need. For example, if you use your companys name as the Find item when looking for the RegisteredOrganization key for Windows, you may find another key, such as the registered organization for Internet Explorer. Close examination of the key will usually tell you whether youve found the key you were looking for. If not, press the F3 key or choose Edit Find Next to find the next instance.

Editing a Value Entry

To edit a value entry in the Registry, navigate to it or find it, and then doubleclick it. Alternatively, select it and choose Edit Modify or rightclick it and choose Modify from the shortcut menu. Windows displays the Edit dialog box for the type of data the value entry contains.

String values and expandable string values are the easiest values to edit. In the Edit String dialog box , enter the text of the string in the Value Data text box, and then click the OK button. Multistring values are relatively simple to edit. In the Edit MultiString dialog box enter all the data for the value entry on separate lines, and then click the OK button. Doubleword values are the next easiest values to edit. In the Edit DWORD 32bit Value dialog box , enter the data in the Value Data text box, then choose the Hexadecimal option button or the Decimal option button as appropriate in the Base group box. When youre editing a builtin doubleword value, you shouldnt need to change the existing Base setting. Click the OK button. Binary values are difficult to change, and you probably wont want to mess with them for fun. In the Edit Binary Value dialog box , edit the data in the Value Data text box with great care, and then click the OK button.

Adding a Key or a Value Entry

You can add a key or a value entry to the Registry either automatically or manually. To add a key or value entry to the Registry automatically, doubleclick a .reg file that youve received. For example, some programs sold via download use Registry keys to implement a license You pay for the program and download it. The company then emails you a license and a .reg file. To add the registration data to your Registry, doubleclick the .reg file. Windows adds the necessary keys and value entries to the Registry. To add a key or a value entry to the Registry manually, follow these steps

1. Rightclick the key in which you want to create the new key or value entry, choose New from the context menu, and choose the appropriate item from the submenu Key, String Value, Binary Value, DWORD 32Bit Value, QWORD 64Bit Value, MultiString Value, or Expandable String Value. Registry Editor creates a new key named New Key 1 or a new value entry named New Value 1 or the next available number and displays an edit box around it.

2. Type the name for the key or value entry.

3. Press the Enter key or click elsewhere in the Registry Editor window. Registry Editor assigns the name you specified to the key or value entry. If you created a value entry, doubleclick it. Registry Editor displays the Edit dialog box for the value entrys data type. Enter the data for the value entry as described in the previous section.

Deleting a Key or a Value Entry

Just as you can create keys and value entries, you can delete them. Generally speaking, its a bad idea to delete any keys other than those youve created. Windows itself and Windows programs protect some keys in the Registry, but youll find a surprising number that arent protected and that you can therefore delete freely. To delete a value entry, rightclick it and choose Delete from the context menu. Registry Editor displays the Confirm Value Delete dialog box shown here. Click the Yes button to confirm the deletion. To delete a key, rightclick it and choose Delete from the shortcut menu. Registry Editor displays the Confirm Key Delete dialog box shown here to make sure you want to get rid of the key and all its subkeys and value entries. Click the Yes button to delete the key.If the key or value entry is locked against deletion, Registry Editor displays an error message box.

Copying a Key Name

If youre describing to someone how to find particular information in the Registry, youll need to get the key name right. But you dont need to type it painstakingly you can copy it instead. To copy a Registry key name, select it in the left pane in Registry Editor and choose Edit Copy Key Name. You can then paste it from the Clipboard into a program.

Examples of Working with the Registry

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Microsoft reckons you should seldom or preferably never need to make changes to the Registry directly. But youll probably run into tips and tweaks, online or in magazines, that promise to improve Windows performance, compatibility, or behavior with a judicious change or two. This section presents some examples of working with the Registry to customize your system. Remember that tinkering with the Registry isnt recommended, because it can have unexpected results. Before you try any of these examples, back up your Registry as described earlier in this article and make sure that you know how to restore it.

Evaluate Any Registry Changes Carefully before Trying Them

Before you try applying any Registry change that you read about online, think carefully about how much you trust the source of the information and whether youre likely to realize the benefits promised by the change. Changes recommended by print magazines and by reputable online magazines are likely to be okay, but changes posted by supposedly friendly parties in newsgroups or on websites might be malicious rather than helpful. If you have any doubts, spend a few minutes searching for corroboration of the Registry change rather than applying it blindly and suffering the consequences. If you cant find confirmation of what the change does, dont try it.

1. In the Indexing Options dialog box, click the Advanced button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Advanced Options dialog box, which has two pages of settings the Index Settings page and the File Types page.

2.In the File Settings group box on the Index Settings page, ignore the Index Encrypted Files check box, which applies only to versions of Windows Vista that include encryption which Windows Vista Home doesnt. Select the Treat Similar Words with Diacritics as Different Words check box if you want Windows to use diacritics to distinguish words instead of ignoring them and treating, say, Motrhead the same as Motorhead.

3. In the Troubleshooting group box, you can click the Rebuild button to rebuild your index if you suspect that it has become corrupted for example, because Search now doesnt find files in folders that Windows is set to index. You can click the Restore Defaults button to restore your index to its default settings if youve made changes that appear to have had a negative effect.

4. The Index Location group box shows you the current location of the index file. You can move the file to a different location by clicking the Select New button, choosing the drive and folder in the Browse for Folder dialog box, and then clicking the OK button. The only reason for moving the index is if your computer has two or more hard disks and you can move the index to a faster disk than it is currently on. Having the index on a faster disk will give you somewhat faster indexing and searching.

5. The File Types page of the Advanced Options dialog box lets you choose which file types Windows indexes and whether it indexes only the properties or the properties and the file contents. Follow these steps

In the list box, select the file extension associated with the file type you want to affect. For example, select the DOCX file extension to affect Word 2007 documents.

Select the check box to make Windows index the file type. Windows automatically selects the check boxes for file types that you can create.

In the How Should This File Be Indexed group box, select the Index Properties and File Contents option button if you want Windows to index the documents content as well as its properties. Otherwise, select the Index Properties Only option button.

If you need to add a file extension to the list, click in the text box near the bottom of the File Types page, type the extension, and then click the Add New Extension button. Windows adds it to the list and selects its check box and the Index Properties Only option button. You can then select the Index Properties and File Contents option button if appropriate.

6. When youve finished choosing advanced options, click the OK button. Windows closes the Advanced Options dialog box and returns you to the Indexing Options dialog box.

7. Click the Close button. Windows closes the Indexing Options dialog box.

Why Not Index All File Contents

There are three reasons not to index all file contents

1. Indexing &64257;le contents as well as &64257;le properties takes Windows much longer to complete the indexing process.

2. Your index &64257;le quickly becomes larger than it needs to be.

3. Searching tends to become less ef&64257;cient, as you get more unrelated hits.

For these reasons, its best to index file contents only for data files that you might need to be able to identify by their contents. For example, you might need to be able to pick out a Word document by a particular phrase it contains.

To save disk space, you can compress files, folders, or even an entire drive that uses NTFS. You cant compress a FAT32 drive using Windows. How much disk space you save depends on the types of file youre compressing. Anything thats already compressed for example, a Zip file or a compressed multimedia file such as an MP3 music file or an MPEG movie wont compress much, if at all. Files such as Word documents or Excel spreadsheets compress nicely. Uncompressed graphics for example, Windows Bitmap BMP files compress very well. Compression saves space so that you can pack more information on your drives, but it has two main disadvantages

First, your computer takes longer to access a compressed file, folder, or drive. If your computer can run Windows Vista at a decent speed, the extra effort required for compression shouldnt matter unless you need every ounce of performance for example, for games.

Second, you cannot encrypt a compressed file or folder. However, Windows Vista Home doesnt offer encryption, so this concern applies only to the Business and Ultimate versions of Windows Vista.

Compressing a File or Folder

To compress a file or a folder, take the following steps

1. Rightclick the file or folder and choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Properties dialog box for the file or folder.

2. On the General page, click the Advanced button. Windows displays the Advanced Attributes dialog box .

3. Select the Compress Contents to Save Disk Space check box.

4. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Advanced Attributes dialog box.

5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box. To uncompress a file or folder, repeat this procedure but clear the Compress Contents to Save Disk Space check box.

Some Files and Folders Arent Worth Compressing

When deciding whether to compress a folder, consider the files it will contain. If the files are already in a highly compressed format, compressing the folder will save no further space. For example, files such as MP3 and WMA audio files and MPEG video files are already compressed as far as they will go, so theres no point in compressing a folder that will contain them.

Compressing a Drive

Compressing individual folders let alone individual files is a slow business, and may not save you a large amount of space. Youll usually get better results from compressing a whole drive. To compress an NTFS drive, take the following steps

1. Choose Start Computer. Windows open a Computer window.

2. Rightclick the drive, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Properties dialog box for the drive .

3. On the General page, select the Compress This Drive to Save Disk Space check box.

4. Click the Apply button. Windows displays the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box, asking if you want to apply this change only to the root of the drive or to its sub folders and files as well.

5. Select the Apply Changes to drive, Subfolders and Files option button where drive is the drive letter.

6.Click the OK button. Windows closes the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box and displays the Access Denied dialog box, as shown here, saying that you will need to provide administrator permission to change the drives attributes.

7. Click the Continue button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control.

8.Once youre authenticated, Windows displays the Applying Attributes dialog box, and starts compressing the drive, as shown here.

9. When compression is complete, click the OK button in the Properties dialog box for the drive. Windows closes the dialog box. If you find that compressing the drive seems to have reduced your computers performance, you can uncompress it easily enough. Repeat the steps in the above list, but this time, clear the Compress This Drive to Save Disk Space check box. You need to authenticate yourself for decompression as well.

Windows May Be Unable to Compress Files That Are in Use

While compressing a drive, Windows may display the Error Applying Attributes dialog box telling you that an error occurred applying the attribute to in other words, compressing a file because the file is being used by another process. This dialog box offers you an Ignore button, an Ignore All button, a Try Again button, and a Cancel button, as shown here. Usually, the best approach is to click the Retry button to retry the operation. If the dialog box reappears, click the Ignore button. If Windows keeps producing the Error Applying Attributes dialog box, click the Ignore All button to ignore all the errors and continue with the compression, or click the Cancel button to cancel applying the compression for now so that you can try the operation again later.

Setting Archiving and Indexing for a File or Folder

Apart from compression, the Advanced Attributes dialog box , earlier in the article for a file or folder offers two other options

File/Folder Is Ready for Archiving check box Select this check box or leave it selected to specify that the file or folder can be archived. Nothing will happen to the folder until you use a program that checks the archiving status of files.

Index This Folder for Fast Searching check box Select this check box or leave it selected to include this folder in any indexing operations you tell Windows to perform. By indexing your folders, Windows creates a database that lets you search more quickly for files matching specified criteria. When youve finished choosing settings in the Advanced Attributes dialog box, click the OK button. Windows closes the Advanced Attributes dialog box. Then click the OK button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box for the file or folder.

Configuring Indexing and Search Options

Windows Vista automatically creates indexes of all the files and folders on your computer that are marked for indexing. Windows marks most of your data files and folders for indexing by default, so it indexes these items unless you specifically tell it not to by clearing the Index This File for Fast Searching check box or the Index This Folder for Fast Searching check box in the Advanced Attributes dialog box for the file or folder. Windows doesnt index your system files and program files, because normally you wont store data in your system folders and program folders, so you wont need to search through them. Unlike Windows XP, which let you turn off indexing if you found it slowed your computer down at inconvenient times, Windows Vista doesnt let you turn off indexing. However, you can choose which files and folders Windows indexes and tell Windows how to index any given file type. To configure indexing and search options, open the Indexing Options dialog box. You can then modify the list of folders that Windows indexes, choose advanced settings for particular categories and types of files, rebuild your index, or move the index to a different disk drive.

To open the Indexing Options dialog box, follow these steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows open a Control Panel window.

2. In Control Panel Home view, click the System and Maintenance link. Windows displays the System and Maintenance window.

3. Click the Indexing Options link. Windows displays the Indexing Options dialog box.

Changing the List of Folders that Windows Indexes

To change the list of folders that Windows indexes, follow these steps

1. In the Indexing Options dialog box, click the Modify button. Windows displays the Indexed Locations dialog box .

2. In the Change Selected Locations list box, select the check box for each folder you want to index. Windows adds each folder to the Included Locations side of the Summary of Selected Locations list box.

3. If you want to include a folder and most but not all of its subfolders, select the check box for the folder, and then clear the check box for each subfolder you dont want to include. Windows adds the subfolders name to the Exclude side of the Summary of Selected Locations list box.

4. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Indexed Locations dialog box and returns you to the Indexing Options dialog box.

1. Rightclick the file and choose Open With from the context menu. Windows displays the Open With dialog box. If Windows displays an Open With submenu , you can simply select the program if its listed; if not, select the Choose Default Program item.

2. In the list box, select the program with which to open the file. If the program you want to use does not appear in either the Recommended Programs list or the Other Programs list, click the Browse button, use the second Open With dialog box to choose the program, and then click the OK button.

3.If you want Windows to create an Open With submenu for this file type and place an item for this program and the default program for this file type on the submenu, select the Always Use the Selected Program to Open This Kind of File check box.

4. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Open With dialog box and opens the file with the program you chose.

If you selected the Always Use the Selected Program to Open This Kind of File check box in step 3, Windows adds an Open With submenu to the context menu for the file type.

Understanding how Windows Vistas sharing works Windows Vista encourages you to create a separate user account for each person who uses the computer. Windows keeps each users folder separate from other users and protects the contents of each users folder. An Administrator user can view any users folder. You can share files or folders by placing them in the Publicfolder which is always shared or by setting up sharing on individual files or folders.

Setting up sharing and discovery To let users of other computers see the files and folders your computer is sharing, you must enable discovery. You can then choose whether to share files and folders, your computers Public folder, your computers printer, and your media library. You can also decide whether to limit sharing to people who have a user account on your computer.

Sharing files and folders To share a file or folder with all other users of your computer or network, place the file or folder in your computers Public folder. To share a file or folder only with specific users, select the file or folder, click the Share button on the toolbar, and then use the File Sharing dialog box to select the users and specify which level of permissions to give them.

Seeing which files and folders youre sharing To see which files and folders youre sharing, choose Start Network, click the Network and Sharing Center button on the toolbar, and then click the Show Me All the Files and Folders I Am Sharing link. In the Shared by Me window that Windows Vista displays, you can choose to stop sharing files or folders.

Working with file associations, file extensions, and file types Windows normally manages file types, file extensions, and their associations with programs for you, but if you find that the wrong program opens when you doubleclick a file in an Explorer window, you may need to change the program associated with a file type. To do so, choose Start Default Programs, click the Associate a File Type or Protocol with a Program link, select the file type, select the program, and then click the OK button.

which the data is stored, follow these steps

1. Close any other programs youre running. This step is optional, but it allows the conversion to run unhindered. Also, youll need to reboot your computer twice during the conversion.

2. Choose Start All Programs Accessories Command Prompt. Windows opens a Command Prompt window.

3. Issue a convert command for the appropriate drive. The syntax for the convert command for converting a drive to NTFS is convert drive /FSNTFS, where drive is the letter of the drive to convert. For example, the following command converts the D drive

convert d /FSNTFS

4. Give your computer some time to perform the conversion, and reboot it when Windows asks you to. The convert command takes a while to run, depending on how big the drive is and how much it contains. You should know a couple of other things about it

convert needs a modest amount of space for the conversion, so the disk cant be stuffed to the gills with files when you convert it. If the disk is stuffed which isnt a great idea anyway you just need to move some of the files off the drive temporarily while you perform the conversion. You can then move the files back onto the drive, and Windows will store the moved files using NTFS.

If you want the files and folders on the converted drive to have no security on them, add the /NoSecurityflag to the command. You wont usually want to do this, but it may be useful in special circumstances.

Converting the system volume to NTFS requires two reboots. The conversion happens after the first reboot, and Windows then reboots itself again.

If you want, you can create a file of an unregistered file type simply by specifying an extension that hasnt been used. You wont normally need to do this, because any program you install on Windows should automatically register its own file types. But you may sometimes need to use this technique for a program that was designed for an earlier version of Windows and that cant install itself successfully on Windows Vista. You may be able to get the program running by copying an existing installation across to your Windows Vista computer but that probably wont include details of the file types.

To create and register a new file type, open Notepad, enter a space, and save the

new document it automatically creates under a name that uses the extension you want for example, Example.888 if you need to use the 888 extension. You must enter the filename and extension within double quotation marks, because otherwise Notepad automatically assigns the .txt extension, which is associated with the TXT file type. Exit Notepad once youve created the file.

Now open an Explorer window to the folder in which you created the file, change to Details view, and youll see the .888 extension or whatever extension you chose displayed. Explorer decides that the file type for this file is 888 File; youve created a new file type.

Now you need to tell Windows which program to use for opening this file type.

1. Doubleclick the &64257;le in Explorer. Wait while Windows consults the Registry about the &64257;le type and comes up dry. Windows then displays the Windows Cannot Open This File dialog box.

2. Choose the Select a Program from a List of Installed Programs option button. Windows displays a slightly different version of the Open With dialog box, as shown here.

3. In the Type a Description That You Want to Use for This Kind of File text box, enter the name you want to assign to the &64257;le type. Make it as concise and descriptive as possible.

4. In the Programs list box, select the program you want to associate with the &64257;le type. If the program isnt listed, click the Browse button and use the resulting Open With dialog box to identify it.

5. Select the Always Use the Selected Program to Open This Kind of File check box.

6. Click the OK button. Windows creates the &64257;le type, creates Registry entries for it, and opens the &64257;le in the speci&64257;ed program. Now, when you doubleclick a file of your new file type, Windows opens the file using the program you chose.

1. Choose Organize Folder and Search Options to display the Folder Options dialog box.

2. Click the View tab to display the View page.

3. Clear the Hide File Extensions for Known File Types check box.

4. Click the OK button to close the dialog box.

As you can see in the list, the LNK file type is used for shortcuts. So if you make Windows display the extension for LNK files, youll see a .lnk extension popping up for shortcuts on your Desktop, for shortcuts on your Start menu, and for shortcuts in Explorer windows. The .lnk extensions on the Desktop are entirely harmless, but the extensions on the Start menu are ugly and make it a little more awkward to use. For one thing, the four extra characters the period and LNK make each of the cascading menus wider than it would otherwise be. And apart from the visual distraction, its conceptually a little distracting to realize that many of the items on the Start menu are plain old shortcuts. Its not quite like pulling aside the wizards curtain, but it gives a feeling that the Start menu is held together by virtual string and sealing wax.

Similarly, the URL file type is for Internet shortcuts and URLs. So if you make Windows display the .url extension, it appears on all Internet shortcuts, including those on your Favorites menus. This too looks ugly, and you can see why Microsoft doesnt want these extensions displayed.

The problem with not displaying extensions is that some file types can be used to deliver viruses. All the scripting file types VBE and VBS files, JSE and JS files, WSF files, even SCF files can perform a wide variety of actions on your computer without consulting you.

No savvy user will run a script that arrives unsolicited It could be just about anything, and the chances of it doing anything pleasant are small. But, because Windows hides these extensions, a script file can easily masquerade as another file type. For example, say a malefactor creates a script file and names it Latest Britney Clip.mp3.vbs. Because the .vbs extension is hidden, this file shows up as Latest Britney Clip.mp3. If the user doubleclicks it, thinking that doing so will start the file playing in their default MP3 player for example, Windows Media Player, the script executes instead. The icon for the script will be wrong, but people often miss this, particularly in Details view in Explorer or when opening an attachment from email. Any antivirus program worth using will catch such scripts, but many people forget to check every file they receive, especially if a file seems to have appealing contents.

Windows Vista doesnt let you display these alwayshidden extensions, so keep using your antivirus program, and check the source of any files you receive that appear suspicious.

Changing the File Type Linked to an Extension

As mentioned earlier, some programs grab file types without asking, either during their setup routines or each time you run them. Other programs ask for permission before grabbing. Either way, youll sometimes need to change file types so that theyre associated with the program you want rather than with the greediest program around. To change the file type linked to a particular extension, follow these steps

1. Rightclick a file with that extension, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Properties dialog box for the file. The General page displays information including the type of file the Type of File readout and the program associated with it the Opens With readout.

