Preface p. xvii Introduction p. 1 Approach to the Book p. 2 At Least Three Ways to Do It p. 2 Where to Find the Tools p. 3 Running Tools with Alternate Credentials p. 3 A Brief Word on Windows Scripting p. 4 Where to Find More Information p. 5 Operating System Installation and Maintenance p. 8 Introduction p. 8 Preparing to Install Windows XP p. 8 Installing from a CD or DVD p. 11 Installing from a Network Share p. 14 Installing from an Unattended Installation p. 15 Cloning Windows XP Installations p. 20 Installing from Remote Installation Services (RIS) p. 21 Troubleshooting Installation Problems p. 25 Upgrading to Windows XP p. 28 Creating a Multiboot Installation p. 30 Troubleshooting Multiboot Problems p. 31 Activating Windows XP p. 32 Viewing the Installed Service Pack and Hotfixes p. 34 Installing a Hotfix p. 36 Installing a Service Pack p. 37 Slipstreaming a Service Pack or Hotfix into a Build p. 39 Configuring Automatic Updates p. 40 Disabling the Windows Firewall After Installation p. 43 Keeping an Installation Process Worm- and Virus-Free p. 44 Managing Hardware and Devices p. 46 Introduction p. 46 Adding Hardware p. 47 Resolving Unknown Devices p. 49 Repairing a Missing Modem p. 50 Recovering from a Bad Device Driver Update p. 51 Using the Last Known Good Configuration to Resolve Hardware Problems p. 52 Running Windows in Safe Mode p. 53 Using System Restore to Recover from a Hardware-Induced Problem p. 55 Resolving Device Conflicts p. 56 Resolving USB Bandwidth Problems p. 58 Resolving Hung USB Devices p. 59 Keeping USB Devices from Disappearing p. 61
Curing Stubborn USB Devices p. 62 Revealing Hidden Devices p. 64 Checking Drivers with the Driver Verifier Tool p. 65 Resolving Printer Timed-Out and Not Ready Problems p. 66 Troubleshooting Local Printing Problems p. 66 Printing to a USB Printer from DOS p. 68 Resolving Failed Network Printing with Internet Connection Sharing p. 69 Interpreting Device Manager Error Codes p. 70 Troubleshooting Sound Problems p. 71 Troubleshooting Video Problems p. 73 Troubleshooting Video Monitor Problems p. 74 Stopping LCD Monitor Resolution Messages p. 75 Interpreting Windows INF Files p. 76 Figuring out AUTORUN.INF Files p. 79 Correcting Parameters in BIOS p. 81 Troubleshooting CD Autorun Software Installation Problems p. 83 Troubleshooting CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Reading Problems p. 84 Resolving DVD Reading and DVD Movie Problems p. 86 Restoring Access to CD-ROMs p. 87 Installing, Uninstalling, and Working with Applications p. 88 Introduction p. 88 Uninstalling "Unremovable" Components p. 88 Removing Unruly Applications p. 91 Removing Stubborn Uninstall Entries from Already Uninstalled Programs p. 93 Changing the Default Location for Installing Applications p. 94 Launching Applications with Keyboard Shortcuts p. 95 Customizing the Way Applications Open Using Switches and Parameters p. 97 Running Older Applications p. 100 Using the Application Compatibility Toolkit to Solve Compatibility Problems p. 102 Troubleshooting Application Compatibility p. 105 Running DOS Programs in Their Own Optimized Environments p. 106 Forcing Older Programs to Use Windows XP Common Controls p. 107 Using Keyboard Application Shortcuts p. 109 Moving a New Microsoft Application to Another Windows XP System p. 111 Remotely Installing a Microsoft Application Using Group Policy p. 113 Remotely Redeploying a Microsoft Application Using Group Policy p. 115 Remotely Uninstalling a Microsoft Application Using Group Policy p. 116 Customizing the Interface p. 118 Introduction p. 118 Getting Rid of Undeletable Desktop Icons p. 120 Changing "Unchangeable" Desktop Icons and System Objects p. 124
