LESSON 13 Managing Devices OBJECTIVES After completing this lesson, you will be able to: 1. Open System Properties. 2. Use Device Manager. 3. Understand hardware profiles. 4. Set performance options. Estimated Time: 2 hours Your computer is an assembly of many components from different manufacturers. One of Windows primary jobs is to manage and coordinate the actions of all the components, or devices. Windows controls each component by using drivers. As you learned in Lesson 8, a driver is a program that enables a device such as a printer to communicate with the operating system. Windows supports hundreds of devices. Many device drivers that have been tested and certified are included in Windows. When you install a new device in your computer, Windows usually detects its presence. Windows then automatically installs the correct device driver, configures the new device, and makes it available to you to use. However, at times you might have to install and configure a device manually. For example, you might add a component that is too new for its drivers to be included with Windows. You might also want to install an updated driver that you ve obtained from the device manufacturer to make the component run better. Windows provides a rich set of tools that will help you install new devices, troubleshoot problems, and manage your computer system and all its devices. This lesson introduces you to some of these tools and capabilities. You ll learn about 388
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 389 System Properties and Windows Device Manager, and how to use hardware profiles and set performance options. Opening System Properties System Properties provides an overview of your computer. It displays information about the operating system, CPU, and memory on your system. You can also use it to view information about your computer s hardware and manage its devices. Other functions that you can perform in System Properties enable you to control performance options for your computer. EXERCISE 13-1 Create a Shortcut for System Restore on the Start Menu Before working with such advanced features as Device Manager, hardware profiles, and performance options, you need to set a restore point. A handy way to create and use restore points is by having a shortcut on the Start menu for System Restore. 1. From the Start menu, choose All Programs, Accessories and then choose System Tools. 2. Right-click System Restore and choose Pin to Start menu. A shortcut to System Restore is placed on the Start menu. 3. Use the shortcut that you just created to set a restore point and name it [your initials]lesson13 NOTE: To remove the shortcut from the Start menu, right-click the System Restore shortcut and choose Unpin from Start menu. EXERCISE 13-2 Open the System Properties Dialog Box 1. From the Start menu, choose Control Panel. Control Panel opens. 2. If Control Panel is displayed in Category view, in the left pane click Switch to Classic View. 3. Double-click the System icon. The System Properties dialog box appears. The General tab contains information about your computer such as the processor, its speed, the computer s memory, and the current version of Windows. NOTE: System Properties can also be opened by right-clicking My Computer and choosing Properties.
390 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics TABLE 13-1 System Properties Tabs TAB General Computer Name Hardware Advanced System Restore Automatic Updates Remote USE Summarizes information about the computer, including operating system, CPU type and speed, and system memory. Identifies computer name and network information. Contains programs for adding, modifying, and managing computer devices, drivers, and hardware profiles. Modifies system settings for system performance, user profiles, startup and recovery, and error reporting. Modifies System Restore options. Controls automatic update options. Sets remote access options. 4. Click the Hardware tab. The options on this tab enable you to add, modify, and manage your computer s devices and drivers. FIGURE 13-1 Hardware tab of System Properties dialog box 5. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box. Control Panel is still open.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 391 EXERCISE 13-3 Display a Volume Icon in the Taskbar To learn how to manage a device on your computer, you will use your computer s audio device. In this exercise, you ll note the name of your audio device and add an icon for it to the Taskbar so you can access it easily. 1. With Control Panel still open, double-click the Sounds and Audio Devices icon. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box opens. 2. Make note of the name of the audio device. This appears in the top area of the Volume tab next to the audio icon. 3. Click Place volume icon in the taskbar if it is not already selected. 4. Click OK to close the Sound and Audio Devices Properties dialog box. 5. In the Notification Area of the Taskbar, click the Volume icon to open the volume control. 6. Drag the slider to adjust the volume. 7. Click anywhere on the desktop to close the volume control. Control Panel is still open. Using Device Manager Device Manager is a Windows administrative tool used to manage a computer s devices. You can use it to view and change device properties, update device drivers, configure device settings, and uninstall devices. Device Manager shows all the hardware installed on your computer. It enables you to examine how Windows has configured each device driver. You can turn devices off and on, and modify the configuration of your devices. Device Manager also enables you to view the resources that a device uses. In general, a resource refers to any part of a computer that is used in running a program or a process. A resource might be a disk drive, a printer, or memory. EXERCISE 13-4 Open Device Manager Device Manager is opened in the System Properties dialog box. 1. With Control Panel still open, double-click the System icon. The System Properties dialog box opens. 2. Click the Hardware tab and click Device Manager. The Device Manager window opens. Each category of device on your computer is shown with a plus sign (+) next to it.