2. Click the Change button. Windows displays the Open With dialog box.

3. In the Programs list box, select the program with which to open the file

Windows breaks down the programs it offers into two categories Recommended Programs and Other Programs.

If neither category lists the program you want to use, click the Browse button. Windows displays a second Open With dialog box. This dialog box is an Open dialog box in disguise. Navigate to and select the program, and then click the Open button. Windows closes the second Open With dialog box and returns you to the first Open With dialog box.

4. Click the OK button. Windows closes the first Open With dialog box and links the extension to the file type you selected.

5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box for the file.

Changing the Program Associated with a File Type

If you find that one program grabs another programs file types, you may need to change the program associated with a file type. To do so, follow these steps

1. Choose Start Default Programs to open a Default Programs window.

2. Click the Associate a File Type or Protocol with a Specific Program link to open the Set Associations window.

3. In the list box, select the file type you want to change. By default, this list is sorted alphabetically by file extension name, but you can sort by the Description column or the Current Default column by clicking the appropriate column heading.

4. Click the Change Program button to display the Open With dialog box.

5. If the program you want to use appears in the Recommended Programs list or the Other Programs list, select it. Otherwise, click the Browse button to display a second Open With dialog box, which is a standard Windows Open dialog box given a new name. Navigate to the folder that contains the program you want, select the program, and then click the Open button. Windows returns you to the first Open With dialog box, in which it selects the program you chose.

6. Click the OK button to close the Open With dialog box and apply your choice.

Specifying the File Type of a File

Typically, you specify the file type of a file by adding the appropriate extension or one of the appropriate extensions to it. Most Windows programs use common dialog boxes for Save operations. These common dialog boxes include a Save As Type dropdown list that you use to specify the file type for the file. By default, the program displays the most likely file type in the Save As dialog box. If you dont explicitly specify the extension for the file, the program adds it. For example, if you save a workbook file in Excel 2007, Excel suggests the Microsoft Excel Workbook file type in the Save As Type dropdown list. If you dont add an extension to the filename, Excel automatically adds the extension .xlsx, which is linked to the Microsoft Excel Workbook file type.

Finding Out Which File Type a File Is

Your first clue to which file type a file is should be the icon that Windows uses for the file. For example, if Windows shows a stylized Word icon for the file, its probably some form of Word document. But icons can be hard to identify, especially when theyre small and in any case, Windows often uses the same icon for several file types for example, different types of Word documents. To find out which file type a file is, rightclick the file in an Explorer window or on the Desktop, and then choose Properties from the context menu. The General page of the Properties dialog box for the file displays its file type. Alternatively, switch the Explorer window to Details view, and then look at the Type column.

What Are File Extensions

The extension is that part of the filename that appears after the last period in the filename. For example, in a file named September 2008 Report.doc, the extension is .doc. In a file named September 2008 Report. Edited by Bill.doc, the extension is still .doc, even though theres an earlier period in the filename. A filename doesnt have to have an extension, but almost all files do, because the extension identifies the file type associated with the file, and the file type contains information on the program and action to use for the file. More on this in a minute. If a file doesnt have an extension, Windows doesnt know what to do with it unless the file is one of the file types designed to have no extension, such as a folder or a DVD. Most extensions are three characters for example, .exe, .doc, or .avi, but some are four characters for example, .jpeg, .mpeg, or .html. Extensions can be up to 200 characters long, but this length is impractical and unnecessary for all but the most specialized purposes. Despite the proliferation of programs and file types, many threecharacter extensions remain unused and available, though developers who need to create a new file type may prefer a distinctive fourcharacter extension to an unmemorable threecharacter extension. Users particularly those who grew up using DOS tend to be familiar with threecharacter extensions, so fourcharacter extensions seem strange or a bit wrong. With the Office 2007 programs, Microsoft is gradually transitioning to fourcharacter extensions. For example, Word 2007 documents use the .docx file extension, and Excel 2007 workbooks use the .xlsx file extension.

What Are File Types

Ideally, each file extension is linked to a file type, a descriptive category with which actions can be associated. For example, the .bmp extension is linked by default to the Bitmap Image file type. The default action associated with the Bitmap Image file type is Open. So when you doubleclick a file with the .bmp extension, Windows opens the file in the default program Windows Photo Gallery. Other actions associated by default with the Bitmap Image file type are Edit, Print, and PrintTo. Windows comes with preset associations for file types of which its already aware, and programs you install add further associations for their file types. Unlike Windows XP, which lets you edit the action associated with a file type, Windows Vista does not let you edit the action. Each extension can be linked to only one file type at a time. If an extension isnt linked to a file type, when you doubleclick the file, Windows opens a dialog box telling you the problem and letting you choose between using a Web service to find the correct program or choosing the program from a list of installed programs. Multiple extensions can be linked to a given file type. For example, by default the extensions .mpa, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpg, and .mpv2 are linked to the Movie Clip file type. So when you doubleclick a file with any one of those five extensions, Windows performs the default action for the Movie Clip file type, which is to open it and play it.

1. To enable your computer to see and be seen by other computers on the network, click the dropdown button on the Sharing and Discovery bar to display its controls, select the Turn on Network Discovery option button, and then click the Apply button.

2. If you want to share files and folders within folders other than the Public folder, click the dropdown button on the File Sharing bar to display its controls, select the Turn on File Sharing option button, and then click the Apply button.

3. If you want to share items in your computers Public folder with other computers on the network, click the dropdown button on the Public Folder Sharing bar to display its controls. If you want to share items so that others can open them but not change them, select the Turn on Sharing So Anyone with Network Access Can Open Files option button. If you want others to be able to change the files youre sharing or create new files in the folders youre sharing, select the Turn on Sharing So Anyone with Network Access Can Open, Change, and Create Files option button. Click the Apply button.

4. If you want to share a printer attached to your computer, click the dropdown button on the Printer Sharing bar to display its controls, select the Turn on Printer Sharing option button, and then click the Apply button.

5. If you shared the Public folder in step 3 or a printer in step 4, but you want to restrict access to the folder or printer to those people who have user accounts on your computer but are accessing the folder or printer from another computer, click the dropdown button on the Password Protected Sharing bar to display its controls, select the Turn on Password Protected Sharing option button, and then click the Apply button.

6.If you want to share music, picture, and video files in your media library, click the dropdown button on the Media Sharing bar to display its controls, and then click the Change button. Windows displays the Media Sharing dialog box, which walks you through the process of specifying what you want to share and whom you want to share it with. Article 22 shows the Media Sharing dialog box and explains the process in detail.

7.  button.Click the Close button the  Windows closes the Network and Sharing Center window.

Sharing Files and Folders

Windows Vista provides two easy ways of sharing files and folders

Use the Public folder to share the file or folder with all other users of the computer and users of other computers on the same network.

Change the permissions on a particular file or folder so that its shared with one or more other users. You can decide exactly who you want to share the file or folder with.

The next two sections discuss these ways of sharing a folder.

Sharing Files and Folders with All Other Users of Your Computer and Network

To share a file or a folder with all the other users of your computer and the network to which it is connected, put the file or folder in the UsersPublic folder. If youve turned on Public Folder Sharing in the Network and Sharing Center, as described in Choose Sharing and Discovery Settings, earlier in this article, Windows makes the file or folder available to all other users of the network; if you allowed others to change items, they can edit or delete a file or folder, or create new files within a folder. If you allowed others only to open the file, they can open it but not save changes to it within the Public folder. If youve turned off Public Folder Sharing, items you place in the Public folder are available to other users of your computer but not to users of other computers on the network.

Sharing a File or Folder with Specific Users

Sharing a file or folder with everyone can be useful, especially for items such as music files that everyone needs to access. But often youll want to share a file or folder with some people but not with others. To share a file or folder with specific users, follow these steps

1. Open an Explorer window to the folder that contains the file or folder you want to share. For example, choose Start Computer to open a Computer window, and then navigate to the folder.

2. Select the file or folder, and then click the Share button on the toolbar. You can also rightclick the file or folder, and then choose Share from the shortcut menu. Windows displays the File Sharing dialog box .

3. In the dropdown list, select the user with whom you want to share the file or folder. Select the Everyone All Users in This List item if you want to share it with everyone. Your own username appears in the list, but you already have access to the file or folder. You can also choose the Create a New User item in the dropdown list and create a new user, but normally its best to share only with the existing users.

4.Click the Add button to add the selected user or group to the list in the list box. Windows assigns the user or group the Reader permission level. This permission level allows the user or group to open the file or folder, but not change it.

5. If you want to give the user or group a different level of permission for this file or folder, click the dropdown button next to the Reader item, and then choose Contributor or CoOwner from the dropdown list

Contributor The user or group can open all the files in the folder, add new files, and change or delete files they add. They cannot change or delete files youve created.

CoOwner The user or group can work freely with all the files in the folder, changing or deleting them as needed, or adding new files.

6. Click the Share button to apply the sharing youve set up, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows Vista applies the permissions, and then displays a File Sharing window telling you that the items are shared. The window may include a link that lets you automatically send details of the shared file or folder to the user or users with whom you have shared it.

7. Click the Done button. Windows closes the File Sharing window.

Seeing the Files and Folders Youre Sharing

When you share a file or folder, Windows Vista adds to the file or folders icon a little square icon showing the heads and shoulders of a couple of regular folks. If youre using Extra Large Icons or Large Icons in Explorer, and youre sharing only a few files and folders, you may be able to use these squares to keep track of the items youre sharing but more likely, you could use an easier way of tracking these items. To see which files and folders youre sharing, follow these steps

1. Click the Start button, rightclick the Network item, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays a Network and Sharing Center window.

2.At the bottom of the window, click the Show Me all the Files and Folders I Am Sharing link. Windows displays a Shared by Me window showing the items youre sharing .

If you want to stop sharing one of the files or folders, click it in the list, and then click the Share button on the toolbar. Alternatively, rightclick the file or folder, and then choose Share from the shortcut menu. Windows displays the File Sharing window . Click the Stop Sharing button. Windows removes the permissions, and then displays a File Sharing window telling you that you have stopped sharing the file or folder. Click the Done button.

Windows encourages you to create a separate user account for each person who uses your computer and to protect each user account with a password. Windows keeps each user accounts files separately.

Windows Vista creates a folder named Users on the system drive for example, CUsers. This folder contains each users user account and a separate collection of settings for each user. By contrast, Windows XP stores the user accounts in the Documents and Settings folder for example, CDocuments and Settings.

The Users folder contains a folder for each user account youve created, together with a Public folder, which Windows Vista creates so that you can share files and folders with other users of the computer and the network.

Windows Vista automatically protects files and folders in each user account from Standard users and the Guest user. However, any Administrator user can access the contents of any users user account folders.

Windows Vista assumes that youll want to share some files and folders with other users of your computer, but not with other computers on the network. For such sharing, Windows Vista provides folders that are automatically shared with all users of your computer the Public folder structure. You cant stop Windows from sharing these folders.

Windows Vista lets you choose whether to let other computers on the network see your computer and whether to share files, the Public folder, and printers from your computer. You can choose whether to limit the sharing of the Public folder and printers to people who have a user account on your computer or whether to let anyone access these items.

Windows Vista lets you share your media library your music, pictures, and videos with other users on the network.

For any folder apart from folders owned and protected by the operating system, you can choose to share the folder on the network. You can even share your Documents folder but its not usually a good idea.

You can share either a folder or individual files. Normally, its best to set up folders for sharing and then place in them the files you want to share. If you share a file and let other users modify it, they can also create new files in the folder that contains the file.

Who Are the Administrator Users

The user who set up Windows Vista on your computer becomes an Administrator user. That user can create other Administrator users as needed. The computer must always have at least one Administrator user so that theres someone to administer it if a problem occurs.

Expert Knowledge Manipulating Permissions with caclsand xcacls

If you find the file sharing arrangements in Home versions of Windows Vista too simple, you may be glad to know that Windows Vista includes a tool that lets you manipulate permissions on individual files. Its called cacls, its a commandline utility, and its awkward to use because you need to understand permissions in order to make it do what you want.

cacls stands for change access control lists, and theres a more powerful version of cacls called xcacls extended change access control lists that you can download for free from the Microsoft website search for xcacls.exe. In Windows, an access control list ACL is used to store the permissions for an object, such as a file, a folder, a printer, or another resource.

Because cacls and xcacls are highly esoteric, this article leaves you to explore them on your own if you decide you need them. Use the / switch from the command line for example, cacls / to display the help available.

Setting Up Sharing and Discovery

Sharing and discovery is the group of Windows settings that control how your computer can communicate with other computers on your network. These settings are part of Windows Firewall, a softwarebased form of protection for your computer. To set up sharing and discovery, you must be an Administrator user or know an Administrator users password. Your computer should be connected to a private network rather than a public network for example, connected to your home network where you do want to share files rather than to a public network at your local airport or coffee shop where you dont want to share files.

Opening a Network and Sharing Center Window

To set up sharing and discovery, first open a Network and Sharing Center window . Click the Start button, rightclick the Network item, and then choose Properties from the context menu.

Making Sure Your Computer Is on a Private Network

In the Network area, make sure that Windows Vista knows your computer is connected to a private network. If the Network readout says Public network, follow these steps

1. Click the Customize link. Windows launches the Set Network Location Wizard, which displays the Customize Network Settings screen .

2. In the Network Name text box, check the name thats entered. If Windows Vista is still using Network, consider giving the network a more descriptive name for example, Home Network or Our Network.

3. In the Location Type area, select the Private option button.

4. If you want to change the network icon used, click the Change button, select a different icon in the Change Network Icon dialog box, and then click the OK button.

5. Click the Next button and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control if necessary. The wizard displays the Successfully Set Network Settings screen.

6. Click the Close button.

Configuring Windows Vista Aero

If youre not a big fan of the translucent glass effects provided by Windows Vista Aero but would still like to take advantage of the other unique features and reliability offered by this user experience, take heart. Microsoft has nicely provided a handy configuration utility to Aero that enables you to finetune how it looks. This functionality is available via the Personalization section of the Control Panel. The quickest way to get there is to rightclick a blank area of the desktop, choose Properties, and then select Windows Color and Appearance from the Personalize appearance and sound effects control panel. This window, enables you to change various aspects of Aeros visual style. First, you can pick between preset color choices by selecting one of the color scheme swatches shown at the top of the window. You can also disable transparent glass really translucency or vary the intensity of the translucency to meet your liking. Finally, you can expand the Show color mixer option and apply varying levels of color, saturation, and brightness to achieve just the look and feel you want.

How Windows Jumped from 224 Glyphs to 652 to 100,000

When Microsoft incorporated TrueType font technology into Windows 3.1, a particular set of 224 characters was present in almost every font that shipped with the operating system. This was known as the Windows ANSI character set. Installed for users in the United States and Western Europe, these characters met most Westerners wordprocessing needs when used with an appropriate keyboard, for example, U.S., U.K., French, and so forth.

These 224 characters, however, were frustrating for most of the rest of the people in the world. Many characters that are essential to write Eastern European languages were missing from the English install of the operating system. And speakers of Asian languages, such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, were even more at a loss to use Windows for communication in the languages they were familiar with. Microsoft and other software companies tried to fill this gap with various addon products. Ultimately, Windows had to expand its character set. Beginning with Windows 95, and continuing with more fervor in Windows 98, Microsoft started including fonts that contained 652 characters. This expanded set of glyphs was called WGL4the Windows Glyph List 4.

It was considered a PanEuropean character set, because each font contained characters needed by Eastern European, Greek, Turkish, and Cyrillic language groups as well as speakers of Western European languages. Most keyboards still bore the same number of keys. But users of nonWestern European languages could purchase localized keyboards and easily configure Windows to use the appropriate character set. Beginning in Windows 2000, and continuing through Windows XP and Windows Vista, Microsoft began to build a much larger character set into Windows. This is known as Unicode, a movement with its own international standards bodies. Unicode was originally conceived to support up to 65,000 glyphs, allowing thousands of Asian ideograms to have their own place in the standard. This set of glyphs is known as the Basic Multilingual Plane or, for short, Plane 0. Even this wasnt enoughscholars have identified more than 1 million unique glyphs used by all the worlds people at one time or anotherso Unicode was expanded to handle an additional 16 planes of 65,000 characters each Supplementary Planes 1 through 16. Today, 100,000 or so glyphs have places reserved for them in official Unicode documentation, though no font yet exists that is capable of rendering them all.

Making Progress in International Communications

An overview of Windows evolution in fonts shows a continuous increase in the size of the language groups the operating system can support.

Windows ANSI

Windows 3.1s original character set is called Windows ANSI, although the specification was never formally made a standard by ANSI the American National Standards Institute. The new 224character range was an improvement on USASCII, a 7bit code used by older computers, which offered only 96 printable characters out of a possible 128. The first 32 positions were reserved for control codes such as Tab and Line Feed.

Windows ANSI also retains the same 32 control codes, leaving 224 printable characters available out of the 256 that are possible in an 8bit scheme. Windows ANSI was designed by Microsoft as a superset some would say an incompatible set of ISO88591, a specification of the International Standards Organization that ANSI did at one time adopt. ISO88591 reserved 32 positions in the middle of its 8bit series for control codes such as CCH, cancel character. Microsoft Windows fonts instead used these positions for printable characters, such as the trademark symbol TM and curly quotes. This conflict of character codes still haunts Windows users, as well discuss later in this article. Windows ANSI is also known as Windows1252 one of several code pages that are used to define the character encoding used in an HTML document and Latin1 because it includes many of the characters of the Latin or Roman alphabet thats used in Western countries.

Unicode One Font to Rule Them All

The answer to the confusion over which characters are available in Windowsand whether all Windows users can see those characters when viewing and printing a document prepared by someone using a different PCis Unicode. This project, which attempts to collect and standardize every character that every language group in the world uses, is a massive effort. According to David McCreedy, who manages the TravelPhrases.info web site and maintains a huge font list, there are more than 1,100 fonts available that contain at least some multilingual Unicode characters. None of these fonts, however, includes every possible glyph.

Lucida Sans Unicode, which has been included in every Microsoft operating system since NT 4 and Windows 95, includes about 1,776 glyphs, surpassing WGL4. Microsofts Arial Unicode MS, which is included with Office 2000/XP/2003/2007, comes close to covering the Unicode range with more than 50,000 glyphs, McCreedy says. Meanwhile, these and other fonts seem to add to their character sets every day as well describe later in this article. How can you use all these characters Think about it. Perhaps you really should be including a copyright or a trademark symbol in your documents. Hmmm, these characters dont appear on your keyboard. Well show you how to master this challenge and much more.

How to Enter ANSI Characters from the Keyboard

The characters are numbered 32 through 127 and 0128 through 0255. The numbers above 127, representing characters that dont appear on a U.S.style keyboard, required you in previous versions of Windows to enter a leading zero to access them via the numeric keypad. More on this shortly. The leading zero is no longer necessary if youre using the keypad to enter these characters in Vista. The first glyph in each row represents the character youll see when an ordinary text font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, is selected. The second glyph is visible if Windows Symbol font is selected.

The third glyph is from Wingdings, a whimsical dingbats font Microsoft threw into the mix to add some spice to its first rollout of TrueType. If youre using a version of Windows from Windows 3.1 on up, and it has a Western code page configured, then you have these characters. They arent much. U.S. users dont even see a way on their keyboards to type a symbol for the pound currency or a registered trademark . But theyre there, and they do the job if youre writing a document in a major Western European language.

Understanding the Windows Vista User Experience

When the first PC hit the streets over 20 years ago, users were saddled with an unfriendly, nonintuitive user interface based on the MSDOS command line and its ubiquitous C prompt. Since then, computer user interfaces have come a long way, first with the advent of the mousedriven graphical user interface GUI on the Macintosh and later in Windows, and then with the proliferation of Internet connectivity in the late 1990s, which blurred the line between local and remote content.

Over the years, Microsoft has done much to evolve the state of the art of computer GUIs for the masses. Windows 95 introduced the notion of rightclicking on objects to discover contextsensitive options. Windows 98 introduced a shell, Explorer, that was based on the same code found in Internet Explorer. And Windows XP began a trend toward taskoriented user interfaces, with folder views that changed based on the content you were viewing or selected. In Windows Vista, the Windows user interface, or as Microsoft likes to call it, the Windows user experience, has evolved yet again.

