Managing Windows XP

Managing Windows XP
This lesson will cover:
The Control Panel
Add/Remove Programs
Add/Remove Hardware
Date and Time
Display
Folder Options
Internet Options
Mouse
Network Connections
System
System Information
and other selected readings from Chapter 7.

Managing Windows XP

Windows XP provides many ways to manage, customize

and adjust your system to suit your needs. The main tool
for configuring your system is the Windows Control
Panel. Although there are other locations from which to
perform the same modifications, the Control Panel
provides access to most of these from one central
location.

The Windows Control Panel

The Control Panel is a set of icons that access various wizards
and applets. By using these tools you can change the
appearance, feature set and functionality of the Windows XP
system. Some of these icons represent standard Windows tools,
others are installed by third party software such as RealPlayer
(media file player) and Iomega (Zip drive software), for
example.
The Control Panel folder can be customized like any other
folder and the contents can be viewed as a Classic or
Category view. The Classic view displays icons in a detail
view with brief descriptions of each tool.
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The Control Panels Classic view...

Click this link to change
to the Category view...

The Control Panels Category view...

Click this link to change
to the Classic view...

Selecting a Category...
Clicking the Network and Internet
Connections category link....

Presents more options within that Category...

...provides you with
several options...

...or direct links to the Control

Panel applets Internet Options
and Network Connections

The Windows Control Panel

Clicking on the categories in the Category view will display
either the selected topic or further choices. Clicking on any
of the icons within the folder in the Classic view (or the
Category view) will display the tool associated with the icon.
Some of the more commonly used tools are described on the
following slides . They are also explained in detail within the
help topics found in the Help and Support Center, and many
have step-by-step directions for performing specific tasks.
The next slides show two ways to access the Control Panel
remember, with Windows there is almost always more then
one way to do somethingand many times there are more
then two
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From the My Computer window, displayed

in the Common Tasks view, a link to the
Control Panel is provided...

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The Start menu can display

the Control Panel as either a
menu (shown here) or...

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...or as a link (shown here).

Clicking the link...

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...opens the Control Panel. The setting for changing this behavior is
found in the Taskbar and Start Menu properties dialog under Advanced.

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The Windows Control Panel

Several of the tools accessed through the Control Panel also
have Whats this? help available by clicking on the ? button
on the title bar. See Chapter 5 for more details on this help
tool.

Whats this? help button

The What's this help button found on the Accessibility Options dialog box.

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The Windows Control Panel

The next 20 slides will show a very brief overview of 9 of the
more important tools found in the Control Panel...for a more
in depth coverage read chapter 7...

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Add/Remove Hardware
Selecting this tool from the Control Panel starts the Add Hardware
Wizard that assists you in installing hardware so Windows XP can use it.
The hardware must already be physically installed, or connected to, the
PC.
This wizard simply checks
for the ability to
communicate with
attached devices and
attempts to install the
appropriate support
software and device
drivers, the hardware must
be properly installed to use
this feature successfully.

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Add/Remove Programs
The Add or Remove Programs tool enables a user to manage the
software components on their PC with three basic functions:
Change or Remove
Programs, Add New
Programs, and
Add/Remove Windows
Components.
Each of these functions
is accessed by selecting
the corresponding
button on the left of the
window.

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Date and Time

The Date and Time Properties dialog box provides a convenient
interface for changing the settings on the system clock. This dialog box
can be accessed from the Control Panel or by double clicking on the
time display on the Taskbar. The tool has three tabs that offer access
to the following functions:
View or Change the
current system Date and
Time
View or Change the
current system Time zone
setting
Synchronize the time on
your PC from an Internet
Time Server

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Display
The Display Properties dialog box contains many ways to customize
your Windows XP desktop to suit your tastes. While most of these
settings are cosmetic some, such as those on the Settings tab can
actually affect the performance of the PC, and in some cases render
it unusable.
The Display Properties dialog
box has five tabbed pages; each
configures a specific feature of
the appearance of Windows XP:
Themes
Desktop
Screen Saver
Appearance
Settings

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DisplayThemes
Customizes the desktop
themes. Desktop themes are a
predefined set of fonts, colors,
sounds, mouse customizations,
icons and other appearance
and behavior related desktop
settings.
Themes are a convenient way
for each user to have their
own look and feel of
Windows when they log on to
a PC.

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DisplayDesktop

The Desktop tab

provides the settings for
the desktop background,
the default desktop icons
and the Desktop Cleanup
Wizard.

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DisplayScreen Saver
This page allows you to
select and configure a
screensaver and modify
the Power Options of your
PC. The Power Options
settings of XP are a topic
on their own and have
more significance to
owners of battery-powered
portable computers.
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DisplayAppearance
The Appearance page
provides options for
modifying the display of
system wide fonts and
color schemes. Features
such as the transitions and
shadow effects on menus,
and how items being
dragged are displayed can
be configured here.
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DisplaySettings
This page is the one you should
be wary of, these settings affect
the video output of your PC and
improper settings may damage
your monitor. Although this is
unlikely, the possibility does exist
for misconfiguring the monitors
refresh rate. This section of the
Display Properties dialog box
offers you the ability to change
your screen resolution, the color
quality of your display, and
modify your video card and
monitors settings.