392 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics FIGURE 13-2 Device Manager window 3. Click the plus sign (+) next to Display adapters to display the detail for the category. Windows displays the name of the display adapter for your computer. 4. Choose View to see the viewing options. The default view is Devices by type. A black dot indicates the active option. 5. Click the Device Manager Title bar to close the menu. Leave Device Manager open for the next exercise. EXERCISE 13-5 Examine Audio Device Details You can use Device Manager to examine the details of a device and turn the device on and off. 1. With the Device Manager window displayed, choose Action from the menu and then choose Scan for hardware changes, or click the Scan for Hardware Changes button on the toolbar. Windows checks the computer s devices and updates the data. 2. Click the plus sign (+) next to the Sound, video and game controllers device category. One or more devices are displayed. The audio device you noted in Exercise 13-3 is shown.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 393 FIGURE 13-3 Using Device Manager to examine sound, video, and game controllers 3. Under the Sound, video and game controllers device category, click the audio device you noted in Exercise 13-3. Three additional buttons might appear on the toolbar when you click a specific device to select it: the Update Driver button, the Uninstall button, and the Disable button. Additional buttons 4. Click the remaining devices under the Sound, video and game controllers device category. EXERCISE 13-6 Explore the Details of Device Driver Properties You can use Device Manager to view the properties of a specific device. The properties include information about the device drivers and resources that a device uses. 1. Right-click the name of your audio device and choose Properties from the shortcut menu, or click the Properties button on the toolbar. The Properties dialog box for your audio device opens. The Title bar of the dialog box includes the name of the device manufacturer.
394 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics FIGURE 13-4 Properties dialog box for audio device NOTE: The manufacturer name shown for your Properties dialog box may be different from the one shown in Figure 13-4. Specific features in the Properties dialog box will vary, depending on the nature of the device. 2. Click the Properties tab. A list of multimedia devices appears. 3. Click the plus sign (+) for each category to display the device category details. 4. Click the name of the device that appears under the Audio Devices category. 5. Click Properties, which is located at the bottom of the dialog box. A Properties dialog box for that device opens. In general, the Properties dialog box for each device enables you to choose to have your system use the features of the device or to not use the features of this device. TIP: You can configure some device properties. When this is the case, the Settings option in the Properties dialog box is enabled. 6. Click OK. The first Properties dialog box is still open. 7. Click the Driver tab. The details for the device driver are displayed, including the name of the driver, the company that provided the driver, and the date. Notice that there are options for updating and uninstalling a driver. You install new drivers with Update Driver. You can also return to a previous driver if an update fails with Roll Back Driver. NOTE: When you use Update Driver to install a new driver, you are guided through the process with the Hardware Update Wizard.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 395 FIGURE 13-5 Driver tab of Properties dialog box for audio device 8. Click Driver Details. The Driver File Details dialog box opens. Under Driver fi l e s is a list of individual files. Each of these files is used to make up the driver. NOTE: The files listed under Driver files might show a Signed Driver icon next to the filename. This icon indicates that the file is a Microsoftapproved driver component. A signed driver has been tested and certified by Microsoft. Unsigned drivers will not have the icon. 9. Click OK to close the Driver File Details dialog box. The Properties dialog box is still open. 10. Click the Resources tab to view the specific resource settings for this device. The status of the device is displayed under Confl icting device list. If the device is working properly, the box should show the message No confl icts. 11. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. The Device Manager window is still open. EXERCISE 13-7 View Resources by Type and Connection Sometimes your system might encounter problems when you install a new piece of hardware. Such problems frequently involve conflicts over the assignment and
396 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics use of system resources. You can use Device Manager to identify the source of the conflict. Device Manager displays four categories of device resource usage: Direct memory access (DMA), which refers to a way the computer s memory is used Input/output (IO), which is the channel through which data moves between the processor and the device Interrupt request (IRQ), which is the hardware line the device uses to communicate with the processor Memory 1. With the Device Manager window still displayed, choose View, Resources by type from the menu. Device Manager displays four categories of resources used by the device. 2. Click the plus sign (+) next to Interrupt Request (IRQ). The IRQ details are displayed. Each device must have a unique IRQ line, but Windows allows some devices to share an IRQ line if the devices are not used at the same time. FIGURE 13-6 Using Device Manager to view device resource usage by type 3. Identify the IRQ that has been assigned to your audio device. (Look for the audio icon to locate the device.) 4. Double-click your audio device. The Properties dialog box for the device opens. This is the same information that you viewed in Exercise 13-6. 5. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. The Device Manager window is still open and shows device resource usage by type.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 397 EXERCISE 13-8 Disable the Audio Driver You can disable a device in Device Manager. 1. Click your audio device in the IRQ listing to select the item if it is not already selected. 2. Click the Disable button on the toolbar, or right-click the selected item and choose Disable from the shortcut menu. A confirmation box appears, warning you that disabling the device will cause it to stop functioning. 3. Click Yes. Windows rescans all the computer s devices and refreshes the Device Manager window. Your audio device has been removed from the list of devices. NOTE: You might be requested to restart your system when you disable this device and again when you re-enable it. If your Task bar displayed the Volume icon, you will notice that the icon is no longer present. This is because you have disabled the sound card. FIGURE 13-7 Device Manager showing a disabled device 4. From the View menu, choose Devices by type. Device Manager displays the categories of devices on your computer. 5. Click the plus sign next to the Sound, video and game controllers category to display the category details if the details are not already displayed. Notice that a small red x has been placed over the icon for your audio device. 6. Click your audio device. In the toolbar, the Disable button had been replaced by the Enable button. Disabled device indicator