Assuming you are running the proper Vista product edition Windows Vista Home Basic and Starter editions need not apply and have the right kind of display hardware, youll be presented with a translucent, glasslike interface that takes the Windows user interface metaphor to its logical conclusion. Thats right In Windows Vista, windows actually appear to be made of glass just like real windows. At a higher level, however, it may be comforting to understand that much in Windows Vista has not changed. That is, you still press a Start button to launch the Start Menu, from where you can perform tasks such as launching applications, accessing the Control Panel, networking features, and other related functionality, and turn off the system.

A taskbar still runs along the bottom of the Windows Vista desktop, containing buttons for each open window and application. A system tray still sits in the lowerright corner of the screen, full of notification icons and the system clock. The desktop still contains icons and shortcuts. Windows still appear to float above this desktop, and all of your familiar applications and documents will still work. What you see in Windows Vista depends largely on the version of Vista youre using, the hardware thats in your system, and your own personal preferences. More confusing, perhaps, is that you likely wont see options for all four of the user experiences Microsoft offers in Vista. However, the method you use for changing between these experiences is the same for all Vista product editions except for Starter edition You need to access the classic Appearance Settings dialog box, which will look familiar if youre used to previous Windows versions. To access this dialog box, rightclick the desktop and choose Personalize.

Then, click the Visual Appearance link in the Personalize appearance and sound effects control panel window that appears. Then, click the link titled Open classic appearance properties. Whew This dialog box enables you to switch between what Microsoft still calls, disconcertingly, color schemes. Windows Vista Aero is the highend user experience, and the one youll likely want its not available in Vista Home Basic or Starter. Windows Vista Basic is the simplest version of the new user interface, and it is available to all Vista editions, including Starter. Windows Vista Standard not to be confused with the Windows Standard color scheme is available only in Windows Vista Home Basic, so many readers will not see this choice. And Windows Classic is available to all Vista editions. All of the color schemes except for Windows Vista Aero, Windows Vista Standard, and Windows Vista Basic actually utilize the Classic user experience.

Windows Vista Basic

Windows Vista Basic is the entrylevel desktop user experience in Windows Vista and the one youre going to see on Windows Vista Home Basic or in other editions if you dont meet certain hardware requirements, which well discuss in just a bit. From a technological perspective, Windows Vista Basic renders the Windows desktop in roughly the same way as does Windows XP, meaning it doesnt take advantage of Vistas new graphical prowess.

That said, Vista Basic still provides many unique Vista features such as integrated desktop searchavailable via a search box in the upper right corner of every Explorer windowand Live Icons, which show live previews of the contents of document files. If you work in the IT department of a business that is considering deploying Windows Vista, you can actually roll out a feature called Classic Mode via Group Policy GP that does, in fact, configure Windows Vista to look almost exactly like Windows 2000. Classic Mode essentially combines the Classic user experience with the s mentioned previously. Windows Vista Basic isnt as attractive as Windows Vista Aero, but there are actually advantages to using it. For starters, it does perform better than Aero, so its a good bet for lowerend computers. Notebook and Tablet PC users will notice that Vista Basic actually provides better battery life than Aero, too. So if youre on the road and not connected to a power source, Vista Basic is a thriftier choice if youre trying to maximize runtime.

On the flipside, Windows Vista Basic has a few major if nonobvious disadvantages. Because it uses XPera display rendering techniques, Windows Vista Basic is not as reliable as Aero and could thus lead to system crashes and even Blue Screen crashes because of poorly written display drivers. Aero display drivers are typically far more reliable, and the Aero display itself is inherently superior to that offered by Basic.

Even if you are running Windows Vista Aero, you may still run into the occasional issue that causes the display to flash and suddenly revert back to Windows Vista Basic. For example, some applications like Apple QuickTime Player 7 arent compatible with Windows Vista Aero; when you run such an application, the user experience will revert to Windows Vista Basic. When you close the offending application, Aero returns. In other cases, certain applications that use custom window rendering will actually display in a Windows Vista Basic style, even though all of the other windows in the system are utilizing Aero. These are the issues you have to deal with when Microsoft makes such a dramatic change to the Windows rendering engine, apparently.

Windows Vista Standard

This oddball user experience is designed specifically for Vista Home Basic users and is an olive branch, of a sort, to those who have the hardware required to run Vista Aero but cannot do so because that user experience is not included in Home Basic. Windows Vista Standard has the same hardware requirements as Aero, which well examine in the next section. Vista Standard is essentially a compromise between Vista Basic and Vista Aero. That is, it combines the look and feel of Vista Basic with the underlying display technologies utilized by Aero. Put another way, Vista Standard provides the glitchfree rendering and reliability users will experience with Aero, but using the less attractive Windows Vista Basic UI.

Windows Vista Aero

Windows Vista Aero is the premium user experience in Windows Vista and the one most users will want to access. It provides a number of unique features. First, Vista Aero enables the new Aero Glass look and feel in which the Start Menu, taskbar, and all onscreen windows and dialog boxes take on a new glasslike translucent sheen. When you utilize the Windows Vista Aero user experience, you will receive other benefits. Certain Windows Vista features, for example, are available only when youre using Aero. Windows Flip and Flip 3D are made available via keyboard shortcuts. To use Windows Flip, hold down the Alt key and tap the Tab key to cycle between all of the running applications and open windows. To use Flip 3D, hold down the Windows key and tap the Tab key to cycle between these windows.

Avoid Installing Vista over Another Version of Windows

We do recommend that you get Windows Vista preinstalled when youre buying a new PC. But you may be surprised to learn that we dont recommend that you install Vista over XP or an older version of Windows. The reason is that installing Vista on top of another version of Windows may cause incompatibility problems that you might not be able to easily fix. When you buy a PC with Vista preinstalled, its almost certain that the components in the PC will have been selected for their compatibility and will have the latest driver software. If you install Vista to an older machine yourself, however, you may find that your printer, networking adapter, or some other vital component no longer works because the version you have of its driver is incompatible. In general, you shouldnt consider installing Vista over an older version of Windows unless the following conditions are true

You need a feature of Vista that you cant add to XP; or

You need an application that requires Vista; and

You cant afford even the least expensive new PC that comes with Vista preinstalled Even if one of the above cases is true, you may be better off burning your old data to a CD, formatting the old PCs hard drive, and doing a clean install of Vista.

This avoids the possibility that some components of the old OS will hang around to cause conflicts. If youve never before backed up and formatted a hard drive, however, dont try to learn how on any PC thats important to you.

XP Users Can Try the Vista Upgrade Advisor

To help you determine whether a particular PC has the performance characteristics and the current hardware drivers it needs to work well with Vista, Microsoft provides the Vista Upgrade Advisor. We recommend that you run the Upgrade Advisor on your current, nonVista PC, if only to be humbled when you see the many aspects of your system that may need you to shell out some bucks for complete Vista compatibility. Even if you never install Vista on an older PC, you may find that upgraded drivers are available that will give you better performance on your current system.

The Upgrade Advisor is a short and simple test that you access on Microsofts web site. It runs only on PCs that have Windows XP installed. As Microsoft states on the site, In general, PCs purchased within the last two years have a better chance of being able to run Windows Vista asis or with affordable improvements to the system hardware. That leaves out a lot of PCs that were built when Windows 2000, Me, or 98 were the leading operating systems. Visit Microsofts Get Ready Web page. At the time of this writing, the Vista Upgrade Advisor was available from Microsoft at. That page also has useful information about the exact hardware requirements for Vista. This includes a description of Windows Vista Capable PCs which can run all Vista applications and Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs which can also run the slick Aero user interface.

Before, each version of Windows included a foundational module that was based on the English language. If Microsoft, a PC maker, or an IT administrator wanted to create, say, a French version of Windows, they would have to add the French language on top of Windows. Now, Windows Vista is language independent. The core foundational module of Windows is much smaller as a result, and it will now be easier for Microsoftand IT administrators to roll out patches because they wont need different ones for all of the languages Windows supports. Microsoft also changed Windows Vista to a filebased disk imaging model.

In the past, Windows Setup would spend a lot of time copying thousands of files from the Windows install media typically a CD or a networkbased file share when installed by corporations. These file operations were time consuming because each file had to be expanded and copied to a particular directory structure on the fly. With an imagebased model, Windows Vista ships as a single image file containing just the most basic components required to get the OS up and running. During installation, Windows Setup simply copies this single image file to the hard drive and then expands it, creating a simple Windows installation.

After that, custom features are added and the OS is installed. Simple. Finally, Microsoft improved its Windows deployment answer file, a textbased file that literally contains the answers to the questions you answer during interactive Setup when you do a clean install, upgrade, or dualboot. These questions include such things as What is your product key But the beautiful thing is that the answer file can contain answers to questions that arent asked during Setup at all. In this way, we can create custom Windows install images that will install a version of Windows Vista that isnt possible to obtain using just interactive Setup. But wait, theres more Even if all you want is a standard Windows install, creating your own answer file is still a good idea, because you can use that file to run whats called an automated Windows install, where you dont have to babysit the install process. It literally automates the whole thing.

The key to all of this is something Microsoft calls Windows Automated Installation Kit WAIK. This free software kit includes a number of tools, including the User State Migration Tool USMT, for migrating settings from Windows 2000 and XP to Vista; XImage, for editing Vista image files; Windows System Image Manager, for configuring custom Windows Vista images and creating unattended installaton files; and Windows PE Preinstallation Environment, a simple Windows boot environment designed primarily to bootstrap Windows Vista installation and prepare a disk for the new operating system. As noted earlier, these tools are designed for enterprises, which typically need to roll out Windows Vista to large numbers of PCs in an automated fashion.

But you can use these tools to create custom Vista install images, burn them to blank DVDs using the thirdparty disk burning software of your choice, and then install the version of Windows Vista you want. Unfortunately, the Windows Vista version of WAIK wasnt completed in time for this article. But you can find complete instructions for creating custom Windows Vista install DVDs on the SuperSite for Windows.

Of course, you might purchase Vista Ultimate just because you want everything Microsoft has to offer, and cost is no object. If soenjoy

Taking the Easy Way Out Acquiring Windows Vista with a New PC

The simplest way to get a completely working copy of Windows Vista is to buy a new PC. Wait, were serious Even though PC makers tend to fill their machines with oodles of useless utilities, addon programs, and other sludge, the one thing you can always be sure of when you buy a new PC is that Windows Vista is going to work out of the box. That is, all of the hardware that comes as part of your new PC purchase will work without any additional effort on your part. You wont have to step through the various setuprelated issues we discuss later in this article. In fact, if you did purchase a PC with Windows Vista preinstalled, most of this article wont apply to you at all well, except for the deployment discussion at the end of the article, assuming you got a Vista DVD with the new PC. You should be able to simply turn your new PC on and get to work. One thing that PC purchasers should know about is how to restore their system, or return it to the state in which it was in when new. Virtually all new PCs sold today include a means by which you can do this.

Most of the time, you can restore your PC using a special hidden partition on your hard drive. Other PC makers actually include whats called a restore disk, or restore DVD, with the system. Check your documentation to be sure that you know how to restore your system if you need to. And when youre removing all of that junk that the PC maker installed on your previously pristine Windows Vista installation, be sure you dont remove anything youll need to recover your system.

Interactive Setup of Windows Vista

If you purchased a copy of Windows Vista on DVD at a retailer or online store, you can install Vista using Microsofts new Interactive Setup application, which guides you through a series of steps while installing Vista. There are three primary ways to install Windows Vista using Interactive Setup A clean install, where Windows Vista will be the only operating system on the PC; an upgrade, where you upgrade an existing operating system to Windows Vista, replacing the old with the new; and a dualboot, where you install Windows Vista alongside your old operating system and use a boot menu to choose between them each time you reboot. Well examine all three methods in this article.

Clean Install of Windows Vista

A clean install of the operating system is our preferred method for installing Windows Vista. Although its possible to upgrade to Windows Vista from certain previous Windows versions see the next section, this path is perilous and can often result in a Frankensteinlike system where only some of your applications work properly. In our opinion, its best to start with a clean slate when moving to a new operating system, especially a major release like Windows Vista. Be sure to back up your critical data before performing a clean install. Typically, you will wipe out your PCs entire hard drive during a clean install, so any documents, email, and other data will be destroyed during the process. Also, make sure you have all the installation disks for the applications and hardware drivers youll need to reinstall after Vista is up and running.

Adding a Drive or Partition for Windows Vista

There are two ways to make space for Windows Vista on your existing PC. You can either add a second hard drive, using the new hard drive exclusively for Windows Vista, or you can partition your existing hard drive, creating two logical hard drives, or partitions, one for Windows XP and one for Windows Vista. The former method is the preferable one because it doesnt require you to deal with messy partitioning software and potentially endanger whatever data you already have on the C drive.

On the other hand, you do have to go through the effort of installing the hard drive, which can be dicey if you dont know your way around the innards of a PC. And of course, some desktop PCs and most notebook PCs cant be upgraded to support an additional hard drive. In such cases, youll need to partition the only hard drive youve got. If youre going to install a second physical hard drive, theres not much to say Follow the manufacturers instructions, and you should be all set. Modern hard drives are quite capacious and will present no problems during setup.

If youre going to partition your existing hard drive, life isnt so simple. Most partitioning tools, like the ones built into Windows, are whats known as destructive partitioning toolsthat is, they literally destroy whatever was on the disk while partitioning. What youre looking for is a nondestructive partitioning tool, one that will let you slice an existing hard drive or partition into two or more partitions, while leaving all the dataand the operating system and applicationsintact on the first. There are various commercial partitioning solutions out there. We use and recommend Norton PartitionMagic, which has always been reliable. But there are various free partitioning solutions out there as well. Just be careful This is your data youre messing with, and if the partitioning solution you use accidentally makes your hard drive inaccessible, dont say we didnt warn you.

Also, you need to be sure to defragment your hard drive before partitioning in order to save time later partitioning tools will defrag for you as needed, but arent as efficient or fast as dedicated partitioning tools. Finally, make sure you create a partition with enough space on it to install Windows Vista. Microsoft specifies that Windows Vista requires 15 GB of free space for the premium versions of the operating system Home Premium and Ultimate.

But remember youre going to want to install applications and so forth. So the more space you can spare the better. To make it easier on yourself, preemptively name the new partition Vista or something similar, so you can more easily recognize it during Setup. You dont want to accidentally wipe out your XP install.

Unlike previous versions of Windows, Vista installs itself with the capability to upgrade from a weaker version to a morecapable version at any time. You simply run the Anytime Upgrade applet, select a source to purchase an upgrade license from, and your PC is quickly enhanced with the more powerful version youve selected. Vista Home Basic can be upgraded in this way to Home Premium or Ultimate.

Vista Home Premium and Vista Business can be upgraded to Ultimate.

At this writing, it doesnt appear that the Home versions of Vista can be upgraded in this way to Vista Business or Enterprise. It also doesnt seem likely that the Enterprise version will allow an easy upgrade path to Vista Ultimate. Purchasing a more capable version of Vista at retail and installing it over a lesser version may be the only way to migrate in these cases.

RAM Limitations of Vista Versions

The Home versions of Vista suffer from some stricter limitations on available main memory and peertopeer networking than the nonHome versions. Well summarize these limits as follows

32bit Vista versions will always be limited to 4 GB of RAM, due to limitations of x86 processors.

64bit Vista versions have dramatically different limitations in the various editions

Home Basic is limited to 8 GB or RAM.

Home Premium is limited to 16 GB of RAM.

Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate can access over 128 GB of RAM.

PeertoPeer Networking Limitations

Peertopeer networking, called SMB for smalltomedium business networking by Microsoft, is also artificially restricted

Home Basic can support only 5 peertopeer connections;

All other Vista versions can support 10 peertopeer connections.

Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate can support many more connections, of course, with users logging on to one or more network servers.

Setting Up Parental Controls

To set up Parental Controls, follow these steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2.Under the User Accounts and Family Safety heading, click the Set Up Parental Controls for Any User link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Parental Controls window .

3. Click the users name. Windows displays the User Controls window.

4.In the Parental Controls area at the upperleft corner of the window, select the On, Enforce Current Settings option button to turn on Parental Controls.

5. In the Activity Reporting area, select the On, Collect Information about Computer Usage option button if you want to collect data. Otherwise, select the Off option button.

Implementing Web Restrictions

To implement web restrictions, follow these steps

1. Click the Windows Vista Web Filter link. Windows displays the Web Restrictions window .

2. At the top of the window, select the Block Some Websites or Content option button instead of the Allow All Websites and Content option button. The Block Some Websites or Content option button is the master control that turns on all the other controls in the window.

3. If you want to designate specific websites as being allowed or blocked, click the Edit the Allow and Block List link in the Allow and Block Specific Websites area. Windows displays the Allow Block Webpages window .

Allowing sites is useful for when you select the Only Allow Websites Which Are on the Allow List check box in the Web Restrictions window. To allow a site, type its address in the Website Address text box, and then click the Allow button. Windows adds the site to the list in the Allowed Websites list box.

Blocking sites is useful when you identify a particular site you dont want the user to access, even if the other settings you choose allow the user to access that site. To block a site, type its address in the Website Address text box, and then click the Block button. Windows adds the site to the list in the Blocked Websites list box.

To remove a site from one of the lists, click it in the list box, and then click the Remove button.

Once youve built up a list of sites that you want to use on another computer, you can click the Export button, and then use the Save As dialog box to save the list.

To import an existing list of sites either a list youve created or a list that youve obtained from someone else, click the Import button, use the resulting Open dialog box to select the file that contains the list, and then click the Open button.

When youve finished creating your lists of sites, click the OK button to close the Allow Block Webpages window and return to the Web Restrictions window.

If you want to allow only websites on the Allow list, select the Only Allow Websites Which Are on the Allow List check box.

4. In the Block Web Content Automatically area, select the option button for the level of restriction you want see the following list.

High Select this option button if you want the user to be able to access only the childrens websites on Windows builtin list.

Medium Select this option button if you want to block mature content, drugs, pornography, hate speech, weapons, and unrated content.

None Select this option button if you want to implement no automatic blocking.

Custom To implement a custom level of restriction, select the Custom option button, and then select the check boxes of your choice in the Check the Content You Want to Block list. The check boxes include Pornography, Mature Content, Sex Education, Hate Speech, Bomb Making, Weapons, Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, Gambling, and Unratable Content.

5. Select the Block File Downloads check box if you want to prevent the user from downloading files. Files on the Internet can contain all kinds of threats, so theres plenty of reason to block them but if you do, you may prevent the user from accessing beneficial information.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Web Restrictions window and returns you to the User Controls window.

Setting Time Limits When the User Can Use the Computer

To limit the user to using the computer only at certain times, click the Time Limits link. Windows displays the Time Restrictions window . Drag through the hours you want to block, and then click the OK button to apply the restriction.

Controlling Games

Games can be a particular source of worry for parents games can be great for keeping children entertained, but may contain all sorts of unsuitable content, from violence to profanity to sexual situations. Windows Vista lets you either block games completely or control which types of games a user can play. To set Parental Controls on games, follow these steps

1. In the User Controls window, click the Games link. Windows displays the Game Controls window .

2. In the Can Username Play Games area where Username is the users name, select the Yes option button or the No option button. This is the master control for the games settings. If you choose the No option button, none of the other settings apply, so you can click the OK button to return to the User Controls window. Normally, youll want to choose the Yes option button so that you can specify which games to allow and which to block.

3.Click the Set Game Ratings link. Windows displays the Game Restrictions window.

4. In the If a Game Has No Rating, Can Username Play It area where Username is the users name, select the Allow Games with No Rating option button or the Block Games with No Rating option button, as appropriate. Normally, youll want to block games that dont have a rating, because various adultoriented games dont carry ratings.

5. In the Which Ratings Are OK for Username to Play list, select the appropriate option button Early Childhood, Everyone, Everyone 10, Teen, Mature, or Adults Only. Each option button has an explanation of the contents that the rating permits.

6. In the Block These Types of Content list further down the window, select the check box for each content type you want to block. These check boxes allow you to screen out specific content types that are permitted by the ESRB rating you chose in the previous step. The next illustration shows a section of this list.

7. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Game Restrictions window and returns you to the Game Controls window.

8.In the Block or Allow Any Game on Your Computer by Name area, click the Block or Allow Specific Games link if you want to allow or block specific games that are already loaded on the computer. Windows displays the Game Overrides window .

9. For each game, select the Always Allow option button if you want to ensure that the game is allowed, or the Always Block option button if you want to block the game. If you want to let the games rating control whether the user can play it, select the User Rating Setting option button.

10. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Game Overrides window and returns you to the Game Controls window. The Always Blocked readout and the Always Allowed readout at the bottom of the window now show which games you just blocked and allowed.

11. Click the OK button. Windows returns you to the User Controls window.

Allowing or Blocking Specific Programs

Apart from games, you may need to prevent a user from running specific programs. For example, you may choose to prevent the user from using peertopeer P2P filesharing software. To control which programs the user can run, follow these steps

1. In the User Controls window, click the Allow and Block Specific Programs link. Windows displays the Application Restrictions window .

2.In the Which Programs Can Username Use area where Username is the users name, select the Username Can Use Only the Programs I Allow option button if you want to restrict the user. Otherwise, select the Username Can Use All Programs option button, which turns off all the other controls in the window.

3. In the Check the Programs That Can Be Used list, select the check box for each program you want to allow the user to use. The list of programs is extensive even if youve installed only a few programs, because Windows builtin components appear in the list. Being able to allow some components while blocking others gives you lots of flexibility, but it means youll need to take care constructing the list of programs. Normally the best way to proceed is to click the Check All button to select each check box, and then clear the check box for each program you want to block.

4. If a program doesnt appear on the list, click the Browse button, use the resulting Open dialog box to find the program, and then click the Open button. Windows adds the program to the list, where you can select or clear its check box.

5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Application Restrictions window and returns you to the User Controls window.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the User Controls window and applies the restrictions to the users account.

Selecting a Game Rating System

By default, Windows uses the Entertainment Software Ratings Board rating system for games. To change to another games rating system, click the Select a Games Rating System link on the Parental Controls screen, select the appropriate option button in the Game Rating Systems window see Figure 8.25, and then click the OK button.

Setting Up Notifications

If you chose to log information about what the user does with the computer, click the Family Safety Options link in the left panel of the Parental Controls window and use the Family Safety Options window to choose how frequently youd like to receive reminders of reading activity reports Weekly, Every Day, or Never.

Reviewing What a User Has Done on the Computer

If you chose to log information about the users computer use, review it periodically to see if theyre taking actions that they shouldnt be taking. Follow these steps

1. In the Parental Controls window, click the users name. Windows displays the User Controls screen.

2. Click the View Activity Reports link. Windows displays the Activity Viewer window with a summary of the users activity.

3.To see more detail, click the plus sign next to the users name, and then expand the category in which youre interested. Click an item to display its details.

4.  button. Windows closes the Activity Viewer window.Click the Close button the 

Discuss Parental Controls with the Users Youre Affecting

Before implementing Parental Controls on a user, discuss with the user which controls youre implementing and your reasons for doing so. If you choose to log information about the users activities, explain to the user what youll be able to see the websites theyve visited, the people with whom theyve chatted and whether theyve used a webcam, and even which songs and videos theyve played.

The Parental Controls icon in the notification area servers to remind the user that Parental Controls are on and gives them an easy way to open the Parental Controls window so that they can see what theyre allowed to do and what theyre not. Theyll also see the effect of any restrictions you apply for example, preventing them from accessing a website, as shown here. Knowing that Parental Controls are on may encourage the user to be more responsible. Finding out that theyre under surveillance without any warning is likely to provoke a strong negative reaction.

The Bottom Line Understand what user accounts are and what theyre for Windows Vista lets you easily create a separate user account for each user of the computer so that each can keep their files and set tings separately.

Know when to use the three types of user accounts and what user profiles are Windows Vista Home lets you create Administrator accounts and Standard accounts. Theres also a builtin Guest account that you can switch on and off as needed. You must always have at least one Administrator account so that one account can administer the computer. Beyond that, create an Administrator account for each user who needs administrative privileges. For each other user, create a Standard account. Microsoft recommends that even administrationlevel users use a Standard account for daytoday computing, but many such users find a Standard account awkwardly limiting.

Create a user account To create a user account, choose Start Control Panel, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then click the Create a New Account link. Type the username, choose the account type Standard or Administrator, and then click the Create Account button.

Delete a user account To delete a user account, log on as an Administrator user and use Task Manager to make sure that the your victim is not logged on. Choose Start Control Panel, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then click the users icon. In the Change an Account window, click the Delete the Account link. Choose whether to keep the users files, and then confirm the deletion.

Change a user account From the Manage Accounts window, you can apply a picture to a user account, apply a password, remove a password, or create a new password for a user whos forgotten theirs. Every user should create a password reset disk so as to be able to recover from a forgotten password.

Use the Guest account, automatic logon, and secure logon In Windows Vista, the Guest account is turned off by default for security. Turn on the Guest account only when you need it, and then turn it off again when the need has passed. To turn it on, click the Guest link in the Manage Accounts window. To turn it off, click the Guest link in the User Accounts window, and then click the Turn Off the Guest Account link. To implement automatic logon, press Windows KeyR, type control userpasswords2, click the OK button, and clear the Users Must Enter a User Name and Password to Use This Computer check box in the User Accounts dialog box. Click the OK button, enter the username and password of the user to log on, and then click the OK button. To implement secure logon, select the Require Users to Press CtrlAltDelete check box in the Secure Logon group box on the Advanced page of the User Accounts dialog box.

Restrict and monitor users with Parental Controls Parental Controls let you define restrictions on the actions users can take. Click the Start button, click your picture at the top of the Start menu, and then click the Parental Controls link in the left pane of the User Accounts window. Click the users name to open the User Controls window, which provides access to all the Parental Control settings for the user.

Sharing Files and Working with File Types

Understanding how Windows Vistas sharing works

Setting up sharing and discovery

Sharing files and folders

Seeing which files and folders youre sharing

Working with file associations, file extensions, and file types

Chances are that you have some files that you need to keep private and other files that you want to share with other people perhaps with people who use your computer, or with people who use computers connected to the same network. Windows Vista lets you secure your files or share them with other people. Windows makes sharing as simple as possible, but its a good idea to understand how the system works so as to avoid inadvertently sharing files or folders with people who shouldnt see them. This article starts by giving you an overview of Windows Vistas security and sharing features. After that, it discusses how to share folders with other users of the computer or other users of your network, and how to see which files and folders youre sharing for example, in case you want to stop sharing one or more of them. After that, this article tackles the subject of file extensions, file types, and file associations. If youve ever become confused about why different things happen when you doubleclick different types of files in Explorer, if you wish you could change the program in which a particular file type opens, or if you want to see extensions for your files, read this section.

Creating Your Password Reset Disk

To create a password reset disk, follow these steps

1. Click the Start button, and then click your picture at the top of the Start menu. Windows opens the User Accounts window.

2. In the left panel, click the Prepare for a Forgotten Password link. Windows launches the Forgotten Password Wizard, which displays the Welcome to the Forgotten Password Wizard page.

3. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Create a Password Reset Disk page which lets you choose which drive to use.

4. Choose the drive in the dropdown list. If you choose to use your computers floppy drive, insert a blank, formatted disk.

If you have multiple floppy drives, choose the option button for the one you put the floppy in.

The floppy doesnt actually have to be blank. The wizard creates only one file, USERKEY.PSW, which is typically only a couple of kilobytes large. So unless the floppy is completely full, the file will usually fit. Even so, its a good idea to use a blank disk that youre not using for other purposes.

5.Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Current User Account Password page.

6. Type your password in the Current User Account Password text box.

7. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Creating Password Reset Disk page asking you to wait while it creates the disk. When it has finished, it makes the Next button available.

8. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Completing the Forgotten Password Wizard page.

9. Click the Finish button. The wizard closes itself. Remove the disk, label it, and put it somewhere safe; anyone who can access this disk can use it to get into your user account. You cant create another password reset disk without invalidating this disk, so dont try making multiple disks only the last one will work.

This disk doesnt store your password as such. Instead, it stores encrypted information that enables you to create a new password.

Using Your Password Reset Disk

To use the password reset disk, take the following steps

1. When you get stuck at the Welcome screen and cant remember your password, insert the disk.

2. Click the green arrow button without entering your password. Windows tells you that the user name or password is incorrect.

3. Click the OK button. Windows displays the Reset Password link under the Password text box on the logon screen.

4. Click the Reset Password link. Windows starts the Password Reset Wizard, which displays its Welcome page.

5. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Insert the Password Reset Disk page.

6. Insert the disk, specify the drive if necessary, and click the Next button. The wizard displays the Reset the User Account Password page.

7. Enter your new password twice, and enter a hint if you think it wise.

8. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Completing the Password Reset Wizard page.

9. Click the Finish button. The wizard closes itself and returns you to the logon screen.

10. Log on using the new password. Remove the password reset disk and put it away somewhere safe. You dont need to update it.

Removing a Windows Live ID from an Account

Many of Windowss communications features such as Windows Live Messengers text, audio, and video messaging capabilities require you to have and use a Windows Live ID, a digital persona thats used to identify you online. When you tell Windows Live Messenger or another program to store your Windows Live ID, Windows saves the ID inside your user account. You may sometimes need to remove a Windows Live ID from your user account for example, so that you can use another ID instead. To remove a Windows Live ID from your user account, take the following steps

1. Close Windows Live Messenger and any other programs that use your Windows Live ID.

2. Click the Start button, and then click your picture at the top of the Start menu. Windows opens the User Accounts window.

3. In the left panel, click the Manage Your Network Passwords link. Windows displays the Stored User Names and Passwords dialog box .

4. Click the username in the list box, and then click the Remove button. Windows displays the dialog box shown next.

5.Click the OK button. Windows removes the username and password.

6. Click the Close button to close the Stored User Names and Passwords dialog box.

Using the Guest Account, Automatic Logon, and Secure Logon

If you want your computer to be moderately secure, its a good idea to leave the Guest account turned off until you need it. You may also sometimes need to make a particular user account log on automatically when Windows starts, or ensure that users press the CtrlAltDelete security keystroke before logging on. This section shows you how to do these three things.

Turning On and Off the Guest Account

In a family setting, the Guest account can be a good idea, particularly if nobody keeps private or secret information on the computer. In an office, dorm, or just about any other setting, the Guest account is a bad idea because it compromises the security of your computer. The Guest account is more limited in what it can do than Administrator accounts and Standard accounts, but even so, it has the potential to cause trouble, either with local files or via a network or Internet connection. The Guest account is disabled by default in Windows Vista Home. To turn on the Guest account, follow these steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays Control Panel.

2. If Control Panel is in Classic view, click the Control Panel Home link to switch to Control Panel Home view.

3. In the User Accounts and Family Safety list, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Manage Accounts window.

4.Click the Guest link. Windows displays the Do You Want to Turn On the Guest Account screen shown here.

5. Click the Turn On button. Windows turns on the Guest account and displays the Manage Accounts window again.

To disable the Guest account, click the Guest link in the User Accounts window. Windows displays the What Do You Want to Change about the Guest Account window. Click the Turn Off the Guest Account link.

Implementing and Preventing Automatic Logons

Sometimes, you may need to make Windows automatically log on a particular user when you start the computer. Having a user logged on automatically can be useful when multiple people need to share a user identity that you want to have available all the time. For example, some institutions such as libraries use this capability for their public terminals.

Suppressing the Automatic Logon

When youve set up a computer to log on a user automatically, you can suppress the automatic logon by holding down the Shift key while the computer is starting up. Windows displays the Welcome screen as usual.

Implementing an Automatic Logon

To implement an automatic logon, take the following steps

1. Press Windows KeyR. Windows displays the Run dialog box.

2. Type control userpasswords2 in the Open text box, click the OK button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the User Accounts dialog box, with the Users page foremost.

3. Clear the Users Must Enter a User Name and Password to Use This Computer check box.

4.Click the OK button. Windows displays the Automatically Log On dialog box shown next.

5. Enter the username and password twice, and then click the OK button. Windows closes the Automatically Log On dialog box and the User Accounts dialog box and sets the specified user account to automatically log on. Windows doesnt verify the password when you enter it, so its possible to enter the wrong one. For this reason, its a good idea to test straightaway that the automatic logon works.

Preventing Automatic Logons

If your computer is set up to automatically log on a user, you can prevent it from doing so by displaying the User Accounts dialog box as described in the previous section, selecting the Users Must Enter a User Name and Password to Use This Computer check box, and then clicking the OK button. Incidentally, that check box is poorly named, because it implies that when the check box is selected, each user must use a password. Thats not the case. The check box means that Windows isnt set up to log on one particular user automatically.

Forcing Users to Press CtrlAltDelete When Logging On

For security, you can force users to press the CtrlAltDelete key combination in order to bring up the Welcome screen so that they can log on. To do so, select the Require Users to Press CtrlAltDelete check box in the Secure Logon group box on the Advanced page of the User Accounts dialog box . The advantage of pressing CtrlAltDelete which is also known as the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, the Triple Bucky, and other humorous names is that it sends an interrupt to Windows that causes Windows to display the Welcome screen. This interrupt helps to ensure that a malicious hacker cant create a fake Welcome screen that would capture the users username and password rather than or as well as logging them on.

Performing Other Management Actions from the User Accounts Dialog Box

The User Accounts dialog box offers various options for managing user accounts. Most of these options are functional, but youre usually better off using the usermanagement tools in Control Panel, which usher you through each accountmanagement process and steer you toward the choices likely to be most suitable for normal needs. Here are brief notes on what you can do and why you

shouldnt

Add Click the Add button and use the Add New User Wizard to specify the users name, description, and password. You also specify the group to which the user belongs. Standard users belong to the Users group, and Administrators belong to the Administrators group, but beyond these groups there are other groups such as Debugger Users or Performance Monitor Users that the User Accounts tool doesnt offer. However, you run the risk of creating users that do not appear on the Welcome screen or in the User Accounts tool. Normally, its best to use the User Accounts tool to create new user accounts.

Remove Click the user account you want to remove, and then click the Remove button to remove it. This method of deleting an account doesnt let you save the users files the way the User Accounts tool does.

Properties Click the Properties button to display the Properties dialog box for the selected user. On the General page of the Properties dialog box, you can change the users username the name that appears on the Welcome screen and most places in the user interface, assign a full name, and assign a description. On the Group Membership page of the Properties dialog box, you can change the group to which the user belongs. As with Add, assigning a user to any group other than those the User Accounts tool lets you use may make the user account disappear from the Welcome screen and the User Accounts tool.

Reset Password You can reset the selected users password by clicking the Reset Password button, entering the new password in the Reset Password dialog box, and clicking the OK button. To reset your own password, you must press CtrlAltDelete, which takes you to a Welcomelike screen. On it, click the Change a Password link, enter your old password and new password twice, and then press Enter. Click the OK button to resume your session.

Advanced User Management If you look at the Advanced User Management group box on the Advanced page of the User Accounts dialog box, youll see it says Local Users and Groups can be used to perform advanced user management tasks. But if you click the Advanced button, youll find that the word can there should really have been cant, because Microsoft has chosen to disable the Local Users and Groups snapin for Microsoft Management Console in Windows Vista Home.

Using the netuserand netlocalgroupCommands

In Windows XP, you could perform some advanced administration by opening a commandprompt window and using the net user and net localgroup commands. For example, by using the net user command, you could limit a user to logging on during certain hours for example, Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 6 PM or even deactivate their user account temporarily. By using the net localgroup command, you could create custom user groups.

Windows Vista severely restricts what you can do with these commands. You can run the net user command with a users name for example, net user chris or net user John Adams use quotes around any name that contains a space to display a screenful of details on what the user may do, including nuggets of useful information such as when the user last set their password. And you can run the net localgroup command to see which groups the computer knows just type net localgroup and press Enter or to see who the members of a group are for example, type net localgroup administrators to see who the Administrators group contains. But thats about all. To implement restrictions on a user, use Parental Controls instead, as discussed in a moment.

Turning On or Off User Account Control

Windows Vista comes with the User Account Control feature enabled, so that each time a program asks to change a potentially sensitive part of Windows, you receive a notification. User Account Control is usually helpful, but you may sometimes want to disable it for example, if you are performing some complex administrative tasks that seem to summon a User Account Control dialog box every other minute. To turn off User Account Control, follow these steps

1. Close all the programs youre running. Youll need to restart Windows to apply the change.

2.Click the Start button, and then click your picture at the top of the Start menu. Windows opens the User Accounts window.

3. Click the Turn User Account Control On or Off link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Turn User Account Control On or Off window .

4. Clear the Use User Account Control UAC to Help Protect Your Computer check box.

5. Click the OK button. Windows warns you that will need to restart your computer to apply the changes, as shown here.

6. Click the Restart Now button if you want to restart Windows now. Otherwise, click the Restart Later button, and then restart Windows when youre ready.

Using Help and Support

Windows Vistas Help and Support program is the latest in Microsofts efforts to provide computerbased help resources powerful enough to silence the ringing of the phones on its costly support lines. Help and Support lets you use a single window to search for help both on your computer and on the Internet. Better yet, many hardware manufacturers are now providing productsupport information thats accessible through Help and Support.

Help and Support Is Much Different than Windows XPs Help and Support Center

If youve used Help and Support Center in Windows XP, youll notice a huge difference in Windows Vista. Where Windows XPs Help and Support Center had a busy window loaded with options too many for most people, perhaps, Windows Vistas Help and Support keeps its interface as simple as possible. But the help information is still there, and you can access it in several ways. One disappointment in Help and Support is that you can open only a single window at a time. By contrast, Help and Support Center in Windows XP let you open two or more windows. You could then pursue a different line of inquiry in each window, which gave you a better chance of finding useful information without running into a dead end and having to retrace your steps using the Back button.

Starting Help and Support

Choose Start   Help and Support to open Help and Support at the home page. Your hardware manufacturer may also have customized Help and Support by adding content to it or by adapting its interface. For example, if you have a Dell PC, you may see some Dell support resources; if you have a Lenovo PC, you may see resources for accessing Lenovo support; and if you have an HP PC, you may see resources for shifting your troubles onto HP.

Configuring Help and Support

Before you start plowing through help in Help and Support, you may need to change the text to a comfortable size, choose whether to use online help or offline help, and choose Help settings.

Changing the Text Size

If you find the text size Help and Support is using too small or too large, click the Options button in the upperright corner and choose a different size Largest, Larger, Medium, Smaller, or Smallest from the Text Size menu, as shown here.

Choosing Whether to Use Online Help

Help and Support lets you choose whether to use offline help or online help. If you have an Internet connection, online help gives you a wider range of help information, including the latest help available. The easiest way to choose whether to get online help is to click the Offline Help dropdown list in the lowerright corner of the Help and Support window. The dropdown lists name changes depending on whether youre currently using online help or offline help. Choose Get Online Help or Get Offline Help from the shortcut menu, as shown here. You can also use the Help Settings dialog box to specify whether to use online help. The Help Settings dialog box also lets you choose to participate anonymously in the Help Experience Improvement Program, which gradually improves Microsofts help mechanisms by collecting details of user searches. To open the Help Settings dialog box, click the Options button and choose Settings from the dropdown list. Select or clear the Include Windows Online Help and Support When You Search for Help check box, and then click the OK button.

Finding Your Way around Help and Support

Help and Support has access to a large amount of information in Help files that Windows installs on your hard drive, together with troubleshooters for stepping you through the process of finding solutions to common problems and links for running Windows programs such as Remote Assis tance and the System Configuration Utility that may help you solve or eliminate problems. But Help and Supports strongest feature is that it also provides a gateway to information resources on the Web and Internet. Because of the amount of information and resources that Help and Support offers, you may find that it takes you a while to get the hang of navigating around Help and Support. This section high lights the main ways of finding the information you need.

Searching for Help

If the Help and Support home page shows a link that seems to be related to the topic on which you need help, click the link and see whether it takes you to useful information. If you see no related link on the home page, the easiest way to find information on a particular topic is to search for it. To search, type the search term or terms in the Search text box and click the Search Online Help button. Help and Support displays a list of results, with a brief description of each; click a result to display the full topic.

Making the Most of the Microsoft Knowledge Base

The Microsoft Knowledge Base is an online repository of knowledge and wisdom accumulated by Microsoft about its products. Given that the Knowledge Base is one of the main tools that Microsofts support engineers use for troubleshooting customer problems with Windows, its a great resource for searching for solutions to problems that Vistas local help resources dont know about. The disadvantage to the Knowledge Base, and the reason perhaps why its not more heavily emphasized in Microsofts battery of help solutions, is the way its arranged and the necessarily scattershot nature of its coverage. The Knowledge Base consists of a large number of answers that Microsofts support engineers and other experts have written to questions that frustrated users and developers have submitted. The answers vary greatly in length, depending on the complexity of the problem and user level, ranging from beginner to superadvanced developerlevel topics. Coverage is patchy, because the questions tend to be answered only when theyre not covered in the Help files and other more accessible resources.