Showing Your XP Version on Your Desktop p. 126 Turning Off Balloon Tips p. 127 Cleaning Your Desktop Automatically p. 128 Adding an Address Bar to the Taskbar p. 129 Adding a Shortcut to a Disk, Folder, or Internet Address to the Taskbar p. 130 Hiding Specific Icons in the Notification Area p. 130 Hiding All Icons in the Notification Area p. 132 Controlling the Start Menu's Frequently Used Programs List p. 133 Customizing the Start Menu's Pinned Programs List p. 136 Displaying Control Panel Applets in a Cascading Menu p. 137 Hiding and Recategorizing Control Panel Applets p. 138 Customizing Right-Click Menu Choices in Windows Explorer p. 142 Changing the Resolution of Thumbnails in Windows Explorer p. 147 Improving Laptop and LCD Resolution with ClearType p. 149 Converting to the Classic Windows Interface p. 150 Using TweakUI p. 153 Using Group Policy Editor to Alter the Interface p. 153 Saving Your Desktop Settings p. 156 Fixing the Start Shortcut Menu p. 157 Troubleshooting My Recent Documents p. 158 System Properties, Startup, and Shutdown p. 160 Introduction p. 160 Automatically Setting the Time on a Domain-Connected PC p. 160 Automatically Setting the Time on a PC Not Connected to a Domain p. 162 Changing the System Name p. 165 Create a Multiboot Menu p. 167 Using Virtual PC to Run Multiple Operating Systems Simultaneously p. 172 Performing a Clean Boot p. 174 Shutting Down Unnecessary Programs and Services that Run on Startup p. 175 Speeding Up Shutdown Time p. 181 Changing Your Boot Screen p. 182 Personalizing Your PC's Sounds p. 183 Creating Power Schemes p. 185 Extending Battery Life on a Laptop p. 187 Changing the Location of Your Startup Folders p. 189 Disabling Error Reporting p. 190 Creating Environment Variables p. 193 Creating a Reboot or Shutdown Shortcut p. 196 Scheduling a Reboot p. 196 Speeding Up System Startup p. 197 Disks, Drives, and Volumes p. 200
Introduction p. 200 Viewing the Disk, Drive, and Volume Layout p. 202 Converting a Basic Disk to Dynamic p. 204 Enabling Disk Performance Statistics p. 205 Formatting a Volume p. 206 Setting the Drive Letter of a Volume p. 207 Setting the Label of a Volume p. 208 Cleaning Up a Volume p. 209 Defragmenting a Volume p. 211 Compressing a Volume p. 213 Checking a Volume for Errors p. 215 Making a Disk or Volume Read-Only p. 216 Mapping a Network Drive p. 218 Creating a Virtual Drive to Another Drive or Folder p. 220 Finding Large Files and Folders on a Volume p. 221 Enabling Disk Quotas p. 224 Limiting a User to a Specified Disk Quota p. 226 Viewing Disk Quota Usage p. 228 Files, Folders, and Shares p. 230 Introduction p. 230 Creating and Deleting a File p. 232 Creating and Deleting a Folder p. 233 Undeleting a File p. 235 Securely Deleting a File p. 235 Viewing the Properties of a File or Folder p. 237 Creating a Shortcut p. 239 Creating a Link or Junction Point p. 242 Creating a Program Alias p. 244 Searching for Files or Folders p. 245 Copying, Moving, or Renaming a File or Folder p. 246 Comparing Files or Folders p. 248 Hiding a File or Folder p. 249 Making a File or Folder Read-Only p. 251 Compressing a File or Folder p. 252 Encrypting a File or Folder p. 255 Replacing a File That Is in Use p. 256 Taking Ownership of a File or Folder p. 258 Finding Out Who Opened or Modified a File Last p. 259 Finding Open Files p. 261 Finding the Process That Has a File Open p. 262 Viewing File Activity p. 263
Performing an Action on Several Files at Once p. 264 Creating and Deleting Shares p. 266 Viewing Shares p. 267 Restricting Access to a Share p. 269 Enabling Web Sharing p. 270 Publishing a Share in Active Directory p. 271 The Registry p. 273 Introduction p. 273 Creating and Deleting a Key p. 275 Setting a Value p. 277 Setting Keys or Values Using Group Policy p. 280 Exporting Registry Files p. 281 Importing Registry Files p. 282 Searching the Registry p. 283 Comparing the Registry p. 284 Restricting Access to the Registry p. 285 Backing Up and Restoring the Registry p. 287 Creating a