398 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics 7. Click the Enable button on the toolbar. Windows rescans the devices and restores the audio device to its previous setting. The red x is removed from the icon, the Volume icon is restored to the Taskbar, and the Disable button has replaced the Enable button. 8. To test your audio device, click the Volume icon in the Taskbar and use the Volume slider to adjust the sound. Windows plays a sound in response to your adjustment of the volume control. 9. Click any window Title bar to close the volume control. The Device Manager window is still open. NOTE: If your audio device is not working after re-enabling it, disable the device once again and then re-enable it. If the device is still not working properly, use the restore point you created at the beginning of this lesson to restore your settings. EXERCISE 13-9 Explore Device Manager Options You can troubleshoot a disabled device in Device Manager by using the Device Problems Troubleshooting Wizard. 1. With the Device Manager window still displayed, click your audio device and then click the Disable button. A confirmation dialog box appears asking you whether you want to disable the device. Click Yes. The device is disabled. 2. Double-click the icon for the disabled device. The Properties dialog box for the device opens. Notice that the Device status box describes the device as being disabled. 3. Click the Resources tab. As the message indicates, the device is not using any resources because it is disabled. 4. Click the General tab. You can enable the device in this tab. 5. Click Enable Device. The Device Problems Troubleshooting Wizard opens. 6. Click Next. Windows begins re-enabling the device. 7. Click Finish to complete the re-enabling of the audio device. The Device status box on the General tab now indicates that the device is working properly. TIP: You can also use the Device usage option at the bottom of the General tab to enable or disable this device. 8. Click Close to close the Properties dialog box for your audio device. The icon for the device now indicates that the device is active.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 399 9. Test the device by clicking the Volume icon in the Taskbar and using the Volume slider. EXERCISE 13-10 View Devices by Connection Another way to view the devices on your computer is by connection. Each device is listed under the computer hardware to which it is connected. 1. With the Device Manager window still displayed, choose View, Devices by connection from the menu. Device Manager displays the computer s devices sorted alphabetically by connection type. You will find all the devices you saw in previous views, but the organization is now based on the type of hardware to which the device is connected. FIGURE 13-8 Device Manager showing devices by connection NOTE: The connection items shown for your computer might differ from those shown in Figure 13-8. 2. Double-click the Media Control Devices connection. The Media Control Devices Properties dialog box opens. 3. Click the Properties tab to view a list of the drivers used to support this device. As in previous views, you can view the properties of specific devices. 4. Click Cancel to close the Media Control Devices Properties dialog box. 5. Click other connection categories. Try to locate your audio device. 6. Close the Device Manager window.
400 WINDOWS XP Understanding Hardware Profiles Unit 5 Advanced Topics A hardware profile is a set of instructions that describes the characteristics and configuration of a computer s equipment. A hardware profile tells Windows what devices to use when you start your computer and the settings to use for each device. Profiles are especially useful for portable computers. Portable computers are often used in different locations, and a hardware profile enables you to set which devices it uses in each location. For example, at work you might use a docking station for your laptop, whereas at home you probably would not use one. You might also want to create a hardware profile when you are performing a specialized task that requires a specific device. For example, you might want to use a graphics tablet instead of a keyboard to do video editing. A hardware profile enables you to easily create and use the hardware instructions required for different devices. EXERCISE 13-11 Open Hardware Profiles and View Properties You access hardware profiles from the System Properties dialog box. 1. Open Control Panel if it is not already open. 2. Double-click the System icon. The System Properties dialog box opens. 3. Click the Hardware tab. 4. Click Hardware Profi les. The Hardware Profiles dialog box opens. FIGURE 13-9 Hardware Profiles dialog box
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 401 5. Choose the first profile listed under Available hardware profi les. (You might have only one profile. If so, it will already be selected.) 6. Click Properties. The Profile Properties dialog box opens. 7. Click the option Always include this profi le as an option when Windows starts. 8. Click OK. The Hardware Profiles dialog box is still open. 9. Under Hardware profi les selection, click Select the first profi le listed if I don t select a profi le in if it is not already selected. This ensures that this profile is included in the list of available profiles when you start your computer. 10. Click the down arrow next to the seconds box, changing the value to 15. (Choose a different value if this value is already displayed.) This sets the amount of time you have during startup to choose an alternate profile instead of the default profile. NOTE: When you specify a time to choose a profile, remember that if the number of seconds is too few, you might not have enough time to override the default. 11. Click OK to accept the change and close the Hardware Profiles dialog box. The System Properties dialog box is still open. EXERCISE 13-12 Create and Name a New Hardware Profile The easiest way to create a new profile is to copy an existing profile and give it a new name. In this exercise, you ll create a new profile from the default profile. 1. In the System Properties dialog box, click Hardware Profi les to open the Hardware Profiles dialog box. 2. Under Available hardware profi les, click the first profile if it is not already selected. 3. Click Copy. The Copy Profiles dialog box opens. 4. Key [your initials]13-12 in the To text box. 5. Click OK. The Hardware Profiles dialog box is redisplayed and shows your new profile in the list of available profiles. 6. Under Available hardware profi les, double-click the name of the new profile you just created. The Properties dialog box for the profile opens. 7. Click the option Always include this profi le as an option when Windows starts. 8. Click OK to accept the change and redisplay the Hardware Profiles dialog box.