Each article in the Knowledge Base is identified by a sixdigit Article ID number. Each article has a title that describes the problem it covers, information on which products and versions it covers, a summary that you can scan to get an idea of the contents, and the full text of the article. Beyond this, each article is tagged with keywords describing the main areas of its content. By searching for keywords, you can avoid passing references to words you might have included in the search, thus producing a more focused set of results.

To reach the Knowledge Base from Help and Support, click the More Support Options link on the home page, and then click the Knowledge Base link in the Other Resources section. Windows opens a browser window to the Knowledge Base. Click in the Search Support box, type your search terms, and then press Enter to start searching.

For power use, youll probably find it easier to access the Knowledge Base directly from Internet Explorer or your favorite browser rather than go through Help and Support. If you know the number of a particular article, enter it in the Search Support KB text box. For example, if you read newsgroups on Microsoftrelated subjects, youll often see references to particular articles mentioned as the place to find a fix for a given problem.

Browsing for Help

To browse for help, click the Options dropdown button and choose Browse Help from the menu. Help and Support displays a list of its contents, showing major topics such as Getting Started, Security and Privacy, Maintenance and Performance. Click one of the major topics to display the topics available for it  and then click the topic you want to open. Some of the Help topics provide only information, but most provide links that enable you to open the tools you need or connect to other help resources. For example, the screen includes a link you can click to open the Performance Rating and Tools screen. To search for a particular word or phrase within the Help page thats currently open, click the Options button, and then choose Find on This Page from the dropdown menu. Windows displays the Find dialog box, as shown here. Type the word or phrase in the Find text box, and then click the Next button to find the next instance or the Previous button to find the previous instance. You can select the Match Whole Word Only check box to restrict matches to whole words rather than partial words so that you find only print rather than printer or printing, for example. You can select the Match Case check box to find only matches for the capitalization you use. When youve finished searching, click the Close button the button. Windows closes the Find dialog box.

Navigating with Help History

You can navigate backward and forward in the chain of pages youve browsed by using the Back button and Forward button on the toolbar. Unlike in earlier versions of Windows Help, you cant click and hold one of these buttons to display a list of pages in the Back list or Forward list. Theres also no Help history for finding pages youve visited in the past.

Printing Out Help Information

You may want to print out Help information so that you can refer to it more easily for example, when the steps for solving a problem require you to restart Windows and thus close Help and Support. To print the current topic, click the Print button. Help and Support displays the Print dialog box. The General page offers standard printing options

You can choose which printer to use, decide whether to print all the pages or just some of them, print a single copy or multiple copies, or even print to file, creating a file that you can then print from another computer. You wont usually need to use the print to file capability when printing Help information.

The Options page of the Print dialog box lets you print a whole section of help by selecting the Print All Linked Documents check box. You can also select the Print Table of Links check box if you want to print a table of linked pages.

Using the Ask Someone Options

The Ask Someone section of the Help and Support home page directs you to Remote Assistance, the Windows Communities, Microsoft Customer Support, and further support options. You can also access this information at any time by clicking the Ask button on the navigation bar.

Remote Assistance

The most direct way in which you can get help is by using Windows Remote Assistance feature to let someone else connect to your computer from a remote computer so that they can see whats happening and offer advice via textbased chat. If you trust your helper enough, you can even let them take control of your computer so that they can take actions to fix the problem. Article 21 discusses how to configure and use Remote Assistance, both for getting help and for providing help to others.

Windows Communities

The Windows Communities are an assortment of Windows Vistarelated online newsgroups that you can access through Internet Explorer or another web browser. Microsoft organizes the Windows Communities, but most of the content is written by Windows users rather than by people who work for Microsoft. Youll find a lot of useful information in the Windows Communities, but the quality of information and advice is variable.

You Need a Windows Live ID to Sign In to the Windows Communities

Anyone can browse the Microsoft Communities freely, but to ask questions, post replies, or request notifications of replies on a topic, you must sign in with a Windows Live ID. Windows Live ID is Microsofts new name for what it formerly called Microsoft Passport. If you have a Hotmail account or an MSN account, you already have a Windows Live ID that you can use; likewise if youve signed up for a Microsoft Passport separately without getting a Hotmail account or MSN account.

If you dont have a Windows Live ID, you can get one easily by going to the Windows Live website.

Once youve signed in to Windows Communities or another site, such as Microsoft Customer Support using your Windows Live ID, any searches you run and any questions or replies you post are associated with your ID. The ID helps Microsoft deliver information to you for example, by notifying you of new posts on a topic, but it does mean that your actions are monitored. If youre sensitive to privacy issues, you may sometimes prefer to search for information without signing in. To use the Windows Communities, follow these steps

1.  Click the Windows Communities link in the Ask Someone section of the Help and Support home page. Windows opens Internet Explorer or your default web browser, if youre not using Internet Explorer to the Microsoft Windows Vista Newsgroups page

2.  To search for information, type your search terms in the Search For box, choose the newsgroups to search in the In dropdown list for example, choose Windows Vista Newsgroups, and then click the Go button. Your browser displays a list of results 3.  To browse the topics available, use the navigation links on the left side of the window.

Evaluate Windows Newsgroups Advice Carefully before Following It

Youre probably familiar with the disclaimer this information comes without guarantee in other words, you try whatever is described at your own risk. The advice you encounter on the Windows newsgroups should probably have this disclaimer attached. While some of the postings contain highquality advice from people who know what theyre talking about, other postings are wrong or dangerous, and following the advice supplied with whatever good intent can threaten or damage your data or your computer. Proceed with caution.

Microsoft Customer Support

Click the Microsoft Customer Support link in the Ask Someone area of the home page to open a browser window to a page on Microsoft Support that explains the support options available for Windows Vista. This page includes links to pages where you can learn about contacting Microsoft via email or telephone and the cost of support.

Finding Help on the Internet and Web

Help and Support provides many links to the Microsoft website and related websites such as the Windows Communities. But if you dont find the help you need on these sites, search for help on the Web or look in newsgroups

    General searches For a general search, take your web browser to a search engine such as Google or Yahoo Use advanced search options to specify exactly what youre looking for and limit the number of results you get.

    Hardware and software manufacturers sites If youre having problems with a particular hardware device, check the manufacturers website for solutions. Similarly, if youre having trouble with software, see if the manufacturers website contains the answer.

    Newsgroups The many computerrelated public newsgroups such as the comp.sys hierarchy and the Microsoft public newsgroups in the microsoft.public hierarchy can be a great source of specific information.

Using Help and Support to find the help information you need    Choose Start   Help and Support to open the Help and Support window, and then use the links and controls inside it to find the information you need. You can search for information by entering keywords and click ing the Search button or browse through major topics to specific topics. The Ask Someone links let you launch Remote Assistance, open a browser window to the Windows Communities news groups, or find contact information for Microsoft Customer Support.

Finding help on the Internet and Web    If Help and Support doesnt provide the information to solve a problem, search for a solution by using an Internet search engine such as Google or Yahoo or by visiting a hardware or software manufacturers website. You may also want to search through computerrelated public newsgroups.

The best way to delete your own account is by using another Administrator account. If yours is the only Administrator account on the computer, create a new Administrator account either from scratch or by promoting a Standard account to Administrator status, and then use it to delete your account. Alternatively, you can use the User Accounts dialog box press Windows KeyR, type control userpasswords2, and click the OK button to delete your account while youre logged on to it. This isnt a great idea, as youll see in the section Performing Other Management Actions from the User Accounts Dialog Box, later in this article, but it does work. Log off immediately after deleting your account like this.

Changing a User Account

If you set up a user account but dont quite get it right, you can change it easily. You can change a user account from Standard to Administrator or vice versa, change the account name, change the picture, add a password to the account, or apply Parental Controls. To change an account, open the Change an Account window as follows

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays Control Panel.

2. If Control Panel is in Classic view, click the Control Panel Home link to switch to Control Panel Home view.

3. In the User Accounts and Family Safety list, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Manage Accounts window.

4.Click the users icon. Windows displays the Change an Account window. You can then change the account by taking one or more of the actions detailed in the next sections.

Assigning a Picture to a User Account

You can personalize your account by assigning a picture to it. The picture appears on the Welcome screen so all users of the computer see it and on the Start menu. Even the Guest user can change their picture. The picture for a users account can be of the BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, or TIF file type. Windows shrinks the picture down to the appropriate size, but youll need to take care of any cropping or rotating first. Windows Photo Gallery can handle the rotation. Paint can handle both rotation and cropping, together with capturing a still picture from a webcam. See Article 6 for a brief discussion of Paint, and Article 23 for a discussion of Windows Photo Gallery. To change the picture for a user, follow these steps from the Change an Account window

1. Click the Change the Picture link. Windows displays the Choose a New Picture for Usernames Account window where Username is the users name.

2. Choose the picture you want

To use a builtin picture, click it in the list box, and then click the Change Picture button.

To use a picture of your own, click the Browse for More Pictures link. Windows displays an Open dialog box. Navigate to the picture you want to use, select it, and then click the Open button. Windows applies the picture to your account.

Click the Start button to check out how your picture looks on the Start menu. Now disconnect your session so that you can see how the picture looks on the Welcome screen.

Changing Your Own Accounts Picture Quickly

To change the picture for your user account, click the picture at the top of the Start menu. Windows displays the User Accounts window with the Make Changes to Your User Account screen showing. Click the Change Your Picture link.

Applying a Password to an Account

Windows Vista encourages you to create a password for the Administrator account that you create during setup, but after that youre free to create Administrator accounts or Standard accounts without a password. For security, you should require a password for each account except for the Guest account, which cant have a password, but which you can turn off. If you dont require a password for an account, anyone can log on to that account. If its an Administrator account, whoever logs on can make major changes to Windows, such as creating other user accounts. To make Windows require passwords, take these steps from the Change an Account window

1. Click the Create a Password link. Windows displays the Create a Password for Usernames Account window where Username is the users name. If youre creating a password for your own account, you get the same text boxes but not the warnings.

2. Type the password in the New Password text box and the Confirm New Password text box. For security is someone looking over your shoulder, Windows displays each character as an asterisk .

3.If you think it appropriate, enter a password hint in the Type a Password Hint text box. Anybody trying to log on to the computer can display the password hint, so you need to tailor it carefully to the person. The password hint must mean something to the user without meaning anything to anyone else. Its much easier to get this wrong than right. For security, do not use password hints, but create a password reset disk for each user.

4. Click the Create Password button. Windows applies the password to the account. If the two instances of the password didnt match, Windows tells you so and returns you to the Create Password window. When you require passwords, Windows prompts the user for a password when they click their name on the Welcome screen. The user can click the Password Hint link to display the hint for the password. When a user account is password protected, Windows displays Password protected under the account type on the User Accounts screens. One problem that can occur with passwords is having the Caps Lock feature switched on, either when youre creating the password or when youre subsequently entering it. Windows does its best to warn you if the Caps Lock key is on when youre entering a password, but if you miss the warnings, doublecheck Caps Lock first if Windows wont accept your password. On keyboards with an embedded numeric keypad, such as those on most notebooks, you can give yourself a similar problem by having the Num Lock feature on while typing the password. Windows wont warn you about this.

Passwords Are a Must

Passwords are more or less mandatory in any serious business setting, and they can be a good idea in many family or dorm situations as well. Even if everybody who can directly access your computer is above suspicion, you should also protect it against attack by remote malefactors across the Internet. Passwords are a major element in such protection, as is Windows Firewall. Unfortunately, Windows doesnt have a highsecurity arrangement for implementing passwords. Ideally, thered be a setting that you the Administrator user could set that would make each user apart from the Guest user create a password for their account the next time they used the computer. Each user would then create a password that only they would know, and the computer would be secure against unauthorized users logging on. Each user would be able to change their password whenever they wanted to or, better, would be made to change the password frequently and wouldnt be able to remove password protection from the account. The Business versions of Windows Vista work somewhat like this, but the Home versions are less well protected. Given that Windows doesnt have this ideal security arrangement, heres what you should do

1. As soon as you create a user account, assign a password to it. Write the password down, and give it to the user who will use the account. Tell the user to change the password

immediately, so that you dont know the password. Dont use a password hint.

2. If your computer already has a user account that doesnt use a password, persuade the user to add a password immediately. Stress the bene&64257;ts of having a strong password that only the user knows.

3. If you suspect that your password has been compromised, change it immediately. Have all other users do the same.

4. Disable the Guest account. If a visitor needs to use the computer once, turn on the Guest account for as short a time as possible, and then turn it off again. Instead of making users create their own passwords, its possible to create passwords for a user yourself from an Administrator account. This method has two disadvantages. First, you know the passwords so the user will need to change the password as soon as possible. Second, and much worse, the user loses all the personal certificates theyve stored, together with any passwords theyve saved for network resources such as folders and printers and for websites. To avoid losing this information, its best to create the password before the user has used their account.

Removing Password Protection from an Account

Any user can remove the password protection from their own user account as follows

1. Click the Start button, and then click your picture at the top of the Start menu. Windows opens the User Accounts window.

2. In the Make Changes to Your User Account list, click the Remove Your Password link. Windows displays the Remove Your Password window shown here.

3. In the Current Password text box, type your current password to verify your identity.

4. Click the Remove Password button. Windows removes the password and displays the User Accounts window again.

Encourage all users of your computer never to remove their passwords, because even one user account without a password opens the whole computer to attack. Just as an Administrator user can apply password protection to another users account, so they can remove it. But the same problem applies to removal as to application The user loses all the personal certificates theyve stored, together with any passwords theyve saved for network resources such as folders and printers and for websites. So if you need to remove password protection from an account, its far better to have the users do it themselves.

How and Why to Create Secure Passwords

If you use passwords and you should, if you value your data its vital to make sure that theyre effective. You wouldnt believe the number of people who dont understand why passwords are important and who see them as an irritant. Actually, you might believe that. But would you believe that between 90 and 95 percent of all passwords are the same 100 words This is what some security experts estimate based on the passwords they see in daily use. Crackers malevolent hackers try these popular passwords first when trying to guess a password because they work so often.

To create a secure password, it helps to understand how crackers go about breaking a password. The most common method is to use a dictionary attack. The attacker runs a script that tries to match each word in a specified dictionary with your password until it gets a hit. The dictionary can be in any language or a mixture of languages, and will usually contain all popular passwords in all major languages at its beginning. The dictionary isnt so much a dictionary in the conventional sense as a list of words arranged in some kind of descending order of probability most likely words first.

Dictionary attacks are often effective. But if the wouldbe victim has created a tough password by using the methods described below, the cracker may resort to social engineering the art of extracting passwords from the unsuspecting by posing as someone in authority for example, as a system administrator or a troubleshooter for your ISP. Again, security experts tend to be amazed by how freely many users give up their passwords over the phone. Even worse, in an April 2004 survey of office workers in the UK, 71 percent traded what they claimed was their computer password for a chocolate egg. You have to hope that most of them lied.

To keep your password secure, never write it down and if you must write it down, dont stick the paper containing it onto your computer or monitor and never tell anyone else what it is. You are the only person who ever needs to know your password. No ISP and no system administrator should need to be given your password, over the phone or in person. ISP personnel and system administrators may need to reset your password or assign you a new password for example, if you forget your password. In this case, theyll give you the new password. You then log on with it and create a new, secure password for yourself immediately. At least, thats the theory.

Follow these rules to create a secure password

Create a password of an appropriate length. Windows, many ISPs, and most services will let you create passwords of any length between 6 characters and 15 characters. Treat 6 characters as the absolute minimum. Aim for a password of at least 8 characters, and more like 12 if youre feeling insecure. Passwords of 5 characters or fewer are relatively easy to crack by brute force; passwords of 6 characters are much harder; and longer passwords are much harder yet. If youre allowed to create a password of any length, be sensible and limit the password to a length that you can remember and type without undue stumbling.

Never use a real word in any language for a password. Real words can be broken easily by a dictionary attack.

Instead, use symbols , , , , , &, and so on as substitute characters in a word or phrase, or reduce a phrase or sentence to its initial letters or key letters. Mix letters and numbers. Use uppercase and lowercase creatively passwords are case sensitive. Alternatively, open a text editor, close your eyes, and type randomly for a few seconds, making sure to hold down the Shift key at intervals. Then pick a particularly cryptic part of the result to use as a password.

Never use any example password that you see, no matter how compelling it may seem. For example, books on security provide example passwords. These may look wonderfully cryptic, but you should assume that theyre all known to crackers and included in cracking dictionaries.

Never use information of personal relevance or importance your pets name, a family members name, your birthday, your drivers license number, your social security number, or perhaps the ultimate nono your creditcard number. Most of these pieces of information can be obtained by trivial searches or the mildest of social engineering, making them near useless as passwords.

Never use any option that offers to save a password for you. For example, Windows offers to store your dialup passwords so that you can access your dialup accounts more easily. These passwords not only let unauthorized users of your computer access your dialup accounts effortlessly, but also can be cracked easily by commonly available programs.

Use a different password for each account or program that requires one. That way, if one password is compromised, the others will still be secure.

As soon as you suspect that a password may have been compromised, change it. Also change any associated passwords.

Never repeat a password youve used in the past. Create an entirely new password each time you change a password.

Memorize your passwords. Never write them down. If you write a password down, youve compromised it. If you must write a password down, keep it in the safest of places. If that place is virtual rather than physical, protect your password stash with another password a good one.

Never tell anybody any of your passwords not even the ones youve stopped using. They might be able to use these passwords to guess at your newer passwords.

If you can follow the simple advice in this list, youll be ahead of 99 percent of the computerusing population and much more secure than any of them.

That said, be warned that no password is totally secure. Any password can be broken by an attacker who has sufficient time, determination, and computer operations. But most crackers will not be prepared to spend more than a few minutes or, at the most, hours on any given password, and will swiftly move on to other targets. So your goal is to keep your passwords secure against random attackers, not against the NSA. If the NSA is on your case, youll have much worse things to worry about than whether your passwords are strong enough. To remove password protection from an account, follow these steps

1. On the Change an Account screen, click the Remove Password link. Windows displays the Remove Password window shown here, which warns you of what the user will lose.

2.Click the Remove Password button. Windows removes the password, and then returns you to the Change an Account screen.

Creating a New Password for a User

If a user forgets their password, they wont be able to log on to Windows. Theyll need to get an Administrator user to create a replacement password for them. But again, as with applying and removing passwords, the user loses all the personal certificates theyve stored, together with any passwords theyve saved for network resources such as folders and printers and for websites. To create a replacement password for another user, log on as an Administrator user and follow these steps

1. On the Change an Account screen, click the Change Password link. Windows displays the Change Usernames Password window .

2.Type the password in the New Password text box, type it again in the Confirm New Password text box, and type a password hint if you must.

3. Click the Change Password button. Windows applies the new password and displays the Change an Account window again.

Youre probably thinking that all this losing of the users personal certificates and passwords should be avoidable, even if the user is unwise enough to forget their password. And it is avoidable. Read on.

Administrator Accounts

Administrator accounts are intended for power users who administer the computer. An Administrator account can perform just about any action on the computer, including installing programs and hardware on the computer and creating, modifying, and deleting user accounts. By default, an Administrator account can access all the files on the computer. When you first set up Windows Vista, the first account you create is an Administrator account. After that, you can create Administrator accounts and Standard accounts as needed.

Standard Accounts

A Standard account can take any action needed for daytoday work or play but cannot configure computerwide settings without providing the password for an Administrator account. A Standard user can

Change their picture, Desktop background, or screen saver.

Change their password, or remove their password so that they dont need to enter a password to log on to Windows.

Create, edit, and delete their own files. A Standard user cannot

Read other users files that arent explicitly shared with the Standard user.

Install most hardware except for reinserting Plug and Play hardware that has already been installed on the computer.

Install or remove most programs.

Create, modify, or delete user accounts.

Log off another user whos locked the computer.

Good Security Practices Versus Reality

Microsoft recommends that everyone who has Windows Vista should log on as a Standard user for normal use and use an Administrator account only on those supposedly rare occasions when they actually need to install hardware or software, set up users, or otherwise configure the computer in ways a Standard user cannot. By not using an Administrator account all the time, you get the greatest possible protection from the User Account Control feature and Windows Vistas other security mechanisms Each time Windows receives a request to run a potentially sensitive program, it doublechecks that youre the one who issued the request rather than malware issuing it in your name.