Registry Link p. 289 Monitoring Registry Activity p. 290 Viewing Processes That Have a Registry Key Open p. 292 Processes, Tasks, and Services p. 294 Introduction p. 294 Viewing the Running Processes p. 295 Viewing the Properties of a Process p. 297 Viewing the Resources a Process Is Using p. 298 Suspending a Process p. 302 Killing a Process p. 303 Running a Task with Alternate Credentials p. 304 Running a Task on a Remote System p. 306 Running a Task Automatically via the Registry p. 308 Running a Task Automatically via Login Scripts p. 310 Running a Task via Group Policy p. 312 Viewing All Automatic Tasks p. 314 Scheduling a Task p. 314 Viewing Scheduled Tasks p. 317 Deleting a Scheduled Task p. 318 Troubleshooting Scheduled Tasks p. 320 Starting and Stopping a Service p. 321 Running Any Program or Script as a Service p. 322 Setting the Startup Type of a Service p. 325 Setting the Account and Password of a Service p. 327
Performing an Action Automatically When a Service Fails p. 329 Viewing the Antecedent and Dependent Services for a Service p. 330 Viewing the Service Load Order p. 333 Viewing the Startup History of a Service p. 335 Granting Permissions to Manage One or More Services p. 336 Digital Media p. 339 Introduction p. 339 Ripping Digital Music p. 339 Creating a Playlist p. 343 Burning a CD p. 344 Troubleshooting CD Burning p. 346 Playing Internet Radio Stations p. 350 Protecting Your Privacy in Windows Media Player p. 351 Searching Through Digital Media Collections Using Metadata p. 354 Capturing Video to Your PC p. 356 Making Your Own DVDs p. 360 Converting Images Easily Between Graphics Formats p. 362 Processing Images for Email and the Web p. 364 Network Configuration p. 367 Introduction p. 367 Viewing the Network Configuration p. 368 Disabling a Connection p. 371 Configuring an IP Address p. 373 Renewing or Releasing a DHCP IP Address p. 375 Configuring DNS Settings p. 377 Registering DNS Records or Flushing the DN Cache p. 380 Finding a Computer's Active Directory Site p. 381 Managing Routes p. 383 Viewing the Open Ports and Connections p. 385 Troubleshooting Network Connectivity Problems p. 387 Configuring TCP/IP Filtering p. 388 Measuring Link Speed and Latency Between Two Hosts p. 391 Installing the IPv6 Stack p. 392 The Internet p. 394 Introduction p. 394 Using a HOSTS File to Speed Up Web Access p. 395 Troubleshooting DNS Problems p. 396 Installing Internet Information Services (IIS) p. 399 Using the IIS MMC Snap-in to Manage Your Internet Servers p. 401 Setting Up and Configuring a Telnet Server p. 403 Use the Telnet Administrator to Manage a Telnet Server p. 405
Customizing Internet Explorer's Logo and Titlebar p. 406 Blocking Pop Ups p. 409 Protecting Your Privacy by Handling Cookies Properly p. 412 Protecting Yourself Against Spyware p. 416 Customizing Internet Explorer Security Settings p. 419 Allowing Programs to Bypass the Windows Firewall p. 422 Tracking Firewall Activity with a Windows Firewall Log p. 426 Protecting Yourself with the ZoneAlarm Firewall p. 428 Surfing the Web Anonymously p. 431 Finding and Reading RSS Feeds p. 432 Wireless Networking p. 434 Introduction p. 434 Installing a Wireless Adapter p. 434 Installing a Wireless Router p. 438 Connecting to Your Wireless Network p. 440 Troubleshooting WiFi Network Connections p. 442 Speeding Up a WiFi Network p. 445 Keeping Your WiFi Network Secure p. 447 Setting Up WiFi Encryption p. 450 Mixing 802.11b and 802.11g Devices p. 455 Setting Up an Ad Hoc Wireless Network p. 456 Connecting to a Hotspot p. 458 Sending Email from a Hotspot p. 460 Stopping Hotspot "Stuttering" p. 463 Protecting Yourself at Hotspots p. 464 User, Group, and Computer Accounts p. 467 Introduction p. 467 Creating a User Account p. 469 Unlocking a User p. 471 Troubleshooting Account Lockout Problems p. 473 Viewing and Modifying the Account Lockout and Password Policies p. 474 Enabling and Disabling a User Account p. 478 Setting a User's Password p. 480 Setting a Domain User's Account Options p. 483 Setting a Domain User's Profile Attributes p. 485 Finding a Domain User's Last Logon Time p. 487 Creating a Group Account p. 488 Viewing the Members of a Group p. 491 Viewing a User's Group Membership p. 493 Adding and Removing Members of a Group p. 495 Creating a Computer Account p. 497