402 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics 9. Click the name of your new hardware profile in the Available hardware profi les box. 10. Click the up arrow next to the list of available profiles to move the new profile to the top of the list. This will make your new profile the default profile when your system starts. FIGURE 13-10 Making a user-created hardware profile the default profile 11. Click OK in the Hardware Profiles dialog box to accept the changes and close the dialog box. 12. Click OK in System Properties to close the dialog box. You must restart your computer to use a new profile. REVIEW: Restart your computer by clicking the Turn Off Computer button on the Start menu and then clicking the Restart button on the Turn Off Computer screen. Log on to your computer by clicking your user name when Windows displays the list of user names for your computer. 13. Restart your computer. As your system starts, a screen appears that gives you the opportunity to choose a hardware profile. Press i or m to make a selection. If you do not make a selection in 15 seconds, Windows chooses the default profile and completes the startup with that profile. Because you have made your new profile the default, you can allow Windows to select that profile, or you can press e to select the default immediately. 14. Log on to your computer.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 403 EXERCISE 13-13 Customize a New Hardware Profile by Using Device Manager If you make a change to a device by using Device Manager, the current hardware profile is automatically changed as well. 1. Open Control Panel and double-click the System icon. The System Properties dialog box opens. 2. Click the Hardware tab and click Hardware Profi les. The Hardware Profiles dialog box opens. 3. Examine the profiles listed under Available hardware profi les. The profile you created is listed first and labeled (Current). 4. Click OK to close the Hardware Profiles dialog box. 5. Click Device Manager in the System Properties dialog box. The Device Manager window opens. 6. Click the plus sign (+) next to the Sound, video and game controllers device type to expand the list. 7. Click your audio driver to select it. 8. Click the Disable button on the toolbar to disable the device. A confirmation dialog box appears. 9. Click Yes. Device Manager updates the list of drivers and disables the device. Your current profile also reflects this new setting. If you restart your computer and use the current profile, your audio device will remain disabled. NOTE: As before, the audio volume controller will be removed from the Taskbar. This indicates that the driver for the audio board has been disabled. 10. Close the Device Manager window and close all other open windows. 11. Restart your computer. Choose the default hardware profile (the profile you created in Exercise 13-12) or let Windows choose it for you automatically. 12. Log on to your computer. EXERCISE 13-14 Test Hardware Profile Changes When you make changes to your current profile by using Device Manager, those changes remain in effect the next time you restart your computer if you use the same profile. 1. Examine the Notification Area of the Taskbar to see whether the audio driver is present. It should not be present.
404 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics 2. Open Control Panel, double-click the System icon, click the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager. The Device Manager window opens. Confirm that your audio device is still marked as disabled. 3. Close Device Manager and close all other open windows. 4. Restart your computer. When your computer restarts, choose the previous hardware profile. Do not use the one you created and modified. 5. Log on to your computer. 6. Open Control Panel, double-click the System icon, click the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager. The Device Manager window opens. Confirm that your audio device is enabled. 7. Close the Device Manager window. The System Properties dialog box is still open. 8. Click Hardware Profi les in the System Properties dialog box. The Hardware Profiles dialog box opens. Confirm that the current profile is not the hardware profile that you created. 9. Click the name of the profile that you created from the list. 10. Use the up arrow next to the list of available profiles to return the original hardware profile to the default position. The profile that you created is no longer the default profile. FIGURE 13-11 Restoring original hardware profile as default profile Current profile User-created profile 11. Click OK to accept the change and close the Hardware Profiles dialog box. 12. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box. Close all open windows.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 405 13. Restart your computer. When Windows prompts you for the hardware profile, choose the original profile (now the default profile) or let Windows choose it automatically. 14. Log on to your computer. EXERCISE 13-15 Delete a Custom Hardware Profile To delete a hardware profile, you cannot have started the computer with that profile. You cannot delete the current hardware profile. 1. Open Control Panel and double-click the System icon to display the System Properties dialog box. Click the Hardware tab. 2. Click Hardware Profi les. The Hardware Profiles dialog box opens. 3. Click the profile that you created to select it. 4. Click Delete. Windows displays a confirmation dialog box. 5. Click Yes. The profile is deleted. The Hardware Profiles dialog box is still displayed. 6. Click OK to close the Hardware Profiles dialog box. 7. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box. When you restart your computer, your custom hardware profile will not be listed as a hardware profile option. If you have only one hardware profile, Windows will not stop the startup process to prompt you for a hardware profile. It will proceed with the startup process and use the default hardware profile. 8. Close Control Panel if it is still open. Setting Performance Options Your computer s two key resources are its memory (RAM) and the central processing unit (CPU). Windows controls the performance of your computer by managing the use of these resources. It monitors the system and makes adjustments in the assignment of resources as needed. It also makes adjustments in resources based on how you use the computer. All this is done automatically. Sometimes you might want to force Windows to give a particular process more resources than it might ordinarily get. For example, you might want to have Windows use more processor time for a program that you are running and devote less time to a background task such as printing a document. You might want to make this change to improve the response time of the program you re running. You can use System Monitor in the Performance console to adjust your computer s performance. You can use Windows Task Manager to monitor your system s performance as you make adjustments.