If youre used to logging on to Windows XP as a Computer Administrator user as Windows XP called Administrator users, or youre used to using Windows 98/Me in which every user had full privileges, youll probably find User Account Control irritating at first even if you log on as an Administrator user. Even so, create a Standard account for your daytoday work and try using it. Chances are, youll get used to working with reduced privileges and authenticating yourself to User Account Control when you do need to configure the computer.

The Guest Account

The Guest account is a special account for use by guests either literally guests of your household or company, or figuratively in the sense that the user will need to use the computer only briefly. For longerterm use, create a Standard account for the user so that they can maintain their preferred settings. You cant require a password for the Guest account. Thats to prevent one guest from locking out another guest. And you can have only one Guest account on an installation of Windows, so the account needs to be shared among guests. You cant create or delete the Guest account, but you can turn it off and on. For instructions, see the section Turning On and Off the Guest Account, later in this article. By default, the Guest account is off until you turn it on. The Guest account cannot access passwordprotected folders. It can change only supposedly harmless settings. For example, the Guest account can change screen resolution and color schemes, but the only useraccount option it can change is the picture displayed for Guest.

All Users Share the Same Screen Resolution

Because Windows Vista always uses Fast User Switching explained in Article 1, each user has to use the same screen resolution. So does the Welcome screen.

If one of the other users of your computer changes the resolution, youll find the Welcome screen and your user session using the new resolution. When you change the resolution back to your preferred setting, the resolution changes for all other users as well.

Understanding User Profiles

Information for each user account is kept in what Microsoft calls the user profile, which is stored in the users folder under the Documents and Settings folder. This information includes the contents of your Start menu and Desktop, information about your network settings and printers, and so on. To move a user profile from one computer to another, use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, discussed in Appendix B. You may sometimes need to copy a user profile for example, so that you have a backup of it for safekeeping. You can copy a user profile only for a user who is not logged on even in a disconnected session. To copy a user profile, follow these steps

1. Press Windows KeyBreak. Windows displays the System window in Control Panel.

2. Click the Advanced System Settings link in the left panel, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the System Properties dialog box.

3. Click the Advanced tab. Windows displays the Advanced page.

4. In the User Profiles group box, click the Settings button. Windows displays the User Profiles dialog box

5. Click the Copy To button. Windows displays the Copy To dialog box, as shown here.

6.In the Copy Profile To text box, type the folder to which you want to copy the profile. Use a folder that has no contents, as Windows will overwrite any contents. Alternatively, click the Browse button, use the Browse for Folder dialog box to select the folder, and then click the OK button.

7. Click the OK button. Windows copies the user profile.

Creating a User Account

When you first install Windows Vista, the OS makes you create a single Administrator account, which it encourages you to protect with a password. Once youve logged on to that account, you can create such other accounts as needed. Windows provides two tools for working with user accounts the User Accounts window in Control Panel which youll meet in this section and the User Accounts dialog box which youll meet later in this article. The User Accounts dialog box is also known as the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel. To create a user account, log on as an Administrator user and take the following steps

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays Control Panel.

2. If Control Panel is in Classic view, click the Control Panel Home link to switch to Control Panel Home view.

3. In the User Accounts and Family Safety list, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Manage Accounts window .

4. Click the Create a New Account link. Windows displays the first Create New Account screen .

5.Type a name for the account

Usernames can be up to 20 characters long and are not case sensitive.

Windows automatically assigns the username you enter as the full name for the user account. You can change this, and add a comment to the user account, by using the User Accounts dialog box discussed later in this article.

Names can contain letters, numbers, and most symbols. They cannot contain any of these characters , , , , , comma, colon, ; semicolon, <, >, pipe character, double quotation marks, , , /, or .

Names can start with letters, numbers, or symbols. Names can even consist of nothing but underscores.

It can be amusing to create idiosyncratic names, but consider using a naming convention if youre creating more than a few user accounts and want to keep things formal and organized.

6. By default, Windows selects the Standard User option button. Select the Administrator option button if you want the account to be an Administrator instead.

7. Click the Create Account button. Windows creates the account, assigns it a picture at random, and displays the User Accounts screen again, with the new user listed. As soon as youve created a new account, you should assign a password to it. See Requiring a Password for an Account, later in this article, for instructions.

Deleting a User Account

You may need to delete a user account for example, if someone who has been using the computer gets a computer of their own. Deleting the user account is easy, but you need to decide whether to keep the users Desktop configuration files and their Documents folder. To delete a user account, log on as an Administrator user and take the following steps

1. Check whether the user is logged on to the computer in a disconnected session and, if so, log them off

Rightclick the notification area, and then choose Task Manager from the shortcut menu. Windows displays Task Manager.

Click the Users tab. Windows displays the Users page.

If the user appears in the list, select their entry, and then click the Logoff button. Windows displays a Windows Task Manager dialog box warning you that the user might lose unsaved data.

Click the Log Off User button.

2. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays Control Panel.

3. If Control Panel is in Classic view, click the Control Panel Home link to switch to Control Panel Home view.

4. In the User Accounts and Family Safety list, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Manage Accounts window.

5. Click the users icon. Windows displays the Change an Account window .

6. Click the Delete the Account link. Windows displays the Do You Want to Keep Usernames Files window where Username is the users name.

7.Click the Keep Files button or the Delete Files button as appropriate. Windows displays the Are You Sure You Want to Delete Usernames Account window to make sure youve thought about what youre doing.

8. Click the Delete Account button if youre sure you want to proceed. Windows deletes the account and displays the Manage Accounts window again.

What Are User Accounts and What Are They For

A user account is a group of settings that lets you tailor the Windows environment to each regular user. By using user accounts, you can let each user set different preferences on the computer, so that each user can maintain a custom Desktop that provides the look they like and the shortcuts and information they need. Each user can also keep separate favorites and histories in Internet Explorer. Article 2 discusses Internet Explorers History and Favorites features. Each user can protect their user account with a password if they choose, and they can choose to share folders with other users via the network. By using accounts effectively and setting passwords, you can control access to your computer, and you can allow different privileges to different users. For example, you could prevent the less responsible members of the household from accessing critical files by storing them in secure folders. User accounts are particularly useful when your computer is networked including alwayson connections to the Internet. Each user account is identified by a username that Windows uses to manage it. The account has a fullname field that typically contains the full name of the user which appears on the Welcome screen and at the top of the Start menu and a comment field that can be used for storing a comment about the user. Each user account has an account type that defines its permissions and a set of folders in which the users details and preferences are stored.

Customizing the Current Command Prompt Window

To customize the current Command Prompt window, click the controlmenu box at the left end of the windows menu bar and choose Properties. Command Prompt displays the Properties dialog box.

Command Prompt Errors Involving Special Characters

If Command Prompt gives you the error <name> is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file when you try to run a program, or the error The system cannot find the path specified when you try to create, delete, or change a directory, chances are that the program or directory name includes a special character such as an ampersand &, a space, parentheses  , a caret , a semicolon ;, a comma ,, or a vertical bar . For example, if you have a folder named Bits&Bobs and issue the command cd bits&bobs to change directory to it, Command Prompt will tell you that The system cannot find the path specified and that bobs is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file which is true, but not helpful.

To get around this problem, either put double quotation marks around the name of the item that contains the special character in the example, cd  bits&bobs, or put a caret immediately before the special character to notify Command Prompt that its there for example, cd  bits&bobs.

Options Page

The Options page of the Command Prompt Properties dialog box contains three group boxes of options

Cursor Size group box Choose the Small option button, the Medium option button, or the Large option button to specify which cursor size to use. The Small cursor the default looks like a flashing underline; the Medium cursor looks like a flashing block half the character height; and the Large cursor looks like a flashing block the full character height.

Command History group box In the Buffer Size text box, you can adjust the number of commands that Command Prompt stores in its buffer. Storing more commands needs a little more memory, but not enough to worry about. In the Number of Buffers text box, you can adjust the number of processes allowed to have distinct history buffers. Select the Discard Old Duplicates check box if you want the buffered list to omit repeated commands. Omitting them reduces the list and can make it more manageable.

Edit Options group box    Select the QuickEdit Mode check box if you want to be able to use the mouse for cutting and pasting in Command Prompt. Leave the Insert Mode check box selected as it is by default if you like the standard way of inserting text at the cursor, moving along any characters to the right of the cursor instead of typing over them. If you prefer typeover, clear the Insert Mode check box.

Font Page

On the Font page of the Command Prompt Properties dialog box, select the font and font size you want to use for the Command Prompt window.

Layout Page

On the Layout page of the Command Prompt Properties dialog box shown on the right in Fig ure 6.10, specify how the Command Prompt window should look, where it should appear on the screen, and how many commands it should retain

Screen Buffer Size group box In the Width text box, specify the number of characters that you want each line in the buffer to contain. Note that this is the buffer, not the window. In the Height text box, specify the number of lines of data that you want to store.

Window Size group box In the Width text box, specify the number of characters for the width of the window. Usually its best to set this to the same value as the width of the screen buffer. You can set it to a smaller value and have the window display scroll bars, but you cant set it to a larger value. In the Height text box, specify the number of lines for the height of the window.

Window Position group box    Use the Left text box and the Top text box to specify the position of the left side and the top of the window. Alternatively, select the Let System Position Window check box if you want to allow Windows to decide where to put the window.

Colors Page

On the Colors page of the Command Prompt Properties dialog box, you can choose colors for the screen text, the screen background, the popup text, and the popup background. Use the preview boxes to get an idea of the effect youre creating. Click the OK button to close the Command Prompt Properties dialog box and apply the changes youve made.

The Bottom Line

Creating simple wordprocessing documents with WordPad    WordPad is a lightweight wordprocessing program that supports font formatting, bulleted lists, paragraph alignment, margin placement, and inserted objects, but not styles or spell checking.  WordPad is good for creating simple wordprocessing documents, but if you need to create complex documents, youll probably need a dedicated wordprocessing application, such as Microsoft Word.

Creating text files with Notepad    Notepad is a text editor that you can use to edit text files or system files. You can run multiple instances of Notepad at the same time, so its great for taking notes. But Notepad is textonly, so you cant apply formatting or insert objects such as pictures.

Inserting special characters with Character Map    Character Map choose Start   All Programs  Accessories   System Tools   Character Map lets you insert into documents characters and symbols that dont appear on your keyboard.

Manipulating graphics with Paint    Paint is a basic illustration program that lets you create bitmap files BMP, DIB, GIF files, JPEG files JPG and JPEG, Portable Network Graphic files PNG, and TIFF files TIF. You can use Paint to create background images for your desktop, capture images from a webcam, clean up scanned images, or save screens or windows captured using Print Screen or AltPrint Screen.

Making the most of Calculator    Calculator is an essential utility for performing both basic and scientific calculations. Choose View   Scientific to switch Calculator to Scientific mode, in which you can work in hexadecimal, binary, and octal instead of decimal.

Working from the command line with Command Prompt    If you need to run charactermode programs or issue text commands, choose Start   All Programs   Accessories   Command Prompt, and then work in the Command Prompt window. You can recall a command from the current  key one or more times. You can customize the­session by pressing the  Command Prompt window by clicking the controlmenu box at the left end of the windows menu bar, choosing Properties, and then working in the Properties dialog box.

Recalling a Command Youve Used

Often, youll need to reuse a command youve used earlier in the current Command Prompt window, or youll need to issue a similar command. Command Prompt stores your recent commands so that you can recall them quickly. To recall a command from the current session,  key. The first press displays the pre vious command, the­press the  second the command before that, and so on. If you go too far back in  key to go back through the list toward the laterthe list, press the  commands. Once youve reached the command you want to use, you can edit it or add to it, or simply press the Enter key to run it.

Selecting, Copying, and Pasting in Command Prompt

Selecting, copying, and pasting in Command Prompt windows is much clumsier than in graphical windows, but it works well enough once you know how. To use the mouse to select text in Command Prompt, you need to turn on QuickEdit mode. You can turn it on either temporarily or permanently

Turn on QuickEdit temporarily Click the controlmenu box at the left end of the title bar and choose Edit   Mark.

Turn on QuickEdit permanently    Select the QuickEdit Mode check box on the Options page of the Console Windows Properties dialog box or the Command Prompt Properties dialog box. Once youve turned on QuickEdit, click to place an insertion point, or drag to select a block of text. To copy, rightclick after making a selection. Alternatively, press Enter, or choose Edit Copy from the control menu. Issuing a Copy command in any of these ways collapses the selection, so that it looks as though the Copy operation has failed, but in fact Windows has copied the selection to the Clipboard, from which you can paste it into another program or back into the Command Prompt window. You can also copy information from another program and paste it into Command Prompt by placing the insertion point, then choosing Edit Paste from the control menu.

Some textbased programs cannot accept characters, so they convert them to the nearest character they support. For example, if you paste a Wingdings telephone character into Notepad, Notepad converts it to a mutated parenthesis. If you paste the same telephone character into WordPad, WordPad displays it correctly. Similarly, some email programs strip incoming messages down to text, so its a waste of time to send messages that contain unusual characters to people who use such programs.

Inserting a Character in Advanced View

Character Maps Standard view is fine for inserting many weird and wonderful characters in your documents. But if you want to work with a particular character set, you need to use the Advanced view. Character sets are discussed in the next sidebar. Select the Advanced View check box to display Character Map in Advanced view . As you can see, Character Map in Advanced view has several extra controls

Character Set dropdown list    Use this dropdown list to select the character set you want to work with. The default selection is Unicode.

Group By dropdown list    When necessary, choose a grouping for the character set. Depending on the character sets installed on your computer, youll see options such as All, Ideographs by Radicals, Japanese Kanji by Hiragana, Japanese Kanji by Radical, Japanese ShiftJIS Subrange, and Unicode Subrange.

Go to Unicode text box Use this text box to display the Unicode character associated with a character code. Type the code into this text box. When you type the fourth character of the code, Character Map displays the associated Unicode character.

Search For text box and Search button    Use this text box and button to search for a character by its description. For example, to find the inverted question mark character , enter text such as question inverted or inverted question and click the Search button. Character Map displays all characters that match the criteria.

Expert Knowledge

ASCII, Unicode, and Code Pages

ASCII, Unicode, and code pages are all ways of mapping the binary codes that computers use to store characters to a the characters on whichever keyboard you happen to be using and b what you see onscreen.

ASCII and Unicode are both standard characterencoding schemes for textbased data. If you have information that can be represented in characters such as this paragraph, for example, you can encode it in ASCII or in Unicode so that a computer can store it.

In ASCII, each character is represented by one byte. There are two forms of ASCII

Standard ASCII uses a 7bit binary number combination to represent each character, which gives enough combinations for 128 characters. Extended ASCII, which is also known as high ASCII, uses an 8bit number combination for each character, which gives enough combinations for 256 characters. Given that the English alphabet uses 26 uppercase letters, 26 lowercase letters, 10 numbers, some punctuation  comma,  period,  parentheses,  and  so  on,  and  control  characters,  standard  ASCIIs capacity for 128 characters starts to look paltry. Extended ASCII doubles the ante and adds some foreign characters for example, accented characters, graphic symbols, and symbol characters to standard ASCIIs set.

Extended ASCII works pretty well provided youre satisfied with 256 characters. But even 256 characters are far too few if you want anything beyond the main European languages.

The solution to the limitations of ASCII is Unicode. In Unicode, each character is represented by two bytes 16  256 enough tobits, which gives 65,536 character combinations 256  cover most of the characters in the worlds many languages. As of the year 2000, about 39,000 of those 65,536 combinations had been assigned, with Chinese alone accounting for about 21,000 of them. Japanese, with its borrowed and mutated kanji, is another of the greedier languages for Unicode combinations. When do you have to worry about ASCII and Unicode Windows Vista is pretty smart about Unicode, so usually you dont have to worry about whether youre using Unicode or ASCII, because Windows uses Unicode almost exclusively. For programs that dont support Unicode, you can use code pages to enable the programs to communicate effectively with the user. A code page is a table that maps a programs character codes which are binary to the keys on the keyboard, the characters on the display, or preferably both. Previous versions of Windows used code pages.

If you need to use a program that cant handle Unicode, assign a code page for it as follows

1.   Choose Start   Control Panel. Windows displays Control Panel.

2.   In the Clock, Language, and Region category, click the Change Keyboards or Other Input Method link. If youre using Classic view, doubleclick the Regional and Language icon. Windows displays the Regional and Language Options dialog box.

3.   Click the Administrative tab. Windows displays the Administrative page.

4.   Click the Change Settings button. Windows displays the Regional and Language Settings dialog box.

5.   In the Select a Language for NonUnicode Programs dropdown list, select the language to use.

6.   Click the OK button to close the Regional and Language Settings dialog box.

7.   If you want to copy these settings youre applying to the system accounts or the default user account which controls any new user accounts that you or other Computer Administrator users create on this computer, click the Reserved Account Settings button. Windows displays another Regional and Language Settings dialog box.

8.   Select the Default User Account check box if you want to apply the changes to the default user account.

9.   Select the System Accounts check box if you want to apply the changes to the system accounts.

10. Click the OK button to close the Regional and Language Settings dialog box.

11. Click the OK button to close the Regional and Language Options dialog box. Heres an example of inserting a Japanese kanji using Advanced view

1.  In the Character Set dropdown list, select the Windows

Japanese item.

2.  In the Group By dropdown list, select the grouping you want. In the example, this is Japanese Kanji by Hiragana. Character Map opens a window displaying the kanji.

3.  In the Japanese Kanji by Hiragana window, select the hiragana phonetic character that represents the sound of the kanji character. The main Character Map window with the Japanese Kanji by Hiragana window displays a scrolling list of kanji that can be pronounced with that sound.

4.  Select and copy the character as usual, then paste it into the document. If you need to enter a particular character frequently in your documents and dont want to have to access Character Map each time, select the character in Character Map and memorize the Alt code displayed in the status bar. Only some characters have these Alt codes. To enter the character at the insertion point in a document, make sure that Num Lock is on, then hold down the Alt key and type the code for the character.

Using Private Character Editor to Create Your Own Characters

Windows includes a hidden applet called Private Character Editor that you can use for creating your own characters and logos. To run Private Character Editor, choose Start   Run or press Windows KeyR. Windows displays the Run dialog box. Enter eudcedit in the Open text box and click the OK button.

Paint

Paint Start   All Programs   Accessories   Paint is a basic illustration program thats been included with almost all known desktop versions of Windows. Windows Vistas version of Paint lets you create bitmap files BMP, DIB, GIF files, JPEG files JPG and JPEG, Por table Network Graphic files PNG, and TIFF files TIF enough to make it useful for basic illustration needs, and significantly better than the versions of Paint in most versions of Windows 9x, which could work only with bitmaps. If youre into creating drawings or paintings on the computer, youll find that Paints limitations present more challenges than its capabilities do. Paints Image menu provides tools for flipping and rotating images, stretching and skewing images, changing their attributes for example, changing a color file to black and white, and inverting colors but thats about it. If you want to do serious imageediting work, consider a heavyduty imageediting program such as Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop. If you want to do serious illustration work, investigate programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Procreate Painter, or CorelDRAW. If youre not into creating drawings or paintings on the computer, youll probably find Paint quite useful for some basic graphical tasks such as the following

Creating background images for your Desktop    If you want to use a digital photo or a scan as a background image for your Desktop, you may need to rotate it from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation or crop it down to size. Capturing images directly from a web camera    You can capture images directly from a web camera by using the File   From Scanner or Camera command.

Cleaning up scanned images Images you scan can easily pick up dots from specks of dirt on the scanner or from damage to the picture. You can use Paint to edit pictures and remove small defects such as these.

Capturing screens If youre preparing documentation on how to use software, you may want to capture the screen or a window. To capture the whole screen to the Clipboard, press the Print Screen PrtScn key. To capture only the active window to the Clipboard, press AltPrintScreen. These keystrokes are from Windows itself rather than from Paint, so you dont need to have Paint running while you issue them. Then activate Paint and choose Edit Paste to paste in the screen or window, where you can work with it as you would any other graphic.