Joining a Computer to a Domain p. 499 Renaming a Computer p. 501 Resetting a Computer Account p. 504 Event Logs and Log Files p. 507 Introduction p. 507 Creating an Event p. 509 Viewing Events p. 510 Creating a New Event Log p. 512 Viewing the Size of an Event Log p. 514 Setting the Maximum Size of an Event Log p. 515 Setting the Event Log Retention Policy p. 516 Clearing the Events in an Event Log p. 518 Restricting Access to an Event Log p. 519 Searching an Event Log p. 520 Searching the Event Logs on Multiple Systems p. 522 Archiving an Event Log p. 524 Finding More Information about an Event p. 525 Triggering an Action When an Event Occurs p. 526 Troubleshooting a Corrupt Event Log p. 528 Enabling Boot Logging p. 529 Enabling User Environment Logging p. 530 Enabling NetLogon Logging p. 531 Enabling Windows Installer Logging p. 532 Enabling Windows Time Service Logging p. 534 Enabling Outlook Logging p. 535 Troubleshooting Application Failures with the Dr. Watson Logs p. 536 Security and Auditing p. 538 Introduction p. 538 Analyzing Your Security Configuration p. 540 Enabling Auditing p. 542 Renaming the Administrator and Guest Accounts p. 544 Disabling or Removing Unused Accounts, Services, and Software p. 547 Enabling Screen Saver Locking p. 547 Disabling Storage of the LM Password Hash p. 550 Requiring Strong Passwords p. 550 Getting Notified of New Security Vulnerabilities p. 552 Performance Tuning p. 553 Introduction p. 553 Speeding Up System Performance with the Task Manager p. 553 Tracking System Performance with the Performance Console p. 558 Using Memory More Efficiently p. 563
Balancing System Performance and Visual Effects p. 567 Optimizing Page File Size p. 568 Cleaning Up Your Hard Disk p. 570 Converting Your Hard Disk to NTFS p. 573 Disabling Startup Services and Programs p. 575 Removing Unnecessary Items from the Notification Area p. 579 Improving Startup Performance p. 580 Backup and Recovery p. 581 Introduction p. 581 Performing a Backup p. 581 Restoring from Backup p. 586 Using Automated System Recovery p. 587 Creating an ASR Disk "After the Fact" p. 588 Using System Restore to Revive a Broken Machine p. 589 Disabling System Restore Remotely p. 592 Retrieving a Shadow Copy of a Corrupted or Deleted File p. 593 Using XCOPY for Interim Backups p. 595 Using the Recovery Console During Boot Failures p. 596 Creating a Password Reset Disk p. 598 Recovering and Decrypting an Encrypted File or Folder p. 599 Backing up and Restoring Activation Data p. 601 Auditing Backup and Restore Actions p. 602 Caring for Backup Media p. 602 Crashes and Errors p. 605 Introduction p. 605 Using Safe Mode p. 605 Using Last Known Good Configuration p. 606 Using Boot Log to Trace Problems p. 607 Using VGA Mode to Solve Video Problems p. 608 Using Recovery Console p. 609 Repairing AUTOEXEC.NT or CONFIG.NT Errors p. 610 Fixing Cryptographic Services Error p. 611 Fixing NTOSKRNL Errors p. 612 Fixing a HAL Error p. 613 Fixing Corrupted or Missing /Windows/System32/Config Errors p. 614 Fixing NTLDR or NTDETECT Not Found Errors p. 615 Configuring Error Reporting p. 616 Troubleshooting Blue Screen Error Messages p. 617 Setting Up and Using Dr. Watson to Troubleshoot Errors p. 619 Summary of Windows XP Versions and Service Packs p. 623 Index p. 631
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell's Book Services and R.R. Bowker. Used with permission.