406 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics EXERCISE 13-16 Open the Performance Console and Customize the Counter Display The Windows Performance tool consists of two components, System Monitor and Performance Logs and Alerts. System Monitor provides a graphical display of the current status of your computer system. Performance Logs and Alerts gives you the ability to track the performance of your system over a long period of time by recording data that you can analyze to a file. System Monitor displays performance data about hardware components. Information about an individual component is called a performance object. The information in a performance object is displayed in a counter, which shows the data items associated with the object. 1. Open Control Panel and double-click the Administrative Tools icon. The Administrative Tools folder appears. 2. Double-click the Performance icon. The Performance console opens. 3. In the left pane of the Performance console, click System Monitor in the Performance console tree if it is not already selected. System Monitor is displayed in the right pane. System Monitor can track a large number of attributes about your computer system and it can be extensively customized. FIGURE 13-12 Performance console Performance console tree System Monitor toolbar System Monitor display Legend 4. Right-click the background of the graphical display area and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. The System Monitor Properties dialog box
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 407 opens. There are five tabs in this dialog box that you can use to customize System Monitor. 5. Click the Graph tab. Options on this tab enable you to control the elements that appear on the graph. 6. Click Vertical grid. This option turns on vertical grid lines in the display. 7. Click Horizontal grid to turn on horizontal grid lines in the display. 8. Click OK. The System Monitor Properties dialog box closes, and the Performance console redisplays. Horizontal and vertical grid lines appear in the System Monitor display area. EXERCISE 13-17 Add a Counter to System Monitor You can customize System Monitor by adding performance objects such as memory, processor time, or disk usage. The counters for these objects might use measures such as percent utilization, available RAM, or the number of requests to access the resource. 1. Right-click the graph area of System Monitor and choose Add Counters from the shortcut menu, or click the Add button on the System Monitor toolbar. The Add Counters dialog box opens. 2. Click Use local computer counters to use the data generated by the computer you are using. 3. Click the down arrow next to the Performance object box and choose Memory. You will add a performance object that displays your computer s memory usage. 4. Click the Select counters from list option if it is not already selected and choose % Committed Bytes in Use, which is located near the top of the drop-down list. The counter for the memory performance object will display the percentage of the page file currently in use. You can see an explanation of your selections. 5. Click Explain. An Explain Text dialog box opens that describes the meaning of the counter. Read the information. (See Figure 13-13 on the next page.) 6. Click Add to add this counter to the Performance console graph. 7. Click Close to close the dialog box. 8. Find the counter that you just added by examining the graph and the legend in the Performance console (the legend appears as a table at the bottom of the right pane). TIP: You can increase the width of the legend columns by dragging the column headings.
408 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics FIGURE 13-13 Adding a memory counter to System Monitor EXERCISE 13-18 Use System Monitor s Graphic Output Panel You can view information generated by System Monitor in different ways or highlight specific data. You can match a line in the graph with the counter it is charting. You can also use toolbar buttons to change the way that the data in the graph is presented. 1. With the Performance console still displayed, double-click the % Committed Bytes in Use line in the graphic output that represents the new counter you ve just added to System Monitor. This highlights the name of the counter in the legend. Repeat this for the other lines in the graph. It shows the counter associated with each line. 2. Click the Highlight button on the System Monitor toolbar. The line for the legend currently selected appears in bold. NOTE: You can change the line color, scale of the display, width of the line, or line style of any counter. Click the counter in the legend to select it. Then right-click the counter and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. Use the options on the Data tab of the System Monitor Properties dialog box to make the changes.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 409 3. Click the View Histogram button on the System Monitor toolbar. The graph changes from a line graph to a bar graph. The bars go up and down as a measure of their current usage. 4. Click the bar in the graph for the % Committed Bytes in Use counter. The corresponding item in the legend is highlighted. 5. Click the View Report button on the System Monitor toolbar. A text report appears in the right pane for the currently selected counter in the legend. 6. Click the View Graph button on the System Monitor toolbar. The graph is redisplayed. 7. Click the Clear Display button on the System Monitor toolbar. The counter data is cleared, and the graph is restarted. 8. Close all open windows. TABLE 13-2 Buttons on the System Monitor Toolbar BUTTON New Counter Set PURPOSE Creates fresh counter display. Clear Display Clears graphic display. View Current Activity View Log Data View Graph Changes the source of the data to current activity. Displays Source tab of System Monitor Properties dialog box to access log files. Displays graph. View Histogram Displays bar graph of counter data. View Report Opens report view of counter data. Add Opens Add Counters dialog box. Delete Removes selected counter from the System Monitor display. continues
410 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics TABLE 13-2 Buttons on the System Monitor Toolbar continued BUTTON Highlight PURPOSE Displays selected counter as bold line in graph. Copy Properties Copies counter properties. Paste Counter List Pastes counter properties. Properties Freeze Display Update Data Opens System Monitor Properties dialog box. Stops the acquisition of new data of the selected counter. Click again to restart. Updates the counter data when the display is in freeze mode. Help Launches the System Monitor Help. EXERCISE 13-19 Open and View Standard Performance Options You can adjust how Windows allocates its resources. One resource that you can control is the amount of processing power Windows devotes to the visual interface. By reducing the amount of detail in the menus, icons, dialog boxes, and other visual elements, you can have Windows devote more of its processing resources to other tasks. 1. Open Control Panel and double-click the System icon to open the System Properties dialog box. 2. Click the Advanced tab. Options on this tab enable you to make changes in the performance of Windows. NOTE: You must have Administrator privileges to make changes to the properties in the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box. 3. Under Performance, click Settings. The Performance Options dialog box opens. 4. Click Adjust for best appearance. This option controls how Windows applies certain visual effects.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 411 FIGURE 13-14 Changing the visual quality of Windows 5. Click Apply. Windows applies the new setting to the visual display. Some of the windows might alter when you apply the new setting. Look for small changes in the tabs, sliders, buttons, and icons. The differences are subtle. NOTE: The changes you see on your screen might vary depending on the capabilities of your computer and the monitor. EXERCISE 13-20 Customize Performance Options for Visual Effects You can use Windows Task Manager to monitor resource usage as you change performance options in the System Properties dialog box. 1. Press Ç + a + y to open Windows Task Manager. NOTE: If the Windows Security dialog box opens when you press this keystroke sequence, click Task Manager to open Windows Task Manager. 2. Click the Performance tab. 3. Position Windows Task Manager and the Performance Options dialog box side by side so you can see both tools. 4. Make note of the amount of physical memory available in the Physical Memory (K) section of Windows Task Manager. This value will change as you alter the Windows resource usage. 5. Click Adjust for best performance in the Performance Options dialog box. This option uses none of the available visual effects.