Calculator

Though useful, Calculator Start   All Programs   Accessories   Calculator seems such a basic program that it barely deserves mention. But there are several things you should know about it

    Calculator displays itself by default in its Standard view, but it also has a Scientific view thats useful if you need to work in hexadecimal, binary, or octal; calculate degrees or radians; or perform similar tasks. To switch Calculator to Scientific view, choose View   Scientific. To switch Calculator back to Standard view, choose View   Standard.

    When you switch Calculator from Standard view to Scientific view, or switch it back, it wipes the display. To take the current number from one view to the other view, use the MS button to store it, switch view, and then use the MR button to retrieve it. Binary, octal, or hex numbers get converted to decimal when you move them to Standard view by using this technique.

    You can operate Calculator entirely from the keyboard if you want to. Choose Help   Help Topics to open the Help file, then investigate the Using Keyboard Equivalents of Calculator Functions topic.

    If youre working with long numbers, you may want to choose View Digit Grouping to have Calculator group the digits into threes separated by commas. For example, with digit grouping, 44444444444 appears as 44,444,444,444, making it easier to read.

    Press Esc to clear the Calculator.

WordPad, Notepad, Character Map, Paint, Calculator, and Command Prompt. Youll find coverage of other accessories in chap ters that cover related topics. For example, Article 22 the Windows Media Player article also covers Sound Recorder, an applet for recording audio. These programs have relatively limited functionality

Theyre intended to take care of some basic tasks, but not to discourage you from buying fuller programs from either Microsoft or its com petitors. Because theyre limited, most of these programs are relatively small and easy to use. This article discusses only the most important features of the programs, leaving you to work out the easy stuff on your own.

Your Computer May Include Different Programs

Where the operating system stops and where other programs begin has long been a source of contention between Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Justice, and more recently the European Commission. For example, the European Commission forced Microsoft to release a version of Windows XP that didnt include Windows Media Player this was for competitive reasons so that computer manufacturers could include other companies media players.

If your copy of Windows Vista doesnt include some or all of the programs discussed in this article or other articles, the reason may be that the computers manufacturer has decided to include other programs that offer similar functionality. Consult your computers documentation for details, or hunt through the Start menu to see what you can uncover.

WordPad

WordPad is a lightweight wordprocessing program. It provides rudimentary features including font formatting, bulleted lists, paragraph alignment, margin placement, and support for different sizes of paper. It also lets you insert objects such as graphics and parts of other documents, so in a pinch you can create attractive documents with it. WordPads Print Preview feature File   Print Preview lets you make sure your documents look okay before you commit them to paper. But WordPad has no advanced features; for example, it doesnt offer style formatting, tables, or macros. It also lacks a spelling checker or grammar checker, so youll need to proof and check your documents visually.

Because of these limitations, if you have Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, Sun StarOffice, OpenOffice.orgs OpenOffice, or another fullfledged word processor, youll probably have little use for WordPad. But if you dont have another word processor, and if you need to create only simple documents, you may find WordPad useful. WordPad can open documents in Rich Text format RTF and text formats. If you have fontformatted documents created in another word processing program, RTF may prove the best format for getting them into WordPad. This is because RTF supports a wide range of formatting, and most word processors can create and read RTF files. Each instance of WordPad can have only one document open at once, but you can run multiple instances of WordPad if you need to have two or more documents open at the same time. Simply choose Start   All Programs   Accessories   WordPad again to open a second or subsequent instance of WordPad. You can also open a new instance of WordPad by rightclicking the document you want to open in an Explorer window or on the Desktop and choosing Open With WordPad from the shortcut menu. If you already have an Explorer window open, this option tends to be quicker and more convenient than opening WordPad from the Start menu. Most of WordPads commands are easily found on its six short menus and two toolbars. For example, click the Open button or choose File Open to open a document, and click the Save button or choose File Save to save a document. The following are also worth mentioning

    If youre using WordPad simply to create text, you may want to maximize your workspace by stripping down the interface to the bone. The View menu lets you hide the Toolbar, the Format bar, the ruler, and the status bar, which gives you a good amount more space.

    WordPad doesnt have a command for inserting symbols. Instead, run Character Map see Character Map, later in this article, copy the character you need, and paste it into your WordPad document.

    As well as using the Tabs dialog box Format   Tabs to set and clear tabs, you can set and clear tabs for the currently selected paragraph or paragraphs by working in the ruler. Click in the ruler to place a tab where you click. Drag an existing tab to move it to a different location. Or drag an existing tab downward into the document area to get rid of it.

    If you need to create Windows documentation, you can copy a full screen by pressing Print Screen or capture the active window by pressing AltPrint Screen. Windows places the resulting graphic on the Clipboard. You can then paste the graphic into a WordPad document. Alternatively, you can paste the graphic into a Paint picture, and then save it as a file for use later.

The most complex part of WordPad is the Options dialog box View   Options, which has four pages

Options, Text, Rich Text, and Embedded

    The Options page of the Options dialog box  lets you choose measurement units

Inches, Centimeters, Points, or Picas. Points and picas are typesetting measurements. A point is 1/72  inch, and a pica is 1/6  inch, so there are 12 points to the pica. It also contains the Automatic Word Selection check box, which controls whether WordPad selects the whole of each second and subsequent word when you click and drag to select from one word to the next. If Automatic Word Selection is turned off, WordPad lets you select char acter by character. If youve used Word, youre probably familiar with this behavior.

    The Text, Rich Text, and Embedded pages contain options for the different document types that WordPad can handle. For each, you can choose wordwrap settings No Wrap, Wrap to Window, or Wrap to Ruler and whether you want to display the toolbar, the Format bar, the ruler, and the status bar.  

Notepad

Notepad is a text editor, a program designed for working with text files. A text file is a file that contains only text characters; it has no formatting and no graphical objects. You may also hear text files described as ASCII files. ASCII is the acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Rather than force you to use a monospaced font such as Courier, Notepad lets you select a font for the display of text onscreen choose Format Font. It has a wordwrap option choose Format Word Wrap so that lines of text dont reach past the border of the window to the horizon on your right. And you can insert the time and date in a Notepad file by choosing Edit Time/Date or press ing the F5 key.

Avoiding Notepads Default TXT Extension

Notepad automatically adds the TXT extension to files you save. To save a file under a different extension, enter the filename and extension in double quotation marks in the File Name text box in the Save As dialog box for example, boot.ini. Generally speaking, you shouldnt spend any more time using Notepad than you need to, because Notepad is a very limited program. But its good for several tasks

    Notepad is small and simple, so you can keep it running without worrying about it slow ing your computer down. Because Notepad takes up little memory, you can run multiple instances without affecting your computers performance appreciably. This can be useful for taking a variety of notes. Notepad lets you open only a single file at a time, but by open ing multiple instances of Notepad, you can open as many files as you need.

    Notepad is good for editing Windows programs configuration files. But if youre editing any of the standard Windows configuration files that remain in Windows Vista for compatibility with older programs for example, WIN.INI, use the System Configuration Editor instead. The System Configuration Editor is essentially Notepad after a couple of doses of steroids and customizations for editing system files. To run the System Configuration Editor, choose Start   Accessories   Run or press Windows KeyR, enter sysedit in the Open text box in the Run dialog box, and click the OK button.

    By default, Notepad prints documents with a header that consists of the file name and a footer that consists of Page and the page number. This default header and footer can help you tell one document from another, but youll sometimes want to either omit the header or footer or use text of your own. To do so, choose File   Page Setup and change the text in the Header text box and the Footer text box.

    Apart from working with text files that use regular textfile formats such as those with the TXT file extension, Notepad is good for creating and editing other textonly files. For example, its good for editing playlists for programs such as MP3 players. These are text files, though they use extensions such as M3U and PLS to give them filetype functionality. If you create such a file using Notepad, remember to use double quotation marks around the filename when saving it.

    You can use Notepad to open documents other than text files. Select the All Files item in the Files of Type dropdown list in the Open dialog box. For example, if Word for Windows crashes, you may end up with a corrupted file that Word itself cannot open. By opening up the file in Notepad, you may be able to rescue part of the text. Youll see a lot of nonalphanumeric characters that represent things like Word formatting for example, styles, but youll also find readable text. If the document has been saved using Words Fast Save feature, youll even find deleted parts of the document still in the file which can be intrigu ing or embarrassing, depending on whether you wrote the document.

Character Map

Character Map is a small utility that lets you insert characters and symbols that dont appear on your keyboard in your documents. Windows Vista hides Character Map on the System Tools menu Start All Programs Acces sories   System Tools   Character Map. If you dont find it there but think its installed on your computer, choose Start All Programs Accessories Run or press Windows KeyR to display the Run dialog box, enter charmap in the Open text box, and click the Open button.

Inserting a Character

To insert a character with Character Map, take the following steps

1.  Select the font in the Font dropdown list.

2.  Scroll the list box until the character is visible

    To display ,­a magnified view of a character, click it. Alternatively, use the arrow keys   and ,   to select it, and then press the spacebar.

    Once youve displayed a magnified view, you can use the arrow keys to move the

magnifier around the grid of characters.

    To remove the magnified view, click the magnified character or press the spacebar.

3.  Select the character and click the Select button. Character Map copies it into the Characters to Copy text box.

4.  Select other characters as necessary, then click the Copy button to copy the character or characters to the Clipboard.

5.  Activate the program and paste the characters into it.

Customizing AutoPlay and Turning It Off

Windows Vista lets you customize AutoPlay for a wide variety of media and devices. To customize AutoPlay, follow these steps

1.  Choose Start   Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window. folder. A Zip folder appears in Windows Explorer as a closed folder icon with a zipper across it, 2.  Click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

3.  Click the AutoPlay link. Windows displays the AutoPlay window .

4.  If you want to turn off AutoPlay completely for all items, clear the Use AutoPlay for All Media and Devices check box. If you want to use AutoPlay, leave this check box selected. 5.  If you leave AutoPlay on, open each dropdown list in the Media area in turn, and then choose an option in the list. Here are examples of what you can choose

    For an Audio CD, you can choose Play Audio CD, Rip Music from CD, Open Folder to View Files, Take No Action, or Ask Me Every Time. The Ask Me Every Time option makes Windows displays the AutoPlay dialog box.     For a DVD Movie, you can choose Play DVD Movie, Open Folder to View Files, Take No Action, or Ask Me Every Time.

    For a Blank CD, you can choose Burn an Audio CD, Burn Files to Disc, Take No Action, or Ask Me Every Time.

6.  If any devices appear in the Devices section of the window, choose a setting for each device.

7.  Click the Save button. Windows saves your choices and closes the AutoPlay window.

Customizing a Folder

You can customize a folder by designating a particular type of role for it, by applying a picture to it for Thumbnails view, and by changing the icon displayed for it for all views other than Thumbnails. To customize a folder, take the following steps

1.  Rightclick the folder, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Properties dialog box for the folder.

2.  Click the Customize tab. Windows displays the Customize page . 3.  In the Use This Folder Type as a Template list box, you can select a template for the folder. Windows offers assorted templates for Documents, Pictures and Videos, Music Details, and Music Icons. If youll be creating subfolders of this folder and putting the same type of con tent in them, select the Also Apply This Template to All Subfolders check box.

4.  To specify the picture that Windows displays on the folder in Thumbnails view, click the Choose File button. Windows displays the Browse dialog box. Navigate to the picture you want to use, select it, and click the Open button. To reapply the default picture to the folder, click the Restore Default button.

5.  To specify the icon that Windows displays for the folder in all views other than Thumbnails view, click the Change Icon button. Windows displays the Change Icon dialog box. Select an icon, and then click the OK button.

6.  Click the OK button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box and applies your choices to the folder.

Choosing Which Columns to Display in Windows Explorer Windows

You can customize Windows Explorer windows to display the columns you want in any given folder. For example, you might want to add the artist, album, track name, and bitrate to a folder containing MP3 files. Similarly, you might want to display the title and subject for office documents so that you have another means of identifying them apart from their names. To choose which columns appear, follow these steps

1.  Rightclick a column heading in the window. Windows displays a list of commonly used columns for the template currently applied to the folder.

2.  If the column you want appears on the list, select its check box. Alternatively, clear the check box for any existing column you want to remove. 3.  To add a column thats not listed, choose the More item from the list. Windows displays the Choose Details dialog box .

4.  In the list box, select the check boxes for the columns you want Windows Explorer to display. Clear the check boxes for any currently displayed columns that you want to hide.

5.  Use the Move Up button and Move Down button to arrange the columns into the order in which you want them to appear from left to right.

6.  To specify the width for a column, select the column, and then enter the width in the Width of Selected Column in Pixels text box. Usually its easier to resize a column manually when you have information displayed and can see how much space it needs.

7.  Click the OK button. Windows closes the Choose Details dialog box. Windows Explorer displays the columns you selected.

Understand what files and folders are and what you can name them    A file is a named object containing information thats stored on a disk. A folder is a file that can contain other files or fold ers. Folders enable you to organize your files into categories. A files name, including the full path to it through the drive and folders that contain it, can be up to 255 characters long. Filenames can include letters, numbers, spaces, underscores, commas, periods, semicolons, and single quota tion marks.

Launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the files you need    Windows Explorer runs all the time youre using Windows, because it manages the Windows desktop. To work in an Windows Explorer window, click the Start button, and then click one of the items in the upper right part of the Start menu. For example, choose Documents to open your Documents folder, or Pictures to open your Pictures folder. You can navigate to folders by clicking links in the Favorite Links area of the Windows Explorer window or by doubleclicking folders in the doc ument area.

Choose folder options to control how Windows Explorer behaves    To control how Windows Explorer behaves, choose Organize Folder and Search Options, and then choose options on the View page of the Folder Options dialog box. For example, you can choose always to display menus, which is useful if youve come to Windows Vista from a version of Windows in which Windows Explorer always displays menus.

Copy and move files and folders    You can copy files and folders by using draganddrop techniques or by using menu commands. Draganddrop can be confusing because Windows interprets the action differently depending on whether the source and destination folders are on the same drive or different drives. One handy technique is rightdraganddrop, which always lets you choose whether to copy the items or move them.

Delete and rename files and folders    When you delete files and folders, Windows places them in the Recycle Bin rather than deleting them outright. You can open the Recycle Bin and restore files and folders if you find you need them again. You can also configure Windows to delete files and folders immediately instead of putting them in the Recycle Bin if you prefer. To rename a file or folder, rightclick it, choose Rename, type the new name, and then press Enter.

Search to find the files and folders you need    To find the files which are in effect special folders, you can search from the Start menu, from any Windows Explorer window open to a folder you want to search, or by opening a Search Results window choose Start   Search. Simple search can give effective results, but Advanced Search lets you specify exact criteria.

Use compressed folders and shortcuts    Windows can read both Zip files and cabinet files, but lets you create only Zip files. To create a Zip file, rightclick the item or items you want the file to contain, and then choose Send To Compressed Zipped Folder. To access files and folders easily, you can create as many shortcuts as you need. To create a shortcut, rightclick the file or folder, rightdrag to where you want the shortcut to be, and then choose Create Shortcuts Here.

Configure AutoPlay and Customize Windows Explorers Columns    To configure AutoPlay, choose Start   Control Panel, click the Hardware and Sound link, and then click the AutoPlay link. The AutoPlay window lets you either turn off AutoPlay completely or choose a default AutoPlay action for each media type for example, audio CDs or blank DVDs. To choose which columns appear in an Windows Explorer window, rightclick any column heading. You can then either select or clear check boxes for the short list of frequently used columns, or click More, and then use the Choose Details dialog box to select columns and customize them.

Customizing and Turning Off AutoPlay

By default, Windows is set to use its AutoPlay feature, which tries to automatically run any CD or DVD that you insert in your computers optical drive and examine the contents of any removable disk or memory card you attach to your computer. What run means for a CD or DVD depends on the discs contents and the action that the discs developer has specified in the discs AUTORUN.INF initialization file, a hidden file stored at the root of the discs file system. If the initialization file doesnt contain specific instructions, or if theres no initialization file, Windows may pop up a dialog box offering you a choice of possible actions to take with the disc. These are the usual actions for AutoPlay

For a music CD, AutoPlay activates the default player for files of the CD Audio Track type. Usually, this means that Windows Media Player or whichever program has ousted Windows Media Player as the default player starts playing the CD.

    For a software installation disc, AutoPlay usually activates the setup routine, unless Windows detects that youve installed the software already.

    For a game disc, AutoPlay usually starts playing the game.

    For a CD containing video files, AutoPlay may start playing a file.

    For a DVD containing a video, AutoPlay may start playing the video.

AutoPlay also manifests itself in other ways, such as the AutoPlay dialog box, which lets you specify an action to take when you insert a disc that contains a specific type of file.

Suppressing AutoPlay Temporarily

To suppress AutoPlay temporarily, hold down the left Shift key as you close the optical drive after inserting a disc. Release the Shift key when Windows has loaded the disc for example, when you see the discs name and contents appear in an Windows Explorer window. Use the left Shift key because, by default, holding down the right Shift key for 8 seconds turns on the FilterKeys accessibility feature. Alternatively, clear the Turn On Filter Keys When Right Shift Is Pressed for 8 Seconds check box in the Set Up Filter Keys window, which you can access from the Ease of Access Center in Control Panel.

1.  Rightclick open space on the Desktop or in an Windows Explorer window and choose New  Shortcut from the context menu. Alternatively, choose File   New   Shortcut. Windows displays the Create Shortcut Wizard .

2.  Enter the location of the file or folder to which you want to create the shortcut. Either type it in, or click the Browse button, use the resulting Browse for Files or Folders dialog box to navigate to and select the file or folder, and then click the OK button.

3.  Click the Next button. The wizard displays the What Would You Like to Name the Shortcut screen.

4.  Type the name that you want the shortcut to have. This can be just about anything, so make it descriptive and memorable.

5.  Click the Finish button. The wizard closes and creates the shortcut.

Setting Properties for a Shortcut

To set properties for a shortcut, rightclick it, and then and choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Properties dialog box. For a shortcut to a document, this dialog box contains four pages

a General page, a Shortcut page, a Security page, and a Details page. For a shortcut to a program, this dialog box contains a Compatibility page as well.

Target text box This contains the path and filename of the target file or folder. To open an Windows Explorer window showing the target in its folder, click the Open File Location button.

Start In text box This text box contains the path to the target file. You may need to change this setting occasionally, but not regularly.

Shortcut Key text box To set a shortcut key to run the shortcut, click in this text box and press the letter you want to use. By default, Windows creates a shortcut using the Ctrl key and the Alt key, so if you press P, it creates the shortcut CtrlAltP. You can override this default by press ing CtrlShift or AltShift as you enter the letter.

Run dropdown list As discussed in the section Specifying the Size at Which a Program Runs in Article 4, you can use this dropdown list to make the program or the program asso ciated with the file run minimized, maximized, or in a normal window.

Comment text box In this text box, you can enter a comment associated with the shortcut.

Change Icon button To change the icon displayed for the shortcut, click this button and use the Change Icon dialog box to select an icon you like. As mentioned in Article 3, SHELL32.DLL and MORICONS.DLL both in the WindowsSystem32 folder contain a selection of icons. When youve finished adjusting the shortcut, click the OK button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box and applies your changes.

Setting Advanced Properties for a Shortcut

You can set two advanced properties for shortcuts that lead to program files. To do so, click the Advanced button on the Shortcut page of the Properties dialog box for the shortcut. Windows displays the Advanced Properties dialog box .

Run as Administrator check box    Select this check box to have Windows run this program using an Administrator account. Running a program as Administrator is sometimes necessary when the program requires administratorlevel permission but the user has only a Standard account. When you doubleclick the shortcut, you must authenticate yourself to User Account Control. A standard user may need to have an administrator enter a password.

Run in Separate Memory Space check box    You can change this setting only for 16bit programs, which you can choose not to run in a separate memory space. Windows always runs all 32bit programs in separate memory spaces to prevent them from corrupting each other. By default, Windows runs all 16bit programs in separate memory spaces, but you may some times need to run two or more 16bit programs in the same memory space so that they can communicate directly with each other for example, via DDE, Dynamic Data Exchange. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Advanced Properties dialog box and applies the settings you chose.