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Folder Options
The Folder Options dialog box, accessed through the
Control Panel, is the same one that can be opened from any
folder windows Tools > Options menu command. This tool
provides a user with a large number of customization options
that can drastically change the look and behavior of a folder
window.
Before you get started reconfiguring your folder windows,
remember that any customization you make will only affect
the current window unless you select the Apply to All
Folders option on the View tab of the Folder Options dialog
box.
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Folder Options
You can change the Control Panel folder window from the Category view
to the Classic view. These views are shown on slides 5 and 6. The
Category view is good for beginners as it briefly explains the function of
each tool and provides easy to understand links.
To change the folder view:
Select the General tab from the Tools, Folder Options menu,
Select the Show common tasks in folders for a view like this...
Or,
Select the Use Windows classic folders for a view like this...

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Internet Options
The Internet Options dialog provides seven tabbed pages
of settings and options that you use to configure Microsoft
Internet Explorer (IE). The settings range from the way
text is displayed to the connection method used to access
the Internet.
This Control Panel tool basically configures Microsoft
Internet Explorer and, to a smaller degree, Microsoft
Outlook (and Outlook Express), so the name may be a
little misleading. If you use other tools for accessing the
Internet such as the Netscape or Opera Web browsers, or
the Eudora e-mail program, for example, you will need to
configure these programs separately.
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Internet Options
You can use this dialog to set
Internet Explorers home page,
adjust its Security and Privacy
levels, configure your dialup, LAN
or other network settings, manage
the language, fonts and colors
displayed in the browser and many
other settings that affect your
Internet use.
Most of these options and settings
are covered in detail in Chapter 9.

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Mouse
One of the most vital devices
connected to a Windows XP computer
is the mouse, or more correctly a
pointing device. Not every PC will
have a mouse, per se, but a pointing
device is most essential. The Control
Panels Mouse Properties dialog box
is the tool used for modifying the
behavior of this piece of hardware
Many manufacturers of pointing
devices supply their own
configuration utilities, so what you
have in your Control Panel may not
look the same.

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Network Connections
The Network Connections folder provides access to the
settings of your current network and Internet connections .
It also enables you to create new connections with the
New Connection Wizard .
Because a minor change to your network configuration
can leave you without any network connectivity, this tool
is usually limited in its capabilities by the system
administrator. In fact, there may be very little to see when
you open the Network Connections folder on a PC
connected to a large corporate network.

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Network Connections
The Network Connections folder shows each valid network connection
that your PC has, along with a shortcut to the New Connection Wizard.
Windows XP considers all connections to the Internet including
Dialup, ISDN, DSL and other connections made over telephone lines
to be network connections. Therefore, your account with an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) will be displayed and configured using this
tool just like any other network connection.

Network connection showing its current

state (Enabled) and the adapter used to
access the network (3Com PCI network
interface card)

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System
The System dialog box provides a user with tools to view
and change system properties. This dialog box can also be
accessed by right clicking on the My Computer and
selecting Properties from the shortcut menu. System
Properties is a Windows Management Instrumentation
(WMI) tool, which means it will allow you to view and
change system properties on a remote computer or local
computer.
There are seven tabbed pages available each providing
distinct capabilities for viewing and modifying a PCs
configuration.
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System
The General page displays
very basic information about
the computer, such as the
operating system, the
processor type and speed,
the amount of installed
RAM, the registered user
and sometimes even the
manufacturer.
Operating System
CPU type and speed
Installed RAM: 256 mb

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System
The available categories of System tools are:
General - This page displays very basic information about the
computer, such as the operating system, the processor type and
speed, the amount of installed RAM and the registered user.
Computer Name - Provides information for identifying your PC
on a network.
Hardware - This tool configures hardware and other devices
connected to the system.
Advanced - Enables a user to modify a computers startup and
performance settings.
System Restore - This tool provides basic configurations for the
XP System Restore component.
Automatic Updates - From this page you can modify the settings
that affect the XP Automatic Update feature.
Remote - This page configures the XP Remote Desktop utility
and provides the ability to turn the feature on and off.

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The Windows Control Panel

Under certain circumstances you may not have the right to
change your systems settings

This would usually occur if you are using a client computer

on a network. If you have a standalone computer you need to
either log on as Administrator or change your rights by
using the Control Panel User Accounts tool.
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System Information
The XP System Information feature displays the current
configuration of your computer. The information presented
ranges from simple data such as the operating system name
and version to more complex facts such as may be needed
by technicians or system administrators to troubleshoot
your PC. This information includes details about installed
components, hardware and software configurations, Internet
and network settings and details about the current state of
your operating environment and PC as a whole.

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System Information
There are three ways to access XP System Information:
From the Start Menu select All Programs.
Select Accessories, and then System Tools.
From the System Tools submenu, select System
Information.
Or,
Right Click on the My Computer icon on the desktop,
From the shortcut menu, select System Information.
Or,
From the Start Menu Select Run.
In the Open text box, enter msinfo32.exe, press OK.
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Either way you run it, you will see a window like this...

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You navigate through the left pane to see the

selected information in the right pane...

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You can even see information regarding your

Microsoft Office applications...

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System Information
Additional diagnostic and configuration tools are available
from the System Information dialog boxs Tools menu. All of
these tools are explained within the Help and Support
Center.

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