412 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics 6. Click Apply to activate the changes. After a few seconds, Windows refreshes the windows and dialog boxes. The visual display is considerably simpler. There is less detail, and the colors are more muted. Notice that the amount of available physical memory has increased. Less memory is required to manage these simpler visual effects. The memory that has been freed is available for other tasks. FIGURE 13-15 Changing the visual effects in Windows to optimize performance TIP: You can use the Custom option to choose the specific effects you desire. EXERCISE 13-21 Return Performance Options to Windows Default Settings 1. In the Performance Options dialog box, click Let Windows choose what s best for my computer. This is the Windows default. 2. Click Apply. The default visual display is restored. 3. Close all the open dialog boxes and windows. 4. Open System Restore and restore the machine to [your initials]lesson13. 5. Log off Windows.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 413? Help and Support Center FIGURE 13-16 Help screen about Performance Logs and Alerts in the Performance console An important component of the Performance console is Performance Logs and Alerts. You can use this tool to configure logs that record performance data and set system alerts to notify you when a counter moves above or below a specified value. This is a useful feature when you re trying to monitor your system s performance. You can learn more about this feature by using System Monitor Help. Use System Monitor Help to learn more about Performance Logs and Alerts. 1. Open Control Panel, double-click the Administrative Tools icon, and then double-click the Performance icon. The Performance console opens. 2. Choose Help, Help Topics from the Performance console menu. The Help window for Microsoft Management Console opens. 3. In the left pane, click the plus sign (+) next to Performance Logs and Alerts to display the topic detail. 4. Click the plus sign (+) next to Concepts to display the detail for that topic. 5. Click Performance Logs and Alerts overview. Information about this feature is displayed in the right pane. 6. Read the information displayed and close the Help window when you are finished. Close all open windows.
414 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics LESSON 13 Summary System Properties provides an overview of your computer. A handy way to create and use restore points is by having a shortcut on the Start menu for System Restore. You can add an icon for your audio device in the Taskbar. System Properties can be opened through Control Panel on the Start menu. Device Manager is a Windows administrative tool used to manage a computer s devices and view its resource usage. A resource is any part of a computer that can be used in running a program or a process. Device Manager is opened in the System Properties dialog box. You can use Device Manager to examine the details of a device and turn the device on and off. You can use Device Manager to view the properties of a specific device. The properties include information about the device drivers and resources that a device uses. You can use Device Manager to view resources by type. Direct memory access (DMA) refers to a way the computer s memory is used. Input/output (IO) is the channel through which data moves between the processor and the device. Interrupt request (IRQ) is the hardware line that the device uses to communicate with the processor. You can disable a device in Device Manager. You can troubleshoot a disabled device in Device Manager by using the Device Problems Troubleshooting Wizard. You can view devices in Device Manager by connection type. A hardware profile is a set of instructions that describes the characteristics and configuration of a computer s equipment. You access hardware profiles from the System Properties dialog box. An easy way to create a new profile is to copy an existing profile and give it a new name. If you make a change to a device by using Device Manager, the current hardware profile is automatically changed as well.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 415 When you make changes to your current profile by using Device Manager, those changes remain in effect the next time you restart your computer if you use the same profile. To delete a hardware profile, you cannot have started the computer with that profile. You cannot delete the current hardware profile. System Monitor allows you to monitor your system s performance. System Monitor displays performance data about hardware components. Information about an individual component is called a performance object. The information in a performance object is displayed in a counter, which shows the data items associated with the object. System Monitor is launched from Administrative Tools in Control Panel. You can customize System Monitor by adding performance objects. You can view information generated by System Monitor in different ways or highlight specific data. You can use the System Properties dialog box to adjust how Windows allocates its resources. You can use Windows Task Manager to monitor resource usage as you change performance options in the System Properties dialog box. LESSON 13 Device Manager Command Summary DEVICE MANAGER FEATURE BUTTON MENU KEYBOARD Scan Device Disable Device Action, Scan for hardware changes Action, Disable Uninstall Device Action, Uninstall Update Driver Action, Update Driver Device Properties Action, Properties
416 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS Concepts Review Each of the following statements is either true or false. Indicate your choice by circling T or F. T F 1. Detailed driver configuration information can be obtained by using the Performance console. T F 2. Devices can be turned on and off by using Device Manager. T F 3. IRQ assignments can be viewed by using the View, Resources by type command in Device Manager. T F 4. Drivers for devices cannot be updated by using Device Manager. T F 5. You can create a custom profile to control the types of devices that your computer uses for specialized tasks. T F 6. You can set up multiple hardware profiles for the same computer. T F 7. You cannot control the type of counters used by System Monitor. T F 8. You can control the resources used by the video display. SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS Write the correct answer in the space provided. 1. If you needed to monitor three or four system resources at a time, what Windows tool would you use? 2. In System Monitor, what button displays the graph line for a selected legend in bold? 3. If the audio on your computer isn t working correctly, what Windows tool might you use to investigate the problem? 4. What command sequence in Device Manager might you use to determine whether there is a potential IRQ conflict with a particular device?