Zip files and cabinet files. Zip files have the ZIP extension. Cabinet files have the CAB extension and are mainly used by Microsoft for distributing files. Windows lets you create Zip folders but not cabinet files. Windows reads compressed files in both ZIP and CAB formats and displays both Zip files and cabinet files as folders that you can open and browse in Windows Explorer as you would any other and a cabinet folder appears as a filing cabinet with an open drawer busy consuming a document, as shown here. You can create compressed folders in the Zip format from one or more files or folders as follows

    To create a compressed folder containing one or more files or folders, rightclick the file or folder in an Windows Explorer window, and then choose Send To   Compressed Zipped Folder from the context menu. Windows creates the file, gives it a default name based on its contents, and then selects the name. Type a new name if needed, and then press Enter to apply it.

    To create a new compressed folder, rightclick in empty space in an Windows Explorer window, and then choose New   Compressed Zipped Folder from the context menu. Windows creates a new compressed folder named New  Compressed  zipped  Folder  or New Compressed  zipped  Folder.ZIP, if youve displayed extensions and selects the name so that you can enter a new name. Type the new name, and then press the Enter key or click elsewhere in the window to apply it.

Once youve created a compressed folder, you can add files to it by dragging them to the folder and dropping them in or on it.

Creating and Organizing Shortcuts

A shortcut is a pointer to a file or folder. If youre used to the Mac, a shortcut is like an alias. By placing shortcuts in convenient places, you can give yourself quick access to files and folders stored in remote locations. For example, you could create a shortcut on your Desktop to a WordPerfect document stored in the nethermost subfolder of a network drive. By doubleclicking the shortcut from the comfort of your Desktop, you could open the document without browsing through the drives and folders to reach it. You can create as many shortcuts as you want for any file or folder. You can even create a short cut to a shortcut to make an item really easy to reach. Each shortcut is typically less than 1KB in size, so you dont need to worry about the amount of disk space they take up. Shortcuts have been around for many versions of Windows, but Microsoft has been improv ing them along the way. In the old days, if you renamed or moved the target file or folder to which a shortcut referred, Windows would be unable to find the target file when you double clicked the shortcut. Nowadays, Windows can almost always find the target file unless you move it to somewhere truly inaccessible or delete it. When you rename or move a file, Windows doesnt immediately update any shortcuts that refer to the file to reflect the new name or new location. Instead, it updates a shortcut when you use it to access the file. You can tell a shortcut icon on the Desktop or in an Windows Explorer window by the small white box containing an upwardcurling black arrow in its lowerleft corner. When you let Windows name a shortcut, it creates a name consisting of the filename and Shortcut, but you can change the name to anything you want by using standard Windows renaming techniques. Renaming is discussed earlier in this article. Its always safe to delete a shortcut, because deleting a shortcut never deletes the file that its associated with. And as you saw in Article 3, you can customize a shortcut so that it launches the associated program in Compatibility mode or in a window of a specified size.

Creating a Shortcut

You can create a shortcut in several easy ways. The setup routines of most programs install shortcuts automatically for you, so you should already be equipped with shortcuts to your programs. Most of these shortcuts will be on the Start menu. Some programs place shortcuts on the Desktop or in the notification area, despite Microsofts guidelines telling program designers not to do either. Betterdesigned programs are courteous enough to consult you before placing shortcuts like this. Other programs go right ahead and please themselves.

Creating a Shortcut the Quick Way

To create a shortcut the quick way, follow these steps

1.  Rightclick the file on your Desktop or in an Windows Explorer window and drag it holding down that right mouse button to where you want the shortcut to be.

2.  Release the mouse button, and then choose Create Shortcuts Here from the context menu. Windows creates a shortcut named with the name of the file and  Shortcut. For example, the shortcut for Industry.xlsx is named Industry.xlsx    Shortcut.

3.  If you want to rename the shortcut, rightclick it, and then choose Rename from the context menu. Type the new name in the resulting edit box, and then press the Enter key.

Searching from a Search Results Window

For the most powerful and flexible searching, use a Search Results window. Follow these steps

1.  Choose Start   Search. Windows opens a Search Results window with the basic Search features displayed, as shown here.

2.  For a simple search, type in the Search box. Windows searches the entire index and returns results. You can doubleclick an item to open it, or click one of the buttons on the Show Only bar to view only those items. For example, you can click the Picture button to restrict the list of search results to pictures.

3.  For an advanced search, click the Advanced Search button at the right end of the Search bar. Windows displays the Advanced Search bar, as shown here.

4.  In the Location dropdown list, choose where you want to search

    Choose Everywhere to search through your entire file system. The search may be slow because some of the folders are not indexed for searching.

    Choose Indexed Locations to search through the index of all the folders Windows is set to index for searching. The search will be quick, because searching the index is much faster than searching through folders.

    Choose one of the drives in the list to search only that drive.

    To search only one or more specified folders, click the Choose Search Locations item. Windows displays the Choose Search Locations folder .

    In the Change Selected Locations box, select the check box for each folder you want to search. Windows adds the folders to the Included Locations list in the Summary of Selected Locations box. You can exclude a subfolder of a selected folder by clear ing the subfolders check box. Windows then adds the subfolder to the Exclusions list in the Summary of Selected Locations box.

Click the OK button. Windows closes the Choose Search Locations dialog box and adds the details to the Location dropdown list.

5.  Use the Date line of controls to specify any date criteria by which you want to search. You can choose Date, Date Modified, Date Created, or Date Accessed in the first dropdown list; Any, Is, Is Before, or Is After in the second dropdown list; and the date in the third drop down list. For example, you might choose Date Modified Is after 9/10/2007 to find only files modified after September 10, 2007.

6.  Use the Size line of controls to set any size criteria you want to use. In the dropdown list, you can choose Any, Equals, Is Less Than, or Is Greater Than. For any choice except Any, type the size in the Add a File Size box. For example, you might choose Size KB Is Greater than 1,024 to find only files of more than 1MB 1,024KB.

7.  Select the Include NonIndexed, Hidden, and System Files check box if you want to broaden the search to include files that Windows isnt set to index, including hidden files and system files. Searching these files slows down the search, so select this check box only when you need the most thorough search for files youve lost.

8.  In the Filename text box, type the entire filename or part of the filename

    Enter only as much of the name as youre sure of. Usually, its better to get multiple results from a search using part of the name than to get no results from using search criteria that are too specific and not quite right.

    If you know the extension of the file, include it. If youre not sure of the extension, omit it.

    You can use the wildcards asterisk and question mark to increase the scope of your search. The wildcard represents any number of characters, while represents just one character. For example, searching for Letter returns a list of all files whose names include the word Letter and have one or more characters after it, while searching for Letter returns a list of all files whose names start with Letter followed by another character.

9.  In the Tags text box, type any tag information by which you want to search.

10.  In the Authors text box, type any author name you want to use in the search.

11.  Click the Search button. Windows returns any matching results. You can click one of the buttons on the Show Only bar to view only those items. From the Search Results window, you can perform most actions that you can from any Windows Explorer window

    Select a file to display its information in the Details pane.

    Doubleclick a file to open it.

    Press the Delete key to move the selected file to the Recycle Bin.

    Drag a file to another folder.

    To open the folder that contains a file youve found, rightclick the file, and then choose Open File Location from the context menu.

Saving a Search

After youve performed a successful search, you can save the search criteria so that you can repeat the search easily in the future. To save the search, click the Save Search button in the Search pane, type a name in the Save As dialog box, and then click the Save button. Windows saves your searches in the Searches folder in your user account, which is normally a handy place to keep them. To open a saved search, click your Searches folder in the Navigation pane, and then doubleclick the search.

Configuring Searching

Windows standard search options can be effective, but you may need to tune them to your needs before you can get the best search results. To configure searching, follow these steps

1.  Choose Start   Computer. Windows opens a Computer window.

2.  Choose Organize   Folder and Search Options. Windows displays the Folder Options dialog box.

3.  Click the Search tab. Windows displays the Search page .

4.  In the What to Search group box, choose what to search

In Indexed Locations, Search Filenames and Contents. In NonIndexed Locations, Search Filenames Only    Select this option button for Windows standard searching behavior

When searching an indexed folder, include the contents; otherwise, dont. This search behavior produces good results fast, but you may need to change the list of folders that Windows indexes. See the section Changing the List of Folders That Windows Indexes in Article 10 for details.

Always Search File Names and Contents    Select this option button to force Windows always to search file contents even in folders that arent indexed. Your searches will be slower but more thorough. If you find you need content searches to find the right files, consider adding more folders to Windows indexing list.

Always Search File Names Only    Select this option button to make Windows confine searching to filenames. Your searches will be faster than if you search contents, but you forego the benefit of content matches.

5.  In the How to Search group box, select or clear these check boxes as needed

Include Subfolders When Typing in the Search Box    Select this check box if you want to search subfolders as well as the current folder when you search using the Search box.

Find Partial Matches Select this check box if you want to find partial matches as well as complete matches.

Use Natural Language Search Select this check box if you want to use natural language searches ones in which you specify a search phrase such as document created last week. Natural language searches can be effective, but you may get better results by putting your requests into computer terms.

Dont Use the Index When Searching the File System    Select this check box if you want to force Windows to search through the file system rather than using the index. Youll seldom need to use this option unless you suspect your index has become corrupted.

6.  Click the OK button. Windows closes the Folder Options dialog box, and youre ready to search.

    Rightclick the file or folder, and then choose Delete from the context menu.

    Select the file in an Windows Explorer window, and then choose Organize   Delete.

    Select the file or folder, and then drag it to the Recycle Bin on the Desktop.

Once youve issued a Delete command, Windows displays the Delete File dialog box, shown here, or the Delete Folder dialog box which is similar.

Click the Yes button if youre sure you want to send the file to the Recycle Bin. If you accidentally delete a file or folder in an Windows Explorer window, you can recover it by choosing Organize Undo Delete or by pressing CtrlZ before taking any other actions in Windows Explorer.

Deleting a File or Folder without Moving It to the Recycle Bin

To delete a file or folder without moving it to the Recycle Bin, hold down the Shift key as you issue the Delete command

    Select the file or folder, hold down the Shift key, and then press the Delete key.

    Rightclick the file or folder, hold down the Shift key, and choose the Delete item on the context menu.

    Select the file or folder in an Windows Explorer window, hold down the Shift key, click the Organize button, and then click Delete.

Windows displays the Delete File dialog box shown here or the Delete Folder dialog box with different wording. Click the Yes button to delete the file or folder.

Recovering a File or Folder from the Recycle Bin

To recover a file or folder from the Recycle Bin, follow these steps

1.  Doubleclick the Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop. Windows opens a Recycle Bin window.

2.  Click the file or folder you want to restore.

3.  Click the Restore This Item button on the toolbar. To restore all items, select no item, and then click the Restore All Items button on the toolbar. Windows restores the item to its previous folder.

If youve created another file with the same name in the folder the file to be restored previously occupied, Windows displays the Move File dialog box  to let you decide whether to overwrite the newer file with the one youre restoring. If you restore a folder from the Recycle Bin after youve created another folder with the same name in the folder into which itll return, Windows displays the Confirm Folder Replace dialog box , which lets you choose whether to merge the folder youre restoring with the exist ing folder. If any of the files youre restoring have the same names as files in the folder, you can choose whether to replace the existing files. Click the Yes button to merge the folders.

File Deletion and Restoration

Each file is stored in a number of clusters on your hard disk. The file system NTFS or FAT maintains an allocation table of which sectors each file is stored in. When a program goes to open a file, Windows gets from the file system the location of the clusters that contain the file and instructs the hard disk to retrieve the information. These clusters may be located pretty much anywhere on the disk partition that contains the drive. If theyre located near each other, the hard disk can retrieve them faster, but if your drive is fragmented, they may be scattered all over the disk. Either way, the file system assembles the data they contain so that Windows can present them as a single file in the correct order.

When you delete a file when you perform a real Delete operation, that is not when you put a file in the Recycle Bin, Windows tells the file system to get rid of the file. The file system does so by deleting the entry that tells it where the clusters containing the file are located. The clusters that the file is actually stored in remain intact but are marked as being available for storing data, so they may be overwritten by another Save operation at any point.

This method of deletion is why some undelete utilities can recover files that have been deleted by the operating system. Before the clusters containing the file have been overwritten, the information can be reassembled by synthesizing the entry in the allocation table. This may not work perfectly often, the result is a bit rough but it works surprisingly often. After the clusters containing the file have been overwritten, its much harder to restore the file but specialists can usually do it.

If you want to be sure that nobody can easily restore the files you delete, get a shredder utility that overwrites the clusters in which the files data is stored as soon as you delete the file. Nortons WipeInfo comes highly recommended. But if you want to be entirely sure that nobody will ever be able to read the data on your hard disk again, destroy the hard disk. A sledgehammer, an oxyacetylene lamp, or strong acid might be needed.

Emptying the Recycle Bin

Under normal usage, your Recycle Bin gradually fills up with files and folders you delete. Windows lets the Recycle Bin fill, and then automatically deletes the oldest files or folders in it when it needs space for newer files or folders you delete, so you dont need to empty the Recycle Bin. But for security, its a good idea to clear out old files you wouldnt want others to see. So every now and then, visit the Recycle Bin, look through it, restore any files or folders you want to keep, and empty out the rest. To empty the Recycle Bin, follow these steps

1.  Doubleclick the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop. Windows opens the Recycle Bin window.

2.  Restore any files or folders you want to keep.

3.  Click the Empty the Recycle Bin button on the toolbar. Windows displays the Delete Multiple Items dialog box, shown here.

4.  Click the Yes button. Windows deletes the files from the Recycle Bin.

Quickly Empty the Recycle Bin

To empty the Recycle Bin quickly without checking its contents, follow these steps

1.   Rightclick the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop, and then choose Empty Recycle Bin from the context menu. Windows displays the Delete Multiple Items dialog box.

2.   Click the Yes button.

Customizing the Recycle Bin

The Recycle Bins standard behavior works well for many people, but you can change the way the Recycle Bin behaves

    You can make Windows delete items immediately without using the Recycle Bin.

    You can turn off confirmation of deletion, so that files go directly to the Recycle Bin if youre using it or to oblivion.

    You can change the amount of space set aside for the Recycle Bin. To customize the Recycle Bin, follow these steps

1.  Rightclick the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop, and then choose Properties from the context menu. Windows displays the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box .

2.  In the Recycle Bin Location list box, select the drive you want to affect. You can choose different settings for each hard drive.

3.  In the Settings for Selected Location group box, select the Do Not Move Files to the Recycle Bin. Remove Files Immediately When Deleted option button if you want to stop using the Recycle Bin for this drive. Otherwise, leave the Custom Size option button selected, and change the size in the Maximum Size box if necessary. For example, you might want to reduce the amount of space that the Recycle Bin can take up.

4.  If you want to turn off confirmation of deletion, clear the Display Delete Confirmation Dialog check box. This setting affects all drives at once

you cant choose different confirmation settings for different drives. If you chose in the previous step to stop using the Recycle Bin for a drive, clearing this check box as well means that items you delete get deleted permanently without confirmation.

5.  Click the OK button. Windows closes the Recycle Bin Properties dialog box.

Performing File Operations in Common Dialog Boxes

You can perform file operations such as Copy, Paste, Rename, and Delete in many common dialog boxes used by Windows programs. Just rightclick the listing for a file to display a context menu of the actions you can take, as in the illustration below. Doing this can save you time because you dont need to open an Windows Explorer window. For example, say youre working in Word and you need to save the active document under a name that another document in the same folder already has without overwriting that document. Instead of opening an Windows Explorer window, you can rightclick the filename, choose Rename to display an edit box, and rename it there.

Renaming a File or Folder

To rename a file or folder, follow these steps

1.  Open an edit box for the files name by taking one of these actions

    Rightclick the file or folder, and then choose Rename from the context menu.

    Click the file or folder, and then choose Organize   Rename.

    Click the files or folders name, wait a moment, and then click again.

2.  Type the name in the edit box, and then press Enter or click in open space outside the edit box.

Renaming Multiple Files or Folders at Once

Windows lets you rename multiple files or folders at the same time by selecting the files, pressing the F2 key, entering the base filename, and then pressing Enter, but the feature is useful only in certain specialized circumstances that seldom occur in real life. Because the renamed files or folders cant have the same name as each other, Windows adds ascending numbers in parentheses to all files after the first

1, 2, and so on. So if you rename the files Letter  to Jane.doc, Letter  to  Fred.doc, and Letter  to  the  Bank.doc with the name Correspondence, the files receive the filenames Correspondence.doc, Correspondence 1.doc, and Correspondence 2.doc. Counterintuitively, its the last file in the selection that gets the unadorned name, because this is the file for which Windows displays the edit box when you press the F2 key. The first file in the selection gets the 1 name, the second the 2 name, and so on. If the files youre renaming have different extensions, Windows preserves those extensions even if you have file extensions displayed in Windows Explorer and you specify the extension for the file around which the edit box is displayed.

Viewing, Setting, and Removing Properties for a File or Folder

As youll remember from earlier in the article, files and folders are objects, and objects have properties. To view the properties for a file or folder, rightclick it and choose Properties from the context menu. Alternatively, select it and choose Organize   Properties. Windows displays the Properties dialog box for the file or folder.

The General page shows the following information

    File name in the title bar and in the text box at the top.

    File type for instance, Microsoft Office Word Document .docx.

    Program set to open the file for example, Microsoft Office Word. You can change the associated program by clicking the Change button. Article 9 discusses the implications of doing so.

    Location the folder that contains the file.

    The size and size on disk. The size on disk may be different if the drive uses compression.

    The dates on which the file was created, last modified, and last accessed.

    The ReadOnly status, which controls whether users can only view the file or can save changes to it. You can select or clear this check box.

    The Hidden status, which controls whether Windows displays the file when Windows Explorer is set to hide hidden files. You can select or clear this check box.

You can set advanced attributes for the file or folder by clicking the Advanced button and then working in the Advanced Attributes dialog box that Windows displays. Article 9 discusses these options. The Details page of the Properties dialog box contains information about the file or folder. Fig ure 5.20 shows two examples. Depending on the file type, you may be able to edit some of the properties. When youre planning to distribute a file, you may want to remove certain properties from it so that people who receive the file cant view potentially sensitive information. You can either remove roperties from the file itself or create a copy without those properties, leaving the original file with its properties intact. To remove properties, follow these steps

1.  Click the Remove Properties and Personal Information link on the Details page. Windows displays the Remove Properties dialog box .

2.  Choose whether to make a copy or remove properties from the original file

    To make a copy, select the Create a Copy with All Possible Properties Removed option button.

    To remove properties from the original file, select the Remove the Following Properties from This File option button. You can then click the Select All button to select the check box for each removable property or select the check boxes individually.

3.  Click the OK button. Windows closes the dialog box, removes the properties, and returns you to the Properties dialog box. If you chose to create a copy, Windows creates a new file named with the original filename and  Copy. For example, the copy of Lake.wmv is named Lake    Copy.wmv. When youve finished examining or changing properties, click the OK button. Windows closes the Properties dialog box.

Deleting a File or Folder

Deleting a file or folder is easy once you understand the twostage process that Windows uses to help prevent you from deleting any files or folders unintentionally. Windows has a holding area called the Recycle Bin for files or folders that youve deleted. If youre familiar with Mac OS, youll find similarities between the Recycle Bin and the Trash. When you tell Windows to delete a file or folder thats stored on a local drive, Windows confirms that youre sure about the deletion, and then moves the file or folder from its current folder to the Recycle Bin. When a file or folder is in the Recycle Bin, it hasnt been deleted yet, and you can retrieve it easily. Windows calls this restoring a file or folder restoring it from the Recycle Bin to its previous folder. Files or folders stay in the Recycle Bin until either you empty it or the Recycle Bin grows to occupy its full allocation of disk space, at which point Windows starts discarding the oldest files or folders in the Recycle Bin without consultation to make space for further files or folders you delete. When you tell Windows to delete a file or folder on a network drive, Windows deletes it imme diately without moving the file to the Recycle Bin. Unless you work strictly with files or folders on local drives, its a bad idea to rely on the Recycle Bin to rescue you from careless Delete operations. If you want, you can turn off the confirmation of deletion, and you can stop Windows from using the Recycle Bin. That way, when you delete a file or folder, its deleted instantly without confirmation, and theres no easy way of restoring it. You can sometimes restore deleted files or folders with thirdparty undelete utilities, but you shouldnt rely on being able to do so.

Moving a File or Folder

Windows draganddrop techniques for moving a file depend on whether the source folder the folder the file is currently in and the destination folder the folder to which you want to move the file are on the same drive or on different drives. The techniques for moving are closely related to the techniques for copying a file.