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 417 5. What tool would you use to determine whether a computer problem is related to conflicts with a device driver? 6. Which tab in the System Properties dialog box gives a quick summary of your computer? 7. If you wanted to configure a laptop so it could be used with and without a docking station, what would you need to create? 8. What Windows utility enables you to change the visual effects used in your computer s display? CRITICAL THINKING Answer these questions on a separate page. There are no right or wrong answers. Support your answer with examples from your own experience, if possible. 1. If you were about to install a new CD-ROM drive in your computer, what steps would you take? 2. If the CD-ROM doesn t work after you ve installed it, how would you troubleshoot this situation? Skills Review NOTE: If you change a system setting in completing any of these Skills Review exercises, remember to open System Restore and restore the machine to [your initials] Lesson13 when you are finished so the computer is ready for the next user. EXERCISE 13-22 Use System Properties to identify your computer s CPU type and speed, and use Device Manager to identify the display adapter. 1. Open System Properties and locate CPU information by following these steps: a. From the Start menu, choose Control Panel. b. If Control Panel is displayed in Category view, click Switch to Classic View.
418 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics c. Double-click the System icon. d. Make note of the processor, its speed, and the amount of memory. 2. Use Device Manager to identify the display adapter for your computer by following these steps: a. With the System Properties dialog box still displayed, click the Hardware tab. b. Click Device Manager. c. Click the plus sign (+) next to Display adapters. d. Make note of the name of the display adapter. 3. Close Device Manager and close all other open windows. EXERCISE 13-23 Create a new hardware profile, use and customize a new hardware profile, change performance options, and delete a hardware profile. 1. Create a new hardware profile by following these steps: a. Open Control Panel and double-click the System icon. b. Click the Hardware tab. c. Click Hardware Profi les. d. Click the first profile listed under Available hardware profi les if it is not already selected and click Copy. e. Key [your initials]13-23 in the To text box. f. Click OK. 2. Use a profile at startup by following these steps: a. Under Available hardware profi les, double-click the name of the profile you just created in step 1. b. Click Always include this profi le as an option when Windows starts. c. Click OK. d. Click OK again to close Device Manager. e. Close all open windows and restart your computer. At startup, choose the profile you created in step 1 and press e. f. Log on to your computer. 3. Change a hardware setting and customize a hardware profile by following these steps: a. Open Control Panel and double-click the System icon. b. Click the Hardware tab. c. Click Device Manager. d. Click the plus sign (+) next to Sound, video and game controllers. e. Click your audio device. f. Click the Disable button on the Device Manager toolbar. g. Click Yes and close the Device Manager window.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 419 h. Verify that the audio device is disabled by examining the Notification Area of the Taskbar. There should be no Volume icon present. 4. Change computer performance with a different visual display by following these steps: a. With the System Properties dialog box still displayed, click the Advanced tab. b. Under Performance, click Settings. c. With the Visual Effects tab displayed, click Adjust for best performance. d. Click Apply. 5. Return Windows to its default display setting by following these steps: a. With the Visual Effects tab of the Performance Options dialog box still displayed, click Let Windows choose what s best for my computer. b. Click OK. c. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box. 6. Close all open windows. 7. Delete a hardware profile by following these steps: a. Restart your computer. When the computer restarts, choose the original hardware profile (not the one you created in step 1). b. Open Control Panel and double-click the System icon. c. Click the Hardware tab. d. Click Hardware Profi les. e. Under Available hardware profi les, click the profile you created in step 1. f. Click Delete and then click Yes. g. Click OK to close the Hardware Profiles dialog box. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box. 8. Close Control Panel.
420 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics Lesson Applications NOTE: If you change a system setting in completing any of these Lesson Applications exercises, remember to open System Restore and restore the machine to [your initials] Lesson13 when you are finished so the computer is ready for the next user. EXERCISE 13-24 Open System Properties and use Device Manager to examine hardware properties. Multrex is having problems with a mouse on one of their older computers. They also want to install a new program but are unsure whether the computer has a fast enough processor (CPU) for the program. They ve asked Handy to investigate. 1. Using WordPad, start writing an Action Report. Remember to include your name, the date, the class, and the exercise number. 2. Complete the Action Report by describing the steps required to open the System Properties dialog box and identify the processor speed for the computer. Make note of the processor and its speed. 3. Describe the steps required to open Device Manager and determine whether the mouse is working properly. 4. Describe the steps required to identify the driver for the mouse. 5. Save the Action Report as [your initials]13-24 in a new folder for your Lesson 13 files. Then print and close the Action Report. Close all windows when you are finished. EXERCISE 13-25 Use Device Manager to upgrade a device driver and examine driver details. Lifeline Battery Products has received a driver upgrade from the manufacturer for an audio device. The manufacturer has said that the upgrade will improve the device s performance and eliminate resource conflicts. Lifeline has asked Handy to install the new driver. 1. Using WordPad, start writing an Action Report. Remember to include your name, the date, the class, and the exercise number. 2. Complete the Action Report by describing the steps required to install a new device driver for the audio device on your computer. Do not install a new driver; when the Hardware Update Wizard starts, click Cancel. 3. Describe the steps required to determine whether the audio device is working properly.
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 421 4. Describe the steps required to view computer resource usage by connection. Identify the IRQ setting for your audio device. Make note of this value. 5. Save the Action Report as [your initials]13-25 in your Lesson 13 folder. Then print and close the Action Report. Close all windows when you are finished. EXERCISE 13-26 Use System Properties and Device Manager to create a hardware profile. Two employees at Multrex share a computer. One employee uses a program that doesn t work well with the audio device. Consequently, the audio device must be disabled every time the employee uses the program. They ve asked Handy to configure the computer so the audio device is disabled. 1. Using WordPad, start writing an Action Report. Remember to include your name, the date, the class, and the exercise number. 2. Complete the Action Report by describing the steps required to create a new hardware profile. For the profile name, key [your initials]13-26 3. Describe the steps required to customize a new hardware profile, disabling the audio device for your computer. 4. Describe the steps required to make the new hardware profile available when the computer starts. 5. Describe the steps required to delete the new hardware profile. 6. Save the Action Report as [your initials]13-26 in your Lesson 13 folder. Then print and close the Action Report. Close all windows when you are finished. EXERCISE 13-27 Challenge Yourself Use Windows Task Manager and System Monitor to monitor and adjust system performance. An employee at Multrex is running a large financial program that performs complex computations. The employee would like Handy s help in determining the computer s resource usage and possible changes that could be made to enhance the program s performance. 1. Using WordPad, start writing an Action Report. Remember to include your name, the date, the class, and the exercise number. 2. Complete the Action Report by describing the steps required to start the Performance console.
422 WINDOWS XP Unit 5 Advanced Topics 3. Describe the steps required to add a Processor performance object with a % User Time counter to the System Monitor. 4. Describe the steps required to open Windows Task Manager to view system performance. Make note of available physical memory. 5. Describe the steps required to reduce the system resources used by the system display. Make note of the available memory in Task Manager after the visual display resource usage is reduced. 6. Describe the steps required to return the system display to its default setting. 7. Save the Action Report as [your initials]13-27 in your Lesson 13 folder. Then print and close the Action Report. Close all windows when you are finished. On Your Own In these exercises you work on your own, as you would in a real-life work environment. Use the skills you ve learned to accomplish the task and be creative. NOTE: If you change a system setting in completing any of these On Your Own exercises, remember to open System Restore and restore the machine to [your initials] Lesson13 when you are finished so the computer is ready for the next user. EXERCISE 13-28 Imagine that you are running a number of applications at the same time. Some of the programs operate very slowly, and occasionally you receive a system message indicating that your computer does not have enough memory. Using WordPad, write an Action Report describing what tools you might use to investigate the problem. Describe how you might avoid the problem and continue to run all your programs. Save your Action Report as [your initials]13-28 in your Lesson 13 folder and then print and close it. EXERCISE 13-29 Suppose you have just been given a new laptop computer at work that you will be using both at work and at home. At home, you have a cable modem connection to the Internet. At work, you use a docking station that is connected to your company s network. Using the Internet, if necessary, research how you can configure the laptop most efficiently to use it in both locations. Using WordPad, write an Action Report describing how to configure the computer. Save your
Lesson 13 Managing Devices WINDOWS XP 423 Action Report as [your initials]13-29 in your Lesson 13 folder and then print and close it. EXERCISE 13-30 Using WordPad, write an Action Report describing how to install a CD R/W drive in a home computer. The drive will be a second CD drive. Use the Internet to research models from which to choose. Research manufacturers installation instructions. (These can often be found on the manufacturers Web sites.) Describe Windows tools that you can use to determine whether the device is compatible with your system. Save your Action Report as [your initials]13-30 in your Lesson 13 folder and then print and close it.